Stephanie Loomis
eNotes Educator
Achievements
5
Educator Level
124
Answers Posted
45
Answers Bonused
About
I have been a teacher since 1990, specializing in critical thinking and writing through literature.
Earned Badges
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eNotes Educator
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in The Great Gatsby
Excellent question and an interesting comparison. Both Tom and Gatsby clung tightly to the images they had created for themselves. Both men wanted to be appreciated/loved/revered for some depth of... -
Answered a Question in The Devil and Tom Walker
Washington Irving made sure that his protagonist in this tale was a miserable specimen of humanity. Usually in literature the protagonist is characterized as "the good guy," but this story is a... -
Answered a Question in Life of Pi
This is a terrific question. Pi has to use everything he knows and believes in order to survive his circumstances--both physically and mentally. The first thing he does is to eliminate the humans... -
Answered a Question in The Canterbury Tales
Part of Chaucer's genius lay in the fact that he was a great observer of society. Born into a "middle class" family, he grew up with the milliners and tradesmen. His brilliance was recognized early... -
Answered a Question in Gulliver's Travels
Both societies treat Gulliver as a curiosity at first. The Lilliputians "imprison" him and make him a source of entertainment. The Brobdingnagians carry him around like we might carry a small dog.... -
Answered a Question in The Canterbury Tales
The Clerk himself is a quiet man, apparently faithful to his own calling, as Griselda is faithful to her husband. The host asks for a happy tale, and the Clerk obliges, although the happy part is... -
Answered a Question in El Cid
The Poem of the Cid is a fabulous picture of life and politics of the Spanish Reconquista. The poem's discussions amongst the Spanish Christians and both Moors and Jews exemplify the attitudes of... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
The culture of the time was a feudal system, and Beowulf was born into the Lord/Warrior/King line. His training would have been the same as any other peer. The poem itself does not detail Beowulf's... -
Answered a Question in El Cid
Cantar de Mio Cid is the definitive work of the Spanish epic and the Spanish epic hero. El Cid (a nickname referring to his status as a nobleman) has all the traits of a Spanish hero. He is a man... -
Answered a Question in The Cop and the Anthem
O.Henry's stories always have a moral undercurrent that is often hidden beneath layers of irony. In this short story the central character, Soapy, is a homeless man with a need for winter shelter... -
Answered a Question in The Canterbury Tales
Medieval society was a dismal time in world history. Illiteracy and poverty were the norm. Corruption in both religion and politics was rampant. There was a burgeoning middle class of workers who... -
Answered a Question in A Christmas Carol
The climax of any piece of literature is the highest point of interest (not action) wherein the reader understands how the story will resolve (and to what extent the beginning balance is either... -
Answered a Question in Death of a Salesman
Ben Loman is Willy's older brother who apparently had success where Willy failed. How much of what we know about Ben is from Willy's mind, so it's veracity is questionable. According to Willy, Ben... -
Answered a Question in Death of a Salesman
Willy Loman, like many others after the Great Depression, bought into the New Deal and the American Dream that said anyone who works well will prosper. What Willy fails to see was the role of... -
Answered a Question in Death of a Salesman
Willy Loman certainly is a character living in a psychological world that does not reflect reality. What probably began as an illusion, became a delusion over time. When reality could no longer be... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
Welthow, Hrothgar's queen, is an astute woman whose influence in the kingdom is subtle, but unmistakeable. She plays an unusual role in this epic because women were typically abset or subservient... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
Of all of Hrothgar's men, Unferth is the most mysterious. While everyone else rejoices at Beowulf's arrival, Unferth tries to discredit him. Jealousy is a terrible thing, and Unferth's jealousy... -
Answered a Question in The Bible
Luke 2:8-20 is the story of the shepherds at the birth of Christ. The event is significant on a number of levels, but the most important is in the symbolism of whom the shepherds represent in... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
Guy Montag is not only the protagonist of Bradbury's books, but also a metaphor for ambivalence mistaken for progress. Montag, however, begins to see the danger of ambivalence, and it is in that... -
Answered a Question in The Bible
The best way to understand any particular verse in the Bible is to look at the context. This particular passage occurs after God accepted Abel's sacrifice (the best part of the firstborn lambs in... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
One of the prevailing themes in Fahrenheit 451 is the problem of ambivalence. The "theme" link below calls it "apathy and passivity," but it is essentially the same general concept. Apathy refers... -
Answered a Question in Gulliver's Travels
Swift was often called a misanthrope, someone who despises humanity. (In the critical overview linked below, you'll find plenty of evidence to this postulation.) Whether Swift truly was... -
Answered a Question in The Hiding Place
Casper ten Boom was a remarkable man. His whole being was caught up in doing the will of God at all times. Even in his watch shop he would pray for direction on repairing a particular timepiece. He... -
Answered a Question in Gulliver's Travels
Lemuel Gulliver must surely have been astonished to awaken after a shipwreck to find himself tied down with a series of slender ropes. Even his hair was tied down so that he could not even turn his... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
Every edition of the book is different, so you'll have to find the page on your own. However, the quote is part of the initial conversation between Montag and Clarisse. Clarisse is one of the few... -
Answered a Question in The Hiding Place
In The Hiding Place, ten Boom does not name the guard, but only says that she recognized him as the first SS jailer she encountered at Ravensbruck. In other speeches and in biographies, she retells... -
Answered a Question in A Tale of Two Cities
Certainly Dickens captured the gritty reality of the French Revolution. The descriptions Dickens uses paints a vivid picture of the dire predicaments of the poor. People were desperate for food and... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
Hrothgar built Heorot as a tribute to the bravery of his soldiers. It was a magnificant place--covered in gold and visible from the sea. It was the tallest building ever built in that region, and... -
Answered a Question in Fahrenheit 451
Every time I read this book I see something new that makes it relevant to whatever current event is on the nightly news. As a culture we are more and more desensitized to violence--both national... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
Wiglaf first chastised the men who ran away, but then spoke in exhultation of the great king. The Geats rolled the dragon off the cliff into the water so that there could never be a memorial to it.... -
Answered a Question in The Canterbury Tales
Chaucer used a number of familiar stories and familiar characters in this work, but tweaked them to make them seen new and put a couple of unique spins on the whole process of story-telling. The... -
Answered a Question in All Quiet on the Western Front
Erich Maria Remarque, the author of All Quiet on the Western Front, claimed that his purpose of writing the book was only to chronicle the generation of World War One: This book is to be neither... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
Grendel, the monster spawned in the slime of a marshy hell, growled in pain at the joyous relevries within Heorot. The more the music played, the more impatient he became to put it to an end. He... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
Grendel's mother came to Heorot for revenge and to reclaim her son's dignity. There really is nothing "noble" from any perspective from death by amputation. Grendel did not go down fighting, but he... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
The compound adjectives are called "kennings." They are used as metaphor to add to the elevated language that makes up a literary epic. They serve to add description without bulk, and frankly,... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
Hoarded treasure is not necessarily a symbol of death or damnation, but treasure itself is a symbol of glory, which is the quest of all epic heroes. The problem with hoarding treasure is that it... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
Beowulf is the hero and Grendel the anti-hero. If you set up a chart and create a list of heroic ideals, you'll see that Beowulf and Grendel are polar extremes. Valor: Valor is courage in defense... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
Beowulf is absolutely a hero, for he meets all of the standards: valor, loyalty, courage, skill, generosity, honor, selflessness, and wisdom. My class held a lively discussion about Beowulf's... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
Although not related by blood, Beowulf the Geat shares a name with a beloved Danish king of old. Hrothgar knew Beowulf's father, and so the two had a respectful allegiance to each other. Hrothgar... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
It depends on which king you're asking about. After the defeat of Grendel's mother, Beowulf presented Hrothgar with Grendel's head and the hilt of the sword with which he killed Grendel's mother.... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
Scyld Scefling is a revered king of the Danes. He rose to power after fleeing to Denmark as an abandoned child. He ruled a great kingdom (conquering lands anywhere the seas could take his soldiers)... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
It is no wonder that Beowulf ends with an elegy to the hero's victories and wisdom. Beowulf ruled as the ideal Anglo-Saxon king: brave, generous, and wise. Accoring to Burton Raffel's translation,... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
The Anglo-Saxon culture valued honor, wisdom, generosity, and loyalty. The monsters in Beowulf are the antithesis of these ideals (with the possible exception of Grendel's mother.) Grendel is... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
Grendel, being a descendant of Cain, and hence truly evil, could not be stopped by sword. He hated the joy and light emanating from Heorot, and determined to stop it by devouring the men. For... -
Answered a Question in Out of the Dust
Out of the Dust is a first person narrative, meaning the protagonist (main character) tells the story in his or her own words. What sets this narrative apart from others is that Hesse's... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
This is a great question because it addresses two primary components of Anglo-Saxon philosophy: the battle between good and evil, and the role of God in the conquests of the armies. Christianity... -
Answered a Question in The Metamorphosis
Up until his metamorphosis, Gregor was the sole breadwinner for the family, which consisted of his parents, his sister, and himself. Gregor's father was both demanding and demeaning, expecting... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
This is a great question. At first glace, there seems to be nothing in common between Heorot and Grendel's lair. Heorot is bright, covered in hammered gold and designed for celebration. It stands... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
Hrothgar built Heorot (Herot, depending on translation) for the "best and bravest of his men." It is an honorable king who seeks to reward his soldiers for their bravery. The building was... -
Answered a Question in Cry, the Beloved Country
Above all else, Cry the Beloved Country is a book about the hope that is found in reconciliation. Reconciliation begins between men and then extends to reconciling with the land so that all people...
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