Sunday, November 11, 2012

After the conspirators kill Caesar, they bathe their hands and swords in Caesar's blood. What do these actions foreshadow?

Upon viewing the play for the first time in 1599, the audience, well-versed in biblical tales, would have got the allusion of handwashing as a reference to Pilot and Jesus. Where Pilot uses water and "washes his hands" of Jesus and takes no responsibility for his actions and Jesus’ fate, Brutus, in contrast, takes full responsibility for the murder, ("..let us bathe our hands in Caesar's blood/Up to the elbows...!") and Casca urges the other conspirators to do the same.  In III.1, Antony acknowledges those responsible ("Let each man render me his bloody hand")  and implies he is now in league with them since in shaking each hand he has bloodied his own.  ("Therefore I took your hands....friends I am with you all.") However, Antony reveals his true intent as Caesar's avenger several lines later when he is alone (Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!) and describes the bloodshed to come.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

How do people react when they are fearful? What is the danger in acting out of fear?

When people react out of fear, they tend to react without
thinking.  They do not clearly think through the consequences of their actions. 
Instead, they just go with their gut reaction.  This can at times be very
bad.


From the way you've tagged this, I assume you are
talking about the Depression.  When people reacted out of fear in that era, it wrecked
our economy.  The people, for example, rushed to their banks and tried to draw out all
of their money.  This caused the banks to collapse and that made things worse than they
had to be.


So when we panic, we act without thinking and we
do things that can hurt us worse than more reasoned actions
would.

How does the blend of fantasy and realism add to the story's humorous effects? Is the conclusion a surprise? If so, how does the ending provide a...

Fantasy and realism absolutely contribute to the humor as a man who is dissatisfied with his "real" life seeks the adventure and excitement of a "fantasy".  By being able to pop into Madame Bovary and "play" a little, he escapes the hum-drum of his own life, but what's funny is that his fellow college professors recognize the odd little man who just shows up in the pages of the book as being none other than Kugelmass himself.

One expects that this "too good to be true" story will come to a screeching halt, although Madame Bovary proves to be a little high maintainance and readers realize that Kugelmass and his lover wouldn't last in a long-term relationship.  It is suitable that the machine is blown up and that Kugelmass is stuck in a Spanish textbook with the hairy verb "tener" chasing him all over the place. This is the Spanish verb "to have" which is what Kugelmass is seeking--having the mistress of his dreams.  Instead of having her, the "hairy" verb is determined to "have" him.

The tone itself is a sarcastic and humorous look at a man's mid-life crisis.  You could find more examples that having an affair is not the thing to do in the face of a dissatisfied life.  The boredom and nagging of Madame Bovary hints at this mistake, but the ending is an even more blatant warning against such straying.  Perhaps therapy would be a better choice ?

Friday, November 9, 2012

Why did General Zaroff hunt men, especially when he knew it was wrong?

Simply put, General Zaroff became motivated to hunt men because he found hunting animals to be of no challenge to him anymore.  He desired more of a challenge, and to achieve the challenge he desired, he required a more intelligent "prey."  To him the only prey that equaled his skill as a hunter and provided him with the challenge he desired was man--the ultimate prey.  Rainsford, and, indeed, most human prey, presented him with more of a challenge because they possessed the ability to outwit, out think, and out maneuver him during the hunt; therefore offering him the ultimate hunting experience.  As to the question of why didn't Zaroff stop once he realized he was doing wrong, I don't believe that he ever came to that realization.  Upon looking carefully at Zaroff's character, you see a completely self absorbed individual, concerned only with the fulfillment of his own wants and needs, no matter the cost to anyone else.  Did he know what he was doing was wrong?  Obviously he did, otherwise he would not have gone to such pains to hide himself away on his island away from prying eyes.  Did he care?  Obviously not because, once again, his own needs took precedent over even human life. Hope this helps.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Can anyone give me quotes for ambiguity?This is for an English power point, and my group and I have torn apart the whole book to look for...

In looking for quotes on ambiguity, reexamine the treatment of Arthur Dimmesdale by the community.  He is one of the central characters whose existence and actions illustrate ambiguity.  He has this secret sin in his heart which he is incapable of (or unwilling to) admit, yet the entire community holds him up to be a pillar of virtue and morality.  Then, when he finally does confess his sin, the people don't hate him; instead they say, "Oh, what a good man to admit his sins!" (My paraphrase, by the way! :)

Check the link below for information about this important theme, then have your group reexamine Arthur Dimmesdale - I think you'll be able to find suitable quotes, especially if you look closely at how the townspeople talk to and about him.

In what ways does Scout demonstrate sensivity and compassion in chapters 30 and 31?(Your answer should include two elements)

In chapter 30, Scout asks Atticus:  "It's sorta be like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?"  She is referring to the possibility that Boo would be arrested for Mr. Ewell's death.  Scout understands that Boo was trying to protect her, and realizes that if people knew and Boo was put on trial, it would be traumatic for this man who has spent his life as a hermit.

In chapter 31, Scout walks Boo home.  On his front porch, she turns and she imagines the street and the community as Boo sees it.  She understands that Boo loves his community and wants to protect it, and she finally "walks a minute in his shoes", as Atticus always urged her to do.

I want the explanation of the poem " I wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William and is there a hyperbol here ? please help me as quick as...

This poem is about a guy watching a field of daffodils. In
the first stanza, he compares himself to a cloud floating above watching over this great
number of flowers near the lake and underneath the
trees.


The second stanza continues to note their great
number by comparing them to the stars (which are innumberable), calling them a
"never-ending line" and numbering them once by the phrase "ten
thousand."


The third stanza talks about how happy the sight
of this great number of daffodils makes him.


By the last
stanza he notes that when he is alone, he goes back to this imagery to make himself
happy.


Hyperbole can be found
in the 2nd stanza with the references to the stars, the never-ending line and the number
ten thousand.


Good Luck.

How far is Iago justified in hating Othello?

Iago hates Othello for some of reasons. First reason could be that Othello promoted Cassio in his place; however, Iago wants it and he cosid...