7. Nights and Dragons— From the memoir of author Abigail Prynne As I started my research, I discovered many skeptics. Scientists presented evidence to show why dragons could not—and did not—exist. They explained that it would be impossible for dragons to fly because they would be too big. They laughed at the idea of dragons breathing fire. They pointed out that no other animal has ever done this. They said that if dragons had lived, someone would have found remains somewhere in the world. No bones about it, there were plenty of logical explanations. It would have been easy for me to accept that the only place dragons ever existed was in the imaginations of those who believed. What is the main idea of text? (5 points) Scientists have lots of evidence to explain why dragons don't exist. Scientists say it would be impossible for dragons to fly because they would be too big. They laughed at the idea of dragons breathing fire. They said that if dragons had lived, someone would have found remains somewhere in the world.

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)

answer: do

the 'italicized phrase' is a noun clause that is used as a direct object.

sthe miracle worker  ▾search

home  >   study guides  >   the miracle worker

the miracle worker themeswilliam gibson

themes and meanings

(comprehensive guide to drama)

print  print  document  pdf  list  cite  link  link

there are two central themes in  the miracle worker: that the human spirit can triumph over even the most daunting of disabilities and that a dedicated teacher can transform the lives of those with whom he or she comes into contact. these inspirational themes have long been personified in the widely known true-life relationship between helen keller and annie sullivan, but  the miracle worker  also dramatizes collateral issues that extend beyond the particular case. underlying helen’s process of learning basic principles of what annie terms “obedience” (decorum, etiquette, and hygiene), there are more universal lessons of self-governance—the inculcation of self-restraint instead of willfulness, the development of self-discipline instead of self-indulgence. only when these lessons have been mastered can helen begin to acquire language—which, annie says, “is to the mind more than light is to the eye.”