At the beginning of the story, what attitude does Granny have toward the doctor, toward Cornelia, and toward her own illness?

In the beginning of the story, Granny perceives no reason for Doctor Harry to be visiting her, and blames this visit upon Cornelia, her daughter. For, she tells the doctor that the only reason she has taken to her bed is to "get rid of her."

Like many elderly people who have always been healthy, Granny Weatherall believes that there is nothing seriously wrong with her.

"Get along and doctor your sick....I'll call you when I need you....Don't let Cornelia lead you on," she shouted.

But, the reader soon detects that there is a certain irony to this exposition as Granny's eyes soon close as "a dark curtain drawn around her bed" seems to appear. Then her supposed conversation with Cornelia is incongruous as Cornelia's replies do not fit Granny's questions.

Throughout the narrative Granny fades in and out of consciousness, and the lines between the present and the past, reality and memory blur, reflecting probably what actually transpires as someone departs life. 

What method does the writer use to achieve effective characterization in chapter 5 of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

Stevenson really uses indirect characterization to help paint more a detailed picture of Jekyll and Hyde, and, perhaps, their relationship.  Jekyll looks "deathly sick" and his manner is "feverish."  When Jekyll declares that he does not care what becomes of Mr. Hyde, that he is completely finished with the man, Mr. Utterson is "surprised at his friend's selfishness," and thus readers are given to know that Dr. Jekyll is not typically a selfish man; he is usually very kind to others.  

Further, the letter purportedly written by Mr. Hyde to Dr. Jekyll intimates that he has been unworthy of the doctor's generosity and that the doctor should not worry himself about Hyde's ability to escape.  The narrator says that this letter "put a better colour on the intimacy [between the two men] than he had looked for [...]."  Thus, we (and Utterson) learn that the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde is not based on blackmail or anything else of that nature.  

However, Dr. Jekyll said that the letter had been hand-delivered.  But when Utterson asks Poole, the butler, he says that nothing has been delivered except by post, and so this makes it seem as though Jekyll isn't being completely honest, and he seems to have something to hide (no pun intended).  Moreover, the fact that the letter seems to be written in Jekyll's own hand is further evidence that he is not telling the truth, that he is, perhaps, not the man everyone believes him to be.

Thus, through indirect characterization, it begins to seem as if Dr. Jekyll, especially, is not the same man, motivated by the same things that he has been in the past, and that he is not who he claims to be.  He seems to have much to conceal if he is willing to be so dishonest as to lie baldly to his lawyer and friend.

Describe Bruno and Shmuel's friendship.

Bruno's family has moved to a new place (which we find out is the Auschwitz concentration camp, where his father is Nazi official who oversees the running of the place).  Bruno is lonely and bored in his new home.  One day he comes across a small, skinny boy wearing pajamas (which are actually the uniform for all the Jews who are imprisoned in the camp).  Bruno and the boy, Shmuel, talk and discover that they share a birthday.  Then they part ways, agreeing to meet again.  The friends continue to meet and become closer.  One day Bruno enters the kitchen at his house.  He finds Shmuel in the kitchen, working.  Bruno has noticed that his friend is skinnier than when they first met, so he offers him food.  Lieutenant Kotler, a man who works with Bruno's father, catches Shmuel with the food and becomes angry.  Cowardice takes over Bruno, and he denies knowing Shmuel.  Bruno does feel conviction and later apologizes.  

Bruno finds out that his mother is taking him and his sister to Berlin soon.  He decides to cross the fence and dress in the same uniform that Shmuel wears.  They spend time together and look for Shmuel's father, who is missing.  Soon they are rounded up by soldiers and led into a room.  The door is closed and the boys hold hands.  It is a gas chamber and the two boys are killed.

At first, Bruno wants Shmuel to be his friend because he is bored.  He does not value their friendship much, as we see when Bruno denies him in front of Kotler.  Later, Bruno comes to care more deeply for his friend.  In the end, they comfort each other before they die.

Explain what happens to Curley's wife in the barn?

Lennie is in the barn, holding his dead puppy. Like the mouse he had at the beginning of the novel, the puppy had been killed by Lennie’s petting it and smacking it when it tried to bite him. He tries to hide it in the straw, but he takes it out again, asking it why it had done that, basically blaming the puppy for being killed. Curley’s wife comes in and finds Lennie with the puppy. Learning that Lennie liked to pet soft things, she told him that she knows how he feels, because she likes to feel her hair when it is clean. She has Lennie feel her hair to see, but Lennie strokes to hard. She becomes frighten and tells him to stop, but Lennie, whenever he is confronted like this, panics, and grabs hold and won’t let go. She tries to escape, and Lennie tries to stop her. Holding her roughly, Lennie breaks her neck, killing her instantly. He does not know what to do when Candy comes in and finds them. He retrieves George, who tells Lennie to run away to the spot they had agreed on should Lennie cause any trouble. George makes a plan with Candy that will prevent people from thinking that he was in on this with Lennie. The others come in, including Curley, and take off in search of Lennie in order to lynch him.

How does the author use imagery in "The Lottery"?

Shirley Jackson uses imagery by selecting vivid stamps of daily life in a typical community to make the story more realistic. She uses a bright day in June, when the sun is out, the air is warm and crisp, and the people are out and about, as the happy setting of a shockingly morbid story. This imagery inspires an ironic sense of tranquility, comfort and joy. It conveys the message that "everything is alright", and that the members of that community are quite lucky to be a part of such an idyllic place; a place where things seem to be in complete harmony

The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day [...]in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o’clock in the morning and still be through in time [...] for noon dinner.

Imagery is also used to describe the intonation that some characters use when they speak. You will notice that, on several occasions, we need to know this in order to ascertain whether the words being said are part of the overall ironic tone that Jackson infuses throughout this macabre tale, or not.

For instance, when the villagers discuss the origins of the lottery, we find out that they do not even know the exact beginning of it, nor the actual rationale behind it. Hence, Jackson describes the expression made by Old Man Warner as follows: 

Old Man Warner snorted. “Pack of crazy fools,” he said. “Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them. [...] Used to be a saying about Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon. ‘ First thing you know, we’d all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns. There’s always been a lottery,” he added petulantly.

This is how we know that Warner was quite set in his ways regarding the lottery and that, to him, it made total sense. 

On the other hand, imagery is also used to describe the reactions of the villagers regarding the savage tradition that they follow so blindly. The expression of terror and fear in Tessie's face upon her name being called is juxtaposed to that of the villagers, who pick up stones in a nonchalant way and, with all the normalcy in the world, proceed to stone Tessie to death, just because her name came up as the "lottery winner". All of this, they want to do quick enough in order to get back to supper on time. (?!)

These small descriptors make a big difference with imagery in the way in which the story is read. These snippets of visualization convey irony, terror, shock, and fear while making the reader realize how all of these negative emotions can easily take place on a "bright day in June" where all things look like they are in perfect order. 

Why was Germany punished after World War I?

Germany was blamed for starting World War I, and this guilt was stated in Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles that ended the war. This clause has been called the "War Guilt Clause." Part of the reason Germany was punished for the war was so that the Germans could pay reparations, or money, to Britain and France to compensate them for the losses these countries had incurred in the war. This amount was crippling to Germany (in 1921, it was settled at about $12.5 billion) and was far more than the fines, or indemnities, that more lenient victors thought Germany should pay. Though the reparations that Germany agreed to were very high, they were still less than some Europeans wanted. The Americans who wrote the War Guilt Clause, including John Foster Dulles, did not think the clause would engender as much controversy as it did, as they saw the clause merely as a legal way to get Germany to pay reparations. 

Germans were also punished because they had pushed the conflict between Serbia and Austria-Hungary into a war. Instead of agreeing to a peace conference after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in June of 1914, they declared war on Russia and France. Nations such as France also wanted to punish Germany through large reparations to make sure Germany's economy would be crippled so that the Germans could not threaten other European nations.

The Germans reacted to the War Guilt Clause with great opposition, as their loss was a humiliation and they did not think they deserved all the blame for starting the war. Many historians and diplomats began to believe, particularly in the years leading up to and after World War II, that the guilt clause and reparations had been mistakes that in part paved the way for Hitler's rise to power after Germany was humiliated.  

How would you describe Dwight (Mr. Uchida)? What kind of work did he do? How/why did he come to America?

Mr. Dwight Uchida is a hardworking, resourceful, and caring family man. In 1906, at the age of twenty-two, he arrived in California to fulfill his responsibilities to his immediate family and to continue his tertiary education.

Although he had hoped to eventually make his way to Yale to study for a medical degree, he gave up his ambitions to support his mother and sisters. At the time, Dwight's mother had just immigrated to Seattle to be with one of his sisters. So, to support his family, Dwight took a job at Mr. Furuya's general merchandise store, and in due time, he was eventually promoted to manager of the Portland chain. Dwight worked at the Portland store for nine years and was then able to buy the boat fare for his two remaining sisters in Japan to join their mother in Seattle.

Because of his punctual habits and exemplary work ethic, Dwight caught the attention of the manager of the San Francisco branch of Mitsui and Company. In 1917, he was offered a chance to become an employee of Mitsui, which he accepted. Prior to coming to America, Dwight's incredible work ethic allowed him to pay his own way at Doshisha University in Japan. Despite his poverty, he never despaired and chose instead to work as a milkman, telephone operator, and bank clerk to finance his education at Doshisha.

Because Dwight had endured poverty during his childhood, he was always frugal in his habits. Despite his frugality, he was a generous and compassionate man. After establishing himself in America, Dwight and his wife generously opened up their home to homesick students from Japan who were studying at the University of California. They also hosted innumerable ministers from Japan as well as students, alumni, and the president of Doshisha University at their home. In all, Dwight's kindness and warmth made him a popular host in the home he shared with his wife and two daughters.