Notes

William Shakespeare is widely regarded to be one of the best authors of English literature in history. His works have been translated into numerous languages and his plays are still being performed on stages today. The study of Shakespeare's work is relevant in today's society not only for its influence on modern language, theatre, and literature, but also because his plays contained themes which still ring true today. Shakespeare is credited with introducing more than 1,700  words to the English language, many of which are creative uses of previously established verbs or nouns. In doing so, he is perhaps the most influential single individual when it comes to English vocabulary. In addition, the body of work he created has influenced countless later plays, films, and novels. Famous musicals like  West Side Story  and   films like  The Lion King  are adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. To study Shakespeare is to study the direction and development of the English language fr...

A paradox can be a situation or a statement that seems contradictory but is nevertheless true or real.  One example of a paradoxical statement occurs when Lady Macbeth, alone on stage, says to herself, "'Tis safer to be that which we destroy / Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy" (3.2.8-9).  How can it be "safer" to be "destroy[ed]"?  This is the contradiction that creates the paradox.  What she means is that it would be better to be the dead victim than to be the murderer and live in anxiety, unable to be happy.  She and Macbeth have achieved what they set out to when they murdered Duncan: they are now king and queen of Scotland.  However, they are not happy, and Lady Macbeth sounds as though she is beginning to regret their crime because she cannot be content feeling all this anxiety and guilt.   Macbeth shares a similar sentiment when he says, "Better be with the dead, / Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, / Than on the tortur...

Before Santiago travels to Africa to start his journey, he receives guidance from the king of Salem. Discussions about achieving one's Personal Legend encourage and inspire both the boy and the reader for the upcoming search for the treasure. Melchizedek also gives him the Urim and Thummim to help him if the boy ever feels stuck and can't read the omens. Everything seems perfectly in place for the boy to succeed. However, when he gets to Africa, to the port of Tangier, he falls victim to a thief's trickery and is robbed. The unforeseeable becomes the inevitable in hindsight. The realization that achieving one's Personal Legend won't be easy or simple comes to light, which forces Santiago to decide whether he will continue on his journey despite his humiliating loss, or go home. Looking back to one of the last pieces of advice the king of Salem gave him foreshadows the fact that misfortune would also accompany the boy on his travels: "Don't forget that every...

Mr. Otis is not very worried about the ghost, though he does come to believe it exists. At first, in practical American fashion, he pooh-poohs the idea that ghosts could be real. After he realizes the ghost is real, his chief worry is about how to remove the blood stain that it leaves on the library floor. Despite the family's repeated applications of Paragon detergent to scrub it out, the stain keeps reappearing. Another worry Mr. Otis has is that the ghost's  chains make so much noise. For that reason, Mr. Otis gives the ghost a bottle of Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator. Mr. Otis, along with the rest of the Otis family, creates a problem for the ghost: Mr. Otis is not afraid of him at all and focuses on scrubbing out his stains and asking him to oil his chains rather than reacting to him with fear.  

The story begins in the present, with Mama Johnson narrating events as they occur.  In the beginning of the story, she reflects on Dee's childhood: what she was like, what Mama tried to do for her by raising the money to send her away to school, and so forth.  But when Dee arrives, the story seems to proceed almost in real time, as the family greets one another, discusses Dee's new name, eats a meal together, and finally ends up in the bedroom with the quilts. In this sense, then, Walker uses time as an ordering device because she presents us with the past, the background information we need to really understand this family's dynamic and their potential dysfunctions, via Mama's memories, and then she proceeds with the present, presenting conversations and actions in chronological order.

The answer to this question depends on your subjective opinion. However, in an ideal world, it's safe to say that most members of the public would like their leaders to communicate with honesty and integrity by relaying important information in the way best-suited to serve the needs of the masses. Let's put this idea in the context of Shakespeare's  Julius Caesar . Brutus, the most noble character in the play, always tries to work toward the greater good, and so he accordingly communicates honestly with the masses of Rome. Antony, on the other hand, uses crafty and deceitful rhetoric to gain the support of the public and advance his own political schemes. In short, Antony will say anything to the public that he believes will bring him power. However, at the end of the play, Antony is living and powerful, while Brutus has perished. As such, though we'd all like our leaders to communicate to the public honestly, Shakespeare suggests that many leaders will communicate dish...

In Pirandello's "War," the different attitudes that the passengers articulate about war reflect the challenge of enduring it. When the man and wife enter the train, they sit amongst the other passengers. The wife does not want to interact with anyone. As a result, the husband feels it is his responsibility to explain to the other passengers the source of her dejection. The other passengers do not express solidarity or support. One passenger talks about his son, who has been on the front since "the first day of the war." His view towards war is that it creates an unending sense of loss in the people who must see their loved ones sacrifice for it. This prevents him from fully identifying with the couple's predicament. When the fat traveller enters the train, he speaks of another view towards war. He talks about how "good boys" willingly sacrifice for their country.  The fat man talks about how love of parents is secondary when a country calls for a y...