Thomas Mccord
eNotes Educator
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About
I have a first-class honours degree in history and have published four books, with a fifth due out in 2017.
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
When answering this question, remember that there are different types of oppression presented in the novel. You could start by looking at individual oppression in which one person is treated in an... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
As the other educators have shown, there are lots of literary devices in this scene. However, I would add that there are several other devices that are all used to emphasize the mental state of... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
When the Capulets find Juliet “dead,” in act 4, scene 5, the audience might be a little surprised by their reactions. If we take Lady Capulet first, her reaction suggests a deep love for Juliet.... -
Answered a Question in Lamb to the Slaughter
There is a story from recent history which bears a considerable resemblance to what happened in “Lamb to the Slaughter.” In 2010, a British woman called Sally Challen suddenly and violently... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
As other educators have noted, Candy becomes involved in the dream ranch in the aftermath of his dog’s death. It is, therefore, the prospect of being alone and unable to work that pushes him to... -
Answered a Question in The Nightingale and the Rose
The protagonist is the name we give to the leading or central character in a story. In “The Nightingale and the Rose,” we can assign this role of the student since the story follows his quest to... -
Answered a Question in George Orwell
A “divide and conquer” policy means that you achieve your goal (conquer) by making people fight amongst themselves (divide). If we apply this idea to 1984, we see that the Party uses this strategy... -
Answered a Question in The Tell-Tale Heart
The main conclusion of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is that the narrator is indeed insane, which prompts him to reveal the old man’s corpse to the police. Looking a little deeper, however, there are other... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
In “Of Mice and Men,” Steinbeck explores a number of different themes or big ideas. For your essay, you will need to decide on a theme to discuss, find evidence of that theme in the text, and then... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
Allusion is one of the major language techniques used in chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby. Allusion is when a writer makes an indirect reference to a person, place, or object, which is immediately... -
Answered a Question in A Rose for Emily
In “A Rose For Emily,” the South undergoes as much transformation as Emily herself. In fact, her decline, in status and health, as well as her death is really a metaphor for some of these changes.... -
Answered a Question in There Will Come Soft Rains
As the previous educators have noted, the house is destroyed by a fire after a tree branch goes through the kitchen window, knocking a bottle of cleaning solvent onto the stovetop. What is really... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
As the previous educators have noted, one of the primary purposes of the Chorus is to establish important details about the play. We could also argue that another purpose is to introduce the role... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
The use of allusion is definitely worth noting in acts 1 and 2. An allusion is when a writer makes an indirect reference to a person, a place, or an object without actually mentioning it by name.... -
Answered a Question in My Last Duchess
When reading this poem, you don’t have to delve too far to find examples of what the duchess did to drive the duke wild. First of all, take a look at lines 13–15. In this section of the poem, the... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
Consisting of less than fifteen lines, this scene is very short when compared to others in Macbeth. However, it would be a mistake to think that such a short scene does not have some dramatic... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
Another conflict that is worth noting in chapter 2 occurs between George, Lennie, and the boss. In this first meeting, notice how the boss speaks to George and Lennie. There is no welcome, and... -
Answered a Question in Animal Farm
It is worth noting that Napoleon does not explicitly ban the education of the other animals at any point in the story. Instead, the reader is left to infer that this is the case, notably after the... -
Answered a Question in History
There are lots of reasons why the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955–1956 was so successful. Firstly, it is important to note the work that took place before the boycott actually happened. In a meeting... -
Answered a Question in Martin Luther King Jr.
When Martin Luther King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, he used his speech to reflect on his achievements so far, as well as the achievements of the civil rights movement more generally. To get... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
Montag’s path from conformity to intellectual freedom is perhaps the strongest theme in the whole novel. Rather than give you the quotations, I will offer some guidance on key scenes, so that you... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
These two stories mirror each other in a number of ways. Firstly, Ovid's characters Pyramus and Thisbe fall in love and want to marry, but, as the text tells us, their marriage is “forbade.” The... -
Answered a Question in Hundred Years’ War
During the Hundred Years’ War, the English used something called a chevauchée to disrupt French resistance to their campaigns. In French, the word “chevauchée” literally means “horse charge,” and... -
Answered a Question in The Pillars of the Earth
At the end of the novel, Henry II is the king of England. Although a work of historical fiction, the monarchs who feature in this novel are the same as those who ruled England in the twelfth... -
Answered a Question in 1984
It could also be argued that the main character, Winston, commits the crime of desiring truth. Remember that one of the ways the Party controls the people of Oceania is through controlling their... -
Answered a Question in History
Gender equality is another key feature of Etruscan culture. Compared with the Romans and Greeks, the Etruscans afforded women an unprecedented level of legal and social independence. For example,... -
Answered a Question in Brave New World
As the previous educators have noted, there are very few references to Lenina’s and Helmholtz’s physical appearance. I think the lack of description is worth noting because it reveals something... -
Answered a Question in My Last Duchess
We can use the language of this poem to work out the contemporary social position of women. Remember, however, that this poem deals with aristocratic women and, therefore, gives us a glimpse into... -
Answered a Question in History
Interpretation is one of the most important concepts in history because it involves thinking critically about a primary or secondary source. With my history students, I teach the skill of... -
Answered a Question in Mesopotamia
Beginning with some differences, it is important to remember that the ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians occupied different geographical locations. Mesopotamia is located in the Middle East, in... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
Another of the play’s central ideas relates to fate and free will. Specifically, Shakespeare explores the notion of fate as inescapable. It is this idea that no matter what we do, no matter how... -
Answered a Question in There Will Come Soft Rains
In this story, Bradbury is expressing concerns about the possibility of total destruction as a result of technological advancements. Remember that this story was published in 1950 against the... -
Answered a Question in History
When talking about the goals of the Spanish conquistadors, it is also worth noting that their expeditions in the Americas were driven by competition with other European countries, particularly... -
Answered a Question in Great Expectations
To answer this question, take a look at chapter 8, where Pip and Estella meet for the first time. The location of this meeting is Satis House, the home of Miss Havisham, which she shares with... -
Answered a Question in History
As the other educators have noted, the purpose of putting coins over the eyes of the dead was to pay passage across the Styx River. The very first reference to this practice comes from the work of... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
Beatty explains how the need for firemen arose when he goes to visit Montag at home in part 1 of the novel. Although Beatty's argument is not always coherent and linear, we can summarize his views... -
Answered a Question in The Ancient World
One aspect of Justinian’s Code, which is often forgotten, is that it was significant for women in the Byzantine Empire. Remember that the societies of the ancient world were largely patriarchal... -
Answered a Question in History
Another major development worth noting is in the science of cartography, or map-making. Prior to the Age of Exploration, maps were predominantly based on a religious world view. If you take a look... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
The charge laid against Lady Macbeth is that she manipulates her husband into committing the murder of King Duncan. However, if we look a little deeper, we can find a number of points to prove her... -
Answered a Question in Animal Farm
To find some examples of figures of speech in chapter one, have a closer look at Old Major’s speech. One of the figures of speech used here is hyperbole, or gross exaggeration. Here’s an example:... -
Answered a Question in Animal Farm
To understand the significance of this quote, you need to look a little further back in the story. Remember that just before this change, the pigs find a case of whisky in the farmhouse cellar.... -
Answered a Question in Das Kapital
Marx was an inclusive economist and political thinker. Despite writing in the Victorian era, when women had few rights, he actively addressed their role in society. Specifically, he saw that women... -
Answered a Question in Martin Luther King Jr.
Another way that Martin Luther King aroused the audience’s attention was through his use of rhetorical devices. To see this in action, let’s look specifically at his “I Have A Dream” speech from... -
Answered a Question in World War II
The end of World War II shaped the postwar world because it gave the Allies the opportunity to make decisions about Europe as a whole. Particularly important were the Allies’ decisions about... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
Another effect of censorship is that it has dumbed down society. Instead of allowing people the opportunity to think and to pursue academic study, censorship only permits self-gratification and... -
Answered a Question in Jamestown
As well as the hunger and dangers posed by the Native Americans, the settlers at Jamestown faced an additional hardship when an accidental fire broke out. This happened in January of 1608 and the... -
Answered a Question in A Christmas Carol
Another character with symbolic quality is that of Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s employee. Bob is a kind-hearted man who works tirelessly for Scrooge so that he can provide for his family. If we look a... -
Answered a Question in History
To answer this question, it is useful to remember that there is no single version of the British Empire. Remember that Britain has really had two empires. The first empire was built in the 1500s... -
Answered a Question in As You Like It
As the other educators have noted, men and women had very different roles in Shakespeare’s time, and society was strictly patriarchal. One of the reasons for these different roles is that society... -
Answered a Question in The Cold War
When trying to answer this question, another useful strategy is to look at the origins of the Cold War. Specifically, you could focus on the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945, an event which many...
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