Elizabeth Bettencourt
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in Animal Farm
It sounds like you need to write a fairly short response to this question, and you should have no problem finding plenty of evidence concerning Squealer's role in establishing Napoleon's... -
Answered a Question in The Kite Runner
You're definitely on the right track. The violent assault on Hassan, and Amir's witnessing it, certainly shapes who Amir is as an adult. The themes concerning redemption are quite... -
Answered a Question in Animal Farm
First of all, for each work you must think about what the author's message is concerning fear, since "fear" alone is not a theme. In "Macbeth," the titular character arguably rules by fear,... -
Answered a Question in Hamlet
There are several reasons for this. First of all, Hamlet argues that he does not know whether or not he can fully trust that the ghost was really his father's spirit and not just a demonish... -
Answered a Question in Hamlet
Also, Hamlet being his father's namesake leads the reader to think of the royal lineage his father was most likely hoping to establish. It draws our attention once again to the fact that... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
You should have no problem reaching 550 words on this topic - there are tons of examples from "Macbeth" concerning the theme of ambition! Here are just a few to get you started: Macbeth is... -
Answered a Question in Frankenstein
I'm assuming you meant how do you contrast Victor and the creature, since Frankenstein is Victor's last name. Only through pop and media culture has society begun to think of the creature as... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
It is very important that the boys are British. Golding includes several moments in the book that involve the boys discussing how the British are best at everything, or how British adults... -
Answered a Question in The Bluest Eye
There are probably multiple themes of Morrison's "The Bluest Eye." One that is most prevalent concerns the role appearance plays in society, Pecola Breedlove is described as ugly not... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
The plane actually seems to have crashed into the ocean, since the boys never mention any remnants of the aircraft being anywhere on the island. However, before it crashed, it did scrape... -
Answered a Question in A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry uses Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem" as an epigraph to her play "A Raisin in the Sun." An epigraph is when an author chooses to place a quote or poem, etc. by another author... -
Answered a Question in A Raisin in the Sun
This is Mama's response to her daughter-in-law Ruth's queries about the possibility of Mama giving some of her newly inherited insurance money to her son Walter (Ruth's husband) so that he can go... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
With his "Lord of the Flies," it has been argued that William Golding demonstrated mastery of the allegorical novel. Indeed, this novel is a wonderful example of allegory in that Golding uses... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
You can certainly place blame on several characters in the play. Most people ten to jump right to Lday Macbeth, and there is definitely plenty of evidence in the first act alone that... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
Shakespeare tells us a lot, subtley, with the timing of his entrances and exits. This particular instance is quite interesting because Duncan has just finished discussing the fact that he... -
Answered a Question in Frankenstein
Robert Walton is searching for the North Pole. He is a very ambitious sea captain who wants to be the first to sail there, no matter what the risks are to him or to his crew. He rescues... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
I think the above post is accurate if you read the book on a literal level (and even then, ignoring that Jack has become an anarchist and a murderer is a bit of a stretch). However, Golding... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
Symbolically, this could be interpreted quite significantly. Piggy's ironic ability to "see" things the other boys cannot, like the breakdown of civilization on the island, slowly... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
In Elizabethan England, there were strong beliefs about witches, one of which was that witches were women who appeared to be men. When Macbeth and Banquo first meet the witches in Act One,... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury, as well as many science fiction writers, wrote his book in response to his observations of societal changes happening around him. The number of cars on the roads had increased... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
I don't think Piggy feels there is much of a choice. With Ralph, the more democratic character, Piggy feels he can at least ask to not be called nicknames, but he doesn't attempt this with... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
Macbeth is typically considered to be a tragic hero, so most would believe his tragic flaw is what causes his downfall. Arguably, this tragic flaw is his blinding ambition or his lust for... -
Answered a Question in Hamlet
Arguably, R and G are half-men because they both serve the exact same purpose in the "Hamlet." Not only that, but they are completely interchangable as characters - it doesn't matter which... -
Answered a Question in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Many believe this to be another example of Arnold Friend's symbolism as a Satan figure, or even as Satan himself. Making the mark of an X in the air could arguably be Satan's mark, supporting... -
Answered a Question in Hamlet
Hamlet watches the actor (or Leading Player) deliver a monologue in which he, the actor, becomes so emotionally invested that his performance is incredibly believable, including moments of rage and... -
Answered a Question in Animal Farm
After Snowball leaves, the door for Napoleon to take over is wide open! And so he does, proceeding to implement many changes on Animal Farm, including doing away with Sunday meetings,... -
Answered a Question in Animal Farm
Snowball is a pretty popular leader on Animal Farm. (In terms of the book's allegorical references, he represents Leon Trotsky.) Snowball devises several plans for the future of Animal... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
First of all, this is one of the first, if not the first, times we see Jack in action with his knife. The slashing of the green buds could also indicate Jack's violent tendencies, since... -
Answered a Question in The Kite Runner
Amir goes through pretty intense character development in this novel. As a young boy, he is tormented by his father's apparent disinterest in him. Furthermore, he grows increasingly... -
Answered a Question in The Kite Runner
First of all, I have to disagree with the labeling of Amir as "such a mean character." I think his relationship with his father is very human. Who has not struggled with a parent or... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
Simon is popularly interpreted as a Christ figure. Christ died at the hands of his people while trying to warn them of human sin, while Simon dies at the hands of his peers on the island... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
Ralph tries to attain more of a democracy with his power, by instituting voting. He also seeks to maintain order by having the boys raise their hands when they want to speak and by having... -
Answered a Question in Death of a Salesman
There is also the moment when Biff's own head clears and he realizes that he has allowed Willy's idyllic vision of the past to skew his own. This occurs once Biff goes to his job interview... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
Many believe that Shakespeare had pleasing King James I of England in mind while writing "Macbeth." James was very interested in witchcraft, which plays a large role in the tragedy. ... -
Answered a Question in Life of Pi
Richard Parker is also the symbolic manifestation of Pi's duality. Yes, he has a civilized human side, but he also has a savage side that surfaces when survival mode kicks in. Because... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
There are several instances when Piggy suggests that Ralph call a meeting, so it is slightly difficult to answer your question. The first time Piggy suggests this is in chapter one, and Ralph... -
Answered a Question in A Raisin in the Sun
This pet name certainly fits Beneatha. While bread is enough to sustain and sustain only, Beneatha wants more out of life than this. This is proven by her consistent search for her... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
On the surface level, readers might think this answer is easy: Bradbury thinks society and its individuals must read. However, in order to delve further than this, I suggest taking a... -
Answered a Question in The Little Prince
The major conflict in the story is arguably both the little prince and the pilot's quests for the ideal, something they learn through their respective journeys is fairly unattainable. ... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
The dialogue between Simon and the Lord of the Flies would be a good place to start. The Lord of the Flies taunts Simon with the idea that there is no escaping him, and, if we see him as the... -
Answered a Question in The Sun Also Rises
I didn't realize Hemingway was "out of favor." Anyway, this is my favorite Hemingway piece to teach. It is a great connection to a social studies curriculum on the Lost... -
Answered a Question in Crime and Punishment
I do agree that the novel can be read as a study of insanity, but to a certain degree. I think it is dangerous to think of Raskolnikov as fully mad at any point in the text because it perhaps... -
Answered a Question in Hamlet
This discussion is really interesting to me since I teach Hamlet to high school seniors, many of whom question the relevance of reading Shakespeare in 2008. I agree with a lot of the... -
Answered a Question in Hamlet
As I see it, Hamlet struggles with the question of fate throughout the play, though most notably in the gravedigger's scene. It is in this scene where Hamlet expresses much of his existential... -
Answered a Question in Death of a Salesman
I agree with a lot of the above. Yes, Willy did end his own life, so at the surface level he is responsible for his own death. But I've always thought it much more interesting to... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
Mildred is the first to attempt suicide. This attempt impacts Montag greatly because he discovers the empty bottle of pills and is left to deduce for himself that his wife attempted to take... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
Arguably, Ralph is pulled by both civilization and savagery throughout the novel. Most would say, and with good reason, that, with Ralph, civilization wins out, because Ralph never joins... -
Answered a Question in Their Eyes Were Watching God
Hurston is known for her use of poetic imagery in this novel. Focus on her descriptions of Janie's hair, which is usually meant to symbolize her womanhood and, at times, her... -
Answered a Question in Animal Farm
The whisky incident refers to the first time the pigs sample alcohol. Orwell describes them in a sort-of blundering fashion; because the large amounts of alcohol they consumed has made them... -
Answered a Question in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
You must be sure to include the idea of conflict when discussing rising action, climax, and falling action. The rising action is when the main conflict is introduced and the protagonist...
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