Brenda Mauldin
eNotes Educator
Achievements
10
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338
Answers Posted
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About
I am a National Board Certified teacher with twelve years experience; I have studied Creative Writing and literature at Exeter College at Oxford University in England. I love learning and sharing any and everything I can with others. I enjoy helping students. I live in North Carolina, and I have been married for twenty-four years. I also have two wonderful daughters ages 16 and 13. I am currently assistant coach for my younger daughter's soccer team, and love teaching more than I have in many years.
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in A Christmas Carol
Scrooge returns home after dinner at a local tavern to face a door that he has passed through at least two times a day for many, many years. This time, however, there is a difference; the... -
Answered a Question in Trifles
Trifles, a one-act play, was written originally written to fill in space at the end of a group of summertime plays in 1916. It is a story about murder, inspired by an actual events, that... -
Answered a Question in Jaws
The characters of Peter Benchley’s Jaws include, of course, the shark, and an array of human characters. There are many minor characters, but the protagonist of the story is Martin Brody,... -
Answered a Question in The Giver
In The Giver, Lowry presents the reader with the idea of Sameness, which is just as the name suggests, the same for everyone. The residents of Sameness are told who to marry, what to wear,... -
Answered a Question in The Giver
I believe that Lowry is attempting to emphasize to her readers the importance of dealing with issues in life and the importance of memories. Events shape our lives, both the good and the bad. In... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
Wow! That is a tough question because all I can imagine is Zaroff hunting down Rainsford in the jungle, and it's pretty hard to see anything civilized in his actions there! Let's look... -
Answered a Question in Julius Caesar
Caesar is a controversial figure in history, as well as literature. He is view by some to be superstitious and weak, by others as ambitious and arrogant, and by still others as a powerful... -
Answered a Question in The Tell-Tale Heart
‘‘The Tell-Tale Heart’’ is in the form of a dramatic monologue delivered by an unidentified first-person narrator, who is, to answer you question, an absolutely unreliable source of information for... -
Answered a Question in A Christmas Carol
The Spirit of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to a busy city on Christmas morning, where he sees happy people enjoying the sights and wishing each other Merry Christmas. Next, the spirit takes... -
Answered a Question in Bridge to Terabithia
Jess is very protective of his art, as it is basically an extention of himself, and Jess suffers from extremely low self-esteem. He is the only male child at home, he receives little to no support... -
Answered a Question in The Tell-Tale Heart
“The Tell-Tale Heart” is a psychological thriller in which we get a peek into the mind of a man driven mad after murdering another man by what he thinks is the victim’s relentless heartbeat. ... -
Answered a Question in The Tell-Tale Heart
“The Tell-Tale Heart” is a psychological thriller in which we get a peek into the mind of a man driven mad after murdering another man by what he thinks is the victim’s relentless heartbeat. ... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
Although the specific date the play was written is not known, it is known that it was written between 1594 and 1595. In addition, it is believed that the First Quarto, an incomplete... -
Answered a Question in Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar descended from Roman nobility, but he also claimed that he was a descendant of Aeneas, an ancient king and founder of Rome. He favored the causes of the common people more... -
Answered a Question in The Raven
The exposition of the poem finds the speaker alone, tired and weary, yet unable to sleep, possibly grieving for his lost love, Lenore. He is awakened by the gentle rapping and tapping of... -
Answered a Question in The Cask of Amontillado
The murder of Fortunato took place, not in Montressor's basement, but in the catacombs, family crypts, of Montressor's family. This site was perfect for his crime for several reasons; the... -
Answered a Question in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
In the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" the speaker is brought back to himself during his night time ride by the gentle shaking of the harness bells. As he ponders the peaceful... -
Answered a Question in Madame Bovary
There are many factors that cause the tragedy of Emma Bovary in the novel "Madame Bovary." Not the least of these is her desire for wealth, romance, and social status that are beyond her... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
Simply put, General Zaroff became motivated to hunt men because he found hunting animals to be of no challenge to him anymore. He desired more of a challenge, and to achieve the challenge he... -
Answered a Question in The Scarlet Ibis
Throughout "The Scarlet Ibis", Brother demonstrates an extreme capactiy for cruelty to his younger brother. Perhaps the best example of his cruelty is the one that you mention, when Brother... -
Answered a Question in The Cask of Amontillado
All we know of Fortunato we learn through the very biased narrator, Montresor; therefore, everything must be taken in terms of the source from which it is learned. We know that Fortunato is... -
Answered a Question in The Scarlet Ibis
''I did not know then that pride is a wonderful terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death" contains an oxymoron, which is a figure of speech which produces what appears to... -
Answered a Question in The Cask of Amontillado
The sign that Montresor gives Fortunato to prove he is a mason is a trowel, a tool used to smooth and spread mortar between bricks and also a symbol of the masons. The trowel proves to be not... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
In my opinion, pride in Of Mice and Men, is most evident and most important within the relationship of Lennie and George, and it is demonstrated no better than in the way George watches out for... -
Answered a Question in The Giver
The Giver has several themes. The most important themes of the story are: Coming of Age Twelve is the most important time in these characters’ lives. After that, age is not considered... -
Answered a Question in The Necklace
In the story “The Necklace”, the lost necklace stands for lost hopes and dreams for Madame Loisel. It also represents her greediness and her disingenuousness because she only judges herself... -
Answered a Question in The Diary of a Young Girl
The Diary of Anne Frank is so famous, in my opinion, because it is an intimate look into an historical event and the life of the young girl who lived it. This diary takes the reader into the... -
Answered a Question in The Scarlet Letter
Based on evidence from the book, the reader can only assume what Chillingworth sees when he opens the sleeping ministers shirt; however, based upon his Dimmesdales extreme guilt and unusual actions... -
Answered a Question in The Scarlet Ibis
First of all, the caul was the thin, filmy membrane or the remains of the amniotic sac, that covered Doodle when he was born. Aunty Nicey thinks it is important because she is very... -
Answered a Question in Bridge to Terabithia
There are several important events in Bridge to Terabithia. Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke meet and become friends. They build a fantasyland across the creek in the woods that they call Terabithia,... -
Answered a Question in The Monkey's Paw
"The Monkey's Paw" is a classic horror story; this is part of its appeal to most readers, including myself. This story picks at the mind of the reader and that secret part of us that desires... -
Answered a Question in To Build a Fire
Although not based on formal research, to me, the symbolism in "To Build a Fire" exists in the form of the man as symbolic of humans in general in their attitudes of superiority in respect to... -
Answered a Question in The Metamorphosis
I've read this story many times throughout high school and college, and I am almost certain that at no time was the specific insect ever named; however, I am certain that it was not as spider, as... -
Answered a Question in The Tell-Tale Heart
The title "A Tell-Tale Heart" refers to the constant sound of the heart beat that the narrator hears after he has murdered the old man. The heart beat basically comes from the narrator's... -
Answered a Question in The Scarlet Ibis
"The Scarlet Ibis" is not one of those stories that has an obvious setting; however, there is overt reference to the setting throughout the story. In particular, the story occurs in and around the... -
Answered a Question in The Raven
The main conflict in "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe is internal. The conflict exists in the mind of the speaker as he faces the Raven and is driven by his grief to hear it speak his worst and... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
Killing should never really be considered to be justified whether in a work of fiction or not; however, Rainsford was in a position of kill or be killed. The whole thing is a case of kill or... -
Answered a Question in The Necklace
The title of the story is significant because the entire story is based on the fact that the main character, Madame Loisel, aspires to a higher station in life and borrows a diamond necklace from... -
Answered a Question in Lamb to the Slaughter
The main idea of "Lamb to the Slaughter" is one of murder and deception. Although the marital problems and difficulties play a huge part in the main event, the actual main event/idea is the murder... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
I believe to "live life in a minute" means that at a time of serious jeopardy or in a life threatening situation, you live all the best or most precious moments of your life in an instant. It... -
Answered a Question in The Tell-Tale Heart
The resolution of the story comes when the narrator convinces himself that the old man's heartbeat is audible to everyone and will eventually point him out as his murder, so in a fit of guilt, the... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
When Curley attacks Lennie and he fights back at George's direction and crushes Curley's hand, it is Slim who convinces Curley not to turn Lennie in. Slim tells him to say he got his hand... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
They need to get a "stake" in order to make a claim on a piece of land. George and Lennie have a dream to make a claim on a piece of land and make their own small farm. That is what they keep... -
Answered a Question in The Cask of Amontillado
The main characters of “The Cask of Amontillado” are Montresor and Fortunato. Montresor is the narrator and a wealthy man intent on receiving revenge on Fortunato who is both a friend sworn enemy... -
Answered a Question in The Scarlet Ibis
In "The Scarlet Ibis", it is important to remember that Doodle is a fragile child who was never meant to live. He has pretty much lived up to this point to please his brother, but one of his... -
Answered a Question in The Tell-Tale Heart
To me, the beating heart in "The Tell-Tale Heart" symbolizes the murderer's conscience and/or his guilt. It seems as though this man knows that he has committed a horrible crime and the... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
I believe to "live a year in a minute" means that at a time of serious jeopardy or in a life threatening situation, you live all the best or most precious moments of your life in an instant. ... -
Answered a Question in The Giver
Jonas starts out as a typical eleven-year-old, care free and intelligent; after his twelfth birthday, he changes. His most notable physical characteristic is his unusual eyes, they are... -
Answered a Question in The Necklace
I am not sure what exactly you mean by the complication that sets up the conflict, but this is my answer. The complication,as I see it is Madame Loisel's dissatisfaction with her station in... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
The conflict between Rainsford and Zaroff is brought about by Zaroff's irrational desire to hunt and animal of intelligence, a bill which Rainsford readily fills. It is resolved when a more...
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