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What is the point hidden behind Kahlil Gibran's poem "The Three Ants"?
I read this story from Kahlil Gibran's The Madman: His Parables and Poems, but for some reason, I can't get to the point of understanding of the wisdom behind it:
Three ants met on the nose of a man who was asleep in the sun. And after they had…
alim1990
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Looking for a story about a boy deformed by factory work - I think it's an O. Henry
I've been trying to find this story for years. I remember reading it in Reading class as a kid (in the 1960s or early 70s). This would have been in a 4th or 5th grade reading book in New York State. It may have been in Highlights Magazine or…
Robin Blythe-Nicathain
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Is the name Crowley in Good Omens a reference to the famous occultist?
The main demonic character in the humouristic-apocalyptic story Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman goes by the name Anthony Crowley - a name which instantly jumped out at me because of its similarity to the famous English occultist and magician…
Rand al'Thor
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What is the distinction between "literary fiction" vs. "popular fiction"?
What are the defining features of literary fictions as compared to popular ones? Is it the way how characters are developed? Or is it some peculiarity in the use of language? Please feel free to explain in detail as I am a novice.
This is a question…
praveen kr
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Moral of the Hunger Games Trilogy
In the last book of the Hunger Games trilogy, several things happen which make me think that the moral (or conclusion) of the story is that things never change.
The Hunger Games are to continue, just with Capitol kids.
Katniss shoots Coin because…
Mirte
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10
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Why does the Emperor-Over-the-Sea play such a small role in the Chronicles of Narnia?
The Emperor-Over-the-Sea is referenced at several points during the series. The Stone Table, Deep Magic and the Deeper Magic were all set in motion by him, and he is the father of Aslan.
At the same time, he does not directly enter the series; he…
EJoshuaS - Stand with Ukraine
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Accuracy of the translation of Baudelaire's "Au Lecteur": how to forge an opinion?
This question is directly inspired from this one on French Language Stack Exchange.
To summarize it, the OP is wondering about the good translation for "chimiste" in Baudelaire's opening poem Au Lecteur. This poem can also be found here with some…
lemon
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Story about father who looks through microscope for the first time
I'm trying to figure out the name of this story that I remember reading in 2nd grade (2002). Here are the only details I remember:
There is a child who is going to school and his father, who is an old fashioned farmer, doesn't see the value of…
tcallred
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Should I keep the jacket on a hardcover book?
I've got a few hardcover books. I usually read paperback, but sometimes I'll find myself with a hardcover book.
Often, these will have jackets on them. Paper jackets that rip and get in the way and fall off when you try to move them. You can't even…
Mithical
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Did Winston and Julia oversleep?
When Winston and Julia are arrested at the end of Part 2 of 1984, Winston speculates dully that they may have overslept in the room above Charrington's shop, and that it is now the morning instead of the evening:
He noticed that he badly wanted to…
Rand al'Thor
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What can we learn from this character's death in "Mockingjay", out of universe?
At the end of Mockingjay,
Primrose Everdeen
dies. What can we learn from their death? What does this teach us, from an out of universe point of view?
Mithical
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3 answers
Do English language poems actually have feet?
The question Catalectic trochaic tetrameter or acephaleous iambic tetrameter? Scanning "Kubla Khan" describes an interesting case when the placement of feet has no effect on the pronunciation of a line of verse.
The line in question is "Floated…
user111
10
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4 answers
Do a lot of Shakespeare characters break the fourth wall?
Ralph Crown mentions in this answer that a particular line in the play Hamlet could be interpreted as Hamlet breaking the fourth wall, and implies that this is common in Shakespeare plays:
Another [interpretation] is that Hamlet, like several other…
Rand al'Thor
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1 answer
Mathematics or gibberish? Understanding a description of an alien message in His Master's Voice
I'm reading the 1983 Michael Kandel translation of Stanislaw Lem's His Master's Voice. The plot revolves around a secret military project to decode an alien message. The main character is a mathematician, and in one scene in the book he describes a…
user111
10
votes
1 answer
Goosebumps-esque story about a group of kids visiting an alternate black and white world
I remember reading a story when I was young (so 1990's) about a group of kids, possibly middle school or high-school age, that end up traveling to an alternate reality that's in black in white. I believe they end up going to it while they were in…
DForck42
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