What were the attempts made by the Canterville Ghost to scare the Otis family?

The Canterville ghost makes a number of attempts to scare the Otis family. In Chapter Two, for instance, he reapplies the blood stain in the library, which the family have cleaned off. In the same chapter, he appears to the family late at night by walking down the corridor, rattling his chains.

In Chapter Three, the ghost tries to frighten the family by wearing an antique suit of armor, which stands in the downstairs hallway....

The Canterville ghost makes a number of attempts to scare the Otis family. In Chapter Two, for instance, he reapplies the blood stain in the library, which the family have cleaned off. In the same chapter, he appears to the family late at night by walking down the corridor, rattling his chains.

In Chapter Three, the ghost tries to frighten the family by wearing an antique suit of armor, which stands in the downstairs hallway. He also creeps up to Washington's room but is confronted by an unfamiliar "specter" which, ironically, frightens the ghost away.

In Chapter Four, he dresses as one of his alter-egos, "Black Isaac," in an attempt to frighten the twins. Later, he adopts the disguise of "Jonas the Graveless" and appears outside the library.

In all of these attempts, however, the Canterville ghost is unsuccessful. The family are not afraid of him and, in most cases, the twins outmaneuver him by creating traps to humiliate and drive him away.

It is one of the story's most ironic (and comical) notions that the ghost is more afraid of the family than they are of him. 

What literary devices does Jonathan Swift use in "A Modest Proposal"?

First, Swift employs dramatic irony: this is when the audience or reader knows something that a character does not.  Swift does not actually want anyone to eat babies; however, the speaker—a character or persona—does. The speaker thinks it's a great idea, but we are not supposed to agree (and hopefully we do not agree). We know this is a terrible idea while he does not, and so dramatic irony is created.

Further, the speaker says, "I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children." In this line, to call the food—babies—"somewhat dear," or sort of valuable, is an understatement; people generally think of their children as a great deal more important to them than only "somewhat dear." Moreover, he says that the landlords have "devoured" the parents, employing a metaphor. English landlords haven't physically ingested their Irish tenants, but they might as well have. The English seemed to get richer and fatter while the Irish got poorer and leaner. He implies that the English are consuming the Irish in such a manner that they might as well be physically eating them up.

Swift also uses paralipsis when the speaker says,

Many other advantages [of this proposal] might be enumerated. For instance, the addition of some thousand carcasses in our exportation of barrel'd beef: the propagation of swine's flesh, and improvement in the art of making good bacon, so much wanted among us by the great destruction of pigs, too frequent at our tables; which are no way comparable in taste or magnificence to a well grown, fat yearly child, which roasted whole will make a considerable figure at a Lord Mayor's feast, or any other publick entertainment. But this, and many others, I omit, being studious of brevity. [emphasis mine]

Paralipsis is when the speaker says they are not going to say something, and then they do say it. It generally makes the speaker look like they lack self-awareness and are, perhaps, a bit silly. They might ramble on and on, all while thinking that they are being brief and pithy. The speaker says at the end of the above paragraph that he "omit[s]" many of the advantages of his scheme, but he has just listed a great many and goes on to list quite a few more.

In Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, what is important about the scene where Lady Bracknell interviews Jack?

The scene from act 1 in which Lady Bracknell interviews Jack is an excellent example of Oscar Wilde's satire. Just before this scene, Lady Bracknell has discovered that her daughter Gwendolen wants to marry Jack Worthing (who Gwendolen thinks is named Ernest). Lady Bracknell then asks Jack a series of questions to determine whether he is worthy of her daughter. In this scene, Wilde satirizes the Victorian upper class's values and mannerisms and also pokes fun at the qualities the upper class looks for when arranging a marriage.

When Lady Bracknell learns that Jack and Gwendolen are engaged, she first proclaims that they are not, in fact, engaged since they do not have her approval. She dismisses her daughter to the carriage and takes out a notebook and pen to record Jack's answers. The first question she asks is whether he smokes, and Jack replies that he does. Lady Bracknell is pleased because "a man should always have an occupation of some kind" (12). This is ridiculous because smoking is not an occupation in the sense of a job; Wilde suggests here that the wealthy have to do something with their time because they do not have to work for a living. Characters like Jack inherit their wealth and social status, so their "occupations" do not have to be productive.

Lady Bracknell continues to ask Jack a a series of questions that are superficial and/or related to his wealth and property. She has to know if Jack is an equal to his daughter in terms of social status. She disapproves of some of his answers, though, like the fact that his town home is on "the unfashionable side" of London. She seems to overlook that he is renting the house out and must ask his tenant's permission to use his own house (that seems it would be a bigger issue). 

The humor of the scene becomes most apparent when Lady Bracknell asks Jack about his parents. He does not know who they are because he was accidentally left in a handbag at a London train station as an infant. He says that he "lost" his parents, and Lady Bracknell replies, "To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness" (14). This is ridiculous because he was an infant and clearly had no control over the situation. To then suggest that he is in some way to blame for his parents seems unfair; however, this gets to the root of the social construct that Wilde satirizes. Since members of the upper class decided who they married based on money and family name, they really are judging others by those superficial possessions and not by their characters.

Lady Bracknell advises Jack to do the impossible: find his parents before he marries Gwendolen. Lady Bracknell must know from whom Jack descends before she approves the match. This scene shows us what the upper class values and what is required in order to arrange an appropriate marriage. 

In The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, does Bruno get along with his father in the end?

Bruno and his father do not have an open, affectionate relationship. Instead, Bruno's relationship with his father is rather like that of a subordinate with his superior. Bruno's father treats his son as if he was one of his soldiers; he expects instant compliance from Bruno and conduct befitting the son of an important man. The two do not get along very well.

Although it is expected that a son respects his father, Bruno's father...

Bruno and his father do not have an open, affectionate relationship. Instead, Bruno's relationship with his father is rather like that of a subordinate with his superior. Bruno's father treats his son as if he was one of his soldiers; he expects instant compliance from Bruno and conduct befitting the son of an important man. The two do not get along very well.

Although it is expected that a son respects his father, Bruno's father expects more. Throughout the novel, Bruno's father makes it clear that he wants his children to understand and support the Fuhrer's goals. Everything is subject to the Fuhrer's whims and plans. However, Bruno's father is disinclined to reveal the nature of these plans to Bruno. In fact, he takes great pains to hide Bruno from the savagery the Nazis are perpetrating against their Jewish prisoners. 

Because Bruno's father expects unquestioning obedience and loyalty from Bruno, the pair do not have an especially amiable or affectionate relationship. Also, because of his cold, detached manner, Bruno's father is never admitted into Bruno's confidence. This state of affairs results in eventual tragedy.

Toward the end of the novel, Bruno is afraid to reveal how much he actually knows about the Jewish children's plight in the camps. Bruno's father eventually decides that Bruno will return to Berlin with his mother and Gretel. Bruno never makes it to Berlin, of course: he dies with Shmuel in the gas chambers.

What is the Iliad about?

The Iliad is an epic poem written by Homer. Its subject is the Trojan War, a war between Ilium (or Troy) and the Greeks (often referred to throughout the poem as Achaeans). The conflict starts because Paris, one of the sons of Priam, King of Troy, takes part in a competition to judge who is the most beautiful goddess. Aphrodite, goddess of love, offers Paris a woman named Helen, the most beautiful woman in the...

The Iliad is an epic poem written by Homer. Its subject is the Trojan War, a war between Ilium (or Troy) and the Greeks (often referred to throughout the poem as Achaeans). The conflict starts because Paris, one of the sons of Priam, King of Troy, takes part in a competition to judge who is the most beautiful goddess. Aphrodite, goddess of love, offers Paris a woman named Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, if he chooses Aphrodite. He subsequently complies. Unfortunately, Aphrodite neglects to mention that Helen was already married to Menelaus, King of Sparta.

Paris, overcome with lust, abducts Helen from Menelaus's palace and takes her back to Troy. Menelaus, not surprisingly, is outraged. His wife has been taken and his kingly honor impugned by this young Trojan upstart. Also, Helen's many suitors took a vow to defend her when she was married. So kings and warriors from across the Greek world join forces to converge upon Troy, ultimately to do battle there for ten long years.

How has the US been characterized in its actions regarding foreign policy?

Since the US is involved in many events around the globe, opinions vary on US involvement. The US has been characterized as a humanitarian nation for its work in ending the ethnic conflict in Bosnia and for sending aid to refugee situations in the Middle East and Africa. The US has also been characterized as a supporter of the world's economy for leading the way in supplying technology to developing nations and for its trade...

Since the US is involved in many events around the globe, opinions vary on US involvement. The US has been characterized as a humanitarian nation for its work in ending the ethnic conflict in Bosnia and for sending aid to refugee situations in the Middle East and Africa. The US has also been characterized as a supporter of the world's economy for leading the way in supplying technology to developing nations and for its trade agreements.

However, American involvement is not always perceived as a good thing. Some nations claim that the United States is working too hard to agitate North Korea into war and some also claim that the United States is too meddlesome in the Middle East for its continued involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. The United States serves as the "policeman" of the world, but some nations point out that America's most vulnerable citizens do not enjoy a good quality of life. Other nations, especially those in the Middle East, find American objectives hypocritical since it seems to them that the United States picks the winners and losers in each conflict without regard to the interests of the people who live in the region.

What is the theme, or central idea, of "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan?

The central theme of "Two Kinds" is the conflict of expectations and culture between mother and daughter. "Two Kinds" is a section of the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan that tells the story of June, her mother, and June's inability to play the piano well.

June struggles against her mother's expectations for two reasons: first, because they are mother and daughter; second, because they have different cultural backgrounds.

The struggle for power between generations...

The central theme of "Two Kinds" is the conflict of expectations and culture between mother and daughter. "Two Kinds" is a section of the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan that tells the story of June, her mother, and June's inability to play the piano well.

June struggles against her mother's expectations for two reasons: first, because they are mother and daughter; second, because they have different cultural backgrounds.

The struggle for power between generations of a family is a common theme in literature. In this case, it's represented by piano lessons. Suyuan, June's mother, dreams of her daughter being a famous piano player. For Suyuan, it's a way for June to grow beyond Suyuan's own career, house-cleaning. To June, however, the piano lessons are a way for her to fail her mother. The more disappointed Suyuan is in her progress, the more June resents both her mother and the piano lessons. 

"Two Kinds" also shows the conflict of cultures between the two women. June is an American and Suyuan is Chinese. She moved from China believing in the American ideal that her daughter could be anything—and paired that with the Chinese belief that June should honor her and her wishes over June's own desires. June, on the other hand, doesn't have the same cultural values. She's more interested in becoming an empowered woman with her own desires. 

After she fails at the talent show, June believes that Suyuan won't want her to continue the lessons. She's wrong. It sparks a fight where Suyuan explains that there are two kinds of daughters: the ones who are obedient and the ones who do what they want. June attacks her with the painful memory of the twin Suyuan left for dead in China. June is able to stop the piano lessons and reflects in adulthood that it created a schism between her and Suyuan.