Explore the theme of family and relationships in Kindred by Octavia Butler.

The
theme of family and relationships is very complex in 's novel . In the
text, Dana is a black woman living in 1976 California with her husband, Kevin, a white man. Dana
is suddenly and mysteriously transported to the antebellum South in the first chapter of the
novel, to a plantation that happens to be run by one of her ancestors. She saves a young boy
from drowning, a boy who will later grow up to be an exacting slaveholder who is one of Dana's
distant ancestors.

As Dana intermittently travels to the plantation, she
learns more about her family history, including the fact that her ancestors are a white
plantation owner and a slave he sexually assaulted. This is difficult heritage to learn about
for Dana, but on each trip to the past, she adapts and figures out ways to survive (sometimes by
using the advantages of the present, like pain-killing medication). The new knowledge about her
family makes her relationship with Rufus, the slaveholder and ancestor, very complicated. She
meets him in the past when he's just a boy and watches him grow into a harsh, abusive man. Late
in the story, obviously ignorant to his relationship to her, Rufus even tries to sexually
assault Dana. In her trips to the past, Dana also forms a relationship with her female ancestor,
Alice, and is able to more fully appreciate the struggles of black women under
slavery.

Beyond learning about and navigating her relationship with her
ancestors, Dana's experiences in the past inform her relationship with her husband, Kevin. She
begins to view her marriage in the context of the history of white men's sexual abuse of black
female slaves, which complicates her relationship with Kevin. At a certain point, Kevin travels
with her to the slave-holding South, and that history, and the power dynamic implicit in it, is
highlighted even more for Dana. Ultimately, though, Kevin's travels with Dana help him gain a
deeper understanding of Dana's position and experiences on the plantation.

Compare and contrast Old Major and Napoleon in Animal Farm.

The chief
difference betweenandis that Old Major truly believed in the ideal of the animal revolution he
envisioned, whereas Napoleon cynically used the revolution to gain power for himself
alone.

Old Major is based on Marx, and he truly believed that the animals
could have better and easier lives if they would take over Mr. Jones's farm and run it
themselves. He believed in using the profits for the good of all the animals. He believed in the
animals working together in solidarity to build an idyllic future in which all would share the
rewards of a just society. He cared about his fellow animals.

Napoleon is
based on Stalin. All he wanted was to amass as much power as possible for himself. He cynically
used the ideals of the animals to exploit them and to get them to work extra hard so that he
and...

In Animal Farm, what advantages are there for the animals in running their own farm?

We are given the answer
to this question inof this great novel. After the initial enthusiasm of having carried out the
revolution successfully, the animals at first experience many benefits to running their own
farm. Note howdescribes that first harvest:

All through
the summer the work of the farm went like clockwork. The animals were happy as they had never
conceived it possible to be. Every mouthful of food was an acute positive pleasure, now that it
was truly their own food, produced by themselves and for themselves, not doled out to them by a
grudging master. With the worthless parasitical human beings gone, there was more for everyone
to eat. There was more leisure too, inexperienced though the animals were.

Note then how well initially things work out, especially the
satisfaction with which the animals ate their own food that they had produced. Also note how
everyone worked:

But everyone worked according to his
capacity... Nobody stole, nobody grumbled over his rations, the quarrelling and biting and
jealousy which had been normal features of life in the old days had almost disappeared. Nobody
shirked...

This attitude is epitomised by , whose motto,
"Must work harder!", seems to help unite the animals in a common purpose as they all
work together to run the farm and get in the harvest. Of course, things do not stay like
this...

What is the difference between poetry and a short story? I need the answer in 3 to 5 sentences.

Poetry is a
form of writing in verse, which usually has a musical quality obtained through the specific use
of literary elements such as meter and rhyme, and literary devices such as , , and other vivid
forms of . A short story has characters of depth, and a plot that centers, generally, around a
conflict of some sort. The two are different in that poems don't have to tell a story and can be
about a single brief idea, whereas a short story generally is the exact opposite; but both can
convey deep meaning to the audience, often eliciting an emotional response, through the author's
careful use of the language as he/she shares a message through writing.

What are some of the character traits that Daniel bar Jamin displays in The Bronze Bow? Give some examples.

Some of
Daniels most important characteristics are his passion, loyalty, resourcefulness, and
determination. The passion and loyalty go hand in hand as he mourns the death of his father,
mother, and uncle. Daniel feels so loyal to his familys memory that he is moved to seek
vengeance. That passion drives him to make a vow to God and to pursue the Romans whom he feels
are responsible.

In addition, passion is a strong motivating force in keeping
him going even when things are at their most difficult, such as when his grandmother also passes
away. It also undergirds his desire to free his native land. Loyalty is evident after he joins
with Rosh, convinced that he is the leader they need, and in his difficulty in breaking with
him.

Daniel showed determination when he struggled through his own
imprisonment and afterward, as he seeks his sister, Leah. He is resourceful in making his way
through dangerous territory and in forming alliances that will help him succeed. Slowly,
however, compassion takes hold in Daniel as he observes the actions of Jesus and then embraces
his message and way of life. Loyalty gains sway once morebut now to a positive cause rather than
for the sake of revenge.

In Our Town, what makes the earth "too wonderful for anyone to realize you"?

In Act III of
the play, Emily has died. As she takes her place among others from Grover's Corners who have
died, she requests to relive just one day of her life. Mrs. Soames tries to discourage her, but
she insists, promising to choose a happy day. Mrs. Gibbs replies:

No. At least choose an unimportant day. Choose the least important day in your life. It
will be important enough.

Emily chooses her twelfth
birthday and watches herself in life when she had been a child at home with her family. As she
watches the scene before her, as her family goes about its daily life, Emily becomes more and
more upset and begs to be taken back up the hill to her grave: "Oh! Oh. It goes so fast. We
don't have time to look at one another." She breaks into sobs.

The
quotation in your question is found in Emily's goodbye to the world as she prepares to
leave:

But first--wait! One more look. Good-by, good-by,
world. Good-by, Grover's Corners . . . Mamma and Papa. Good-by to clocks ticking . . . and
Mama's sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths . . . and sleeping
and waking up. Oh, earth, you're too wonderful for anybody to realize you . . . Do any human
beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?

After her death, Emily realizes that it is not the extraordinary but the very ordinary
aspects of life that are in fact precious. It is these everyday wonders that escape our
recognition, understanding, and appreciation because we take them all for granted as we hurry
through our days. In answering Emily's question, the Stage Manager tells her that "saints
and poets" perhaps realize life, at least to some extent. This scene in the play--truthful
and thought provoking--is very moving indeed.

What is an example of a symbol, allusion, and verbal irony in the story "Everday Use" by Alice Walker?

In
"" the greatest symbol is the quilts, which represent intergenerational heritage and
connection. there are many other symbolsuses, such as names, which for Dee represent freedom
versus oppression, and clothes, which symbolically represent the inner qualities of the
characters.

One example ofin "Everyday Use" is an entertainment
allusion to the Johnny Carson show. Allusions draw on common knowledge to make complex
statements in an abbreviated manner. Therefore only someone familiar with Johnny Carson's talk
show could understand the allusion to "keep up with my quick and witty tongue"; Walker
assumes an almost universal acquaintance with Johnny Carson by using this allusion.

One instance of verbalis Mrs. Johnson's comment, as the first-person narrator, that
while reading aloud Dee "burned" she and Maggie with "a lot of knowledge we
didn't necessarily need to know." By this she ironically indicates that Dee, college
educated, values knowledge of a higher order and for its own sake (or its own impressive sake),
whereas she and Maggie value knowledge that pertains to what they need. It's also ironic to say
essentially that (at least some) knowledge isn't worth knowing.