Onboard Note

There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that Fortunato's murder was premeditated.  In the first line of the story, the narrator and murderer, Montresor, says that when Fortunato insulted him, "[he] vowed revenge."  This certainly suggests that Montresor conceived of and planned the murder in advance.  He also says, It must be understood, that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will.  I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile was at the thought of his immolation. Here, Montresor claims that he has continued to pretend he is friends with Fortunato, never revealing that he is, all the while, planning the man's total destruction.   Furthermore, Montresor has with him a "mask of black silk, and . . . a roquelaire," or long cloak, with which he can hide his identity from anyone who might see him with Fortunato.  In addition, Montresor told his servants that he would be gone all ...

The Battle of Midway occurred between June 4th and June 7th, 1942, six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This battle served as a decisive victory for the United States in which Japan became weaker and weaker in military strength until the end of Japan's participation in World War II. During this naval battle, the US used aircrafts to viciously bomb Japanese naval ships. After this decisive battle, the US continued to out-produce Japan in terms of weapons production and continued to show more and more military strength. The battle was such a turning point because until that point, Japan had an upper hand within the Pacific Theatre and were aiming to use a victory during the Battle of Midway to secure their dominance in the Pacific Theatre. However, when Japan lost this battle, they lost their dominance in the Pacific Theatre permanently. When the US won this battle, they were able to establish a submarine base at Midway and further extend military operations. The Battle of Mi...

Act 1, Scene 1 is the first time we see Antonio and Bassanio interact, and in this scene we also see several literary devices that show us they are very good friends.   Antonio's first words are to ask, Well, tell me now what lady is the same / To whom you swore a secret pilgrimage, / That to-day you promised to tell me of. From this we see that Antonio and Bassanio trust one another with their secrets, and that Antonio really cares to hear the latest news about his friend's life.   Bassanio does not immediately tell Antonio about the lady, because he has a large favor to ask of Antonio, and he wants to make sure that he is free to ask it.  Antonio assures him: ... be assured / My purse, my person, my extremest means / Lie all unlocked to your occasions. This is the literary device of foreshadowing.  "My person" means "my body."  Although Antonio could not possibly imagine it at this point in the play, his "person" will almost be "unlocked...

Leopold Kaplan was, in fact, once General Leopold Kaplan. He is a retired army general and is completely unknown to the protagonist of the story, John Anderton. Leopold Kaplan is a skeptic as regards the efficacy of the Precrime Unit, which John Anderton founded and now heads. The Precrime Unit exists to try and stop crimes from happening before they have actually taken place, using information sourced from human beings—now treated almost as animals—who are blessed with the gift of precognition. Kaplan is actually working to bring down Precrime with the help of a new army that he heads; his supposed retirement is really a front for his true intentions. Upon discovering this, Anderton kills Kaplan, whom he was originally sent out to protect from a murder. According to the text, Leopold Kaplan is retired from the Army of the Federated Westbloc Alliance, of which he was once the general. He hates the idea of the Precrime, an organization that uses people with the gift of precognition to p...

There are various ways that Golding establishes a dichotomy between civilization and savagery since, indeed, that is one of the novel’s major themes. That theme becomes apparent from the very outset, as chapter one immediately describes how the boys are stranded on the island. To clearly identify this theme, we must examine the specific language Golding uses to describe the behavior of Ralph and Piggy as they become aware of their circumstances. In the novel’s opening lines, Golding places special emphasis on clothing and dress to establish the difference between proper and improper behavior. Ralph has “taken off his school sweater and trailed it now from one hand, his grey shirt stuck to him and his hair was plastered to his forehead.” Ralph has removed his school uniform, effectively casting off the proper dress of a student, so that it “trailed” behind him. Thus, school -- with all its rules and boundaries -- is now in his past, a part of a civilized society that Ralph discards so t...

Let's look at a concrete example here. Imagine that Mary, a sixteen-year-old girl from a relatively poor family, became pregnant after having a relationship with 17-year-old Bob. Let's think about how social policy could affect whether these two young people and their child would prosper or be trapped in a cycle of poverty. The first interdependency we should consider is the relationship between the two young parents. If they are encouraged to stay together and have access to shared social housing, they will do a better job of raising the child. If both young people can find jobs in their neighborhoods, they are more likely to stay together and provide a secure environment for their child. If the state creates special classes for pregnant teenagers in which they can bond with others in the same situation, they can provide mutual support and babysitting.  On the other hand, if there are no jobs in the neighborhood and no support structures for the young parents, both may drop ou...

Both men are profoundly at odds with their respective societies, albeit for different reasons. Although Creon is king of Thebes and his word is law, he cannot overcome Antigone's stubborn defiance. In his role as king, Creon is supposed to protect his society from all manner of threats—both internal and external. To that end, he believes himself to be doing the right thing in refusing to allow Polynices's body to be buried. Polynices was a threat to Thebes; he wanted to take over the city and was planning to desecrate the temples. However, in due course, Creon's stubbornness puts the safety and security of Theban society in serious jeopardy. By willfully ignoring the prophesies of Tiresias and the entreaties of his son, he risks not just his throne, but also the very integrity of his kingdom. Hamlet's alienation from society stems largely from his wicked uncle's usurpation of the throne. The state of Denmark is so rotten, so contaminated by moral corruption, that it...