1,089 Answered Questions for the topic literature

05/26/19

Meaning of sentence from "A Tale of Two Cities"?
> Reins and whip and coachman and guard, however, in combination, **had read that article of war which forbade a purpose** otherwise strongly in favour of the argument, that some brute animals... more
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05/26/19

What does the line "The echoes of your rocks my carols wild" mean?
From the poem "An Evening Walk" by William Wordsworth (emphasis added): > FAR from my dearest Friend, 'tis mine to rove Through bare grey dell, high wood, and pastoral cove; Where Derwent... more
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Literature

05/26/19

In J.D. Salinger's *A Perfect Day For Bananafish*, what is the bananafish? What does it represent?
In J.D. Salinger's *A Perfect Day For Bananafish*, Seymour, the main character, talks about a bananafish. He tells a little girl about the bananafish. The little girl says she sees the fish. What... more
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05/25/19

Who does Mollie represent in Animal Farm?
It's well known that various characters represent real Soviet figures. Who does Mollie, the horse sympathetic to the humans, represent? Is she just a generic non-Soviet sympathizer or does she... more
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05/25/19

What does it mean to greet a guest with an unsheathed sword?
In *A Game of Thrones*, Chapter 24, when Tyrion Lannister visits Winterfell on the way back from the Wall: > “Any man of the Night’s Watch is welcome here at Winterfell for as > long as he... more
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05/24/19

What is the symbolism of the conch in Lord of the Flies?
In the *Lord of the Flies*, the conch is shattered when Piggy dies. Before that, it was held by Ralph, the *de facto* leader of the boys. What does the conch symbolize?
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05/24/19

What specifically is being described as stupid and old-fashioned in this passage on arranged marriage?
I'm trying to rhetorically analyze a passage in Amy Tan's novel titled *The Joy Luck Club*, where a character, Lindo Jong, describes her experience with the arranged marriage process. I've included... more
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05/24/19

What are the "old euphemisms" in The Great Gatsby?
In chapter 6 of *The Great Gatsby*, Nick describes Daisy's reaction to the people of West Egg: > But the rest offended her—and inarguably, because it wasn’t a gesture but an emotion. She was... more
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05/23/19

What does the line “Excellent, i' faith, of the chameleon's dish. I eat the air, promise-crammed. You cannot feed capons so.” mean, from Hamlet?
> “Excellent, i' faith, of the chameleon's dish. I eat the air, promise-crammed. You cannot feed capons so.” <sub>*Hamlet*, act 3, scene 2</sub> What does this sentence mean? What... more
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05/23/19

What does “Until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him” mean?
I came across the following passage in Dan Brown’s fiction, “Inferno”: > [...] their physical being and cosmic importance shrinking to the size of a mere speck in the face of God … an atom in... more
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05/23/19

Is Gibbon's use of "association" a misprint or unfamiliar sense of the word?
In chap. 45 of the Decline and Fall, when Tiberius is made Augustus 4 years before the death of Justin II, Gibbon's marginal note reads "Association of Tiberius, A.D. 574". As far as I've been able... more
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Literature Symbolism

05/23/19

To the Lighthouse -- "Whitening before rain"?
From Virgina Woolf's To the Lighthouse: > It was fringed with joy. The wheelbarrow, the lawnmower, the sound of poplar trees, **leaves whitening before rain**, rooks cawing brooms knocking,... more
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05/22/19

Is the Whisperer or the Emergency symbolic?
In *The Mysterious Benedict Society* series, the Whisperer is a machine that transmits thoughts and implants messages in people's brains, usually harmful. And the Emergency is the tense, stressful... more
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05/22/19

Symbolism in The House on the Borderland?
I just read William Hope Hodgson's *The House on the Borderland*. Is the implication that the man's relationship with his live-in sister inclines to incest? Are the swine intended as symbols of... more
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05/22/19

What does "toby" mean, in London slang of Orwell's time?
In the George Orwell poem ["A Dressed Man and a Naked Man"](https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/poetry/a-dressed-man-and-a-naked-man/), two men are haggling for the... more
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05/22/19

What is the benefit in the Prologue "spoiling" the play in Romeo + Juliet?
In the Act 1 Prologue to the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare > Two households, both alike in dignity, > In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, >From ancient grudge break... more
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Literature

05/22/19

Who is the speaker in "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman?
In "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman, the speaker acts as if he has a close connection to Abraham Lincoln, saying: > My father does not feel my arm This suggests that they are in such a... more
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05/22/19

What does the rose represent in "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner?
In *A Rose for Emily* by William Faulkner, Faulkner never mentions rose as a noun, only as a past tense verb throughout the work. However, its position as one of two primary words within the title,... more
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05/22/19

Does Snape talk in code?
In *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*, Snape asks Harry many questions during his first Potions class. The first thing Snape asks Harry is >“Potter! What would I get if I added... more
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05/22/19

Could Ozymandias be interpreted as referring to the power of the Church/pope?
The poem's central line that establishes the theme of power: >"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Does the "king of kings" part happen to be a subtle reference to the English papacy by any... more
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05/21/19

What is the difference between organelle membranes?
Cells and organelles are contained in [lipid bilayers](http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Structural_Biochemistry/Lipids/Lipid_Bilayer). I'm particularly interested in eukaryotic organelle bilayers and... more
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Literature

05/21/19

What are the "mind-forged manacles" in William Blake's "London"?
From "London", a short poem in William Blake's *Songs of Experience* collection ([free to read online](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1934/1934-h/1934-h.htm)): > In every cry of every man, ... more
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Literature Terminology Poetry Style

05/20/19

Style of poetry that plays with typographic rivers?
> In typography, rivers, or rivers of white, are gaps in typesetting, which appear to run through a paragraph of text, due to a coincidental alignment of spaces. >... more
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05/16/19

Benvolio and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet?
What do the characters of Benvolio and Mercutio in *Romeo and Juliet* symbolize, if anything? Mercutio's character mainly provides jokes, and then, in his hot-headedness, is slain by Tybalt.... more
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05/16/19

What sort of bookshops sell The Works of Aristotle?
In the beginning of The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis' narrator states: > However far I went I found only dingy lodging houses, small tobacconists, hoardings from which posters hung in rags,... more
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