Christine MacEachern
eNotes Educator
Achievements
4
Educator Level
99
Answers Posted
25
Answers Bonused
About
I have been a high school Language Arts teacher and professional writer for over twenty years. I love helping students understand literature, compose a terrific paper, or find the perfect research topic. I have one husband, three kids, and four cats keeping me very busy!
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in Great Expectations
When Joe came to visit Pip in London, Pip was unfriendly and rude to him. It wasn’t until the end of Joe’s visit, when Joe passed on a message that Estella wanted to see him, that Pip starts... -
Answered a Question in Murder on the Orient Express
Most of the characters in Murder on the Orient Express affect the conflict because they keep secrets about their true identity and play important parts in Ratchett’s murder. There are two notable... -
Answered a Question in Antigone
At the end of Scene 1, the Chorus sings an ode about the nature of mankind. They describe how the world contains amazing wonders, but “none more wonderful than man.” Mankind has conquered the ocean... -
Answered a Question in And Then There Were None
In true Agatha Christie fashion, an air of mystery and suspense pervades And Then There Were None. One suspenseful event in the beginning of the novel occurs when the recording is played. After... -
Answered a Question in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
First and foremost, Christie took the unusual step of having Dr. Sheppard function as the first person narrator of the story. We see everything through his eyes, filtered in such a way as to... -
Answered a Question in And Then There Were None
Agatha Christie wove several themes and motifs throughout And Then There Were None, and certainly the idea of justice, guilt, and lies permeates the entire story. Judge Wargrave establishes himself... -
Answered a Question in Antigone
Antigone and Ismene open the play, discussing the recent battle and the death of both of their brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices. Creon declared Eteocles was to be buried with full honors because... -
Answered a Question in The Miracle Worker
Kate is surprised by Annie's youth. She is also understandably concerned because Annie has never taught before. James suggests that Annie may end up being a burden on the family, and Captain Keller... -
Answered a Question in The Renaissance
During the Renaissance, there was a resurgence of interest in Greek and Roman civilizations. Throughout the Middle Ages most of the teaching and learning was church-centered. At the time of the... -
Answered a Question in The Westing Game
Judge Ford was an intelligent woman who suspected that something was strange about the whole setup at Sunset Towers, including Samuel Westing's murder. She thought it was odd that he should know in... -
Answered a Question in A Scandal in Bohemia
I’m somewhat confused by your question since there is no character named Edward in “A Scandal in Bohemia.” The characters are: Sherlock Holmes, the iconic detective. Dr. John Watson,... -
Answered a Question in The Miracle Worker
James is Helen’s half-brother, and with his negative attitude, he emphasizes the ‘half,’ desiring to distance his association with her. He wants Helen sent away to an asylum, out of sight and... -
Answered a Question in Rappaccini's Daughter
“Rappaccini’s Daughter” contains a number of Gothic elements, including the setting, the supernatural and extreme emotions. Gothic fiction usually involves some kind of old, run-down castle or... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
After Tom Robinson’s death, Mr. Underwood publishes an editorial. When Tom tried to escape, prison guards gunned him down, killing him instantly. “Mr. Underwood didn't talk about miscarriages of... -
Answered a Question in The Adventure of the Speckled Band
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a master of setting and atmosphere. In “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” he creates an atmosphere of foreboding and suspense around the Roylott estate. He often uses... -
Answered a Question in The Outsiders
At the end of Chapter 5, Johnny and Ponyboy are hiding in the old stone church. They have been instructed to stay inside for safety. Johnny has gone to get supplies. As he waits for Johnny to... -
Answered a Question in The Miracle Worker
When Annie arrives at the Keller's home, she discovers that no one has ever tried to discipline Helen. The entire family has let Helen have her way in order to avoid her ferocious tantrums, which... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
When Atticus shoots the rabid dog, Jem is amazed at his father's sharpshooting talent. The children had never seen their father shoot a gun, and they are confused why Atticus doesn't use a rifle... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
First of all, don't let the word 'soliloquy' scare you. It simply means a character speaking all by himself, to himself. Shakespeare uses soliloquies to show a character's thoughts. The... -
Answered a Question in The Miracle Worker
The phrase 'to be at sixes and sevens' means to be confused or in some kind of uproar. Before Annie taught Helen how to behave, Helen kept the entire house in turmoil with her actions. Her tantrums... -
Answered a Question in The Fault in Our Stars
Hazel and Augustus's relationship differs from that of other teens because of their cancer and consequent life experiences. Both continue to face terminal illness so they have grown up quickly.... -
Answered a Question in Looking for Alaska
Looking For Alaska is divided into two parts, Before and After. The "After" part of the book is triggered by the main event. The book begins with Miles deciding to go to boarding school in... -
Answered a Question in Heart of Darkness
The manager appears essentially indifferent and slightly rude to Marlow. The unnamed manager is the head of the Central Station, keeping his position because he has outlived everyone else and has a... -
Answered a Question in 'night, Mother
Marsha Norman wrote 'night, Mother and this modern tragedy touches on many themes. Essentially Norman shows how wasted a life can be when there is no real communication between people. Jessie, the... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
In this section of the book, after the scene at the Plaza Hotel, we follow Tom, Jordan, and Nick as they leave New York. In one short paragraph, Fitzgerald sets a somber mood by stressing the... -
Answered a Question in Paper Towns
Paper Towns is peppered with various life lessons. The main overarching theme of the book is that people are rich and complex and have sides to them that the average person may not see.... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
The children want to contact Boo in order to ask him to come out and sit with them some evening and perhaps tell them what he does in his house all day long. They promise they won't hurt him. They... -
Answered a Question in Paper Towns
Paper Towns is a deconstruction of the "manic pixie dream girl" trope. Margo Roth Spiegelman, the leading lady of the novel, is an adventurer who seems perfect and wild in every way. Very few... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
At the bloody climax of this violent tragedy, MacDuff, the lord whose wife and young children were mercilessly slaughtered by Macbeth’s order, ultimately fells Macbeth. To fell is to cut down.... -
Answered a Question in Great Expectations
Molly is a multi-layered character with a colorful past. Pip meets her initially when she is introduced to him as Mr. Jaggers’ housekeeper. In an odd statement, Mr. Jaggers points out the strength... -
Answered a Question in Great Expectations
Pip was a relatively happy, contented little boy until he met Miss Havisham and Estella. He loved Joe and endured his sister. He looked forward to becoming apprenticed to Joe and learning the... -
Answered a Question in An Abundance of Katherines
The internal conflict is a conflict that the protagonist has to overcome within themselves. Usually this has to do with feelings to resolve and goals to reach. The external conflict is a conflict... -
Answered a Question in A Rose for Emily
The townspeople had always had a great interest in Emily Grierson, almost to the point of insatiable curiosity. She represented the fading Old South, stubbornly clinging to attitudes and actions... -
Answered a Question in A Rose for Emily
Emily Grierson’s father was a domineering man who controlled his daughter’s life. The narrator says, “We had long thought of them as a tableau, Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the... -
Answered a Question in Hamlet
The first appearance of the ghost of Hamlet’s father serves a twofold purpose: it quickly explains the major conflict in the story, and it adds a dramatic supernatural element to it. In... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
Jay Gatsby created his own persona when he transformed himself from Jay Gatz. He worked hard to appear wealthy, well educated, sophisticated, successful, and trustworthy. However, others did not... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
The original American Dream was the idea that one could work hard, stay focused and determined, and ultimately one could achieve the goal sought. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows how... -
Answered a Question in Oedipus Rex
There are generally five basic parts to a story: the exposition, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution (sometimes called the 'denouement'). The exposition introduces... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
Count Paris is the man whom Lord Capulet wants Juliet to marry. In the social consideration of the time, Paris is a good match: honest, wealthy, and of a high rank. He is related to Prince Escalus,... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Scout (and sometimes the reader) is understandably confused. Why are the townspeople upset that Atticus is going to do his job? The answer lays in the race relations in the south at the time.... -
Answered a Question in History
Let us address Part 1 of the question first: how the Atlantic slave trade reshaped sub-Saharan African societies. The slave trade caused a general weakening of the African societies as a whole... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
Macbeth speaks these words after the discovery of Duncan’s slain body. The words are an example of verbal irony. Verbal irony occurs when a character says one thing which other characters interpret... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
The scene between Malcolm and Macduff in Act IV sc iii appears very confusing at first glance until we realize Malcolm is actually testing Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland. Malcolm tells Macduff... -
Answered a Question in Literature
Lady Macbeth and Abigail Williams both shattered the stereotypical conventions of a woman’s behavior in their respective times in order to achieve selfish, evil goals. Though they lived in... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
First, let’s look at what the Renaissance stereotype of femininity was. Women were definitely second-class citizens. Even though Queen Elizabeth was a strong ruler, women in general were expected... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
Macbeth’s main concern is gaining and keeping the throne of Scotland. He desires power, and when he has it, he wants to make sure no one else gets it. That one overarching concern fuels several... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
Act 3 of Macbeth is a pivotal part of the play. To summarize, Macbeth plots horrific murders completely on his own, without any hesitation, without any remorse, and without any help from his wife.... -
Answered a Question in A Worn Path
Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” touches on a few different themes. The story shows the strength of love and perseverance. The trip she makes along the worn path to Natchez to get medicine for her sick... -
Answered a Question in A Midsummer Night's Dream
In Act IV scene ii of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bottom’s friends gather at Peter Quince’s house. They are worried about Bottom. They are afraid the mysterious donkey monster has harmed him.... -
Answered a Question in A Christmas Carol
Caroline and her husband had borrowed money from Scrooge and were not able to pay it back in time. Scrooge refused to give them any extension, despite the poor circumstances the family lived in....