How does Fortunato try to stop Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Fortunato is too drunk to stop Montresor and doesn't realize he is about to be murdered.

Fortunato never really tries to stop Montesor, because he doesn’t realize what is happening.  This is because he is very drunk.  The murder happens during the Carnival holiday.  Fortunato is dressed up and drinking.  Montresor tells him he needs information about a rare wine. 

Fortunato falls for it, because he has a big ego.  When Montresor pretends that he is going to ask someone else about the wine, that gets Fotunato even more interested.  It never occurs to him that it is a trick.

"As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchresi. If any one has a critical turn it is he. He will tell me --"

"Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry."

This little bit of reverse psychology continues when Montresor pretends to care about Fortunato’s health.  He says he is coughing and they should turn back.  Fortunato doesn’t want to.  He laughs at Montresor’s trowel, again not realizing anything is up.  Montresor makes a jokes about Masons.

Fortunato doesn’t realize what is happening until he is actually being bricked into the wall.  The drunkenness wears off and he starts to panic.  Montresor is aware of this.

A succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting suddenly from the throat of the chained form, seemed to thrust me violently back. For a brief moment I hesitated, I trembled. Unsheathing my rapier, I began to grope with it about the recess; but the thought of an instant reassured me. 

It is no use by this time.  Fortunato never has a chance to stop Montresor. Montresor makes sure that Fortunato suffocates to death.  He remains there and in fifty years no one finds him.   Montresor has gotten his revenge for whatever imagined injuries Fortunato did to him.

How did World War 1 affect the relations between India and Britain?

At the start of World War 1, Britain controlled India as part of the British Empire. Most of the people of India wanted independence, and protests toward this end had already gone on for awhile, but so far the British government had contained the protests and maintained their hold on India.

When the war broke out, many in Britain feared they would lose the ability to maintain control of India, but actually quite the reverse happened; people in India rallied behind the British cause in the hopes that they could impress Britain enough to earn their independence. India became a vital strategic stronghold for the British Navy and Royal Air Force.

In total some 1.5 million men from India volunteered to fight for Britain, and 800,000 ended up doing so, in theaters of battle around the world. None other than Mahatma Gandhi wrote articles encouraging the men of India to enlist. Gandhi and many others hoped that by showing their solidarity with Britain in this time of need, they could earn India's respect and freedom from the Empire.

That didn't happen, at least not for many years. At the conclusion of the war, India was given a few provisions toward self-government, but only about 5 million people were actually allowed to vote---about 2% of the population at the time. Many felt betrayed by this weak concession, including Gandhi himself; this may have contributed to his later activism toward India's independence in the 1940s.

Why does Norton call Lorraine a "screech owl" in chapter 9 of Paul Zindel's The Pigman?

A screech owl is known for its high-pitched, loud, and annoying call. Norton probably calls Lorraine a screech owl because of these well-known qualities. However, Norton's derogatory term is unfounded because Lorraine doesn't go around screaming like a screech owl. Norton most likely uses the term because he is jealous that Lorraine has been monopolizing John's time recently. A screech owl would certainly claim someone's attention in the wild if a person heard it screeching. Similarly, Norton may feel that Lorraine has caught too much of John's attention.

Norton also knows that John and Lorraine have been spending time at Mr. Pignati's house, which makes him wonder why two teenagers would hang out with an old man. Norton's interest in the old man is to steal from his home, though, as shown in the following passage:

"'Has he got anything worth stealing?' Norton clarified, his eyes beginning to get mean and sneaky like an alley cat about to jump on a bird" (100-101).

When John won't tell Norton about the possible loot he could steal from Mr. Pignati's house, Norton attacks Lorraine in an effort to discredit John's association with her.

"Norton had reached a new peak of ugliness that day with the afternoon sun shining down on him. He paused a minute, then took a sip of his beer. 'Well, what are you and that screech owl going over there for?'" (101).

If Norton can make John feel ashamed for hanging out with Lorraine, then he thinks John will help him steal some valuable items from Mr. Pignati's house. Remember, Norton only calls Lorraine a screech owl after John refuses to provide information about Mr. Pignati's property; therefore, Norton calls Lorraine a screech owl because he is mad John won't help him steal from Mr. Pignati. 

Where does Mercutio say that people falling in love are fools in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

After the Capulet party, when Romeo escapes his friends and jumps the wall into Juliet's garden, Mercutio calls to him, saying, "Romeo! Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover!" (2.1.9).  In saying this, Mercutio implies that a lover is a madman, or someone who lacks sense, like a fool.  Such a lover is motivated by his humors (the four bodily fluids that ancient physicians believed directly influence our temperament and health) and his passion rather than his intellect or ability to reason or use sound judgment; this makes him a fool.

Mercutio later says that, for Romeo, compared to his love, Rosaline, Petrarch's "Laura [...] was a kitchen wench [...], Dido a dowdy, Cleopatra a gypsy, Helen and Hero hildings and harlots, Thisbe a gray eye or so, but not to the purpose" (2.4.41-45).  He implies, then, that each lover believes his love to be the most beautiful and wonderful; this makes each lover a fool, then, because they cannot all be right.  Mercutio lists some of the most exceptionally beautiful women in history and says that Romeo would (naturally) believe that his love is the best.  It seems as though there is something about loving that turns the lover into a fool who can no longer accurately discern reality. 

What role does guilt play in Lord of the Flies? For example, what does it mean when some boys feel guilt over Simon's death, while others do not?

At the end of Chapter 9, Simon is brutally murdered by the group of boys who initially mistake him for the beast coming out of the forest. The boys were so worked up into a frenzy that they were unable to control themselves as they beat, ripped, and stabbed Simon to death. In Chapter 10, Ralph climbs onto the platform and simply says, "Simon" (Golding 155). Piggy nods solemnly and gazes out into the lagoon. After Piggy suggests that Ralph call and assembly, he begins to shiver and says, "That was Simon...That was murder" (Golding 156). Piggy gets extremely upset and starts trying to defend their actions by saying that it was dark, and they were scared. Ralph takes full responsibility for what they did and feels appalled, excited, and guilty for participating Simon's murder. Piggy justifies their actions by claiming that it was an accident and tries to dismiss it, but Ralph refuses to drop the subject. Piggy says, "Look, Ralph. We got to forget this. We can't do no good thinking about it, see?" (Golding 157). Piggy then tells Ralph not to let Samneric know that they were participants and Ralph says, "But we were! All of us!" (Golding 157).

Piggy explains to Ralph that they only participated at the end of the dance and stood on the outside, which in a way makes them feel "less guilty" about Simon's death. He says, "That's right. We was on the outside. We never done nothing, we never seen nothing" (Golding 158). When Samneric arrive, they claim that they went straight into the forest after the feast. Piggy tells Samneric that he and Ralph left early too. Golding writes, "The air was heavy with unspoken knowledge." Sam then shouts, "dance?" and all of the boys shake (Golding 158). The boys continue to maintain that they left early and did not even witness Simon's murder.

On the other side of the island, Jack tells his savages that the beast disguised himself and that he may come again. Stanley raises his hand and says, "But didn't we, didn't we---?" (Golding 160). Jack yells, "No!," and Golding writes, "In the silence that followed, each savage flinched away from his individual memory."

Many of the boys, including the savages, feel guilty about Simon's murder. The fact that some of the boys feel guilty while others do not suggests that there are still remnants of civility and morality in them. However, Jack is completely void of civility and does not feel guilty over Simon's death. The other boys attempt to repress their feelings of guilt. Guilt is a very strong emotion and none of the boys, except Ralph, want to discuss the roles they played in Simon's death. Piggy tries desperately to justify his actions while Samneric claim that they were not even present. The fact that they have the ability to feel guilt suggests that they have not entirely turned into savage beasts. Essentially, the boys' feelings of guilt are a gauge of their of civility and morality. By the end of the novel, the majority of the boys have become so barbaric that they are unashamed, and feel no guilt about their immoral actions.

In Philbrick's Freak the Mighty, what does Max mean by "your basic chunk of chain-link heaven"?

The characters in Philbrick's Freak the Mighty are not luxurious millionaires in the least. Max's grandparents are lower-middle-class citizens who have probably lived in their home for a very long time. As neighborhoods age, they tend to show some wear and tear. The house must be small, too, because Grim made a makeshift bedroom for Max in the basement out of "cheap paneling" and it tends to stink. When Max grows bored with his room, he can go outside to the back yard. Max describes it as follows:

"So finally I get bored in the down under and I'm hanging out in the so-called back yard, your basic chunk of chain-link heaven" (6).

From the tone of this sentence, one can infer that Max isn't impressed with his yard. First, he demonstrates his disappointment by saying the yard is "so-called" because it isn't pretty or anything special to look at. Next, he uses the word "chunk" which suggests that there isn't a lot of space for him there. Finally, he mentions that the yard is framed by a chain-link fence, but in order to throw in a sarcastic twist of verbal irony at the end, he says "heaven." Therefore, the yard is small, probably old, and framed by a chain-link fence. It's not much, but it's all he has.

How does Friar Laurence initially react when Romeo tells him of his plans to marry Juliet?

Friar Laurence is initially skeptical about Romeo’s love for Juliet.

Friar Laurence knows Romeo well. When Romeo tells him that he is in love with Juliet, his first reaction is to wonder if Romeo is sincere. After all, Romeo was supposedly in love with Rosaline only days earlier, and now he says he is in love with Juliet. He seems to be changing his mind very quickly.

When Romeo says he is in a good mood because he got something sweeter than rest, Friar Laurence immediately assumes he has been with Rosaline.

FRIAR LAURENCE

God pardon sin! wast thou with Rosaline?

ROMEO

With Rosaline, my ghostly father? no;
I have forgot that name, and that name's woe.

FRIAR LAURENCE

That's my good son: but where hast thou been, then? (Act II, Scene 3) 

Romeo acts like his being with Rosaline is a completely silly idea. He is in love with Juliet now. Friar Laurence chides him for switching girls so easily:

Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here!
Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear,
So soon forsaken? young men's love then lies
Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.
Jesu Maria, what a deal of brine
Hath wash'd thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline (Act II, Scene 3)!

Friar Laurence thinks Romeo is just a young man guided by rampaging hormones. Romeo has to convince him his love for Juliet is sincere, and that he actually wants to marry her. He will never think about Rosaline again.  

One of the reasons Friar Laurence decides to marry Romeo and Juliet so quickly is that he thinks getting a Montague and Capulet together will be good for both families. If Romeo and Juliet can end their parents’ feud, everyone will benefit.