Saturday, April 12, 2014

What is a summary of the book Hornet Flight?

Ken Follett's Hornet Flight is a historical thriller that retells a true story. Follett was inspired by a story written by former Special Operations Executive worker Leo Marks, in which two Danish teenagers found and repaired a biplane to fly to England. He combined this concept with the story of Danish Flight Lieutenant Thomas Sneum, who also flew to England in a rebuilt biplane along with pictures of a German radar station.The novel begins...

Ken Follett's Hornet Flight is a historical thriller that retells a true story. Follett was inspired by a story written by former Special Operations Executive worker Leo Marks, in which two Danish teenagers found and repaired a biplane to fly to England. He combined this concept with the story of Danish Flight Lieutenant Thomas Sneum, who also flew to England in a rebuilt biplane along with pictures of a German radar station.

The novel begins in 1941, a time in World War II where Germany was consistently shooting down British planes. The story follows Danish 18-year-old Harald Olufsen, who discovers a radar installation by the Germans on his home island and photographs it to aid the Allies. He decides to go to England to deliver the information, but fears for his life and how this decision may harm his brother, Danish Air Force pilot Arne, and Arne's intelligence analyst fiance, Hermia. However, Harald is determined to deliver the film negatives himself, and enlists his friend Karen to help repair a ruined biplane in a nearby church to make the trip to England alone.

In Chapter 8 of Lord of the Flies, there is a big "blow up" at the assembly. What does Jack do?

At the beginning of Chapter 8, the boys are discussing the existence of the beast. Ralph and Jack have both witnessed the beast and Ralph laments that they will never be able to have a signal fire on top of the mountain again. Jack suggests that his hunters can kill the beast, and Ralph's response is, "Boys armed with sticks?" (Golding 125). Jack is offended and clumsily blows the conch to hold a...


At the beginning of Chapter 8, the boys are discussing the existence of the beast. Ralph and Jack have both witnessed the beast and Ralph laments that they will never be able to have a signal fire on top of the mountain again. Jack suggests that his hunters can kill the beast, and Ralph's response is, "Boys armed with sticks?" (Golding 125). Jack is offended and clumsily blows the conch to hold a meeting. Jack begins by telling the boys that the existence of the beast has been confirmed, then tells them that Ralph said the hunters are "no good." Jack then compares Ralph to Piggy, who is unpopular amongst the group, and calls Ralph a coward. Jack holds the conch and asks, "Who thinks Ralph oughtn't to be chief?" None of the boys agree, and Jack asks the same question again. When no one raises their hand to agree that Jack should be the new leader, he puts the conch down and says, "I'm not going to play any longer. Not with you" (Golding 127). Jack invites the hunters to go with him and leave Ralph's group to hunt and start a new tribe. Jack turns and runs down the beach into the forest alone. Initially, no one follows Jack, but later on in the novel, the majority of the boys gradually join his tribe.

Friday, April 11, 2014

What is the importance of long stage directions in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams?

The stage directions for this particular play are almost a story in themselves. They are very descriptive and prescriptive, indicating that there was more to his play than the dialogue and the actions written into it were presenting. The length and thoroughness of these stage directions are important because they help the director and the actors to understand some of the story within the story.


For example, when describing the bed-sitting-room where most of the...

The stage directions for this particular play are almost a story in themselves. They are very descriptive and prescriptive, indicating that there was more to his play than the dialogue and the actions written into it were presenting. The length and thoroughness of these stage directions are important because they help the director and the actors to understand some of the story within the story.


For example, when describing the bed-sitting-room where most of the play takes place and where Brick and Maggie are staying, Williams says it



“must evoke some ghosts; it is gently and poetically haunted by a relationship that must have involved a tenderness which was uncommon" (Williams).



When we think about Brick and his guilt and sadness over Skipper, many critics have argued that Brick is so upset at Skipper's death because they were not just friends, but lovers. Where might they get that impression? From the stage notes. The stage direction above says "a tenderness which was uncommon," referring to Brick and Skipper. While the play's dialogue and action never overtly state that this relationship was homosexual, the stage directions often did imply just that. Given that this play was written and performed in the 1950s when homosexuality could not be talked about in a major play or movie or book, if the storyline involved a homosexual character, that needed to be implied and the lengthy stage directions for this play were able to do that for the directors who chose to heed them.

What are the 3 main postulates of the kinetic theory?

The Kinetic Theory of Gases describes the behavior of gases in terms of motion on the particle or microscopic level. There are different ways in which the assumptions can be stated and grouped. At minimum, there are five postulates:


1. Gases consist of particles in random, rapid motion. The particles move in a straight line until they collide with other gas particles or with the walls of their container.


2. The volume of the particles...

The Kinetic Theory of Gases describes the behavior of gases in terms of motion on the particle or microscopic level. There are different ways in which the assumptions can be stated and grouped. At minimum, there are five postulates:


1. Gases consist of particles in random, rapid motion. The particles move in a straight line until they collide with other gas particles or with the walls of their container.


2. The volume of the particles is essentially zero compared to the volume of the container. In other words, the molecules are like dimensionless points.


3. There are no forces of attraction or repulsion between the gas particles. 


4. Collisions with the walls of the container or with other particles are perfectly elastic, meaning that no energy is lost. 


5. The average kinetic energy of a sample of gas particles depends on the temperature of the gas. 

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Who hired Farley Mowat? What did they want him to do?

You refer to the book Never Cry Wolf, written by naturalist Farley Mowat. In 1948-49, Mowat was sent by the Dominion Wildlife Service (renamed the Canadian Wildlife Service in 1950) to investigate the cause of declining caribou populations in the area of northern Manitoba, Canada. The authorities believed that wolves were the reason the caribou numbers had gone down, and wanted to give hunters authority to kill more wolves. What Farley wrote, however, was that...

You refer to the book Never Cry Wolf, written by naturalist Farley Mowat. In 1948-49, Mowat was sent by the Dominion Wildlife Service (renamed the Canadian Wildlife Service in 1950) to investigate the cause of declining caribou populations in the area of northern Manitoba, Canada. The authorities believed that wolves were the reason the caribou numbers had gone down, and wanted to give hunters authority to kill more wolves. What Farley wrote, however, was that not only were the wolves mainly subsisting on much smaller animals such as mice and hares, but that they would choose to eat the small mammals even when caribou was an option. When the wolves did kill a caribou it was generally an older, weaker animal that would probably have died soon, and that the wolves did not have to expend much energy to catch. The caribou were also not being killed in large numbers by the First Nations peoples, which was another possibility the authorities believed could be true. Instead, Mowat found that the caribou were being killed in excessive numbers by the "civilized" hunters. This was not a popular view, and the understanding of the complexity of ecosystems was not as strong as it is today. The government seemed to be looking for an "OK" to kill as many wolves as possible; Mowat instead gave them a different picture, which was that the wolves were an integral part of the ecosystem, and certainly not responsible for the low numbers of caribou. He was accused of making up parts of his book, and admitted to embellishing the amount of time he actually spent with the wolves.


What is the relationship between Nelly and Catherine Earnshaw like in Wuthering Heights from chapter 11 to when Catherine dies?

From chapter 11 until Catherine's death, Nelly and Catherine have a strained relationship, characterized by Nelly turning against Catherine. Nelly, by her own testimony, has been alarmed by Heathcliff's return. As Nelly explains at the end of chapter 10, her heart "cleaved to the master's," ie. to Edgar Linton. She doesn't trust Catherine's principles or emotions. She wants Heathcliff to go away, calling his presence "a continual nightmare." She feels "an evil beast [Heathcliff] prowled,"...

From chapter 11 until Catherine's death, Nelly and Catherine have a strained relationship, characterized by Nelly turning against Catherine. Nelly, by her own testimony, has been alarmed by Heathcliff's return. As Nelly explains at the end of chapter 10, her heart "cleaved to the master's," ie. to Edgar Linton. She doesn't trust Catherine's principles or emotions. She wants Heathcliff to go away, calling his presence "a continual nightmare." She feels "an evil beast [Heathcliff] prowled," and so she feels justified in interfering in events. She is angry at Catherine for encouraging Heathcliff.


After Edgar and Heathcliff have a confrontation, Catherine insists a "thousand smith's hammers are beating in my head!" She wants Nelly to tell Edgar that she, Catherine, is in danger of being "seriously ill." Nelly doesn't believe her and doesn't pass on the message. When Edgar visits Catherine soon after, and she passes out, Nelly whispers to Edgar that Catherine simply wants to manipulate him. As Catherine gets sicker and sicker over the next three days, Nelly still doesn't tell Edgar. When he finally sees Catherine, who by this time is losing her mind, he's shocked at "haggardness" of her appearance, he scolds Nelly for her withholding. 


Nelly, angered that she is being blamed when she thinks the whole fault is Catherine's, tells Edgar that Heathcliff has been paying visits, at which point Catherine calls her a "traitor." 


When Catherine is dying, Nelly, at Heathcliff's insistence, acts as a go-between, arranging for the two to meet one last time. At the same time, when Catherine once again faints after her visit from Heathcliff, Nelly thinks that it would be better for everyone "that she [Catherine] should be dead, than a lingering burden and a misery-maker."


Although Nelly does her best to justify her behavior, we wonder whether she didn't hasten Catherine's death by refusing to communicate how ill she had become. Her hostility to Catherine also leads readers to question if Catherine is quite the selfish, aggressive person Nelly makes her out to be. Nelly, through her own words, shows herself to be hard-hearted and lacking in compassion toward her mistress. 



Please summarize To Sir, With Love.

To Sir, with Love by E. R. Braithwaite is an autobiographical novel published in 1959 but set just after World War II, dealing with the author's experience as a teacher in the East End of London, an area that was poor and often violent, but not as multicultural in that period as it is now. 


The protagonist himself is a black man, trained as an engineer, who has just finished serving in the Royal Air...

To Sir, with Love by E. R. Braithwaite is an autobiographical novel published in 1959 but set just after World War II, dealing with the author's experience as a teacher in the East End of London, an area that was poor and often violent, but not as multicultural in that period as it is now. 


The protagonist himself is a black man, trained as an engineer, who has just finished serving in the Royal Air Force. Originally from British Guiana, a British colony in South America, he is a well educated engineer. He discovers, however, that despite England priding itself on lack of racial prejudice compared to the United States (which was still racially segregated by law), Braithwaite finds himself the victim of discrimination as he applies for jobs. Eventually, he finds a job teaching at a secondary school. 


Over the course of the book, the narrator describes how he gradually transforms his classroom from a place of mistrust and hostility to a productive and pleasant environment by both giving and insisting on being given respect. He also meets and falls in love with Gillian, a fellow teacher from a wealthy white family. The story includes descriptions of many of his students and the struggles they face due to the circumstances of their family lives and how the narrator tries to teach them that violence and anger are not productive responses to such circumstances. 


Full chapter summaries can be found at 

What is the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, and Falling Action of "One Thousand Dollars"?

Exposition A "decidedly amused" Bobby Gillian leaves the offices of Tolman & Sharp where he is given an envelope containing $1...