Classics
A:
The name of the boat in "Moby Dick" is the Pequod, which is also the name of a Native American tribe that lived in the northeastern United States.
-
Q: What is a moral tale?
A: A moral or morality tale is a type of story, popular during the 15th and 16th centuries, that uses allegory to portray the struggle between good and evil, often culminating in a lesson. Typically, morality tales featured personifications or avatars of vices and virtues. -
Q: Why does Dill run away from home and back to Maycomb?
A: Dill runs away from home in chapter 14 of "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee, because he thinks his mother and her new husband do not care about him. Scout and Jem find him hiding under Scout's bed after she steps on something that she thinks is a snake. -
Q: Why does Lady Macbeth pray to be "unsexed"?
A: Lady Macbeth prays to be "unsexed" because she is preparing to help Macbeth kill Duncan, in order to take control of the Scottish throne. She associates her womanhood with a warm, nurturing spirit, and prays to rid herself of those qualities so that she might help commit the murder. -
Q: What is the theme of "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck?
A: The theme of the short story "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck is the inequality between men and women and the desire for sexual fulfillment. The story was published in a collection of Steinbeck's short stories titled "The Long Valley", released in 1938. -
Q: What is the definition of a Shakespearean tragedy?
A: A Shakespearean tragedy is defined as a play written by William Shakespeare that tells the story of a seemingly heroic figure whose major character flaw causes the story to end with his tragic downfall. Shakespeare wrote 10 plays that are classified as “Shakespearean tragedies,” including "Hamlet" and "Macbeth." -
Q: What is the name of the queen in "Snow White"?
A: Queen Grimhilde is the name of the queen in "Snow White." In the Disney film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," she is simply referred to as "The Queen." -
Q: What are the morals of "The Wizard of Oz"?
A: One of the morals, or life lessons, one takes from "The Wizard of Oz" is for people to discover their own paths in life, as is stated by Belief Net. This is directly related to the yellow brick road that takes Dorothy to Oz, her goal. It was there in front of Dorothy all along. She just needed to look a little bit harder. -
Q: What is the name of Thor's hammer?
A: The hammer of Marvel superhero Thor is called "Mjolnir." According to Marvel tradition, it was made inside the core of a dying star from a substance known as "Uru," a metal from Thor's home. The hammer weighs 42.3 pounds. -
Q: How many plays and sonnets did Shakespeare write?
A: Most scholars accept that William Shakespeare wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets. Additionally, he wrote four longer poems. Though he may have written other plays, they are lost to history. -
Q: What are some examples of simile in "Julius Caesar"?
A: A simile is a comparison using "like " or "as." One of the most famous similes in William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar" comes in Act 1, Scene 2, when Cassius compares Julius Caesar to a huge statue, or Colossus, that straddles the "narrow world." The play has many other similes, as well. -
Q: Why did the Capulets and Montagues hate each other?
A: It is presumed that the Montagues and the Capulets hated one another because both families wanted to be the most powerful in Verona. The famous play “Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare never fully explains the reason behind the feud, though it is assumed to have lasted for many years. -
Q: How did Shakespeare become famous?
A: Within two years of writing his first play, "Henry VI, Part One," which put him on London's theatrical map, Williams Shakespeare was so famous that established playwright Robert Greene referred to him as an "upstart crow" in a critique of his work. Shakespeare wrote "Henry VI, Part One" while still living in his native Stratford. Shortly thereafter, he moved to London to continue writing plays as well as acting. -
Q: What are the characteristics of "Hamlet"?
A: Hamlet is an elusive and mysterious character that is philosophical, contemplative, obsessive, impulsive, melancholy, intelligent and careless. Hamlet is a character in William Shakespeare's play, also titled "Hamlet." -
Q: How does Huck get to the Grangerfords?
A: Huckleberry Finn stumbles upon the Grangerfords' house after a steamboat wrecks the raft that he and Jim were using to navigate their way to the town of Cairo. Huck and Jim realize that they must have passed the city of Cairo in the fog during the previous night. -
Q: Why does Juliet ask Romeo not to swear by the moon?
A: Juliet asks Romeo not to swear by the moon because the moon is always changing its shape and position. Therefore, a promise sworn on the moon could also be prone to changing. Her request is part of the famous balcony scene, which is the second scene in Act II of the play "Romeo and Juliet." -
Q: What psychological disorders do the Winnie the Pooh characters have?
A: The characters in the Winnie the Pooh were "diagnosed" by the Canadian Medical Association to be suffering from various psychological disorders, which include obsessive compulsive disorder, dyslexia, depression and schizophrenia. The tongue-in-cheek article that was published in 2000 suggests that while everything seemed ideal in the Hundred Acre Wood, there exists a neurodevelopmental and psychological issues in the idyllic forest that remain unrecognized and untreated. -
Q: What are the names of the ghosts in "A Christmas Carol"?
A: The three ghosts named in "A Christmas Carol" are the ghosts or spirits of Christmas past, present, and future. These three ghosts tell Ebenezer Scrooge of his future if he does not change his ways. -
Q: What country is Aladdin from?
A: Aladdin is from China, although he is often presumed to be from a Middle Eastern or Arabian country. The original versions of his story are set in China. -
Q: What time period did Jane Austen live in?
A: Jane Austen was born in 1775 in England, on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution. She spent the majority of her adult life in the Regency Period, which began in 1811. During this time, King George IV was named regent; his father, King George III had been declared insane. -
Q: How many books did Shakespeare write?
A: Although William Shakespeare did not write actual books, he wrote 38 plays during his career as a playwright. His earliest written plays included "Richard III" and "Henry VI." -
Q: What is the theme of "The Last Leaf" by O. Henry?
A: O. Henry's short story, "The Last Leaf," touches on themes of treasuring life and feelings of hope and faith. The story focuses on how people perceive mortality and even brings up larger themes on the existence of God and the meaning of human fate.
