John Kelly
eNotes Educator
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7373
Answers Posted
2492
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About
I have 25 years of experience as a teacher and journalist and am currently pursuing an additional degree in graphic design.
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in Freak the Mighty
When Max hears all of the yelling coming from above, at first he isn't able to piece together exactly what Grim and Gram are arguing about. But it soon becomes apparent that they are talking about... -
Answered a Question in The Tell-Tale Heart
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" tells the story of a madman (the narrator) describing in detail how he plans and then carries out the murder of an old man with whom he shares a... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
It's not exactly clear why Aunt Alexandra suddenly decides to come and live with Atticus and his family in Maycomb. She leaves her husband behind at Finch's Landing, and tells Scout that she plans... -
Answered a Question in Freak the Mighty
Max Kane is the biggest and most dangerous boy in child care. He is known as "Kicker," since he constantly kicks at anyone who tries to "throw a hug on me." When he first sees Kevin, Max remembers... -
Answered a Question in Freak the Mighty
When Max boosts Kevin atop his shoulders so he can get a better view of the fireworks display, he doesn't realize that he is creating a new persona. Kevin must have gotten the idea for the... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
MISS CAROLINE. Scout's teacher unwisely judges Atticus without ever having met the man, telling Scout that "your father does not know how to teach." It's such a bad first day at school that... -
Answered a Question in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
The story of an African American family and the racial prejudices they face in Depression-era Mississippi, author Mildred D. Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is narrated by the primary... -
Answered a Question in The Monkey's Paw
Although he did save the paw from destruction after Sergeant-Major Morris had thrown it into the fire, Mr. White was skeptical about the powers the talisman could provide. When Morris... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
Rainsford is repulsed when Zaroff discloses that the prey of his new game is the human kind. He demands a way off the island immediately, but Zaroff merely provides him with a soft bed and silk... -
Answered a Question in The Necklace
Reality finally sinks in for Madame Loisel when she loses the necklace and, instead of admitting this to Madame Forestier, she and her husband decide to mortgage their future and pay for the lost... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
The surprising ending to the story provides a reversal of fortunes for both Rainsford and Zaroff. When Rainsford survives the plunge from the cliff and then shows up in Zaroff's bedroom, the... -
Answered a Question in The Outsiders
Ponyboy is still wavering somewhat as the rumble is about to begin. As Darry and Paul "moved in a circle under the light," Pony watches them and tells himself "I don't hate the Socs any... -
Answered a Question in The Scarlet Ibis
I don't believe the narrator of the story ever specifically states at what time Doodle becomes part of the family. The family had not expected Doodle to live, so he was never officially named.... -
Answered a Question in The Outsiders
When it comes to a teenager's hair, things really haven't changed much during the past fifty years. Different styles come and go, but The Beatles-inspired popularity of long hair for teen boys... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Once feared by Jem and Scout, Boo Radley becomes the hero of the novel by its final pages, saving the children from the murderous hands of Bob Ewell. It is obvious that Boo has been keeping watch... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Racism is certainly the most obvious social injustice explored in To Kill a Mockingbird. White man's law ruled during the Depression-era Deep South: Jim Crow laws legally restricted the rights of... -
Answered a Question in The Monkey's Paw
There is no logical reason for Mrs. White's bizarre request, especially after her husband warns her that Herbert "... has been dead ten days, and besides he--I would not tell you else,... -
Answered a Question in The Outsiders
By the novel's end, Ponyboy discovers that writing down his story on paper will be a therapeutic experience. Of all the greasers, Pony experiences a broader vision of life after... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
This scene takes place in Chapter 20 just after Scout and Dill take a break from the trial of Tom Robinson. Dill has become physically sick from witnessing the prosecutor's cross-examination... -
Answered a Question in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Stacey finds himself in hot water because of decisions he has made and his friendship with T.J. A guilty conscience hounds Stacey into refusing to use a cheat sheet on his test, but when he is... -
Answered a Question in The Catbird Seat
A lifelong non-smoker, Mr. Erwin Martin's purchase of a pack of Camel cigarettes was an integral part of his plan to murder his nemesis, Mrs. Ulgine Barrows. Martin had decided that Mrs.... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Scout's neighbor, Miss Maudie Atkinson, didn't seem too concerned about her house burning down. The fire was not put out until dawn, and when the children wanted to commiserate with her, Atticus... -
Answered a Question in The Tell-Tale Heart
The narrator has already decided to kill the old man with whom he shares a home. He will wait until the old man is asleep and, "about midnight," slowly enter his bedroom. The narrator works at a... -
Answered a Question in The Outsiders
Although there is no love lost between the greasers and Socs, the hatred of their rivalry does not extend to that of murder. Both the Socs and the combined greaser gangs--those of Tim Shepard, the... -
Answered a Question in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Although we don't know the man's name nor exactly what crime he has committed during Part I of the short story, we do know that a man is about to be hanged on a railroad bridge in northern... -
Answered a Question in The Necklace
Simply put, Mathilde Loisel thinks much too highly of herself. She was born into "a family of clerks," and she married "a little clerk"; yet, she daydreams constantly of riches that she believes... -
Answered a Question in Freak the Mighty
There is one good reason that Kenny "Killer" Kane returns to town after he is paroled from prison: He intends to make good on an old threat made after his arrest. "I came back," he says. "Like... -
Answered a Question in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
The man awaiting his fate on the railroad bridge in Alabama remains unnamed in Part I. He stands with his neck in a hangman's noose that is attached to a makeshift gallows on the bridge, and... -
Answered a Question in The Kite Runner
When Amir and Farid arrived at the orphanage in Karteh-Seh, they found it located in a "war-ravaged neighborhood" with boarded-up windows and "splintered walls." The orphanage's director, Zaman,... -
Answered a Question in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
You can find the answer to your question on the dedication page of the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Author Mildred D. Taylor apparently based several of the story's... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
At last Scout would be entering the first grade. I never looked forward more to anything in my life. (Chapter 2) Atticus has stressed the importance of education to his children though he was... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
Sanger Rainsford is a well-known big game hunter and writer from New York. He is presently on his way to Rio de Janeiro, sailing the Caribbean in the relative luxury of a yacht. He has... -
Answered a Question in The Piece of String
Maitre Hauchecorne is a relentless miser, always seeking a bargain and seeing value in seemingly worthless items. So, when he spots a piece of discarded string in the road, his naturally thrifty... -
Answered a Question in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow is famed for the many legends and haunted tales associated with the area. One of them recounts the story of a Revolutionary War soldier, ... the apparition of a figure on horseback,... -
Answered a Question in Freak the Mighty
Kevin and Max are the two main characters in Rodman Philbrick's teen novel. Both boys face physical and mental challenges during the course of the story, and they discover that working... -
Answered a Question in Freak the Mighty
Maxwell Kane went by many nicknames: Mad Max, Max Factor and Maxi Pad, "until I persuaded him otherwise." Because of his size and temperament--not to mention the notoriety of his father with... -
Answered a Question in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Jim Lee Barnett is the owner of Barnett Mercantile in Strawberry, the biggest general store in town. Barnett is like so many other white men of the era: He believes African Americans are... -
Answered a Question in The Kite Runner
Amir is trying to justify his plan to get rid of Hassan during the party in Chapter 9: He will claim that his birthday watch is stolen and then plant it, along with some money, under Hassan's... -
Answered a Question in The Most Dangerous Game
It's hard to pin down only three important events that happened in the globe-trotting life of the big game hunter and former Cossack general. As a youth, Zaroff led a privileged life as... -
Answered a Question in That Was Then, This Is Now
The climax to S. E. Hinton's teen novel That Was Then, This is Now, comes in Chapter 10 on the night that M&M is found. Bryon takes M&M to the hospital to be treated for his bad LSD... -
Answered a Question in The Cask of Amontillado
Montresor certainly has no legal argument for killing Fortunato: When it comes to his reasoning, it is simply a matter of revenge. Montresor tells us about "the thousand injuries" that... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
There are many superstitions surrounding the Radley family, and virtually all of them are based on Boo. If azaleas froze, it was because Boo breathed on them. You didn't eat from the Radley pecan... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Up until the day Atticus faces off against the mad dog, Scout considers her father "old" and "feeble..." ... which we felt reflected upon his abilities and manliness. (Chapter 10) Their... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Dolphus Raymond may be the best example of a character showing the courage to break Maycomb society's code of ethic. Raymond is a wealthy white man who owns land along the river and who hails from... -
Answered a Question in The Outsiders
The greasers may be considered outsiders from the wrong side of the tracks, but some of them do display a desire to conform and fit in with others. Ponyboy understands the benefit of a... -
Answered a Question in Freak the Mighty
At some point after Max had come to live with Grim and Gram after the death of his mother, his grandfather decided to modify the basement. He put some "cheap paneling" in the dimly lit room... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
The mockingbird serves as both the real and symbolic representation of joy and innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird. The bird itself is the living personification of love and sweetness, placed... -
Answered a Question in The Kite Runner
For Amir, the move to America meant a fresh start--a new life. Left behind in Kabul was the guilt he felt concerning his mistreatment of Hassan, and the distance between Afghanistan and California... -
Answered a Question in Freak the Mighty
Over the summer, Kevin coaxes Max to join him on a treasure hunt for a stolen purse he had spotted in a storm drain. Kevin decides that the quest must be undertaken at night--at 3... -
Answered a Question in Freak the Mighty
A few months after saving Max from his murderous father, Kevin has a seizure while celebrating at his 13th birthday party. In the hospital, Kevin gives Max a blank book for him to write in, but on...
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