What would be a character sketch of Mr. Gilman from the book "The Story of My Life"?

In the story, Mr. Gilman is a patient, resourceful, and knowledgeable teacher. He is able to use his broad knowledge of history and literature to enrich Helen's study. Together, they read "As You Like It, Burke's "Speech on Conciliation with America," and Macaulay's "Life of Samuel Johnson."

During her first day in school, Mr. Gilman patiently reads aloud every sentence in Helen's German paper to her in order to ensure that she understands...

In the story, Mr. Gilman is a patient, resourceful, and knowledgeable teacher. He is able to use his broad knowledge of history and literature to enrich Helen's study. Together, they read "As You Like It, Burke's "Speech on Conciliation with America," and Macaulay's "Life of Samuel Johnson."

During her first day in school, Mr. Gilman patiently reads aloud every sentence in Helen's German paper to her in order to ensure that she understands everything he is saying. He also painstakingly spells out to her everything she writes so that she can correct her mistakes as necessary. Because of Mr. Gilman's dedication, Helen is later able to complete other examinations without additional assistance and adjustments.

Mr. Gilman is also a compassionate person; he allows Helen's sister, Mildred, to study at the Cambridge School so that the sisters can be together. Helen relates that, as a result of Mr. Gilman's kindness, she and her sister were able to spend six happy months together.

Aside from Mr. Gilman's many positive traits, he can be extremely uncompromising and protective when it comes to Helen. At the beginning of the school year, he and Helen agree that, if necessary, Helen should spend five years to prepare for college. However, after the success of Helen's first year, Helen's teachers (Miss Sullivan, Miss Harbaugh, and another teacher) decide that she can be ready for college in two more years (essentially taking three years to prepare for college instead of five).

Despite the teachers' recommendations, however, Mr. Gilman insists that Helen will need three extra years of study (after her first year). So, in all (according to Mr. Gilman's calculations), Helen will need four years to be ready for college. He insists that Helen will be too overworked if she decides to abide by her teachers' schedule. Because of this difference of opinion between her principal teachers and Mr. Gilman, Helen's mother withdraws Helen and Mildred from the Cambridge School.

It can be seen from the above that Mr. Gilman is patient, resourceful, and compassionate. He also deeply cares for Helen and doesn't want her to undergo undue suffering in her bid to prepare for college.

What is the relationship between the Industrial Revolution and the novel, Bleak House?

The relationship between Bleak House and the Industrial Revolution is best summed up through one of the novel's settings, Tom-All-Alone's. Through his creation of this slum, Dickens demonstrates his great concern for the plight of the industrial working classes who lived in squalor and misery as a result of the social and economic changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution. We, perhaps, see this most clearly in his description of this slum:

It is a...

The relationship between Bleak House and the Industrial Revolution is best summed up through one of the novel's settings, Tom-All-Alone's. Through his creation of this slum, Dickens demonstrates his great concern for the plight of the industrial working classes who lived in squalor and misery as a result of the social and economic changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution. We, perhaps, see this most clearly in his description of this slum:

It is a black, dilapidated street, avoided by all decent people...Now, these tumbling tenements contain, by night, a swarm of misery. As, on the ruined human wretch, vermin parasites appear.

This quote evokes a strong image of decay in the reader's mind and satirises the contemporary view that the Industrial Revolution improved the lives of England's population. This idea is further reinforced when we contrast Tom-All-Alone's with some of the novel's other settings. The luxury and splendour of Chesney Wold, for example, and Bleak House, the warm and inviting home of John Jarndyce. 

Dickens is, therefore, making a strong social statement about the Industrial Revolution through his descriptions of Tom-All-Alone's; namely, that people cannot ignore the plight of the industrial poor while the rest of society concerns itself with the creation and preservation of wealth and status. 

In what way was Helen's dream world shattered when she joined the Radcliffe College?

After working so hard to earn admission to Radcliffe, Keller's actual experience of being at college was a bit of a let down. In Chapter 20 of The Story of My Life, Keller tells the story of the tremendous amounts of work she had to do to keep up in her classes, which were demanding even for sighted and hearing persons. She writes:

Gradually I began to find that there were disadvantages in going to...

After working so hard to earn admission to Radcliffe, Keller's actual experience of being at college was a bit of a let down. In Chapter 20 of The Story of My Life, Keller tells the story of the tremendous amounts of work she had to do to keep up in her classes, which were demanding even for sighted and hearing persons. She writes:

Gradually I began to find that there were disadvantages in going to college. The one I felt and still feel most is lack of time. I used to have time to think, to reflect, my mind and I....But in college there is no time to commune with one's thoughts. One goes to college to learn, it seems, not to think.

While she praises some of her professors, in particular her Shakespeare teacher, George Kittredge, Keller often longs to "sweep away half the things I am expected to learn; for the overtaxed mind cannot enjoy the treasure it has secured at the greatest cost." Exams were a special challenge; no matter how hard she worked, she never felt prepared. 

Although college was not the "universal Athens" she hoped it would be, Keller does say that the chief lesson she learned at Radcliffe was patience: “which teaches us that we should take our education as we would take a walk in the country, leisurely, our minds hospitably open to impressions of every sort....to have knowledge—broad, deep knowledge—is to know true ends from false, and lofty things from low.” 

What are some examples of topic sentences about swine flu?

Swine flu is a very large topic, which is both good and bad when writing a research paper. It's good because it's broad, and you can take a lot of different angles with it. It's bad for the same reason: it can be difficult to narrow the topic down to a manageable amount. 

The purpose of a topic sentence is to introduce and summarize the focus of a paragraph in an essay. This is how a topic sentence differs from a thesis statement, though they, in essence, do the same job. A thesis statement gives an (often arguable) overview of your topic and sets up the essay for the reader, whereas a topic sentence is limited to the paragraph it begins. 

Since you specified a research paper, which is informational (rather than persuasive), I'll assume that you are planning to write about swine flu itself, rather than, for example, taking a social or political angle. To begin to think about what your topic sentences might be, start by writing down what you already know about the topic and see if that sparks some ideas about the main ideas of your paragraphs. For example, one thing you might know about swine flu is that it's transmittable through human contact or through indirect contact like touching a contaminated surface. You may decide that one of your topic sentences should be related to transmission. 

You can also write down questions you have about the topic. Just because you don't know the answer doesn't mean you can't use it; it's a research paper, after all, and it's likely you'll discover the answers as you go along. You may wonder how swine flu differs from the regular flu. A topic sentence could be to compare (or contrast) swine flu and the regular flu. 

Don't get overly concerned about the complexity of your topic sentences, especially since you're still in the beginning stages of your writing process. It's enough to write, for example, "Swine flu is very similar to the regular flu, with only minor differences." You may discover through your research that they are more different than you originally thought, and that's okay! Writing is an ongoing, back-and-forth process. 

For the six sentences you need for your assignment, think about elements like symptoms, diagnosis, history (where the illness originated), medications, etc. There are lots of aspects you can address. Remember, too, that you don't need to address everything there is to know about swine flu. It's better for you to limit your scope and talk about fewer things more in depth than to try to take on too much and give only surface information about lots of elements. 

Identify and explain the different forms of hyperbole in Macbeth, Act 4, scene 1.

Hyperbole is intended exaggeration or over-emphasis, usually to make a point or to signify the importance of something. It is not meant to be understood literally.  A good example would be,"I told you a thousand times to do your homework," when the speaker has only mentioned it a few times. The speaker either wants to stress the fact that the issue had been brought up many times or to convey how important doing homework is.

In this scene, Macbeth returns to the witches so that they can further predict his future. He uses hyperbole to indicate how determined he is to hear their prognostications.

I conjure you, by that which you profess,
Howe'er you come to know it, answer me:

...Even till destruction sicken; answer me
To what I ask you.

He insists that he does not care about the consequences or circumstances, no matter how desperate they may be, the witches have to answer him and inform him about what and how they know about his destiny. The witches comply and call up several apparitions which each either predict or warn Macbeth. The first apparition cries out that he should be wary of Macduff. The second apparition states:

Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn
The power of man, for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth.

The apparition encourages him to be just as ruthless, determined and courageous as he had been thus far for nothing which is given birth to by a woman will harm Macbeth. Macbeth is obviously thrilled by this advice, for he believes that it guarantees his invincibility. What he does not realize though, is that the witches are masters of paradox and equivocation and do not always mean what they say, either directly or indirectly.

This prediction exaggerates Macbeth's power and the expression 'none of woman born' should not be interpreted literally. He discovers the folly of his belief later in Act 5, scene 8, when he faces the angry and vengeful Macduff in battle and tells him that he does not wish to engage him in a fight for he is 'charmed.'

I bear a charmed life, which must not yield,
To one of woman born.

Macduff rejects his assertion with contempt and tells the gullible tyrant:

Despair thy charm;
And let the angel whom thou still hast served
Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother's womb
Untimely ripp'd.

Macbeth is shocked at this, for it means that Macduff was not naturally born but had been cut out of his mother's womb prematurely. The tyrant then concludes that he had been misled.

The third apparition informs Macbeth:

Be lion-mettled, proud; and take no care
Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are:
Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until
Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill
Shall come against him.

The statement here is just as hyperbolic as the previous one and Macbeth, once again, interprets the apparition's words literally. He believes that this confirms his invincibility since it is impossible for Great Birnam wood to march up the hill towards his castle. He finds out later, though, that that is exactly what happens since Malcolm had instructed his troops to each cut a bough from trees in Birnam wood and hold it in front of them to camouflage their numbers. It does then seem as if the wood is marching up the hill. When Macbeth is informed of this fact in Act 5, scene 5, he is quite angry. A messenger tells him:

As I did stand my watch upon the hill,
I look'd toward Birnam, and anon, methought,
The wood began to move.

He realizes that the witches had tricked him and he states:

...I pull in resolution, and begin
To doubt the equivocation of the fiend
That lies like truth: 'Fear not, till Birnam wood
Do come to Dunsinane:... 

In the end, Macbeth is a victim of his own gullible foolishness. Macduff kills him in battle and beheads the tyrant, thus concluding a period of bloodthirsty and tyrannical rule. 

In Julius Caesar, what is Brutus's hamartia?

Brutus’s tragic flaw is his need to be noble. 

Hamartia is a tragic flaw.  It is the cause of a hero’s downfall.  Tragic flaws can come in many varieties, but Brutus’s tragic flaw is his need for nobility.  It makes him naïve and vulnerable. 

We first see Brutus demonstrating his tragic flaw in the speech he makes before the conspirators gather at his house.  It is an important meeting.  He will meet them all together for the first time, and there they will plot.  Before the meeting, he gives a soliloquy in which he explains that he has nothing personally against Caesar, but Caesar has to die.  For Brutus, everything has to be for the good of Rome.  He is concerned about appearances, and it is this desire to do good and the concern for what others think that will destroy those conspiring against Caesar. 

During the meeting, Brutus is adamant about not killing anyone other than Caesar.  He also speaks beautifully and philosophically about what they are about to do, as if they are not really just planning to kill a man.  Brutus gets so wrapped up in his own earnest visions of how people will perceive them and their motives that he loses track of the bigger picture.  Thus, he spews nonsense like this: 

Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers

… But, alas,

Caesar must bleed for it! And, gentle friends,
Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;
Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods

Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds (Act II, Scene i) 

Brutus seems to think there is a noble way to kill Caesar.  He believes the ends justify the means, and that no matter what happens everything will be fine because he is the one in charge.  Brutus honestly thinks the people of Rome will welcome him with open arms as their liberator. 

Practicality has no place in Brutus’s world.  He is blocked by his tragic flaw.  When Cassius tries to talk him out of letting Mark Antony speak at Caesar’s funeral, he refuses, again for noble reasons.

You shall not in your funeral speech blame us,
But speak all good you can devise of Caesar,
And say you do't by our permission;
Else shall you not have any hand at all
About his funeral: and you shall speak
In the same pulpit whereto I am going,
After my speech is ended. (Act III, Scene i)

Of course Mark Antony would agree to that.  Why wouldn’t he?  There is no benefit to Brutus speaking first, and saying that he spoke with Brutus’s permission will just play into Antony’s hands.  He intends to portray Brutus and the others as murderers and oath-breakers.  In fact, he turns Brutus’s tragic flaw against him, referring to him and the others ironically or sarcastically throughout the speech as “honorable men.”

A character’s tragic flaw is usually what dooms him.  Brutus doomed himself and all of the conspirators.  He ended up committing suicide, because it was the only honorable way left to him after he botched everything so badly.  Brutus made every decision based on what he thought was honorable, but in the end his only choice was to die an honorable death by his own hand.

What is the theme in Act III, Scenes 4-5 of Romeo and Juliet?

The major themes of Act III, Scenes 4 and 5 are love and how the social world interferes with the love of Romeo and Juliet. 

In Scene 4, Lord Capulet attempts to show his love for his daughter by promising her to Count Paris, who has been interested in Juliet from the beginning of the play. Capulet believes it will be good for the family to hold a wedding after the sudden death of Tybalt,...

The major themes of Act III, Scenes 4 and 5 are love and how the social world interferes with the love of Romeo and Juliet. 

In Scene 4, Lord Capulet attempts to show his love for his daughter by promising her to Count Paris, who has been interested in Juliet from the beginning of the play. Capulet believes it will be good for the family to hold a wedding after the sudden death of Tybalt, Juliet's cousin. He is quite excited about the prospect of a marriage and is certain Juliet "will be ruled." Of course, Capulet knows nothing about Romeo and is quite unaware that Romeo is in Juliet's bedroom this very night for the couple's honeymoon. The lovers are unaware that once again, as in Act III, Scene 1, the social world of Verona will interfere with their love.

Scene 5 opens with Romeo and Juliet alone in the girl's bedroom. Juliet doesn't want Romeo to leave so she says it is the nightingale, the symbol for the night, singing outside her bedroom. It is actually the lark, symbol of the day, as Romeo concludes. The scene ends with the two pledging their love and Romeo guaranteeing he will write to her as often as possible. He says,

Farewell.
I will omit no opportunity
That may convey my greetings, love, to thee.

In the remaining parts of this scene Juliet's obligations to society are magnified as her father and mother come to her with their decree that she marry Paris. Capulet goes into this scene certain Juliet will be overjoyed about his news. What he finds, however, is a defiant daughter. She asks him to postpone the wedding but he refuses and threatens to disown her if she doesn't go through with it. Neither her mother nor the Nurse offer any sympathy. The Nurse even suggests that Juliet forget Romeo and marry Paris. Juliet is distraught and the interference of society leads directly to her suicide as she seeks advice from the Friar who devises the unsuccessful plan for her to fake her death.

What role does fate play in Macbeth?

This is actually a question that has been much debated. Do the Weird Sisters actually have knowledge of the future because there is such a thing as fate?  Or, are they simply telling Macbeth something that might ignite his ambition because they want to see what he's capable of doing to make it happen? Unfortunately, it is never completely clear.

Many argue that fate is not involved in Macbeth's tragedy, that it is the result of his own free will and poor decisions.  Therefore, when the Weird Sisters tell Macbeth that he will be Thane of Cawdor, this actually isn't a prophecy because it has already happened.  Macbeth just doesn't know that Duncan has given him this new title, and so it seems to him that the sisters can tell the future.  Then, since they've also told him that he will be king, he assumes it is true because their first statement came true.  However, it could be that Banquo is right when he says,

"oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray 's / In deepest consequence" (1.3.135-138). 

What he means is that the sisters might have told Macbeth one small truth in order to convince him to believe an even bigger claim, a claim that will result in his ultimate betrayal.  We know, too, that the Weird Sisters are vindictive and malicious and seem to get a great deal of enjoyment from messing with people (think of the poor man whose wife wouldn't share her chestnuts).  Perhaps they simply tell Macbeth that he'll be king in order to manipulate him into corrupting himself, a process which they can watch and by which they can be entertained. These are all reasons to think that fate does not play a role.

On the other hand, it is clear that the Weird Sisters are supernatural.  They can vanish, first of all; secondly, they are in league with Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, who can legitimately do some seriously freaky stuff (consider the apparitions she conjures).  They know that Banquo's descendants will be kings, and Banquo clearly doesn't do anything to make that happen. (James I of England, a descendant of Banquo's, is actually on the throne when Macbeth is first produced.) So, they appear to have some knowledge of the future, unless they are just guessing right (and that seems unlikely).  Also, the apparitions that Hecate produces do say true things about the future as well.  If the witches truly have knowledge of the future, then fate must rule, and the "decisions" that Macbeth makes are only those that fate allows him to make.  In this case, he is almost exonerated from blame, though, because if this is fate and he cannot help but do what fate commands, then it is difficult for us to hold him responsible for all the terrible things he does.  And it doesn't seem like we're supposed to let him off the hook (especially considering that he gets worse and worse as the play progresses).  So, that puts us back at square one: perhaps there is no fate, only free will.

So, what is the role of fate in Macbeth?  There is, frankly, evidence to support the claim that fate rules Macbeth, just as there is evidence to support the claim that the characters have free will. 

`int_(pi/6)^(pi/2) cot^2(x) dx` Evaluate the integral

`int_(pi/6)^(pi/2)cot^2(x)dx`

Let's first evaluate the indefinite integral,

Use the identity:`cot^2(x)=csc^2(x)-1`

`intcot^2(x)dx=int(csc^2(x)-1)dx`

`=intcsc^2(x)dx-int1dx`

use the common integral: `intcsc^2(x)dx=-cot(x)`

`=-cot(x)-x`

`:.int_(pi/6)^(pi/2)cot^2(x)dx=[-cot(x)-x]_(pi/6)^(pi/2)`

`=[-cot(pi/2)-pi/2]-[-cot(pi/6)-pi/6]`

`=[-pi/2]-[-sqrt(3)-pi/6]`

`=-pi/2+sqrt(3)+pi/6`

`=sqrt(3)-pi/3`

`int_(pi/6)^(pi/2)cot^2(x)dx`

Let's first evaluate the indefinite integral,

Use the identity:`cot^2(x)=csc^2(x)-1`

`intcot^2(x)dx=int(csc^2(x)-1)dx`

`=intcsc^2(x)dx-int1dx`

use the common integral: `intcsc^2(x)dx=-cot(x)`

`=-cot(x)-x`

`:.int_(pi/6)^(pi/2)cot^2(x)dx=[-cot(x)-x]_(pi/6)^(pi/2)`

`=[-cot(pi/2)-pi/2]-[-cot(pi/6)-pi/6]`

`=[-pi/2]-[-sqrt(3)-pi/6]`

`=-pi/2+sqrt(3)+pi/6`

`=sqrt(3)-pi/3`

Can anyone tell me the summary of hunger games and think of a gift for the main character? (Summary around 80-100 words)

A little over 100 words, but I did my best! Be sure to change the language to your own if turning in for an assignment :)

• In a future world, Katniss and a boy named Peeta are chosen to fight to the death with 24 other kids in The Hunger Games. 


• After a reality-TV-style fashion and training session, they are released into the Arena. 


• Katniss is a survivor and does well, teaming up with a little girl named Rue after an attack by the brutal Career tributes. 


• After Rue's death and an announcement that two victors can win if they're in the same district, Katniss teams up with Peeta.


• They work together and kill the last Career.


• An announcer says that there can be only one victor after all, but Katniss pretends they will kill themselves and the Capital declares them both winners. 


• Katniss returns home, but her defiance to the Capital makes her a threat...

As for a gift for Katniss... since she is used to surviving only on what she needs, it would have to be practical. Perhaps a fancy bow and arrows, like the ones she gets in the third book? Maybe a memento of her sister, like Peeta gives her in book two? Certainly some therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder would be very useful. A hunter's kit, with a cool tool belt and tools on it to kill and skin animals would be useful too.

What is the role of alcoholism in Farewell, My Lovely?

Raymond Chandler, who was a notoriously heavy drinker, used liquor for various purposes in his novels, perhaps nowhere as much as in Farewell, My Lovely. When Marlowe goes to see Jessie Florian at her run-down home in Central Los Angeles, he brings along a pint bottle of bonded bourbon. She is obviously an alcoholic but can't always afford to buy a bottle. When Marlowe produces the best-quality bourbon:

The woman's eyes became fixed in an incredulous stare.

"You ain't no copper," she said softly. "No copper ever bought a drink of that stuff. What's the gag, mister?"

Marlowe lets her drink most of the pint bottle while he is trying to pump her for information. At one point she sets her empty whiskey glass on top of the card he gave her. Later Marlowe will find his card with the whiskey stain on the body of Lin Marriott, and it will lead the detective to deduce that Jessie Florian was getting paid off to keep silent about the identity of Helen Grayle, the former Velma Valento whom Moose Malloy is trying to find--and who is very comfortably married to a wealthy old man and definitely doesn't want to be found by Moose or anybody else..

Later Marlowe meets Helen Grayle at her mansion and they end up getting drunk together. She seems like a soul mate in at least one respect. She likes liquor as much as he does. She wants to have an affair with Marlowe, but their date doesn't come off until near the end of the novel, where he has set a trap to expose her as Velma to Moose Malloy.

In Chapter 25, Marlowe wakes up in a locked room in a sanitarium which appears to specialize in treating alcoholics. He was slugged over the head by two Bay City cops who checked him into the sanitarium, apparently as a warning to stay away from Bay City and to stop associating with Mrs. Grayle. The treatment for alcoholics appears to be to give them liquor laced with something that will make them retch.

I took a long untidy drink. I put the bottle down again, with infinite care. I tried to lick underneath my chin.

The whiskey had a funny taste. While I was realizing that it had a funny taste I saw a washbowl jammed into the corner of the wall. I made it. I just made it. Dizzy Dean never threw anything harder.

Farewell, My Lovely is Chandler's best novel, but it helped to give him the reputation of being a writer whose plots were nearly impossible to follow. Marlowe never explains how he got involved in the case in the first place. There is no fee involved, except for $100 he collects from Lin Marriott. In the end, Marlowe is still drinking as heavily as Anne Riordan will allow as he discusses the complex case at her Bay City home.

I finished my drink and got the thirsty look on my face again. She ignored it.

Chandler had such a drinking problem that he was probably writing from personal experience when he described the sanitarium where Marlowe was being kept a prisoner until he broke out. His hero Marlowe has the same bad habit. In Chandler's best-known novel, The Big Sleep, Marlowe buys a pint of whiskey to keep him company while he is keeping an eye on Arthur Gwynn Geiger's pornographic book store.

I struggled into a trench coat and made a dash for the nearest drugstore and bought myself a pint of whiskey. Back in the car I used enough of it to keep warm and interested.

Philip Marlowe seems to have played the role-model for many fictional private eyes who came after him. It was expected of a man in that profession to live on whiskey and cigarettes. Some of the characters he encounters in his adventures in The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely, The High Window, The Lady in the Lake, and The Long Goodbye have even worse habits. 

How does Edgar Allan Poe's "The Black Cat" reveal an unreliable narrator?

In "The Black Cat," Poe's first-person narrator reveals his unreliability throughout the tale. 

First, he calls what he has done--cut out the eye of one cat, hang that cat, try to kill a second cat, and axe-murder his wife--"a series of mere household events." Anyone who would think these were "mere household events" is probably not living in the same reality as the rest of us, and cannot be assumed to be a reliable narrator....

In "The Black Cat," Poe's first-person narrator reveals his unreliability throughout the tale. 

First, he calls what he has done--cut out the eye of one cat, hang that cat, try to kill a second cat, and axe-murder his wife--"a series of mere household events." Anyone who would think these were "mere household events" is probably not living in the same reality as the rest of us, and cannot be assumed to be a reliable narrator. He also says these "are nothing more than an ordinary succession of very natural causes and effects." "Ordinary" and "natural" are the last words most people would use to describe what happens in this story. That the narrator would use these terms should cause us to question his state of mind. 

He would have us believe he was a kind, compassionate person who has had some momentary lapses. He later blames his alcoholism ("he blushes to confess" that he drinks) for his cruelties, but provides no good excuse for cutting out the eye of a cat--that is a horrible, unspeakable thing to do no matter how much the narrator tries to normalize it by blaming it on drinking.

Moving on, he says he hangs the cat out of an impulse all of us have had to do a "vile or a silly action" just because it is forbidden. Again, he is trying to rationalize or normalize a sadistic act. Yes, many of us do "silly" things for no good reason, but that doesn't include torturing and killing an animal.  

Finally he blames the second cat for his wife's murder, calling it "the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder," and ending with characterizing the cat--and not himself--as the "monster."

His very odd view that his behaviors are mere "household" acts, along with his inability to take responsibility for murdering his wife, call everything he says into question. Was he really so good to his animals as a child? Did he really only "accidentally" hit his wife with the axe? Is it really the cat's fault his wife is dead?

What is the value of a provision for non-formal education?

While modern civilization provides opportunities for education, a “formal education” (that is, a timely and organized program, under pre-written standards and supervision by professional educators, leading to diplomas, degrees, and the like) is not the only way to learn. During childhood, for example, many students are “home-schooled” or are educated by experience (travel, apprenticeships, and the like). There are also several college-level alternatives (in large part because of rising tuition costs): internships, work training experiences,...

While modern civilization provides opportunities for education, a “formal education” (that is, a timely and organized program, under pre-written standards and supervision by professional educators, leading to diplomas, degrees, and the like) is not the only way to learn. During childhood, for example, many students are “home-schooled” or are educated by experience (travel, apprenticeships, and the like). There are also several college-level alternatives (in large part because of rising tuition costs): internships, work training experiences, government programs like the Peace Corps, and other learning opportunities for adults. One recent social trend is called IFNIS (Institute For Non-Institutional Studies) which exchanges topic learning in a major concentration with learning processes (taxonomies, logic patterns, epistemologies, etc.).

The real key to accepting and growing these alternatives is acceptance by the Human Resources departments of the Free Enterprise System. When “I can think, although I don’t have a degree from Harvard or the state university, but I have the educational equivalent and am willing to take any test to prove it” is taken as an eligible application statement, progress will have been made.

Why can't we correctly say that all arthropod vectors are reservoirs?

A reservoir for a pathogenic organism (one that causes disease) is typically defined as an organism that serves as a long term host of a pathogen. Most often, the reservoir participates in an essential portion of the disease cycle of the pathogen and/or the pathogen requires the reservoir to survive and reproduce. Reservoirs do not get the disease associated with the pathogen or the infection is subclinical and signs and symptoms associated with the disease...

A reservoir for a pathogenic organism (one that causes disease) is typically defined as an organism that serves as a long term host of a pathogen. Most often, the reservoir participates in an essential portion of the disease cycle of the pathogen and/or the pathogen requires the reservoir to survive and reproduce. Reservoirs do not get the disease associated with the pathogen or the infection is subclinical and signs and symptoms associated with the disease are not detected.

A vector is essentially only a transmission vehicle for the pathogen. A vector, such as a mosquito, obtains the pathogen from one organism--an infected host or a reservoir--and transmits it to a new host. The pathogen typically does not spend a substantial amount of its life in a vector (in contrast to its relationship with its reservoir). A vector would only be considered also as a reservoir if the pathogen required the vector for survival and multiplied within it before being transmitted to a new host.

Another way to look at the difference would be to consider if the organism (arthropod in this case) could serve as the source of an outbreak. A reservoir acts as breeding grounds for the pathogen (even if the reservoir does not get the disease itself) and could be considered a possible source of an outbreak. Because pathogens spend only a short time within vectors as they are transmitted from host to host, a vector would not be considered as a possible source for an outbreak of a disease associated with a particular pathogen.

How are imperialized people viewed by the writer in the "White Man's Burden?"

In his poem, "The White Man's Burden," from 1899, Kipling makes a number of generalizations about imperialized people.

First of all, Kipling portrays imperialized people as having certain negative characteristics. In line seven, for example, they are described as being "sullen" and, in line 12, as prideful. These character attributes contrast with the imperialists who are uniformly praised for sending their sons to "exile" and for waiting "in heavy harness."

Secondly, Kipling portrays the imperialized...

In his poem, "The White Man's Burden," from 1899, Kipling makes a number of generalizations about imperialized people.

First of all, Kipling portrays imperialized people as having certain negative characteristics. In line seven, for example, they are described as being "sullen" and, in line 12, as prideful. These character attributes contrast with the imperialists who are uniformly praised for sending their sons to "exile" and for waiting "in heavy harness."

Secondly, Kipling portrays the imperialized people as being inferior. This is best supported by line eight: "half devil and half child." In this line, Kipling not only highlights the inferiority of local, native religions (compared to Christianity, the religion of the imperialists), but also a physical inferiority. He is suggesting that imperialized people are not as well formed (in the biological and physical sense) as those from imperial countries. 

Finally, Kipling portrays imperialized people as being incapable of supporting themselves economically. We see this in lines 15 and 16: "To seek another's profit/to work another's gain." In this understanding, Kipling suggests that native people have not fully utilised or capitalised upon their own skills and native resources. They, therefore, need the imperialists to set the appropriate example and lead them to productivity and profit. 

What are some big moments for Jem that define him as either brave or a child with the loss of innocence in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

All throughout Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem learns what bravery is. Through his experience with Mrs. Dubose, he learns his most valuable lesson about what bravery truly is. Yet, Jem does not display his bravery in any profound way until the end of the book when he tries to defend himself and his sister against Bob Ewell's attack.In Chapter 11, through his experience with Mrs. Dubose and growing...

All throughout Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem learns what bravery is. Through his experience with Mrs. Dubose, he learns his most valuable lesson about what bravery truly is. Yet, Jem does not display his bravery in any profound way until the end of the book when he tries to defend himself and his sister against Bob Ewell's attack.

In Chapter 11, through his experience with Mrs. Dubose and growing to understand her better, Jem learned that being brave is pursuing what you feel is right despite the chances of failure. Atticus explains to Jem what Atticus believes to be the true definition of bravery in the following speech:

[Courage is] when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. (Ch. 11)

In Chapter 28, Jem does what he can to try and get himself and his sister safely home, despite chances of success looking bleak.

At the moment of attack, since Jem is a quick thinker, he is able to speedily identify the warning signs of danger. He is also quick to think of a way to verify warning signs such as by asking Scout to be quiet at intervals, which allows him to hear for certain the sounds of someone following them. After assessing the danger, he knows he must act bravely and keep his head in order try and keep himself and his sister safe. He suggests she change out of her costume since the white paint resembling fat streaks in a ham can be seen in the dark. When she says she is unable to change, he tells her to just keep very quiet. He also thinks they are almost out of danger since they are nearly to the tree in front of the Radleys' place from which they can see the street light. When Jem recognizes that they are now being charged by their pursuer, Jem responds to the danger in multiple ways to try and keep them safe. First, Jem screams for Scout to run.  After escaping their attacker the first time, Jem next tries to pull Scout along towards home, but they are attacked a second time. During the second attack, Jem's arm is broken, and he goes unconscious, showing us that he has ultimately failed in succeeding to accomplish the task of reaching safety he had set out to do. Regardless of his failure, his ability to keep his head in a time of turmoil and to attempt to act upon his desire to get safely home shows that Jem was able to act bravely in this moment since it shows he was able to begin a task he knew was right despite minimal chances of success.

What happens during Holling's reenactment of Julius Caesar's death scene?

The Wednesday Wars has a lot of great moments in it.  But the sequence in question is one of my favorites, because Mrs. Baker is put in an incredibly tight spot, which of course she handles flawlessly.  

The month is March, and Holling has been assigned to read Julius Caesar.  He likes the play a lot, because it has a lot of violence and action.  No "mushy" love stuff like Romeo and Juliet.During...

The Wednesday Wars has a lot of great moments in it.  But the sequence in question is one of my favorites, because Mrs. Baker is put in an incredibly tight spot, which of course she handles flawlessly.  

The month is March, and Holling has been assigned to read Julius Caesar.  He likes the play a lot, because it has a lot of violence and action.  No "mushy" love stuff like Romeo and Juliet. During class one day, Holling decided to act out Caesar's death to Danny, sound effects included.  Mrs. Baker was on edge, because she knew that she would be observed sometime that week by the school board, so she wasn't happy with Holling showing everybody how violent Shakespeare was.  

"I have not taught you the plays of William Shakespeare for the last five months for you to demean them by acting as though they were all about people stabbing each other."  

Mrs. Baker then takes away his Shakespeare book.  It is at that moment when Mr. Bradbrook from the school board walks into the room.  He immediately asks what book Mrs. Baker is giving to Holling.  Mr. Bradbrook is surprised that a 7th grader would be reading Shakespeare, and he challenges Holling to memorize some lines.  Holling then astonishes Mr. Bradbrook by reciting, from memory, Antony's closing remarks about Brutus from Julius Caesar.  

An hour or two later, during Mrs. Baker's observation, she let Holling and some of the students officially act out the stabbing scene.  Right when Holling yelled out "Then fall, Caesar!" an asbestos tile fell down from the ceiling.  Sycorax and Caliban fell down with the ceiling and landed right in Mrs. Sidman's lap.  Everybody panicked except Mrs. Sidman.  She grabbed the rats by the back of the neck and walked them to a cage in the basement. 

Does Hamlet see Claudius as a fatherly figure and is this one reason that he delays killing him until after his mother passes?

No, Hamlet definitely does not see Claudius as a father figure, and he doesn't mean to delay his revenge for so long.  Although Gertrude wants Hamlet to think of Claudius as a father, he does not.  When Hamlet kills Polonius behind the arras -- thinking and hoping it was actually Claudius -- Gertrude says that it was a rash and terrible act.  Hamlet replies, "Almost as bad, good mother, / As kill a king and...

No, Hamlet definitely does not see Claudius as a father figure, and he doesn't mean to delay his revenge for so long.  Although Gertrude wants Hamlet to think of Claudius as a father, he does not.  When Hamlet kills Polonius behind the arras -- thinking and hoping it was actually Claudius -- Gertrude says that it was a rash and terrible act.  Hamlet replies, "Almost as bad, good mother, / As kill a king and marry with his brother" (3.4.29-30).  Such a line helps to show both how much he blames her for marrying his uncle as well as his suspicion of her and Claudius in the murder of his father.  He shows her two pictures, one of her dead husband and one of her new husband, and he contrasts them, calling one a god and the other a monster, respectively.  Hamlet makes her see that Claudius is nothing compared to Old King Hamlet, and she cries. 

Hamlet actually had the chance to kill Claudius in the scene prior when the king was alone and praying, but he decided against it.  Hamlet says, "Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying. / And now I’ll do ’t. And so he goes to heaven. / And so am I revenged" (3.3.74-76).  In other words, Hamlet almost kills him then, even drawing his sword, until he realizes that if he kills Claudius now, he would go right to heaven because he is praying.  Claudius didn't give Macbeth's father the chance to cleanse his soul before he died, and now he's trapped in Purgatory. Hamlet thus decides not to kill him now because it would not be true revenge: being sent to heaven is not payment enough for what Claudius did. 

He doesn't delay killing Claudius because he loves him; he delays killing Claudius because he first wants to make sure that Claudius is, in fact, guilty of his father's murder, and then because it isn't the right time.

In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, is the "Wife of Bath's Tale" consistent with her personality?

Geoffrey Chaucer's medieval poem The Canterbury Tales tells the story of a group of pilgrims on their way to the shrine of the martyr Thomas Becket. On their way to the shrine the pilgrims pass the time by telling each other tales. These tales not only entertain, but also reflect on the character's own personalities.

The Wife of Bath is a remarkable character. We don't expect to see such a boldly outspoken female character in Middle Ages' literature, but the Wife has been married five times and she knows more than a thing or two about how to handle a man and get what she wants out of a relationship. In the lengthy prologue to her tale she bluntly discusses how she manipulates men to get her way, and how she insists on having the power in her relationships:

I'll have a husband—I'm not quitting yet--

And he will be my debtor and my slave,

And in the flesh his troubles will be grave

As long as I continue as his wife.

Her favorite husband, the fifth, put up quite a struggle for power, and the couple actually came to blows at one point, but eventually the Wife won out:

But in the end, for all we suffered through,

We finally reached accord between us two.

The bridle he put wholly in my hand

To have complete control of house and land

The Wife of Bath's tale is concerned with the same topic. In this tale a knight rapes a girl and is sentenced to die unless he can, within one year, find out what it is that women want the most. He searches the land but is unable to find out, until he meets an old hag who tells him that what women desire most is power over men. As a reward for her information, the knight must marry the old hag. They fight for control of the relationship, but the knight finally acquiesces:

The knight gave it some thought, then gave a sigh,

And finally answered as you are to hear:

"My lady and my love and wife so dear,

I leave to your wise governance the measure;

You choose which one would give the fullest pleasure

And honor to you, and to me as well.

I don't care which you do, you best can tell.

What you desire is good enough for me."

"You've given me," she said, "the mastery?

The choice is mine and all's at my behest?"

"Yes, surely, wife," said he, "I think it best."

Like the Wife, the old woman gains what she wants the most and wins control of the man. In this way, the woman in the tale reflects the personality of the Wife—they both want power and know how to gain it.

Is it possible to die of feeling overjoyed by someone's death?

I would imagine that, if one has an underlying condition such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or the like, it is possible to "die of" any extreme emotion that would aggravate such a condition.  If joy can excite one enough to raise one's blood pressure or increase one's heart rate, then I would think that it is possible to die as a result of that emotion, but we might more likely attribute it to...

I would imagine that, if one has an underlying condition such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or the like, it is possible to "die of" any extreme emotion that would aggravate such a condition.  If joy can excite one enough to raise one's blood pressure or increase one's heart rate, then I would think that it is possible to die as a result of that emotion, but we might more likely attribute it to that underlying condition than we would the emotion that triggered it. 

However, one of the great ironies of this story is that Louise Mallard doesn't die of the "joy that kills" when she sees her husband alive, but none of the other characters in the story know this.  Only the reader, who has been privy to her innermost thoughts and feelings during her immediate response to the news that her husband has been killed in a train accident, knows that it isn't joy she's feeling; it's terrible, terrible disappointment because she realizes that the freedom she thought she'd gained is once again out of her reach.

In the poem by Rudyard Kipling, "The White Man's Burden," why does he feel Europeans should colonize?

As the title of the poem suggests, Kipling believed it was the "burden," or duty, of white men, who he saw as culturally, technologically, and racially superior, to bring the "blessings" of civilization to non-whites around the world. He is specifically referring to the debate in the United States over whether that nation should annex the Philippines, recently taken from Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. Kipling urges the United States to take...

As the title of the poem suggests, Kipling believed it was the "burden," or duty, of white men, who he saw as culturally, technologically, and racially superior, to bring the "blessings" of civilization to non-whites around the world. He is specifically referring to the debate in the United States over whether that nation should annex the Philippines, recently taken from Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. Kipling urges the United States to take up its place among the great nations of the world by sending its young people, the "best ye breed," to the Philippines to "fill full the mouth of Famine/and bid the sickness cease" and build "ports ye shall not enter/and roads ye shall not tread."

Kipling believed that the Filipino people themselves, who he described in racialized terms as "half devil and half child," were incapable of understanding how these things would benefit them. The bringers of civilization would earn the "blame of those ye better/the hate of those ye guard." But it was worth it, he thought, because it would also earn the United States the respect of its peers--taking up the "white man's burden" was a way to, as mentioned above, to take its place among the powerful nations of the world. 

What does Mr. Tuck dream in Tuck Everlasting?

Mr. Tuck dreams that his whole family never drank from the spring, died, and went to Heaven. 

Some people may fantasize about being immortal.  Being immortal, Mr. Tuck dreams of dying.  He lives in an endless trap, where he can never age and never live a normal life.  He wants to get off the wheel, as he calls it.  This is the fantasy he dreams of. 

Tuck twitched and the smile vanished. He opened...

Mr. Tuck dreams that his whole family never drank from the spring, died, and went to Heaven. 

Some people may fantasize about being immortal.  Being immortal, Mr. Tuck dreams of dying.  He lives in an endless trap, where he can never age and never live a normal life.  He wants to get off the wheel, as he calls it.  This is the fantasy he dreams of. 

Tuck twitched and the smile vanished. He opened his eyes. "Why'd you have to wake me up?" he sighed. "I was having that dream again, the good one where we're all in heaven and never heard of Treegap." (Ch. 2) 

Mae Tuck tells him it is no use to dream this dream, because nothing will change.  He tells her that he dreams it every day, and that he can’t help it.  The dream is a manifestation of his desire to end his immortality, but it is also a coping mechanism.  In a way, he dies every night but then wakes up, if only symbolically. 

Tuck explains the stress of immortality to Winnie in the rowboat, after she accidentally sees his son Jesse Tuck drink from the spring and they take her home with them to tell her what the spring does. 

That's what us Tucks are, Winnie. Stuck so's we can't move on. We ain't part of the wheel no more. Dropped off, Winnie. Left behind. And everywhere around us, things is moving and growing and changing. (Ch. 12)

The Tucks have been immortal for a long time, and have made peace with their existence.  However, it can still be hard.  While Mae enjoys the times when they are all together, when Jesse and Miles return, Angus often gets frustrated with the constant day to day mundane life.  He wishes that the Tucks could be like everyone else and die.

How does Jackson Jackson change as a result of completing his hero's journey in Alexie's "What You Pawn I Will Redeem"?

In a typical hero's journey, the protagonist accepts a call to adventure, meets trials and tribulations, experiences a revelation, and then atones and makes a return.  In Alexie's "What You Pawn I Will Redeem," the protagonist Jackson Jackson embarks on a hero's journey and "returns" as a proud member of his tribal community.  As Jackson attempts to get his grandmother's stolen regalia back from a pawn broker, he meets several situations in which money alludes...

In a typical hero's journey, the protagonist accepts a call to adventure, meets trials and tribulations, experiences a revelation, and then atones and makes a return.  In Alexie's "What You Pawn I Will Redeem," the protagonist Jackson Jackson embarks on a hero's journey and "returns" as a proud member of his tribal community.  As Jackson attempts to get his grandmother's stolen regalia back from a pawn broker, he meets several situations in which money alludes him.  Even when he comes into luck and gets money, he ends up spending it either on drinking or food for himself and others.  But Jackson is determined to get the money for his grandmother's regalia purely by his own efforts, and his pride and resolve carry him through his journey.  Jackson ends up atoning for the poor life choices that he has made, but he maintains that his tribe and his family should not suffer loss simply because he himself is a broken man.  When in the end Jackson does regain his grandmother's regalia from the pawn broker, he dances the dance that she would have if she were alive.  In a sense, this is a second chance for Jackson, an opportunity to live a more honorable life--and to teach others to live honorably as well.  

How does the closer friendship between Lyddie and Brigid affect Lyddie?

Lyddie's friendship with Brigid is an important step in Lyddie's growth as a person. At first Lyddie has no time for Brigid and only views her as an interruption, someone who will prevent her from earning as much money as possible by being highly productive with her looms. She also dislikes Brigid because Brigid is Irish; she dresses, smells, and talks funny. But when Lyddie comes down with a life-threatening fever, Brigid helps nurse her...

Lyddie's friendship with Brigid is an important step in Lyddie's growth as a person. At first Lyddie has no time for Brigid and only views her as an interruption, someone who will prevent her from earning as much money as possible by being highly productive with her looms. She also dislikes Brigid because Brigid is Irish; she dresses, smells, and talks funny. But when Lyddie comes down with a life-threatening fever, Brigid helps nurse her back to health. After that, Lyddie takes more interest in Brigid, becoming her mentor. She teaches Brigid to read, beginning with her ABCs. She meets Brigid after work and on Sundays to continue helping her. Lyddie is learning to be a giver to others; she is now mentoring Brigid the way Diana once mentored her. When Lyddie's roommates and Diana have all left the Concord Corporation, Lyddie is glad to have Brigid as a friend, and she is learning the value of friendship in a way she didn't understand when she had her roommates and Diana with her. 

Because Lyddie and Brigid normally walk out of the factory together, Lyddie notices Brigid's absence on the night when Mr. Marsden tries to take advantage of her. Lyddie goes back into the factory and hears Brigid pleading with the overseer. Lyddie's protective nature is aroused, just as it was when a bear threatened her family at the beginning of the novel. She grabs a water bucket and jams it down over the overseer's head, and she and Brigid run away. This brave action on Lyddie's part has negative consequences for her. Mr. Marsden retaliates by having her fired for "moral turpitude." Before leaving town, Lyddie buys Brigid a book and delivers it to her. She also writes letters to Mr. Marsden and Mrs. Marsden, putting a further protection in place to make sure the overseer does not try to violate Brigid again. Although Lyddie gets fired from the factory, it opens her up to the possibility of attending college. Her willingness to sacrifice her own position for Brigid turns out to be an important step on Lyddie's path to being an independent woman. 

How did World War I change the world? How did it usher in a new age for diverse societies between 1910–1939?

World War I contributed to major changes in world societies, economies and other aspects of life. The conflict was greater than any previous war in history at the time, involving 28 countries with the highest war mobilization recorded.

The war led to the redrawing of territorial boundaries; old countries fell with new ones taking their place. Monarchies fell, and electoral democracies were established to replace them, leading to direct and indirect political changes in different...

World War I contributed to major changes in world societies, economies and other aspects of life. The conflict was greater than any previous war in history at the time, involving 28 countries with the highest war mobilization recorded.

The war led to the redrawing of territorial boundaries; old countries fell with new ones taking their place. Monarchies fell, and electoral democracies were established to replace them, leading to direct and indirect political changes in different countries. World War I ushered in the idea of universal suffrage, bringing radical changes in global politics.

The communist revolutionary wave was also attributed to World War I. The continued spread of communism in many European countries changed global relations and led to future conflicts with anti-communist regimes.

World War II and the Holocaust happened as a result of World War I. Germans were generally dissatisfied with the Treaty of Versailles, which forced them to assume complete responsibility for the war and make reparations. This, in turn, created a favorable environment for the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party, who took advantage of the negative sentiments expressed by the community.

The war resulted in the shift of financial bases from Europe to the United States. World War I plunged the participating countries into debt, especially Britain, which was a financial power previously.

World War I also ushered a period of technological advancement. Although this was initially directed at war efforts such as the development of the Atomic bomb and tanks, similar techniques (advanced mass production techniques) were later used in medicine and other progressive ventures.

Socially, the war prepared grounds for the establishment of Israel, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon in the Middle East. Poland, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia were also established or re-established in Europe. Diverse societies were offered an opportunity to politically and socially assert themselves in the global sphere. Yugoslavia emerged as a multi-national state. Czechoslovakia was divided among two Slavic nationalities. Albanians merged with Greeks and Serbs while the Turkish people merged with the Bulgari in Bulgaria.

What is a description of the power of Edgar Allan Poe's landscapes in his poem The Raven?

The student’s question—what is a description of the power of landscapes in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem The Raven—can, perhaps, best be answered with reference to a broader examination of this particular author’s works of literature. The reason for the reticence to limit the answer to The Raven, a poem that is certainly heavy in atmosphere, is that much of Poe’s more famous works take place inside confined spaces, whether homes, castles, or, in the case of the unnamed narrator of The Raven, a “chamber” or library. Poe’s macabre stories and poems, most often, involve the terror of the mind; in other words, psychological deterioration that results in paranoia and insanity. The outside world is usually uninvolved in terms of settings. Indeed, in one of Poe’s more popular stories, The Masque of the Red Death, the outside world is only alluded to for the purpose of marking the contrast between the sanctity of the interior of Prince Prospero’s abbey and the horrible scenes described as taking place outside the castle’s walls. As Poe’s narrator states with respect to this contrast, “[t]he prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the ‘Red Death’.” The narrator in The Masque of the Red Death devotes considerable time to describing the interior setting of the prince’s abbey. The seven suites that comprise the story’s setting are each decorated in a different color, with the seventh noteworthy for the theme of darkness and blood.

Now, let’s look at the opening passage to The Fall of the House of Usher. The narrator approaches the Usher estate with a sense of foreboding, the exterior setting lending an air of unease:

“During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.”

Once the narrator enters the Usher home, the exterior setting ceases to be relevant. The story, as with The Raven, The Masque of the Red Death, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Black Cat, will take place within the stultifying confines of the narrator’s home, and mind. Focusing once more on The Raven, Poe places his narrator inside what we can imagine is a somewhat small but well-apportioned study or library. The narrator is seated in a chair, reading a book in which he clearly has little interest, subsumed as he is in thoughts of his lost Lenore: “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore . . .” The darkness of night, a common feature in horror stories, as drastically-reduced visibility invariably heightens the tension, adds to the sense of foreboding—a sense that only heightens with the tapping on the chamber door. The cold of winter further adds to this sense of foreboding, while further driving the action indoors where it is warm, but where the confined space and darkness (no electricity back then, illumination provided by kerosene lamps and candles) limits visibility : “Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.” So, as with the above mentioned stories, Poe establishes a setting appropriate for the terrors he intends to inflict upon his readership.

“Landscapes” suggest exterior settings. Poe’s works, the ones typically assigned by teachers and professors, take place inside. When Poe does reference the outside world, it is invariably in bleak terms. Indoors, where the drama takes place, the drama that occurs inside the mind of the narrator (“You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me.” [from The Tell-Tale Heart] Emphasis in original), provides the focus of the tale that follows.

How did the Treaty of Versailles contribute to the rise of Hitler in Germany?

The punitive nature of the Treaty of Versailles directly led to the economic conditions that allowed for a demagogue such as Hitler to gain support. First, the so-called Guilt Clause, which forced Germany to claim full responsibility for starting World War One -- when in fact it was a war of multi-lateral aggression -- eviscerated the pride of the German people.

Second, the imposition of trillions of dollars in "war reparations" that the already cash-starved...

The punitive nature of the Treaty of Versailles directly led to the economic conditions that allowed for a demagogue such as Hitler to gain support. First, the so-called Guilt Clause, which forced Germany to claim full responsibility for starting World War One -- when in fact it was a war of multi-lateral aggression -- eviscerated the pride of the German people.

Second, the imposition of trillions of dollars in "war reparations" that the already cash-starved German state was supposed to pay back to the victors drove Germany's economy to collapse, created unprecedented inflation not seen again until modern-day Zimbabwe, and led millions of Germans to acts of unbelievable desperation in order to avoid starvation.

On top of that, the Treaty of Versailles allowed for the Allied occupation of Germany's most productive land (the Rhineland and Sudetenland), and gave disputed territory like Alsace-Lorraine back to the French. The effect of the Treaty was to impoverish and humiliate the German people, create riots in the streets, and leave the government unable to meet its basic obligations, like preserving law and order and providing basic social services. 

In that vacuum of power, both the far left (Communists) and the far right (National Socialists, who became known as the Nazis) gained support and raised well armed militias. Hitler and other Nazi leaders promised a return to greatness, assuaged German humiliation by blaming the loss of the war on socialists and Jews who had "stabbed Germany in the back," and promised that a new social order would restore Germany's economy by confiscating property and money from "undesirable races" that had, according to Hitler, leeched off Germany for centuries.

Had Germany not been punished so severely or been made to take full responsibility for a war that everyone in Europe was responsible for starting, the conditions under which Hitler thrived would simply not have existed. In hindsight, the Treaty of Versailles looks almost like a playbook for the creation of a demagogue. 

Does Odysseus follow the criteria for being an epic hero?

For this answer, I have included a few links; two of them give characteristics of epic heroes, and the other talks about Odysseus' role as an epic hero.

It seems that there are a lot of different characteristics of epic heroes floating around in the world, so I will examine the most important ones (in no particular order):

1. Epic heroes generally have a noble birth and/or are leaders among men. Odysseus is the king of...

For this answer, I have included a few links; two of them give characteristics of epic heroes, and the other talks about Odysseus' role as an epic hero.

It seems that there are a lot of different characteristics of epic heroes floating around in the world, so I will examine the most important ones (in no particular order):

1. Epic heroes generally have a noble birth and/or are leaders among men. Odysseus is the king of his home island, Ithaca.


2. Epic heroes are also great warriors, which Odysseus very clearly is as he survives the Trojan War. In fact, not only does he survive the war, he helps to win it because the Trojan horse that got the Greeks into Troy was his idea.


3. Epic heroes are always on a difficult journey that tests their bravery and skills. Odysseus travels for ten years (after already spending another ten years at war) in his attempt to get home to his family, facing many different types of danger (Scylla and Charybdis, the lotus-eaters, Calypso, Polyphemus, Poseidon's wrath, etc). Another characteristic of an epic journey is a trip to the Underworld, which Odysseus does in order to talk to Tiresias.


4. Epic heroes also find themselves involved with the supernatural, which is something Odysseus does a lot of. On the one hand, he has Athena helping him succeed. On the other, not only does he blind the Cyclops, Polyphemus, but then he faces the wrath of the god Poseidon for doing so. He also loses his men to the god Helios because they killed his cattle, and he has to sail waters that were guarded by the monsters Scylla and Charybdis. Odysseus' journey is filled with supernatural people and events.


5. Epic heroes are capable of great things, things which regular people would not be able to accomplish. Odysseus, for instance, has his massive bow, which only he can string.

There are, of course, other characteristics, but these five are the ones most people can agree on as being the important traits. As you can see, Odysseus has all of these characteristics in spades, so he is certainly an epic hero.

How can a literary research paper be shaped around "The Political Ambition" involved in "The Tragedy of Macbeth"?

The title of your paper is convenient because Macbeth's tragedy arises from his perilously surreptitious and unrestrained political ambition. Although Macbeth is motivated by the witches' prophecy and his wife's persuasion to kill Duncan, Macbeth's chief reason for taking the throne is because of his "black and deep desires," that is, his dark and dangerous ambition:

  I have no spur  To prick the sides of my intent, but only  Vaulting ambition...

The title of your paper is convenient because Macbeth's tragedy arises from his perilously surreptitious and unrestrained political ambition. Although Macbeth is motivated by the witches' prophecy and his wife's persuasion to kill Duncan, Macbeth's chief reason for taking the throne is because of his "black and deep desires," that is, his dark and dangerous ambition:

  I have no spur
  To prick the sides of my intent, but only
  Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
  And falls on the other.

In a literary research paper, you could point out how Macbeth acts as soon as he hears the witches' prophecy. He does not wait for the prophecy to come true on its own. Instead, he takes matters into his own hands and, encouraged by Lady Macbeth, decides to kill Duncan. Once he commits murder, he is constantly plagued by his never-ending fear of losing his position as the king of the country. This causes him to commit many other acts of atrocity such as killing innocent people like Banquo and Lady Macduff for the sake of ensuring that no one can jeopardize his political ambitions.

Finally, you can focus on the effects of ambition on Macbeth himself. We can see that it transforms him from a valiant and loyal warrior to a ruthless murderer, who is devoid of scruples. Therefore, his demise is inevitable.

Describe the mood of Maycomb in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

In literature, the mood of a setting, such as the quaint town of Maycomb, is used to invoke certain feelings and create a specific atmosphere throughout the novel. In Chapter 1, Scout describes Maycomb as being a "tired old town," that was hot enough to wilt men's collars by nine in the morning (Lee 6). Scout goes on to say,

"Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o' clock naps, and by...

In literature, the mood of a setting, such as the quaint town of Maycomb, is used to invoke certain feelings and create a specific atmosphere throughout the novel. In Chapter 1, Scout describes Maycomb as being a "tired old town," that was hot enough to wilt men's collars by nine in the morning (Lee 6). Scout goes on to say,

"Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o' clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum" (Lee 6).

She mentions that the people in the town moved slowly, and there was a "vague optimism" in the air. Harper Lee initially creates a mood of a comfortable, easy-going, tradition Southern town. The fact that the town is personified as slow moving, associates with its traditional values and beliefs that are hard to change throughout the novel, particularly regarding race relations. Maycomb is a relatively pleasant place to grow up, with kind neighbors and stable families. In Chapter 13, Scout says,

"New people so rarely settled there, the same families married the same families until the members of the community looked faintly alike. Occasionally someone would return from Montgomery or Mobile with an outsider, but result caused only a ripple in the quiet stream of family resemblance. Things were more or less the same during my early years" (Lee 175).

Again, Lee creates an atmosphere of familiarity throughout the town which resembles the closeness of the community. The mood of Maycomb shifts according to the scenes and events that transpire. In Chapter 15, Maycomb's jail does not have a light outside and is described as hideous looking. The atmosphere created is repulsive and gloomy which correlates with Maycomb's ugly prejudice. The dark mood also applies to the Radley house which is where Boo Radley remains confined throughout the novel. Overall, the mood of Maycomb is light and welcoming, with the exception of the jailhouse and the Radley place.

Examine the details in Lucille Clifton's "There is a Girl Inside" from a feminist point of view.

The most concise and effective way to do this feminist analysis is to look at two of the more prominent feminist symbols in the poem. So let's begin. 

"There is a girl inside.

She is randy as a wolf."

Clifton starts off her poem by pointing her language right at one of the most pervasive anti-feminist myths in society: the myth of female anti-sexuality. Men enjoy sex, goes the myth, and women simply endure it. 

...

The most concise and effective way to do this feminist analysis is to look at two of the more prominent feminist symbols in the poem. So let's begin. 

"There is a girl inside.

She is randy as a wolf."

Clifton starts off her poem by pointing her language right at one of the most pervasive anti-feminist myths in society: the myth of female anti-sexuality. Men enjoy sex, goes the myth, and women simply endure it. 

Clifton combats this myth by claiming that the girl inside is "randy" or sexually aroused. She is empowering the girl inside to embrace her own sexuality. (Not included here is a discussion of how the comparison to a "wolf" is masculine in nature. Clifton reverses that.)

"She is a green tree in a forest of kindling."

For the girl inside to be a "green tree in a forest of kindling" is a metaphor that speaks of impending doom. That young tree, we feel, must eventually be made into kindling, cut down and burned up. But for now it is a sort of symbol of resistance, a growing and perfect thing not yet destroyed. 

In terms of feminist language, this speaks strongly to the female body in contemporary society. Surrounded by a culture that seeks to objectify and sexualize women, the girl inside is still a pure and perfect thing. How long will that last? 

I cannot decide my destination regarding my career; what should I do? I have a master's degree of science with physics first class and I'm...

This is advice, and as such is only my personal solution. Your education has supplied you with several skills besides a thorough knowledge of the laws of physics. You now know how to use the scientific method to determine logical patterns, and you can concentrate on a task long enough to bring it to a successful completion. I recommend you separate your quest into two parts: a career with a substantial source of income, and your...

This is advice, and as such is only my personal solution. Your education has supplied you with several skills besides a thorough knowledge of the laws of physics. You now know how to use the scientific method to determine logical patterns, and you can concentrate on a task long enough to bring it to a successful completion. I recommend you separate your quest into two parts: a career with a substantial source of income, and your “life’s work.” By "life's work," I mean to ask, “what project would you like to devote your precious life to?” In your education, you must have been exposed to some sort of fascinating area of inquiry – environment, space travel, prosthesis, commercial invention, modes of travel, etc. – some area that drew you in not because of its occupational potential, but because of some non-expressible fascination to you personally. Make that general or specific area your “life’s work.” Take any “job” that will pay the rent, but keep searching for opportunities to do your “life’s work.” Remember that the goal is to be happy, not to be rich.

How does Macbeth's fate mirror another character's in the text?

When we compare Macbeth's fate with the fate of the original Thane of Cawdor, we come to the conclusion that Macbeth's fate is similar to the Thane's.

Together with the Norwegians, who invaded king Duncan's army, the Thane of Cawdor wanted to see king Duncan defeated. So, when Duncan's army won, the Thane was captured and accused of treason. Then, his title was given to Macbeth, and king Duncan ordered the Thane's execution.

The same...

When we compare Macbeth's fate with the fate of the original Thane of Cawdor, we come to the conclusion that Macbeth's fate is similar to the Thane's.

Together with the Norwegians, who invaded king Duncan's army, the Thane of Cawdor wanted to see king Duncan defeated. So, when Duncan's army won, the Thane was captured and accused of treason. Then, his title was given to Macbeth, and king Duncan ordered the Thane's execution.

The same fate befalls Macbeth at the end of the play. By killing Duncan and many others, Macbeth disrupts the natural order of things and is looked upon by others as a cold-blooded tyrant and traitor that needs to be defeated and eliminated just like the original Thane of Cawdor. Macduff is the one who kills him, and he manages to restore peace in Scotland.

How is Jing-Mei's identity impacted by her mother's expectations in "Two Kinds"?

Jing-Mei’s identity is formed by her mother’s expectations in Amy Tan’s story “Two Kinds.” Jing-Mei’s mother, Suyuan, leaves her life in China and moves to America, hoping to obliterate her bad memories. She believes in the “American Dream” of prosperity for people who work hard and apply their talents. She believes her daughter can be a prodigy in America, and in the beginning, Jing-Mei, who is known as June, is drawn into her mother’s plan....

Jing-Mei’s identity is formed by her mother’s expectations in Amy Tan’s story “Two Kinds.” Jing-Mei’s mother, Suyuan, leaves her life in China and moves to America, hoping to obliterate her bad memories. She believes in the “American Dream” of prosperity for people who work hard and apply their talents. She believes her daughter can be a prodigy in America, and in the beginning, Jing-Mei, who is known as June, is drawn into her mother’s plan. The pair look through magazines and watch television programs to find talents for Jing-Mei. “We didn't immediately pick the right kind of prodigy. At first my mother thought I could be a Chinese Shirley Temple.”

When she does not seem to be a natural at anything, her mother decides that she will play the piano but Jing-Mei has no desire to practice and finds ways to sabotage her progress.

So maybe I never really gave myself a fair chance. I did pick up the basics pretty quickly, and I might have become a good pianist at the young age. But I was so determined not to try, not to be anybody different, and I learned to play only the most ear-splitting preludes, the most discordant hymns.

After her recital is a disaster, mother and daughter argue, exchanging cruel words, which deeply affect the mother. Jing-Mei no longer agrees with her mother’s expectations and spends years forming her own identity. She performs adequately in high school, and drops out of college. “Unlike my mother, I did not believe I could be anything I wanted to be, I could only be me.”

The rift between mother and daughter exists for years. Shortly before her death, Suyuan offers the piano to June. True to her identity, June sees it as a symbol of proving her mother wrong. It is only after her mother dies that June realizes her mother only wanted her to be “her best.”

How does Jim react when he first sees Della after she has cut her hair in O. Henry's short story "The Gift of the Magi"?

Just before Jim arrives home from work Della says a little prayer: "Please God, make him think I am still pretty." Della has just sold her beautiful hair (her prized possession) in order to buy a watch chain for Jim's watch (his most prized possession).

Della is apprehensive about Jim's reaction to her new look. When he arrives home, O. Henry uses a simile to describe the look on Jim's face: "Jim stopped inside the...

Just before Jim arrives home from work Della says a little prayer: "Please God, make him think I am still pretty." Della has just sold her beautiful hair (her prized possession) in order to buy a watch chain for Jim's watch (his most prized possession).

Della is apprehensive about Jim's reaction to her new look. When he arrives home, O. Henry uses a simile to describe the look on Jim's face: "Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail." O. Henry further remarks that Jim was neither "surprised," "horrified" or in a state of "disapproval." Della's appearance simply puts Jim into a "trance." Two things must have gone through his head. First, his wife has cut off her beautiful hair and, second, the new "tortoise shell" combs he has bought are not as appropriate as they once were. Nevertheless, he still loves her as he remarks,

"Don't make any mistake, Dell," he said, "about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But, if you'll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going at first."

Jim's reaction has more to do with the revelation about the combs than any positive or negative reaction to Della's hair. The point of the story is that this couple have overwhelming love for each other that goes beyond physical beauty. They are willing to sacrifice their most prized possessions to demonstrate that love.

Identify one form of figurative language used in the poem "The Raven."

One way that we learn about our narrator is through his use of allusions.  Allusions are references to other texts, places, people, or events that bring richness and nuance to a text.  In this case, the allusions used by the narrator show us what a well-read and intelligent person he is, and they help us to understand why he would consider the raven's meaning and provenance so deeply.  Further, they help us to know that...

One way that we learn about our narrator is through his use of allusions.  Allusions are references to other texts, places, people, or events that bring richness and nuance to a text.  In this case, the allusions used by the narrator show us what a well-read and intelligent person he is, and they help us to understand why he would consider the raven's meaning and provenance so deeply.  Further, they help us to know that he is not some blindly superstitious person -- he is thoughtful and bright -- and so Poe discourages us from simply discounting his ponderings as the ravings of a mournful and distraught man. 

The narrator refers to death as "Night's Plutonian shore"; by this, he is using the Roman name of the god of the dead, lord of the underworld, Pluto (Hades in Greek).  He's also referred to "Pallas" -- Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom and war.  Further, he refers to "nepenthe," the Greek word meaning a medicine for sorrow, like an antidepressant to help a person to forget their sadness.  He speaks of a "balm in Gilead," referring to a universal cure for pain and/or death.  Finally, he speaks of "Aidenn," the Arabic word for Paradise (compare to the word "Eden" from the Bible).  References like this -- from Greek and Roman mythology, the Bible, and Arabic -- tell us a great deal about our narrator and help us to understand how Poe wants us to think of him.

How does Lord Capulet respond when he knows Romeo is at the party in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

When Lord Capulet sees Romeo at the feast, he wants nothing to spoil the evening's gaiety, so he asks the heated Tybalt to calm down and ignore Romeo.

Noticing Tybalt's ire, Lord Capulet asks his nephew, "Why, how now kinsman! Wherefore storm you so?" (1.5.59). He tells Tybalt to calm down, but Tybalt contends that Romeo has come to make a mockery of their celebration.Oddly enough, Lord Capulet here acts as the voice of reason,...

When Lord Capulet sees Romeo at the feast, he wants nothing to spoil the evening's gaiety, so he asks the heated Tybalt to calm down and ignore Romeo.

Noticing Tybalt's ire, Lord Capulet asks his nephew, "Why, how now kinsman! Wherefore storm you so?" (1.5.59). He tells Tybalt to calm down, but Tybalt contends that Romeo has come to make a mockery of their celebration.
Oddly enough, Lord Capulet here acts as the voice of reason, whereas earlier in a public place, he himself has engaged in conflict and sword play. However, Lord Capulet has heard of Romeo as being of a noble and sanguine personality; therefore, he wants no harm to come to him, nor does he want any conflict to disturb the happiness of the night. So, he instructs Tybalt to leave Romeo alone. But, Tybalt counters that being agitated when one such as Romeo enters is the right way to behave,

It fits when such a villain is a guest.

I’ll not endure him. (1.5.74-75)

Tybalt's words enrage Lord Capulet, who demands that Tybalt tolerate Romeo; however, Tybalt does not want to be tolerant. Trembling from the rage that is being suppressed within him--although he obeys Lord Capulet--Tybalt decides that he will later make Romeo pay for this intrusion:

I will withdraw. But this intrusion shall

Now seeming sweet, convert to bitterest gall. (1.5.91)

It is fateful that Lord Capulet wishes to not harm Romeo because by not doing so, he has allowed a situation in which Romeo can meet Juliet, and has also angered Tybalt so much that he vows revenge against Romeo.

How do the ambitions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth lead to their tragic demise?

At the beginning of the play, we see Lady Macbeth as the person who is assertive and bossy, urging Macbeth to fulfill his ambition of becoming king by murdering Duncan. She is the one who persuades him to follow through with his plan when Macbeth shows his confusion and diffidence. They support each other, and they want to fulfill their ambitions by leaning on each other at the most important moments. However, after king Duncan...

At the beginning of the play, we see Lady Macbeth as the person who is assertive and bossy, urging Macbeth to fulfill his ambition of becoming king by murdering Duncan. She is the one who persuades him to follow through with his plan when Macbeth shows his confusion and diffidence. They support each other, and they want to fulfill their ambitions by leaning on each other at the most important moments. However, after king Duncan is murdered, Macbeth begins to distance himself from his wife, and he becomes obsessed with protecting his status and getting rid of anyone who could threaten to overthrow him (such as Banquo). Macbeth's unrestrained ambition robs him of his inner peace and causes him to to irrevocably descend into irrationality:

Methought I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep', the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care,
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast.

Macbeth's tragic downfall is the result of his uncontrolled ambition.

As for Lady Macbeth, we could see that her tragic downfall stems from the lack of her husband's care. Lady Macbeth becomes a mere shadow of her former self. In Act 5, we see that she has descended into madness as a result of her guilt-ridden conscience and lack of her husband's support. She was left alone to struggle with her inner demons and she seems defeated by them. Shortly after she dies, Macbeth realizes the futility of his actions and how meaningless his life has become:

Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

How is the title related to the story?

The title of the story is an allusion to Psalm 137 from the Bible.  

By the waters, the waters of BabylonWe sat down and wept,and wept, for thee, Zion.

At the time, the Israelites were weeping at their capture and removal from the promised holy land and Jerusalem.  At the time, Jerusalem was one of the main centers of civilization.  It, and its people were mighty, knowledgeable, and great.  But the greatness...

The title of the story is an allusion to Psalm 137 from the Bible.  

By the waters, the waters of Babylon
We sat down and wept,
and wept, for thee, Zion.

At the time, the Israelites were weeping at their capture and removal from the promised holy land and Jerusalem.  At the time, Jerusalem was one of the main centers of civilization.  It, and its people were mighty, knowledgeable, and great.  But the greatness was lost when the Babylonians came in and conquered.  Then it was the Babylonian empire that was the center of civilization and learning.  But like all great historical empires, it too fell from glory.  

New York, the Place of the Gods, is like the former Babylonian empire.  It was once great and fell despite all of its advanced technology.  When John is standing by the Hudson river, he is on the banks of a former amazing civilization.  That's very similar to what the people of Israel went through.  They are by the waters of the amazing Babylonians and lamenting the loss of their own former greatness.  

Provide critical analysis and interpretation of the story " A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings."

"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" could have been called "An Angel comes to the Village." But this would defeat the purpose of the story. What is the purpose? One purpose is to present something miraculous in an ordinary way. Any man with wings is miraculous but the author presents it as if Pelayo and Elisenda had found a stray dog. When word spreads that the man might be an angel, people flock to have their ailments cured. "There was a man who couldn’t sleep because the noise of the stars disturbed him." Here, the author presents an ordinary thing (insomnia) in poetic and/or extraordinary terms. These uses of presenting the miraculous as ordinary and vice versa are common elements in Magical Realism. This story is a prime example of this genre. It causes the reader to pause and consider if there is a meaningful difference between perceiving something miraculous as normal or extraordinary. 

Marquez makes us hesitate. This effect in literature would be considered a moment of defamiliarization. This is when we see familiar things in unfamiliar ways. There are multiple moments of these types of hesitation in this story when the reader stops in order to think about what is true, who the protagonist might be, and so on. The priest seems to be the expert in the matter, but nothing conclusive is given. When the spider woman comes to town, the villagers treat this as relatively normal. Again, the abnormal becomes normal and vice versa. 

The old man defies our preconceptions of what an angel should be. We must hesitate again. This is why the story is so effective. It causes the reader to stop and think. The narrator is unreliable as well. The author has given the reader the means of interpreting the story. That being said, there are clear hints in the story about characterization and plot that will help determine how readers interpret the story. The old man brings Pelayo and Elisenda money and they treat him poorly. The old man is therefore the unwitting protagonist and they take advantage. So, the alleged angel brings fortune to a young couple but this illustrates their greed. This is hardly a typical guardian angel story. 

This story is effective because it blends the abnormal with the normal seamlessly. It makes the reader question the notion of truth. Does it matter if he is an angel or simply a man with wings? Shouldn't we (villagers) treat him with respect regardless of whether or not he is supernatural? Because, in the end, don't we root for him anyway? 

A lot of authors who use Magical Realism come from Latin and South American cultures. One of the effects of Magical Realism, notably in this story, is that the notion of truth becomes subjective. It is as plausible that the man is an angel as it is that he simply is a man with wings. This style of telling a story is a different kind of fantasy. It is interesting to consider the notion that a scientific description of some phenomenon might be as "truthful" as a poetic portrayal. This is one of the attributes of Magical Realism in this story and other works of the genre. In the end, we might consider this a Magical Realist Schrödinger equation in which the man is both an angel and not an angel (just a man with wings). 

Who was eligible to participate in the lottery in "The Lottery"?

Everyone in the town participates in the lottery, and those that are old or infirm have someone draw for them. 

The lottery is a village tradition.  It is such an important tradition that even though it is completely barbaric the townspeople see nothing wrong with it.  Whatever the original reason for the lottery was, it is clear that they keep participating because they always have done it this way, and this village changes nothing. 

...

Everyone in the town participates in the lottery, and those that are old or infirm have someone draw for them. 

The lottery is a village tradition.  It is such an important tradition that even though it is completely barbaric the townspeople see nothing wrong with it.  Whatever the original reason for the lottery was, it is clear that they keep participating because they always have done it this way, and this village changes nothing. 

Perhaps the most difficult to stomach is that even small children participate.  Take the case of little Davy, who is so young that he has to have help drawing his paper slip. 

Mr. Graves took the hand of the little boy, who came willingly with him up to the box. "Take a paper out of the box, Davy." Mr. Summers said. Davy put his hand into the box and laughed. "Take just one paper." Mr. Summers said. "Harry, you hold it for him." Mr. Graves took the child's hand and removed the folded paper from the tight fist and held it while little Dave stood next to him and looked up at him wonderingly. 

One man, Old Man Warner, comments that this is his seventy-seventh time participating.  Apparently, neither the very old nor the very young are immune.  The only way you get out of being actually present at the lottery is if you can’t physically go, such as Clyde Dunbar’s broken leg.  In that case, his wife drew for him. 

Everyone also participates in the stoning itself.  Before the lottery the little boys gather rocks.  When Tessie Hutchinson is chosen, someone even gives little tiny Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles so that he can help stone his own mother to death.

Jackson makes it very clear that no on escapes the lottery.  Children, the elderly, and even people who are sick or injured all participate.  Individuals draw for families, making the process seem even more demented.