Skip to main content

Posts

In Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, what is the meaning of Jem's statement: "I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley stayed shut up in the...

"I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley stayed shut up in the house all this time . . . it is because he  wants  to stay inside" (227). Jem says the above quote to his sister Scout in Chapter 23 of  To Kill a Mockingbird . He has witnessed the worst case of racism and prejudice in his whole life and he has been trying to come to grips with it. Jem watched the Tom Robinson trial with faith in the judicial system and in the facts of the case. Everything pointed to Tom's innocence, yet he was still convicted. Jem can't understand it at first, but after lengthy discussions with Miss Maudie and his father, he realizes that hundreds of years of prejudice, racism, and tradition were bigger than one attorney with truth on his side could fight. As a result, Jem is disillusioned and disappointed by the sad reality that people can be mean and ugly to each other. In fact, before Jem says the above-mentioned quote, he describes this disillusionment to his sister as...

In The Bellarosa Connection, why does Billy Rose refuse to meet Fonstein? Is the memory of the Holocaust too painful for Billy Rose?

In Saul Bellow's novella The Bellarosa Connection , Harry Fonstein desperately desires to meet Billy Rose, the man responsible for saving his life from the Nazi regime. Billy Rose, however, has no desire whatsoever to meet the man he saved. In an exchange with Fonstein's wife, Billy Rose blatantly shows his indifference: "Remember—forget. What's the difference to me? [...] Lady, this is one of a trillion incidents in a life like mine. Why should I... In Saul Bellow's novella The Bellarosa Connection , Harry Fonstein desperately desires to meet Billy Rose, the man responsible for saving his life from the Nazi regime. Billy Rose, however, has no desire whatsoever to meet the man he saved. In an exchange with Fonstein's wife, Billy Rose blatantly shows his indifference: "Remember—forget. What's the difference to me? [...] Lady, this is one of a trillion incidents in a life like mine. Why should I re-collect it?" (53). In a blatant sense Rose is not i...

What is Vera's perspective in "The Open Window"? What is Vera's perception of Framton? How might Vera describe Framton to some of her friends?

In Saki's "The Open Window," Vera plays a practical joke on a stranger named Framton Nuttel. First, Vera would probably tell her friends that a timid and nervous man entered her home and she couldn't resist playing the joke on him. After discovering that Mr. Nuttel didn't know anyone from around those parts, she would boast about how easy it was to draw him into the tragic story of her uncles' apparent disappearance in a... In Saki's "The Open Window," Vera plays a practical joke on a stranger named Framton Nuttel. First, Vera would probably tell her friends that a timid and nervous man entered her home and she couldn't resist playing the joke on him. After discovering that Mr. Nuttel didn't know anyone from around those parts, she would boast about how easy it was to draw him into the tragic story of her uncles' apparent disappearance in a bog three years earlier. Vera would probably recount to her friends just how perfectly she set ...

What happens if a country's constitution changes constantly?

If a country’s constitution changes constantly, it soon becomes as if the country had no constitution at all.  This does not necessarily doom a country, but it makes the country’s government less stable. A constitution is, in essence, the ground rules for a country’s government.  It is supposed to set out the basic structure of the government and the basic rules for what a government can and cannot do.  For example, the United States Constitution... If a country’s constitution changes constantly, it soon becomes as if the country had no constitution at all.  This does not necessarily doom a country, but it makes the country’s government less stable. A constitution is, in essence, the ground rules for a country’s government.  It is supposed to set out the basic structure of the government and the basic rules for what a government can and cannot do.  For example, the United States Constitution sets up a governmental system with three branches of government and federalism.  It further est...

Why is it significant that Jem had been crying?

In Chapter 7, Jem and Scout find several items in the knothole of the Radley tree. They find a ball of gray twine, two small figurines carved out of soap, a whole pack of chewing gum, a tarnished spelling bee medal, and a pocket watch with an aluminum knife. Jem tells Scout that he thinks they should write a letter to whoever has been leaving them the gifts in the knothole. They thank the mysterious... In Chapter 7, Jem and Scout find several items in the knothole of the Radley tree. They find a ball of gray twine, two small figurines carved out of soap, a whole pack of chewing gum, a tarnished spelling bee medal, and a pocket watch with an aluminum knife. Jem tells Scout that he thinks they should write a letter to whoever has been leaving them the gifts in the knothole. They thank the mysterious person for leaving them gifts and sign their names. The next morning Jem goes to place the envelope into the knothole, only to find out that the knothole has been filled in with cement. The n...

What were John's goals in "By The Waters of Babylon"?

In different parts of the story, John has different goals. First, his goal is to pass the Dead Places test his father gives him so he can be a priest. Then his goal is to learn all the knowledge and priestly magic well. After that, his goal is to have his father's permission to go on his journey and be a man. His next goal is to achieve his dream of seeing "the gods walking," even though to do so is forbidden. His next goal is to recognize the signs he is sent and follow them: "I prayed and purified myself, waiting for a sign. The sign was an eagle. It flew east." I saw it and told what I saw. It was what I have always seen—a river, and, beyond it, a great Dead Places and in it the gods walking." . . . [Father] said, "This is a strong dream. . . It may eat you up." After making it through the forest, his goal is to cross the Ou-di-sun (Hudson) river and get to the Place of the Gods, even though these things too are forbidden. His final goal is to ...

Why is heart cancer rare?

Cancer of the heart is indeed rare. Cancers originating from neighboring organs such as the kidney and the lungs occasionally migrate to the heart, but cancer originating from the heart itself is very uncommon. When it does occur, the outcome is not good. The most common cancer of the heart is the angiosarcoma. The heart is a muscular organ made up of cells called myocytes. Unlike cells making up other organs in the body, myocytes... Cancer of the heart is indeed rare. Cancers originating from neighboring organs such as the kidney and the lungs occasionally migrate to the heart, but cancer originating from the heart itself is very uncommon. When it does occur, the outcome is not good. The most common cancer of the heart is the angiosarcoma. The heart is a muscular organ made up of cells called myocytes. Unlike cells making up other organs in the body, myocytes attain terminal differentiation very early in the life of a person, which implies that these cells stop dividing and increasing...