Thursday, July 23, 2015

In Gulliver's Travels, what are some examples with quotes about economic inequality or equality?

In part 4, chapter 6, Gulliver goes into detail about England's economic inequality. His Houyhnhnm master is unable to understand why lawyers would participate in injustice "merely for the sake of injuring their fellow-animals." Gulliver explains that lawyers do it for hire, but his master cannot comprehend the concept of money in relation to power. Gulliver details the circumstances in his own country, using the "Yahoo" term that his master is familiar with to parallel England's lower class:

When a Yahoo had got a great store of this precious substance, he was able to purchase whatever he had a mind to; the finest clothing, the noblest houses, great tracts of land, the most costly meats and drinks, and have his choice of the most beautiful females . . . that the rich man enjoyed the fruit of the poor man’s labour, and the latter were a thousand to one in proportion to the former; that the bulk of our people were forced to live miserably, by labouring every day for small wages, to make a few live plentifully.

Thus when a member of the lower class is able to accumulate considerable wealth, they become part of the upper class, which outnumbers the lower class 1:1000. The inequality lies in the reality that the poor are working to expand the riches of their masters, while they themselves are not profiting on their own labor.
I recommend you focus on this section of the novel, as it goes into detail on England's economic disparity in relation to class, trading of goods, colonization, and law.

Explore how connections to others and the wide community can enrich or reshape an individual's sense of self (referring to the stories "Neighbours" by Tim Winton and Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman).

"Neighbours" is a short story by Tim Winton, and Seedfolks is a young adult novel by Paul Fleischman. Both works are centered on a particular neighborhood, giving the respective narratives an insular feel and articulating a microscopic point of view of the people who live there. In "Neighbours," Winton features a young white Australian couple who move to a neighborhood in Queensland which is predominantly composed of European immigrants. From the beginning of the story, readers quickly learn that the couple have prejudices against immigrants and migrant groups. Initially, the couple perceives their new neighbors as uncivilized and unsophisticated. They experience culture shock when they observe the ways of their immigrant neighbors. However, the couple gradually begin to understand the humanity beneath their prejudices as they develop interpersonal relationships with their neighbors. The couple experiences commonalities with their "foreign" neighbors that are universal, regardless of nationality and ethnicity—such as the struggles of day-to-day living in an uncertain economy—and other general daily issues that all can relate to. By looking at their neighbors as fellow Australians and, more importantly, fellow human beings, the once-judgmental couple enriched themselves through understanding and empathy.
Similarly, Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman centers on a neighborhood in Cleveland that is primarily composed of immigrants, first-generation Americans, and American minorities. The title refers to the community garden project initiated by a Vietnamese girl living in the neighborhood. The book is composed of several vignettes that depict the lives of the various characters in the intertwined stories. They all come from different backgrounds, cultures, and races, and have varying personalities. However, as the community garden begins to develop and the crops they planted begin to grow, the connections between the once-socially distant neighbors become stronger. The urban garden itself is an analogy for the development of the economically-deprived neighborhood, because it takes an entire community to take care of vegetation. By accepting and respecting others' differences whilst still working together in harmony, the residents individually grow like the plants they are caring for.
https://annakuznik.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/neighbours-by-tim-winton-a-summary/

What is a character sketch of Pip in Great Expectations?

Pip is young, naive, and aspiring throughout the novel Great Expectations. In the beginning, he is a young child who has a very rough life, but he remains positive and tries to be kind and friendly to others. As he spends time with Miss Havisham, his naivete is shown, but also his devotion begins to be expressed when he meets Estella. He falls in love with her and remains obsessed with her the majority of the novel.
Later, when he moves off to the city with a mysterious benefactor, he remains very kindhearted, but also has great dreams and aspirations of becoming wealthy and earning Estella's hand in marriage. He works tirelessly, but his kind nature and sweetness begins to ebb as he becomes obsessed with earning wealth and with pursuing Estella, missing the friendships and love he has waiting in front of him. Eventually, it is stripped away when his benefactor runs out of wealth, and Pip is left to pick up the pieces of his life, rekindling the friendships he had made and mourning the multiple loves he lost in the process.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Write one scene that is missing from The Sun Also Rises in Hemingway’s style.

There are numerous distinctive stylistic elements that are either characteristic of Ernest Hemingway’s style overall or distinctive to this novel. Hemingway became famous for a minimalist style with short sentences and large amounts of dialogue. As many have noted, it is deceptively simple, which makes it notoriously hard to imitate well (although easy to parody).
In terms of characterization, although the actions often seem realistic, he rarely probes deeply into their psychology. In The Sun Also Rises, Jacob Barnes is the first-person narrator. While this perspective gives more insight into the character telling the story, it limits the amount of information that is provided. In selecting an additional scene, it would have to be something that Jake observed, that was reported to him, or perhaps that he read, like in a newspaper.
One scene that is referred to but is not part of the action is Brett’s trip to San Sebastian (chapters 7–8). When Jake asks her about it, she is vague. What might be accomplished if she had provided him with more information? Such a scene could include her narrative about the events there and a conversation between her and Jake.
Another scene that occurs “offstage” is Robert’s fight with Romero over Brett (chapter 17). Mike and Bill, who were present, tell Jake about the fight. This scene could be effectively described by Robert, who was directly involved.

What is the illuminating moment in King Lear that acts as a window to explaining the meaning of the work as a whole?

One of the most impressive features of William Shakespeare’s masterful portrayal of an elderly father’s decline is the length of time it takes for Lear to realize the full extent of his daughters’ betrayal. At each step of the way, Lear rejects the implications of their behavior, somehow rationalizing their actions as less reprehensible than they are. The audience, as it sees him losing his power, his lands, and his self respect, wants to intrude into the play and intervene to save him. Lear’s massive arrogance makes it hard to like him, but his decline does elicit the audience’s sympathy. Too late, Lear must face that he has not been a good father, and that his behavior has helped create the monster those girls have become.
The illuminating moment comes during the storm, when Goneril and Regan shut him out of the castle. At first he is incredulous, fully expecting his predicament to be temporary. Once he realizes they do not care at all and he is truly on his own, his emotions take a different tack. He rails against the storm, calling down its wrath onto him. He eventually realizes that, although it is dangerous, the storm is just a composition of natural elements and its threat to him is not premeditated; the storm cannot bear him personal animosity. He addresses the storm:

I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness;
I never gave you kingdom, called you children.
You owe me no subscription. Then let fall
Your horrible pleasure. Here I stand your slave,
A poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man.

At this point, Lear acknowledges that through his failings as a king and a parent, he has partly brought this upon himself, and he learns some humility.

How long was Jeff in the rebel territory in Rifles for Watie?

In the short novel Rifles for Watie, Jeff lives in a rebel camp as an undercover Union officer for over a year. He spends a total of 4 years in service in the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, beginning at just 16 years old. He starts out as a Union soldier and fights against what he feels are the callous, lawless southerners—the Confederates. To help the Union cause, he infiltrates a rebel Confederate camp and lives there for over a year. During this time, he begins to learn that the men on the other side of the trenches are just as human as his compatriots, and this drives home the point of the story and the Civil war—that brother fought against brother, and the war itself was cruel, even while it was fighting for glorious ideals.

What does the newspaper article report in the first chapter of Tears of a Tiger?

Under the heading Teen Basketball Star Killed in Fiery Crash, the newspaper report sets out the details relating to Robbie's tragic death. It says that Robert Washington, 17, captain of the Hazlewood High School basketball team, was killed in a fiery automobile accident on I-75. The report goes on to say that the car was driven by Andrew Jackson, 17, whom police say was drinking. He's been treated at the Good Samaritan Hospital for burns and bruises. Two other passengers in the car, B. J. Carson, 16, and Tyrone Mills, 17, were also treated at the hospital, but have since been released.
According to the newspaper report, the three passengers who escaped serious injury managed to jump out of the car immediately after the accident. Robbie, however, had his feet on the dashboard, so that at the moment of impact they went through the windshield, pinning him inside the car. The car's gas tank then exploded, and despite Andrew's best efforts to save Robbie, he and his friends could only watch in horror as Robbie burned to death.

What is the theme of the chapter Lead?

Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...