How did Brent change dramatically in Whirligig?

Brent Bishop appears to us as an aimless teenager in the first chapter of the book. He just goes along with what life deals to him, even though he often doesn’t agree with it. Part of his negative and lackadaisical attitude probably stems from the fact that he and his parents have moved from Connecticut to Atlanta and now to the Chicago area, over the course of a few years. He has had to adapt to new schools and new groups of people, each time. He’s quick to get angry when something doesn’t go his way, too. These factors meshed together lead to the toxic brew that includes his tirade at the party, his drinking, and his decision to take his hands off the steering wheel on the highway ride home.

The tragic accident is followed by Brent’s “sentence” to go to the four corners of the country to install whirligigs in Lea’s honor. He agrees to take on the challenge. He travels by bus to Washington, California, Florida, and Maine, and makes a unique whirligig in each place. He finally has a purpose and definite goals to work toward. He has to make his own choices and to live with the results. If he makes a mistake with his woodcraft, he cannot allow himself to get angry for very long. He has to complete the task; he feels required to complete the task, in his own way. The bottom line is that Brent is maturing. He’s developing his own personality, now that he is on his own. And while he still keeps some distance from strangers as much as he can, he’s also being more polite to the ones he does interact with. Brent has been transformed by the accident in a variety of ways.

Were the colonists justified in declaring their independence from Great Britain? Provide reasons.

This is, of course, a matter of opinion.  I will provide arguments for both sides and you can decide which argument makes more sense to you.

On the one hand, we can say that the colonists were justified in declaring independence from Great Britain.  Britain had ruled the colonies without letting them have any input into the government.  It had imposed taxes on the colonists without their consent.  It had violated what they thought of as their rights as Englishmen through such things as writs of assistance.  They had imposed laws like the Navigation Acts that limited the colonists’ ability to develop economically.  Perhaps most importantly, the colonies had outgrown British rule.  The colonies had a large population and were economically advanced.  They were ready to be able to rule themselves instead of having others tell them what to do.

On the other hand, we can say that the colonists were not justified in declaring independence.  First, we can say that what the British did was really not that bad, especially in light of some of the things the colonists did.  The colonists were not directly represented in Parliament, but neither were many people in England.  The colonists were taxed, but not as heavily as people in England.  The British imposed harsh penalties on the colonies, but only after the colonists did things like attacking government officials who were trying to enforce the law and destroying private property in the “Boston Tea Party.”  Second, even if your government does things you do not like, that does not allow you to simply break away from it.  We all pledge our allegiance to the United States.  That means that we do not get to simply break away from the country if we do not like what the government is doing.  The colonists might have been justified in protesting and trying to change the laws, but they were not justified in breaking away.

Which of these arguments makes more sense to you?

Is world peace possible?

The world has undergone periods of relative peace, but absolute world peace, no.  At times when the world has only one superpower, whether it is Rome, Britain, or the United States post-Cold War, the world is not in any danger of major conflict, i.e. war between two or more large states.  However, all states use war to enact their policies, and even when there has been one major power, there has still been times of war.  When Rome was the major power after their war with Carthage, there were always rebellions in Gaul and Germany to put down.  Britain fought several little colonial wars during the time of Queen Victoria, a time of relative world peace between 1856 and 1914.  America sent troops to Somalia, Bosnia, and Iraq after the Cold War with the Soviet Union.  In addition to wars over state interests, there are also wars of religion; these have been going on for thousands of years and show no signs of abating.  One could make the argument that today the world is more unstable than ever before, as non-state actors such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda and their associate organizations have worldwide impact and seem to attack nations and people indiscriminately with more destructive weapons.  Using purely secular answers, I do not believe absolute world peace is possible.   

Did Victor Frankenstein ever really assume responsibility for the dire consequences that resulted from his creation or was he more of a...

Intriguing question! In the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein’s actions lead to intense repercussions. Although this book was written decades ago, scholars still debate Victor’s actions and responsibility. Throughout the book, Victor’s acceptance of responsibility (or lack thereof) is clearly evident, especially with Elizabeth’s death and the creature’s experiences.

Beginning with Elizabeth's death, Victor illustrates that his actions of creating the monster incited extreme consequences. For example, Victor expresses his responsibility for the actions by stating:

“From the tortures of my own heart, I turned to contemplate the deep and voiceless grief of my Elizabeth. This also was my doing! And my father's woe, and the desolation of that late so smiling home -- all was the work of my thrice -- accursed hands!”

As a result, Victor expresses the guilt that he feels, especially after the death of his loved one, Elizabeth. Although he feels remorse and responsibility for these actions, Victor never tries to ameliorate the situation by stating his guilt to the court or even by confessing to Elizabeth.

Furthermore, Victor feels responsible for making the creature; however, he never seems to express remorse for not caring about his creature. As Victor states while discussing with Walton:

“You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been.”

Thus, Victor seems to accept responsibility for pursuing knowledge overzealously; however, he fails to admit responsibility for leaving his creature alone without care or nourishment. As the creature expresses:

"It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and half-frightened, as it were instinctively, finding myself so desolate. Before I had quitted your apartment, on a sensation of cold, I had covered myself with some clothes; but these were insufficient to secure me from the dews of night. I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept.”

Therefore, throughout the book, Victor confronts the repercussions of his actions, such as Elizabeth’s death and the creation of his monster. Although he admits his partial guilt, he fails to accept full responsibility. For example, he never tries to save Elizabeth and he fails to provide nourishment and care for the very being that he created. Furthermore, he never apologizes to his creature or attempts to mend their relationship. Thus, he blames the creature for many of the repercussions and takes the easy way out by simply ignoring or trying to destroy his creation.

I need to write a new epilogue for Tuck Everlasting, and I am confused about what to write.

Students should love this kind of question, because it is completely open-ended. You could literally write just about anything. 

The current epilogue takes place after Winnie has lived a long life and died. Angus and Mae Tuck have returned to Treegap in order to see how the town is doing, see the spring, and find information about Winnie. The woods have been bulldozed, the spring is gone, and Winnie Foster has died. Angus and Mae see her tombstone and realize that Winnie was married and had at least one child. They then leave the town.

You could write an epilogue that takes place while Winnie is alive. She could still be married. She could still have kids. I would make her a middle-aged mom, and I would have her sitting on her porch reminiscing about the Tuck family and wondering what happened to them. I would have her, in her thoughts, mention that she is glad that she made the choice to pour the spring water out on the toad. The woods and spring could even still be bulldozed, and I would make Winnie completely content with that.

You could have your epilogue be focused on Jesse Tuck, too. You could make him angry at Winnie, or you could have him be glad that Winnie was able to move on and forget about him. You could have him be the one returning to Treegap. 

You could time your epilogue long before Winnie's death, and you could write about a time 30 years after the Tucks' departure. Winnie and the Tuck family could be continuing the tradition of getting together every ten years during the first week of August. Your epilogue could be about one of those reunions.

In the book, The Great Gatsby, does Daisy have difficulty agreeing to Gatsby's wish? Why or why not?

Gatsby's great wish or dream is that Daisy will run off with him, leaving Tom behind and marrying him, Gatsby. He wants Daisy to say she never loved Tom. He wishes, essentially, to erase the last five years of both their lives and to go back to 1917, when they were in love before the war, as if nothing ever happened. Daisy has a great deal of difficulty agreeing to this wish and ultimately can't do it. She has had a daughter and is settled into her marriage with Tom. She no longer loves Gatsby alone: whatever their problems, she and Tom have a history together now, and she depends on him. On top of that, Daisy is a weak person, who goes whichever way the wind blows. Tom is strong and domineering and he wants her married to him. When push comes to shove, Daisy won't leave him. We see her torn between the two men during their confrontation at the Plaza hotel near the end of the novel, but despite all Gatsby's urgings, Daisy can't agree that she never loved Tom. She can't give Gatsby what he wants, and arguably no woman could. As Daisy wavers in the Plaza, Tom realizes he has won and can safely send Daisy back home in Gatsby's car, setting up the final tragedy. 

Is Jesus real?

There seems to be consensus among scholars that Jesus did in fact exist, but the difficulty lies in determining which Jesus everyone is talking about. To put it another way, it is plausible that there was more than one historical Jesus. To determine the historicity of Jesus, we look therefore at the ancients who mentioned him in their writings.

There are no accounts of Jesus written during his lifetime. The documents which have been collected as the Christian gospels were written after the fact. However, various unrelated writers such as Paul (the Christian saint), Josephus, and Tacitus mention Jesus to a greater or lesser extent. In his epistles, Paul discusses Jesus' crucifixion in an account that seems to correspond with some writings of Josephus. However, Josephus also writes about an incident involving James, "the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ" as follows:

Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done; they also sent to the king [Agrippa], desiring him to send to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he had already done was not to be justified. (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 20, Chapter 9)

The text goes on to state that Jesus, "son of Damneus," was subsequently made High Priest. It is safe to say that this passage is not in agreement with Christian writings. It has been speculated that this specific passage contains a marginal insertion added by a third party after the fact, specifically, "who was called Christ," and that Josephus was writing about another individual named Jesus in this particular passage.

Tacitus was a Roman Senator and historian, and his one-page mention of Jesus is frequently cited as independent Roman confirmation of the existence and crucifixion of Jesus:

Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. (Tacitus, Annals, Book 15, Chapter 44)

This account would seem to match the gospel accounts of Jesus' conviction and death. Note, the Annals of Tacitus were written around AD 116, which would postdate the Pauline Epistles, written around AD 59, as well as the writings of Josephus, which were written around AD 93-94. 

So while accounts of an historical Jesus do exist, they were written at a fairly great remove in time from the actual life of the Jesus spoken of in the gospels. For this reason, while many of the details about Jesus in these writings are in concert, the finer details differ. It is safe to say that the later writers such as Paul, Josephus, and Tacitus who mentioned Jesus were unable to verify their information with first person witness accounts.

So to answer your question: yes, it is fairly certain that a Jesus existed. The specifics of who he was, however, are a matter of scholarly debate or, if you are so inclined, of faith.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a direct democracy vs a representative democracy?

There are benefits and drawbacks to direct democratic and to representative democracy. In a direct democracy, the people make all the decisions. They discuss proposed laws and vote on them. They may also be involved in some executive and judicial processes. The advantage to this is that the people make the decisions themselves. They don’t have to rely on an elected official to do this for them. They don’t have to be concerned that the elected official is being controlled by big donors or by pressure from the political party. One disadvantage of a direct democracy is that the citizens must be knowledgeable about all the issues surrounding a proposed law for which they may vote. If they don’t have the time to do all of this work, they could make a poor decision. Also, it could be very difficult for millions of people to be involved in voting for a law. Sometimes, in a direct democracy, there also are limits on who is able to vote, meaning some people may be excluded from the voting.

In a representative democracy, people elect leaders to make decisions for them. The elected officials are supposed to make decisions based on what the majority of the people want them to do. One disadvantage of a representative democracy is that a person might not be able to get the elected official to vote how he or she would have voted. Also, the elected official could vote the way big donors want or the political party wants that person to vote instead of what the majority of the people being represented want. One advantage of a representative democracy is that the elected should have a good knowledge base about proposed laws that will be discussed. The official should have a staff to research each issue to help the official cast a wise vote. This also allows the official to be able to explain things to the people the official represents. Another advantage is that it is less cumbersome to vote because only 535 people are involved in the voting process at the federal level.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each form of democracy.  Which form of democracy do you think is better?

What is the latitude and longitude of Brazil when using Google Earth?

10 degrees, 00 minutes South latitude and 55 degrees, 00 minutes West longitude.  This is the location of Brazil on earth using latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates.  If you input these coordinates into the Google Earth locator, you will locate in the South American country of Brazil.

Latitude is measured north or south of the equator, which is 0 degrees. The northern most part of Brazil starts at the 10 degree South latitudinal marking, making the top part of the country a tropical rainforest biome.  It is home to the Amazon river, one of the longest river systems in the world.

Longitude is measured east or west of the prime meridian, which is 0 degrees.  The prime meridian is a line that extends from the north pole to the south pole and passes through Greenwich, England.  Brazil is 55 degrees West of the prime meridian.  It sits on the right side of the South American continent, flanked by the southern Atlantic Ocean.

What should the poet's countrymen do to be led into the “heaven of freedom?” Answer the question with reference to Rabindranath Tagore’s...

When this poem was composed originally in Bengali by the Indian Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, most probably in 1900, India was still a colony of the British Empire. The poem can be read as a prayer to God urging Him to lead his countrymen to the “heaven of freedom.” However, the freedom being referred to is much more ideological than physical.

Tagore was well aware of what weakened the Indian society the most. He was more concerned about the deep-rooted social ills that wrecked his nation.

Education was a privilege of the members of the upper castes only. Untouchability was one of the social evils that weakened the society by depriving thousands from equal opportunity and the basic human rights.

In this poem, Tagore laid down the ways that could possibly lead his people in achieving the bliss of actual freedom.

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free

First, he talks about relinquishing fear from the mind. Then, he urges his countrymen to make education achievable to everyone, irrespective of their birth, caste or creed.

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls

 "The domestic walls" refers to the divisive nature of the Indian society. A very rigid caste system that fragmented the Indian society had been the root cause of numerous evils crippling the poet's country. Until these unseeable walls were broken freedom would be a far-fetched dream. 

Tagore calls for a united and integrated society striving towards the common goal of the development of its people and its nation. 

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

"Dreary desert sand of dead habit" refers to the narrow, divisive and irrational age-old conventions and beliefs. Empirical outlook and rational approach as implied in the expression “clear stream of reason” must replace such primitive practices and opinions.

Thus, the "heaven of freedom" that the poet wishes for his countrymen is more of an ideological state than physical. It could be achieved by freeing the mind of his people from the darkness of fear, ignorance and illiteracy.

What is the theme of the book The Last of the Mohicans?

The Last of the Mohicans is one of five novels written by James Fenimore Cooper, which collectively are referred to as The Leatherstocking Tales.  Many people (wrongfully, in my opinion) dismiss these books as simplistic action stories with little character development and little analytical theme material.  In fact, I see several themes running through The Last of the Mohicans, as well as the other four Leatherstocking novels.

It is impossible to consider any novel that deals with westward expansion and colonization without considering the theme of clashing cultures, and the destruction of the culture of the Native Americans.  The novel, quite literally, is about the end of the Mohican tribe, when Uncas, the son of the last chief, is killed.  Even before this, we see the decay of the tribe through the encroaching involvement of the white people. 

We also see the theme of the importance of heredity, family heritage, and obligations.  Uncas, as the "last of the Mohicans," receives the leadership of the tribe from his father Chingachgook, along with the responsibilities that accompany it. 

Why do Macbeth and Lady Macbeth hurry to their chambers at the end of scene 2?

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth hurry back to their chamber at the end of Act 2, scene 2 because they hear someone knocking at the door. Macbeth has just murdered Duncan and Lady Macbeth has helped by smearing Duncan's blood on the drunken servants framed for the murder. As Lady Macbeth says, they have to wash the blood off their hands and look like they have been in bed, asleep, not out murdering people. She tells Macbeth to get his nightgown on and to get his act together. Macbeth is wound up at this point and recognizes that they have crossed a line that will from now on make them nervous at every knock. He says no amount of water can wash the blood from their hands, meaning that they can look innocent on the outside but the fact of their guilt remains. 

Why is the poem's title "Barter" appropriate?

“Barter” is an appropriate title for Sara Teasdale’s poem based on the definition of the word. Barter means to exchange goods or services in kind, or to haggle over the price of something. Life is a bartering session.

The author explains that there is wonder to be had in the world. She uses repetition of the line “Life has loveliness to sell” at the beginning of the first two stanzas. Then she lists the natural wonders of waves crashing on rocks, the crackling fire, the scent of the woods, and the look of wonder on a child’s face. These things, she says are worth hard work. But in the end, she implores the reader to understand it is okay to give all that you have for that one moment of great ecstasy. She is saying that in life you have to give to get (that is, to barter) even though many of the best things are free. In essence, you barter your time and efforts to reap life’s rewards.

What are examples of friendship in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne?

Some of the best examples of friendship in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is seen between Bruno and Shmuel.

Boyne offers some very heartfelt examples of friendship in the relationship between Shmuel and Bruno.  One such instance is when Bruno makes it a priority to visit Shmuel as often as he can.  Bruno is noticeably dismayed when Shmuel is late or if he is unable to meet. This shows how friendship sometimes involves insecurity and anxiety. Bruno demonstrates another aspect of friendship as Kotler berates Shmuel.  Bruno feels terrible that he did not voice support for his friend and he begs Shmuel to forgive him. Bruno shows that friendship is about unconditional support for one another in good and difficult times.

Another example of friendship is seen in the sacrifices made for it.  When Bruno crosses the fence and sees what "Out-With" really is like, he does not like what he sees and wants to go back home.  However, Shmuel reminds Bruno that he promised to help him find his father.  Without hesitation, Bruno is reminded that friendship is about honoring promises.  One of the most poignant moments in the novel takes place when both boys are in the gas chamber.  Bruno reminds Shmuel that he is his "best friend for life."  In times of distress, Boyne shows that friendship is about being there for one another, something that both boys show as they die. 

While Bruno misses his friends from Berlin, the best example of friendship in the novel is the one he shares with Shmuel.  It might be the reason why Bruno cannot remember his old friends' names when he is in the gas chamber.  Both boys remind us that friendship and love can sustain us through the worst of times.

What do Montresor and Fortunato have in common?

There are several strong indications that Montresor and Fortunato both earn their livings by dealing in things that appeal to wealthy buyers. Montresor mentions Austrian and British millionaires in the highly suggestive second paragraph of the story. Both these men refer to Montresor's imaginary Amontillado as a "pipe." This is a barrel containing 126 gallons. Montresor would never buy 126 gallons of a gourmet sherry for private consumption, and neither would Fortunato. That amounts to 500 quart bottles of Amontillado. Fortunato is only interested in it because Montresor says he got it at a bargain price. Obviously he must intend to bottle it and sell it off at a profit. He is anxious to get an expert opinion of the wine because he would like to buy more while he can still get a bargain. That is why Montresor pretends to be in such a hurry.

What these two men have in common is that they are sometimes competitors but often partners in business transactions. Many old Venetian aristocrats have to sell off family treasures in order to stay alive. They deal with men like Montresor and Fortunato who know the values of paintings, antiques, jewelry, and other one-of-a-kind luxury items and who know where to sell them. Montresor is a poor man and Fortunato is rich. Montresor must often ask Fortunato to go into partnerships with him, or borrow money from him, or collect finder's fees from him. No doubt the "thousand injuries" Montresor has suffered have been in business dealings. This would explain why Montresor maintains relations with Fortunato although he hates him. It could also explain why nobody knows about these thousand injuries. If people knew Fortunato had injured Montresor so many times, then Montresor would become a suspect after Fortunato disappeared--and Montresor wants to be above suspicion. So he continues to act as if Fortunato is his best friend, and he has conditioned himself always to refer to Fortunato as "my friend," "my best friend," "my good friend," etc., as he does many times throughout the story.

There is a symbiotic relationship between these two men. Montresor needs Fortunato for making money. Fortunato gets tips on potentially profitable deals from Montresor. For example, Montresor might know that a certain Venetian nobleman would like to sell an oil painting by an Italian Renaissance master. If the nobleman wants cash rather than having Montresor act as a broker, then Montresor might refer the nobleman to Fortunato, who could come up with the cash and resell the painting for a big profit. Montresor would expect a finder's fee, but he might often get a smaller fee than he thinks he deserves--or in some cases he might not get any fee at all. Fortunato wears a jester's costume during the carnival because he considers himself a clever jester. He may pull many dirty tricks on Montresor and laugh them off as clever jests. 

Both Montresor and Fortunato are connoisseurs. The sellers and buyers trust them to know about such things as authenticity and especially values. Money is the all-important factor in these men's relationship.

"Mao Zedong was an idealist who had lost touch with reality." How much do you agree with this statement?

The previous answers display an almost absurd level of charitableness toward Mao. Substitute "Hitler" in the above and you may have some grasp of what I mean. "Differing opinions on Hitler's legacy"? "some may not support his ideas"?

Mao's failed policies killed at least twenty million people. Possibly forty million.

Mao's insanity killed as many people as the population of Greater Los Angeles. This is not controversial among serious historians.

The question really is only what manner Mao was insane. He was either a delusional idealist, as the quote would imply, or a murderous psychopath. Those are the only two options when we're trying to explain a man who killed 20 million people.

I actually lean toward the theory of the quote, that Mao was an idealist who honestly believed he was making China better, but became completely detached from reality and continued to believe his policies were working even as millions of people starved.

You can compare him to Stalin, another communist tyrant whose decisions caused millions of deaths. Stalin was obviously a murderous psychopath; while he put out propaganda saying he was making the Soviet Union better, almost everything he did either advanced his own interests or suppressed dissent against him. He was paranoid, but not otherwise delusional---and certainly no idealist.

But Mao seems different in many ways. Many of his policies don't seem corrupt and tyrannical the way Stalin's did; they just seem... nonsensical. Why would anyone think that industrial factories could suddenly be replaced by homemade furnaces constructed by uneducated farmers without any loss of production of either industry or food? Why would anyone think that workers would produce better with guns to their head than they did when they were selling for profit? His goal of a more equal society may seem benevolent enough, but his methods for doing so don't make any sense.

Stalin even warned Mao that the USSR would stop supporting him if he continued with the madness of the Great Leap Forward, but he did it anyway. (And sure enough, Stalin cut off aid.) That doesn't seem like something a rational psychopath would do; it seems like something a delusional fanatic would do.

Do you think a desert plant is more likely to have a thin cuticle or a thick cuticle? Explain.

Plants that live in the desert are more likely to have a thick cuticle. Desert plants have thick cuticles because the cuticle will help the desert plants retain water.

Deserts are biomes that are dry and arid. Deserts receive less than 25 centimeters of precipitation annually. Yet, due to the hot desert temperatures during the day, evaporation of the water that is present in a desert can occur rapidly. This lack of water is often the factor that determines which vegetation and organisms live in deserts. Many inhabitants of deserts require some sort of adaptation that will allow them to withstand or avoid water loss or stress.

The cuticle is an example of such an adaptation. The cuticle of a plant is a protective outer covering over the epidermis of the plant’s leaves. It is composed of lipids and hydrocarbon polymers that are embedded with waxes.  Such substances are hydrophobic and aid in the resistance of water loss.

In what ways do the children start to think as adults in Chapter 1 of The Little Prince?

In the first chapter of The Little Prince, the narrator describes an experience he had at the age of six, when he made two drawings and showed them to grown-ups. The adults could not understand the picture of the boa constrictor eating an elephant and mistook it for a drawing of a hat. Even after the narrator creates a second drawing to explain the first, adults still do not understand the point of the pictures. Thus the narrator concludes that adults are silly and unable to understand important things such as "boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars."

Although the narrator confronts every person he meets with the two drawings, he never encounters an adult who understands them. Consequently, he decides that it is not worth trying to explain important things to adults and trains himself to speak to adults on their own terms. Once an adult failed to understand the drawings, the narrator states:

I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.

What is the theme of "The Scarlet Ibis"?

The main theme of "The Scarlet Ibis" is that of pride.

The brother of Doodle, who is also the narrator, observes in the early part of the story that

...pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.

Pride drives the brother to mold Doodle into normalcy as much as he can, by encouraging Doodle to walk and to become a companion to him, to be able to row a boat and to swim with him. This desire for Doodle to participate in boyhood is the "vine of life." But, in so doing, the brother also acts out of selfish pride because he does not wish for Doodle to be an embarrassment to him. Moreover, the brother desires that Doodle believe, as he does, in his own infallibility. This prideful belief in his infallibility is the vine of death because he coerces Doodle into trying to row and to swim beyond his capabilities.

We decided to double our efforts, to make that last drive and reach our pot of gold. I made him swim until he turned blue and row until he couldn't lift an oar....
We had wandered too far into a net of expectations and had left no crumbs behind.

Indeed, there are no crumbs to follow back to a safe time for Doodle, and "the vine of death" of the brother's selfish pride overtakes this delicate boy, so like the exquisite and fine scarlet ibis hurled into a world that is not his own. Certainly, then, pride is thematic in James Hurst's narrative, "a wonderful, terrible thing."

Why was Satan expelled from Heaven?

Satan was a cherub, one of God's most powerful angels, who openly rebels against God. Satan is jealous of God's omniscient status and pridefully wants to be exalted above God. Satan believes that he is God's equal and has the ambition to pursue his vain wishes. In a sense, Satan chooses to be expelled from heaven because he thinks "It is better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven." Satan's pride is responsible for his choice. He has faith in his own intellect above God's sovereignty and does not want to "serve" the Most High. Satan is content with attempting to ruin God's creation, humans, as a way to revenge his loss. In the book of Isaiah, Satan's intentions are described as it is written,

"For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."(Isaiah 14.13-14)

The anaphora "I" at the beginning of each verse reveals Satan's prideful nature. He is exclusively concerned with how he feels and believes he should be exalted instead of serving God. After Satan falls from Heaven with his band of angels who choose to follow him, he accepts his fate and does not repent.

What in your opinion represented the greatest political or social achievements of Progressive-era reform? Identify at least one that you believe...

I would have to say that I believe that votes for women was the greatest achievement of the Progressive Era. This is not something that impacts my life on a day-to-day basis, but it is probably the most important thing that happened in that era.

I would identify this as the most important thing that the Progressives accomplished because it is the one that did the most to right an injustice.  When our country was founded, suffrage was very limited.  Only white men could vote, and even among white men, only those with some amount of property were allowed to vote in most states.  One important trend that has occurred over the course of US history has been the extension of rights to more and more people. This is what makes the ratification of the 19th Amendment such a great achievement.  It made our system much fairer and more just.

Of course, this achievement does not really affect my life all that much.  I’m male, so it doesn’t affect me directly at all.  However, it did help to create a society in which men and women are on a much more equal basis. This has affected me by affecting the way I interact with women in my life. 

How does the author engage the reader in "The Scarlet Ibis?"

The author engages the reader with poetic descriptions and a reliable narrator. The opening of the story suggests a melancholy mood with descriptions of autumn, graveyard flowers, and the dead. The narrator, Brother, is reliable because he is honest. He doesn't hide his good or bad traits. In fact, this story is somewhat of a confession by Brother about how he treated and mistreated Doodle. 

Brother's brutal honesty is what engages the reader directly. Brother admits that Doodle was a disappointment when he was born. He even admits to conceiving of a way to kill Doodle with a pillow until he discovers that Doodle is in fact "all there" (mentally aware of the world). 

The family was certain Doodle would not live long after he was born. So, Father had a casket made. Brother admits to how cruelly he would taunt Doodle with it: 

There is within me (and with sadness I have watched it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction, and at times I was mean to Doodle. 

Brother often hears the refrain "Don't leave me, Brother." This gives the reader a foreboding possibility that Brother will leave him in some way. Given Brother's honesty and tendency to push or punish Doodle, the reader is drawn in to the possibility of Doodle being abandoned. 

The author also uses poetic language and symbolism to support the themes in the story. The Ibis represents Doodle. Both find themselves in inhospitable environments. The red of the Ibis foreshadows the blood from Doodle. 

Can anyone explain how the excretory system works step by step?

Excretory system is the bodily system (composed of organs) needed to regulate the chemical composition of the body, by removal of excess metabolic wastes in the bodily fluids. Prokaryotes have a relatively simpler excretion system and all the unwanted metabolites are simply excreted out of the cell. Eukaryotes, on the other hand, have a much more sophisticated system.

Note that excretory system refers to cleanup of bodily fluids and does not include removal of feces from our body. 

In humans, excretory system mainly consists of kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra; that is, it is in essence urinary system. The liver is also considered a part of our excretory system, since it helps in breakdown of complex and harmful molecules into the simpler ones. An example is breakdown of ammonia into urea, that can be more easily expelled from the body. Our two kidneys act as a continuous filter, without our control and constantly filter the blood to remove wastes in fluidic form. This filtered liquid is known as urine and is sent to our bladder using the ureters (one connected to each kidney). Our bladder thus receives a continuous influx of urine and informs our brain that the body needs to excrete the urine. The urine is excreted from our body using urethra.

Two other important parts of excretory system in human beings include the skin and lungs. Skin is used for removal of excess fluid (in the form of sweat) from our body and helps in maintaining body temperature and salt levels. Lungs are used for removal of carbon dioxide, generated during the cellular respiration, from our body (through the respiratory system).  

Hope this helps. 

Why is the crown related to Macbeth?

The crown symbolizes the highest form of  power and authority one can have as a ruler. In Macbeth, the crown rightfully belongs to king Duncan, who is a mild and honorable ruler, respecting loyalty, true friendship and bravery. However, Macbeth's personal ambitions interfere with what is right, and he desires to possess the crown:

 If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me,
 Without my stir.

However, he quickly realizes that he has to act if he is to become the king and  feels tempted to seize the crown himself. He does take the crown by murdering king Duncan and then blaming the murder on others. The crown is seized and falls into the wrong hands because Macbeth illegally takes it. As a result, the whole outside world is cast into chaos.

Yet, Macbeth learns from the witches' prophecy that Banquo's posterity will eventually take the crown:

 Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown,
 And put a barren sceptre in my gripe,
 Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,
 No son of mine succeeding.

"The fruitless crown" means that Macbeth's future is bleak. He is racked by the following fear -- it seems that he murders Duncan and forfeits his soul in exchange for temporal power only to find out that all of this will be in vain.  He does not want this to happen and obsessively starts killing anyone who could stand in his way directly or indirectly.

Macbeth's desire for the crown eventually leads to his downfall because the crown does not belong to him rightfully. So, when he dies, order is restored.

Who is NOT released from the community in The Giver?

The Receiver of Memory is not released from the community.

Every citizen is released from the community at some point.  When a person gets old enough that they consider him or her no longer valuable, and they have decided the person has lived long enough, he or she is released.  Of course, you could be released before you get old.  Some are released as infants, and some are released for breaking rules.  The one person who is not released is the Receiver, at least as long as he or she holds the job.  That would result in the disastrous consequence of memories being released to the community.

Release is a part of everyday life in the community.  Citizens of a certain age are no longer valuable.  They spend some time in the House of the Old, and then are released with a ceremony celebrating their lives.  This way, no one ever really experiences the suffering of old age, and the population is controlled.

"They told his whole life before they released him," she said. "They always do. But to be honest," she whispered with a mischievous look, "some of the tellings are a little boring. I've even seen some of the Old fall asleep during tellings… (Ch. 4)

Euthanasia is not reserved for the elderly.  The community also releases infants who do not meet its standards.  Babies who do not grow fast enough, or meet certain milestones, are quietly eliminated.  This is the fate that threatens Gabriel, but Jonas’s father for some reason tries to give him a second chance.

Of course, anyone (other than the Receiver) can be released from the community at any time for committing a crime.  This is what happens to the pilot who accidentally flies over the community.

For a contributing citizen to be released from the community was a final decision, a terrible punishment, an overwhelming statement of failure. (Ch. 1)

If you commit one big blunder, or break three smaller rules, out you go.  The death penalty is widely used against anyone who doesn’t toe the line.

It seems that you can also request release, in essence committing suicide.  This is what happens to Rosemary.  She could not bear the pain of the memories, and requested release.  The community learned then that the Receiver of Memory should never be released, no matter how little training the person has.  Even a few memories are devastating.

This is because the Receiver of Memory contains all of the community’s pain and suffering.  The personal also contains all of the community’s memories of emotions, such as love and happiness.  If something happens to the Receiver, those memories return to the community. 

"The community lost Rosemary after five weeks and it was a disaster for them. I don't know what the community would do if they lost you." (Ch. 18)

The community is not prepared to handle them.  That’s why there is a Receiver in the first place.  For this reason, after Rosemary’s suicide a rule was added that no Receiver of memory can apply for release.  That also means that one will not be released for punishment.  They are given a lot of leeway for following rules anyway.

Once the new Receiver is trained, the old Receiver becomes the Giver.  The Giver slowly gives memories to the Receiver, and then I suppose the Giver can be released.  However, in Jonas’s case he leaves before the training is done, thus returning the memories to the community. The Giver could not be released in this case, because he was needed to help them through it.  Even if the community wanted to punish the old man by releasing him, it would not have dared.

In A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, what is the significance of Nora?

Nora, a 19th century wife, is the main character of the play, which was also produced and staged during the 19th century. Much to the shock of those who first saw it, A Doll's House is both a reformist and a feminist play. This alone was quite scandalous. 

Neither of those two descriptors would have been welcome to be applied to females during this time period. In fact, the universal construct of the image of the 19th century female was that of the "Angel of the Household." This ideal described wives as the spiritual and aesthetic anchors of the home. Essentially, Nora's job in the house would have been just to do exactly what she was doing: entertaining, nurturing, making her husband chuckle, and doting after her family. Nothing more. This idealistic portrayal of women was nothing short of propaganda propelled by a super popular poem by Coventry Patmore (1852) in which he created what would later become this (unrealistic, yet) much-embraced epitome of the Victorian wife, which he supposedly modeled after his own wife, Emily. 

That being said, Nora symbolizes the massive dichotomy and personal conflict that many females of Nora's time may have experienced: females versus their society: Is a woman more than just "an angel" in the household? Can a woman do more, or be allowed to do more, than just act like an ornamental piece? Is there such a thing as an angel of the household in the first place?

Consider this: Nora's problem in the play is that she vies for attention to extract some degree of validation from her husband. Her tragic flaw, however, is that, despite obediently playing the part of the decorative wife, she also wants to feel genuinely appreciated, validated, and considered something more than the ornamental "angel of the household" persona expected of women. This would be Nora's tragic flaw because, due to her circumstances, there is no way she can ever attain her wish.

Therefore, Nora's wish for "a wonderful thing," to happen is basically the dream that her validation will come true. If her husband ever found out about the secret loan deal Nora struck with the disgruntled Krogstad, she hopes Torvald will take the blame for it and (on top of all that) realize Nora did everything as a sacrifice for him. This ongoing preoccupation that gnaws at Nora also piques at her. It makes her wonder what exactly is her role in the household, in the eyes of her husband. This dichotomy of thought is the embodiment of what Nora represents in the play: the struggle of a woman against her society.

Trace a few images throughout the poem and explore how they contribute to the poem's meaning and effect.

T.S. Eliot uses striking images to support his meaning in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Some of the more memorable images are recounted below.

"When evening is spread out against the sky / like a patient etherised upon a table." This image of the night sky spreading out, senseless, above the city corresponds to the other people in Prufrock's social circle, the ones who will say, "that is not it at all," not realizing that they are the ones who are lulled and drugged by a shallow understanding of life.

"The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window panes" as described in the entire third stanza is way of comparing the settling smog of the city with a cat that curls up and falls asleep. This image gives the poem a sleepy, non-urgent air, which is reflected in line 23: "And indeed there will be time." The poem's mood is one of time dragging by slowly and unproductively until the speaker laments, "I grow old, I grow old" before he has accomplished anything momentous. 

When lines 57 - 58 state, "And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, / When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall," they compare the way people make judgments about the persona with an entomologist mounting an insect for study. This reinforces the persona's feeling of insignificance as well as his self-consciousness in social settings. 

Another powerful image is when the persona says, "I have seen the eternal footman hold my coat and snicker." This is a poignant picture of approaching old age and the realization that one's best days are behind him, and that those did not amount to much. Again, this image reinforces Prufrock's low self-esteem and dissatisfaction with aging because he believes he has contributed nothing of great import to the world. 

These powerful images and many others in the poem help to create a mood of pensive introspection and reinforce Prufrock's social anxiety and desire for meaning in life.

In the short story "The Portable Phonograph," why does the author mention or allude to Shakespeare and the Bible? How do Shakespeare and the Bible...

As the story opens, an old man named Doctor Jenkins is playing host to a small group of men who, like him, are survivors of an unspecified holocaust which destroyed all of human civilization. Doctor Jenkins is wrapping up four high-quality leather-bound books which he says are all the books he managed to save from destruction. They are a complete Shakespeare, the Bible, Herman Melville's Moby Dick, and Dante's complete Divine Comedy. (The author does not say whether the Divine Comedy is in the original Italian or in translation.) Evidently he selected these books partly because they are all so big and will provide so much material as well as food for thought. They are only important to the story because they are treasures of a lost civilization. They are poor remnants of the vast cultural riches that used to exist in the world before what must have been a great war destroyed nearly everything. Doctor Jenkins also managed to save a small collection of long-playing phonograph records and an old-fashioned wind-up portable phonograph on which he will be able to play his records until the phonograph inevitably breaks down and the records get worn out. The few things the old man managed to save from destruction symbolize all the glory of human civilization before human foolishness resulted in worldwide self-destruction.

These men gathered to reminisce about their lost cultural heritage are among the small number of people who managed to stay alive. They are now living like their primitive ancestors, and the cultural relics of Doctor Jenkins are their only tangible reminders of the past. Doctor Jenkins' choice of literature might not be books that would appeal to everyone, but they are priceless treasures just because they are books and just because they exist. The same is true of the phonograph records and the phonograph itself, after which the story is named. It is fortunate that it is an old-fashioned portable phonograph which has to have its spring rewound for each record to be played, because there is no electricity, and a more advanced record-player would be useless. 

The moral of the story is obviously a warning that with our increasing technological advances, there is a growing danger that we could destroy our civilization and lose all the culture and knowledge that has been created over the centuries, unless we come to our senses and learn to live with each other. The ending of the story is not optimistic. One of the guests sneaks back with the intention of robbing the old man of his treasures, and the old man prepares to defends them by killing the other man if necessary. Throughout the story there is a strong contrast between the condition of the survivors of the great war and the nearly incredible riches of humanity's pre-war past.

What are five direct references to imperialism in the poem "The White Man's Burden"?

The White Man's Burden is a poem that was written by the English poet, Rudyard Kipling, and published in the magazine, McClure's, in 1899.

This poem was inspired by the New Imperialism of the late-nineteenth century and, as such, is littered with references to empire-building and colonisation. Here are five for you to consider:

1. First stanza: "Go bind your sons to exile, to serve your captives' need": meaning to go abroad and spread imperial culture which will 'civilise' the native population.


2. Second stanza: "To seek another's profit, and work another's gain": this refers to the imperialist practice of colonising new lands so that the imperialists could plunder their natural resources, turn it into new goods and then sell it for a profit.


3. Third stanza: "Fill full the mouth of famine, and bid the sickness cease": many imperialists thought that colonisation would improve the standard of living in colonised countries, through better food supplies and access to Western medicines.


4. Fourth stanza: "Take up the white man's burden, no tawdry rule of kings": colonising new countries destroyed many of their existing political and governmental structures. This was bad for the colonial population but the imperialists believed that this was a good thing. 


5. Seventh praise: "The lightly proffered laurel, the easy, ungrudged praise": imperialists thought that colonial nations should be grateful for being ruled by European countries because it made them more civilised and modern. 

Is loss a theme in The Tempest by Shakespeare?

Yes, loss is an important theme in The Tempest. The mariners believe their ship is going to be destroyed in the storm and cry “all lost!” Prospero loses his dukedom, Ferdinand believes that his father, Alonso, has drowned (Ariel sings, “Full fathom five thy father lies”), and Alonso thinks that both his daughter and son are lost:

My son is lost and, in my rate, she too,
Who is so far from Italy removed
I ne'er again shall see her.

Alonso mourns the probable death of Ferdinand and the marriage of his “daughter Claribel to the King of Tunis” across the sea. In addition, the castaways all lose their way due to Prospero’s machinations as delivered by Ariel. Prospero even pretends to lose Miranda, and, in a way, Caliban also loses his island to Prospero.

However, The Tempest is ultimately about regaining that which was lost or about how it was never lost in the first place. Prospero reclaims his dukedom, and Ferdinand and Alonso reunite. The sailors sleep safely in their ship. Prospero has not lost Miranda, who “did preserve” him when he almost lost his life so many years before. Though Caliban’s fate is unknown, overall, The Tempest is imbued with a sense of discovery and grace rather than loss.

Where can I find a summary for The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson?

The author of The Ghost Map, Steven Johnson, is a popular speaker as well as a writer. He's the host of the PBS television series How We Got to Now, in which he examines simple phenomena that have shaped the course of the 21st century.

I mention this because the best summaries you can find on The Ghost Map come from the author himself.

Here's a link to a 2006 TED (A Technology, Entertainment, and Design conference) presentation given by the author about the book: Steven Johnson: A Guided Tour of The Ghost Map. The video is roughly 11 minutes.

Also, a more thorough examination of the material from the book can be found in this recording of a talk Johnson gave at Google in 2007: The Ghost Map - Talks at Google. This video is nearly an hour in length.

Johnson also discusses the story from the book in the television program How We Got to Now, though the show can only be accessed online through Netflix.

What are examples of symbolism, imagery, allusion, irony, tone, mood, style, inference, and resolution in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Examples of many literary devices can be found all throughout Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. One example of symbolism can be seen in references to the oak trees on the Radleys' property.

In Chapter 4, on their way home from school, Scout and Jem begin finding gifts stashed in a knothole of an oak tree on the Radleys' lot. Scout is the first to make a discovery, and her newfound treasure is two pieces of wrapped chewing gum. Their discoveries continue in Chapter 7 and include such treasures as two highly polished pennies dating back to 1906 and two bars of soap carved to look exactly like the children. What is particularly significant is that the children find these items in an oak tree.

Oak trees have a great deal of symbolic meaning. They are particularly known for their resilience, which permits them to live a very long time, growing massive in size. Due to their endurance, oak trees have become known to symbolize life, strength, and wisdom. Plus, since longevity allows for a great deal of fertility, oak trees have even become know to symbolize family and loyalty. As the novel progresses, the children learn that their beliefs about who their neighbor Arthur (Boo) Radley is as a person have been wrong, and his true character is actually symbolized in the oak tree.

Due to myths and rumors, the children believe Arthur is an insane and dangerous person. Their beliefs about Arthur have particularly been shaped by Miss Stephanie Crawford, the neighborhood gossip, who once said, according to Jem, that "she woke up in the middle of the night one time and saw him looking straight through the window at her" (Ch. 1).

Yet, contrary to these rumors and myths, Arthur demonstrates throughout the book that he is actually a very caring and loyal person. He especially cares for Jem and Scout, whom he seems to care as much for as if they were his own children. The gifts he leaves for the children in the oak tree are indicators of how much he cares, showing us just how much the oak tree symbolizes Arthur's sense of family and loyalty. By the end of the novel, just like the oak tree, Arthur demonstrates his strength, his wisdom, and how much he values life by putting his own life in jeopardy to save the lives of Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell.

Discuss the uses of metaphors in photography.

There are two sources to go to in your inquiry about metaphors in photography. First and foremost is Susan Sontag’s work on this topic. She was the first intellectual to arrange and taxonomize the photographic "art" (as opposed to its merely recording function). Her astute observations took photography from a science to an art. She maintained that not only did a photograph reveal the overt subject but also the covert intentions of the photographer, because of the choices inherent in the composition, lighting, background, etc. – the artistic selections of the photographer. The second source is the fairly recent discipline of visual rhetoric, in which scholars treat visual imagery, including photography, as a hidden language of persuasion by metaphor, color choice, composition, etc. In that discipline, virtually all photography is metaphorical, in that it implies mental connections on the subconscious levels of the mental processes.  A quick example might be the white picket fence in an advertisement for insurance.  The metaphor is that an insurance policy will give your family stability and the realization of your dreams about a calm, protected financial life, a "picket fence" surrounding your "home," your life.

How can you differentiate between neo- classicism and romanticism?

Neoclassicism was a deliberate return to the themes, subjects, and values portrayed in Greek and Roman art, architecture, and to some extent literature. These included things like a focus on proportion, portrayal of ideal human bodies, and balance. They also included, especially in the late eighteenth century, themes of classical, austere republican virtue associated with the Roman Republic. Much of what we consider Neoclassical art thus reflects restraint, order, and graceful beauty. Romanticism was in many ways a reaction to Neoclassicism, and more broadly the rationalism of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment with which it was generally associated. Romantic artists emphasized emotion, power, and sweeping motion in place of the grace and order valued by neoclassicists. The Romantics were fascinated by the raw power of both nature and the human spirit, and they were far less interested in idealizing the human form than were the neoclassicists. Where neoclassicists were fascinated by order and balance, the Romantics were interested in the "sublime," an extreme state of emotion that could be aroused by stunning beauty on the one hand, but also extreme horror on the other. I have posted links to two excellent essays on this topic, both of which link in turn to many examples of both neoclassicism and Romanticism.

What are some examples of where Juliet uses imagery?

There is a great deal of imagery in the speech of Juliet, and in many of the other characters; it's Shakespeare, after all! A fair amount of the imagery central to this play arises from the famous phrase used in the prologue, "star-crossed lovers." This image refers to the idea of fate and romance, the belief that fate can intervene in our lives and affect what happens to us, but also that love is a mystical force that draws power from the universe. "Star-crossed" is sometimes said to refer to astrology, and the lovers' suitability for each other may be affected by their respective star signs, based upon the beliefs in astrology that were widespread un Shakespeare's time; but it also means that the timing of their relationship and difficulty of their family situations means their love is cursed. In keeping with this haunting idea of a star-crossed love affair, stars are a frequent image in the play.

The imagery of stars, the moon and night feature prominently in the words of Juliet, whereas Romeo tends to refer to the sun when he speaks of Juliet, as with "what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun." Day and night function as opposites, and also complementary forces (suggesting Romeo and Juliet are two halves of a whole), but also emphasize the importance of time: the speed with which these two lovers become inseparably bound, and the urgency surrounding their situation, because they are forbidden to see each other due to the family feud.

Juliet chides Romeo not to swear by the moon ("the inconstant moon, that monthly changes in her circled orb"), because it is too changeable and fickle. She uses the imagery of night and stars to speak of Romeo as she awaits him one night in her famous "Gallop apace" monologue: 

Come, civil night,
Thou sober-suited matron, all in black,
And learn me how to lose a winning match,
Played for a pair of stainless maidenhoods.

In this quote, night is a maternal, soothing presence. The night is protective in this time of danger when the lovers are worried about being discovered. Juliet feels that the night is helping keep Romeo safe:

Come, night; come, Romeo; come, thou day in night;
For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night
Whiter than new snow upon a raven's back.

But the light of stars reminds her of Romeo:

Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night...

Give an example of identity foreclosure for Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

According to psychoanalyst Erik Erikson, it is important for individuals to explore new ideas and values, challenge perspectives, and seek alternate views on life in order to develop one's personal identity. Identity foreclosure takes place when an adolescent embraces a set a values and viewpoints from a dominant authority figure, typically one's father, without questioning or exploring other ideas independently to shape one's identity. The character of Bruno in the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas displays signs of identity foreclosure throughout the novel. In Chapter 10, Bruno meets Shmuel for the first time. He asks Shmuel where he is from, and Shmuel says that he's from Poland. Bruno says, "That's not as good as Germany, is it?" (Boyne 111). Bruno continues to say, "Well, because Germany is the greatest of all countries...We're superior" (Boyne 112). Bruno has openly accepted his father and grandfather's views regarding their homeland. Bruno has not challenged their belief that Germany is the greatest nation or has sought other alternative views regarding other countries' statuses. Bruno believing that Germany is the greatest nation in the world without questioning or searching for alternative answers would be considered a sign of identity foreclosure.

What “streak” does Atticus tell Aunt Alexandra that the Finch family must have in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus tells Alexandra that the Finches must have an incestuous streak.

Apparently every family in Maycomb has some kind of “Streak.”  Alexandra suggests that Stephanie Crawford inherited her nosiness.  Atticus decides to let her know how he feels about the Streaks.

Atticus said, “Sister, when you stop to think about it, our generation’s practically the first in the Finch family not to marry its cousins. Would you say the Finches have an Incestuous Streak?”  Aunty said no, that’s where we got our small hands and feet. (Ch. 13)

Heredity is very important to Alexandra.  She believes that the Finches are superior because they have owned the same land for a long time.  Atticus tries to explain to Alexandra that heredity isn’t everything, but Alexandra wants Scout and Jem to understand the importance of their family name and where they fit in Maycomb’s social hierarchy.

Atticus is uncomfortable trying to explain the concept of good breeding to his children.

Our father was actually fidgeting. “No, I just want to explain to you that—your Aunt Alexandra asked me… son, you know you’re a Finch, don’t you?”

“That’s what I’ve been told.” Jem looked out of the corners of his eyes. …

Atticus crossed his knees and folded his arms. “I’m trying to tell you the facts of life.” (Ch. 13)

By “the facts of life” Atticus means that Scout and Jem are the product of generations of “gentle breeding.”  In other words, they are part of Maycomb’s upper class.  With the trial starting, Alexandra thinks it is important that Scout and Jem understand where they fit into Maycomb society, despite the insults sent Atticus’s way.  Since Alexandra came to help, Atticus decides to humor her.

Atticus does not care about heredity or breeding. He has taught his children that value comes from a person’s character, not his family name.  Yet he has no wife, so he feels like he has to succumb to Alexandra’s nagging.  It is not something that he actually believes. 

Who is Peter Pan? Does he exist in real life?

Peter Pan is a character in a play and novel written by J. M. Barrie. The first appearance of Peter Pan was in a novel called The Little White Bird, published in 1902. In 1904 Peter Pan was brought to life on stage in the play Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. Later, in 1911, Barrie turned the play into a novel titled Peter and Wendy.

Peter Pan is a kind of magical boy. He ran away from home on the day of his birth and went to live with the fairies because he overheard his parents planning out his whole life for him. The fairies taught him to fly. He lives in Neverland, a magical land, where his friends are the Lost Boys, boys who fell out of their carriages when they were infants and have no mothers or fathers now. Peter Pan meets Wendy because he lurks outside her nursery window so he can hear her telling stories to her brothers. He offers to teach Wendy and her brothers to fly; he does so, and they all journey to Neverland where they have a series of adventures. Eventually Wendy wants to return home, and she does, with the Lost Boys, who are adopted by Wendy's parents. Peter, however, still does not want to grow up. He comes back to see Wendy and take her to Neverland for a visit once per year, but he himself remains the boy who wouldn't grow up.

What is more important, humans or nature? What are five reasons that support each side?

Humans are more important than nature:

1) The idea of nature requires the human mind, consciousness, knowledge to conceptualize and qualify what the existence (or nature) of nature even is to give nature legible form in language

2) The history of human civilization is the history of the domination of nature to human mastery -- think of the transformations of vast natural landscapes into urban and agricultural human settlements, the development of technology, sciences, etc.

3) The increasingly accepted idea of the Anthropocene attests to the fact that humans are a geologic force with the power of altering the trajectory of the earth (a role that nature supposedly once played)

4) In addition to humans mastering nature, they also can create nature -- artificial or synthesized natures (think AI or Genetically Modified Organisms)

5) Nature cannot be transformed into wealth without modification by socially necessary human labour 

Nature is more important than humans:

1) Humans evolved from nature; nature is the primordial stuff of human life, social life

2) Even after having evolved a distinctly cultural nature, it is natural (as in environmental) factors that shape the possibilities and impossibilities of particular cultural formations 

3) Whenever humans think they have mastered nature, nature comes back with a vengeance...it is non-discriminatory in its destructiveness to other forms of life and human life alike 

4) Nature is a necessary precondition for not just wealth creation but subsistence (biological sustenance)

5) Humans lose their humanity as they destroy nature and their relationship to the (pre-technocratic) natural -- both at a philosophical level and material level, as their mode of production breaches the limit of planetary boundaries 

Who is the intended audience of "Dulce et Decorum Est"?

Interestingly, the intended audience for Wilfred Owen's graphic war poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" is other poets, specifically one poet named Jessie Pope. Owen originally entitled this poem, "To Jessie Pope." Owen directly addresses Pope and her ilk on line 25 where he writes, "My friend, you would not tell with such high zest" the old lie, namely, that it is sweet and proper to die for one's country.

So who was Jessie Pope? She was a British author whose work was published in newspapers and magazines in the early 1900s. Some of her poetry was humorous, such as the verses she published in Punch magazine. However, she was one of the leading composers of a genre known as "jingoistic war poetry." Such poems were used to recruit young men into the military and glamorized war. You can read an example of one of these poems, "The Call," at the link below. After experiencing the horrors of war first-hand, Owen obviously took offense to the flippant recruiting verses that made the military seem like an athletic club. Certainly he had no objection to men signing up to fight for their homeland, but he wanted them to go into it with their eyes wide open. 

Although Jessie Pope and others who wrote jingoistic war poems were the primary audience for this poem, the secondary audience was surely young men who were considering enlisting, or current soldiers or veterans who had been tricked into signing up. Those who had not yet joined could think in a more balanced way about their decision, and those who had already succumbed to the bait-and-switch recruitment propaganda could at least feel that someone was expressing their feelings about having been deceived. 

A tertiary audience Owen must have had in mind would be the public at large who, by reading his realistic poetry, would have a better idea of the great sacrifice their fighting men were making for their fellow citizens.

What are the biggest attractions of the Hunger Games?

To the people of the Capitol and the wealthier districts (Districts 1, 2, and 4), the Hunger Games are basically a sporting event, much like football or soccer. Of course, to us, comparing football to an event in which 24 children fight to the death until only one is left standing is appalling, but it is a normal thing to these people. At the same time, the Games are also like a pageant (at least at the beginning), with incredible fashion displays and interviews. This means that the Games have the same attractions as both of those events.

1. The social aspect of getting together to watch everything with everyone else (like going to a sports bar to watch a game)


2. Enviable fashion during the parade and interviews


3. Getting to know the tributes through their training score and interviews


4. Analyzing the tributes' personalities to try to determine the winner


5. Betting on your choice


6. Seeing the new things the Game Master has the tributes face, such as the locations, the muttations, etc.


7. Participating as a sponsor to help your favorite win


8. Watching the action as the tributes fight


9. Suspense as you wait to see who wins (sort of like getting really excited when a football player is nearing the end zone)


10. Cheering/Lamenting when something happens

The Games are a huge social event in the Capitol, they practically take over the whole city as everyone is consumed by everything that is going on: the parade, the training, the interviews, the Games, the victor. Even when the Games are not happening, the victor (or victors, in the case of Katniss and Peeta) is traveling around the districts, visiting everyone and making speeches and paying tribute to the fallen tributes of each district. The Games are always present, always have something happening, for people to remember and enjoy.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what does Reverend Sykes say about race during the trial of Tom Robinson?

At the beginning of Chapter 21, Jem feels confident about winning the court case and tells Reverend Sykes not to fret because Atticus has won. Jem points to the lack of evidence and conflicting testimonies of the Ewells as to why Tom Robinson will win the case. Reverend Sykes says that he has never witnessed a jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man before. In 1930's Alabama, racial inequality and injustice is common. Reverend Sykes is an intelligent man who is aware of the prejudice against African Americans in his community and is not overly confident like Jem. Jem is a naive child who believes that the result of the trial will reflect justice for Tom Robinson. Based solely on the evidence provided, Tom Robinson should be acquitted. However, the racist Macomb jury members convict Tom of raping Mayella Ewell. Jem is devastated and loses his faith in the community members of Maycomb.

What were impacts of the Social Security Act during the Great Depression? How did it actually help to improve the conditions specifically during...

During the Great Depression America faced severe economic challenges.   Several factors contributed to the depression such as the Stock Market Crash of 1929, over speculation, and bank failures. The ensuing high unemployment, farm foreclosures and the Dust Bowl would only make its relentlessness worse. 

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal Programs sought to solve some of the problems that Americans were facing. The Social Security Act of 1935 was one of the lasting programs of FDRs Administration.  

“An act to provide for the general welfare by establishing a system of Federal old-age benefits, and by enabling the several States to make more adequate provision for aged persons, blind persons, dependent and crippled children, maternal and child welfare, public health, and the administration of their unemployment compensation laws; to establish a Social Security Board; to raise revenue; and for other purposes.”

Roosevelt’s programs could be categorized under Relief, Recovery and Reform. Social Security was a relief program.  The Social Security Act provided relief by addressing the poverty among the elderly and disabled. It also encouraged states to provide matching benefits. 

According the Social Security Administration History records, the first benefit was paid in 1940.  

What is the importance of history in education studies?

I am going to assume that you are asking about why the history of education is important within the discipline of education.  The history of any discipline is important, but when it comes to education, it is even more so because the future of any country lies in its education. When we understand the history of education, it allows us to make better judgements, to succeed where previous philosophies and endeavors have failed and to capitalize on the historical successes, too. In other words, we learn from our failures and our triumphs.

To give just one powerful example, historically the education of children with disabilities, to the degree they were educated at all, was to isolate them, often without the amenities that other children had. I remember that when I was in elementary school, "special ed" classes were held in the basement, next to the boiler room. We knew these children were different and perceived them to be somehow inferior to us. This was how it was, not all that long ago, really. And we have learned from our knowledge of this history what a dreadful mistake this was educationally.

On the other hand, we have John Dewey, who was thinking and writing about education over a hundred years ago. His ideas on hands-on learning are just as fresh and important today as they were when he wrote them.  Trends have come and gone in education, but John Dewey is not simply a historical footnote.  His thoughts are of vital importance today in every classroom.

Looking back, there was a time when schools were racially segregated. It was not until 1955 that the Supreme Court held this to be unconstitutional.  As we review this history, it teaches us how damaging segregated education was, for all children, and we have been working ever since on how to provide for educational integration. 

Another valuable aspect of educational history is the history of its aims. Historically, universal education was intended to mold students into good citizens who could participate intelligently in a democracy. Today, it appears that society's aim is to see to it that people have the requisite skills for employment.  That is not necessarily a bad aim, but revisiting the history of previous goals should give us pause, I think, to consider our present priorities. If everyone has a job but is ill-prepared to vote thoughtfully and intelligently and to participate fully in a democratic society, it is my believe that education has failed and that democracy fails as well.  

History shows us where we have been, and the history of education has important lessons to teach us, about what has been done well and what has been done horribly.  We can use our historical knowledge to go forward as much better educators. 

If a firm in a perfectly competitive market is a price taker, what is the firm in a monopolistic market called?

Let’s start by defining perfect competition and monopoly. A market in perfect competition assumes that all firms are selling identical products, with a relatively small market share, and the firms cannot control the market price of their goods. Additionally, the industry has free entry and exit – meaning a firm can easily enter or leave the market (no high startup costs, etc.). In this circumstance, the price of a firm’s goods is set by market forces. If consumers demand x quantity of Good A, then the price will be at Price A. If consumers demand less of a good, the price will drop to Price B, and if they demand more, the price will rise to Price C. In this situation, firms are “price takers” – the price of their goods is determined by the market.

A monopolistic market, on the other hand, has high barriers to entry (it costs a lot to enter the market, there are high start up costs, etc.) and is dominated by a single firm who produces all the goods – as if Apple were the only producer of phones (no Windows, no Samsung). If the iPhone was the only phone on the market, Apple could charge however much they wanted for it and there would still be a high demand for the product because it was the only phone available. In this instance, the firm is a “price setter” – they set the price for their goods and the market follows.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what is the purpose of the missionary society besides gossip?

Aunt Alexandra and her “religious” missionary circle of friends get together for refreshments, gossip, and to talk about the Mruna tribe they charitably support in Africa.  The group’s purpose is to raise money for J. Grimes Everett who has gone on a mission to spread Christianity in Africa from their church.  This was a common thing for churches to do, and missionaries still go on today, but the irony of this missionary group is that they will help African people a world away, but they will not extend a bit of assistance to the blacks in their own community.  They expect to be waited on by black maids like Calpurnia, call Atticus derogatory names for defending Tom Robinson, and go to a segregated church. They are far from what one might call a “Christian” in their dealings with the black citizens in Maycomb. 

What is the "tragic fact" to which Dr. King alludes?

The quote that you mention here comes from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech.  It comes very close to the beginning.  In King’s own words, the “tragic fact” is that African Americans are not really free even 100 years after the end of slavery.  As King says,

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.

King does not mean that blacks are literally enslaved.  Instead, he means that they are figuratively enslaved by problems that face them.

Of course, King was well aware that slavery did not exist in the United States in 1963.  However, he said, the problems African Americans were so bad that they cumulatively made that race less than free.  King identifies three problems that still exist in the US.  First, he says, African Americans are harmed by racial injustice.  He says that they are

sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.

Second, he says that they are too poor when compared to other Americans.  He says that they live

on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.

Finally, King says that African Americans are not fully accepted as true Americans.  I believe that this is very similar to the first problem that he mentions and that he includes this problem more for rhetorical purposes.  I think that he felt that three problems would sound better than two.  To him, this third problem was that African Americans were “still languishing in the corners of American society” and that they were still “exiles” in their own country.

Together, these problems make up the “tragic fact” that King referred to in his speech.  The “tragic fact” is that African Americans were not free even after slavery had been dead for a century.

Why does Mistress Hibbins appear in two special moments involving Hester and Dimmesdale Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter?

Mistress Hibbins first appears just after Hester learns the magistrates are considering taking Pearl away from her.  Reverend Dimmesdale speaks on her behalf, leading to Hester being allowed to keep Pearl.  As Hester and Pearl leave the governor's house, Mistress Hibbins peeps out a window to invite Hester to come with her to a witches' meeting with "the Black Man" (the devil) in the forest that night.  Hester, with a "triumphant smile," declines the invitation, claiming that if Pearl had been taken from her, she'd be happy to join the witches.  

The next time Mistress Hibbins appears is during the procession, when she makes comments to Hester that indicate her awareness of Hester and Dimmesdale's trip to the forest as well as their original affair.  Her words foreshadow the book's end when she says that the minister has something similar to Hester's scarlet "A," something that he conceals.  Moreover, she says that when the Devil sees someone like this, someone who hides his sinfulness, "he hath a way of ordering matters so that the mark shall be disclosed in open day-light to the eyes of all the world!"  Mistress Hibbins explains she doesn't need proof to know all of this; she can tell by the way Dimmesdale acts.

Both of these instances show just how perceptive Mistress Hibbins is; she seems to intuitively know the contents of another's heart.  The majority of Puritans may be utterly blind to such a possibility, and this is another criticism Hawthorne launches at them.  Mistress Hibbins senses Hester's heart rebels against the community, though she seems to conform and accept her punishment with equanimity.  She later senses Dimmesdale's guilt, despite his attempts to conceal his sin.  It is interesting this supposed witch actually knows more about the human heart than many of the rigid, judgmental Puritans do.

Why is Macbeth a tragic hero ?

Tragic heroes generally share a group of similar characteristics.  They are as follows:

1. The character is of higher status or nobility


2. Although the character is noble and great, the character has to be relatable to an audience


3. The character is at fault for his/her own downfall.  The downfall is usually triggered because of some character flaw.  Most teachers refer to that flaw as the "tragic flaw."  


4. The hero's downfall isn't entirely deserved, but the hero does recognize that his downfall was his fault.  

I believe that Macbeth easily fits three of those four characteristics. 

When the play begins, the audience is told that Macbeth is great in two ways.  First he is a member of the ruling class.  He is a thane, which means that he is most definitely not a lowly servant or common foot soldier.  The audience also learns that Macbeth is indeed a great warrior with extreme amounts of bravery.  

For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name--
Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave;
Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,
And fix'd his head upon our battlements.

I do believe that Macbeth is a relatable character.  I believe that he is relatable, because he is subject to temptation.  The witches prophecy that he will be king some day and that tempts Macbeth greatly.  It would tempt most people.  Even if a person could honestly say that being a king is not tempting, I can guarantee that person has done something dishonest in order to satisfy some kind of temptation.  He's relatable, because he is not perfect.  He's relatable, because he experiences emotions and temptations the way that the rest of the audience does. 

Being not perfect applies to Macbeth's tragic flaw.  His flaw isn't that he can be tempted.  His flaw is that he has unchecked ambition.  For Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, the end justifies the means.  He is willing to commit murder in order to obtain a higher status and more power.  He's ambitious to a fault, because his ambition causes him to abandon his morality.  It's Macbeth's ambition that eventually leads to his downfall.  

As for the remaining tragic hero characteristic, I do not feel that Macbeth fits it.  I believe that Macbeth deserves every bit of his punishment and death.  After killing Duncan, Macbeth had several other men killed in order to further secure his place on the throne.  I believe that Macbeth got what he deserved for his murderous acts.  

In the novel, what kind of examples show bodies, looks, or vanity as a theme?

The opening line of the novel presents the idea of appearance as an important thematic notion.

"The first thing the midwife noticed about Michael K when she helped him out of his mother was that he had a hare lip. The lip curled like a snail's foot, the left nostril gaped."

As an adult, Michael K "did not have women friends" except for his mother, who also begins to suffer bodily. Anna K is afflicted with a swelling of the limbs that eventually worsens. The family is not exactly bonded in suffering, but their bodies function as a means of division and social isolation to some extent. Anna K finally has to stop working because her condition becomes too extreme.

(In the context of Apartheid, one is tempted to suggest a metaphorical meaning behind Coetzee's depictions of the K family. This is a social-political scenario where the Ks, a black family, are unable to fully enjoy the social infrastructure of schools and hospitals that may have helped to make whole a family of a different genetic background. Instead of being made whole, the family is made dependent on the state in various ways and is under-served in times of need.)

The importance of the body as the locus of experience and the frail vehicle of life is, arguably, the more central intention and meaning behind Coetzee's fixations here. When, for Anna K, the "needs of body became a source of torment" we see a strong foreshadowing of Michael K's eventual plight as he starves in the out-lands.

Hunger and physical need shape and inform the narrative. These forces make Michael K the person he is. Reflecting on his childhood, Michael K thinks about hunger and how it turned him and his friends into "animals who stole from one another's plates and climbed into the kitchen enclosure to rifle the garbage cans for bones and peelings." He grows up and learns to stop wanting.

"Whatever the nature of the beast that had howled inside him, it was starved into stillness."

Throughout the narration of his tale, Michael K is presented in his physical state in ways that suggest this level of experience is at least as real for him as any internal reality might be.

Although this notion seems beyond contention, Michael K is not concerned with his physical appearance as much as others are. The gaunt, tall man is focused on satisfying a profoundly physical need, but only on his own terms. He is not worried about looking skeletal. He also refuses to eat in the hospital, preferring to chance death. He needs, at a physical level, it would seem, to plant seeds and watch them grow.

How is the concept of education- formal and informal woven into Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

In her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee seems to hold a particular disdain for formal theories of education and those involved with them. On the other hand, the children of Atticus Finch receive a bountiful informal education from their interaction with their father and neighbors, as well as the townspeople, whom they encounter particularly during the Tom Robinson trial. 

• Formal Education

Formal, or classroom-based, education has many flaws in it, and Harper Lee points to a few:

In the early chapters of her novel, Lee satirizes the theories of John Dewey when Jem explains to his little sister Scout that Miss Caroline is teaching according to the Dewey Decimal System (a system of categorizing books in a library). This consists of Miss Caroline's displaying before the children certain "sight" words. 
Further, Lee pokes fun of the strict adherence Miss Caroline gives to the educational practices she has been taught. For, when she discovers that Scout can already read from the newspaper and the first grade text, My First Reader, she is appalled, rather than impressed as she should be.

Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me any more, it would interfere with my reading. 

Further in the narrative, Lee points to the hypocrisy of such teachers as Miss Gates, who teaches the children about Nazism and its persecution of the Jews, but she herself displays racial hatred when she is overheard coming out of the courthouse saying, "...it's time somebody taught 'em [the African-Americans] a lesson, they're gettin' way above themselves, an' the next thing is they think they can marry us."

Later in the novel, as Atticus makes his closing argument in the Tom Robinson trial in which he argues that every court of justice should operate under the premise that under the law all men are equal, whereas that is not necessarily the case otherwise. He alludes to education as an exception:

The most ridiculous example I can think of is that the people who run public education promote the stupid and idle along with the industrious--because all men are created equal, educators will gravely tell you, the children left behind suffer terrible feelings of inferiority. We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe....

• Informal Education

Informal education, or learning that occurs outside the classroom. provides Scout and Jem a wealth of knowledge and experience:

Certainly, the children learn much from their father and Calpurnia. Scout learns to read from sitting on her father's lap in the evenings as he peruses the Mobile Register and from Calpurnia she learns handwriting. Of course, there are many life-lessons that the children learn from their experiences around Miss Maudie, Mrs. Dubose, Boo Radley, and others. In addition, they receive instruction from Atticus and Miss Maudie both.

For instance, Atticus teaches Scout to put herself in the place of others--"walk around in their skin"--in order to better understand people. He also teaches by example, displaying noble behavior in his encounter with the reprobate Bob Ewell who spits in his face as well as chivalrous behavior before Mrs. Dubose and her venomous insults. At all times he is patient and thoughtful, respecting the rights of others. When the children want to violate the privacy of Boo Radley, Atticus reprimands them. Above all, he teaches his children about Christian charity as he sets an example for them of kindness to the insulting Mrs. Dubose because he understands that she is a morphine addict and dying. He is also fair and considerate to everyone from Mr. Cunningham to the Ewells and poor Tom Robinson and to Helen, his wife, after Tom is killed.
Certainly, Atticus's example to his children imparts to them more valuable lessons than any found in textbooks. 

Other people, too, teach the Finch children. Miss Maudie provides the children much wisdom on human nature as does Mr. Dolphus Raymond. The negative experiences with Miss Stephanie Crawford and Mrs. Dubose impart knowledge to the children, as well, Indeed, their experiences of the kindness of Boo Radley and their friendship with the lonely and sensitive Dill Harris are also lessons that last a lifetime.

What is the importance of the fairy tale mode in Great Expectations?

This story is very similar to a fairy tale because an outside force sweeps in and changes the character’s life.

In some ways, Pip’s story is a Cinderella story. Cinderella was abused and forced to stay out of normal life and society. Pip was also abused and secluded. Cinderella received supernatural intervention in the form of a Fairy Godmother.  Pip also received intervention, although there was nothing supernatural about it. Consider it fate.

Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother transformed her into a princess worthy of marrying her prince. In a way, Magwitch did the same thing with Pip. He was impressed with Pip’s generosity to him when he was an escaped convict. He also wanted to prove that anyone could be a gentleman. Pip was whisked away to London to be trained for high society. Like Cinderella, this involved new clothes. I guess the clothes really do make the man!

Just as Cinderella’s fairy godmother prepared her to meet her prince, Pip’s fairy godfather prepared him for his princess. Pip assumed that he was being groomed to marry Estella. Of course, what really happened is that Estella had no interest in him, and Miss Havisham was not his benefactor.

Even Pip compares his and Estella’s story to a fairy tale.

She had adopted Estella, she had as good as adopted me, and it could not fail to be her intention to bring us together. She reserved it for me to restore the desolate house, admit the sunshine into the dark rooms, set the clocks a going and the cold hearths a blazing, tear down the cobwebs, destroy the vermin—in short, do all the shining deeds of the young Knight of romance, and marry the Princess. (Ch. 29)

In this fairy tale, there is no happy ending. Estella and Pip are unhappy, and will remain unhappy. Neither of them knows how to love in the normal sense. Pip is obsessed with Estella, and Estella is irrevocably broken. Pip was transformed by his fairy godfather, but his princess was not ready to marry him.

The importance of the fairy tale for this story is that Dickens is telling us that you can't transform yourself for the one you love. It is a rather pessimistic love story that Pip and Estella share. The people who are in love in the normal, simple way are much happier. Joe and Biddy, Herbert and Clara, and Wemmick and Miss Skiffins all live happily ever after, but Pip and Estella will be forever mourning the lives they could have had.

In Animal Farm, why doesn't Boxer escape when he finds out he's being taken to the slaughterhouse?

Prior to being sent to the slaughter, Boxer was loyal and perhaps the most devoted member of the farm to the Animalism movement. After the rebellion, he adopts the motto, "I must work harder" and eventually, "Napoleon is always right." He literally sacrifices himself to see the windmill project come to fruition. While working on the windmill tirelessly, Boxer collapses. 

Late one evening in the summer, a sudden rumor ran round the farm that something had happened  to Boxer. He had gone out alone to drag a load of stone down to the windmill. And sure enough, the rumor was true. A few minutes later two pigeons came racing in with the news: ‘Boxer has fallen! He is lying on his side and can’t get up!' (46)

Boxer is hurt but committed to the cause. He tells the others, "It doesn't matter. I think you will be able to finish the windmill without me." Although he is devoted to Napoleon, he is no longer useful to him. In fact Boxer will cost Napoleon more now because Boxer cannot contribute to the farm. Boxer does not know this because of Napoleon's false promises of a retirement for older animals. Boxer is blinded by his loyalty.

Boxer is a loyal animal and trusts Napoleon implicitly. He also cannot read, so when he willingly gets into the truck for the glue factory, he doesn't know what is going on. Benjamin the donkey is the first to realize, crying, 

‘Fools! Fools!’ shouted Benjamin, prancing round them and stamping the earth with his small hoofs. ‘Fools! Do you not see what is written on the side of that van?’

Although the animals warn him, it is too late. Boxer is already loaded into and locked in the truck for the glue factory. His strength is compromised by his failing health. His desperation is apparent by the sound of "tremendous drumming of hoofs inside the van, but he is too weak to break free" (47).

Boxer fought arduously to escape death. His death was a result of his devotion and loyalty to Animalism and Napoleon's cold-hearted and duplicitous nature.