Mike Cook
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in The Giver
She would probably accept this practice because she would be trained to believe it was normal. Also, people in this community are devoid of emotions, so there is no reason that she would... -
Answered a Question in The Giver
Later on when Jonas learns what is truly meant by release, the book takes on a very dark tone. He learns from the Giver, who makes him watch the video of his very own father "releasing" a... -
Answered a Question in Essays
You might want to start by thinking about personal responsibility. We have to take responsibility for our own actions, as oftentimes our situation or circumstances are dictated by those very... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Cadena did a marvelous job in answering this question, and covered most of what I could add. However, I do think another part of Lee's message about inequality is that inequality and racial... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
It's interesting that he says civilized, as his favorite sport is hunting human beings. However, he is very proper in his dress and living conditions, which is something Rainsford notes upon... -
Answered a Question in Death of a Salesman
In a word, no. This play really speaks to the corporate culture in American during the time period, as well as today. The idea that Willy compared himself to a piece of fruit that was... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
It's a matter of owning up to one's deeds, whether they are justifiable or not. Atticus does not want Jem to grow up with this great cloud over him, so to speak, with people around him... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
At the apartment, everyone was pretending to be someone they were not. People were very willing to act the part, joining Myrtle and her "boyfriend" for a grand time with dancing and... -
Answered a Question in Julius Caesar
Calpurnia is significant in that she believes the superstitions going on around her. She admonishes Caesar not to go out, as she had a horrible dream of his statue pouring blood in a... -
Answered a Question in Reason and Morality
I think it's easy to understand something and be educated about it without buying into something. Think about all of the fundamentalists who have to learn about the theory of evolution... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
Well, doesn't Beatty know an awful lot about the banned world? Doesn't he quote an enormous amount of literary material to Montag, in order to say how the books contradict one another and... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
I would say yes, in that in the beginning of the novel, Nick is very careful to state how he reserves judgment. His father reminds him that not everyone was brought up with the advantages... -
Answered a Question in The Giver
Jonas learns that this rule isn't an absolute one. Early on, he was chastised for saying "I'm starving". His instructor reminded him that he had never actually starved, nor would he... -
Answered a Question in The Catcher in the Rye
Maurice, the bell boy, was not what he seemed. Rather than being a simple elevator operator, he had another operation underway... prostitution. He offered Holden the opportunity to hire... -
Answered a Question in Death of a Salesman
Willy gets angry at Howard for not giving him more consideration at work. Willy asks for an in-town sales job, rather than having to drive up to New England each week. The problem is,... -
Answered a Question in The Old Man
La mar is Spanish for "the sea". The sea can be seen as a symbol of life itself in this story, as both good and bad come from it. Santiago alludes to this at more than one point during... -
Answered a Question in Good Country People
It would appear as if she sees them as very true to their faith, simplistic, and narrow-minded. This is especially true of Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman. However, Joy, or Hulga, as she... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Atticus taught her that you never really know a person until you "climb into their skin" and walk around in it. In other words, you've got to climb into their shoes and see things from their... -
Answered a Question in Death of a Salesman
After the argument at the restaurant, Willy realized Biff had lied about the job. It was supposed to be a celebratory dinner, because Biff was supposed to have gotten his job back at the... -
Answered a Question in A Rose for Emily
The obvious first example lies in the fact that Emily eventually murders Homer, after attempting to court him unsuccessfully, as the readers infer from his actions that he is a homosexual. ... -
Answered a Question in Flowers for Algernon
I don't know if it's true that the more intelligent you become, the more problems you'll have, but I definitely think it's true that the more intelligent you are, the more you'll be aware of... -
Answered a Question in The Catcher in the Rye
I can think of a couple ways. First, think about the end of the book. He says, "don't ever tell anyone anything, or else you'll end up missing everybody." He's in a rest home, as... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
This is significant because Jordan is beginning to suspect that Daisy has developed feelings for Gatsby yet again. As Daisy is married to Tom, this makes for a sticky situation, as it would... -
Answered a Question in By the Waters of Babylon
Well, it helps if you know ahead of time that the Great Dead Place, where John goes on his journey, is actually what's left of post-war New York City. This can be inferred from some of the... -
Answered a Question in Death of a Salesman
You can see the play as a tragedy based on the fact that the main character, Willy, dies in the end. Rather than sticking it out through the difficult times in the end, Willy submits to the... -
Answered a Question in Death of a Salesman
It provides a very bittersweet closure, in that during the funeral, Linda tells Willy that they were almost free and clear. This is referring to the fact that financially, it was almost to... -
Answered a Question in Julius Caesar
It's interesting that you'd see a theme of friendship in the story. I would say most of the so-called friendships are more of loosely-knit alliances of convenience. Brutus is not truly... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
Yes, strangely enough, I believe Zaroff is very happy and satisfied when he is killed by Rainsford at the end of the "game." Zaroff had an opportunity to do kill Rainsford very early when he... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
This is because of the mature content being discussed in the trial. This is a rape trial, and as such, the reverend felt that the subject matter was inappropriate for young children, perhaps... -
Answered a Question in Good Country People
It is probably to establish a clear contrast between the two ladies and Hulga. Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hopewell are good, God-fearing, country people. They are content to accept things as... -
Answered a Question in The Man to Send Rain Clouds
I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with it, unless you're looking at the point of view of the priest in the story. Catholic missionaries had established missions in the area,... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
This story takes place in the sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama. Taking place during the depression era, not many people have work, such as the Cunningham family, and they live off the land... -
Answered a Question in A Lesson before Dying
I think you'd do well to talk about the theme of justice or equity in the novel. After all, isn't lack of justice the reason that Jefferson ends up on death row? Because of his race, he... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
In The Great Gatsby, honesty is a huge theme, as no one is quite what they seem. Be it Tom who plays the devoted husband, yet leads Nick to his apartment in the city where he has an open... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Dill Harris has been through a lot for a kid "going on seven." He's been sent away from home to live with his Aunt Rachel, and doesn't have a father. When Scout brings this up, he... -
Answered a Question in Two Kinds
I think she definitely wants her to be a prodigy, as she is not willing to allow Jing-Mei to be simply the best that she can be. She never settles for less than perfection throughout the... -
Answered a Question in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Well this question really depends on the part of the play. If you're taking things from the point of view of Lysander and Hermia, it could be Demetrius or Hermia's father. Both attempt... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
"Jimmy" Gatz changes his name shortly after coming out of the military in order to make it sound more aristocratic and to hide is likely immigrant roots. Mainly, this change is directed... -
Answered a Question in A Rose for Emily
There are a couple of areas in which the author contrasts Emily's perception of reality with reality itself. One of these areas is with loss. For example, Emily doesn't deal with the... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
Yes, Daisy and Tom Buchanan do live in East Egg. They have lived there for a long time, as they are part of the established aristocracy. Those with money in their families, for... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
East Egg stands for the established wealth accrued over generations, or, "old money." It is the home to Daisy and Tom Buchannan, and other very wealthy families of notoriety. The people... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
This is probably because Zaroff wants a true challenge, as opposed to the weak opposition he's faced in the past. The reason that he's battling Rainsford, afterall, is because he respects his... -
Answered a Question in Cathedral
The narrator is a typical guy, in that he's uneasy about a friend of his wife's that she has coming over for an evening of fun. In fact, he goes so far as to smoke marijuana in front of him,... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
Gatsby asked Nick if he wanted to come work for him, which offended Nick because Gatsby was offering out of concern for Nick's well being. In other words, because Nick had a small house and... -
Answered a Question in Death of a Salesman
I definitely think they can be. While Willy does a horrible job at this, instead allowing them to plague his mind to the point he can no longer distinguish between them and reality, some... -
Answered a Question in There Will Come Soft Rains
This really is a personal question based on your own opinion, but if you need some help, here is what I recall about the end of that story. The house is in shambles, after it was unable to... -
Answered a Question in Death of a Salesman
Willy is upset because Biff is coming home, yet again, unable to hold down a job or make it on his own. While Biff isn't entirely incompetent, the problem is that his attitude and puffed up... -
Answered a Question in Robinson Crusoe
You can think of verisimilitude as including a "slice of life" in a piece of writing or work of literature. In other words, it's imagery-packed and extremely realistic. If the... -
Answered a Question in A Separate Peace
The tree could symbolize many things. One of the first things I can think of is that it symbolizes discipline. While some of the older students utilize the tree for military training... -
Answered a Question in Mark Twain
This story can be considered humorous in that there is a lot of irony contained within the text. Scoresby is a fellow who gets by basically on luck... dumb luck, to be completely frank. ...
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