
Paris Balderas, M.A.
eNotes Educator
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About
English professor, Foo Fighter fanatic (love, love, love Dave Grohl), and Duke University basketball fan. I specialize in composition, British literature, and American literature.
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in Roman Fever
Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley have never had a close relationship. They lived across the street from one another, but there has always been animosity between them, although unspoken, so in a way, the... -
Answered a Question in The Metamorphosis
In this story, the use of doors and windows is significant...particularly in a symbolic sense. The main setting of the story is in Gregor's room. He rarely is able to get out of... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
The Anglo-Saxons had strict codes of conduct related to their fellow "soldiers" and battle-mates. Being "heroic" meant living by certain codes of conduct. Honor was one of the most important... -
Answered a Question in A Midsummer Night's Dream
The primary fairies in the play are Oberon and Titania, king and queen of the fairies, respectively. The fairies are immortal, unlike the humans in the play. The fairies' lives become... -
Answered a Question in Othello
Iago, who is the villain of this tragedy by Shakespeare, and several other characters are jealous of the relationship between Othello and Desdemona, including Roderigo. Roderigo (and probably... -
Answered a Question in Good Country People
"Good Country People" is a short story by Flannery O'Connor about a bible salesman, Manley Pointer, who deceives people about his intentions and who likes to steal artificial body parts, including... -
Answered a Question in Twelfth Night
Foreshadowing involves being given a hint of things to come in a piece of literature. Foreshadowing is normally subtle and sometimes can be hard to spot. In Twelfth Night, a comedy from... -
Answered a Question in Pride and Prejudice
There could many different endings to Pride and Prejudice. At the end of the novel, Elizabeth becomes engaged to Mr. Darcy, her true love, despite their differences. They overcome... -
Answered a Question in Lady Lazarus
This is a wonderful poem by Sylvia Plath, who is known for her controversial and frank writing. "Lady Lazarus" is often seen as as having many parallels to Plath's own personality and life. ... -
Answered a Question in The Yellow Wallpaper
The narrator feels different emotions when it comes to the "woman in the wallpaper" that she believes she sees. "The woman in the wallpaper" is also symbolic of the narrator's own mental... -
Answered a Question in Literature
This would be a good discussion board question! I definitely think you have the right idea; however, you do need to narrow your topic a bit, so think about the treatment of women in a narrower... -
Answered a Question in How I Met My Husband
"How I Met my Husband" is a wonderful "coming-of-age" story by Alice Munro about a young girl whose heart is broken by a dashing young pilot who is part of a visiting show. She learns, very... -
Answered a Question in Good Country People
An archetype is a model on which others are based. Examples of archetypes in literature would be "the mad scientist" (Dr. Jekyll, for example); the strong, invicible hero (think Beowulf), etc.... -
Answered a Question in Paradise Lost
A round character is a character that is well developed. Satan is definitely a round character. The reader learns much about him through several chapters in Paradise Lost. The... -
Answered a Question in The Chrysanthemums
Elisa, the main character in this story, has an internal conflict. She struggles with her love for aesthetic beauty and desiring her husband to see and recognize it, not only in her flowers,... -
Answered a Question in Moby-Dick
In this great novel, Ahab is obsessed with hunting down the great white whale. It consumes him. The cat-and-mouse game, of sorts, can represent the attempt by people to understand God... -
Answered a Question in Riders to the Sea
Maurya is an peasant woman who has 6 sons, 4 of whom have died at sea. Michael, one of 2 remaining sons, is also feared dead, as is Bartley, her final son. Once the deaths of the final... -
Answered a Question in How I Met My Husband
The plot is structured very simply. It is told in chronological order. The plot begins with Edie and Mrs. Peebles rushing outside to look to see if a plane has crashed that they heard... -
Answered a Question in A Doll's House
Nora is BOTH a victim of circumstance and someone who brings about some of her own problems. She is clearly not a villain, however. Because of the time period that the play is set in,... -
Answered a Question in A Midsummer Night's Dream
The four young lovers are actually quite different. There are some similarities between them, such as the fact that they belong to the same social class; however, they have different... -
Answered a Question in How I Met My Husband
This story, in my opinion, has a happy ending. At the end of the story, the narrator of the story discusses how she waited at the mailbox day after day for Chris' letter that she never... -
Answered a Question in Death of a Salesman
Willy does not have a "grip" on reality, so his memories may be exaggerated and/or fabricated. It is hard for the reader to tell the difference between what is real and what is not in Willy's... -
Answered a Question in Jonathan Edwards
Johnathan Edwards portrays God as a vengeful, angry God who, at any time, can take a person's life at will. He is portrayed as a God who does not tolerate sin and who will crush... -
Answered a Question in Invisible Man
This is a very difficult question because there are many themes. However, all of them are related to one prominent theme: identity and individuality...finding oneself and learning who... -
Answered a Question in Goblin Market
The primary theme is redemption of a guilty person by an innocent one (eNotes). This is evident in Lizzie's helping Laura, who has lost her innocence....she has been completely taken by the... -
Answered a Question in The Masque of the Red Death
I certainly don't relish the fact when anyone dies. I do not think the party-goers deserved to die, no. However, Prince Prospero invites all of his upper-class friends to his ball to "hole... -
Answered a Question in A Midsummer Night's Dream
The faeries that are in A Midsummer Night's Dream are not the "Tinkerbell" faeries that most of us grew up with LOL. Puck, one of the main characters, is a faerie and is very mischievous and... -
Answered a Question in History
If you are speaking of national and international events, I would have to say September 11, 2001's terrorist attacks changed so much about how I view the world, our national security, and my own... -
Answered a Question in Trifles
In a court of law, it is important for a prosecutor to have a motive (reason) for a defendant to commit a crime (particularly a murder). When a prosecutor is presenting evidence, they must... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
I tend to believe there are several central issues, among them heroism, absolutely. However, there are also other issues present. One of them is self-sacrifice and its cost. ... -
Answered a Question in The Awakening
I think that censorship is very, very dangerous. I do not support the banning of any books in public schools, as I feel this is an infringement of freedom of speech, etc., which is a... -
Answered a Question in A Midsummer Night's Dream
The play has significance because of its ties to the "real-life" couples that have been married. Pyramus and Thisbe's love story ends tragically, however, unlike the newly married couples,... -
Answered a Question in The Masque of the Red Death
Prince Prospero can also symbolize the superiority that man sometimes thinks he/she has. Prince Prospero thought that by sequestering himself and his guests that he could somehow cheat... -
Answered a Question in The Fall of the House of Usher
There can be many different answers for this question. I would say that one cannot pinpoint one single effect, to be quite honest. I would say that one primary effect would be... -
Answered a Question in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
In the case of this particular piece of literature, it is a poem. Poems used to be sung quite often in history, so one reason this would be appropriately titled is because it is simply that: a... -
Answered a Question in William Shakespeare
Shakespearean sonnets were, obviously, named after Shakespeare, who wrote many famous sonnets. The rhyme scheme is as follows: abab cdcd efef gg. There are 3 quatrains and a... -
Answered a Question in A Midsummer Night's Dream
purplepenguin: A few questions about your post: What is your evidence for saying the play was written as "a fantasy"? If you think quotes from Shakespeare survive because they are "universal... -
Answered a Question in Everyday Use
Great discussion board question! Personally, I don't think that there is any truth in Dee's accusation that Maggie and Mama do not understand their heritage. The both of them use their... -
Answered a Question in A Rose for Emily
The rose, to me, is a tribute to Miss Emily and a representation of the sympathy that the narrator felt for her due to her upbringing, etc. The rose is a symbol of love and beauty and is... -
Answered a Question in The Canterbury Tales
I think Chaucer had multiple purposes in writing the Canterbury Tales, some of which we will never know! He clearly was disenchanted with the Catholic church and uses a lot of satire in his... -
Answered a Question in A&P
I don't believe Sammy has sympathy for the girls. He seems to be motivated by a need to impress the girls with his bravado. His motivation to "defend" them is not rooted in good... -
Answered a Question in Miss Brill
Miss Brill is a round character (who is a character that is developed and who has distinct character traits) because we are able to gather much about her through the narrator of the story. We... -
Answered a Question in Twelfth Night
Sebastian is surprised to meet Olivia and is surprised by her invitation to come inside her home because she mistakes him for Cesario (who is actually Viola in disguise). Viola and Sebastian are... -
Answered a Question in The Story of an Hour
The open window signifies the new life and the fresh start that Mrs. Mallard believes she will have now that her husband is dead. We often open windows in our home to let in fresh air and let... -
Answered a Question in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Connie was not any more vain, deceitful, or manipulative than any other fifteen year old girl, and her vanity was not the cause of her fate. Connie was sucked into Arnold Friend's manipulations... -
Answered a Question in The Lottery
Old Man Warner is symbolic of the "old ways" of the town, when no one questioned the lottery's benefits (or supposed benefits). He is of the belief that the lottery has always been and should... -
Answered a Question in A&P
Sammy sees it this way, yes. By quitting, he is protesting against the unfair treatment of the girls that came into the store by his manager. In principal/theory, Sammy is taking a... -
Answered a Question in A Midsummer Night's Dream
If the characters were similar, we would have no conflict or fun, now would we :-)? There are similarities between the characters, yes, but what makes the play interesting are the differences... -
Answered a Question in A Good Man Is Hard to Find
You could also approach this as an analysis of how the grandmother's decisions and/or actions cause certain events to take place in the story. For example, the grandmother has instructed... -
Answered a Question in Cathedral
Robert can see much the narrator cannot. The narrator was very close-minded and did not want Robert to visit. Robert, through his other senses, is able to "see" things. He can...
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