Ruth Williams
eNotes Educator
Achievements
13
Educator Level
2216
Answers Posted
7
Answers Bonused
About
I have a Masters of Science in Education with an English emphasis.
Earned Badges
-
eNotes Educator
This badge is awarded to all eNotes Educators. Only official Educators can answer students' questions on our site. Educators are teachers, professional researchers, and scholars who apply to our... -
Hall of Fame
Educators can earn this badge by contributing over 1,000 answers on eNotes. -
Quiz Taker
This badge is awarded when an Educator has completed 10 quizzes. -
10K Points Earner
Educators earn points for every question they answer. This Educator has earned over 10,000 points. -
25K Points Earner
Educators earn points for every question they answer. This Educator has earned over 25,000 points. -
Expert
An expert badge distinguishes Educators who demonstrate strong knowledge in a particular topic, such as Hamlet or Math. It is awarded when an Educator has posted more than 25 answers on a given topic. -
Scholar
The scholar badge recognizes Educators who are especially knowledgeable about a particular author. This badge is awarded once an Educator has posted more than 50 answers on works by a specific author.
Recent Activity
-
Answered a Question in Night
In the novel Night by Elie Wiesel, "Men to the left! Women to the right," is found on the first page of Chapter 3, page 29. As they disembark the train that has brought them to the gates of... -
Answered a Question in Literature
Everyone makes great points. A concise summary of reasoning would be: Studying literature is the only way some students will ever learn about other cultures and places. This expands their... -
Answered a Question in A Rose for Emily
In the William Faulkner short story, "A Rose for Emily," the two female cousins were the ones to bury Miss Emily. This is not surprising because even though there had been a falling out among... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
Obviously, the Richard Conell story "The Most Dangerous Game" shows conflict between man and nature. The first major conflict of this type is when Rainsford falls over the yaht railing into the... -
Answered a Question in William Shakespeare
I would like to add, that along with the death scenes so gruesomely created and acted out in the amazing Shakespeare play Hamlet, that one we might consider is the scene alluded to in the play.... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
There are numerous similarities between Scout of To Kill a Mockingbird and Harper Lee the author of the novel. Both ladies were born in Alabama. The character of Atticus Finch was based on Lee's... -
Answered a Question in Harlem
In the poem "Harlem," by Langston Hughes, the narrator begins the poem by pondering what happens to a dream that is denied. What happens to a dream deferred? Then, through a series of questions,... -
Answered a Question in Literature
The only possible element that could be left out without affecting the quality and integrity of the story would be exposition. If nothing has taken place before the story starts, and therefor the... -
Answered a Question in Literary Terms
You don't specify a particular piece of literature, so I will answer this in more general terms. Point of view is most commonly used with regard to characters or people in pieces of writing. The... -
Answered a Question in Poetry
Just so you know, I am not committing to one favorite at this point:D I do love the work of William Carlos Williams. There is such intensity and depth in many of his poems, and yet his use of... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
The children are affected by the guilty verdict leveled at Tom Robinson, but Jem seems most affected. His is angry and upset that such an injustice could occur. The black citizens of Maycomb bring... -
Answered a Question in The Lottery
Yes, these details lull, but only for a short time. In the first paragraph, look at the use of language. Jackson describes the lottery as something the villagers "had" to do. The boys are filling... -
Answered a Question in Richard Cory
Figurative language is used in literature to provide more of a mental picture or create some sort of impact beyond using language literally. Hyperbole is used when Robinson writes: But still he... -
Answered a Question in Elizabethan Drama
There are several areas of consideration with regard to the time of day when performances took place in Elizabethan theatre. Prior to the building of actual theater buildings, performances would... -
Answered a Question in History (General)
I agree with the previous posters, but sometimes a teacher needs to work harder to help students make the personal connections for why we study history. For example, why would we study seminal U.S.... -
Answered a Question in Thank You, M'am
In his short story, "Thank You M'am," Hughes uses this description of the purse to better give the reader an image of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones herself. "She was a large woman with a large... -
Answered a Question in The Scarlet Ibis
In the James Hurst short story, "The Scarlet Ibis," there is no clearly established length of time indicating how exactly how long it took the narrator to teach Doodle how to walk. However, we do... -
Answered a Question in Literature
All of the posters make good points. However, many students struggle to find a motivation to read let alone enjoy reading. They start school excited about and wanting to learn to read. At some... -
Answered a Question in The Catcher in the Rye
One cannot isolate one moment in chapter 17 of J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye when making inferences about Sally's character. In one word, her character could be identified as shallow. She... -
Answered a Question in The Scarlet Ibis
In the James Hurst short story "The Scarlet Ibis" the narrator is responsible for Doodle's death. Throughout the story, the narrator tells us of the displeasure and of the embarrassment caused by... -
Answered a Question in Richard Cory
In the Edward Arlington Robinson poem "Richard Cory" the tone of the narrator changes during the course of the poem. In the first stanza, the tone is admiring as he describes the physical... -
Answered a Question in Antigone
In the Greek tragedy Antigone by Sophocles, Creon finds himself in a difficult predicament. When Oedipus the king died, his sons Eteocles and Polyneices were to share the throne with Creon as... -
Answered a Question in The Interlopers
The two main conflicts in the Saki short story "The Interlopers" are man versus man, and man versus nature. The boundary dispute between Georg Znaeym and Ulrich von Gradwitz had been settled by the... -
Answered a Question in Poetry
Good writing must show the audience what the author is trying to say rather than merely telling. In prose writing such as short stories, novels, narrative essays, and other writings, the author... -
Answered a Question in The Masque of the Red Death
In "The Masque of the Red Death," by Edgar Allan Poe, the most obvious symbolism for the clock is that of time running out for the revelers. This clock is placed in the western most room, and the... -
Answered a Question in The Road Not Taken
Bob, It is a great honor that I was the inspiration for this wonderful piece of writing. As always, you have captured with your words and wit, a simply complex situation. I have noticed that both... -
Answered a Question in Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an amazing author. Your outline seems sufficient to explain about his life and his literature, but it seems rather bland. Poe and his talent was anything but bland. Clearly, one... -
Answered a Question in The Glass Menagerie
In the Tennessee Williams play, The Glass Menagerie, there is difficulty in deciding who the protagonist is and who the antagonist is. Amanda, Tom, and Laura all have issues. Amanda cannot accept... -
Answered a Question in Mending Wall
Lines 1-5 of the Frost poem is talking about the nature of the wall as natural forces work on it. The affect of the winter forces changes in the ground that alter the nature of the wall. Lines 6-10... -
Answered a Question in A Rose for Emily
In his short story, “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner does not tell us that Miss Emily Grierson killed Homer Barron. Rather he provides clues, but a diligent reader can quite easily make that... -
Answered a Question in Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
I disagree with the first poster. Most of what Rikki does in the story cannot be considered brave as the narrator tells us over and over that a mongoose is so full of curiousity it does not often... -
Answered a Question in Antigone
In the Sophocles play Antigone, Antigone and Ismene are in conflict because Antigone wants to defy Creon’s decree to leave Polyneices unburied. Antigone was willing to defy the decree because she... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
One of the things that makes William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet so appealing is its applicability to life now. Compare Romeo and Juliet to contemporary teenagers. Both rushed into the new... -
Answered a Question in Literary Terms
Stream of consciousness, interior monologues, and free indirect discourse are not interchangeable terms. Stream of consciousness is a type of writing used to mimic the precise thinking of a... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
I agree with bullgatortail. The core of Miss Caroline's mistake is her ignorance and her ego. She comes into a community with very little understanding of their ways, and expects that she will be... -
Answered a Question in A Rose for Emily
The mood in Williams Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” has always struck me as a sort grim. As readers, we recognize that Emily’s relationship with her father is dysfunctional. This is... -
Answered a Question in The Cask of Amontillado
The motive for revenge in the short story, “The Cask of Amontillado” is simple insanity. The reader who is looking for a specific cause will find there is really nothing specific indicated beyond... -
Answered a Question in The Tell-Tale Heart
Dramatic irony is definitely shown through the narrator’s remonstrations to the audience that he is not mad—he is not insane. The audience knows, even though the narrator has yet to accept it, that... -
Answered a Question in The Giver
The Lois Lowry novel The Giver is set in a futuristic, Utopian society. The things that make society less than perfect have been eliminated. Everyone looks similar and is manipulated to act... -
Answered a Question in Essays
First of all, let’s clarify the concept of a thesis statement. This statement should be your main idea—what you’re trying to prove, but that being said, the thesis statement MUST be something... -
Answered a Question in The Man Who Was Almost a Man
The third person omniscient point of view (POV) uses an all-knowing narrator. This POV gives the reader an honest and objective look at the thoughts and feelings of all the characters in the story.... -
Answered a Question in A Rose for Emily
Understand that one cannot really know why Faulkner chose this title unless he was to actually tell us. There are reasonable inferences that we can make about this title. The rose has long been... -
Answered a Question in Literature
Literature should be a required course. It offers students a broader base of education than if they were simply allowed to take only the courses that were of interest to them. In addition, while... -
Answered a Question in Edward Lear
While this poem seems to be nonsensical, there seems to be another lesson to be learned. The duck is discontent with life and sees the kangaroo's life as being more exciting and adventurous. The... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
The most obvious quote comes from chapter 10 and introduces both the source for the title and one of the most important metaphors in the novel. Atticus has told the children that they can shoot... -
Answered a Question in Ender's Game
I do not think that is what this means. Consider Ender, if you will. He was a third because his brother Peter had the toughness, but no empathy. His sister had the empathy, but she was too weak.... -
Answered a Question in Literature
Studying literature is a means of broadening our personal selves. When we read and reflect on literature, we have some sort of personal response. This forces us to agree or disagree, and we must... -
Answered a Question in Poetry
Another poem by Frost, "The Road Less Traveled," might be one to consider. This poem talks about choosing between two roads, and it is frequently misinterpreted. Many believe the roads are symbolic... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
Yes Romeo and Juliet chose rashly, but they were enabled by Friar Lawrence. Do not forget that he chided Romeo for his fleeting emotions. One minute he was desperately in love with Rosaline, and... -
Answered a Question in Hamlet
We cannot judge Hamlet on the basis of modern conventionality. In today's world, it would seem suspicious that a woman married so soon after her husbands death. This would not have been unusual in...
Showing 1-50 of 378