Missy Nichols, M.A.
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About
I have taught high school English for 25 years. As a National Board Certified Teacher, I have also had the opportunities to mentor young teachers, host student-teachers, and teach professional development inservices for teachers. I currently teach AP English Literature and Composition.
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in Hamlet
Act II, scene i demonstrates the overprotective nature of a typical father of a teenage girl. Polonious quickly jumped to the conclusion that Hamlet was actually making a move on Ophelia (Hamlet... -
Answered a Question in Hamlet
Queen Gertrude asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (who are visiting with the King and Queen as the scene opens) to please stay for a while with them. Beginning in line 37 the Queen specifically... -
Answered a Question in Miss Brill
Miss Brill is a round character because a round character is a major character in the story that is influenced by conflict and is actually changed by it. Throughout the story, the tone of the music... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
In this scene, Romeo turns instantly. Romeo, who has up until this point been completely depressed that Rosaline will not go for him, lays eyes on Juliet for the first time and says: Did my heart... -
Answered a Question in Hamlet
In these lines Hamlet is dying and speaking to his friend Horatio. Hamlet is asking Horatio for a favor. In the first line, Hamlet envokes their friendship. He asks Horatio to remove himself from... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Aunt Alexandra's main assertion is that people are the way they are because of their families. Heredity and genetics can be to explain for every human behavior. If someone has a lisp, it's because... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Setting refers to time and place. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Several quotes characterize this town as completely affected by... -
Answered a Question in Hamlet
At first mention of the ghost, Horatio is not a believer. He says: Tush, tush, 'twill not appear. As the ghost appears, Horatio claims: It harrows me with fear and wonder. So while it is right in... -
Answered a Question in My Papa's Waltz
Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in words. In "My Papa's Waltz," this quite simply occurs as part of the rhyme scheme, with many consonants rhyming every other line: breath/death,... -
Answered a Question in 1984
Winston changes in part 3 through various means. Most obviously, he betrays Julia. It took him a little while to be broken, but he does finally turn on her. Previously, when speaking with O'Brien... -
Answered a Question in Othello
In the final scene (Act V, scene ii), after Othello kills Desdemona, Emilia begins putting together the pieces of Iago's evil plan throughout the play. She foreshadows what she has been putting... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
Loneliness can clearly be seen in Montag's character as he encounters other characters. In his exchanges with Clarisse McClellan, his eyes are opened to how lonely he is as she asks him how happy... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
Curley's wife reveals many features of the Great Depression, as well as what it meant to be female during that era, and what it was like to be another shade of loneliness. First, the Great... -
Answered a Question in Mirror
I am a shiny shade of gray and precise. I do not judge pre-maturely. Every item within my range, I instantly view exactly as it appears without applying favor or discontent. I do not set out to... -
Answered a Question in Frankenstein
Mary Shelley writes with a frame for several reasons. First, the use of letters was a common practice of her era. This also began the story with a narrator (the author to the letter) who had no... -
Answered a Question in The Crucible
Hale originally came to Salem to help remove any demon possession or witchcraft in the community. He came with "heavy books" that bore great authority (though he had little to no experience with... -
Answered a Question in Othello
One link at the bottom of my answer lists several media adaptions of this play. Each one contains a length in minutes. These vary between an hour and twenty minutes to two hours and fifteen... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
The answer to this question depend on how you are looking at the text. If you take it literally and consider the context of what is actually occuring, the answer is no. However, if you approach it... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
I looked down and found myself clutching a brown woolen blanket I was wearing around my shoulders, squaw-fashion. Scout narrates this line after Atticus asked why she was wearing a blanket that the... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
The eyes of Dr. J.L. Eckleburg serve as a symbol of God's eyes watching over man. The location of this billboard is very important as these eyes have the opportunity to cast their view over so... -
Answered a Question in The Scarlet Letter
Chillingworth does do some orchestrating of Dimmesdale as a puppet, although Dimmesdale's own torture in that situation is remaining clueless as to the nature from which the torture is... -
Answered a Question in Animal Farm
Figurative language includes most of the comparative literary elements like simile, metaphor, and personification. Furthermore, it can include figures of speech, euphemism, idiom, or hyperbole. In... -
Answered a Question in The Story of an Hour
"The Story of an Hour" is full of suspense, irony, contrast, and paradox. This story's main character is told that her husband has passed away. Generally, a first emotion for a marriage that has... -
Answered a Question in Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
This question specifically addresses the hypocrisy of the church. It is easy for people to attend a church on Sunday morning. It is much more difficult to live out and practice the tenants preached... -
Answered a Question in 1984
O'Brien, in chapter 2 of Book 3, takes very special care of Winston while torturing him. This is a little ironic since the purpose of torture is pain. O'Brien shows significant restraint and care... -
Answered a Question in The Lottery
Tessie's final scream in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is actually rather ironic. The lottery in this untitled town has taken place for years and years. According to the rules of the society, the... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
The characters, Mildred and Montag are referring to a script that Mildred regularly orders. In the society that they live in, television programs specifically tailor their scripts so that their... -
Answered a Question in 1984
Characters might be flat or round, static or dynamic, but in 1984, Syme plays a specific role. In my opinion, Syme is a foil to Winston. A foil is a character intended to help show a main... -
Answered a Question in Sir Walter Raleigh
This poem is addressed to a younger person. This audience is understood by the endearing terms of "my pretty knave" and "dear boy". The speaker sounds like a father giving advice. In fact, the... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
Differences: Obviously, she is female, he is male. He is black, she is white. Although these are simplistic, they are worth noting because these are dramatic differences for the 1930s era. Today,... -
Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
Throughout chapter 3, many presumptive details are given to portray the various shades of Gatsby. Rumors fly around about his service in the army, his education at Oxford, and his business. Some... -
Answered a Question in 1984
Winston says this in narration when describing the Thought Police. He was almost describing how thoughts can be read because it is humanly impossible. the Thought Police had to use any little... -
Answered a Question in Animal Farm
The animals had been convinced that their efforts would provide them with all of the things that Man had been had withheld from animals: Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be... -
Answered a Question in Hamlet
Readers learn about Hamlet's occupation as a student in Act I.ii. Hamlet, King Claudius, and Queen Gertrude are all discussing the grief they feel over Hamlet's father's death. The Queen seems... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Boo Radley's house has several features that could be considered symbolic or representative of something else. First, Boo's house is described in shades of gray. The house used to be white, but... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Atticus feels like he shouldn't shoot. He believes he has an unfair advantage over other living things because he is really very good at shooting. Readers do not discover this detail until chapter... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
In chapter 24, Aunt Alexandra hosts a Missionary Society Tea. She is true to form in all her Maycomb proclivities except for how she feels about Atticus. Usually, she (like other Maycomb citizens)... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
She prepares cakes for the smaller children like normal. But for Jem, she offers him a slice of the larger cake. This symbolizes Jem's growing into the adult world. Maudie takes this opportunity to... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
In chapter 17, during Scout's narration to readers, she reveals an oddity about Mayella: One corner of the yard, though, bewildered Maycomb. Against the fence, in a line, were six chipped-enamel... -
Answered a Question in The Crucible
The Puritans in The Crucible are complete hypocrites. Tenants of the Christian faith to which the Puritans prescribed suggest that love, forgivess, and compassion should be normal habits of daily... -
Answered a Question in The Crucible
This setting takes place in Salem, the location of the actual Salem Witch Trials. The action that takes place is based on the true details uncovered about the actual events of 1692, however, the... -
Answered a Question in Astrophil and Stella
This sonnet contains two speakers. The first seems to be a friend of Astrophil who notes that Astrophil's love is causing his behavior to shift. Astrophil has been losing his sense of reason,... -
Answered a Question in Astrophil and Stella
This sonnet is about a speaker (who we assume to be Sir Philip as readers) who is struggling with himself in a thinking mood. He reports that his quest for thought could come from a variety of... -
Answered a Question in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Three main themes in this book are illustrated in the lives of three main characters. Huck exemplifies conscience, Jim demonstrates freedom, and Tom represents racism. Huck's character demonstrates... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
A beetle is a car in Fahrenheit 451. It is described as a vehicle that hovers over the ground and moves at intensely fast speeds. It is described as a specific car in the chapter entitled "Burning... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
In chapter 4, the kids played a game that they called rolling in the tire. The boys put Scout in the tire and rolled her down the street. On this particular day, the tire rolled all the way into... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee insinuates through the evidence shared in the trial that Mayella has been taken advantage of by her father. Young people who have been treated that way by adults tend to really struggle... -
Answered a Question in To Kill a Mockingbird
Many objects in the story represent Jem. The watch Atticus lets Jem carry demonstrates responsibility. It is expensive and it is only carried once in a while. A watch is also a symbol of... -
Answered a Question in The Crucible
Rev. John Hale changed from bad to good. Although he was a reverend from outside of the village, he came in with an arrogant belief that he was to be the savior of this town. He coerced accusations... -
Answered a Question in Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver's "Summer Day" centers on the thoughts of wonder a speaker has while noticing the natural world of a grasshopper on a summer day. This poem undergoes a significant shift in tone...
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