Explain the point of Owl-Eyes's admiration for Gatsby's library.

In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the owl-eyed man marvels at Gatsby's library because he expected the books to be, like Gatsby himself, fraudulent and full of blank pages. This scene suggests two things: 1. It foreshadows Gatsby's lies about his past and how he came from "some wealthy people in the Middle West"; 2. It also shows that, while Gatsby might not be honest about his background and where his money comes from, he...

In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the owl-eyed man marvels at Gatsby's library because he expected the books to be, like Gatsby himself, fraudulent and full of blank pages. This scene suggests two things: 1. It foreshadows Gatsby's lies about his past and how he came from "some wealthy people in the Middle West"; 2. It also shows that, while Gatsby might not be honest about his background and where his money comes from, he is genuine.

This scene with the "stout, middle-aged man, with enormous owl-eyed spectacles" occurs before Nick meets Gatsby. Nick and Jordan wander through Gatsby's house and stumble into the library, where the aforementioned owl-eyed man says he "ascertained" and found that the books were, in fact, real. However, the real books do nothing to change this man's opinion of Gatsby as someone who is a fraud. He marvels at Gatsby's "thoroughness" and "realism." He calls Gatsby a "regular Belasco," in reference to a famous Broadway producer and playwright. Also, the placement of an "owl-eyed man" as a source of knowledge is obvious symbolism. Fitzgerald, very early on in the novel, suggests that this man is wise and is correct about Gatsby's fraudulent story about his past.

However, it's impossible not to mention that the books are, in fact, real. While it does turn out that Gatsby lies about his past, his genuineness is hard to deny. In fact, this scene supports Nick's argument that "there was something gorgeous about [Gatsby], some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life." 

Overall, the owl-eyed man's admiration for Gatsby's books is important because it foreshadows two things to the reader: while Gatsby's story about his past might be fraudulent, his character is real.

How can I analyze the poem "By The Seaside" by William Wordsworth?

English poet laureate for most of the 19th century, William Wordsworth was considered the premier Romantic poet in English literature. His poems tend to focus on nature and he spent most of his life living in the one of the most beautiful areas of England, the Lake District.

"By the Seaside" is essentially a poem about nature, but like most of Wordsworth's poems, it is about what nature can do for the soul. As the...

English poet laureate for most of the 19th century, William Wordsworth was considered the premier Romantic poet in English literature. His poems tend to focus on nature and he spent most of his life living in the one of the most beautiful areas of England, the Lake District.

"By the Seaside" is essentially a poem about nature, but like most of Wordsworth's poems, it is about what nature can do for the soul. As the speaker looks out on the sea at dusk he sees the calm after a storm:

The sun is couched, the sea-fowl gone to rest, 
And the wild storm hath somewhere found a nest....

Later in the poem, Wordsworth contrasts this scene with the commerce of ships on the ocean which disturb the tranquility:

Where, now, the ships that drove before the blast, 
Threatened by angry breakers as they passed; 
And by a train of flying clouds bemocked; 
Or, in the hollow surge, at anchor rocked....

He speaks of English ships that travel to Norway, the Baltic and Calabria, on the Italian coast, and hopes that they will once again see the "benign" British waters. The final lines see the return of the ships and he urges a thank you to God for safe passage:

Ye mariners, that plough your onward way, 
Or in the haven rest, or sheltering bay, 
May silent thanks at least to God be given 
With a full heart; "our thoughts are 'heard' in heaven."

The poem is written in iambic pentameter, meaning each line contains five stressed syllables and five unstressed syllables. The first 32 lines are written in couplets followed by a tercet and finishing with two more couplets. An example of personification is when Wordsworth says, "the wild storm hath somewhere found a nest."

What is the tone of Shakespeare's Sonnet 1?

Although there are many thoughts on this topic, one might argue that the tone of Shakespeare's "Sonnet One" (which is, to be more specific, the first of a series of seventeen sonnets themed around procreation) is cautionary.

If we look more closely, this poem has several movements to it, each of which serves a different purpose, but ultimately moves the argument closer to its prophetic finish: 

In the first quatrain (a stanza consisting of four...

Although there are many thoughts on this topic, one might argue that the tone of Shakespeare's "Sonnet One" (which is, to be more specific, the first of a series of seventeen sonnets themed around procreation) is cautionary.

If we look more closely, this poem has several movements to it, each of which serves a different purpose, but ultimately moves the argument closer to its prophetic finish: 

In the first quatrain (a stanza consisting of four lines), Shakespeare addresses the subject of the poem (a "Fair Youth") with a general argument explaining the need for procreation in order to pass on the world's beauty.

In the second quatrain, Shakespeare admonishes the Youth for his unwillingness to procreate and to, thus, allow his own beauty to become shallow and a matter of self-interest.

In the the third quatrain, Shakespeare offers up compliments to the Youth and again relates his belief that the Youth is making a mistake in choosing not to procreate. 

In the closing couplet (a stanza consisting of two lines), Shakespeare offers up the tonally potent warning to "[p]ity the world" and to recognize that the failure to procreate is parallel to allowing one's best qualities to be swallowed up by death.

How does the relationship between Hermia and Lysander impact Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream?

Everything in A Midsummer Night's Dream hinges on the relationship of Hermia and Lysander. Without them, there would only be a partial play. These two are star crossed lovers feel they are burdened by Fate for not being able to marry. When Hermia is told by her father and Duke Theseus that she must marry Demetrius, be executed, or go to a convent, she cannot be consoled. She is without hope until Lysander tells her the following:

"Ay me!...

Everything in A Midsummer Night's Dream hinges on the relationship of Hermia and Lysander. Without them, there would only be a partial play. These two are star crossed lovers feel they are burdened by Fate for not being able to marry. When Hermia is told by her father and Duke Theseus that she must marry Demetrius, be executed, or go to a convent, she cannot be consoled. She is without hope until Lysander tells her the following:

"Ay me! For aught that I could ever read,

Could ever hear by tale or history,

The course of true love never did run smooth" (I.i.134-136).

Basically, he is saying that all of the stories he's read show that true love never runs smoothly or according to plan. Hermia responds by saying:

"If then true lovers have been ever cross'd,

It stands as an edict in destiny.

Then let us teach our trial patience,

Because it is a customary cross" (I.i.152-155).

Thus, Hermia and Lysander's love must be proven through trials and this is the foundation for the main conflict pertaining to the four young lovers. If these two had not fallen in love, the only person hurting in Athens would be Helena because Demetrius dumps her to marry Hermia. In an effort to help themselves and Helena, Hermia and Lysander choose to elope by first meeting in the woods. This causes a chain of events that lead all four of the them into the forest on Midsummer's Eve. Oberon, the king of magical fairies is there and discovers Helena and Demetrius fighting. He then sends his servant Puck to remedy their situation with some love potion from a rare flower. And the plot thickens as Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius, and Lysander turns to loving Helena. Puck tries to fix his mistake but then both Demetrius and Lysander love Helena and no one loves Hermia. The girls fight over their men and chaos runs amok contributing to the fun of the comedy. It takes Puck finally fixing his mistakes again to solve the problem; but ultimately, if it weren't for Hermia and Lysander falling in love and eloping, the play would not have a plot and there would have been no story.  

`x/(x^3 - x^2 - 2x + 2)` Write the partial fraction decomposition of the rational expression. Check your result algebraically.

Decompose the denominator:

`x^3-x^2-2x+2=x^2(x-1)-2(x-1)=(x^2-2)(x-1)=(x-1)(x-sqrt(2))(x+sqrt(2)).`

Therefore the fraction decomposition has the form

`x/(x^3-x^2-2x+2)=A/(x-1)+B/(x-sqrt(2))+C/(x+sqrt(2)).`

To find A,B and C multiply both sides by the original denominator:

`x=A(x^2-2)+B(x-1)(x+sqrt(2))+C(x-1)(x-sqrt(2)),` or

`x=x^2(A+B+C)+x(B(sqrt(2)-1)-C(sqrt(2)+1))+(-2A-Bsqrt(2)+Csqrt(2)).`

Thus `A+B+C=0,`  `B(sqrt(2)-1)-C(sqrt(2)+1)=1` and `-2A-Bsqrt(2)+Csqrt(2)=0.`

`A=-(B+C),`

`B(sqrt(2)-1)-C(sqrt(2)+1)=1,`

`2(B+C)-Bsqrt(2)+Csqrt(2)=0,` or`B(2-sqrt(2))+C(2+sqrt(2))=0,` or`B(sqrt(2)-1)+C(sqrt(2)+1)=0.`

Add and subtract these two equations and obtain

`2B(sqrt(2)-1)=1,` or `B=1/(2(sqrt(2)-1))=(sqrt(2)+1)/2` and

`2C(sqrt(2)+1)=-1,` or `C=-1/(2(sqrt(2)+1))=-(sqrt(2)-1)/2.`

And `A= -(B+C)=-1.`

Now check this result:

`-1/(x-1)+(sqrt(2)+1)/2 1/(x-sqrt(2)) -(sqrt(2)-1)/2 1/(x+sqrt(2))=`

`=-1/(x-1)+1/2 ((sqrt(2)+1)x+sqrt(2)(sqrt(2)+1)-(sqrt(2)-1)x+sqrt(2)(sqrt(2)-1))/(x^2-2)=`

`=-1/(x-1) +1/2 (2x+4)/(x^2-2)=-1/(x-1)+(x+2)/(x^2-2)=`

`=(2-x^2+x^2+x-2)/((x+2)(x^2-2))=x/(x^3-x^2-2x+2),`

which is correct.

Decompose the denominator:

`x^3-x^2-2x+2=x^2(x-1)-2(x-1)=(x^2-2)(x-1)=(x-1)(x-sqrt(2))(x+sqrt(2)).`

Therefore the fraction decomposition has the form

`x/(x^3-x^2-2x+2)=A/(x-1)+B/(x-sqrt(2))+C/(x+sqrt(2)).`

To find A,B and C multiply both sides by the original denominator:

`x=A(x^2-2)+B(x-1)(x+sqrt(2))+C(x-1)(x-sqrt(2)),` or

`x=x^2(A+B+C)+x(B(sqrt(2)-1)-C(sqrt(2)+1))+(-2A-Bsqrt(2)+Csqrt(2)).`

Thus `A+B+C=0,`  `B(sqrt(2)-1)-C(sqrt(2)+1)=1` and `-2A-Bsqrt(2)+Csqrt(2)=0.`

`A=-(B+C),`

`B(sqrt(2)-1)-C(sqrt(2)+1)=1,`

`2(B+C)-Bsqrt(2)+Csqrt(2)=0,` or
`B(2-sqrt(2))+C(2+sqrt(2))=0,` or
`B(sqrt(2)-1)+C(sqrt(2)+1)=0.`

Add and subtract these two equations and obtain

`2B(sqrt(2)-1)=1,` or `B=1/(2(sqrt(2)-1))=(sqrt(2)+1)/2` and

`2C(sqrt(2)+1)=-1,` or `C=-1/(2(sqrt(2)+1))=-(sqrt(2)-1)/2.`

And `A= -(B+C)=-1.`

Now check this result:

`-1/(x-1)+(sqrt(2)+1)/2 1/(x-sqrt(2)) -(sqrt(2)-1)/2 1/(x+sqrt(2))=`

`=-1/(x-1)+1/2 ((sqrt(2)+1)x+sqrt(2)(sqrt(2)+1)-(sqrt(2)-1)x+sqrt(2)(sqrt(2)-1))/(x^2-2)=`

`=-1/(x-1) +1/2 (2x+4)/(x^2-2)=-1/(x-1)+(x+2)/(x^2-2)=`

`=(2-x^2+x^2+x-2)/((x+2)(x^2-2))=x/(x^3-x^2-2x+2),`

which is correct.

What are the symbols found both in the title Of Mice and Men and in the novella?

In Of Mice and Men, the symbolism of its title is twofold.

First, the title represents the fact that the plans we make can often fall apart. Steinbeck took the title from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse Upon Turning Up Her Nest With a Plow." In this poem, the speaker apologizes to the mouse for destroying her home right before the frosty winter. He acknowledges that the mouse probably planned and worked very hard to prepare for the upcoming freeze, but he also states that "the best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry," meaning that no matter how much we try to plan and prepare, something can always go wrong. Such is the case for George and Lennie who devise a plan to save their earnings and buy a farm where they could live the rest of their days "an' live of the fatta the lan" (14). However, as the poem states, their plan falls apart when unforeseen circumstances lead to Lennie's death.

Lennie and George's farm is a symbol itself, representing the unattainable American Dream. According to Crooks, "every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it" (74).  

The mouse in the title also symbolizes the power that the weak have over the strong. In the novella itself, this mouse manifests itself as mice as well as rabbits, Lennie's puppy, Candy, and, ultimately, Lennie. Lennie, unaware of his strength, inadvertently kills whatever small, weak creature is unlucky enough to cross his path. Likewise, Lennie is weak-minded, and those who have a stronger mind take advantage of him. For example, Curley, smaller and weaker in size, has a lot more mental power than the gentle giant, so he is able to tease and bully him. Similarly, Candy is weak in that he cannot stand up to Carlson when the latter wants to kill Candy's dog. "He looked for help from face to face," but ultimately, the dog is shot.

Finally, Candy's dog itself is a symbol. The decrepit, useless animal represents society's view and treatment of old, disabled people. Candy acknowledges that he, like his dog, is old and disabled, having only one hand. He asks George, "You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he was no good to himself nor nobody else" (60).   

What makes a melody particularly memorable?

There are a few things which render a melody particularly memorable:

1)The mood it evokes.

Many of us enjoy good movies, and extraordinary movies often feature memorable music. During crucial scenes, it is often the accompanying music that inspires the audience with the necessary emotions to become further invested in the plot. Very often, major characters in a movie are endowed with their own music theme when they appear in scenes. Thus, the audience comes to associate a certain melodic progression in a song with the character in question. In other words, the melody becomes part of our sensory experience while we follow the story. The melody moves us to feel.

Take for example, the character of Jason Bourne in the Bourne series. He's a spy framed for a crime he didn't commit. His theme song is frenetic in rhythm and punctuated with urgent, staccato beats. Very often, this song is played when he is being chased by unknown assassins who are out for his blood. Thus, the intense, energetic melody in Jason Bourne's theme is memorable because it embodies the nature of his struggle for redemption and vindication.

Hear the Piano Guys take on Jason Bourne's theme here.

2)The motif becomes the prominent feature of the melody.

The motif of a melody is usually made up of a few, repeated notes. In other words, this motif is a little musical 'idea' that comes up repeatedly in a piece of music.

It is also combined with shorter and longer melodic phrases that add to the character of the piece. One of the most famous classical symphonies, Beethoven's Fifth, is readily recognizable the world over because of its iconic melody. The four note motif (G-G-G-E flat), played in three successive, short bursts and ending in a long, ominous tone, has become so popular that it is used in movies, advertisements, and plays.

Interestingly, the story follows that, during World War II, this four note motif was associated with the Morse code for victory. Read NPR's article about Beethoven's famous four notes.

3)Memorable melodies use specific chord progressions.

Many strong chord progressions involve the fourth and fifth chords. Here are some memorable chord progressions from movies.

Hope this helps!