Comment on the following lines, "So there it is," he added. "And I know it's kind of a bad time to be telling you, but there simply wasn't any...

Those lines are spoken by Patrick Maloney almost right after he gets home from work.  All that the reader is told before those lines is that Patrick had something the he wanted to tell his wife, Mary.  Dahl never elaborates on what Patrick told Mary.  All the reader knows is that Mary didn't like what she was hearing.  

And he told her. It didn't take long, four or five minutes at most, and she sat still through it all, watching him with puzzled horror.

Based on his words about giving her money, it's likely that Patrick was telling Mary that he was leaving her, or that he wanted a divorce.  The news was a shock to Mary, because she assumed that Patrick loved her as much as she loved him.   Mary practically worships the ground that Patrick walks upon, so the news devastates Mary.  Bummer for Patrick that Mary made the end of their marriage sooner rather than later.  

What does Peter and Wendy's nursery have in common with Peter Pan's Neverland?

The nursery in "The Veldt" and Neverland in Peter Pan share some obvious characteristics. For one thing, they both represent places where the imagination can run free, without the need for adult rules. They both are places where the children -- specifically, boys named "Peter" -- are in charge. They both are places where fantasies are made real, and where children triumph over adults -- Peter Pan over Capt. Hook, and Peter Hadley over his...

The nursery in "The Veldt" and Neverland in Peter Pan share some obvious characteristics. For one thing, they both represent places where the imagination can run free, without the need for adult rules. They both are places where the children -- specifically, boys named "Peter" -- are in charge. They both are places where fantasies are made real, and where children triumph over adults -- Peter Pan over Capt. Hook, and Peter Hadley over his parents. Both the nursery and Neverland are places of adventure and, to an extent, of wildness or the wilderness, lions and crocodiles. Both places represent, either figuratively (in Peter Pan) or literally (in "The Veldt") the connection between desire and fantasy. In each case the fantasy is the triumph of innocence over maturity, of escaping from the inevitability of growing up. In "The Veldt" Peter says that all he wants to do "look, listen and smell" -- by the end of the story, he has managed to do just that.

`C = 43^@, a = 4/9, b = 7/9` Use the Law of Cosines to solve the triangle. Round your answers to two decimal places.

Using the law of cosines, in the given case, yields:

`c^2 = a^2 + b^2 - 2ab*cos C`

`c^2 = (4/9)^2 + (7/9)^2 - 2*28/9*cos 43^o`

`c^2 = 65/81 - 56/81*73/10`

`c^2 = (1/81)*(650 - 4088)/10`

`c^2 =-343.8/81`

Since `c^2 > 0` , the provided information cannot be used to solve the triangle.

Using the law of cosines, in the given case, yields:

`c^2 = a^2 + b^2 - 2ab*cos C`

`c^2 = (4/9)^2 + (7/9)^2 - 2*28/9*cos 43^o`

`c^2 = 65/81 - 56/81*73/10`

`c^2 = (1/81)*(650 - 4088)/10`

`c^2 =-343.8/81`

Since `c^2 > 0` , the provided information cannot be used to solve the triangle.

From whom does Candy seek advice before allowing Carlson to shoot his dog in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men?

Candy seeks judgment, perhaps, more than advice from Slim before handing over his dog to Carlson.

Early in Chapter 3 when Carlson enters the bunkhouse after losing at horseshoes by the barn, he sniffs the air and complains,

"God awmighty, that dog stinks. Get him outa here, Candy! I don't know nothing that stinks as bad as an old dog. You gotta get him out." (Ch. 3)

Candy pats his dog and apologizes for him,...

Candy seeks judgment, perhaps, more than advice from Slim before handing over his dog to Carlson.

Early in Chapter 3 when Carlson enters the bunkhouse after losing at horseshoes by the barn, he sniffs the air and complains,

"God awmighty, that dog stinks. Get him outa here, Candy! I don't know nothing that stinks as bad as an old dog. You gotta get him out." (Ch. 3)

Candy pats his dog and apologizes for him, but Carlson will not be appeased. He insists that the dog has gone beyond having any quality of life since his teeth are gone and he is stiff with rheumatism. "He ain't no good to hisself. Why'n't you shoot him, Candy?" (Ch.3) Candy squirms. He tells Carlson that he has had the dog since he was a puppy, and he used him to herd sheep. So, when Carlson suggests that he take the dog and shoot him in the back of the head where he would not know what happened, Candy replies, "No, I couldn' do that. I had 'im too long." (Ch.3)

Carlson then offers to shoot the dog for him, saying the dog cannot even enjoy himself anymore. But, Candy will not give in, even when Carlson suggests that Candy pick out a dog from Slim's dog's litter. Slim, too, tells Candy the dog is suffering. "Candy looked helplessly at him, for Slim's opinions were law." (Ch. 3)

"Maybe it'd hurt him, he suggested. "I don't mind takin' care of him." (Ch.3)

But, Carlson insists, despite the entry of some of the other men. "We can't sleep with him stink'in around in here." (Ch.3)

Candy looked a long time at Slim to try to find some reversal. And Slim gave him none. At last Candy said softly and hopelessly, "Awright--take 'im." (Ch.3)

Candy cannot look at his old dog. He puts his arms behind his head and stares at the ceiling. Then, Carlson ties a leather strap around the dog's neck, saying apologetically to Candy, "He won't even feel it." (Ch. 3) But Candy neither moves nor responds.

What are some character traits for all three spirits in "A Christmas Carol"?

The spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come (future) play a major role in the story "A Christmas Carol." All three spirits visit Scrooge in his sleep with the apparent motive of making sure that Scrooge realizes the need to change his miserly, cruel way of living. While the three spirits share these motivations, they each possess unique characteristics.

The spirit of Christmas Past appears with a light coming from its head in most...

The spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come (future) play a major role in the story "A Christmas Carol." All three spirits visit Scrooge in his sleep with the apparent motive of making sure that Scrooge realizes the need to change his miserly, cruel way of living. While the three spirits share these motivations, they each possess unique characteristics.

The spirit of Christmas Past appears with a light coming from its head in most versions of the story. The spirit appears as an androgynous, small figure speaking in a soft voice. Though not overbearing and loud, this spirit firmly guides Scrooge to follow his lead and journey back in time to see the events of Scrooge's past.

The spirit of Christmas Present is huge, loud, and cheerful compared to the first spirit. This spirit too has a light but it comes from torch he carries. Dickens describes this spirit as genial, with sparkling eyes and a cheerful voice. This spirit guides Scrooge to see the Christmas that the Cratchits share.

Compared to the jovial spirit of Christmas Present, the spirit of Christmas Yet to Come is a dark and gloomy figure who spreads a sense of impending sadness and loneliness. He appears much more haunting and scary as he shows Scrooge what the future may bring if he does not change the way he lives his life.

In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, what are the differences between Charlotte and Elizabeth?

In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the primary difference between the characters Charlotte and Elizabeth is that Charlotte is a pragmatist whereas Elizabeth is a romantic.

Charlotte's pragmatism is expressed in many of her views of marriage. Charlotte is not the sort to believe that marriage will be happy forever due to love. Instead, she believes that all marriages have their tribulations and all women, at some point, are likely to be unhappy with their husbands. We see Charlotte express this perspective when, at a dinner party held at Lucas Lodge, Charlotte warns Elizabeth that Jane is too reserved in nature and, if Jane truly is interested in Bingley, she needs to begin showing "more affection than she feels" towards Bingley if she is going to "secure" him for herself as a desirable, rich husband (Ch. 6). When Elizabeth protests against Jane attempting to "secure" Bingley before she knows enough about his character, Charlotte gives the following reply that reveals a great deal about her personal philosophies:

Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other or even so similar before-hand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always contrive to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life. (Ch. 6)

Charlotte further reveals her pragmatism in accepting Mr. Collins's proposal. Though he may not be the most intelligent or humble man, to the annoyances of Elizabeth, Charlotte feels his character is good enough for her to have accepted him. More importantly, due to the living he has from Lady Catherine de Bourgh on the Rosings estate and the fact that he is the heir of Longbourn, Charlotte knows he will be able to provide for her with the only thing she asks for, "a comfortable home" (Ch. 22). Charlotte's comfort is particularly essential because, being the eldest daughter of parents with many children and newly acquired wealth, Charlotte knows she will not inherit any fortune from her father and will not have comfortable provisions unless she marries a wealthy man. Furthermore, she is plain, 27 years old, and very unlikely to ever receive another proposal.

In contrast, Elizabeth lets her feelings rule her judgements, showing us she is far more romantic than Charlotte. The fact that Elizabeth lets her feelings rule her judgements is not only seen in her reactions to what Charlotte says and does but also in her rejections of both Mr. Collins's and Mr. Darcy's proposals. As mentioned earlier, Elizabeth is very shocked when Charlotte advises that Jane should "secure" Mr. Bingley before she is fully certain she is in love with him, seeing as how love has plenty of time to develop after marriage. Elizabeth is even more shocked by Charlotte's acceptance of Mr. Collins though Elizabeth does later come to see that Charlotte's marriage to Mr. Collins truly does provide Charlotte with the best situation for Charlotte and that Charlotte is happy. In addition, contrary to Charlotte, Elizabeth makes her decision to reject Mr. Collins based purely on her feelings. Elizabeth, as well as the entire Bennet family, could benefit greatly from one of the Bennet daughters marrying Mr. Collins since doing so would ensure Longbourn remains in the Bennet family and ensures security for the other Bennet sisters should any of them be unable to find husbands. Yet, unlike Charlotte, Elizabeth put her feelings above financial comfort, as we see when she replies, "I thank you again and again for the honour you have done me in your proposals, but to accept them is absolutely impossible. My feelings in every respect forbid it" (Ch. 19). We see Elizabeth make the exact same decision with respect to Mr. Darcy's first proposal. Though Elizabeth would benefit financially a great deal from the marriage, she refuses based on her feelings at the moment.

Invent a new ending to Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

In order to complete this task, it is important to have a thorough knowledge of the characters and how each person's life changed by the end of the book.  At the end of the novel, Meg and John Brooke have been married for many years and have twins, Daisy and Demi.  Jo and Professor Bhaer are married and start a school in Aunt March's old house.  Jo had inherited the house from her deceased aunt....

In order to complete this task, it is important to have a thorough knowledge of the characters and how each person's life changed by the end of the book.  At the end of the novel, Meg and John Brooke have been married for many years and have twins, Daisy and Demi.  Jo and Professor Bhaer are married and start a school in Aunt March's old house.  Jo had inherited the house from her deceased aunt.  Beth March has already passed away.  Amy is married to Laurie and they have a daughter, Beth, who is sickly.  When the book ends, the family has just celebrated Marmee's 60th birthday and they are thankful for their lives.  

Among fans of the book, there is some debate about the fate of the characters from the story.  Some think that Beth's early death was unnecessary.  Others think that Jo should have married Laurie rather than Professor Bhaer.  Some readers even think that Jo should have remained single and instead pursued her literary career full time.  From this information, you will have to decide what your new, invented ending will be.  Will Jo marry someone else?  Will Beth live?  There may even be other changes that you will decide to make.