Notes

Ancient rhetoric was divided into five "canons," or parts: Invention: finding arguments Arrangement: organizing a speech into a coherent and effective whole Style: using figures of speech effectively and paying close attention to word choice Memory: necessary for extemporizing and also contains a storehouse of information you can use in the composing process Delivery: the effectiveness of a speech or a piece of writing depends not just on what you say but on presentation Invention itself includes the three "pisteis," or proofs. Arguments from logos should include both induction and deduction as well as take advantage of the common and special topics, which are various important argumentative strategies. The"pragmata," or facts, were considered extrinsic to rhetoric by Aristotle, but many other theorists emphasize how to use facts and other extrinsic forms of proof. A typical classical oration consisted of six parts: Introduction: intended to capture the at...

Probably because there's more "dark" matter than there is "regular" matter! We call it "dark" because we can't see it, nor can we clearly pinpoint its location by any other means; but our best theories of cosmology and astrophysics tell us that about 80% of the matter in the universe (or 25% of the total energy in the universe) is comprised of this stuff we call "dark matter". It doesn't seem to interact with most of the forces we know; in particular it's not susceptible to electromagnetism, and we don't know if it's susceptible to the nuclear forces. But it definitely is affected by---and more importantly, affects ---gravity, and that's how we know it must be there. Without dark matter, we would be unable to explain why galaxies are stable. Ordinary matter clumps too much, creating inhomogeneities in the distribution of mass that lead to tighter and tighter clumps of matter---you know many of these clumps as "sta...

Another major idea or theme of "Ode to the West Wind" is that a poet's ideas can be blown all over the earth the way the wind blows autumn leaves. The leaves on a tree remind the poet of leaves of paper on which he writes his verses.  In the last verse, the poet addresses the wind, asking if he, the poet, can become its "lyre" or the instrument the wind plays. The poet desires to become one with the spirit of the wind. "Be thou [you] me," he implores. Here, he continues to convey the idea that his thoughts can be sent all over. The poet understands the wind as a universal song that he can join. He notes the wind's "mighty harmonies." Finally, he imagines that he and the wind can come together so the wind becomes his "trumpet" and spreads his words.   In this, the poet expresses his deep, fervent desire not just to write poetry or experience rebirth, but also to have his thoughts widely known through his words.

Abolitionists, or people who supported the emancipation of slaves, were divided into different camps, from radicals or "immediatists" who espoused immediate abolition in the years before the Civil War to "gradualists," who supported the gradual emancipation of the slaves. Some gradualists belonged to the Free Soil party, which only wanted to stop the spread of slavery but did not want its immediate end in the areas where it already existed. The Free Soil adherents believed that slavery would end if its spread were stopped. In addition, some abolitionists supported full social and political equality for former slaves, while other abolitionists did not. These forces were able to join forces in the years before the Civil War. Agreements such as the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which gave the people in those territories the right to decide if they wanted slavery or not, made the Free Soil party join forces with more radical abolitionists, as the Free Soil people feared ...

First, you should note that the poem "Ozymandias" was written by Percy Bysshe Shelley and the novel Frankenstein by his wife, Mary Shelley. One is a poem and the other a novel and they are quite different in style and written by different authors. The poem "Ozymandias" describes a narrator hearing a tale by a traveler who encountered a fallen monumental statue in the desert. It was a statue of an Egyptian pharaoh, with a grandiose claim inscribed on its pedestal: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! When encountered by the traveler, the statue is shattered and the great kingdom Ozymandias ruled has been conquered by colonial powers, suggesting that such greatness is fleeting. The novel Frankenstein also employs layered narration and shares one similar theme, that of human arrogance and overreach. Victor, the scientist who creates the monster, also is trying for a level of power and immortality that are a form of arrogance...

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch has the challenge of raising two young children on his own. Though his maid, Calpurnia, takes care of chores and cooking meals for the family, Atticus is fully committed to raising his children, and imparting unto them his values about fairness and justice. As with any family with more than one child, Atticus shows his children that he cares for them equally in a variety of ways. A telling example occurs near the beginning of the book. As Atticus tucks Scout in for the night, she asks to play with his pocket watch. Atticus mentions that the watch will belong to Jem one day, as it is custom for a son to receive his father’s watch. He goes on to say that when Scout is an adult, he will give her a ring and necklace that once belonged to her mother. By telling this to Scout, he is also reassuring her that she, too, will have a permanent connection to her parents, especially the mother she never knew. Atticus also makes it clear to his c...

In chapter three, Dr. Jekyll is so mysterious as he sits talking with his friend and lawyer, Mr. Utterson, that his odd responses to Utterson's questions create suspense and build tension. Utterson wants to discuss Jekyll's will, but Jekyll is unwilling to pursue the subject, even though Utterson is concerned because he's heard something "'abominable'" about Mr. Hyde, the man who is currently named as Jekyll's sole heir. Jekyll's face "grew pale [...], and there came a blackness about his eyes," and he speaks sharply to a friend who is only trying to help. He claims that Utterson does not and cannot understand his position, that he is "'painfully situated'" and that the situation is "'very strange.'" This odd vagueness is quite provoking and builds suspense as a result. In chapter four, Mr. Hyde has killed one Mr. Carew, about one year after the previous chapter took place. Oddly, he has done so with a ...