What is the setting of "Miss Brill"?

The setting of a story is always the combination of two
elements:  place and time.  "Miss Brill" is no exception; therefore, let's analyze both
elements of setting in turn.

First, the place in "Miss
Brill" is ironically specific and not specific at all.  It is set in France, in an
unnamed town, but specifically in the "Public Gardens" of that town.  It can also be
implied that it is a small French town that is coastal (in that the people can view the
shore from the gardens.)  How are we sure it is in France?  Well, that is the only
reason why the French term "Les Jardins Publiques" would be used.  Note the following
quotation:

The
blue sky [was] powdered with gold and great spots of lightlike white wine splashed
over the Jardins
Publiques.

This line is
important to the setting because it is part of the very first line of the story and
immediately establishes the specific Public Gardens as part of the not-so specific town
setting in France.

What I find interesting is that no one
above truly deals with the setting of TIME in "Miss Brill," which is quite important. 
Probably the least important aspect of non-specific timing is that it is set in daytime
at a park.  This is important because Miss Brill enjoys looking at passersby and
observing them closely.  However, the most important aspect of time is that "Miss Brill"
is set in the 1920s in France.  Why is this significant?  Well, Miss Brill (the
character) constantly has an ominous feeling.  Why?  It is a tumultuous time in Europe!
It is after World War I and before World War II.  Quite literally, it's the time
"between the wars" and Miss Brill feels it.  Miss Brill is a perfect example of the
"Jazz Age" of the time period. Even though it doesn't mention the year here, you can
feel the tension of the time in this quotation, further you can tell it is most likely
early fall:

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The air was motionless, but when you opened
your  mouth there was just a faint chill, like a chill from a glass of iced water before
you sip, and now and again a leaf came drifting--from nowhere, from the sky.  Miss Brill
put  up her hand and touched her
fur.

Therefore, as you can
see, "Miss Brill" is set in Europe of the 1920's.  It is set "between the wars" where we
can feel the tension as readers.  It is in France, as a result of the Public Gardens
being proclaimed in the French language.  All-in-all, it is a perfect short story to
teach setting!

How does the Baker change from the beginning to the end of the story in "A Small, Good Thing"?

In the beginning of "A Small, Good Thing," the baker is a cantankerous and brusquely unpleasant fellow. After the accident, when Ann fails to go in Monday morning to pick up the birthday cake ordered for Scott's eighth birthday, the baker begins calling their house leaving curt and indecipherable messages about the cake they failed to pick up, while thinking of course of the time and cost needed to bake it and the loss of profit from having to sell it as a day-old, two-day-old, even three-day-old cake.

After Scott's painful death, Ann has a spark of relization and understands that the unpleasant baker has been calling to give her grief because of the uncollected--and unpaid for--cake. She and Howard go to the bakery in the dead of night, knowing the baker is there because he just phoned, and bang on his door. In response to the baker's rude, curtness, Ann bursts out in anger at the baker's behavior with the horrible truth that Scott is dead. This is what prompts the change in the baker.

He stops what he has been so busy about and invites Ann and Howard in and offers them chairs to sit on. He then brings them fresh, sweet cinnamon rolls to eat, saying that eating something at a time of shock and mourning is a good thing to do. He sits with Ann and Howard while they eat rolls and he tells them how lonely it feels for him to be without children and to work at a mechanical job to feed the children of other people at other people's celebrations. The baker changes because he has a chance to comfort others by exposing his own suffering, and together they watch the dawn of hope for each of them as the newly arising sun glows palely through the window.

when Ichabod sees something huge and black by the brook,why doesn't he turn and run away? what two things does he do instead?

Ichabod knows that his horse, Gunpowder, is no match for a demon horse:

"What was to be done? To turn and fly was now too late; and besides, what chance was there of escaping ghost or goblin, if such it was, which could ride upon the wings of the wind?"

So he tries to show some courage by stammering out "Who are you?"  He received no answer from the horseman, so after asking it again (and again receiving no reply), he started whistling a tune and prodding Gunpowder forward.  The Horseman stayed right with him until finally Ichabod got Gunpowder running toward the bridge.  It was Ichabod's hope that if he could just get across the bridge and reach the church he would be safe.

What are some of the characteristics of Robert Wilson from the story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber"?

Well, no character has just a single characteristic, but if I had to name just one, in Hemingway's world, Wilson is masculine. He is a hunter, he's confident, he's calm, he's assertive, and all of those describe him (though technically "hunter" is not an adjective).

If you'd accepted other terms based on his emotional tone, he is cool, judgmental, and opportunistic. Finally, he is flexible/adaptable: he can change to meet the needs of the situation, which Macomber cannot.

What are seven arguements and/or topics that could be discussed and researched from the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams?It could...

The Glass Menagerie is a largely autobiographical piece.
Williams' own sister, Rose, was declared mentally unstable and underwent a lobotomy.
This is something Williams felt guilty about in his own life.You might consider
analyzing the autobiographical nature of Laura to Williams' sister as well as the
connections between her character in this piece and the similar character in both
Rose Ta too and the short story Portrait of a Girl in
Glass.

Like Tom, Williams was a gay man
struggling to be a writer and to live in a world where homosexuality was frowned upon.
This is a second autobiographical theme that you might want to
examine.

Moving away from the directly autobiographical
elements of the play, there is also a conflict between the past and the present - the
world of the movies and modern life that exists outside of the fire escape and the 
world on the inside where Amanda struggles to hold on to a past, a Southern gentility
that no longer exists. She refuses to engage in the present for, if she does, she will
have to admit that she has lost her youth.

Fragility is
another theme. Laura is fragile like the glass that she plays with. In what way does
Laura reflect her own fears and desires through her glass. She is "broken" (her limp)
and her unicorn becomes broken. There is a parallel between the uniqueness and of the
unicorn, which becomes "normal" and Laura's own
uniqueness.

Those are a few ideas to get you
started!

Describe what 'techno-crime' is, and describe 'eight' examples, identifying in each case whether it would constitute an act of sabotage, and 'why'?

Techno crime refers to any illegal activity performed
using technology as a conduit. It includes unethical treatment of secured information,
hacking, identity theft, and using the Internet communication tools for abusive
purposes.

These actions are conducive to
sabotage:

1. Using stored and encrypted information for
personal purposes- An example would be you being an IT person have access to social
security numbers, passwords, etc. Opening this information for your benefit is
sabotaging your clients.

2.Identity theft- Using someone's
personal information to conduct transactions or pretending to be someone to obtain that
person's information sabotages security.

3.Cyberbullying-
Using e-mails or chatrooms, newsgroups or other communication methods to introduce
libelous or vicious attacks on others sabotages the right of a dignified way of life in
others.

4.Stealing-Obtaining ATM information and removing
funds from bank accounts under the premise that you have the information as an IT person
sabotages against the validity of the profession.

5.Hacking
into medical files- Nowadays doctors are younger and have access to a myriad of social
networks where they may feel free to discuss private information. Disclosing information
of this type is illegal and sabotages the privacy of the
patient.

6.Spreading viruses- Those kids that sit back to
create viruses are creating cyberterrorism in a way and sabotaging the systems of all
people, as well as entering government agencies and infiltrating in important
databases.

7.Phishing= Hacking into other people's emails
to spread any form of message, e-commerce, or advertisements against the person's will
sabotages against their privacy and that of others.

8.False
links=If I run a children's blog and someone accesses my blog, he or she can use any of
my child friendly pictures to link them to porn sites, or other illegal sites for
malicious purposes and get a lot of people in trouble by sabotaging their
security.

In Farhenheit 451, what does the fireman in Seattle do to the Mechanical Hound? Why?

Your question is vague.  Initially, Beatty sends the Mechanical Hound to Montag's house because Beatty suspects that Montag is hording books.  He does this to warn him.

Then in the final part of the book, when Montag is the subject of a televised nation-wide man hunt, another hound is sent after him.  This one has been programmed to track Montag's scent and to kill him.  He is only able to escape it when he plunges into the river.  Finally, when he meets up with the "book men" in the country, one of them gives him something to drink that will change his scent and through the hound of his trail.

What implication about the speaker’s experience in love is found in sonnet XXXI (31) of Sir Philip Sidney's sonnet sequence Astrophil and Stella?

Sir Philip Sidney’s Astrophil and
Stella sonnet sequence describes the infatuation of Astrophil (“star-lover”)
with Stella (“star”). Because of this infatuation, everything that Astrophil sees makes
him think of his obsessive desire for Stella. Thus it is not surprising that when he
looks into the sky in sonnet 31 and sees the moon, he immediately attributes to the moon
many of his own feelings. To do so, of course, is inherently ridiculous since the moon
can have no feelings, but Astrophil, as a funny narcissist, sees everything as a
reflection of himself and his own emotions.

In the first
two lines, Astrophil attributes to the moon many of the standard traits of a Petrarchan
lover obsessed with his own desires. Thus he claims that the moon moves slowly (as a
depressed lover might), that the moon seems quiet (as would also be true of a
melancholy, rejected lover), and that the moon appears pale (again, another conventional
symptom of unrequited desire).

In lines 3-4, Astrophil
speculates that Cupid (the god of selfish desire) might actually shoot his arrows in the
“heavenly place” (that is, in outer space, where the moon is visible). In lines 5-8,
Astrophil proclaims that he can see in the moon many of the symptoms of disappointed
desire that he recognizes from his own experience.

Finally,
in line 9, Astrophil, now certain that he and the moon have much in common because both
are frustrated lovers, asks whether in outer space, as on earth, “constant love” (which
is what he claims to offer) is regarded as “want of it” (10). In other words, he asks if
this kind of “love” (which is not genuine love of another being but is merely love of
oneself) is considered unreasonable in the heavens, as it is on earth. Obviously
Astrophil himself does not consider his passion unreasonable, but he here reveals that
others do (including the target of his affections).

He then
asks, in line 11, whether objects of desire are as “proud” in the heavens as they are on
earth – an ironic charge since it is Astrophil, if anyone, who is guilty of pride. In
lines 12-13, he asks the moon whether heavenly objects of affection behave as women do
on earth. Do they want to be desired and yet “scorn” the men who are possessed by desire
for them? Finally, in line 14, Astrophil asks the moon if objects of desire in the
heavens claim that their ingratitude is really virtue. This is an especially revealing
line, because it implies Astrophil’s comic pride (he thinks Stella should be grateful
for his attentions). The line also implies Stella’s professed motive in refusing him:
the commendable motive of virtue.

In short, this poem, like
many others in the sequence, implicitly presents Astrophil as a typical Petrarchan
lover: full of desire for a woman who rejects him; frustrated by that rejection; intent
on blaming the woman for turning him away; and full of self-pity. Sidney thus makes
Astrophil, here and elsewhere, the target of clever comic satire. We should never take
Astrophil as seriously as Astrophil takes himself.

What is the symbolic meaning of the basic plot in "The Life You Save May Be Your Own"?

O'Conner works hard in this story to make the symbolic meaning a timeless meaning.  She did not indicate a specific time period or make reference to world events.  Although the setting is clearly the South, that choice is in keeping with her other works and so does not suggest a specific reference to Southern culture.

So, what is the meaning then?  As the title suggests, it is symbolic of personal salvation in a world controlled by money.  O'Conner shows people in the story who have a strong interest in personal, materialistic gain.  Lucynell is the only one who doesn't, but she is a mute - suggesting that the pure of heart no longer have a say in this capitalistic and greedy world.  The protagonist, Shiftlet, is taken over by his greed, and becomes controlled by his desire for monetary gain, although he said in the beginning that he thinks the world is too controlled by money.  The story of Shiftlet is one of failure, and he is a lesson to readers.  O'Conner is symbolizing the loss of morality in society, and teaching readers to step back from a life of material wealth.

What is the difference between the swimmer and the swimming in "The Swimmer"?

The swimmer, Neddy Merril, is a rather pathetic figure.  Initially, he seems young and heroic.  However, as he continues on his journey home, we see him change quite a bit, especially after the storm hits.  After that point, he begins to seem old and pathetic.  It is after the storm too that the reader begins to learn more about Neddy and his current situation.  We learn that he has lost his money and that something has happened to his daughters.  At the end of the story, he appears old and completely bewildered.

His act of swimming from pool to pool all the way to his house mirrors his character's downward spiral.  Initially, it seems like a brave, macho thing to do.  He swims the first few pools effortlessly and is greated nicely by the owners.  However, once the storm hits, Neddy begins to weaken.  We see that his quest is really more of a drunken, pathetic joke.  Early in the story, it states how he never uses the pool ladders.  However, when he arrives at his former mistress's pool, he cannot lift himself out and must use the ladder. 

By the time he completes his swim, he is cold and exhausted and, quite literally, locked out of his own life.

What are some mood and tone passages in The Outsiders? Why are they that way to you? Make use of the whole book!Please help me, I need this by...

I don't know if you have seen the Francis Ford Coppola
film version of The Outsiders, but it was a fairly faithful
adaption of the book which really brought the characters to life--as well as some of the
key passages in the book. Some of my favorite scenes
include:

• Cherry throwing the drink in Dally's
  face. It shows both her toughness and Dally's weak side for a pretty
  face.


• Two-Bit's line "Then pity the back seat" when he
  whips out a knife to defend himself against the Socs, who have just pulled up in their
  Mustang. It's a great transition from teen talk to possible
  violence.


• Immediately after the above scene, Johnny and
  Ponyboy split up with Two-Bit. Johnny's fear of another beating by the Socs leaves him
  shaking and threatening to kill himself. Fearing to go home, where Johnny's parents are
  always fighting, the two boys lie down to think (and dream) about a better
  life.


• Just prior to the rumble, the boys are met by some
  Socs at the Tasty Freeze. The mood goes from easy-going to threatening, but Two-Bit
  stays cool. He tosses Pony a cigarette and nonchalantly warns the Socs, "You know the
  rules. No jazz before the rumble." The tenseness remains during this temporary truce
  until Randy calls Pony over for a talk. It is a rare moment of friendly conversation
  between the two would-be enemies.


• The rumble itself is
  exciting--both in the book and in the film version. Pony's descriptions of the various
  members of both groups builds the tension that leads up to the climactic
  battle.


• The reader gets to see Dally's soft side in the
  hospital just before Johnny dies; then we see him "blow," just as Pony
  predicted.

How are McMurphy and Candy similar in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?

Candy is the female version of McMurphy.  She is
courageous, daring, and defiant towards authority.  Not too many women would have agreed
to accompany McMurphy and a bunch of clinically labeled psychopaths on a fishing trip,
but since she is an adrenaline junky always in search of an adventure, she couldn't pass
it up. On the trip she and McMurphy show their defiance toward authority figures, such
as the Nurse and the boat's captain.

Also, like McMurphy,
Candy is a tough, street smart woman with a lot of life experience but seemingly little
education.  Still, she shows a compassionate side that makes her connect with Billy
Bibbit.  She works with McMurphy to increase Billy's self-esteem; unfortunately, though
their intentions are good, they sometimes miss their mark, as in the case with
Billy.

In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, what are Arnold Friend's methods of luring Connie and what makes him successful in the end?I must...

This story is also read as a "coming of age" tale, with Connie crossing the line from innocence to experience through the temptations of Arnold Friend (the name suggesting at once "fiend" and "friend," which is paradoxical yet also suggestive of the nature of her cross over into experience). Throughout the story Connie is seduced by the rock and roll music culture, and her parents do not sufficiently supervise her.  Friend, some critics think, symbolizes Connie's unconscious desires created by music, that she in fact creates him as opposed to him being an actual reality.  Oates dedicated the story to Bob Dylan.  She based the story on a song of his (It's all over now baby blue--I think that's the title...) and an actual incident she read in the newspaper about a young man seducing and then kidnapping young women. 

Describe the character of Miss Brill in "Miss Brill."

It is hard not to feel incredibly sorry for the character
of Miss Brill in this excellent short story. We are told that she teaches English and
that she also reads the newspaper to an "invalid old gentleman" four times each week.
However, without a doubt, the highlight of her week is going each Sunday at the same
time to listen to the band in the Jardins Publiques--the public gardens. This is clearly
an important event for her, as she takes great care in the way that she dresses. This
time of the week is so important for her because she loves watching the other people in
the gardens and listening in on their conversations:

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She had become really quite expert, she thought,
at listening as though she didn't listen, at sitting in other people's lives just for a
minute while they talked round
her.

It is this "sitting in
other people's lives" that is the central attraction, as we can infer that Miss Brill
has no "life" of her own to "sit" in, and therefore she is reduced to living other
people's lives vicariously through such trips to distract her from the emptiness of her
own life. As she observes more and more, she imagines that the scene before her is like
a "play" in which she too has a part and is significant. However, this dream of hers is
punctured rather suddenly and rudely when a couple that she imagines to be "the hero and
heroine, of course, just arrived from his father's yacht" make fun of her and send her
back home to her "cupboard" of a room in tears.

Miss Brill
therefore is a single woman who is profoundly lonely and isolated, and goes to the
gardens each week to savour something of the life that she herself has never
experienced. Although she tries to forget the empty reality of her existence by
elaborate illusions and fantasies designed to give her significance and meaning, and
link her in with others, at the end of the tale she is forced to confront her shadow of
a life.

How does the story relate to Judism, Christianity, and the Roman Empire? Also, what do you think happens between Daniel and Thacia after the end?

The story has everything to do with Judaism, Christianity, and the Roman Empire.  The Jews hated and suffered under Roman Rule as is evidenced by the deaths of Daniel's uncle and father by crucifixion.  The Jews were waiting for a biblically promised Messiah to free them from Roman rule.  Most looked for a kinglike messiah who would lead an army to defeat the Romans.  This is what Daniel saw in Rosh.  They were bound together by their hatred of the Romans and worked as an army to defeat them.  However, Rosh was not moral in the Jewish sense of the word.  He did not follow the Jewish laws.  He steals, lies and cheats. 

Jesus represents the other side of the Messiah as presented in the Old Testament.  He preaches that love is the way to gain the Kingdom of God, not war.  He reaches out in love to those who are not Jews breaking the prejudices of Jews against gentiles.  Unlike, Rosh, Jesus acts selflessly and keeps the spirit of the law as presented in the scripture.  He heals the sick, gives to the poor, is kind to the needy, and acts as a servant in all situations.  He shows that hate can never gain anything.   At the end of the novel, Daniel sees that Jesus, not Rosh has the answer.  The split between Rosh and Jesus represents the later split between the Christains and the Jews.  The novel shows how they come from the same place but part along the way.

Does Jem's gender change in To Kill a Mockingbird? Is that something that the author intended, or was it an error?

Jem does not change gender. Try reading the passage. You might be confused in who is narrating. Scout, a young girl, is the narrator, not Jem, though he is an integral character. I have read the novel dozens of time and am not aware of any sort of error regarding this.

Gender roles, though, is a theme in "To Kill a Mockingbird." Scout is a classic tomboy - beating up her classmates, attempting to seal a bargain with Atticus by spitting in her palm, swearing, and so on. One key thing to watch as you read is how Scout attempts to fit into the feminine world around here. This begins when her Aunt, Alexandra, moves in with the Finches. In Ch. 24 there is the great scene where Scout is helping out at an afternoon lunch with Alexandra and her friends. Scout is dressed in a skirt. One of Alexandra's friends asks her where her pants are. Scout promptly pulls up her skirt and shows that she has pants on underneath! This scene illustrates the conflict between her tomboy ways and the pressure to conform to the female world of behaving properly, gossiping, having dinners, and obeying traditions.

Jem faces the pressures of growing up and becoming a man. The catalyst, I believe, for Jem's change is the Tom Robinson verdict. Before the verdict, Jem is naive and idealistic. After that, though, his innocence dies and he begins to see the injustices inherent in the world around him, which, of course, if part of growing up and leaving the innocence of childhood behind.

In reference to Act 1 of The Crucible, explain why the Salem settlement needed a theocracy. Also mention why some of the settlers chose to...

Reasons for the existence of a theocracy

Arthur Miller clearly states in his notes that Salem was seen as one of the last vestiges in what was deemed a fight against Satan and his disciples.

The edge of the wilderness was close by. The American con-tinent stretched endlessly west, and it was full of mystery for them. It stood, dark and threatening, over their shoulders night and day, for out of it Indian tribes marauded from time to time ...

... the Salem folk believed that the virgin forest was the Devil’s last preserve, his home base and the citadel of his final stand. To the best of their knowledge the American forest was the last place on earth that was not paying homage to God.

For these reasons, among others, they carried about an air of innate resistance, even of persecution.

Because they had taken so much risk in leaving their homeland, it was essential that they receive all the help they could get in establishing and further stretching the new frontier with which they were now faced. 

The citizens were deeply paranoid about threats against their person, their beliefs and their souls. The devil was a continuous threat. To defend themselves against this most pernicious menace, they turned to the church for protection. Every aspect of their lives had to be ruled by the Holy Book, for even the slightest deviation from its admonitions and its preaching, would put one at risk. The result of this was that the church and the law became practically inseparable.

Because the citizens of Salem felt so insecure, they willingly submitted to the church's authority for it provided them not only with the protection that they so desperately needed, but also provided them with spiritual guidance. This guidance strengthened them against possible attacks by Satan and his minions. It gave them power not only to fight his evil, but also enabled them to resist whatever temptation he may bring their way. 

The church provided them a safe haven and unified them in the fight against whatever threats may present themselves. Their paranoia was also boosted by superstition and naivete. It is for these reasons that they so strictly adhered to the church's teachings and willingly and unquestioningly submitted to its rule.

The result of this servile obeisance was that they essentially became pawns in the hands of figures of power, who abused their authority as leaders in especially the church, to practise their vengeance and force their arrogance on naïve, god-fearing and honest people.

Individualism

There were some citizens, however, who resented the power some individuals in the church exercised and abused, and they turned away from the institution, preferring to practice religion in ways they deemed more appropriate. Such a person was, for example, John Proctor. He had repeatedly criticised the Reverend Parris for using his parishioners to profit in a material sense.

To Proctor, the reverend was not a true 'man of God', but rather one who abused his position for his own benefit. Parris had, for instance, asked for the deeds to the rectory - a request that galled not only John, but many others as well. John's criticism turned Parris against him. The reverend then makes it his duty to meddles in the court's affairs during the witch-trials, intent on getting back at John - a sure abuse of power.

What is the protagonist's attitude at the end of the story?

Remember that at the beginning of the story Rainsford, the protagonist, felt that the hunted ("huntees") felt neither pain nor fear about being hunted. At the end of the story Rainsford has now had the unique experience of being hunted by General Zaroff and he felt both pain and fear during his experience. Rainsford ultimately wins the most dangerous game, but his attitude toward what he does for a profession will surely change as a result of this experience. I do not think that Rainsford, being the world famous hunter that he is, will quit what he is good at. I think his experience as the huntee will only hone his expertise and he will have empathy for the game that he hunts from now on. 

Just to demonstrate that literature can present itself for multiple interpretations, let me attack the ending with a slightly different perspective.  Rainsford does understand what it means to be hunted, but the idea of empathy might now be lost.  In the beginning, Rainsford exhibits disgust and horror when he realizes that Zaroff is hunting humans.  He refers to it as murder, and his attitude is clear that he finds this to be the worst sin.  However, at the end, Rainsford hides in Zaroff's room, much as a lion will hide in the tall grass, watching for his prey.  Rainsford kills Zaroff, which is murder, but he "never had a better meal" after the fact.  This suggest that Rainsford attitude is mroe accepting towards this"new hunt"

What does the term marry mean in Romeo and Juliet?

The word "Marry" is an exclamation used in Shakespeare's time.  Its best definition is "indeed!".  For example, when Gregory says to Sampson:

No, marry; I fear thee.

The translation can be:

No, indeed; I fear thee.

I have included a good link to Shakespearean terms to help you in your reading.

How does Polonius treat his daughter in Act II, Scene 1 of Hamlet, and how can you tell?

Polonius does not really spend much time with Ophelia in
this scene.  However, during the time he does spend with her, he seems to be a good
father who cares about his daughter.

The main reason that I
say this is that he seems to be truly unhappy about the way that he has (he thinks)
messed up Ophelia's life.  He says that he regrets telling Ophelia to reject Hamlet.  He
says that he has hurt Ophelia by doing that.  Right at the end of the scene he blames
himself for making Hamlet crazy and (by doing that) hurting
Ophelia.

What are some comparisons between Macbeth and Brave New World?

The biggest comparison between the two would be the theme of knowledge vs. ignorance.  In Brave New World, the citizens are denied knowledge so that they will not be tempted to rebel.  The belief is that in ignorance, they are unaware of what they are missing.  This applies to Macbeth because he had too much knowledge.  The witches gave him so much information, he began to act in ways unusual for him and unproductive in order to speed up the events that were supposed to happen to him.  In he had lived in a Brave New World, he would not have had the knowledge and so would not have become a murderer.

What is the reason the Minister will NOT take off the veil for Elizabeth in "The Minister's Black Veil"?

The only "answer" that Elizabeth is given from Hooper as
to why he has donned this curious veil is one that does not really explain fully the
complex reasons for Hooper's dramatic fashion statement. Note what he says to
Elizabeth:

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"Know, then, that this veil is a type and a
symbol, and I am bound to wear it ever, both in light and darkness, in solitude and
before the gaze of multitudes, and as with strangers, so with my familiar friends. No
mortal eye will see it withdrawn. This dismal shade must separate me from the world:
Even you, Elizabeth, can never come behind
it!"

Of course, we are not
told at this stage in this excellent story precisely what the symbol of the black veil
is as it is interpreted by Hooper. However, the vow he has taken to wear it seems to be
a personal one that reflects Hooper's awareness of his own sins and his fear of
presenting himself as a sinless hypocrite. The veil acts as a constant reminder of his
many sins that separate him from others and from God, as Hooper's death-bed confession
suggests that the veil is only physical symbol of what is a metaphorical reality for
everyone, for all of us have our own black veil of sin that acts as a barrier in our
relationships with others and with God.

Compare and contrast the novel Of Mice and Men with the 1939 film.Compare the book to the movie.

The only way to answer this question would be for you to watch the film after reading the book. Although I did see the 1939 film back when I was in college, it has been quite awhile since then for me! :)  However, what I do recall is that it is quite a good adaptation from the book, although there are some changes.  Good luck!

Why capital is listed under liability of balance sheet?Capital means investment made by the owner of the company isn't it. In that aspect...

All capital, that is the funds put in by the owners of a
business or a firm appear on the liability side of a balance sheet. These funds may
appear under different account heads such as owners funds, share capital, and  retained
earnings. An a wider meaning of capital, which is generally used in some phrase like
'capital employed' refers to what ever is the value of the assets owned by the including
its fixed assets and working capital. This capital employed appears on the assets side
of the balance sheet, and its amount is exactly equal to its sources of funds included
on the liability side. The sources of funds, in addition to owner's capital include
loans taken for carrying out the business and any provision kept for expected expenses
or losses, which have not been actually incurred till the date of balance
sheet.

The confusion regarding owners funds being shown as
liability will be automatically vanish if you treat a business as a en entity separate
from its owners. A business requires fund for fixed assets and working capital. These
funds come from two sources, the owners funds and borrowed funds. Both these are sources
of funds that the business has received. Therefore both these are therefore coming under
liability side, which is also descried as sources of
funds.

If ever a business is closed down or sold to someone
else at the book value of its assets, the money so obtained will be returned to the
owners after meeting the loan liability. So in a way we can say that like loan the
owner's fund are also liability for the business.

"Simon felt a perilous necessity to speak; but to speak in assembly was a terrible thing to him."Why? This is when they were discussing the beast.

The littleuns are afraid of the beast, and Jack and Ralph are arguing about how to handle their fears Simon is tempted several times to speak up, but he is hesitant to do so because he has an inability to express his ideas to the others in a coherent manner, and he is well aware of this shortcoming.

Simon is truly terrified by what he has identified as the true "beast". The fictitious beast the littleuns are worried about is not the most worrisome issue on the island. Simon knows that they themselves ar to be feared above all else.

The dark side of human nature is to be feared because Simon realizes fear, the lack of structure and rule, as well as spiritual guidance will lead to destructive and malicious behavior. Simon is  incapable of communicating this to the other boys.

In Elie Wiesel's Night, how does Elizer go through a major change because of his circumstances and understand a new world?

"Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my Soul and turned my dreams to dust."  This is how Elie Wiesel describes his feelings as a result of living in the camps. Elie suffers a crisis of his faith due to the deplorable living conditions of the camp and watching his father and others around him slowly die an agonizing death. This is when he goes through a major change of trying to reconcile what's happening to him and all the other Jews with the beliefs he's been taught about God. He doesn't reject God, but he does decide that he "no longer accepted God's silence". Elie changes his views that God is a just and merciful God, but he also comes to a decision that he will not allow the camps to kill him. Survival becomes his only goal, and realizes that "something within me revolted against death."  His religious teaching hasn't prepared him for understanding anything like the death camps, and he depends upon himself, the man, to survive.

What are some examples of foreshadowing found in Chapter 23 of To Kill a Mockingbird?Relating to Jem's maturity, Bob Ewell or Boo Radley?

Examples of foreshadowing in Chapter 23 of To
Kill a Mockingbird:

• "I wish Bob Ewell
  wouldn't chew tobacco."-- Atticus's remark about Ewell's spitting tobacco in his face.
  This is the first sentence of the chapter.


• "I'd rather it
  be me than that houseful of children out there."-- Atticus' remark to Jem that he would
  rather have Bob threaten him than take it out on the Ewell children. This foreshadows
  the depths of Bob's hatred: that he was willing to kill children to make good his
  threat.


• When Atticus tells his sister that Bob had gotten
  it all out of his system, Alexandra replies, "I wouldn't be so sure of that." She
  worries that Ewell may try something else besides spitting and
  threats. 


• Jem's statement that he thinks he knows why Boo
  stays shut away--"... because he wants to stay inside"-- is
  realized after Bob's attack on the children. He decides to come outside when there is a
  necessity to save his young friends, but after Scout walks him home--and he knows they
  will be safe with Ewell dead--he retreats back into the home, and Scout never sees him
  again.

What's the main theme in "How Do I Love Thee" By Elizabeth Barett Browning?

Of course, the major theme of this poem is love.  The poet
is talking about the emotion of love and she is exploring the different aspects of that
emotion.

In the poem, she shows love from a variety of
perspectives.  She talks about love being a quiet, everyday sort of thing.  But she also
talks about love being a passionate thing.

Anyone who has
loved another for a long period of time knows that there are all sorts of different
aspects of this emotion.  The poet is bringing these aspects out in this
poem.

In A Separate Peace, how does Finny theorize that the war is not real? Why do you think he came up with this theory? How does he perpetuate his idea?

In A Separate Peace, Finny loves to
do what he can't or isn't supposed to do.  He wears a tie for a belt then makes up a
preposterous reason for doing so, and manages to talk and rationalize his way out of
it.  He breaks the swimming record because the record exists and no one else has, and
because he isn't a swimmer so he's not supposed to be able to break
it.

Finny shows no interest in going to war before his
"accident," but once he's crippled and can't go, then he wants to.  Joining the military
becomes an obsession for him.  Why?  Because he can't. 

He
perpetuates the myth that there is no war, the same way he got out of using a tie for a
belt:  creating preposterous rationalizations to prove the war is a fake, and repeating
them and adding to them whenever the subject comes
up. 

Only after he has allowed himself the destruction of
his illusions, only after he admits to himself that Gene purposely jounced him out of
the tree, does Finny admit the truth about his failed attempts to
enlist. 

How are new and old immigrants alike and different?

Often times history textbooks will refer to "New
Immigrants" as those moving to the US between 1880 - 1920.  "Old Immigrants" are those
moving to the US between 1810 and 1850.

These immigrants
are similar in that they mostly came to America for the same reason: economic
opportunity.  Some worked in or started businesses in the major cities.  Others, most of
them, wanted to move west into the new territory we controlled and start their own
farms.  Since both new and old immigrants were mostly from Europe, all the land there
had been owned for hundreds of years, and ordinary peasants had no chance.  Come to
America, and they do.

The main difference is which part of
Europe they came from, and the numbers of immigrants.  There were many, many more "New
Immigrants'" than old, 20 million people between 1880 - 1920.  And the New Immigrants
came mostly from southern and Eastern Europe, which meant they were almost all
Catholics.  You'll notice by 1910 there is much more anti-Catholic sentiment in the US,
and that's one reason.  New Immigrants included Jews for the first time too.  Lastly,
more of the Old Immigrants came for land than New, as many of those immigrants stayed in
the cities and never moved west.

How does hunger play a role in Life of Pi?The hunger can be real or symbolic.

In Part II, it is hunger that brings Pi out of his hoplessness.  He is physically driven to find food and water, and the movement brings him around spiritiually and emotionally as well.  He is finally able to realistically assess his situation on the raft and begin to deal with his bizarre situation.

What is the central conflict in the play The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail?

Freedom, activism, and intellectualism are all themes that are explored in this play, but one large conflict revolves around freedom.

Thoreau is in jail for refusing to pay his taxes, and even though he claims his thoughts are free, he is physically inside a jail cell. This character didn't pay his local poll tax because he knew that the money would support two things he didn't believe in:

1.) slavery (which took away freedom)

2.) the Mexican-American war (some believed that the war was created only so that American could create more slave-holding southern states)

So in this case, the conflict was between Thoreau and his local town. Anyone who tried to, or offered to, pay Thoreau's tax for him, only angered Thoreau.

In addition, Thoreau's friend Williams (a run-away slave) is trying to escape to Canada in the pursuit of freedom. Thoreau helps Williams along the way, but unfortunately the ex-slave is stopped in Boston.

When Thoreau and Emerson (Waldo) discuss Williams, the two get into a heated argument about the difference between believing in freedom for all and between actually doing something about it. This conflict causes a major rift in their relationship.

Other plot points you might be able to connect with conflict:

• the students in the public school and their lack of freedom of thought and expression
• Ellen's lack of freedom in who she chooses as a husband

What is the Least Common Multiple?c^2+4c+3 and c+3 What is the Least Common Multiple of these two numbers?

Knowing the fact that LCM of 2 or more numbers, is the
smallest number which could e found, so that this one to be divided by each number from
the given set of numbers, we have to factor each of the given numbers, into it's prime
factors.

Let's factor
c+3=1*(c+3).

Now, let's factor c^2+4c+3. Noticing that the
expression c^2+4c+3 is a second degree polynomial, we'll write it's equation and find
it's roots in order to write the polynomial as a product of linear
factors.

 c^2+4c+3=0

c1 =
[-4+sqrt(16-12)]/2

c1 =
(-4+2)/2

c1 = -1

c2 =
(-4-2)/2

c2 = -3

So, the
polynomial  c^2+4c+3, could be writtenas:

 c^2+4c+3 =
(c-(-1))(c-(-3)) = (c+1)(c+3)

So, the prime factors
of  c^2+4c+3 are (c+1) and (c+3).

It is obvious that the
number c^2+4c+3 could be divided by (c+3) and the number (c+3) could be divided by
itself.

So, the LCM of the
numbers c^2+4c+3 and c+3 is c+3.

How does Wilde use food as a way to satirze the aristocracy?

As a society, Victorians were snobby and classicist down
to how to hold a fork down, the types of foods they ate, and the amount that they
served. More, opulent, excessive, and hyperbolic always meant "wealthy" or
"fashionable".

Lady Brackell ate "crumpets" with the
Duchess, and the famous cucumber sandwiches are symbols of
status.

In the famous showdown between Gwendolyn and
Cecily, food made all the difference. Cecily's cake and sugar were "unfashionable" and
"unseen in the households of the best families", whereas her bread and butter and her
unsweetened tea were apparently the "rage" in London.

readability="37">

Cecily. 
[Sweetly.]  Sugar?

Gwendolen. 
[Superciliously.]  No, thank you.  Sugar is not fashionable any more.
[Cecily looks angrily at her, takes up the tongs and puts
four lumps of sugar into the
cup.]

Cecily.  [Severely.] 
Cake or bread and
butter?

Gwendolen.  [In a
bored manner.]  Bread and butter, please.  Cake is rarely seen at the best houses
nowadays.

Cecily.  [Cuts a
very large slice of cake, and puts it on the tray.]  Hand that to Miss
Fairfax.

[Merriman does so,
and goes out with footman.  Gwendolen drinks the tea and
makes a grimace.  Puts down cup at once, reaches out her hand to the bread and butter,
looks at it, and finds it is cake.  Rises in
indignation.]

Gwendolen.  You
have filled my tea with lumps of sugar, and though I asked most distinctly for bread and
butter, you have given me cake.  I am known for the gentleness of my disposition, and
the extraordinary sweetness of my nature, but I warn you, Miss Cardew, you may go too
far.

The drama caused by
these simple elements shows the sarcasm with which Wilde described the idleness and lack
of real worries of aristocrats, and their ridiculous and excessive behaviors are mainly
represented in Algernon.

Algernon's excesses as well as his
living above his means, eating without control, and running away of his debtors are
representative of how half of the so-called polite, upper classes of Victorian society
actually lived. Algernon is used as a sample of this noble society, and his habits are
indeed a mockery of those other aristocrats who lived among above their means, and yet
went into debt to entertain, eat, and live in opulence and
excess.

Algernon's specific constant eating is a reflection
of how he lives his life: To the fullest, literally. Similarly, his hunger is also
another reflection of how he lives: Always wanting more.

What does the term non-alignment mean in relation to the conditions existing during the Cold War?The Rise and Interaction of Superpowers 1945-1962

Non-aligned in context of the cold war refers to the
countries that maintained neutrality bot of the the two rival groups involved in the
cold war. A group of such nations formed started what they called non-aligned
movement.

This group of non-aligned nations, who were all
from developing countries, met to form policies for dealing with the major industrial
nations.  The Non-Aligned Movement originated with a conference held in Bandung,
Indonesia in 1955. This conference was attended by 29 Asian and African nations, with
the aim of avoiding aligning themselves with either of the two superpowers involved in
the Cold War - the United States or the Soviet Union. By the time 1995, when the 11th
summit of the movement was held in Cartagena, Colombia, the Non-Aligned Movement
membership had grown to 113 countries, mainly African, Asian, and South
American.

There is always a right time and a wrong time for introducing something new. comment

It would seem that it is always a right time to introduce
new technological "toys" for people, however.  Take for example the Ipad introduced by
Steve Jobs and Apple Corporation.  While jesting was made by other companies that it was
simply four Iphones duct-taped together, and flaws were pointed out, people,
nevertheless, waited in line from 2:30 a.m. on the morning to purchase one of these
devices.  As they walked from the store with their new purchase, some held it
triumphantly over their heads.

Is it reasonable, then, to
conclude that any improvement or "advancement" on technological items that entertain
such as the Ipad, televisions, etc. is almost always timely--not to mention "heroic"? 
(Continuing the facetious tone:  Where is a biting satirist like Jonathan Swift when we
need him?) 

In Chapter 2 of Lord of the Flies, explain how the beastie was important to the boy with the birthmark.

When the boys gather together after hearing Ralph's conch,
the younger boys push the boy with the birthmark to step forward.  He tells the boys
that there is a beastie in the woods, which he describes as a "snake-thing" and says
that it wants to eat him.

Ralph dismisses it as a nightmare
and the older boys laugh.  The younger boys seem to be somewhat afraid
though. 

This whole episode is what starts the fear on the
island.  The beastie comes up again in Chapter 5.  Of course we find out that the beast
is not real, only their fear is real and later the savage nature of the boys becomes the
beastie.  The line "The boy twisted further into himself" implies, as we find out later,
is the beast within everyone.

The mulberry-faced boy is
lost in the fire later in this chapter.

What does Macbeth's reaction to Lady Macbeth's death reveal about their relationship and his state of mind in Act 5?

Macbeth is despondent when he learns of her death, and his sorrow contains some of the most quoted lines in all of Western literature:

She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing."  (5.5.17-27)

After news of the queen's death, Macbeth himself resolves to die, rushing into battle, crying out, "Blow, wind! come, wrack! 
/ At least we'll die with harness on our back! (5.5.50-51).   

In Act 5.8, Malcolm reports that Lady Macbeth died "by self and violent hands," and that all attempts to prevent the witches' propheices from coming to pass have failed.  The tragedy of Macbeth is complete.

By the way, you can view the full text of Hamlet, side-by-side with its modern translation by following the second link below. 

Consider the characters Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. How are their names symbolic?

Pearl's name is symbolic in that pearls have a luster or radiance about them, just as Hester's daughter does. Hester dresses her in fabrics that reflect the radiance of her soul. Pearl was the product of sin, yet she does not suffer any physical characteristics from the turmoil that resulted in her birth. Pearl is rare as she does not accept the poor treatment she receives from the townsfolk quietly, and her unique (and temperamental) personality is fitting for one named Pearl.

The name Dimmesdale sounds as if one is not bright. And it can be argued that some of his choices were not the smartest he could have made. Dimmesdale allows Hester to bear the brunt of the humiliation for their sin, although he is being eaten away by his secret guilt. Dimmesdale is also to Chillingworth's motives, as well. He does not seem to grasp that the constant prying into his life is not of any medical necessity. Chillingworth was supposed to be helping him medically, not trying to psychologically manipulate him. Dimmesdale does not seem to know what Chillingworth is up to.

Chillingworth's name reflects his cold personality, as well as the frosty reaction to his physical appearance he receives. Coupled with his name, his appearance adds to the perception of his true evil nature, as the novel progresses, he seems to be getting darker.

In To Kill a Mockingbird what doesTom say Mayella did to him while he was standing on the chair, after he got down, and afterward.

The answers to these questions can be found through a
close reading of chapter 19.  In this chapter, Atticus questions Tom Robinson on the
stand, and he gets a chance to tell his side of the story.  Mayella asked him to get
something off of the dresser, and so he gets up on the chair.  While he is on the chair,
she grabs him around the legs; this throws him off balance, and he hops down, knocking
the chair over.  Then, Tom states, "she sorta jumped on me."  So, she jumped on him, and
hugged him around the waist, then kissed him on the side of the face.  He tried to run
out, but she grabbed him, so he had to push her away.  At that point, Mayella's dad came
in, and Tom ran away.

That is not the story that Mayella
and her father tell, however.  Atticus, through his questioning, makes it pretty clear
that they are lying and that Tom is telling the truth. I hope that helped; good
luck!

What is a central idea or concept in the book Girl by Jamaica Kincaid?

The central theme is the idea of what it truly means to be a woman in all of her manifestations:  wife, mother, daughter.  The "self" is neglible as defined by the mother, and is seemingly only made relavant by a woman's role in relation to others.   The daughter, however, cannot accept such a narrow existence and struggles to define her own meaning of womanhood in a culture that is torn between the traditional expectations of a woman's "place" and her new reality of an integrated world. 

In Julius Caesar, what is the purpose of picturing Octavius and Antony disagreeing about military strategy?act 5

Another way to understand this conflict is to see it in relation to their previous discussion concerning Lepidus in Act 4 and then in relation to the Brutus/Cassius conflict also in Act 4. Although Antony rouses he plebeians with rhetorical power after the assassination, we see a less attractive side of him when he and Octavius bargain over names on the death list and when he disparages Lepidus, both incidents suggesting he cherishes his own ambitions for political leadership over the good of Rome.  Also in Act 4, we see Brutus and Cassius argue, but they resolve their disagreements in a warm, very human way, and this resolution throws into relief the instability between the alliance of Antony and Octavius, causing us to see that Rome without Caesar might result only in confusion and uncertainty.  However, when the young Octavius overrules Antony in Act 5, we understand that he will become a good ruler for he appears just and strong, and his   decision to pardon and take into his service “all that served Brutus” confirms this, for he makes it independently and it is undisputed by Antony