In Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick, why does Kevin call his mom "the Fair Gwen"?

Kevin's mom is a beautiful woman, and he calls her "the Fair Gwen" because "Gwen" is her first name, "fair" means "beautiful," and because "the Fair Gwen" was also the name of a famous queen from the legends of King Arthur.

You can find Kevin's eager, detailed explanation of all this in Chapter 4, specifically on page 17 in my copy of the novel. And you can find Max's description of Gwen's beauty in Chapter 2, on page 7--basically, he thinks she looks like a movie star even though she's sweaty and dressed kind of sloppy, since she's carrying all those moving boxes.

More specifically, Kevin has chosen this complimentary nickname for his mother because it reflects his own interest in the Arthurian legends. You know how Kevin loves knights, dragons, monsters, and especially quests? Referring to his mom as a lovely queen from the time of knights and quests is just one way that Kevin imaginatively colors his own world. It shows us how creative he is, which is good, but it also shows us that Kevin doesn't quite live in the real world, which is sad.

In The Grapes of Wrath, how can one discuss Jim Casy as a socialist messiah or Christ figure?

Casy's beliefs and actions paint him as Christ-like socialist messiah.

Casy embraces tenets of socialism in how he speaks for those who are economically challenged.  Through his teachings, he represents the socialist idea of power coming from the bottom up. He poses a significant threat to those in the position of economic power. Casy articulates a socialist vision when he speaks of inclusivity, moving away from an economically stratified reality: "’maybe it’s all men an’ all women… all men got one big soul and ever’body a part of. Now I sat there thinkin’ it, and all of a suddent- I knew it. I knew it so deep down it was true, and I still know it.” Casy's socialism is evident in his emphasis of a social order devoid of economic class interests. As he dies, he is labeled a "Red," reflecting how Casy is seen by those in the position of economic power.

Casy understands his role as a leader of people. In doing so, he demonstrates the qualities of a messiah. Casy knows that he has "the call to lead people" and does not forsake his responsibilities of leadership. His final actions, taken in the name of starving children, underscore a messiah-like commitment to his followers.

With the initials of "J.C.," Steinbeck is deliberate in making Casy a messianic, Christ-like figure. When Casy is about to be killed, his words are Christ-like in nature:  "Listen," he said. "You fellas don' know what you're doin'. You're helpin' to starve kids."  ]This is very similar to Jesus's call on the cross that the people who crucified him "know not what they do." Like Jesus, Casy decries material possessions. He is direct in saying that he "never took no collections" when he preached "in barns an' in the open." Casy follows Jesus's example in not valorizing a traditional approach to spiritual identity. In these ways, Steinbeck makes Casy a socialist messiah who is very similar to Jesus Christ.

In Night, why does Elie say the people looked like buffoons on the morning of the evacuation?

In section five of Elie Wiesel's memoir Night the prisoners at Buna are being evacuated to the west with the onslaught of the Russian army. Elie is just recovering from foot surgery and he and his father have decided to leave with the majority of the prisoners despite the fact that they could have stayed behind. In an unfortunate irony, the camp was liberated two days after the prisoners departed. On the morning of the evacuation Elie describes his fellow prisoners. They have all put on several layers of clothing in order to stay warm on their journey. He notes that they look totally prepostorous and that the scene is like a "masquerade." He calls the men "mountebanks" and "buffoons." A mountebank is someone who attempts to deceive and a buffoon is a ridiculous looking person. The men look ridiculous because they have "ghostlike" faces looking out from under "piles of prison clothes." To add the absurdity of the situation the prisoners are also told to clean the prison barracks even though they are leaving.  

Is the theme of appearance vs reality seen throughout the poem, "My Last Duchess"?

Yes, the theme of appearance vs. reality is important to this poem. The text appears to capture a well-mannered negotiation between the duke and the servant of a count, sent, presumably, to broker the marriage of the count's daughter to the duke.  Toward the end of the poem, the duke says that

"his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed / At starting, is my object."

This shows that his purpose, at least, is to settle marriage arrangements.

However, the text's purpose really has a lot more to do with the sad story of the duke's last duchess.  The duke talks about her as he shows her portrait, saying,

"She had / A heart—how shall I say?— too soon made glad, / Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er / She looked on, and her looks went everywhere."  

In other words, he wanted her undivided attention, to be the only one who could elicit her smiles and blushes, and, instead,

"she ranked / [His] gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name / With anybody’s gift."

She was no more flattered  or pleased by his important and expensive gifts than she was by a branch of cherries or a sunset. She smiled for him, certainly, but she smiled for everyone, and he found this to be unacceptable.  So, he says, "I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together."  It sounds as though he had her killed!  That, or he treated her so harshly, demanding that she stop being so happy about everything but him, that she perished. In a similar way, then, the duke appears to be a polite but is actually a childish tyrant.  

Thus, on both the textual level, and on the level of the duke's character, the poem very much focuses on the discrepancy between appearances and reality.

How does "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman conceptualize love?

I think the easiest way to think about Whitman's concept of love is to say that poetry and love are the same thing. In "Song of Myself," the poem opens with Whitman's assertion that he and the reader are the same -- "every atom of me as good belongs to you." This line suggests a radical reinvention of poetry. If poet and reader are the same, then the poem becomes a place where poet and reader can meet (and embrace!). The poem in a sense becomes the expression of love, and the place where love occurs.

Whitman of course is not afraid of talking about sex and the body. But his notion of love both includes and transcends those things. "Love" finds expression in the political (SofM as a celebration of democracy and America) and the homoerotic (SofM as an assertion of gay desire) and the ontological (SofM as celebration of the here and now, or existence). But mostly, love is a spiritual force that binds the universe together, made visible in poetry, but which can be felt by everyone, everywhere, all the time. It If this sounds like a religious idea, you are not mistaken. Ultimately, Whitman's idea of of love, which is universal and all-encompassing, is the love of God for his creation.

See also:

Navarro, Santiago Juan. “BEYOND THE MYTH OF NARCISSUS: THE ROLE OF THE READER IN WALT WHITMAN'S «SONG OF MYSELF»”. Atlantis 12.1 (1990): 109–114. 

Write about Arnold Friend's car. What does a car typically symbolize to teenagers? What do you make of Friend's funky jalopy? What do you suppose...

When Arnold Friend appears in Joyce Carol Oates's short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?," he is driving a bright gold car with his name written in "tarlike black letters on the side, with a drawing of a round, grinning face that reminded Connie of a pumpkin, except it wore sunglasses." He has written a secret code on the side of the car: 33, 19, 17, and he expects Connie to respond to this code as he raises his eyebrows, but she doesn't grasp what it means. The left rear fender of the car has been crushed, and Arnold has written "DONE BY CRAZY WOMAN DRIVER" on it. The front fender bears another saying, "MAN THE FLYING SAUCERS."

A car often symbolizes identity to teenagers, and Arnold Friend, who is likely much older than his stated age, is trying to come across as a hip teenager (though failing). The code on the side of the car could mean several things. It could refer to his age and the ages of his victims. Connie is 15, so the next number on the side of the door might be 15. In addition, some readers believe the numbers refer to the Biblical verse John 19:17, "Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull." This verse refers to Jesus's crucifixion, and he was 33 when he was crucified. 

What are the gases in the atmosphere?

Earth's atmosphere is composed of various gases that surround us. We can also state that it is a layer of gases above the surface of Earth. The same definition holds for other planets and celestial bodies as well. 

There are a number of gases in our atmosphere. Here is a listing along with their relative abundances:

• Nitrogen (N2): 78%


• Oxygen (O2): 21%


• Argon (Ar): 0.9%


• Trace gases: 0.1%

Among the trace gases, carbon dioxide is the most abundant gas. Some of the other gases that are present in our atmosphere (and are part of the 0.1% of trace gases) include neon, helium, methane, ozone, and nitrous oxide. 

Water vapors are also part of our atmosphere. 

Among these gases, oxygen is really important because we need it for respiration. Carbon dioxide is critical for its role in photosynthesis and the greenhouse effect. 

Hope this helps.