Edith Sykes
eNotes Educator
Achievements
16
Educator Level
1869
Answers Posted
310
Answers Bonused
About
I teach high school English, Religion History and various electives, such as Sociology. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing with a minor in English. After that I earned an MBA in Management and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies focusing on English and History.
Earned Badges
-
eNotes Educator
This badge is awarded to all eNotes Educators. Only official Educators can answer students' questions on our site. Educators are teachers, professional researchers, and scholars who apply to our... -
Hall of Fame
Educators can earn this badge by contributing over 1,000 answers on eNotes. -
10K Points Earner
Educators earn points for every question they answer. This Educator has earned over 10,000 points. -
25K Points Earner
Educators earn points for every question they answer. This Educator has earned over 25,000 points. -
50K Points Earner
Educators earn points for every question they answer. This Educator has earned over 50,000 points. -
Expert
An expert badge distinguishes Educators who demonstrate strong knowledge in a particular topic, such as Hamlet or Math. It is awarded when an Educator has posted more than 25 answers on a given topic. -
Scholar
The scholar badge recognizes Educators who are especially knowledgeable about a particular author. This badge is awarded once an Educator has posted more than 50 answers on works by a specific author. -
Literature Whiz
Bonuses are awarded when an Educator has gone above and beyond and impressed the editorial team by offering an especially lengthy, nuanced, or insightful answer. This badge is given to an Educator... -
History Whiz
Bonuses are awarded when an Educator has gone above and beyond and impressed the editorial team by offering an especially lengthy, nuanced, or insightful answer. This badge is given to an Educator...
Recent Activity
-
Answered a Question in The Catcher in the Rye
Holden Caulfield is more a typical teenager than a rebel. But he is a typical teenager dealing with a deep depression and disatisfaction with life. Considering that Holden... -
Answered a Question in Othello
When Othello confronts Emilia in Act IV about Desdemona's unfaithfulness, he has already decided that his wife has been unfaithful. Therefore, he seeks information, or evidence from Emilia... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
Macbeth and Banquo are both Scottish Generals in the King's army. Macbeth is recognized by the king for his acts of courage and is rewarded with another noble title, Thane of Cawdor, by King... -
Answered a Question in William Shakespeare
In Elizabethan England, women did not have any personal freedom. They had no social status outside of their association with their husbands or fathers. As far as acting, women were... -
Answered a Question in I felt a Funeral, in my Brain
In this poem, Emily Dickinson is describing a mental breakdown that is caused by the heavy despair and pain that the subject's life has caused her to feel. The funeral is for the sanity... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
In Lord of the Flies the idea of power is expressed this way. Imagine a world where there were no rules, no laws, no government to oversee the running of the country. People lived... -
Answered a Question in 1984
In the nation of Oceania, the Party controls all aspects of life, including thought, this is particulary evident in the process of Doublethink. In order to control the minds of the members of... -
Answered a Question in American Poetry in the 1960's
Music is definitely poetry. Consider what a poem evokes, passion, love, hate, anger, loss, sorrow. Music, even without lyrics can convey the same thing. When you add the lyrics, a story... -
Answered a Question in The Old Man and the Sea
When the old man first encounters the fish, he is afraid that he will not be able to pull the fish into the boat. He does not succeed in pulling the fish into the boat. He then worries... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
Jack has the advantage of being tall; his direction of the choir is another sign of an "obvious leader." As a political animal, however, Jack recognizes that choir conducting won't get him far... -
Answered a Question in Frankenstein
I think Victor Frankenstein's crimes are greater. He became obsessed with the idea of creating life after his mother's death, which devastated him. He worked hard for a long time... -
Answered a Question in The Children of Men
The book is by author P.D. James. Set in England during 2021, it is about a world in which women cannot conceive, and babies have not been born since 1995. Xan Lippatt, Warden of England, is... -
Answered a Question in Othello
The handkerchief is first seen in Act 3 Scene 3, the scene containing the climax of the play where Iago begins to work directly on Othello, poisoning his mind. The handkerchief is the strongest... -
Answered a Question in Othello
Since she is a female, everyone believes that Emilia is unintelligent. Emilia is looked down upon because she is a woman and women are inferior to men. Although on the surface, Emilia seems to fit... -
Answered a Question in World War I
Since the beginning of World War I in 1914, the United States, under President Woodrow Wilson, had maintained strict neutrality, other than providing material assistance to the Allies. Even in May... -
Answered a Question in The Lottery
Setting Jackson establishes the setting of "The Lottery'' at the beginning of the story. It takes place on the morning of June 27th, a sunny and pleasant summer day, in the village square of a town... -
Answered a Question in Night
Death is a pervasive element in a story about death camps. Death is fundamental to human society—anthropologists cite burial practices as the foundation of civilization. The Nazi "slaughterhouses"... -
Answered a Question in Paradise Lost
The standard definition of an epic, or heroic poem, is that it is a ''noble story told in noble verse'' (Hutson and McCoy, Epics of the Western World, p. 7), a continuous narrative concerning a... -
Answered a Question in King Lear
King Lear is reacting to Cordelia's death. She has forgiven her father and he regains a measure of peace because of this, accepting his prison sentence with wisdom and courage, "We alone will... -
Answered a Question in The House on Mango Street
In The House on Mango Street Esperanza reveals herself as both a product of the community in which she lives and one of the only figures courageous enough to transcend her circumstances. Like all... -
Answered a Question in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The Baxter family loyalty is seen in her uncles' response to Maya's rape. They kill Freedman in revenge for what he did to Maya, thinking they were helping. However, their actions are traumatic and... -
Answered a Question in Othello
In the midst of the play's "corruption scene" (Act III, Scene 3), Iago says to Othello that "men should be what they seem" (III.iii.127). Here the arch-villain is referring to Cassio, but the irony... -
Answered a Question in Trifles
Though its plot focuses on a single moral choice, that of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters deciding whether or not to expose why Mrs. Wright killed her husband, Trifles is thematically complex. It... -
Answered a Question in The House on Mango Street
Esperanza says she is the ugly girl in the family, so no husband will come for her. She wants to be powerful like the beautiful women in the movies, so she decides to get her power from a... -
Answered a Question in The House on Mango Street
The old aunts call Esperanza over and read her palm. The one with the marble hands says that when she leaves Mango Street, she must remember to return, “to come back for the others.” She... -
Answered a Question in Young Goodman Brown
Goodman Brown’s experience in the forest–whether dream or reality–causes him to lose his faith in others and die an unhappy man. Note the last words of the story: “They carved no hopeful verse upon... -
Answered a Question in Shooting an Elephant
A British police official in Burma, the narrator is a questioning colonialist. He perfectly understands the Burmese resentment of the British, while at the same time he hates the petty harassments... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
The final scene between George and Lennie is suffused with sadness, even though Lennie retains his blissful ignorance until the end. To reassure Lennie, George forces himself through their habitual... -
Answered a Question in The Twenty-One Balloons
The Twenty-One Balloons stresses the themes of creativity, individuality, eccentricity, and cooperation. The fantasy of The Twenty-One Balloons is built around an actual historic event—the massive... -
Answered a Question in The Waste Land
There are only two main themes in the poem, which in turn, generate many sub-themes. The first of these major themes is disillusionment, which Eliot indicates is the current state of affairs in... -
Answered a Question in All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front is a coming of age story of the youth of the 1910's. The students, Paul and his classmates, Muller, Kropp and Leer joined the army at the urging of their... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
Shakespeare has made Macduff the savior of Scotland by making him appear as God's appointed angel of justice to reinstate the rightful and chosen king of Scotland. Macduff, along... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
A prime example of the play's dramatic irony can be found in Act I, Scene 6. Before this scene the audience has heard Macbeth's soliloquies about murdering the king. By now the audience would... -
Answered a Question in Pride and Prejudice
In Pride and Prejudice, the opportunities for women lie solely in marrying well, or in Charlotte Lucas's case, marrying at all. Jane Austen highlights this throughout the novel, especially by... -
Answered a Question in Pride and Prejudice
What is significant about Mr. Darcy's first visit to Lizzy at the cottage is the fact that he is allowing his basic needs, his passion for Miss Bennett, to control his actions, rather than his... -
Answered a Question in Pride and Prejudice
In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen uses gender and character to both express the social norms of her time and to emphasize that there are more variations on character than society chooses to... -
Answered a Question in Pride and Prejudice
It is very clear that Caroline is telling Jane that Charles has a real affection for Miss Darcy and that his pursuit and eventual proposal to her would please everyone. Especially Caroline... -
Answered a Question in Pride and Prejudice
Mr. Bennett looks forward to Mr. Collins visit for several reasons. First, Mr. Bennett is always alone with just women and a male visitor is very welcome. Second, Mr. Bennett finds Mr.... -
Answered a Question in Araby
In the end he realizes that there is nothing for him at Araby, and all his hopes about entering a romantic world beyond the quiet, decent, brown street of his childhood have been reduced to... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
Macbeth's vaulting ambition, though it is what brings him to his height of power, it is also what leads him to his downfall. Vaulting Ambition is Macbeth's only flaw; it disables him to achieve his... -
Answered a Question in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
The early Victorian era marked the emergence of a large middle-class society for the first time in the history of the Western world. With this middle-class population came a spread of -... -
Answered a Question in Christabel
After Christabel carries Geraldine into the castle, and they go into her room, Christabel is told to undress. Even though she knows that it is wrong, she cannot resist. It is as if she... -
Answered a Question in Christabel
Christabel has been dreaming all night of her betrothed, her sleep has been interrupted, she has tossed and turned consumed with worry. Feeling lonely and desiring to pray, she... -
Answered a Question in Jane Eyre
At the end of Jane Eyre, the tried and tested Jane along with the renewed Rochester find true happiness. Jane becomes the perfect wife and mother, and, Rochester the perfect loving...
Showing 801-844 of 844