
Lauren Willson, M.A.
eNotes Educator
Achievements
11
Educator Level
1517
Answers Posted
51
Answers Bonused
About
I teach college and write novels.
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in Stardust
Yes, the response generated is correct, and there are no stipulations to its accuracy. Realism and fantasy in Gaiman's work are blended through the use of both mundane and magical items; characters... -
Answered a Question in Margaret Laurence
Yes, the response generated is correct, and there are no stipulations about its accuracy. One incident you should consider demonstrates just how deeply Hagar hates petunias. After her father died,... -
Answered a Question in The Yellow House
Why do you think that Ivory told Monique to introduce herself as Sarah? This kind of question could help spark discussion about racial tension and issues of fitting in in The Yellow House. When... -
Answered a Question in The New Dress
Mabel spends Clarissa's party obsessed over whether or not she fits into the gathered crowd. Most of her anxiety focuses on the dress she's wearing which isn't modern or completely stylish. Her... -
Answered a Question in The Yearling
Grandma Hutto has a small, white dog named Fluff. He's named for the fluffiness of his coat. Since her husband is long gone, Fluff is her main companion and they love each other very much. Still,... -
Answered a Question in The Wife of His Youth
Racial bias that stems from skin color is what created the Blue Vein Society. Black people with light enough skin that you can see the color of their veins beneath it are allowed to join; those who... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
Jay Gatsby is a man who is governed by his past. Everything he does is in service to his past disappointments and traumas. Gatsby grew up poor and believed that he was meant for—and could be—more... -
Answered a Question in The Devil in the White City
In 1889, France hosted the Exposition Universelle. Erik Larson says it was so impressive and large that visitors didn't believe anyone could outdo it. The Eifel Tower was the centerpiece of the... -
Answered a Question in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Mr. Morrison is a character who comes home with Cassie's father. Papa says that he is going to stay on to help them out for awhile and that he'll be paid with room, board, and a little money. Mr.... -
Answered a Question in 1984
The children in 1984 are taught to love the government of their own country. All their loyalty, energy, and obedience is directed toward their leaders. Anyone who threatens the state is a threat to... -
Answered a Question in The Glass Menagerie
Amanda is so traumatized by her past that she forces her expectations on her children rather than understanding who they really are. She believes that if she spends enough time trying to get them... -
Answered a Question in The Giver
The community in The Giver values radical honesty. They believe in talking openly about their feelings with their designated family units each night. Lying is forbidden by the community. When Jonas... -
Answered a Question in Trying to Find Chinatown
Benjamin may have Asian-American cultural heritage, but he is not an Asian-American person. As Ronnie says, genes are what determine your race. You can't wake up one day and decide that you feel a... -
Answered a Question in Medicine River
Both Eddie and Erleen are in positions where others might turn away from them in chapter 5. Eddie threw a knife at his friend; even though the switchblade wasn't open, it still caused a rift... -
Answered a Question in Trying to Find Chinatown
When Benjamin visits New York City and is entranced by a man playing the electric violin on the street, he stops to listen. Falling over himself to compliment the man, he says that he'd heard... -
Answered a Question in The Indian Burying Ground
The contrasts between the two burial postures have to do with what the positions represent about the afterlife of the dead. The Native Americans are being buried together in sitting positions, as... -
Answered a Question in Medicine River
When Will lies to the woman on the plane about his father's identity, he's exposing a difficulty that his lack of paternal support has created for him. Because he doesn't know almost anything about... -
Answered a Question in Breathing Underwater
Nick's entire life is focused on Caitlin, likely because of the abuse and unhappiness he suffers at home. With Caitlin, he finds peace and happiness; however, he isn't willing to direct those... -
Answered a Question in Haircut
One of the messages in Ring Lardner's story is that cruelty has consequences. Jim is someone who the barber seems to have really admired. He saw him as a funny man who played funny jokes on the... -
Answered a Question in Educated
For Tara's parents, it's easier to live in ignorance and to pretend that their son isn't abusive. For Tara, however, the fear of someone else being hurt—or forcing her sister to stand alone when... -
Answered a Question in Split Cherry Tree
Professor Herbert invites Luster to spend the day at the school to show him new education methods and to help defuse his frustration at Dave being required to stay after school to pay for his part... -
Answered a Question in A Long Way Gone
Ishmael Beah ends with the story of the hunter and the monkey to leave his audience with a vivid image of sacrifice and a lesson on how to end repetitive violence. It leaves a lasting image in a... -
Answered a Question in Six Degrees of Separation
The title of the play means that each person is only six social steps away from another person. In other words, if you think of anyone in the world, there are only six people between you and that... -
Answered a Question in Rappaccini's Daughter
When Giovanni examines the plants in the garden, he recognizes them as unnatural. He thinks that they're fierce as well. These aren't qualities that a person normally attributes to plants. It... -
Answered a Question in Rappaccini's Daughter
Giovanni should be nervous about going directly into the garden because he was warned about Rappacini and has seen the man wear personal protective equipment into the garden. Maybe the first days... -
Answered a Question in Rappaccini's Daughter
The garden may be Rappaccini's world in the sense that it's the thing that matters the most to him but it's also Rappaccini's world in that he controls what happens in it. Rappaccini loves his... -
Answered a Question in The Children of the Poor
A theme in "The Children of the Poor" is a deep maternal love and fear for children who don't have access to wealth or power. The speaker of the poem recognizes that children bring worry because... -
Answered a Question in Literature
In this essay, Brian Williams is arguing that the public focus on oneself makes one more likely to miss out on important things happening in the world. This is due to the rise of the internet,... -
Answered a Question in The 57 Bus
It seems likely that Dashka Slater focused the first part of her book on Sasha because Sasha was the victim of the actions that Richard did on the bus that day. While Slater clearly wants readers... -
Answered a Question in The Alchemist
Santiago is a character who is focused on his own plans and the path he has to walk to fulfill them; he doesn't always take notice of what's going on around him because he is so laser-focused on... -
Answered a Question in The Hate U Give
Starr and Chris will have to learn to accept each other's different backgrounds and the challenges that come with each of them. Starr's childhood in Garden Heights and her up-close experience with... -
Answered a Question in History
The perspective in "Micmac chief addresses the French" is the Chief of the Micmac tribe in Canada. He is speaking to the French priest Chrestian LeClerq. This takes place sometimes in the 1600s... -
Answered a Question in Young Goodman Brown
After Young Goodman Brown keeps his appointed meeting in the woods, he begins to see the sins in people all around him. On his way back from his meeting, he speaks to the woman who taught him... -
Answered a Question in A Lie of the Mind
Sally understands better than perhaps anyone what it costs to take care of Jake. She believes that he killed their father; despite that, she protected him from any reprisals. Now that he's... -
Answered a Question in Guns, Germs, and Steel
Polynesia offers a good comparative test of Jared Diamond's argument about the relationship between societal development and the environment because the people of Polynesia used to be one... -
Answered a Question in Shades of Gray
The climax of Shades of Gray occurs when Will is offered a choice: he can return to his original home with Doc Martin or he can stay with his Uncle Jed and the rest of his family in Virginia. At... -
Answered a Question in Literature
The presence of women actually improved the journey for everyone involved. According to Catherine Haun, when women were along for the travels, more attention was paid to cleanliness. This means... -
Answered a Question in Internment
The Director storms into the Mess Hall with two private guards—the same ones who dragged Noor away. They aren't government soldiers and are only loyal to the Director. He's so angry that he can't... -
Answered a Question in Beka Lamb
Chapter four opens with Beka remembering where the change in herself began; she decided to stop lying. This took place seven months before, in April. Her parents are sitting there with her and her... -
Answered a Question in Beka Lamb
Beka sits on her bed, stirring her coffee and looking out the window. She thinks about the town she lives in and is grateful that her house is high up enough that she's able to see over the other... -
Answered a Question in Literature
Isabel de Madariaga's Russia in the Age of Catherine the Great explains that Catherine fostered a different kind of relationship between herself and her subjects than had previous rulers. This... -
Answered a Question in Gathering Blue
The society in Gathering Blue maintains control of itself and its citizens by having very strict rules and codes. When people don't follow them, they are cast out of the community. The leaders also... -
Answered a Question in Zoot Suit
The scene of the police raid is a barrio dance taking place with members of the Thirty-eighth Street Gang in attendance. When another gang— the Downey Gang—arrives, the two groups start to argue.... -
Answered a Question in The Bronze Bow
Daniel is raised on hatred from the moment his parents die. After he runs away into the hills to work for Rosh, he nurtures himself on those dark feelings. The Romans who killed his parents and... -
Answered a Question in Don Quixote
In Don Quixote, the reader interprets Don Quixote himself as a seemingly-insane person for the first part of the story. He believes that he is mirroring honorable knights with his behavior, but... -
Answered a Question in The Hate U Give
Most of the memories that people share of Khalil are ones that make him look like a criminal. They focus on negative aspects of Khalil, as if he himself was responsible for his death. For example,... -
Answered a Question in Homicide
Chapter one takes place on Tuesday, January 19th in Baltimore and opens with Jay Landsman moving a dead man's face from side to side until the wound on him is more visible. He says to Tom... -
Answered a Question in Triangle
One good thesis statement would be about the culpability of Tammany Hall in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. You could read through David Von Drehle's book, look at other sources, and determine... -
Answered a Question in Dust Tracks on a Road
The phrase "dust tracks on a road" refers to Zora Neale Hurston's desire to travel and wander away from home. In chapter 3, "I Get Born," Hurston explains that she didn't take to walking as quickly... -
Answered a Question in Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
The way that a person experiences the transition from childhood to adulthood is shaped and influenced by their environment. In Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, Marji finds her coming-of-age...
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