What are some quotes that depict Ponyboy's strengths and weaknesses in the novel The Outsiders?

Strengths

Ponyboy is an intelligent individual who loves to read. Much like his older brother, Darry, Ponyboy does well in school. When he tells Cherry that they go to the same school, Cherry comments that he doesn't look old enough to be in the high school. Pony says,

"I'm not. I got put up a year in grade school" (Hinton 21).

Pony is smarter than the kids his age and was moved up a grade to take more challenging courses.

Ponyboy also excels athletically. He is one of the school's top runners and mentions,

"(Oh, yeah, I forgot---I'm on the A-squad track team, the youngest one. I'm a good runner)" (Hinton 91).

Ponyboy is also a courageous individual. In Chapter 6, Ponyboy selflessly volunteers to save the children who are trapped inside the flaming church. When he finds out that there are kids inside of the building he says,

"I'll get them, don't worry!" (Hinton 78).

Ponyboy heroically runs into the flaming building and saves the children.

Weaknesses

Ponyboy has several distinct weaknesses throughout the novel. Ponyboy is continually making bad decisions and neglects to think situations through. After getting jumped by a group of Socs because he was walking home alone, Darry criticizes his brother by saying,

"You must think at school, with all those good grades you bring home, and you've always got your nose in a book, but do you ever use your head for common sense?" (Hinton 12).

Ponyboy is also naive and lacks perspective at the beginning of the novel. He views Darry with contempt and says,

"Darry thought I was just another mouth to feed and somebody to holler at. Darry love me? I thought of those hard, pale eyes. Soda was wrong for once, I thought. Darry doesn't love anyone or anything, except maybe Soda" (Hinton 17).

Ponyboy believes that Darry doesn't love or care about him because Darry is hard on him, which is obviously not true. Darry does care about Ponyboy and is trying his best to raise Pony.

There are several scenes throughout the novel that depict Ponyboy's brash behavior. In Chapter 8, Ponyboy asks Cherry if she'll go up to see Johnny and she says that she can't bring herself to see him. Pony gets upset and says,

"I wouldn't want you to see him. You're a traitor to your own kind and not loyal to us" (Hinton 129).

However, Ponyboy instantly regrets his harsh words and apologizes for his actions.

How does Jack change throughout Lord of the Flies?

In the beginning of Lord of the Flies, Jack is introduced in chapter one as being a very powerful leader of the choir. His authority over the boys is evident by the way the boys are still wearing their wool uniforms, even though the tropical beach setting would be more conducive to less restrictive clothing. They do not remove their togs until he tells them they are allowed to do so. Even when Simon faints,...

In the beginning of Lord of the Flies, Jack is introduced in chapter one as being a very powerful leader of the choir. His authority over the boys is evident by the way the boys are still wearing their wool uniforms, even though the tropical beach setting would be more conducive to less restrictive clothing. They do not remove their togs until he tells them they are allowed to do so. Even when Simon faints, the boys do not break form and sit down until Jack gives them permission to do so. Jack uses his power to maintain the order and expectations of the proper, civilized school to which they were accustomed. 

By the last chapter of the book, Jack is no longer using his authority to maintain the expectations of civilization. Instead, he is ruling by force and using his power to encourage savagery in its most evident form: the pre-meditated, ruthless murder of Ralph. The authoritarian nature of Jack's personality is consistent throughout the novel. However, it is the motivation of his character that changes drastically. Jack changes from being a leader that upholds the conventions of society to being a leader that actively destroys the conventions of civilized society.

Please provide a character sketch of Dr. Edward Everett Hale.

Edward Everett Hale, (1822- 1909), a prolific writer and a Unitarian minister,was from a prominent, influential, Boston-based family.  His lineage includes Nathan Hale, a hero in the War for Independence, Edward Everett, a famous diplomat, and his father, Nathan Hale, who spend a good deal of his adult life as the editor of the “Boston Daily Advertiser.”

From a young age, he was a scholar who entered Harvard University at thirteen years old before embarking...

Edward Everett Hale, (1822- 1909), a prolific writer and a Unitarian minister,was from a prominent, influential, Boston-based family.  His lineage includes Nathan Hale, a hero in the War for Independence, Edward Everett, a famous diplomat, and his father, Nathan Hale, who spend a good deal of his adult life as the editor of the “Boston Daily Advertiser.”

From a young age, he was a scholar who entered Harvard University at thirteen years old before embarking on a writing career that spanned over 70 years. Although he may be most famous for his short story, “The Man Without a Country,” he wrote many novels, essays, newspaper articles, and Unitarian journals. He focused on liberal, anti-slavery topics, which appeared in magazines such as the “North American Review,” the “Atlantic Monthly,” and the “Christian Examiner.” “The Man Without a Country” was written in 1846 during the Civil War in an effort to increase patriotism. In many of his fiction works, he wrote in the realistic fantasy genre.

His writing career continued during his time as a Unitarian minister. He used his ministry to promote his liberal views, which included the need for education for Blacks and for world peace.

Late in life, his acted as the chaplain of the United States Senate.

What are some examples of Jem and Scout's relationship in Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

In comparison to many other brothers and sisters, Scout and Jem, in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, are very close though they have their moments of distance as the novel progresses.

Scout and Jem's closeness is first captured in the amount of time they spend playing together in the summer. The fact that they are each other's constant play companions is especially captured in the scene in which they meet Dill. Scout narrates that, "early one morning," they were starting to play in the backyard when they heard a noise that drew them to Miss Rachel Haverford's yard where they see Dill for the first time. The fact that they were beginning to play early one summer morning shows us just how much of a habit it is for Scout and Jem to play together, which captures their closeness.

However, they also begin to grow more distant the more time Jem begins to spend with Dill. Upon Dill's influence, Jem invents a game to mock the Radleys that Scout disapproves of and feels uncomfortable playing. Though she tries to get Jem to stop playing it, reminding Jem their father had forbidden the game, Jem and Dill refuse to stop playing. Therefore, Scout begins to spend less time with the boys. She is only invited into their circle when they "needed a third party," and she intentionally keeps out of "their more foolhardy schemes" (Ch. 4). Instead, she spends a lot of time during the summer with Miss Maudie Atkinson. As Jem gets older, he stops playing games and begins spending more time on his own reading, which greatly annoys Scout.

Regardless of their spending less time together, as the novel progresses, their closeness is still frequently revealed, especially in Jem's protectiveness of Scout. Jem's protectiveness of Scout is revealed multiple times, especially towards the end of the novel when he is with Scout the moment they are attacked by Bob Ewell; Jem is with Scout because he escorted her both to and from school for the Halloween pageant. 

In the poem "Siren Song," how does Margaret Atwood make use of mythology?

The ancient Greeks believed that sirens were creatures who lived on an island (and are often depicted as having bird bodies with female heads). These sirens would sing as sailors passed by on their ships, and, unable to resist the sound of their song, the sailors would steer into the rocks around the island, wrecking their ships and drowning.

Atwood's title, "Siren Song," is an allusion to these mythical creatures. In fact, the speaker of...

The ancient Greeks believed that sirens were creatures who lived on an island (and are often depicted as having bird bodies with female heads). These sirens would sing as sailors passed by on their ships, and, unable to resist the sound of their song, the sailors would steer into the rocks around the island, wrecking their ships and drowning.

Atwood's title, "Siren Song," is an allusion to these mythical creatures. In fact, the speaker of the poem is a siren herself. In the first lines, she says, 

This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible:   (lines 1-3)

What makes this poem so compelling is that the reader does not realize that the "song" begins long before we think it does or expect it to. It begins with this first stanza, and we are roped in, hooked as the sailors would have been, because we do not think we are being manipulated. When she finally says, "I will tell the secret to you, / to you, only to you. / Come closer," we realize that we've been listening to the song all along and that she has us in her power (19-21). The last few lines make it clear that we've succumbed to her song, just like all who came before us. She says,

at last. Alas
it is a boring song
but it works every time. (25-27)

Cunningly, the song works on us because of the deep-seated human need to believe that we are special. We are unique. When she tells us these things, she gratifies our desire to think of ourselves in this way, and we are hers to command. It's really a fascinating take on the sirens themselves, but even more importantly, it reveals something crucial about the human condition: that we all want to feel special, and that this need is what makes us so easy to manipulate.

What are the products of the following reaction? Zr(NO3)4*5H2O + CH3CO2H =?

The first compound you have listed is zirconium nitrate, which is a crystalline solid, but is soluble in water.  The second compound, after water, is acetic acid.  So we basically have a nitrate compound being combined with an acid.  Acids are substances that offer H+ (hydrogen ions) when combined with water, so what happens is the hydrogen ion separates from the acetic acid and displaces the zirconium ion.  The products formed are nitric acid and...

The first compound you have listed is zirconium nitrate, which is a crystalline solid, but is soluble in water.  The second compound, after water, is acetic acid.  So we basically have a nitrate compound being combined with an acid.  Acids are substances that offer H+ (hydrogen ions) when combined with water, so what happens is the hydrogen ion separates from the acetic acid and displaces the zirconium ion.  The products formed are nitric acid and zirconium acetate.

Zr(NO3)4 times H2O  +  CH3CO2H ----->  HNO3  +  Zr(CH3CO2)4

When you mix a nitrate with an acid, as in this chemical reaction, there is the extreme likelihood of an explosion, a fire, or something of a similar catastrophic nature.  This is an exothermic reaction, meaning the products will have less energy than the reactants.  The difference in energy is given off in ambient heat energy.  This can result in pressure being generated, an explosion taking place, or at the very least, an appreciable difference of temperature being given off.  Care should be taken, appropriate eye care and clothing protection should be exercised.  Toxic vapors may also be a concern, a well ventilated area should be considered for this reaction.

What is personification and how is it used in "The Tell-Tale Heart"?

The literary device personification is when a writer gives typically human characteristics to non-human animals or objects. For example, describing a "furious thunderstorm" would be personification, because the phrase suggests that the thunderstorm has human emotions and can feel fury. 

Abstract ideas are often personified as well. For example, the concept of death or dying is often seen in literature as a human figure in a long, black, hooded cloak, carrying a scythe.  

The...

The literary device personification is when a writer gives typically human characteristics to non-human animals or objects. For example, describing a "furious thunderstorm" would be personification, because the phrase suggests that the thunderstorm has human emotions and can feel fury. 

Abstract ideas are often personified as well. For example, the concept of death or dying is often seen in literature as a human figure in a long, black, hooded cloak, carrying a scythe.  

The most important example of personification in the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" is the personification of the old man's "evil eye." Though the narrator never describes the eye as having a human form or doing human things, he does see it as a separate being from the old man himself. The narrator says,

"it was not the old man I felt I had to kill; it was the eye, his Evil Eye" (paragraph 5).

This quote shows that the narrator sees the eye as having some kind of sinister purpose, separate from the old man, whom the narrator claims to love and sees as an innocent bystander to the eye's evil.

The narrator elaborates further on the evil quality of the eye, comparing it to, 

"the eye of one of those terrible birds that watch and wait while an animal dies, and then fall upon the dead body and pull it to pieces to eat it" (paragraph 3). 

Clearly, the narrator sees the eye as capable of great evil and perhaps even thinks it intends to harm him - two things that only humans are capable of plotting to do. 

Where are five significant references to cars located in The Great Gatsby?

In The Great Gatsby, cars are a symbol of status and wealth, much like the American Dream. As we explore significant references to cars in The Great Gatsby, you'll notice an irony with using the cars as a symbol of the American Dream. 

1. When Nick was just about to leave his first party at Gatsby's, he stumbled upon a drunk driving accident (58 - 59)

But as I walked down the steps I saw that the evening was not quite over. Fifty feet from the door a dozen headlights illuminated a bizarre and tumultuous scene. In the ditch beside the road, right side up but violently shorn of one wheel, rested a new coupé which had left Gatsby’s drive not two minutes before. The sharp jut of a wall accounted for the detachment of the wheel which was now getting considerable attention from half a dozen curious chauffeurs. However, as they had left their cars blocking the road a harsh discordant din from those in the rear had been audible for some time and added to the already violent confusion of the scene.

When the man emerges from the wreck, Nick notices it's the man that he met in Gatsby's library. The man does not take responsibility for the crash - in fact, he not only mentions that he doesn't know much about how it happened, but he also doesn't know much about driving nor mechanics. Since the car was a new coupe, we can assume that the driver is wealthy. This incident foreshadows and complements Daisy's lack of accepting responsibility and carelessness in her car accident that fatally injured Myrtle Wilson. 

2. On their way to lunch, Nick admires Gatsby's manner in his car (69):

He was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly American—that comes, I suppose, with the absence of lifting work or rigid sitting in youth and, even more, with the formless grace of our nervous, sporadic games. This quality was continually breaking through his punctilious manner in the shape of restlessness. He was never quite still; there was always a tapping foot somewhere or the impatient opening and closing of a hand.

From Nick's description of Gatsby in his car, we get a more descriptive picture of Gatsby's mannerisms that can be applied to his character. Describing his movement as "peculiarly American" can also be compared to the American Dream, which is also distinctly American. Nick describes Gatsby as restless and never still, possibly a comment on how he was able to make so much money in a short amount of time. His lack of patience could almost be a tragic flaw, considering how the novel ends. 

3. On a particularly hot afternoon, Tom, Daisy, Nick, Jordan, and Gatsby were in the house when Tom abruptly answered a phone call (123):

We were silent. The voice in the hall rose high with annoyance. ‘Very well, then, I won’t sell you the car at all…. I’m under no obligations to you at all…. And as for your bothering me about it at lunch time I won’t stand that at all!’

Following Tom's comment, Daisy cynically, "Holding down the receiver." Both Daisy and Jordan suspect Tom's infidelities (ironic, since Daisy is engaging in adulterous behavior herself). Nick, however, knows that Tom is in fact in negotiations in selling his car to Wilson, the husband of the woman Tom is having an affair with. Wilson, on the other hand, plans on using the car to remove Myrtle from the Valley of Ashes, as he suspects she is being adulterous as well. 

4. On their way back from New York, Tom, Nick, and Jay stop at the scene of Myrtle's accident. Wilson then accuses Tom of driving the car since he saw Tom driving the same car earlier (150):

‘Listen,’ said Tom, shaking him a little. ‘I just got here a minute ago, from New York. I was bringing you that coupé we’ve been talking about. That yellow car I was driving this afternoon wasn’t mine, do you hear? I haven’t seen it all afternoon.’

While Tom admits that he drove the car, he denies having any further knowledge about the car's whereabouts, even though he fully knows that Gatsby and Daisy were driving the car. This fuels Tom's suspicions for Gatsby even more, and he becomes determined to pin the hit-and-run on Gatsby. In Tom's eyes, Gatsby has not only taken his wife from him, but he has also taken his mistress. 

5. Up until this point, readers are unsure of what actually happened to Myrtle - that is, until Gatsby explains the situation to Nick (154): 

‘Yes,’ he said after a moment, ‘but of course I’ll say I was. You see, when we left New York she was very nervous and she thought it would steady her to drive—and this woman rushed out at us just as we were passing a car coming the other way. It all happened in a minute but it seemed to me that she wanted to speak to us, thought we were somebody she knew. Well, first Daisy turned away from the woman toward the other car, and then she lost her nerve and turned back. The second my hand reached the wheel I felt the shock—it must have killed her instantly.’

Once again, a wealthy person will not be taking responsibility for her actions - instead, Gatsby will take the fall for Daisy, which, in turn, leads to his demise. In this explanation, Gatsby recognizes that Myrtle wanted to speak to someone in the car (presumably Tom since he was driving it earlier). That yellow car was a symbol of her American Dream - her way out of the Valley of Ashes. Since she pursued her dream so quickly and imprudently, she ended up losing her life in pursuit of that dream. 

**Please note, due to differences in editions, the page numbers may not match up perfectly.**

In "Harrison Bergeron," what does Kurt Vonnegut seem to say about individuality?

In "Harrison Bergeron," Kurt Vonnegut implies that human individuality is dangerous to a society that feels the need to control its citizens. The entire story revolves around this idea that "everybody was finally equal." But people weren't equal in actual ability or opportunity. Instead, the United States passed Constitutional amendments to ensure that everyone was equal in inability. In other words, the government (particularly the handicapper general) instituted a system of control that removes all individuality from America's citizens.

Vonnegut's first examples of this idea of control by removing citizens' individualities are George and Hazel Bergeron. Hazel suffered from "perfectly average intelligence" while George's "intelligence was way above normal." Regardless of George's mental superiority and his ability use this intelligence for the common good, the government, under the direction of the handicapper general required George to wear "a little mental handicap radio in his ear ... at all times." Intermittently, the government would send out distracting sounds that would prevent George (and others with above average intelligence) from thinking too hard, thus possibly challenging the system of control the U.S. government has instituted.

Harrison Bergeron, George and Hazel's son, exemplifies Vonnegut's statement about the power of human individuality to challenge a system of control. Vonnegut indicates the power of individuality as Harrison, at the story's climax, "tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper" and "snapped [his head harness] like celery." In addition, Harrison leaps 30 feet into the air with the ballerina he chose to be his empress. However, Vonnegut, again, shows how the government and other powers fear individuality. In the middle of this expression of the self, Diana Moon Glampers, the handicapper general comes in with a shotgun and kills Harrison and his empress.

By the end of the story, it is clear what Vonnegut is implying: stick with the system of control and lack any form of self and live or rip off the shackles of control, soar to the roofs of building with a single leap and die.

In what ways did many workers' lives change as a result of the Industrial Revolution?

The Industrial Revolution changed workers' lives in many ways. Let us look at a few of them.

For one thing, industrialization involved mechanization, which meant that jobs once done by skilled workers were increasingly being done using labor-saving machines. Many workers who had been craftsmen became essentially unskilled workers as a result. For this reason, some skilled workers (most famously weavers in England) opposed, sometimes violently, the introduction of machines (like the power loom) in...

The Industrial Revolution changed workers' lives in many ways. Let us look at a few of them.

For one thing, industrialization involved mechanization, which meant that jobs once done by skilled workers were increasingly being done using labor-saving machines. Many workers who had been craftsmen became essentially unskilled workers as a result. For this reason, some skilled workers (most famously weavers in England) opposed, sometimes violently, the introduction of machines (like the power loom) in their industries. 

Another way workers lives changed is that their work became more regimented. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, work, while difficult and backbreaking, tended to be task oriented. Workers were paid by the number of items (shoes, for example) that they produced every day. Business owners often assigned quotas for production which allowed workers to be essentially on their own time--if they could meet their quota in a relatively short time, they could have the rest of the time off. More often, like students, they could procrastinate. The point is that workers were more in control of their own time. Industrial workers, however, were paid for their time, not how many goods they produced, and so factory owners became far more interested in disciplining their workforce to gain more efficiency. Their time was no longer their own.

As a consequence, workers often (but not always) labored under more difficult conditions than previously. The Industrial Revolution enabled the production of cheaper goods for consumers, but it often resulted in the decline of real wages for workers. Workers who produced more goods didn't see any additional profits from them--those went to the owners. The concentration of labor under a single roof, which was so important to the developing factory system, also led to very poor, often dangerous working conditions. These were almost totally unregulated in many countries before the twentieth century. 

What narrative strategies or techniques does Eliot use in Middlemarch that show literary realism? Can you use text from Middlemarch to show...

Middlemarch by George Eliot is often considered an example of literary realism, a nineteenth century literary and artistic movement that strove to portray ordinary daily life as it actually happens, eschewing the wild improbabilities and exotic settings of the Gothic and its successor the sensation novel. Unlike the romantic windswept heath of Wuthering Heights or the scenic but menacing castles and convents of Anne Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho or The Italian, Middlemarch is set in an ordinary provincial town, of precisely the sort in which many readers would have lived. 

The very title of the book suggests its realistic heritage. It is named after a fictitious town, Middlemarch, located in England's midlands. The very word "middle" suggests its ordinary nature as a provincial town, located in the center of England and average in its people and politics. Although Dorothea Brooke is the protagonist of the novel, the title indicates that this is more than just a story about Dorothea marrying the wrong man and then the right man. The story of the individual for Eliot, as for other realistic novelists, does not exist in isolation but shows the way the individual is formed by and connected to a complex fabric of social reality. Eliot shows Dorothea realizing this in the following passage:

On the road there was a man with a bundle on his back and a woman carrying her baby; in the field she could see figures moving—perhaps the shepherd with his dog. Far off in the bending sky was the pearly light; and she felt the largeness of the world and the manifold wakings of men to labour and endurance. 

The particular elements that awaken this perception in Dorothea, are, like the town of Middlemarch, ordinary people going about their daily business. 

Another factor that makes Middlemarch a realistic novel is that it incorporates many subplots that cover a variety of social classes. While the Brooke family are the local gentry, well off and influential, two other major romance plots include Fred Vincy and Mary Garth and Lydgate and Rosamond Vincy. As we explore the lives of middle class professionals as well as the gentry, we are presented with many details about their ordinary lives, including the professions of banking and medicine.

Also, another realistic feature is that considerable space is devoted in the novel to the tensions leading up to the passage of the Reform Bill of 1832, which made England significantly more democratic by a form of redistricting that aligned parliamentary districts with population and extended the franchise to a wider group of men. Eliot uses both extended narration in the form of free indirect discourse and dialogue to give us a sense of the debates over Reform.

A final realistic feature of the novel is that it does not focus just on people who are extraordinary in their external accomplishments, but also deals with the issue of how people move from dreams of greatness in their youth to ordinary middle age; Eliot announces her intention to explore this little discussed element of our common experience realistically in the following passage:

For in the multitude of middle-aged men who go about their vocations in a daily course determined for them much in the same way as the tie of their cravats, there is always a good number who once meant to shape their own deeds and alter the world a little. The story of their coming to be shapen after the average and fit to be packed by the gross, is hardly ever told even in their consciousness ...

In the book The Giver, what do these jobs tell you about the community in which Jonas lives?

When you say "these jobs," it implies you might have a list of jobs you are referring to, but since that was not shared, I can only speak to the jobs we are aware of in the book in general. These jobs tell us that everyone plays a role in this community. Everyone has a responsibility to the community and is expected to serve their fellow citizens. We also know these jobs are chosen based...

When you say "these jobs," it implies you might have a list of jobs you are referring to, but since that was not shared, I can only speak to the jobs we are aware of in the book in general. These jobs tell us that everyone plays a role in this community. Everyone has a responsibility to the community and is expected to serve their fellow citizens. We also know these jobs are chosen based on the individual's aptitude, so we can assume that most of the people in these jobs are not only good at them, but enjoy them. That is not something we can claim about our own world.

Many of the jobs in the book are not too different from the jobs in our own world. Jobs we might see in our own community would be:

• Recreation Leaders (we see this in schools and programs like the YMCA)


• Caretaker of the Old (the title for this position in our world is usually caretaker, nurse, or even Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNA).


• Nurturer (think of pediatric nurses and caregivers)


• Fish Hatchery worker 


• Street Cleaner


• Landscape Worker

There are some jobs in the book that do not align exactly with our world. The Receiver of Memory would be one, as well as the Council of Elders. That being said, The Receiver of Memory is like a high-level advisor in our world, minus the duty of holding all of society's memories.

Do plants undergo photosynthesis or cellular respiration or both?

Plants undergo both: photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants consume carbon dioxide and water and produce food, in the form of glucose molecule. Plants carry out this process only in the presence of sunlight. The chemical reaction for this process is given as:

6 CO2 + 6 H2O + sunlight -> C6H12O6 + 6O2

This process also produces oxygen, which is essential for survival of aerobic life forms, such as...

Plants undergo both: photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants consume carbon dioxide and water and produce food, in the form of glucose molecule. Plants carry out this process only in the presence of sunlight. The chemical reaction for this process is given as:

6 CO2 + 6 H2O + sunlight -> C6H12O6 + 6O2

This process also produces oxygen, which is essential for survival of aerobic life forms, such as human beings. 

Cellular respiration is the process by which plants and other life forms produce energy. The chemical reaction for cellular respiration is given as:

C6H12O6 + 6O2 -> 6CO2 + 6 H2O + energy

This process is complementary to photosynthesis. A key feature of cellular respiration is generation of energy in the form of ATP molecules. Energy is required for all the life processes and is a requirement for life sustenance. 

Plants carry our both the processes, thus generating food and energy. In fact, cellular respiration is carried out continuously throughout their life, while photosynthesis is only carried out during the hours when sunlight is available.

Hope this helps.

In Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, how is Jaggers' office described, and how does it reflect his character?

The office of Mr. Jaggers is not far from Newgate Prison, just inside the city limits of London in a very unhealthy section. On a "gloomy street" Pip locates the office of Mr. Jaggers and inquires if the gentleman is in. The clerk opens the door to "a most dismal place," the office of Jaggers. 

The office is small and lighted only by a skylight above. There were not that many papers on his desk,...

The office of Mr. Jaggers is not far from Newgate Prison, just inside the city limits of London in a very unhealthy section. On a "gloomy street" Pip locates the office of Mr. Jaggers and inquires if the gentleman is in. The clerk opens the door to "a most dismal place," the office of Jaggers. 

The office is small and lighted only by a skylight above. There were not that many papers on his desk, as Pip has expected; however, there are other odd objects such as 

...as an old rusty pistol, a sword in a scabbard, several strange-looking boxes and packages, and two dreadful casts on a shelf, of faces peculiarly swollen, and twitchy about the nose.

The two "dreadful casts" are death masks made when men were hanged. Further, Pip describes Jaggers' office chair as "deadly black" horsehair with "rows of brass nails around it like a coffin." The room is small; consequently, the clients of Jaggers have rubbed against the wall opposite the chair and desk, leaving marks from oily shoulders. All about is dust and grit; it is on the swollen faces, the shelves, and the other things in the room.

This room seems befitting of Mr. Jaggers because he speaks of circumstances in final and dismal tones, and he dismisses people with the swiftness of a hangman. There is a Jewish man who beseeches Jaggers on behalf of his brother, but Jaggers shoves the man aside and moves on; there is another man who tells Jaggers that he has found a character witness for someone he cares about, but Jaggers dismisses this man when he sees that he is a drunkard. He is very blunt with Pip himself; when Jaggers asks how much money he needs right now, and by showing him a handful of cards from tradesmen, he tells Pip with the names of the tradesmen, he can keep track of what Pip is doing.

"I shall by this means be able to check your bills, and to pull you up if I find you outrunning the constable. Of course you'll go wrong somehow, but that's no fault of mine.”

His last words cast a sentence upon Pip, and they dismiss him much as Jaggers has dismissed others. Thus, the stiff-backed chair, nailed like a coffin seems symbolic of the "final sentences" he places upon his clients.

What are the political advantages of having committee?

There are political advantages to having a committee. By forming a committee, when it comes to passing a law, the committee is able to take its time to study the proposed bill in detail. The committee can examine the positive aspects and the positive effects of the proposed bill. It can also examine the negative aspects of it. If the committee does an in-depth analysis, it might even discover some unintended consequences of the proposed...

There are political advantages to having a committee. By forming a committee, when it comes to passing a law, the committee is able to take its time to study the proposed bill in detail. The committee can examine the positive aspects and the positive effects of the proposed bill. It can also examine the negative aspects of it. If the committee does an in-depth analysis, it might even discover some unintended consequences of the proposed idea or bill.

By having a committee examine a bill, when it is time for the full legislative body to vote on it, the members of the legislative body can be pretty confident the proposed bill has been examined thoroughly. Thus, the committee’s recommendation may influence how an elected official votes on the proposed law. Sometimes, a committee will prevent a proposal from moving forward by not letting the idea come out of the committee. This way, the full legislative body doesn’t have to defeat the proposed idea.

By creating a committee, members of the full legislative body can be confident that time has been given to thoroughly analyze a proposed idea or law. The public may also feel the same confidence about enough time being given for the idea to be examined and studied.

Why does Bryon not like the police in That Was Then, This is Now?

In Chapter 2, Bryon and Mark are visiting their mother in the hospital, and she tells them to talk to the boy in next room because he seems lonely. Mark agrees to walk over and visit with the boy while Bryon heads down to the snack bar to grab a hamburger. When Bryon sits down at the snack bar, he thinks about all the food he wishes he could order. Bryon says that he can...

In Chapter 2, Bryon and Mark are visiting their mother in the hospital, and she tells them to talk to the boy in next room because he seems lonely. Mark agrees to walk over and visit with the boy while Bryon heads down to the snack bar to grab a hamburger. When Bryon sits down at the snack bar, he thinks about all the food he wishes he could order. Bryon says that he can eat a ton of food and also mentions that that he is five-ten and still growing. He then says that he should have gone out for football but wouldn't have lasted long on the team because he could never handle authority. Bryon's issues with authority stem from a negative experience he had with the police when he was younger. When Bryon was thirteen years old, two cops found him walking around the street drunk and picked him up. They drove Bryon to a hill on the other side of town, slapped him around, and left him there alone. Bryon mentions that he never forgot that experience, and it ruined his respect for police officers. Bryon says that ever since he was beaten, he made it a point to mouth off to cops and disrespect them. 

Why there was a strain between the families of Romeo and Juliet?

The very first mention of this feud is in the play's Prologue.  The speaker refers to both families, the Capulets and the Montagues, as "alike in dignity" (line 1); thus they are of the same class and social standing.  Further, they bear toward one another an "ancient grudge" that, during the course of the play, will result in "new mutiny" (3).  The cause of their long-standing feud is never revealed to the audience; however, we...

The very first mention of this feud is in the play's Prologue.  The speaker refers to both families, the Capulets and the Montagues, as "alike in dignity" (line 1); thus they are of the same class and social standing.  Further, they bear toward one another an "ancient grudge" that, during the course of the play, will result in "new mutiny" (3).  The cause of their long-standing feud is never revealed to the audience; however, we see the new examples of insults the families trade in the play.  In fact, the very first scene presents such a conflict when Sampson and Gregory, of the house of Capulet, end up engaging in a street fight with two servants of the house of Montague when Sampson asserts that his master is "better" than theirs (1.1.61).  Further, when Romeo and his friends go to the party at the Capulets' house, Tybalt takes it as a terrible insult and wants to fight Romeo the next day.  When Romeo refuses to fight, Romeo's friend, Mercutio, fights Tybalt instead, believing that Romeo dishonors himself by resisting.  When Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo kills Tybalt, increasing the tensions between the houses even more.

It is possible that, since both families are so well off, that the patriarchs fought over land or property or something of that effect.  Perhaps they wounded each other's pride a long time ago and have never dropped the grudges they held.  We simply don't know for sure because it is never stated in the play.

Is Lennie's death considered euthanasia, some form of death penalty?

Because Lennie's death is a "mercy killing" enacted consciously by George, it would be considered murder. However, since no one witnessed what has happened, George claims that he shot the gun in self-defense after getting it away from Lennie, who was going to shoot him.

The truth, of course, is that George has intentionally killed Lennie. However, he has shot Lennie in the same way that one would shoot an animal that is ill or...

Because Lennie's death is a "mercy killing" enacted consciously by George, it would be considered murder. However, since no one witnessed what has happened, George claims that he shot the gun in self-defense after getting it away from Lennie, who was going to shoot him.

The truth, of course, is that George has intentionally killed Lennie. However, he has shot Lennie in the same way that one would shoot an animal that is ill or dying or crazed; in other words, a mercy killing. George knows that poor Lennie could not bear being put into a cell, nor could he survive amid prisoners without any help from George, and George is powerless to help Lennie. Certainly, Lennie would be in despair if he were put into a mental asylum instead of a prison. 

This ending for Lennie has been foreshadowed with the death of Candy's dog sand with Lennie's having been associated with an animal in the initial character description of his lumbering behind George as they entered the clearing; Lennie, with

...sloping shoulders...walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. 

George does not want to kill Lennie, but he knows the alternatives for his friend, and he cannot bear for Lennie to be confined in prison.

Lennie was in possession of Carlson's gun and he pointed it at George. He intimates to Carlson, who asks him what happened 

In a Christmas Carol, what does Marley wear that represents his sins in life?

There are actually four ghosts in The Christmas Carol.  The first ghost is that of Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s business partner, a man as stingy and unforgiving as Scrooge himself.  The purpose of this ghost is to convince Scrooge to learn the lessons of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future for his own, (Scrooge’s) salvation. When Scrooge first meets Marley’s ghost, he hears bells ringing and then a sound,

“The bells ceased as...

There are actually four ghosts in The Christmas Carol.  The first ghost is that of Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s business partner, a man as stingy and unforgiving as Scrooge himself.  The purpose of this ghost is to convince Scrooge to learn the lessons of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future for his own, (Scrooge’s) salvation. When Scrooge first meets Marley’s ghost, he hears bells ringing and then a sound,

“The bells ceased as they had begun, together.  They were succeeded by a clanking noise, deep down below; as if some person were dragging a heavy chain over the casks in a wine-merchant’s cellar.”  (pg 16)

When Scrooge first sees the ghost, he notices that it is “fettered” or chained.  The chain was tied around the ghost’s waist.

                “It was long, and wound about him like a tail.  (pg 17)

Scrooge took a good look at it and noticed that it had cashboxes and other articles from his business attached to the chain.  Jacob had lived the same kind of life that Scrooge is living now.  When Scrooge asks the meaning of the chain, Marley replies,

“I wear the chain I forged in life….. I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it.  Is its pattern so strange to you?” (pg 19)

What he means by this is that every link in the chain has been made by some act of selfishness or inhumanity to mankind.  One act equals one link.  He admits that it is a heavy and long chain.  All of the selfish acts he did, he did of his own free will, and he knows that Scrooges chain, at this time, is even longer than his. 

“It was full as heavy and as long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago.  You have labored on it , since.  It is a ponderous chain. “(pg 19)

That ponderous chain helps to convince Scrooge to listen to the next three ghosts: Christmas Past, Present, and Future.

Summarize "The Isles of Greece" by Lord George Gordon Bryon.

Lord George Gordon Byron was captivated and moved to action in Greece's struggle for independence. He wrote the poem Isles of Greece to communicate his thirst for Greek freedom. The poem recaptures former Greek valor and glory in the first two stanzas, followed by his desire to see Greece become free in the third stanza. He goes on to discuss the histories of Marathon and Salamina and how this land should not be subject to...

Lord George Gordon Byron was captivated and moved to action in Greece's struggle for independence. He wrote the poem Isles of Greece to communicate his thirst for Greek freedom. The poem recaptures former Greek valor and glory in the first two stanzas, followed by his desire to see Greece become free in the third stanza. He goes on to discuss the histories of Marathon and Salamina and how this land should not be subject to enslavement.

Byron also is disheartened that Greeks took so long to be moved to action in its attempt to overthrow the Ottoman Empire. This is a feeling that many of his comrades-in-arms share. The poem was written before Greeks fought for independence, so he could not have predicted how events would unfold.

The poem also discusses arguments for the independence of Greece and expresses hope for the future of the peninsula.

Where had the stone and mortar used by Montresor to wall up the entrance to the niche been hidden?

It was not actually necessary for Montresor to hide the stones or the mortar, since he was the only one who ever came down there. If Fortunato were to notice them he would think nothing of them, only that some repair work was being done. But Fortunato doesn't even notice them. The building stones and the trough of mortar had been covered with human bones, mainly to keep the mortar moist. Water continually drips down onto the bones and seeps into the mortar. Montresor had to have it already mixed, but he didn't know when he was going to be able to use it. Poe wanted to have the stones and damp mortar readily available because he wanted to make the wall-building as quick and easy as possible. Evidently he does not leave his trowel with the building materials because it would quickly rust in that environment. This is not dramatic, and Poe wanted to keep his story dramatic. Poe also specified that the niche in which Montresor chained Fortunato was very narrow. This, of course, made it easier to build the stone wall. Here is how Montresor describes the materials:

As I said these words I busied myself among the pile of bones of which I have before spoken. Throwing them aside, I soon uncovered a quantity of building stone and mortar. With these materials and with the aid of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall up the entrance of the niche.

Notice how he says the word "vigorously" in order to show that the wall is going to be constructed very quickly. 

And here is how Montresor describes the crypt or recess:

Within the wall thus exposed by the displacing of the bones, we perceived a still interior crypt or recess, in depth about four feet, in width three, in height six or seven. It seemed to have been constructed for no especial use within itself, but formed merely the interval between two of the colossal supports of the roof of the catacombs, and was backed by one of their circumscribing walls of solid granite.

Note that the recess had to be at least four feet deep. Fortunato would be chained tightly against the rock wall. He could only reach out three feet in front of him, so he could not interfere with the building of the wall, and he could not try to knock it down after Montresor left him alone and the mortar was still wet.

Montresor is using stones rather than bricks because he wants the wall to have a rougher appearance after he plasters the whole outside of it with the same mortar he uses for building the wall. Fortunato is confined within a very narrow recess. It is only about three feet wide. We can assume that Montresor's experience in wall-building is limited. He only has to build a wall three feet wide and six or seven feet tall, and it will be supported on both sides by the sides of the recess. That is an area of around twenty square feet. If the stones are roughly a foot square, that means he only has to lay something like twenty stones. Poe is such a smooth writer that he makes the wall seem to go up in minutes.

Why is the old Receiver called the Giver?

The old Giver is no longer receiving memories from anyone, so technically he is no longer a Receiver of Memory. In fact, he probably hasn't been for a long time, as the one who trained him must be long dead. But now that Jonas's title is the Receiver of Memory as well, it only makes sense to have a new name for the Giver to acknowledge the change in his role. 

The relationship between the...

The old Giver is no longer receiving memories from anyone, so technically he is no longer a Receiver of Memory. In fact, he probably hasn't been for a long time, as the one who trained him must be long dead. But now that Jonas's title is the Receiver of Memory as well, it only makes sense to have a new name for the Giver to acknowledge the change in his role. 

The relationship between the two exposes a weakness in the community, and that is that there is only one Receiver of Memory at a time unless training is taking place. This master/apprentice relationship takes on new significance when we realize that outside of the Giver and Jonas, there is no one else in the community capable of holding these memories. So, as the training continues, and we see how vulnerable the community is, it is interesting to think about the Giver's new role as one that, perhaps, should have taken place long before him needing a replacement. What if the Giver had died of natural causes prior to training a new Receiver? 

What are the psychological, social, and religious allegories found in the novel Lord of the Flies?

The Lord of Flies can be viewed as a psychological allegory that portrays mankind's struggle between the superego and id. According to Freud, the superego's function is to control the id's impulses, such as aggression and sex. The id represents mankind's primitive instincts that often conflict with societal norms. Throughout the novel, the castaway boys' psyches shift towards their primitive human instincts that represent Freud's id. The boys paint their faces, which allows them to...

The Lord of Flies can be viewed as a psychological allegory that portrays mankind's struggle between the superego and id. According to Freud, the superego's function is to control the id's impulses, such as aggression and sex. The id represents mankind's primitive instincts that often conflict with societal norms. Throughout the novel, the castaway boys' psyches shift towards their primitive human instincts that represent Freud's id. The boys paint their faces, which allows them to feel unrestrained in their savagery. The id controls their behavior and enables them to partake in barbaric acts.

The novel can also be viewed as a social allegory between democratic and totalitarian governments. Ralph's tribe symbolizes a democratic society that values each member's opinion. Throughout the novel, the members of Ralph's tribe partake in elections and are given the opportunity to speak during assemblies. Jack's tribe symbolizes a totalitarian form of government that uses violence and intimidation to control its followers.

The Lord of the Flies contains symbolism that presents the novel as a religious allegory. The island symbolizes the Garden of Eden, and the "beastie" parallels the snake in the garden from the Biblical account. The Lord of the Flies symbolizes Satan, and Simon's character portrays the figure of Christ. Their meeting in the secluded spot in the forest parallels Jesus' temptation in the desert.

In Oliver Twist, what did Charles Dickens mean when he wrote the line, "we've just taken them out to wash?"

In the desperately poor and exceedingly peculiar world in which Charles Dickens' protagonist, Oliver Twist, finds himself, a pocket-handkerchief is considered an item of luxury, despite their obvious ubiquity. Early in Oliver Twist, the young orphan is sentenced to solitary confinement for the crime of asking for more food. Despondent, Oliver considers, consistent with the prediction of his jailer, "the gentleman in the white waistcoat," to kill himself. His only means of performing this act,...

In the desperately poor and exceedingly peculiar world in which Charles Dickens' protagonist, Oliver Twist, finds himself, a pocket-handkerchief is considered an item of luxury, despite their obvious ubiquity. Early in Oliver Twist, the young orphan is sentenced to solitary confinement for the crime of asking for more food. Despondent, Oliver considers, consistent with the prediction of his jailer, "the gentleman in the white waistcoat," to kill himself. His only means of performing this act, however, is his handkerchief, which he could fashion into a noose. Oliver hesitates in hanging himself in this manner, however, because, as the boy reconsiders his option, pocket-handkerchiefs are "articles of luxury" that "had been, for all future times and ages, removed from the noses of paupers . . ."

Handkerchiefs, in other words, are symbols of wealth and sophistication, and it is in this context that Fagin, the leader of the band of young pick-pockets into which Oliver is initiated, makes the comment referenced in the student's question. Encountering "the Jew" for the first time, Oliver is struck by this older man's manner, and by his pocket-handkerchiefs. Fagin's response is as follows:

‘We are very glad to see you, Oliver, very,’ said the Jew. . .Ah, you’re a-staring at the pocket-handkerchiefs! eh, my dear. There are a good many of ‘em, ain’t there? We’ve just looked ‘em out, ready for the wash; that’s all, Oliver; that’s all. Ha! ha! ha!’

Oliver is not yet wise to the situation in which he now finds himself, and believes initially that Fagin and his minions are the manufacturers of these handkerchiefs and other goods he finds this odd group hoarding. Fagin's demeanor is unfailingly, at least at first, polite, and the career criminal presents himself in the manner of a true gentleman, the handkerchiefs lending credence to his fiction. As Oliver does not yet know the true nature of his new friends and surroundings, he perceives the handkerchiefs in the mistaken light of an upper-class world to which he can only aspire. This is the meaning of the misquote provided in the student's question. 

How did Fortunato insult Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Fortunato did not do anything to insult Montresor.

There is no specific insult to Montresor mentioned, but the way that Montresor describes Fortunato’s insult makes it seem like it was either very slight or nonexistent.

The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that gave utterance to a...

Fortunato did not do anything to insult Montresor.

There is no specific insult to Montresor mentioned, but the way that Montresor describes Fortunato’s insult makes it seem like it was either very slight or nonexistent.

The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged …

Fortunato clearly has no idea what he is doing to annoy Montresor.  Montresor is convinced that Fortunato has done him horrible wrongs, but these are all in his head.  Montresor is not in his right mind, and so he has imagined that Fortunato has insulted him. 

You can tell that Fortunato isn’t aware that Montresor considers him an enemy by the way he greets him.

It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season, that I encountered my friend. He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. … I was so pleased to see him that I thought I should never have done wringing his hand.

Yes, Fortunato has been drinking and so his judgement might be impaired, but why would he be so happy to see Montresor if he spent so much time insulting him?  Why would Montresor be happy to see him?  Actually, Montresor is happy to see him because he has been planning his murder.  It makes no sense though, that if Fortunato was really an enemy and had really done all of these horrible wrongs to Montresor that he would so willingly go with him.

The insults, or the thousand injuries, are all in Montresor's head.  They are the product of a delusional mind.  Montresor is a madman, and while madmen might make entertaining narrators, they do not make reliable ones.  They do, however, make excellent murderers.  Montresor carefully plots Fortunato's murder because he is convinced he has done him some horrible wrong.

What secret code was spoken in Number the Stars?

In the book Number The Stars, there are several examples of the use of secret code to convey messages to family members that were part of the Danish resistance to the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Germany had taken over many countries and had begun to round up the Jewish people to send them to concentration camps. Since Denmark is so close to Sweden, the Danish people helped the Jewish people escape by hiding them in boats that would head over to Sweden just a few miles away. Since Sweden wasn’t occupied by Germany during World War II, the Jewish people would be safe if they got to Sweden. Getting there, however, could be tricky.

The Rosens and Johansens were friends. The Rosens knew they needed to escape to Sweden in order to be safe. The Johansens and their extended family were part of the Danish resistance that helped the Jewish people escape from capture and from persecution by the Nazis. While the rest of the Rosen family would go elsewhere, their oldest daughter, Ellen, would stay with the Johansens. One example of the use of code was when Ellen would accompany the Johansens to visit their uncle, Uncle Henrik, for a few days. When the phone call was made to their uncle, he was told that they would be bringing a carton of cigarettes. During World War II, cigarettes were in short supply. In reality, the cigarettes were the code word for bringing Ellen.

Another example of the use of code was when their uncle said that the next day would be a good day for fishing. Since he was a fisherman, and he fished every day, this seemed like an odd statement. In reality, this statement meant that tomorrow would be the day the Rosen family would be smuggled by boat to Sweden.

Another example of code was the discussion about putting a coffin of a deceased great-aunt in the living room of their uncle’s house. The discussion about and the placement of the coffin in the living room was to distract the German soldiers who would want to know why so many people were in Uncle Henrik’s house. When the German soldiers would try to open the coffin, the Johansens would tell them the great-aunt died from a highly contagious disease. This likely would keep the German soldiers from opening the coffin. It worked perfectly as the German soldiers didn’t open the coffin.

The use of code and the actions of the Danish people show the bravery of the Danish people in helping the Jewish people escape from German persecution. Some of the Danish people in the resistance were killed for their defiance of German rule when they were caught taking part in some of the activities of the resistance movement.

In The Catcher in the Rye, why does Holden like Mercutio (from Romeo and Juliet) so much? What does this reveal about Holden? What other character...

Another reason Holden may admire Mercutio so much is because Mercutio exemplifies everything Holden longs to be (but is not).

In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio is courageous, unpredictable, outspoken, and supremely confident. He's the kind of man Holden wishes to be. When Romeo becomes depressed about being rejected by Rosaline, Mercutio advises him to have more sex. Mercutio may be matter-of-fact about love (he can take it or leave it), but he's sexually experienced,...

Another reason Holden may admire Mercutio so much is because Mercutio exemplifies everything Holden longs to be (but is not).

In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio is courageous, unpredictable, outspoken, and supremely confident. He's the kind of man Holden wishes to be. When Romeo becomes depressed about being rejected by Rosaline, Mercutio advises him to have more sex. Mercutio may be matter-of-fact about love (he can take it or leave it), but he's sexually experienced, something Holden is not. In The Catcher In The Rye, Holden gets cold feet about bedding Sunny, the prostitute. He behaves awkwardly and is downright frightened about the prospect of embarrassing himself. He wishes he was a "rake" (like Monsieur Blanchard), but he fails miserably when he's faced with the need to take action.

Mercutio is "smart" and "entertaining." He's both adept at love-making as well as sword-fighting. Above all, Mercutio knows how to take the battle to the enemy when the occasion demands it. It is Mercutio who takes up Romeo's challenge to fight Tybalt. Because of his loyalty and courage, Mercutio dies at Tybalt's hands. Holden implies that Romeo's cowardice is responsible for Mercutio's death, and he believes that Mercutio is a more worthy character than either Romeo or Juliet.

Holden's thoughts about Mercutio show that he values a particular set of masculine virtues, the kind that Mercutio possesses in abundance. Mercutio represents Holden's idea of the perfect man, someone who's suave, courageous, and confident. In the book, Stradlater is the closest thing to Mercutio. Like Mercutio, Stradlater is obsessed with sex, and he's certainly what one would consider a "rake." He's good with the ladies, and he's a charmer. However, he's also mercurial (like Mercutio).

When Holden asks Stradlater about his date with Jane Gallagher, Stradlater becomes visibly irritated. He refuses to provide Holden with any details about the date. Holden resorts to antagonizing his friend, and this leads Stradlater to retaliate physically. Holden fights back but finds himself powerless against his friend's dexterity. Holden muses that he's only been in two fights in his life, and he lost both of them. He comforts himself that, at the very least, the presence of blood on his person makes him look "tough."

So, even though Stradlater isn't a very good friend, Holden finds himself engaged in a dysfunctional  relationship with him. Holden detests Stradlater's selfishness, but he's fascinated with his friend's sexual confidence and physical prowess. This is also the reason that Holden likes Mercutio so much; both Mercutio and Stradlater are very similar in temperament and character.

Who calls the fire department to turn in Montag?

Actually, several people call Captain Beatty to turn in Montag for having books hidden.  The first is the group of Mildred’s friends who Montag reads poetry to while they were all gathered together at his house.  And, of course, Mildred, Montag’s wife turns him in as well.  No explanation is given as to why Mildred sounds the alarm on Montag; perhaps Mildred is so indoctrinated by society that she feels she can’t live with Montag...

Actually, several people call Captain Beatty to turn in Montag for having books hidden.  The first is the group of Mildred’s friends who Montag reads poetry to while they were all gathered together at his house.  And, of course, Mildred, Montag’s wife turns him in as well.  No explanation is given as to why Mildred sounds the alarm on Montag; perhaps Mildred is so indoctrinated by society that she feels she can’t live with Montag breaking the law.  Their marriage is also loveless in many ways, and maybe Mildred sees this as a way out of their marriage.  It is a betrayal that doesn’t really affect Montag emotionally; he is tired of Mildred’s fascination with the TV soap operas and her repetitive overdoses.  The scene concludes with Montag burning down his own house, turning the flamethrower on Beatty, being partly injected by the mechanical hound, and escaping out of the city to join the hobos. 

Why did the colonies want to break away from Great Britain?

First, we should realize that not all the colonists wanted to break away from Great Britain. There were many who wanted to remain loyal to what they viewed as the mother country, and even many ardent patriots did not think of the Revolution as a movement for independence until the war itself. But to look for the reasons the colonists wanted independence, we can look at the Declaration of Independence itself. It asserted the colonists'...

First, we should realize that not all the colonists wanted to break away from Great Britain. There were many who wanted to remain loyal to what they viewed as the mother country, and even many ardent patriots did not think of the Revolution as a movement for independence until the war itself. But to look for the reasons the colonists wanted independence, we can look at the Declaration of Independence itself. It asserted the colonists' claims that the British had violated their natural rights which in some cases coincided with their rights as British subjects. This included the policy of taxing the colonists without their consent, quartering troops among them, dissolving colonial legislatures, establishing courts outside the colonies to try violators of certain laws, and other offenses. There were also other, more pragmatic reasons for declaring independence not mentioned in this document. The colonists were, after all, at war with Great Britain, and they needed the support of France and other European powers. They could not get this help without declaring independence. They also needed to establish state governments since the royal governors had fled the colonies with the outbreak of the revolution, another issue that couldn't be addressed without declaring independence. Finally, more than a year of war had alienated the colonists and the British to the point where reconciliation seemed impossible. So in the words of Thomas Paine, it was "common sense" that the colonists should become independent.

Should a judge in a criminal trial have credibility?

The word "credibility," while not exactly a legal term of art, in the law generally is used to characterize a witness whom the jury believes. When we say a witness has credibility, we mean the witness presents in a way that makes people think the witness is telling the truth. That particular use of the word does not seem applicable as applied to a judge. If we use the word in a larger sense, I would say a judge should have credibility in a criminal trial — or a civil trial, for that matter. 

A judge needs to be credible in his or her capacity as a judge. If we see a judge who is fumbling over legal concepts to make clearly erroneous rulings, who mispronounces words and has poor grammar, or who demonstrates clear partiality to one side or another, we are looking at someone who is not credible as a judge. A judge whose demeanor suggests that the proceedings are a joke or a waste of time does not have credibility as a judge. A judge caught sleeping on the bench loses all credibility. 

A judge's credibility matters a great deal in a country that functions under a rule of law. The judge is an integral part of the legal process, the person we count on to take the proceedings seriously, to guard the rights of the prosecution, the defendant, and the people, to understand the law, to be impartial, and to have a demeanor proper for the situation. If a judge has no credibility, we lose respect for the process, and when people lose respect for the process, it makes them less likely to be willing to live under the rule of law.

There are not enough people available to enforce a rule of law if large numbers of people are no longer willing to consent to be ruled by law. What would constitute a critical mass in this context is unclear, but there is a tipping point after which could come revolution or anarchy.  A failure to believe in government institutions has been responsible for many revolutions, and not just historically; even today, the Egyptian Spring and the civil war in Syria began because citizens doubted their governments. 

The judiciary is a government institution. It must command the respect of the people or fail. One way that respect is commanded is by ensuring there are judges with credibility.  In some states, judges are elected. In others, they are appointed. Either way, judicial candidates are carefully vetted by a state bar association. At the federal level, judges are appointed by the president, and these judges, too, are carefully vetted. Most of the time, people who would not make credible judges do not become judges.

Does Jonas from the book The Giver appear in this book Gathering Blue, which is a sequel to The Giver?

The answer is both yes and no. Gathering Blue is set in a village that is very dissimilar to the community which Jonas leaves at the end of The Giver. Kira, the main character in Gathering Blue, never leaves the village in the course of the narrative, and there seems to be no connection between the two books at all. 

However, at the end of Gathering Blue, Kira's friend Matt sets out in...

The answer is both yes and no. Gathering Blue is set in a village that is very dissimilar to the community which Jonas leaves at the end of The Giver. Kira, the main character in Gathering Blue, never leaves the village in the course of the narrative, and there seems to be no connection between the two books at all. 

However, at the end of Gathering Blue, Kira's friend Matt sets out in search of the blue, that is, a plant or some other substance from which blue dye can be made. When he comes back, having accomplished his goal, he tells Kira that he has met a boy whom he thinks Kira would like. One of the reasons he thinks that is because that boy has blue eyes. This gives readers a clue that Matt has met Jonas, whose blue eyes are an important detail in The Giver, even though they are described there not as blue, but "pale." So while Jonas is never mentioned by name, one could say that he does appear, however fleetingly, in Gathering Blue.

The fact that Jonas has survived the journey from his community is confirmed in the book The Messenger, and in the final book of the quartet, The Son, Kira and Jonas are a married couple.

What does Polonius say to Ophelia regarding her behavior with Hamlet?

When Polonius inquires of Ophelia what she had been discussing with her brother, Laertes, she tells him that they spoke about Hamlet. Polonius then states that he had heard that Hamlet had been spending some time with Ophelia. He then suggests:

... in way of caution, I must tell you,
You do not understand yourself so clearly
As it behoves my daughter and your honour.
What is between you? give me up the truth.

He tells Ophelia that she must be careful since she is not yet old enough to have even a clear understanding of herself as much as she should, being his daughter and for the protection of her honour (chastity). She is still immature and therefore naive. He demands that she provide him full details of her liaison with Hamlet.

Ophelia confesses that Hamlet had made a number of offers to her and proposed love. Polonius rejects the suggestion of Hamlet's affection with contempt and emphasizes how inexperienced Ophelia is, so much so, that she took Hamlet at his word. He asks her if she believed Hamlet's proposals and she replies that she does not know what to think.

Polonius then extends some fatherly advice to his daughter and says that she should see herself as an innocent baby who has taken Hamlet's offers as the truth. He says that she should value herself more highly or else she would create the impression that he is a fool for not having raised her properly. Clearly, the focus here is not entirely on Ophelia, but on himself.

When Ophelia tells him that Hamlet had actually made sincere promises of his love in an honourable manner, her father says that she must not talk nonsense. He uses the word 'fashion' to mean that it is something of short duration. He is implying that Hamlet is not sincere. His so-called passion for Ophelia is of a fleeting nature and will not last. 

When Ophelia tries to convince her father that Hamlet's utterances were truthful since he had vowed to heaven about his sincerity, Polonius rejects this by saying that it is a scheme similar to those used to trap woodcocks, birds which are deemed idiotic. His daughter would be foolish to fall for Hamlet's trap and become ensnared. He suggests that being young, Hamlet is ablaze with passion, but it is a fire that will soon burn out. Ophelia must not see these heartfelt promises as true passion, for they die even as they are made.

Polonius advises Ophelia not to make herself so easily available to Hamlet and must therefore treasure her time and see less of him. She must place a greater value on herself and not seem so easily available. He implores her not to believe Hamlet for what he says is only to fulfill his lust (unholy suits). Hamlet's vows are not sincere and can be broken as easily as they have been made. Hamlet's promises are mere tools to mislead her. He then commands her:

This is for all:
I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth,
Have you so slander any moment leisure,
As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet.
Look to't, I charge you: come your ways.

Polonius is quite direct and tells Ophelia that in truth, she must not henceforth waste any moment of her free time to talk to or discuss anything with Hamlet. He therefore forbids her to have such contact with him. She must obey his instruction and behave appropriately.

It is ironic that Polonius is so strict with his daughter at this point, for later in the play he will do a complete about-turn and use his daughter to glean information from Hamlet. He will actually encourage her to lead Hamlet on and essentially spy on the young prince so that he can report the details to Claudius.

How is Dill Harris a mockingbird in To Kill a Mockingbird?

The mockingbird in To Kill A Mockingbird symbolizes any person who is damaged or injured by evil or cruelty, resulting in a loss of innocence, an understanding of the brutal world, or even physical injury or death.

During Tom Robinson's trial, the reader begins to see how Dill is a symbolic mockingbird. Specifically, after the cruel cross-examination by Mr. Gilmer, Dill reveals this side of himself. He and Scout go outside where Dill compares Mr....

The mockingbird in To Kill A Mockingbird symbolizes any person who is damaged or injured by evil or cruelty, resulting in a loss of innocence, an understanding of the brutal world, or even physical injury or death.

During Tom Robinson's trial, the reader begins to see how Dill is a symbolic mockingbird. Specifically, after the cruel cross-examination by Mr. Gilmer, Dill reveals this side of himself. He and Scout go outside where Dill compares Mr. Gilmer with Atticus. He says that Atticus does not treat witnesses in that manner. A man who is outside with them, Mr. Dolphus Raymond, assures Dill that he will soon reach a point in his life that he will not cry about such matters. It is during this time that the reader sees a loss of Dill's innocence. Dill realizes that people do not always treat others fairly or care about understanding others. Up until this time, Dill was essentially unaware of differences between black people and white people, and just assumed that all people are equal as they are all members of the human race. During this scene in the book, Dill loses his ability to be blind to race and color, therefore losing his childish innocence, and becoming a symbolic mockingbird.

How does Rappaccini treat his art with more importance than his daughter and her lover?

Rappaccini seems to attribute greater importance to his art than to his daughter because he has condemned her to a life of solitude in a poisonous Eden for the sake of his experimentation. He raised her to be as deadly as the beautiful purple-flowered shrub by the broken fountain, and she must live with the knowledge that though her heart is loving and kind, her breath and her touch are unwholesome and damaging.

Further, Rappaccini...

Rappaccini seems to attribute greater importance to his art than to his daughter because he has condemned her to a life of solitude in a poisonous Eden for the sake of his experimentation. He raised her to be as deadly as the beautiful purple-flowered shrub by the broken fountain, and she must live with the knowledge that though her heart is loving and kind, her breath and her touch are unwholesome and damaging.

Further, Rappaccini never consults Giovanni or his daughter when he decides to convert the normal youth into a poisonous being like his daughter. For the sake of science, he has raised a poisonous girl from her infancy, and now he seeks to transform a grown adult into her poisonous match.  He never took his daughter's feelings or future into consideration when he experimented on her; neither does he take Giovanni's feelings or future plans into consideration before experimenting on him. He gives them no choice. In this way, Rappaccini has placed his science (or his art, as Baglioni refers to it) ahead of Beatrice and Giovanni.

What does this passage from Macbeth mean? Out, damned spot! out, I say!--One: two: why,then, 'tis time to do't.--Hell is murky!--Fie, mylord, fie!...

This passage is from the first scene of Act V in Macbeth. The Doctor and a Gentlewoman are discussing Lady Macbeth's bizarre habit of sleepwalking, and speculating just what might be bothering her. As they are talking, Lady Macbeth enters the scene rubbing her hands as if she is washing them. The Gentlewoman reports that she has witnessed this behavior many times. As she rubs her hands, she speaks, and we learn that she is...

This passage is from the first scene of Act V in Macbeth. The Doctor and a Gentlewoman are discussing Lady Macbeth's bizarre habit of sleepwalking, and speculating just what might be bothering her. As they are talking, Lady Macbeth enters the scene rubbing her hands as if she is washing them. The Gentlewoman reports that she has witnessed this behavior many times. As she rubs her hands, she speaks, and we learn that she is trying to clean off an imaginary spot of blood. This is what she means when she says "Out, damned spot!" The rest of the passage quoted in the question refers to her plot with Macbeth to murder King Duncan while he slept in their castle. "It is time to do't," she says, meaning the murder itself. Then she recalls (unconsciously, of course) how she challenged her husband's masculinity as he hesitated, saying, in effect, "you're a soldier, and you're afraid?" She claims that after the deed is done, they will become so powerful that nobody will be able to say anything about the way they rose to power: "What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?" But then she says, in effect, "who would have thought the King would bleed so much?" Overall, this speech reveals a woman wracked by guilt, driven to the point of madness by the weight of the evil deeds she has helped her husband carry out. 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of space tourism?

An advantage of space tourism is the jobs that the industry is going to provide.  There are already multiple companies all competing for space tourism business.  Those are all companies and jobs that didn't exist a decade ago.  Pilots are needed, programmers are needed, manufacturing jobs are needed, and many many other people will be working in order to see that those companies are successful.  

Another advantage of space tourism is going to be...

An advantage of space tourism is the jobs that the industry is going to provide.  There are already multiple companies all competing for space tourism business.  Those are all companies and jobs that didn't exist a decade ago.  Pilots are needed, programmers are needed, manufacturing jobs are needed, and many many other people will be working in order to see that those companies are successful.  

Another advantage of space tourism is going to be its ability to renew interest in space and space exploration.  With renewed interest, financial backing will follow, and that will support further innovation in the industry and space exploration in general.  

One disadvantage to space tourism is currently that it is a rich man's game.  The start up costs are prohibitively high for starting up this kind of company.  Not only is it an expensive business to run, but it is also an expensive ticket to buy for the consumer.  Right now, Virgin Galactic's ticket cost for a single seat is $250,000, and the entire flight lasts only two and a half hours.  The entire flight.  You are weightless for less than 10 minutes.  

Another current disadvantage is that the industry is in its infancy.  There isn't much regulation happening, and the business hasn't been around long enough to have its safety protocols dialed in.  It's a very dangerous industry currently, and Virgin Galactic proved that when their test platform, Space Ship 2, crashed and killed the pilot. 

Difference between data collection and survey

Surveys are a form of data collection. Once a population has been properly defined, the researcher designs  the survey being careful to avoid bias in the questions. The researcher then decides on the method to do the survey (phone, mail, web, etc...) and how to select the participants ( self-selection, simple random sample, cluster sample, stratified sample, etc...)

Data collection is a broad category that includes surveys.Researchers recording information about an experiment are...

Surveys are a form of data collection. Once a population has been properly defined, the researcher designs  the survey being careful to avoid bias in the questions. The researcher then decides on the method to do the survey (phone, mail, web, etc...) and how to select the participants ( self-selection, simple random sample, cluster sample, stratified sample, etc...)

Data collection is a broad category that includes surveys. Researchers recording information about an experiment are collecting data. Researchers looking through archived information are collecting data. Researchers observing (whether an experiment or an obsevational study) are collecting data. Researchers recording survey results are collecting data.

In all cases, a primary concern is to avoid bias (selection bias, bias in the questions or method of collection, interpreting outliers, etc...)

How are the town and the forest important to the setting in the The Scarlet Letter?

The setting of The Scarlet Letter is the Massachusetts Bay Colony, in Boston. The year is 1642, and the plot develops in a puritanical society.

In the novel, the settingsof the town and the forest work as opposites of one another. The town, which is open, ample and busy, represents the light; the daytime. The forest, dark and mysterious, is the refuge of the lonely who, like Hester and Dimmesdale, go there to hide...

The setting of The Scarlet Letter is the Massachusetts Bay Colony, in Boston. The year is 1642, and the plot develops in a puritanical society.

In the novel, the settings of the town and the forest work as opposites of one another. The town, which is open, ample and busy, represents the light; the daytime. The forest, dark and mysterious, is the refuge of the lonely who, like Hester and Dimmesdale, go there to hide from the prying eyes of society. It represents the darkness.

In town, the villagers conduct the dynamics of their daily lives with close watch being kept over what they can and cannot do. We know that, in this particular theocentric and patriarchal society, the rules and regulations governing each individual are monitored by the aldermen and the magistrates who base the community's social parameters on their Puritan faith.

Therefore, in town (the village), everything, everyone's behavior, is seen, heard, known, and told about. Everyone must, therefore, follow the accepted rules of decorum and good behavior that are expected of God-fearing people. If they do not, the consequences will be not just harsh but also humiliating.

The forest is the "hiding place" where anything is possible. Its dense vegetation and its capacity for harboring all sorts of living creatures encompass thousands of possible things that could arise, and many other possible things that could occur. In The Scarlet Letter the forest is the playground of Mistress Hibbins, who admits without shame that she frequents the place to conjure spirits. The forest is also where Dimmesdale walks alone in perennial guilt, and also the place where he and Hester meet in secret.

All this said, the town and the forest both have a strong role within the setting. They both host the villagers in good and bad times. They are places of contrasts: safety, ignominy, and everyday life. Also, they are both equally necessary to the villagers and to the plot that unfolds.

In Lord of the Flies, how does Simon's hiding spot influence him when he goes there to meditate? How does he change after first discovering the...

Simon's hiding place is first described near the end of Chapter 3 - Huts on the Beach. Simon had a penchant for being alone it seems. We are told that he held his breath and listened to the sounds of the island. He stayed there. He found the place in bright sunshine and stayed there until it was dark. The setting must have relaxed him as it was secluded and had "aromatic bushes”, scenic flowers...

Simon's hiding place is first described near the end of Chapter 3 - Huts on the Beach. Simon had a penchant for being alone it seems. We are told that he held his breath and listened to the sounds of the island. He stayed there. He found the place in bright sunshine and stayed there until it was dark. The setting must have relaxed him as it was secluded and had "aromatic bushes”, scenic flowers and scented flowers that were strong to enough to permeate the entire island. This could have powerful effects on Simon's mental state. After discovering the hiding place he becomes cynical and we are told that he believes "everything is a bad business"

Later on, when Simon encounters the Lord of the Flies - which was a pig's head skewered on a stick - he imagines the pig head grinning at him but also becomes hypnotized and transfixed and imagines himself in the mouth of the pig. It is possible that he had been so tranquilized by his hideaway that he became more susceptible to delusion. He mentions a ”dead man on a hill" as he tries to escape the boys and it is possible that his self-imposed isolation and state of mind made it easier for the boys to kill him.

In what parts of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird do people talk negatively about Tom Robinson being black or talk negatively about black people?

Racist dialogue concerning either Tom Robinson or African Americans in general occurs all throughout Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Some of the best examples can be seen during Aunt Alexandra's missionary circle meeting in Chapter 24.In this chapter, Scout is invited to join her aunt's missionary circle for refreshments, as part of Scout's training to be a lady, and she does so dressed in her Sunday best. However, Scout witnesses some...

Racist dialogue concerning either Tom Robinson or African Americans in general occurs all throughout Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Some of the best examples can be seen during Aunt Alexandra's missionary circle meeting in Chapter 24.

In this chapter, Scout is invited to join her aunt's missionary circle for refreshments, as part of Scout's training to be a lady, and she does so dressed in her Sunday best. However, Scout witnesses some very unladylike conversation in that the things the ladies say at the meeting are very racist and hypocritical. One example can be seen in the conversation that follows when Mrs. Merriweather says to Scout how fortunate she is to "live in a Christian home" outside of all of the "sin and squalor" of other regions, such as Africa. One woman named Gertrude responds to Mrs. Merriweather's comment about "sin and squalor." While we aren't told what Gertrude says, we are told Mrs. Merriweather's surprising response:

Sin and squalor—what was that Gertrude? ... Oh that. Well, I always say forgive and forget, forgive and forget. Thing that church ought to do is help her lead a Christian life for those children from here on out. (Ch. 24)

When Scout asks Mrs. Merriweather whom she is speaking of, Mrs. Merriweather replies that she is talking about Helen Robinson, Tom Robinson's wife. In other words, Mrs. Merriweather is saying that Helen should be forgiven and her disgraces forgotten, even though Helen has actually not done anything wrong. Mrs. Merriweather is also saying that the town needs to help Helen "lead a Christian life," which assumes Helen has not been doing so already. But that assumption contradicts what we already know to be true of the Robinsons; we learn back in Chapter 9 that the Robinsons are decent folks and active members of Calpurnia's church. All of Mrs. Merriweather's comments show she has judged Tom Robinson to be guilty, despite court evidence proving the contrary. She also believes Tom's guilt has somehow rubbed off on Helen. Mrs. Merriweather's comments further show that she assumes all African Americans are somehow inherently immoral or evil.

We see the exact same prejudiced assumption expressed later in the conversation by Mrs. Farrow:

We can educate 'em til we're blue in the face, we can try till we drop to make Christians out of 'em, but there's no lady safe in her bed these nights. (Ch. 24)

As we can see, Mrs. Farrow's comment shows she assumes that African Americans are incapable of being educated and incapable of being taught Christian values because she assumes not just that they are inferior to whites but that they are inherently evil.

How does pH affect soil fertility and how is this related to plant growth?

Soil is an important resource that can take hundreds of years to form. Plants rely on soil to obtain nutrients along with water and gases. The pH of soil ranges between 4 and 8 and an optimum soil pH is somewhere between 6 and 7 for plants to be able to grow. Different pH values can affect properties of soil including the rate that certain nutrients leach out of the soil. The reason for this is that certain nutrients are more or less soluble at different pH values.

To maintain the fertility of soil, the process of decomposition, carried out by bacteria and fungi returns organic and inorganic materials back to the soil. The use of fertilizers can increase soil fertility as well. Methods used by farmers to increase fertility include--contour plowing, strip cropping, terracing and crop rotation which all helps to decrease erosion while at the same time preserve soil fertility. Conservation tillage leaves remnants of the previous year's crops on the field helps to maintain fertility, decrease erosion and holds water in the soil. If a soil contains particles of clay which have a negative charge, these will attract positively charged particles of calcium, magnesium, ammonia among others which helps to maintain soil fertility. Clay soils can hold nutrients very well and loam which is a mixture of sand, silt and clay particles also can hold nutrients in place.

Soils can be divided into types known as Orders and these differ based on the area in which they have formed and from what materials are found in these soils. Some of the 12 Orders include: spodosols, mollisols, aridosols, oxisols and alfisols. A spodosol is not great to use for farmland because of the acidic pH due to a leaf litter composed of coniferous trees' needles which are acidic when they break down. The nutrients leach through the soil therefore, it has poor fertility. To contrast, an alfisol which forms in temperate deciduous forests has high soil fertility which is maintained by the leaf litter because trees in these temperate areas lose their leaves each fall and then decompose adding nutrients back to the soil.

Soil fertility is in a delicate balance and must be maintained by natural processes along with the prudent use of conservation practices and fertilizers so that this important resource is available for future use.

List five things that happen in the rumble in The Outsiders.

1. Paul Holden punches Darry


2. Ponyboy asks Dally how he got out of the hospital


3. Darry defends Ponyboy and rips a Soc off his back


4. Ponyboy gets kicked in the head


5. Tim Shepard breaks his nose

In Chapter 9, the greasers face off against the Socs in a rumble at a vacant lot. Prior to the fight, the Socs and greasers made an agreement to fight without using weapons. As the two gangs stand across from...

1. Paul Holden punches Darry


2. Ponyboy asks Dally how he got out of the hospital


3. Darry defends Ponyboy and rips a Soc off his back


4. Ponyboy gets kicked in the head


5. Tim Shepard breaks his nose

In Chapter 9, the greasers face off against the Socs in a rumble at a vacant lot. Prior to the fight, the Socs and greasers made an agreement to fight without using weapons. As the two gangs stand across from each other, Darry steps out from his group to begin the rumble. Paul Holden, a Soc who used to play on Darry's football team, steps out from his gang and says he'll take Darry. Dally yells "Hold up!" from across the lot and Darry turns his head to look. When Darry turns, Paul lands a hard right cross to Darry's chin and the fight begins. While the boys are fighting, Pony manages to ask Dally how he made it out of the hospital, and he says he pulled Two-Bit's switchblade on the nurse. Ponyboy gets tackled by a Soc, who begins to punch him in the face while he is talking to Dally. Darry protects Pony during the fight and lifts the Soc off his back and slugs him hard, sending him three feet from Pony. During the fight, Ponyboy gets kicked hard in the head and suffers a concussion. Tim Shepard breaks his nose, and the leader of the Brumly boys beats the Socs with a pipe during the fight. The Socs finally run off, and the greasers win the brawl.

What was Tom's conflict in "Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket"?

Tom experiences several conflicts throughout the story, both internal and external.  They include man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. self, and man vs. society. 

To begin, an external, man vs. man conflict is when Tom's wife wants him to join her at a movie for the evening.  However, Tom chooses to stay home to continue working.  

Another external conflict is man vs. nature.  This arises when the draft from the door closing...

Tom experiences several conflicts throughout the story, both internal and external.  They include man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. self, and man vs. society. 

To begin, an external, man vs. man conflict is when Tom's wife wants him to join her at a movie for the evening.  However, Tom chooses to stay home to continue working.  

Another external conflict is man vs. nature.  This arises when the draft from the door closing as his wife leaves causes the sheet of paper to fly out the open window.  Tom must risk his life on the edge of the building to retrieve the important piece of paper, which brings us to the two main conflicts of the story.  

Tom's internal, man vs. man conflict revolves around how much importance he should place on his work.  He feels that what he is doing is very imporant; however, he also regrets missing quality time with his wife.  At first, Tom clearly chooses his work over his wife when he decides not to go to the movie with her.  He also puts his work first when he risks his life to recover the paper from the building's ledge.  Tom's internal conflict is also indicative of another external conflict.

Probably the most significant conflict of the story is Tom's external, man vs. society issue.  He feels that he needs to work so hard for a promotion that is not even a given.  There is no telling whether his extra work will pay off in the end; however, he feels the societal pressure to do so in the hopes of earning more money to provide a better life for his family.