How did The Giver explain the visual phenomena that Jonas witnessed, and what did it reveal about the community in The Giver?

The Giver tells Jonas that he is beginning to see the color red, and the community has eliminated color.

Jonas first notices color when he is throwing an apple to Asher and he sees it change.  He can’t figure out what is happening, but something about the apple is different.

But suddenly Jonas had noticed, following the path of the apple through the air with his eyes, that the piece of fruit had--well, this was...

The Giver tells Jonas that he is beginning to see the color red, and the community has eliminated color.

Jonas first notices color when he is throwing an apple to Asher and he sees it change.  He can’t figure out what is happening, but something about the apple is different.

But suddenly Jonas had noticed, following the path of the apple through the air with his eyes, that the piece of fruit had--well, this was the part that he couldn't adequately understand--the apple had changed. Just for an instant. (Ch. 3)

Jonas does not find out what actually happened until later.  He sees this change again at the Ceremony of Twelve, in the faces of the people in the audience, and then in Fiona’s hair.  He tells The Giver and the old man explains to him what is happening.  He is beginning to see the color red.  When he gets more memories, he will see all of the colors.

The choice to eliminate color was one of the ways the community enforced Sameness.  Sameness means that everyone looks alike and everyone dresses alike, but it also means that no one has any choices.  When Jonas begins to see color, The Giver explains to Jonas that the community eliminated color in order to ensure that the community had total control.

"Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with differences." He thought for a moment. "We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others." (Ch. 12)

Eliminating colors seems like a small thing, until we realize how much individuality is expressed through color.  It is why uniforms are used in our world.  Color distinguishes us.  If you eliminate it altogether, it is the most unifying factor possible. It eliminates choice.  It eliminates difference.  It makes distinction impossible.  Eliminate color, and everything looks basically the same.

What is the structure of the atomic nucleus?

The atomic nucleus is the center of an atom, and is composed of protons and neutrons.

Protons and neutrons are composite particles, meaning they are made of something even smaller. Both are made of quarks, which behave in ways that don't really conform to our normal expectations for particles. There are several varieties of quark, but the ones found in protons and neutrons are the "up" quark, which has a charge of +2/3, and the...

The atomic nucleus is the center of an atom, and is composed of protons and neutrons.

Protons and neutrons are composite particles, meaning they are made of something even smaller. Both are made of quarks, which behave in ways that don't really conform to our normal expectations for particles. There are several varieties of quark, but the ones found in protons and neutrons are the "up" quark, which has a charge of +2/3, and the "down" quark, which has a charge of -1/3. 

The proton is made of two ups and a down, which mathematically works out to a charge of 1. The neutron is made of one up and two downs, which works out to a charge of 0. Their charge is the reason for their names.

An atom is defined as belonging to a particular element based on the number of protons found in the nucleus. This is primarily because the number of neutrons in the nucleus can change without affecting the atom's ability to attract electrons, and atoms regularly do end up having different numbers of neutrons with a certain number of protons. These variations in the number of neutrons are called isotopes, and they contribute to the stability of the atom; atoms that are said to be radioactive are ones that are, basically, too large for the forces holding them together, and they tend to split apart into smaller atoms in relatively predictable ways.

Despite the way it's typically depicted in diagrams as a relatively large structure, the nucleus is in fact extremely small compared to the electron orbits, and most of the atom is composed of empty space. 

What are important dates to remember leading up to the 2016 election?

The primary schedule in the United States is really important to remember, especially this election cycle where any given candidate's chance to get nominated may very well come down to the last few states. 

Here are the dates of the remaining primaries: 

Republican Primaries

Tuesday, March 22: American Samoa, Arizona, and Utah

Tuesday, April 5: Wisconsin 

Tuesday, April 26: New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island

Tuesday, May 3: Indiana

Tuesday, May 10:...

The primary schedule in the United States is really important to remember, especially this election cycle where any given candidate's chance to get nominated may very well come down to the last few states. 

Here are the dates of the remaining primaries: 

Republican Primaries

Tuesday, March 22: American Samoa, Arizona, and Utah

Tuesday, April 5: Wisconsin 

Tuesday, April 26: New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island

Tuesday, May 3: Indiana

Tuesday, May 10: Nebraska and West Virginia

Tuesday, May 17: Oregon

Tuesday, June 7: California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota

Democratic Primaries

Tuesday, March 22: Arizona, Idaho, and Utah

Saturday, March 26: Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington

Tuesday, April 5: Wisconsin

Saturday, April 9: Wyoming

Tuesday, April 19: New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island

Tuesday, May 3: Indiana 

Saturday, May 7: Guam

Tuesday, May 10: West Virginia

Tuesday, May 17: Kentucky and Oregon

Saturday, June 4: Virgin Islands

Sunday, June 5: Puerto Rico

Tuesday, June 7: California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota

Tuesday, June 14: District of Columbia 

Both parties' convention dates will be important to note too as both of the nominations may come down to these meetings. 

Republican National Convention: July 18-21, 2016

Democratic National Convention: July 25-28, 2016

And, of course, actual election day is an important date to remember. The day to cast your vote in the 2016 Presidential Election is November 8th. 

Comment on the importance of the landscape and setting in the poem "The Darkling Thrush" by Thomas Hardy?

The landscape or setting in "The Darkling Thrush" is all important for both setting the tone of the poem and highlighting the contrast Hardy hopes to make in the last stanza.

For the first two stanzas, Hardy presents the reader with a landscape that is unrelenting cold, bitter and bleak, populated with images of death. The frost is gray, not white, and "winter's dregs [remnants]" are "desolate." Nobody is out in this miserable, harsh, ugly...

The landscape or setting in "The Darkling Thrush" is all important for both setting the tone of the poem and highlighting the contrast Hardy hopes to make in the last stanza.

For the first two stanzas, Hardy presents the reader with a landscape that is unrelenting cold, bitter and bleak, populated with images of death. The frost is gray, not white, and "winter's dregs [remnants]" are "desolate." Nobody is out in this miserable, harsh, ugly landscape--everybody is gathered around their fire inside.

By the second stanza, the landscape is likened to death and a corpse: it is a "crypt," "shrunken hard and dry," the wind a "death-lament" and the spirit of the setting "fervourless" or lifeless. At this point in the poem, the reader could hardly feel more depressed. 

Thus, the introduction of the thrush into this desolation in stanza three is all the more of a contrast. Its song "of joy," even though the bird too is old and frail, is all the more startling given the dead landscape in which it sings. We wonder, along with the poet, how the bird can be "caroling" with such "ecstatic sound" in such a barren, forlorn setting. The poet feels alienated from such "blessed Hope," given the evidence of his senses, and leaves the reader also wondering how the bird can be so happy.  

Why is Norton so curious about Mr. Pignati?

Norton has a history of being mean and a thief. John explains in chapter nine that Norton's mom let him play with dolls when he was a kid. When he got older, kids at school found out and teased him, so he turned into a bully and started stealing things. When Norton stalks John and Lorraine, he finds out that they have been hanging out with an older man named Mr. Pignati. He is at...

Norton has a history of being mean and a thief. John explains in chapter nine that Norton's mom let him play with dolls when he was a kid. When he got older, kids at school found out and teased him, so he turned into a bully and started stealing things. When Norton stalks John and Lorraine, he finds out that they have been hanging out with an older man named Mr. Pignati. He is at first curious why John and Lorraine would be hanging out with an older guy, rather than going to the cemetery with him to drink beer; but he also wonders what valuables might be in the house. He asks John if Mr. Pignati has any radios, TVs, or anything else of value. When John won't give Norton the information he wants, he says the following:

 "If you don't give me a little more information about that old goat, maybe Dennis and me will pay a little visit over there ourselves" (102).

This threat is a foreshadowing of what is to come later. It also shows that Norton's interests are not good.

What happened to Tom's money, horses, and house in the end?

Good question! Many readers stop paying attention to the text after they find out that the devil has carried Tom away on his black horse, into the swamp, which is struck by lightning and bursts into flames. It's such an exciting and terrifying climax that many readers don't really care much what happens after that.

But if you keep reading, it's interesting to note that all the objects representing Tom's wealth, including his money, his...

Good question! Many readers stop paying attention to the text after they find out that the devil has carried Tom away on his black horse, into the swamp, which is struck by lightning and bursts into flames. It's such an exciting and terrifying climax that many readers don't really care much what happens after that.

But if you keep reading, it's interesting to note that all the objects representing Tom's wealth, including his money, his horses, and his house, are utterly destroyed. Check out these sentences from the second-to-last paragraph of the story:

"On searching his coffers, all his bonds and mortgages were reduced to cinders. In place of gold and silver, his iron chest was filled with chips and shavings; two skeletons lay in his stable instead of his half-starved horses, and the very next day his great house took fire and was burned to the ground."

The narrator is saying that Tom's money is turned into little "chips and shavings," that his horses are turned into "skeletons," and that his house burns all the way "to the ground."

Why would this happen? Consider the devil character from the story, who loves to make grand gestures and vicious displays of his destructive power. He would definitely do this to Tom's things as a final exertion of his own power to take away what he gave. And, thematically, Tom's things have to be destroyed along with his soul: it fits with the moral that the narrator is trying to impart, which is that unlimited greed leads to total destruction.

How does Mullet Fingers escape with Dana in Hoot?

In the Epilogue of Hoot, Mullet Fingers's mother, Lonna, first wants her son to live with the family again, mainly because she hopes to remain in the limelight because of his fame. Mullet Fingers only stays put for two days before attempting to run away. Angered by his attempt, Lonna falsely accuses him of stealing a toe ring from her, and he is sent to juvenile detention. He happens to meet Dana Matherson there....

In the Epilogue of Hoot, Mullet Fingers's mother, Lonna, first wants her son to live with the family again, mainly because she hopes to remain in the limelight because of his fame. Mullet Fingers only stays put for two days before attempting to run away. Angered by his attempt, Lonna falsely accuses him of stealing a toe ring from her, and he is sent to juvenile detention. He happens to meet Dana Matherson there. Knowing all about Dana through Roy, Mullet Fingers chooses him as an escape partner. The two boys hide in the laundry basket as it leaves the detention center, but the authorities soon discover they are missing, and police pull the laundry truck over. Dana and Mullet Fingers spring out the back door of the truck and make a run for it. Dana is no runner, as readers have seen earlier in the book, and he still hasn't fully recovered from the injuries from the rat traps clamping down on his toes. This makes him "the perfect decoy." The officers easily overtake, tackle, and bind Dana with handcuffs while Mullet Fingers whisks away into the woods. 

What do we learn about Scout and Jem's characters in chapters 8 and 9 of To Kill a Mockingbird? What quotes support this?

In Chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird, it snows in Maycomb. This is a rare occurrence, and Scout and Jem are mesmerized by it. The reader sees their childlike wonder as they play in the snow and build a snowman:

Jem scooped up some snow and began plastering it on. He permitted me to cover only the back, saving the public parts for himself. Gradually Mr. Avery turned white.

Using bits of wood for eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons, Jem succeeded in making Mr. Avery look cross. A stick of stovewood completed the picture. Jem stepped back and viewed his creation.

Full of mischievous ideas, the siblings create a snowman that looks like Mr. Avery, their cranky neighbor. With attention to detail, they make their Mr. Avery snowman appear angry.

Later in the chapter, Miss Maudie's house burns down. The siblings wait outside in the cold night air. Later, they find out Boo covered Scout with a blanket as they waited outside. The reader learns Jem does not seem to fear Boo, although Scout still does:

My stomach turned to water and I nearly threw up when Jem held out the blanket and crept toward me. "He sneaked out of the house—turn 'round—sneaked up, an' went like this!"

In Chapter 9, the reader learns that Scout and Jem do not completely enjoy Christmas. They like aspects of it, but there are also parts that they dislike:

Jem and I viewed Christmas with mixed feelings. The good side was the tree and Uncle Jack Finch. Every Christmas Eve day we met Uncle Jack at Maycomb Junction, and he would spend a week with us.

A flip of the coin revealed the uncompromising lineaments of Aunt Alexandra and Francis.

Scout and Jem spend every Christmas with Aunt Alexandra and her family at Finch's Landing. Aunt Alexandra often criticizes Scout. Both Scout and Jem do not like spending time with Francis, their cousin.

The reader also finds out that Scout is willing to fight anyone who insults her father, be it Cecil at school or her cousin Francis. She does this despite her father's warnings.

My fists were clenched and I was ready to let fly. Atticus had promised me he would wear me out if he ever heard of me fighting any more; I was far too old and too big for such childish things, and the sooner I learned to hold in, the better off everybody would be. I soon forgot.

Cecil Jacobs made me forget. He had announced in the schoolyard the day before that Scout Finch's daddy defended niggers. I denied it, but told Jem.

Why did both Northerners and Southerners reject John Crittenden's compromise?

For the most part, I would say that this question misstates the facts about the “Crittenden Compromise.”  As you can see in the link below, when the compromise came up for a vote in the Senate, all of the senators who voted against it were Republicans.  This means that they were all from the North as there were no Republican senators from the South in those days.

Northerners opposed the Crittenden Compromise because they felt...

For the most part, I would say that this question misstates the facts about the “Crittenden Compromise.”  As you can see in the link below, when the compromise came up for a vote in the Senate, all of the senators who voted against it were Republicans.  This means that they were all from the North as there were no Republican senators from the South in those days.

Northerners opposed the Crittenden Compromise because they felt that it gave too much to the South.  Free soil advocates like Abraham Lincoln rejected the idea of allowing slavery to expand farther than it already had.  They did not like Crittenden’s ideas because his compromise would have guaranteed that slavery would exist everywhere below the Missouri Compromise line that was not already a state.  This meant that slavery would exist outside of the areas where it was legal at the time.  This bothered many Northerners, and it would have required the Republicans to give in on most of their major positions with respect to slavery.

If we have to say that the South opposed the compromise, we can say that they did so because they just wanted to secede.  There were six senators who abstained from voting and all of them were from Southern states that were in the process of leaving the Union.  We can say that they opposed it because they just wanted to create their own country instead of trying to compromise with the North. 

What are some quotations from To Kill a Mockingbird?

It really depends on what theme or issue you are exploring, but there are some commonly quoted parts of the book.  Most of these relate to the theme of coming of age or injustice.  I have chosen some and explained them here.

The first significant quote is a conversation between Atticus and Scout.  Scout is upset by her teacher’s reaction to her at school.  She and Miss Caroline have many conflicts.  Atticus tries to teach Scout that sometimes the key to getting along with people is to try to see things from their perspective.

“First of all,” he said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-”

“Sir?”

“-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Ch. 3)

Empathy is an important lesson for any child to learn, and it is part of growing up.  It is especially important for Scout, because she will face some challenges soon.  Atticus knows this, and he tries to guide her in her interactions with others.

Another concept that is key to the novel is the concept of courage.  Scout and Jem will have to face injustice and come to an understanding of it as they get older and it gets closer to the trial of Tom Robinson.  Atticus tries to teach his children the importance of moral courage.  He explains to them that Mrs. Dubose was brave because she fought her illness and addiction.

I wanted you to see something about her—I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s 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) 

This is important because Scout and Jem will both have to understand that their father is brave for fighting for Tom Robinson against impossible odds. He wants them to understand why he is doing it, even though winning is unlikely.  He is setting an example for them that some things are worth doing even though they are hard.

When the children get guns for Christmas, Atticus explains to them that guns are not to be used to target the innocent.  Scout is surprised that her father says it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, because he never says anything is a sin.  She asks Miss Maudie, who explains what Atticus means. 

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (Ch. 10)

The mockingbirds are symbolic.  Scout realizes this later.  Mockingbirds do not harm anyone; their singing is only good for people.  They are easy targets.  Scout later realizes that people can be mockingbirds too, and society targeted Tom Robinson and Boo Radley for being different.

Who is Dorian Gray? |

Dorian Gray is an exceptionally attractive young man who has been befriended by the painter Basil Hallward. At the beginning of the story, Basil is discussing Dorian, the subject of his most recent painting, with his friend Lord Henry Wotton. Lord Henry tells Basil that the portrait is his best work, and he wants to know more about the man it represents. Basil says that, when he first saw Dorian at a party, “’[He] knew...

Dorian Gray is an exceptionally attractive young man who has been befriended by the painter Basil Hallward. At the beginning of the story, Basil is discussing Dorian, the subject of his most recent painting, with his friend Lord Henry Wotton. Lord Henry tells Basil that the portrait is his best work, and he wants to know more about the man it represents. Basil says that, when he first saw Dorian at a party, “’[He] knew that [he] had come face to face with some one whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if [he] allowed it to do so, it would absorb [his] whole nature, [his] whole soul, [his] very art itself.’” Inspired by Dorian’s innocence and goodness and beauty, Basil has made a point to see him every day, even if only for a few minutes, because, as he says, “’[…] a few minutes with somebody one worships mean a great deal.’” Dorian has become Basil’s muse, his inspiration, his idol, and Basil believes that the work he’s done since he met Dorian is the best work he’s ever done.

Basil is devoted to Dorian, and this is why he asks Lord Henry to stay away from him. Perhaps he sees a kernel of cruelty in Dorian that, if cultivated by someone like Lord Henry, will grow. He says that he occasionally feels as though he has “given away [his] whole soul to some one who treats it as if it were a flower to put in his coat” because Dorian can be “horribly thoughtless” at times “and seems to take a real delight in giving [him] pain.” Thus, Dorian’s nature does include a capacity for mercilessness, even in the beginning.

Despite Basil’s request, however, Lord Henry befriends and corrupts Dorian, influencing him to see the world in terms of the pleasure it can offer him instead of in terms of what is right and good. In the meantime, Basil has given Dorian the portrait, but the friends grow further and further apart as a result of Lord Henry’s effect on Dorian. Therefore, Dorian Gray is a good man who is too easily corrupted by pleasure, and he becomes a hedonist who cares little to nothing for others and seeks only to gratify himself. He ultimately kills Basil, providing further evidence of his moral declension.

How does Mary Shelley present guilt and remorse in Frankenstein?

In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley seems to show that guilt and remorse are, ultimately, not very big motivators to change one's behavior.  Victor feels incredibly guilty after the monster he creates kills his brother, William, and frames Justine, who is executed as punishment for her "crime." However, his guilt ultimately does nothing to encourage him to behave differently.  Does he confess now and take responsibility for his part in these crimes?  No. He allows Justine...

In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley seems to show that guilt and remorse are, ultimately, not very big motivators to change one's behavior.  Victor feels incredibly guilty after the monster he creates kills his brother, William, and frames Justine, who is executed as punishment for her "crime." However, his guilt ultimately does nothing to encourage him to behave differently.  Does he confess now and take responsibility for his part in these crimes?  No. He allows Justine to die when he knows that his creature is really to blame. Even after her death, he fails to confess and, in doing so, fails to protect his remaining family.  He talks a lot about his guilt but does nothing different.

Further, at the end of the story, the creature himself addresses Captain Walton regarding the guilt and remorse he feels for having killed so many innocent people: Henry Clerval, Elizabeth, Frankenstein, etc.  However, his growing regret has had no effect whatsoever on his behavior.  He hated killing Henry Clerval, but he still proceeded to kill Elizabeth.  Ultimately, then, it seems that -- in Frankenstein at least -- guilt and remorse are far smaller motivators than ambition and revenge.

Why was the conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States described as a cold war?

The conflict between the USSR and the United States was called the "Cold War" because neither side ever directly engaged the other in a military battle. Both the USSR and United States engaged in proxy wars, such as Vietnam and Korea, in which each side backed or directly fought for governments that the other side opposed, with financial and military assistance.

Remember that the Cold War was a struggle between ideologies, in which each side...

The conflict between the USSR and the United States was called the "Cold War" because neither side ever directly engaged the other in a military battle. Both the USSR and United States engaged in proxy wars, such as Vietnam and Korea, in which each side backed or directly fought for governments that the other side opposed, with financial and military assistance.

Remember that the Cold War was a struggle between ideologies, in which each side aimed to bring as many other countries under its sphere of influence. The goal for the United States was not necessarily to gain territory, but rather to halt the spread of Communism and to support any and all governments that resisted it and/or aligned themselves with American interests. This strategy, first articulated under The Truman Doctrine, named for President Truman, came to be known as Containment.

The goal for both sides was generally to avoid a direct, "hot war," if possible, because both sides had vast arsenals of nuclear weapons, and each country came to understand that a nuclear war would likely wipe out human civilization. This theory became known as Mutually Assured Destruction. So while the threat of a third world war and a resulting nuclear holocaust hovered over the almost fifty year conflict, both countries went out of their way to avoid that scenario. 

How does becoming a mother change Cleofilas's outlook on her situation in Woman Hollering Creek? Does she define herself through motherhood?

Becoming a mother does in fact change the way that Cleófilas perceives her desperate situation, but not in the way readers may initially expect. Sandra Cisneros subverts readers’ expectations that Cleófilas will somehow be driven to escape her abusive husband to protect her child by having Cleófilas subtly acknowledge her child as an extra burden. Cleófilas does not define herself as a mother; indeed, it is society that defines her this way. When she considers...

Becoming a mother does in fact change the way that Cleófilas perceives her desperate situation, but not in the way readers may initially expect. Sandra Cisneros subverts readers’ expectations that Cleófilas will somehow be driven to escape her abusive husband to protect her child by having Cleófilas subtly acknowledge her child as an extra burden. Cleófilas does not define herself as a mother; indeed, it is society that defines her this way. When she considers going back to her father’s house to leave her abusive, uncouth husband, she mentally runs through the societal consequences that she would face:   

 “Sometimes she thinks of her father's house. But how could she go back there? What a disgrace. What would the neighbors say? Coming home like that with one baby on her hip and one in the oven. Where's your husband?” (50).

Cleófilas is unable to run from her dire situation because she has the added responsibility of being encumbered by a child. In one particularly dark scene, she contemplates the story of La Llorona, and relates to the grim tale:

“Is it La Llorona, the weeping woman? La Llorona, who drowned her own children.... La Llorona calling to her. She is sure of it. Cleófilas sets the baby's Donald Duck blanket on the grass. Listens. The day sky turning to night. The baby pulling up fistfuls of grass and laughing. La Llorona. Wonders if something as quiet as this drives a woman to the darkness under the trees” (51).

The subtext of this quote is that Cleófilas understands the plight of La Llorona, and can relate to the story. It is only when Cleófilas encounters the free-spirited Felice that she seems to be actively changed. Thus, it is not her status as a mother that influences Cleófilas to change and grow, but rather when she witnesses genuine feminine strength and independence. Only then does she decides to no longer play the role of a victim and grows beyond her restrictive societal script as a long-suffering mother.

What was the fate of sailors that heard the Sirens' song in ancient mythology?

The Sirens, found in Greek mythology, represent a group of two, or sometimes three, creatures that were described as "half bird and half woman." The Sirens were regarded as dangerous because it was said that their singing abilities, coupled with their ability to play the lyre, attracted sailors passing by. These sailors were said to then venture off course towards the Sirens, and would become so enticed with the Sirens' singing that they would become...

The Sirens, found in Greek mythology, represent a group of two, or sometimes three, creatures that were described as "half bird and half woman." The Sirens were regarded as dangerous because it was said that their singing abilities, coupled with their ability to play the lyre, attracted sailors passing by. These sailors were said to then venture off course towards the Sirens, and would become so enticed with the Sirens' singing that they would become fated to die. It is never directly stated however that the Sirens killed the sailors they enticed. Most famously, the Greek writer Homer, in his book Odyssey, mentions the Sirens. In this story, the Sirens attempt to lure the famous Odysseus and his crew towards them. Odysseus, wary of what happened to sailors who heard the Sirens’ song, still wanted to hear it for himself. To make this possible, he forced his crew to plug their ears with wax so that they could continue sailing without hearing the Sirens. He then was tied to the ship's mast, allowing him to listen to the song without leading the ship astray.

What are positives and negatives for absolute monarchy?

It is easy for us to think of the negative aspects of an absolute monarchy.  We live in a democratic country and so we have been told ever since we were young why monarchy is bad and democracy is good.  One major reason for this is that, in an absolute monarchy, no one has any guaranteed rights.  The monarch has the right to do whatever he or she wants at any time.  The monarch could take your land or other property.  They could throw you in jail because they did not like what you had said.  There was no guarantee of any sort of rights because the monarch was all-powerful.  The second major problem is that there is nothing to protect the people and the country from the whims of a bad absolute monarch.  If the absolute monarch is a bad person, or simply has harmful ideas, there is no defense.  There is no one to stop the monarch from getting their way.  The monarch can, without anyone to check them, enact policies that are evil or policies that are simply destructive and harmful.  These are the main negative aspects of having an absolute monarchy and they are very powerful arguments against such a system of government.

However, we can say that there was at least one good thing about having absolute monarchy.  The greatest positive point about this system is that ensured that things in a country could get done quickly and efficiently.  Here in the United States, we have a political system that prevents the government from doing anything quickly.  Our system has all sorts of checks and balances that make it hard to get things done.  For example, we all know that something needs to be done to our system of entitlements, but our leaders cannot agree on what to do so nothing gets done.  The same is true of our tax code.  In an absolute monarchy, this does not happen.  If the monarch has an idea, that idea can be implemented very quickly because there is no one to say “no” to the monarch.  Right now, that might look good to some Americans who feel frustrated by the lack of action by our democratic government.

So, the great thing about an absolute monarchy is that it can get things done quickly.  However, the flip side of this is that the monarch can do terrible things (or just misguided things) just as easily as they can do good things.  This means that the absolute monarchy is efficient, but it also means that there is nothing to mitigate the harm that a bad absolute monarch can do to the country.

What is the theme of "The Minister's Black Veil"?

The theme of this short story addresses the subject of sin and the fact that each of us is a sinner, though we all attempt to conceal our sinfulness from one another.  The subject of Mr. Hooper's first sermon after he begins to wear the veil is this "secret sin," and every single parishioner, hearing his words, feels as if he had "discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or thought."  In other words, from the...

The theme of this short story addresses the subject of sin and the fact that each of us is a sinner, though we all attempt to conceal our sinfulness from one another.  The subject of Mr. Hooper's first sermon after he begins to wear the veil is this "secret sin," and every single parishioner, hearing his words, feels as if he had "discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or thought."  In other words, from the innocent young maiden to the oldest and most "hardened" man, not a one feels him or herself to be without sin, though, as Mr. Hooper suggests, we "would [all] fain conceal" this from our fellows, ourselves, and even God.  He wears the veil, then, as a symbol of the way in which we attempt to hide our true sinful natures from the world; we each hold up a figurative veil before our real selves, and this is an incredibly sad state of affairs for the minister.  We seem to care more about the appearance of sinlessness than actually becoming sinless.

How has American “equality” changed since Alexis de Tocqueville’s time?

When Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America was published, in 1835, it would be difficult to argue that the United States this learned Frenchman toured and studied at length had achieved the full measure of equality that contemporary students understandably expect of their governing institutions and culture. De Tocqueville’s observations of America occurred within the context of a world the history of which had little experience with democratic forms of government, and none that were born of democratic principles. Even the French Revolution, the nation of de Tocqueville’s heritage and citizenship, with its rallying cry and principle of “liberty, equality, fraternity,” would fail to achieve those standards for almost 200 years. Yet, here, in North America, was a living embodiment of democratic principles that provided the foundation for the creation of a new nation. This was very different, and de Tocqueville was dutifully impressed with America’s commitment to liberty and equality. As noted, however, “liberty and equality” were concepts manifested in accordance with the context of the time. When de Tocqueville visited America, the issue of slavery was still unresolved—the Emancipation Proclamation would not be signed until 1863—and women would not achieve some measure of equality until ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920. As such, concepts of equality could be said to have evolved considerably since de Tocqueville’s travels to America.

If the America of the early-19th century lagged in its application of the concept of equality, it could be fairly said to possess within itself the instruments of its own social, cultural and economic advancement, and, in this, our visitor from France was more than a little prescient. In his two-volume Democracy in America, de Tocqueville observed that “[t]he great privilege of the Americans does not simply consist in their being more enlightened than other nations, but in their being able to repair the faults they may commit.” Americans, as de Tocqueville pointed out, do not suffer from a shortage of national self-flagellation. Americans are quite possibly among the most introspective people on the planet, and struggles for varying concepts of “equality” have never, and apparently will never cease. Americans have evolved from discussions of equality based upon color of skin to discussions of equality based upon one’s concept of one’s sexuality. This is not to say that the United States has solved all of its racial, ethnic, cultural and religious conflicts; it has not, and probably will never be so successful. It is to the United States’ merit, however, that its population remains in a perpetual state of debate regarding concepts of equality.

Discuss the tensions that develop when Scout asks Atticus if she can visit Calpurnia's home.

In Chapter 12, Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to First Purchase African M. E. Church for Sunday service. Scout has a wonderful time and gains insight into Calpurnia's life. Scout asks Calpurnia if she can visit her home, and Cal kindly tells Scout that she is welcome.At the beginning of Chapter 13, Aunt Alexandra is waiting on their front porch and tells them that she will be staying with them for a while because...

In Chapter 12, Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to First Purchase African M. E. Church for Sunday service. Scout has a wonderful time and gains insight into Calpurnia's life. Scout asks Calpurnia if she can visit her home, and Cal kindly tells Scout that she is welcome. At the beginning of Chapter 13, Aunt Alexandra is waiting on their front porch and tells them that she will be staying with them for a while because Scout needs a feminine influence. In Chapter 14, Jem and Scout describe their experience at First Purchase and Scout mentions that Calpurnia invited her over to her house. Aunt Alexandra is appalled and tells Scout that she is certainly not allowed to go to Calpurnia's house. Scout sasses Alexandra and Atticus tells Scout to apologize. Scout says she's sorry and goes to the bathroom to gather herself. While she's in the bathroom, Scout overhears Alexandra arguing with Atticus. Alexandra tries to convince Atticus that Calpurnia is no longer needed, but Atticus defends Calpurnia. He tells his sister that Calpurnia is a tremendous help and that she has been a good influence on the children. When Scout returns from the bathroom, Jem leads Scout into his room and tells her to stop antagonizing Aunt Alexandra. Scout doesn't like Jem's "maddening superiority," and the two siblings engage in a physical altercation.

Alexandra's traditional, prejudiced feelings towards African Americans incite her argument with Atticus regarding Calpurnia's employment. Fortunately, Atticus is a morally upright individual and defends Cal's job. Jem and Scout even get into an altercation because of Scout's attitude after Alexandra tells Scout she is not allowed to go to Calpurnia's house.

What are some examples of Scout showing naivete in To Kill a Mockingbird?

When someone is naive it means that they lack certain knowledge and experience in a particular area. Usually, when one is referred to as naive, it means inexperienced with life in general, but it can be specific to a certain subject area as well. For Scout, she is just a little girl and naive to many of life's issues. For example, she's naive when she asks Atticus to define rape, when she runs to Atticus...

When someone is naive it means that they lack certain knowledge and experience in a particular area. Usually, when one is referred to as naive, it means inexperienced with life in general, but it can be specific to a certain subject area as well. For Scout, she is just a little girl and naive to many of life's issues. For example, she's naive when she asks Atticus to define rape, when she runs to Atticus while he's speaking with a lynch mob, and when Dill breaks down crying during the Tom Robinson trial.

First, Scout asks Atticus to define rape in chapter 14. Atticus gives her a law book definition: "He sighed, and said rape was carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent." Scout's reaction is completely naive: "Well if that's all it is why did Calpurnia dry me up when I asked her what it was?" (135). Had Scout really understood what Atticus said to her, her reaction would not have been so calm.

Next, in chapter 15, Scout doesn't truly understand the serious nature of the situation when the Cunninghams go to the jail. She only sees that her father is standing next to Tom's jail cell talking with some men. When she hears her father ask "Do you really think so?" she describes the scene as follows:

". . . it meant somebody's man would get jumped. This was too good to miss. I broke away from Jem and ran as fast as I could to Atticus. . . I pushed my way through dark smelly bodies and burst into a circle of light. 'H-ey Atticus!' I thought he would have a fine surprise, but his face killed my joy" (152).

Clearly, Scout is too naive to understand what a dangerous situation she just ran into.

Finally, during the trial in chapter 19, Dill starts crying during Mr. Gilmer's cross-examination of Tom because of how rude he was. Scout goes outside with him and naively says, "Well, Dill, after all he's just a Negro" (199). Her flippant remark proves that she does not understand Dill's intense feelings of empathy for Tom. He tries to explain it to her, but she doesn't understand, really. She thinks it's just how lawyers act, but when Dill doesn't accept that explanation, she falls back on what her community has taught her is the normal way to speak to people from the black community.

What is sales promotion? Describe the various sales promotion tools used by marketers. ...

Sales promotion is a part of a business’s marketing activities. In essence,sales promotions are short-term deals and business occasions such as online and/or in-store events to spur customers to buy. In addition, sales promotions involve methods of communicating with possible customers.The objective of sales promotion is to increase the sales of products and services.

The various sales promotion tools used by marketers include:

1. Bonus Packs

A popular sales promotion tools is the marketing of bonus packs. A business may typically sell something like deodorant as a single item off the shelf of its health and beauty aids section. To boost sales, it may offer a bonus pack of three packages of deodorant at a sales price. For example, the single deodorant may cost $3.99. However, the bonus pack may offer three deodorants for $9.00. Therefore, the consumer saves approximately $3.00 by buying this bonus pack and it is worthwhile to do as the consumer will use this product regularly throughout the year and may as well take advantage of this reduced cost.

2. Samples

A company can choose to offer free samples of its products to engage its customers and potential customers. This engagement is to get people to try its “tried and true” established products. This is for that customer segment that has not tried some of the business’s traditional product offerings.

In addition, giving free samples is also a way to get people to try new product offerings. It lets customers investigate whether these products suit their needs, and they can test these products without any cost to them. Subsequently, if some customers are pleased with the new product it spurs them to then purchase the products, and in many cases quite regularly thereafter.

3. Point-of-Purchase (POP) Displays

These kinds of displays are to compel people to buy a certain product or group of products. An instance is when you walk into a supermarket and you see a floor display or rack away from the main aisles or at the end of aisles featuring, for example, the now very popular coffee pods. The design of these in-store displays is to alert customers to a specific product.

These displays stand out from the crowd of other products resting in their usual shelf sections. These displays help customers ‘notice’ a product that a customer may never have noticed before on its regular shelf amidst hundreds of other products in a grocery store aisle.

4. Loyalty or VIP Programs

To build sales, a business may offer a loyalty program to regular customers. They will offer loyalty rewards to customers who make frequent purchases. These rewards can be coupons, gifts, free trips, free products, and more. The intention of these loyalty or VIP programs is to compel people to become and to remain regular customers so that the business can build up its stable of regular clientele.

5. Coupons

Many companies offer coupons that give customers a discount on their purchase. These can be “dollars off” coupons, “percentage off” coupons, “buy one, get one at half-price” coupons, as well as “buy one, get one free” coupons, among other coupon offerings. Coupons encourage customers to buy because they relate directly to helping customers save cash.

What is Ophelia’s physical description of Hamlet?

Ophelia describes Hamlet as having been very disheveled and frightening looking.

Ophelia is in love with Hamlet, and he was supposedly in love with her.  However, he has been acting very strange lately.  His behavior frightens Ophelia.  She describes to Polonius how she saw Hamlet when she was sewing.  He appeared very distracted, his clothes were disorderly, and his behavior was erratic.

Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced;No hat upon his head; his...

Ophelia describes Hamlet as having been very disheveled and frightening looking.

Ophelia is in love with Hamlet, and he was supposedly in love with her.  However, he has been acting very strange lately.  His behavior frightens Ophelia.  She describes to Polonius how she saw Hamlet when she was sewing.  He appeared very distracted, his clothes were disorderly, and his behavior was erratic.

Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced;
No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd,
Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle;
Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other;
And with a look so piteous in purport
As if he had been loosed out of hell … (Act 2, Scene 1)

Of course, Hamlet is playing with Ophelia.  It is sad really.  He needs her to sell his crazy act.  She bought it completely.  In case she wasn't really convinced, he also dumped her with the most offensive and demeaning break-up speech ever. 

Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a
breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest;
but yet I could accuse me of such things that it
were better my mother had not borne me: I am very
proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offences at
my beck than I have thoughts to put them in … (Act 3, Scene 1)

Ophelia doesn’t understand what is wrong with him or what she might have done to deserve this harsh treatment.  He must have always seemed like a sincere and upstanding youth before.  She described him that way.  However she is probably starting to believe the advice her brother Laertes gave her when he told her that Hamlet would betray her honor and then move on.

He messes with her again during the play when he says terrible things to her, further convincing her and anyone else who may be listening that he is completely mad.  He wants to get Claudius to confess to King Hamlet's murder. Ophelia is just the means to an end.  She is collateral damage.

What are the characteristics of Antigone that make her a heroine?

There are certain classic characteristics that Western heroes and heroines tend to exhibit in literature and plays. These characteristics are flaws, determination, compassion, a sense of justice, curiosity, and a sense of self. Antigone exhibits all six of these characteristics at some point in Antigone.  

Flaws: From the very beginning of the play, Antigone demonstrates that she has character flaws. She is impulsive, demanding and self-righteous. However, these flaws are also her strengths.

Determination: ...

There are certain classic characteristics that Western heroes and heroines tend to exhibit in literature and plays. These characteristics are flaws, determination, compassion, a sense of justice, curiosity, and a sense of self. Antigone exhibits all six of these characteristics at some point in Antigone.  

Flaws: From the very beginning of the play, Antigone demonstrates that she has character flaws. She is impulsive, demanding and self-righteous. However, these flaws are also her strengths.

Determination: Antigone is extremely determined to accomplish her goals, no matter the personal costs. 

Compassion: Despite her strong nature, Antigone demonstrates compassion towards her sister. 

A sense of justice: Antigone's sense of justice is one of her strongest character traits. She believes her brother has been robbed of a proper burial, and so she is going to avenge this wrongdoing. 

Curiosity: Antigone is curious about other characters' intentions. She seeks to understand, but she also knows what she must do, despite her actions being rejected by others. 

A sense of self: Antigone has a strong sense of self that is apparent throughout the entire play. This sense of self affects all the characters around Antigone. 

What did White Fang call the tepees in the Indian camp in White Fang?

After living the first months of his life in the wild, White Fang is exposed to humans and the way they live when he is found by a group of men. This learning process has a profound effect on the puppy as he comes to view the works of humans as signs of mastery over their world, including him. One of the things he experiences is the erection of teepees when the rest of the village arrives and makes camp.

White Fang is scared of the tepees at first, as they seem to grow up around him. He has never experienced anything like them, and he fears that they are living beings that may hurt him in some way:

They arose around him, on every side, like some monstrous quick-growing form of life. They occupied nearly the whole circumference of his field of vision. He was afraid of them. They loomed ominously above him; and when the breeze stirred them into huge movements, he cowered down in fear, keeping his eyes warily upon them, and prepared to spring away if they attempted to precipitate themselves upon him.

The apparent growth of the structures and the flapping of the hide coverings are alien to the still-wild puppy—he has never seen anything being built, nor does he know how to interpret the movement of the tepee coverings other than to conclude that they are alive. Further, because he has already come to learn that things larger than himself are a danger, he is terrified of their tremendous size. Thus, he first thinks of them as a monstrous form of life.

He quickly learns, however, that the tepees themselves mean him no harm, and he is soon not afraid of them at all. He does, however, continue to associate their construction with the perceived mastery of humans over their world.

Explain the main points in the evolution of the Cold War.

There were several factors leading to the beginning of the Cold War. As World War II was about to end, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and the United States reached several agreements about the post-war world. When these agreements weren’t followed, that was a sign there would be problems.

One agreement dealt with the new government in Poland. The agreement indicated there would be free elections in Poland to decide the new government. The plan...

There were several factors leading to the beginning of the Cold War. As World War II was about to end, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and the United States reached several agreements about the post-war world. When these agreements weren’t followed, that was a sign there would be problems.

One agreement dealt with the new government in Poland. The agreement indicated there would be free elections in Poland to decide the new government. The plan was to have some members of the pre-war government in the new government. After the war, there was no sign of free elections, and the new government had few members of the pre-war government in it.

Another agreement stated that countries in Europe would be free to choose their own form of government after the war ended. This agreement was called the Declaration of Liberated Europe. However, the King of Romania said he was pressured to have a communist government in Romania.

The Soviet Union tried to spread communism. In response, we developed a policy called containment. The goal of this policy was designed to prevent communism from spreading. This set up a series of confrontations between the Soviet Union and the United States.

There were attempts to spread communism throughout Europe. With the European Recovery Plan, we were able to help European countries such as Greece and Turkey from becoming communist by providing aid to these countries. When the Soviet Union tried to force us out of West Berlin by blocking all the land routes into West Berlin, we responded to this blockade, called the Berlin Blockade, by flying supplies over the blockade into West Berlin. This was known as the Berlin Airlift. The Berlin Airlift continued until the Soviet Union ended the Berlin Blockade.

When North Korea, backed by the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea, we went to the United Nations to stop this invasion. A multinational force was created by the United Nations. This force, led by the United States, helped prevent South Korea from becoming communist.

The United States and the Soviet Union continued to confront each other until the end of the Cold War. The Cold War lasted until 1990 when the communist system collapsed throughout Eastern Europe.

How does W. D. Wetherell create sympathy for the narrator in "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant"?

W. D. Wetherell's short story “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” is about a fourteen-year-old torn between two desires: his love of fishing and the allure of the beautiful but unattainable seventeen-year-old Sheila Mant.

Writers usually try to create sympathy for the main character on the part of the reader. Often this is done by finding a way to get the reader to identify with the character. The theme applies to everyone. After all...

W. D. Wetherell's short story “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” is about a fourteen-year-old torn between two desires: his love of fishing and the allure of the beautiful but unattainable seventeen-year-old Sheila Mant.

Writers usually try to create sympathy for the main character on the part of the reader. Often this is done by finding a way to get the reader to identify with the character. The theme applies to everyone. After all of his efforts and the sacrifice of the largest bass he might have ever caught, the narrator (who is nameless in the story) is finally snubbed at the concert to which he took Sheila:

We walked to the fair—there was the smell of popcorn, the sound of guitars. I may have danced once or twice with her, but all I really remember is her coming over to me once the music was done to explain that she would be going home in Eric Caswell’s Corvette.

The reader knows that the young narrator's crush is doomed from the start. We don't even particularly like Sheila: she's much too self-centered and shallow for our narrator, who has an appreciation for the stars above the lake:

They weren’t as sharp anywhere else; they seemed to have chosen the river as a guide on their slow wheel toward morning, and in the course of the summer’s fishing, I had learned all their names.

We sympathize with this character because we recognize his sensitive nature, and we know that he's in for disappointment that he doesn't deserve. We have all been there. As with all well drawn characters, we see ourselves in him.

In the summer of 1930, what did Everett Ruess do in Into The Wild?

While narrating the story of Chris McCandless, Jon Krakauer, the author of Into the Wild, compares McCandless to other men who went off into the wilderness and were ultimately never seen again. The most important comparison is made with Everett Ruess who disappeared in the wilderness of southern Utah in 1934. Like McCandless, Reuss was overcome by the beauty of nature. Also like McCandless, Reuss came from a good family, was socially charming and...

While narrating the story of Chris McCandless, Jon Krakauer, the author of Into the Wild, compares McCandless to other men who went off into the wilderness and were ultimately never seen again. The most important comparison is made with Everett Ruess who disappeared in the wilderness of southern Utah in 1934. Like McCandless, Reuss was overcome by the beauty of nature. Also like McCandless, Reuss came from a good family, was socially charming and educated. Nevertheless, he yearned to explore the natural world, mostly by backpack with little or no money.

In the summer of 1930 Reuss hitchhiked around California, particularly in Yosemite and Big Sur. He was only sixteen. During that summer he met the famed photographer Edward Weston and spent time at Weston's Carmel studio. Weston was a contemporary of Ansel Adams and is most famous for his photographs of natural forms including landscapes. Krakauer reports that Weston encouraged Reuss's artistic talent. 

Krakauer draws several parallels between Reuss and McCandless. They were both reckless romantics and both adopted alternate names, McCandless, the moniker Alexander Supertramp, and Reuss several different names including Nemo, the character from the Jules Verne novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Like Nemo, Reuss attempted to break away from "organized society" and "worldly pleasures." The name and date, "NEMO 1934" were later found inscribed on a rock near Davis Gulch in Utah.

Does Victor Frankenstein show any positive moral qualities or follow Biblical principles or is he amoral throughout the book?

Victor himself derives his character from three different figures, the mythological Greek sculptor Prometheus, the God of Milton's Paradise Lost, and Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary's husband. Although the plot is purely secular and is based on scientific explanations of the world rather than supernatural ones, there are elements of religious morality in the story.

Of the characters, Victor, like Mary's atheist husband Percy, has no overt religious beliefs. In his role as Creator, therefore,...

Victor himself derives his character from three different figures, the mythological Greek sculptor Prometheus, the God of Milton's Paradise Lost, and Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary's husband. Although the plot is purely secular and is based on scientific explanations of the world rather than supernatural ones, there are elements of religious morality in the story.

Of the characters, Victor, like Mary's atheist husband Percy, has no overt religious beliefs. In his role as Creator, therefore, he fails to provide the spiritual nurture that the monster needs. Rather than looking on his creation and finding it good, seeing past the monster's outer form to its craving for love, acceptance, and moral teaching, instead Victor recoils from what he has done in creating his monster, and does not really take responsibility for his acts, leading to the deaths of innocent people. 

Even at the end of the book, his seeking to kill the monster is not really a moral act, but rather one of self-preservation. In many ways, one can say that Victor is the moral monster of the book, brilliant, self-centered, and irresponsible (somewhat like Mary's husband Percy) and the monster a potentially good creation that was ruined by bad parenting. 

How would you characterize George Reedy's opinion of the power of the U.S. presidency?

George Reedy, a former aide and press secretary to President Lyndon B. Johnson (who took a leave of absence over his agreement with Johnson's policies in Vietnam), wrote The Twilight of the Presidencyin 1970. Reedy's critique of the Presidency was that U.S. Presidents had far too much power. Reedy thought that the President's power was not checked sufficiently, even given the checks and balances in the Constitution, so the President's only restraint was his...

George Reedy, a former aide and press secretary to President Lyndon B. Johnson (who took a leave of absence over his agreement with Johnson's policies in Vietnam), wrote The Twilight of the Presidency in 1970. Reedy's critique of the Presidency was that U.S. Presidents had far too much power. Reedy thought that the President's power was not checked sufficiently, even given the checks and balances in the Constitution, so the President's only restraint was his or her character. In fact, the office of the President, in Reedy's view, had become almost regal in nature, and the President's aides and members of Congress were too afraid to challenge the President. The President was surrounded by yes men and women. As a result, the President became distanced from the views of the average person and from the real problems of the country. The President's aides and Congress members only criticized the President once they left the government, giving rise to a sense of paranoia on the part of the President that he or she was being unfairly attacked by people who were formerly his or her supporters. 

How has Scout been shaped and influenced by society in scenes prior to the trial in "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

With the Jim Crow Laws in effect during the time setting of the 1930s, Scout thinks that certain ideas about black people are simply a matter of course.

In Chapter 10, for instance, when the rabid Tim Johnson staggers down the street and Calpurnia rushes to warn the neighbors, she runs to the front door of the Radleys and cries out to them because they have no phone. Watching her, Scout automatically remarks to Jem,...

With the Jim Crow Laws in effect during the time setting of the 1930s, Scout thinks that certain ideas about black people are simply a matter of course.

In Chapter 10, for instance, when the rabid Tim Johnson staggers down the street and Calpurnia rushes to warn the neighbors, she runs to the front door of the Radleys and cries out to them because they have no phone. Watching her, Scout automatically remarks to Jem, "She's supposed to go around in back." Later, she questions her father about a term that she has heard him called on more than one occasion--"a n****r lover"--because she does not understand what this term means, nor its implications. 

Further, in Chapter 16, as Scout, Jem, and Dill are waiting outside the courthouse, they observe Mr. Dolphus Raymond, who has been ostracized from white society because he lives by himself near the county line. In this area he has "a colored woman" and mixed children. Jem explains that the children are "real sad" because they are not accepted by either race. But, two of them have gone "up North" where "they don't mind 'em."

When the children are outside the courthouse because the sensitive Dill has started crying from hearing the abusive tone Mr. Gilmer uses with the defendant, Tom Robinson, Dill tells Scout that he did not like the way Mr. Gilmer talked to Tom, but Scout excuses Mr. Gilmer's tone and his derogatory calling of Tom the pejorative term, "boy," saying that he is supposed to act that way in cross-examination. But Dill retorts, 

"I know all that, Scout. It was the way he said it made me sick, plain sick."

Because of her environmental conditioning, Scout merely replies, "Well, Dill, after all he's just a Negro," indicating her unthinking acceptance of the different standard set for the treatment of blacks, a standard under which she has grown up and which she has taken as acceptable behavior.

What three reasons does Lord Capulet give Count Paris for not wanting Juliet to marry so quickly?

In Act I, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet, Count Paris asks Lord Capulet for Juliet's hand in marriage. Lord Capulet gives three good reasons why they should wait. First, Juliet is too young. She's only thirteen, and Capulet wants her to be two years older before she marries. Secondly, Paris argues that there are girls Juliet's age who are already mothers, and Capulet responds that those girls are "marred" who have given birth...

In Act I, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet, Count Paris asks Lord Capulet for Juliet's hand in marriage. Lord Capulet gives three good reasons why they should wait. First, Juliet is too young. She's only thirteen, and Capulet wants her to be two years older before she marries. Secondly, Paris argues that there are girls Juliet's age who are already mothers, and Capulet responds that those girls are "marred" who have given birth so young (it may be a reference to his own wife, who says in Scene 3 that she was Juliet's age when she gave birth to the girl). Third, Capulet notes that Juliet is his only child and he wants her to be happy. He urges Paris to win Juliet's love. He says that he will only agree to the marriage if Juliet is happy in the match. He says,

But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart;
My will to her consent is but a part.
And, she agreed, within her scope of choice
Lies my consent and fair according voice.

Later in the play, however, Capulet changes his mind and arranges for a very quick marriage between Juliet and Paris after the death of Tybalt.

Explain the poem "War Is Kind."

The poem, published in 1899 by Stephen Crane, speaks ironically and points out the cruelty of war. Stanzas one, three, and five are written in second person, each addressing a different woman who has lost a loved one in battle. In the first stanza, a maiden who has lost her lover is told not to weep because war is kind. The picture of the woman's lover raising his hands and falling off the horse in...

The poem, published in 1899 by Stephen Crane, speaks ironically and points out the cruelty of war. Stanzas one, three, and five are written in second person, each addressing a different woman who has lost a loved one in battle. In the first stanza, a maiden who has lost her lover is told not to weep because war is kind. The picture of the woman's lover raising his hands and falling off the horse in death depicts war in the era of horse-mounted cavalry. The command to not weep is ironic because, of course, the woman will not be able to stop her tears. The statement that war is kind is verbal irony; it is clear that war has not been kind to the woman or to the fallen soldier.

The third stanza tells a daughter ('babe") not to weep because her father perished in "the yellow trenches." Although this could simply be a reference to the color of the sandy soil soldiers dug their trenches in, it could also allude to yellow fever, which killed more American soldiers during the Spanish Civil War than fighting did. (Crane had covered the war as a journalist and contracted yellow fever himself in Cuba in 1898.) Again, the command not to weep and the statement that war is kind are ironic.

The final stanza tells a mother not to weep for her fallen son. 

The second and fourth stanzas are indented and use a different voice. While the other stanzas seem somewhat sympathetic to the women grieving their lost loved ones, these stanzas seem to fully embrace the military effort and the way it takes advantage of its men. Crane's poetry often used two contrasting voices that taken together produce an overall message. Here the indented stanzas form a type of Chorus that iterates the outlook of the military system, which considers its soldiers "little souls" and "men [who] were born to drill and die." These stanzas use hyperbole to overstate the attitude of the military: "Great is the battle god," and "Point for them the virtue of slaughter, / Make plain to them the excellence of killing." By juxtaposing these stanzas that represent the view of the armed services with the stanzas that focus in on the pain and suffering that war causes to individuals, Crane creates an even stronger negative emotion toward war. 

What happens in the poem "Alabanza" by Martin Espada? What evidence can I use to describe it?

Alabanza is a celebration of the lives of 43 members of Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local l00, a union that included staff who worked at the Windows on the World restaurant. All 43 employees were killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

“Alabanza” is the Spanish word for praise. In his poem, Martin Espada memorializes different members of the kitchen and waitstaff, describing at different times their physical appearances, home cultures (see example 1), and their labor, as well as the fragile beauty of the human experience (see example 2).

Example 1:

“Praise the cook with a shaven head  
and a tattoo on his shoulder that said Oye,  
a blue-eyed Puerto Rican with people from Fajardo,  
the harbor of pirates centuries ago.  
Praise the lighthouse in Fajardo, candle  
glimmering white to worship the dark saint of the sea.  
Alabanza. Praise the cook’s yellow Pirates cap  
worn in the name of Roberto Clemente, his plane  
that flamed into the ocean loaded with cans for Nicaragua,  
for all the mouths chewing the ash of earthquakes.  
Alabanza. Praise the kitchen radio, dial clicked  
even before the dial on the oven, so that music and Spanish  
rose before bread. Praise the bread. Alabanza.”

The picture that Espada paints of this “blue-eyed Puerto Rican” with his “shaven head and a tattoo…that said Oye,” just one such description in the poem (see the waitress, busboy, dishwasher), is wonderfully vivid, and successfully brings the reader into the lives of these doomed people. It renders them real to us, and makes us feel both their fragility as well as our own.

Example 2:

“Praise the kitchen in the morning,  
where the gas burned blue on every stove  
and exhaust fans fired their diminutive propellers,  
hands cracked eggs with quick thumbs  
or sliced open cartons to build an altar of cans.”  

The primary theme of the poem is praise. Espada repeats the word, in both Spanish and English throughout the poem, detailing the lives of the dead workers, and what makes his celebration of them particularly beautiful are the tiny details he highlights, allowing readers to grasp the commonalities that all humans share.

Example 3:    

“Alabanza. Praise the dish-dog, the dishwasher  
who worked that morning because another dishwasher  
could not stop coughing, or because he needed overtime  
to pile the sacks of rice and beans for a family  
floating away on some Caribbean island plagued by frogs.  
Alabanza. Praise the waitress who heard the radio in the kitchen
and sang to herself about a man gone. Alabanza.”  

The poem’s final two stanzas concern the terror of the attack itself (see example 4), as well as the transcendence of the human soul (see example 5). The final stanzas also address the human cost of the attacks and the military response to them.

Example 4:

“…thunder wilder than thunder,  
after the shudder deep in the glass of the great windows,  
after the radio stopped singing like a tree full of terrified frogs,  
after night burst the dam of day and flooded the kitchen,  
for a time the stoves glowed in darkness like the lighthouse in Fajardo,
like a cook’s soul.”

“Thunder wilder than thunder” refers to the cataclysmic boom of the airliners hitting the towers; “shudder deep in the glass of the great windows” refers to the actual shaking of the building after the impact and as the building began to collapse.

Example 5:

“Soul I say, even if the dead cannot tell us  
about the bristles of God’s beard because God has no face,  
soul I say, to name the smoke-beings flung in constellations  
across the night sky of this city and cities to come.  
Alabanza I say, even if God has no face.  

Alabanza. When the war began, from Manhattan and Kabul  
two constellations of smoke rose and drifted to each other,  
mingling in icy air, and one said with an Afghan tongue:  
Teach me to dance. We have no music here.
And the other said with a Spanish tongue:  
I will teach you. Music is all we have.”

In the final stanza, Espada also imagines the smoke that emanated from the sites of the terrorist attacks (Manhattan) and military response (Kabul) intermingling with one another after the destruction and suffering. The image is beautiful and poignant, with the Afghan smoke asking the Spanish smoke (note that the American smoke “speaks” Spanish, the language of the deceased restaurant employees) to teach it to dance. The Spanish smoke agrees, “I will teach you, Music is all we have.”

What is the play Romeo and Juliet about?

This play is about two feuding families in the city of Verona, Italy. The families, called the Capulets and the Montagues, hate each other, fight each other and except for fighting, refuse to have anything to do with each other. Then, one night, Romeo and some friends, all Montagues, crash a Capulet masquerade ball, which they can do because they can wear disguises. There, Romeo meets and falls in love with Juliet, a Capulet, and...

This play is about two feuding families in the city of Verona, Italy. The families, called the Capulets and the Montagues, hate each other, fight each other and except for fighting, refuse to have anything to do with each other. Then, one night, Romeo and some friends, all Montagues, crash a Capulet masquerade ball, which they can do because they can wear disguises. There, Romeo meets and falls in love with Juliet, a Capulet, and she falls in love with him. This is the ultimate "forbidden love" because nobody in either family would ever allow these two to get together. They have to carry on very quietly, and they marry in secret.

Unfortunately, Romeo kills a relative of Juliet's named Tybalt after Tybalt has killed Romeo's friend Mercutio. Romeo is banished from Verona for this crime. Meanwhile, Juliet's parents, unaware she married, plan to marry her off. She takes a magic potion that makes her look like she is dead so that she won't have to marry her suitor, Paris. In reality, she is asleep. She sends a message to Romeo that she is not really dead. However, he never gets the message. He creeps into Verona to see her being buried in the family crypt. He kills himself, thinking she is dead. She awakes, sees him dead and kills herself. When the families find out what has happened, they realize how damaging their feud has been and end it. 

The play is about the damage caused by feuding and shows that love can transcend hate. 

What does the speaker mean in the following two lines from the poem "The Old Woman's Message" by Kumalau Tawali?"Let them keep the price of their...

Included in what is, perhaps, a type of moral coercion, the dying mother's phrase sends a message to her sons that exhorts them to come to her death bed because of their filial duty.

In "The Old Woman's Message," the aged and worn woman, who lies on her deathbed, bemoans the fact that her sons, Polin and Manual, are not like the fruit of a tree that falls to the ground, from which the trunk...

Included in what is, perhaps, a type of moral coercion, the dying mother's phrase sends a message to her sons that exhorts them to come to her death bed because of their filial duty.

In "The Old Woman's Message," the aged and worn woman, who lies on her deathbed, bemoans the fact that her sons, Polin and Manual, are not like the fruit of a tree that falls to the ground, from which the trunk of this tree would then nourish itself. Instead, they are likened to the fruit which a bird pulls from a tree and carries off as food.

As she lies dying, this mother wonders what is preventing her two sons from coming to her at this hour of her need. From these sons the mother does not want anything that they have earned--"Let them keep the price of their labour"--she simply wants to see them before she dies. This wish is expressed as she claims the moral right to have them watch over her because of their being her children: "their eyes are mine." Presently, however, their eyes which are the windows to their souls, do not nourish the "trunk" as they should. 

The last wish of the woman to look into the eyes of her children before she dies will assure this dying woman of the continuity of life as the sons will, then, carry some of her life in them as they go on. This is the true meaning of her message: The sons must come to their mother out of moral obligation in order to continue the natural progression of their family's inherited lot.

Who is the female lead in the story "Dead Men's Path"?

The female lead in the story is Nancy Obi. With her husband, Michael, Nancy aims to work towards modernizing the backward school system her husband, the new principal, has inherited. Nancy also dreams of introducing new cultural trends into the school district.

In the story, Nancy is enthralled with Michael's love and respect for "modern methods" of education. She completely understands his suspicion of "old and superannuated" teachers who would be more at home in...

The female lead in the story is Nancy Obi. With her husband, Michael, Nancy aims to work towards modernizing the backward school system her husband, the new principal, has inherited. Nancy also dreams of introducing new cultural trends into the school district.

In the story, Nancy is enthralled with Michael's love and respect for "modern methods" of education. She completely understands his suspicion of "old and superannuated" teachers who would be more at home in the markets of Onitsha. Even while she celebrates what she thinks is the bright future of Ndume Central School, she laments the fact that there are no other wives for her to lord over. The other teachers are all young and unmarried, and she must content herself with overseeing the renovation of the school grounds instead. In due time, however, the rains help bring Nancy's dream garden to fruition. Beautiful flowering shrubs and plants give the old school compound a robust, new look.

Nancy's pride is short-lived, however. When her husband neglects to show consideration for the religious sensibilities of the villagers, the couple soon learn that their high-handed ways will only bring about negative results in this school district.

According to the speaker in Edmund Spenser's "One Day I Wrote Her Name Upon the Strand," how will his beloved's name remain immortal? What is...

The speaker in Edmund Spenser's "One Day I Wrote Her Name Upon the Strand" plans to immortalize his beloved in verse. He describes this in lines eleven and twelve when he states, "My verse your virtues rare shall eternise,/ And in the heavens write your glorious name." The word "eternise" is an antiquated term which means "to make eternal."

This poem is a sonnet, and many sonnets attempted to immortalize love or lovers in verse....

The speaker in Edmund Spenser's "One Day I Wrote Her Name Upon the Strand" plans to immortalize his beloved in verse. He describes this in lines eleven and twelve when he states, "My verse your virtues rare shall eternise,/ And in the heavens write your glorious name." The word "eternise" is an antiquated term which means "to make eternal."

This poem is a sonnet, and many sonnets attempted to immortalize love or lovers in verse. Writing in the same time period as Edmund Spenser, Henry Constable wrote a collection of sonnets titled Diana containing many poems about his love for Diana as well as praise for her many virtues. Similar collections from the era are Samuel Daniel's Sonnets to Delia and Thomas Lodge's Phillis.

What is missing from Spenser's poem is the actual name of the woman to whom the speaker is referring. It is an interesting omission considering the subject matter of the piece. Perhaps in some way Spenser is agreeing with the speaker's beloved when she says, "Vain man...that dost in vain assay/ A mortal thing so to immortalize."

What suggestion does Jesse make to Winnie?

In chapter fourteen, Jesse Tuck suggests to Winnie that she should drink water from the special spring water.  But he also wants Winnie to wait a little bit before drinking from the spring.  Jesse wants Winnie to wait until she turns seventeen years old.  That way both Jesse and Winnie can be the same age for the rest of eternity.  

"But the thing is, you knowing about the water already, and living right next...

In chapter fourteen, Jesse Tuck suggests to Winnie that she should drink water from the special spring water.  But he also wants Winnie to wait a little bit before drinking from the spring.  Jesse wants Winnie to wait until she turns seventeen years old.  That way both Jesse and Winnie can be the same age for the rest of eternity.  

"But the thing is, you knowing about the water already, and living right next to it so's you could go there any time, well, listen, how'd it be if you was to wait till you're seventeen, same age as me—heck, that's only six years off—and then you could go and drink some, and then you could go away with me!"

Jesse's next suggestion to Winnie is that he and Winnie could get married in the future.  Jesse figures that if both of them are immortal teenagers, it only makes sense that they should get married.  

"We could get married, even. That'd be pretty good, wouldn't it! We could have a grand old time, go all around the world, see everything."

As a reader, I never found Jesse and Winnie's budding romance as believable.  Regardless though, Jesse suggests that Winnie waits to drink the water until she is seventeen, because then they can be married together forever.  

What does the prologue to the Wife of Bath's Tale indicate the story will be about?

The Wife of Bath’s prologue initially hints at, and then tells her companions the purpose of her tale. She opens by asserting her authority in marriage, saying that because she has had five husbands, she has the experience to maintain command over the topic (Chaucer, lines 1-6). Once she has asserted her mastery of the subject, the Wife hints at the subject of her tale: “. . . whan that I have told thee forth...

The Wife of Bath’s prologue initially hints at, and then tells her companions the purpose of her tale. She opens by asserting her authority in marriage, saying that because she has had five husbands, she has the experience to maintain command over the topic (Chaucer, lines 1-6). Once she has asserted her mastery of the subject, the Wife hints at the subject of her tale: “. . . whan that I have told thee forth my tale / Of tribulacioun in marriage . . .” (178-9). At this point, the reader can assume the coming tale will center on some form of trouble within a marriage. The Wife’s insistence that she is an authority on the subject and her mention of marital tribulation make that much clear.

Later in the prologue, the Wife explains the type of power women have over men in marriages. She alludes to withholding sex and other comforts of a partner. Here she gives purpose to her coming tale, following her examples of women’s power with the statement “And therefore every man this tale I telle,” (419). With this line, she has shown readers that her tale will be a tool to instruct men on the power of women in a marriage. At this point in the reading, one can assume the Wife’s tale will include a troubled marriage that involves a woman’s power over man.

Near the end of the prologue, readers get a final hint of what is to come. The Wife is detailing her relationship with one of her husbands. After describing the troubles in the marriage and how she gained control over him, she declares “And whan that I had geten unto me / By maistry all the sovereignetee, / . . . After that day we hadden never debat!” (823-4, 828). Here she is claiming that once she retained total control, or mastery, over her husband and the relationship, there were no more conflicts. From this, readers can assume the Wife’s ‘instructional’ tale will emphasize women’s power and the peaceful solution such power will create when a wife’s total authority is granted.

Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. New York: Penguin Signet Classics, 1968. Book.  

In Of Mice and Men, what are the problems for the men working on the farm?

The men's biggest problems are always financial ones. As long as they are able to work, and as long as there is work to be done, they are all right. But if they get sick or injured and are unable to work, they have no security at all. They will get paid off, discharged and find themselves back out on the road. Agricultural work is always cyclical. When George and Lennie get their jobs in ...

The men's biggest problems are always financial ones. As long as they are able to work, and as long as there is work to be done, they are all right. But if they get sick or injured and are unable to work, they have no security at all. They will get paid off, discharged and find themselves back out on the road. Agricultural work is always cyclical. When George and Lennie get their jobs in Of Mice and Men, there is a big demand for workers because they are harvesting all that barley. But eventually the fields will be stripped bare, and then they will all have to hit the road and look for jobs elsewhere. They will have to go through very hard times in the winter months, living out in the open and eating whatever they can glean. John Steinbeck writes about the cruel winters in California in The Grapes of Wrath, when there is no work and the migrants face starvation. One of the reasons that George wants some land of his own is that he would never go hungry. He could store up food to last through the winters. 

It should be noted that the working men in Of Mice and Men are all ignorant. They can't adapt to changing conditions because they have nothing to offer but their muscles. Many are illiterate. Even Slim is ignorant, but at least he has learned some skills by experience. He can handle horses and mules. He can also act as a foreman and direct the work being done in the fields by the others. The lesson the reader should learn from reading Of Mice and Men is that education is vital to survival. That was true then, but it is even more true now because there are fewer and fewer jobs available to unskilled workers. Everyone should be able to offer a skill which other people will be willing to pay them for. "A useful trade is a mine of gold." 

In "The Bet," why does the narrator call the bet "wild" and "senseless"?

     "Agreed! You stake your millions and I stake my freedom!" said the young man.

     And this wild, senseless bet was carried out!

Anton Chekhov had an idea he wanted to develop into a short story. A man bets another that he can spend fifteen years in solitary confinement. He will receive a fortune if he can do it. Chekhov's biggest problem was "selling" this concept to the reader. Would anyone really make such a bet? Would anyone agree to spend fifteen years in solitary confinement? And, if so, would anyone agree to pay him two million rubles for doing so?

All of the opening exposition is presented as a flashback in the banker's mind as he is remembering how the bet came to be made. This is all mainly to persuade the reader that it was not only possible but that it was actually carried out. The words "wild" and "senseless" can be understood to be part of the banker's recollection and not of the anonymous narrator. What Chekhov is doing is convincing the reader that the preposterous bet was really made by having the viewpoint character himself admit that it was "wild" and "senseless." The banker agrees with the feelings of the reader. This is not the only place in the story where the banker agrees with the reader that the bet was improbable, bizarre, dangerous, perhaps even illegal. Here is another place:

"What was the object of that bet? What is the good of that man's losing fifteen years of his life and my throwing away two million? Can it prove that the death penalty is better or worse than imprisonment for life? No, no. It was all nonsensical and meaningless."

The reader can't argue with the banker because the banker agrees with him. It was all nonsensical and meaningless; nevertheless, it was carried out. Chekhov wanted to write the story, and so he used all his powers to persuade the reader that it really happened. Once the term of imprisonment begins, the reader accepts it as a fait accompli. Chekhov tries in various ways to ameliorate the prisoner's suffering. He lives in a comfortable guest lodge. His meals are brought to him, and they are probably the same as the banker himself eats. He can have wine with meals if he so desires. Best of all, he can have books, music, and virtually anything else he wants except human contact. There is also the fact that the prisoner may walk out a free man any time he chooses, if he forfeits the bet.

Chekhov specifies that the bet was made at an all-male party. We know there must have been a lot of drinking being done--vodka, champagne, brandy, etc. But Chekhov doesn't say a word about liquor. He doesn't want to suggest that the banker and lawyer made the bet because they were both drunk. That would invalidate the bet. But it seems highly likely that both men were drunk when they made it and then didn't know how to call it off when they were sober. The banker subsequently tries to get the lawyer to back out, but the lawyer is young and greedy; he wants those two million rubles.

The bet really is wild and senseless, but Chekhov sold his premise to the reader and made one of his best stories out of it.

Which two planets have the most moons?

Moons are the natural satellites of a planet and these celestial bodies orbit around the planet. The name of Earth's natural satellite is Moon. Similarly, many of the other planets of our solar system also have moon/s. Here is a list of number of moons of each planet in our solar system:

Mercury: 0 moons

Venus: 0 moons 

Earth: 1 moon

Mars: 2 moons

Jupiter: 67 moons* (including 17 provisional moons)

Saturn:62 moons* (including...

Moons are the natural satellites of a planet and these celestial bodies orbit around the planet. The name of Earth's natural satellite is Moon. Similarly, many of the other planets of our solar system also have moon/s. Here is a list of number of moons of each planet in our solar system:

Mercury: 0 moons

Venus: 0 moons 

Earth: 1 moon

Mars: 2 moons

Jupiter: 67 moons* (including 17 provisional moons)

Saturn: 62 moons* (including 9 provisional moons)

Uranus: 27 moons 

Neptune: 14 moons* (including 1 provisional moon)

Thus, Jupiter and Saturn have the largest number of moons, as compared to other planets of our solar system. 

The 4 most famous moons of Jupiter are known as Io, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. The most famous moon of Saturn is known as Titan. 

Note that the number of moons of each planet may change (in future) depending upon the observation of newer celestial bodies with better technology in the future. 

Hope this helps.

What evidence is there to prove that Friar Lawrence is guilty in Romeo and Juliet?

The clearest piece of evidence to indicate that Friar Laurence is guilty in Shakespeare's Romeo and Julietis the Friar's own confession in Act 5, scene 3. In his monologue, he confesses that he married the two secretly. He further confesses to giving Juliet the sleeping potion, and says that if he did not, she would have killed herself right there. He confesses to giving a letter to Friar John explaining the plan to Romeo,...

The clearest piece of evidence to indicate that Friar Laurence is guilty in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is the Friar's own confession in Act 5, scene 3. In his monologue, he confesses that he married the two secretly. He further confesses to giving Juliet the sleeping potion, and says that if he did not, she would have killed herself right there. He confesses to giving a letter to Friar John explaining the plan to Romeo, and that Friar John returned the letter to him undelivered, so that Romeo never knew the contents of the message.

Had he not confessed, the deaths of Romeo and Juliet may have remained a mystery, as Friar Laurence fled from the catacombs before the arrival of the watchmen. Balthasar is found in the churchyard, and might have been implicated if it weren't for the Friar's subsequent confession.

The nurse would have known that the Friar married Romeo and Juliet, but she doesn't know of the plot that the Friar concocts to give Juliet the sleeping potion and alert Romeo, who is banished, so they can sneak away together. Juliet stops confiding in the nurse when the nurse suggests Juliet would be better off marrying Paris.

Without the Friar's confession, there wouldn't be any evidence to prove his guilt. The only witnesses are dead. The letter he penned to Romeo was returned to him by Friar John. If he hadn't had an attack of conscience, he would certainly have gone to his grave without anyone knowing the depth of his involvement.  

In Paradise Lost, book one, what general purpose do lines 337-522 serve?

These lines describe the angels who joined Satan in his rebellion against God and were subsequently cast into Hell. Milton asserts that these same fallen angels became the false gods worshiped by pagan cultures before they began to worship the one true God of Christianity. Seeking revenge against God for their defeat, these beings posed as gods to humanity and led them to commit atrocities. For example, lines 477-481

A crew who under Names of...

These lines describe the angels who joined Satan in his rebellion against God and were subsequently cast into Hell. Milton asserts that these same fallen angels became the false gods worshiped by pagan cultures before they began to worship the one true God of Christianity. Seeking revenge against God for their defeat, these beings posed as gods to humanity and led them to commit atrocities. For example, lines 477-481

A crew who under Names of old Renown,
Osiris, Isis, Orus and their Train
With monstrous shapes and sorceries abus'd
Fanatic Egypt and her Priests, to seek [ 480 ]
Thir wandring Gods disguis'd in brutish forms
Rather then human. 

Milton identifies the gods worshiped by ancient Egyptians, who often took animal shapes, attributing the decline of the Egyptian civilization to their influence.

In the lines immediately after this passage (lines 480 to 482), Milton turns to events in the Old Testament:

Nor did Israel scape
Th' infection when thir borrow'd Gold compos'd
The Calf in Oreb

When the Israelites are traveling in the desert in order to reach the promised land, some of the people lose faith in their God and build a golden calf to worship as a false idol.

By referring both to events in the Old Testament and the history of various ancient civilizations, Milton attempts to create a synthesis of Christian theology and secular humanist history. He uses many of the same techniques employed in Greco-Roman epics, such as the Iliad and Odyssey. However, he maintains that his epic is far superior to those who came before, because his is in service of the Christian God, next to whom all other deities are both inferior and evil.