In the novel The Kite Runner, explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work.

Obviously I can not write an introduction for you but I
hope the following will spark a creative flame to assist you in your
analysis.

In the novel The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini, the ending of the novel appropriately concludes the work.
The main theme for the novel is redemption.  As a  young man, Amir shamed himself by
watching Hassan be raped and not trying to help.  He deals with this shame by further
harming Hassan and driving him out of the employ of his family.  The novel comes full
cycle when Amir rediscovers his Islam faith, discovers that Hassan was his half brother,
rescues his newly discovered nephew from suicide and adopts him. At the end of the novel
the reader discovers Amir's final redemption in the concluding pages of the
novel.

Then
on a cool rainy day in March 2002, a small, wondrous thing happened." At a party
conducted by the American Afghan community, Amir buys Sohrab a kite. The two of them win
the kite flying contest together just he and Hassan had done many years ago. Amir is
Sohrab's kite runner and the novel ends with Sohrab smiling for the first time for
Amir.

Hopefully
the links below will assist you further.

In P.B. Shelley's poem, "The Triumph of Life," please provide the meaning for lines 211-247.

[Poetry is, like all art, something that takes on new life
in the face of each person who interacts with it, based on each individual's life
experiences. There are many ways to interpret art, though it is—in my mind—almost
impossible to say one interpretation is "the only" interpretation. The following is from
research, as well as my own personal interpretations.]

In
Shelley's "The Triumph of Life," lines 211-247, I did not find any similes. However, I
can provide an overview of what Shelley seems to be saying in this segment of the
poem.

Shelley begins this section referring to the great
ones who have come before: leaders of the church, military and kingdoms, intellectuals
("mitres, helms, crowns, and haloed sages"). Shelley believes that with all the
knowledge these great individuals were given, they were never instructed in the art: "to
know themselves."

These great ones hid their ideas as one
would hide mutinous thoughts (thoughts that did not conform to the popular view) under
the cover of darkness (perhaps symbolizing the lack of knowledge), rather than out in
plain sight (the light, symbolic of knowledge or
enlightenment).

Shelley refers to the French writer and
philosopher Rousseau, who though not a contemporary of Shelley's, had an enormous effect
upon the world and how "men" thought. Regarding "The Child of the fierce
hour:"

The
sparks of Rousseau’s writings had kindled a thousand signal fires—including that of the
French Revolution, of which one child was Napoleon, who is
described in lines
215–27.

Shelley seems to feel
that powerful "intellects" have crippled the world, hindering advancement—enabling
anarchists to rise, while hampering great minds:

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Presumably Voltaire (the immensely influential
thinker of the 18th-century Enlightenment) is the “dem- agogue.” Frederick the Great of
Prussia, Catherine the Great of Russia, and Leopold II of the Holy Roman Empire, all
influenced by Voltaire’s ideas, are the “anarchs” (leaders who bring about anarchy).
Immanual Kant (the great philosopher of the German Enlightenment) is the
“sage.”

Overall, at the end
of the passage, Shelley seems to indicate that the passionate nature and ideas of
Rousseau prohibited the philosopher from ever being truly happy, as he strove toward
impossible ideals. My sense is that Shelley, after the time of Rousseau and other
"influential minds," looks not to the significance or prominence that may have been
"falsely" attributed to those who followed them, but those who came
before—"the old faded"—who one might believe knew a truth that has
been obscured from the world.

In "The Giver" by Louis Lowry, how is a day in Chapter 17 a study in contrasts? What is a study in contrasts?In "The Giver" by Louis Lowry, how...

Chapter 17 is a study in contrasts, meaning that it
focuses on pointing out differences.  Difference is a major theme in The
Giver.  This chapter illustrates most major themes in the book, making this a
very important chapter.  This chapter also occurs at the point in the book where Jonas
is becoming more self-aware and beginning to question things about his community, making
this chapter important in developing the themes of individual vs. community and coming
of age.

First of all, Chapter 17 begins with an unscheduled
holiday.  Since everything in the community is so carefully structured to prevent
choice, an unstructured day where citizens choose what they do is completely different. 
The fact that the holiday is unscheduled when everything in the community is scheduled
is also significant.  This lack of structure allows Jonas to apply what he has learned
as Receiver of Memory by observing others. 

This chapter
also serves to demonstrate how much Jonas’s life has changed.  This is related to the
Coming of Age theme.  As this chapter begins, Jonas notes that school is not as
important to him.  He notes that his memories and feelings make him experience things at
a deeper level.  The confrontation with Asher over the war game demonstrates that Jonas
has matured not just beyond his friends and people his age, but beyond the emotional
maturity of the community in general.  After Jonas comments on Asher’s war game, Asher
apologizes for not giving Jonas the respect he deserves (134).  Jonas has been separated
from his friends and raised above them in prestige at the same time.  He is no longer
considered or treated as a child.

Finally, this chapter
further demonstrates how much Jonas has distanced himself from the community.  The first
thing Jonas does is leave his family, as he is symbolically doing bit by bit.  When he
does interact with others in this chapter, it is as an observer.  He has not taken the
pills to prevent Stirrings, which is unusual and gives him feelings others do not have. 
Sexual feelings and the reaction or limiting of them is another theme in the book. 
Jonas also connects the Stirrings with feelings in general, and he notes that “he
couldn’t go back to the world of no feelings that he had lived in for so long” (131). 
His feelings also come from memories, another element of Jonas that separates him from
others.  He realizes that others in the community do not really feel.  Jonas no longer
fits into the community as he did before. 

Chapter 17 is a
study in contrasts that develop important themes in The Giver
including memories, coming of age, sex, and the individual vs. society.  Jonas starts
the day happy, and ends it depressed.  This is because he realizes that things can never
go back to the way they were, and he does not want them to.

Describe the mother in "Everyday Use"?

Mrs. Johnson, the narrator, describes herself as a large
and strong woman. She lives in the Georgia countryside, in a house that could be
described as little more than a hovel. However, she is proud of her surroundings, and
takes great care of the place both inside and out. She has not had an easy life, having
been burned out of a previous house, and having also watched her younger daughter,
Maggie, suffer severe burns in the fire. She is proud of her family history, knowing the
past so well that she can even identify a patch of blue (Union?) cloth from the uniform
"Great Grandpa Ezra" wore during the Civil War. She is also an acute observer, with
great sensitivity for the wishes and feelings of her two daughters and with a parent’s
wish to treat them both equally; hence she balks at giving Dee the quilts even though
she has no qualms about the butterchurn parts.

Looking for measurements (height and area) of the Atheny Castle, County Galway, Ireland.Any other measurements that may be relevant e.g. area of...

Athenry Castle is located in Athenry, County Galway,
Ireland. The castle was originally built by Meiler de Bermingham beginning in about
1235. The castle was surrounded by a D-plan stone enclosure with round towers on each
corner. Inside, de Bermingham built a low-level, half-type one-story great tower
(measuring 54 x 34 feet). Beneath it a basement was built. de Bermingham's sons later
raised the structure, lifting the ceilings and walls, and added an arched door on the
south-east entrance; a staircase was added, and a banquet hall was built along the east
wall. The tower was raised again in the 15th century to add two more floors, including
an attic, as well as an entrance to the basement. Battlements were added to the top of
the tower. The castle has been restored in the 21st century and is now a top tourist
attraction of the area.

Refer to lines 42-68 in Act 1, Scene 1: "O, sir, content you...I am not what I am." Discuss what these lines reveal about Iago.

In Act I of Othello, Iago says to
Roderigo:

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I am not what I am.
(I.i.57–65)

The
line is verbal irony (understatement)
because, even after Iago admits this secret, Rogerigo continues to trust him and pay him
money, knowing full well that he is a liar, cheat, and traitor!  This is why Iago calls
Roderigo his "fool."

This reveals Iago's
status as a Janus figure.  Janus was usually depicted with two heads facing in opposite
directions. Janus was two-faced, a perfect analogy to describe Iago.
 Iago seems to be honest and loyal to Othello, but in reality, he is a vice character
and a satanic villain.  This line reveals one of the main themes and motifs in the play:
appearance vs. reality.

The line is a spoof
of one of the great verses of the Old Testament.  Yahweh (God) says, "I am that I
am." He means He is what he says he is, and He will do what he says He
will do.  Here, Iago reveals just the opposite: he is not who he says he is, and he will
not do what he says He will do.  Iago and others say he's "honest."  He says to Othello,
"I am your own."  And he says he will kill Cassio.  He is none of these.  He will not do
any of these.  Iago is a two-faced liar.

It is human nature to hope and dream; what lessons does The Great Gatsby present about hopes and dreams?

In the novel, Gatsby is defined by his dreams, and his
life is determined by them. It could be said that he, in fact, died for the greatest of
his dreams--to repeat his past with Daisy. It is important, however, to recognize that
there is a significant difference between Jimmy Gatz growing up in North Dakota and Jay
Gatsby of West Egg.

As a boy, Jimmy Gatz dreamed of a
successful life far removed from his poverty-stricken upbringing. He longed for romance
and beauty, a glamorous life infused with mystery and enchantment. He hoped and dreamed,
but he also worked and planned. His journal shows his attitude and efforts to secure the
future he wanted. After running away from home, he attended college for a short time,
but soon left. He did not want to continue working as a janitor to pay his tuition, and
he was in a hurry. He had no time or inclination for work and study, as he once had.
Even though his attitude had changed at this point, his dreams were still
possible--until he meets Daisy.

After he meets the
beautiful and wealthy Daisy Fay in Louisville, she becomes the embodiment of all his
early dreams; his romance with her one summer determines the rest of his life. Throwing
in with a gangster (Wolfsheim), Gatsby soon amasses a fortune. With money, he believes,
he will belong in Daisy's privileged world and can win her back. His dreams are not
fulfilled, however, and his story ends in tragedy.

One
especially important lesson can be drawn from Gatsby and his dreams. As a boy he seemed
to be on the right path in pursuing them, but when Daisy became his great dream, he was
doomed to failure. The reason? This dream of Daisy was rooted in an illusion instead of
reality. He did not recognize the reality of his relationship with Daisy. By the
circumstances of his birth, he was excluded from privileged social class; no matter how
great his wealth, he would never belong in Daisy's world. He would forever be an
outsider, making his dream an impossibility. Furthermore, as Nick tried to make him
understand, nobody can ever repeat the past.

The essential
lesson here seems to be this: In order to achieve our dreams, they must be realistic and
lie within the realm of possibility. Dreams based on illusion become illusions
themselves.