How does the opening chapter of "The Canterville Ghost" serve as an exposition to the short story?

"Exposition" is English teacher language for introduction.  Chapter one of "The Canterville Ghost" serves as the exposition (introduction) to the rest of the story, because it gives the reader key details on who the story will be about.  It also briefly introduces the setting of the story and the coming conflict that will occur between those characters and that setting.  

Chapter one introduces the reader to the Otis family, which is comprised of Mr. and Mrs. Otis, Virginia (their daughter), and the twins. The family has recently bought a really large mansion despite the fact that they have been told that the house is haunted by Sir Simon's ghost.  The Otis family ignores the warnings, because they do not believe any of it.  They move in the house and immediately begin using their "science" knowledge to clean up supposed blood traces of the ghost.  

The blood-stain has been much admired by tourists and others, and cannot be removed."

"That is all nonsense," cried Washington Otis; "Pinkerton's Champion Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent will clean it up in no time," and before the terrified housekeeper could interfere, he had fallen upon his knees, and was rapidly scouring the floor with a small stick of what looked like a black cosmetic. In a few moments no trace of the blood-stain could be seen.

In Act II, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet where are Mercutio and Benvolio going?

Act II, Scene 4 is set on a street in Verona. Mercutio and Benvolio are waiting for Romeo, who ditched them the night before so he could see Juliet. They are eventually on their way to Lord Montague's house for dinner. At first they talk about the challenge Tybalt has sent to Romeo. Toward the end of the scene when Romeo is talking to the Nurse, Mercutio asks Romeo if they will see him there. Mercutio says,

Romeo, will you come to your father’s? We’ll to
dinner thither.

The scene is made interesting by the absurd exaggeration of Mercutio as he comments on a number of topics, including Tybalt, the prince of cats, sword fighting, "fashion-mongers," whores, Petrarch's love poetry about Laura, Cleopatra and, finally, the fact that Romeo seems more like himself again after being despondent over his failed love for Rosaline. Romeo and Mercutio trade bawdy puns about "pink flowers," "pumps" and wild goose chases. Mercutio likes that he can trade barbs with his friend again. He says,

Why, is not this better now than groaning
for love? Now art thou sociable, now art thou
Romeo, now art thou what thou art, by art as well as
by nature. For this driveling love is like a great
natural that runs lolling up and down to hide his
bauble in a hole.

When the Nurse arrives as a messenger for Juliet she is treated rudely by Mercutio who insults her with crude sexual jokes. The scene ends with Romeo arranging his marriage to Juliet with the Nurse. We assume that Benvolio and Mercutio went to dinner, but Romeo went to the Friar's cell for the wedding.  

What is the purpose of the Declaration of Independence?

There were several purposes of the Declaration of Independence. The main purpose was for the colonists to let Great Britain and the rest of the world know that were free from British rule. This declaration stated that we considered ourselves an independent country. We wanted the other countries in the world to know they could now make various agreements with us.

Another purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to explain to everybody why we were declaring independence. We explained that we believed the job of government is to protect the rights of the citizens that it is governing. We believed that if a government stopped protecting the rights of the people, the people had to remove the government and replace it with a new government that would protect the people’s rights. The Declaration of Independence went on to say all the things the King of England had done that were in violation of the rights of the colonists. Thus, we had no choice but to replace the government after attempts to resolve our differences with Great Britain failed to work.

What reasons does Martin Luther King Jr. give to support his thesis in his "I Have a Dream" speech?

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s thesis in his "I Have a Dream" speech is that, even 100 years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, the African American "still is not free." To support his thesis, King points to such injustices as segregation, discrimination, and poverty.

King uses many references to segregation to illustrate the harshness of its reality. For example, he points out that weary African-American travelers are denied admittance to motels and hotels. He further points out that African American children must face signs that say "For Whites Only," signs that rob them of fully wanting to express themselves as African Americans and of their self-respect.

To illustrate the harsh reality of poverty, King points out that most African Americans are living in slums and ghettos and can only move "from a smaller ghetto to a larger one."

To illustrate the harsh realities of discrimination, King describes the discrimination his children face, pleading for it to end.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Additionally, King illustrates his points by referencing racist Alabama Governor George Wallace and his attempts to bar African-American students from enrolling in schools, nine years after the decision of Brown v. Board of Education declared segregation in schools unconstitutional.

In A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, what happens to Tiny Tim?

In Stave III of A Christmas Carol, the Ghost of Christmas Present shows Ebenezer Scrooge how his selfishness and meanness affect the people around him. The Ghost takes Scrooge to see his clerk, Bob Cratchit, and Bob's family at their Christmas dinner. The amount of food is sparse, but yet, the family seems happy. Scrooge notices how frail Tiny Tim is, and he sees the love for Tim in Bob's eyes.

"'Spirit," said Scrooge, with an interest he had never felt before, "tell me if Tiny Tim will live.'" (Dickens 70)

The Ghost tells him that if things continue the way they have been going, the child will not live. He warns Scrooge that the future looks bleak for this little  boy. Of course, once Scrooge's ghostly visits are over, he becomes a changed man, and he makes sure Tiny Tim along with all of the Cratchits are well cared for. Tiny Tim lives due to the changes that Scrooge makes.

Who is the antagonist in The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle?

The novel The Story of Edgar Sawtelle tells the tragic tale of a boy named Edgar who cannot speak. Edgar’s life descends quickly into chaos when his father is mysteriously murdered. Soon, Edgar is forced to flee into the woods with his dogs in order to save his own life.

While Edgar is the clear protagonist of the story, the antagonist is revealed as the story unfolds. It turns out that Edgar’s uncle, Claude, is the chief antagonist. A solitary person, Claude had served in the navy for several years. Edgar’s father offers Claude a job on their dog farm. However, events don’t go as planned as Edgar’s father and Claude seem to have deep-seeded resentments toward each other. Eventually, Edgar’s father ends up murdered and returns to Edgar as a ghostly vision, suggesting Claude killed him. Edgar finds further evidence to suggest Claude’s guilt and goes to avenge his father’s death. Through a series of events, Edgar ends up killing a different person and Claude plans to use this to convince others that Edgar killed his own father. The end of the story pits the nephew and uncle against each other in true Hamlet style.

How does Fitzgerald use light to foreshadow Myrtle's death in Chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby?

In this section of the book, after the scene at the Plaza Hotel, we follow Tom, Jordan, and Nick as they leave New York. In one short paragraph, Fitzgerald sets a somber mood by stressing the fading light. Fading and extinguished light are often symbols of dying and death.

Nick mentions "...we were content to let all their tragic arguments fade with the city lights behind." Tom's city life with Myrtle is about to fade and end completely.

A few sentences later, Nick, still thinking depressing thoughts about turning thirty, says, "As we passed over the dark bridge...the formidable stroke of thirty died away..." Here both darkness and the mention of death are juxtaposed.

Fitzgerald again links the fading light to death immediately before we find out about Myrtle. "So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight."

The fading light has both a figurative and literal purpose in this section of the novel. Besides focusing attention on death, since Myrtle's occurs immediately after this, it also contributes to the accident.

Myrtle "rushed out into the dusk," and the 'death car' "came out of the gathering darkness."  

Dusk, twilight, and darkness lead to and surround death throughout this section of The Great Gatsby.