Help Notes

The art of acting serves several purposes, but perhaps the most relevant is in providing an audience the opportunity to study an issue, theme or question in a focused, limited time-frame, with the skills of an author and actors employed to illuminate a particular area of interest. Acting also allows audience members to share the experience with others. An actor can offer the joy of pure entertainment or offer escapism from reality. Comedy may be employed to... The art of acting serves several purposes, but perhaps the most relevant is in providing an audience the opportunity to study an issue, theme or question in a focused, limited time-frame, with the skills of an author and actors employed to illuminate a particular area of interest. Acting also allows audience members to share the experience with others. An actor can offer the joy of pure entertainment or offer escapism from reality. Comedy may be employed to lift the spirits of an audience (while comedy can also serve to illuminat...

The two poems “Death, Be Not Proud” and “Batter My Heart, three-person'd God” are part of a series of nineteen poems called the Holy Sonnets, published in 1663, two years after John Donne’s death. Donne is remembered among other Metaphysical poets of the time, such as George Herbert, who were often concerned with religious themes. Donne’s poetry was influenced by his own religious identity. In the period that he wrote these poems, he was in... The two poems “Death, Be Not Proud” and “Batter My Heart, three-person'd God” are part of a series of nineteen poems called the Holy Sonnets, published in 1663, two years after John Donne’s death. Donne is remembered among other Metaphysical poets of the time, such as George Herbert, who were often concerned with religious themes. Donne’s poetry was influenced by his own religious identity. In the period that he wrote these poems, he was in a state of religious transformation, converting from Catholicism to Anglicanism and considering joi...

It is important to remember that even though he was nationally prominent, William Lloyd Garrison was at no point a mainstream figure. He was on the radical fringe of the abolitionist movement, one which brooked no compromise whatsoever over the issue of slavery. Garrison even sometimes advocated the dissolution of the Union to rid the body politic of the stain of slavery. This being said, Garrison rose to prominence by the publication of The Liberator,... It is important to remember that even though he was nationally prominent, William Lloyd Garrison was at no point a mainstream figure. He was on the radical fringe of the abolitionist movement, one which brooked no compromise whatsoever over the issue of slavery. Garrison even sometimes advocated the dissolution of the Union to rid the body politic of the stain of slavery. This being said, Garrison rose to prominence by the publication of The Liberator, his newspaper which remained in publication from 1831 through the Civil War. This p...

Longfellow and Alcott were both New England writers; Longfellow was born in Maine and Alcott lived in Concord, Massachusetts. Their lives overlapped somewhat; Longfellow was 26 years older than Alcott but they died about six years apart. They were both important 19th century American authors. Along with their biographical similarities, they share similarities in their writing.  Alcott's best known book is Little Women, which remains a classic in children's literature. It is the fictionalized, idealized story of Alcott and her three sisters as they grew up. Alcott's actual childhood had been difficult, since her father had a hard time keeping a teaching job due to his radical ideas of education. In fact, Alcott wrote Little Women as a way to help the family's finances.  As a romanticized portrayal of childhood, Little Women shares characteristics with Longfellow's poetry, particularly his poetry about children. Here is the opening of Longfellow's The Children...

For me,  Bud, Not Buddy helps me better understand the Great Depression because Bud is a kid.  Most of times that I have read about the Great Depression, it has been in a textbook.  The textbook gives a bunch of cold facts and fills the pages with pictures of adults.  I suppose a part of me never considered the time period impacting children and families.  Currently, I am a father of three children under the... For me,  Bud, Not Buddy helps me better understand the Great Depression because Bud is a kid.  Most of times that I have read about the Great Depression, it has been in a textbook.  The textbook gives a bunch of cold facts and fills the pages with pictures of adults.  I suppose a part of me never considered the time period impacting children and families.  Currently, I am a father of three children under the age of eight.  Reading about the poverty surrounding Bud really made me consider the impact that the time period had on families and their children.  It really felt unfair ...

The notion of trade with humans is introduced in Chapter Six. In actuality, most of what the pigs told the other animals about the necessity to trade with humans was based on realistic facts. The farm was indeed running short on many essentials which could not be produced on the farm, as seen in the following extract: Nevertheless, as the summer wore on, various unforeseen shortages began to make themselves felt. There was need of paraffin oil, nails, string, dog biscuits, and iron for the horses' shoes, none of which could be produced on the farm. Later there would also be need for seeds and artificial manures, besides various tools and, finally, the machinery for the windmill. How these were to be procured, no one was able to imagine. It was for this purpose that Napoleon announced one Sunday morning that they would engage in trade with the neighbouring farms. This would not be done for commercial gain, but to ensure the availability of whatever essentials the farm required. He s...

Jem is ashamed of Atticus because he does not possess the youth and strength that the other fathers of boys Jem's age have. As an aging lawyer, Atticus is not able to "keep up" physically and athletically like the other fathers. Jem is particularly bothered by the fact that Atticus won't let him tackle him during their football games and that he will only play "keep away" with the ball. Atticus redeems himself in Jem's eyes when he proves his marksmanship skills by shooting Tim Johnson, the rabid dog who wanders down a road in Maycomb. Both Jem and Scout are shocked at how talented their father is, particularly since they never associated him with anything as violent or as physically demanding as shooting a gun.