In George Orwell's 1984, how was O'Brien the ultimate betrayer?

In the
totalitarian, dystopian society depicted in 's , the possibility that those
with whom one comes into contact may not be what they seem is a constant risk. Such is the case
with the character . This mercurial figure crosses paths with 's , , only fleetingly during the
years that precede the beginning of 1984, and Winston is uncertain what, exactly, to make of
O'Brien. A large, burley man, O'Brien is also refined in a way that contrasts sharply with his
public appearance. Early in Orwell's story, the novel's narrator makes the following observation
regarding Winston's relationship to this seemingly authoritative figure who may be less
doctrinaire in his fealty to Party dictates than his official position demands:

"Winston had seen O'Brien perhaps a dozen times in almost as
many years. He felt deeply drawn to him, and not solely because he was intrigued by the contrast
between O'Brien's urbane manner and his prize-fighter's physique. Much more it was because of a
secretly held belief--or perhaps not even a belief, merely a hope--that O'Brien's political
orthodoxy was not perfect. Something in his face suggested it irresistibly."

That "secretly-held belief" constitutes the crux of the
matter, and to fully appreciate the importance of O'Brien in Orwell's society, it helps to
recall a real-life operation carried out by the newly installed Bolshevik regime that subverted
a legitimate revolution against a czar only to impose an even more draconian dictatorship on the
very people it had presumed to help.

Immediately upon taking control of the
major seats of Russian power, the Bolsheviks understood the need to protect themselves against
the machinations of internal and external enemies alike. The czar's secret police, then, was
replaced with the Bolshevik's version of a repressive, omniscient force, the Cheka (an acronym
for the Russian words for Extraordinary Commission for Combatting Counter-Revolution and
Speculation). The Cheka's leader, Felix Dzerzhinski, ordered the establishment of a fake
anti-Bolshevik resistance group operating in Western European capitals. This fake organization
was called "The Trust," and it successfully attracted Russian emigres eager to
assemble and conspire against the communist revolutionary movement systematically entrenching
itself in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Trust operation was, in fact, successful at provoking
"disloyal" Russians into identifying themselves, making their eventual capture much
easier than would otherwise have been the case.

The reason for this bit of
Russian history is because Orwell modeled his autocratic society after the Communist Party of
the Soviet Union, and the O'Brien character's references to the Brotherhood serve asfor the
real-life Trust operation. In discussing the figure of Emmanuel Goldstein and his "vast
shadowy army, an underground network of conspirators dedicated to overthrowing the State,"
Orwell's narrator, and O'Brien, allow for the possibility that (A) the Brotherhood exists and
threatens the Party, and (B) the Brotherhood doesn't exist other than as an instrument of the
Party's propaganda and a means of furthering its repression. As Winston's commitment to the
Party begins to weaken, and the image of the Brotherhood holds out hope of an alternative, the
seeds are planted for the protagonist's newly conceptualized concerns about the Party's
legitimacy to develop into a full-fledged position of resistance. Winston now risks identifying
himself with subversive elements to which O'Brien has introduced him. If, as seems likely, the
Brotherhood was modeled after the Trust, then it will have served its purpose of deceiving
potential opposition movements into revealing themselves and, consequently, making themselves
vulnerable to isolation, capture, and destruction.

O'Brien's betrayal
succeeds because of his manipulation of others into revealing themselves as possible enemies of
the state and, so doing, setting themselves up for destruction.

How does Brent change from beginning to end of Whirligig by Paul Fleischman?

In the
beginning of the book, Brent is just like any normal teenager who struggles to find his place
among his high school peers. He is perhaps a little self-conscious, but he knows that he has to
appear confident and sophisticated if he wants to impress. At a party, he desperately tries to
talk to a girl he's had his eye on for a while. However, his efforts fall flat when the girl,
Brianna, rebuffs him in front of everyone, and he becomes the laughing stock of the
party.

Greatly humiliated, Brent, with alcohol coursing through his blood,
takes to the wheel and decides to put an end to his miserable life. However, he doesn't die;
instead, he ends up killing Lea Zamora, an eighteen-year-old high school student. When Brent
discovers who he has just killed, he is overwhelmed with guilt and grief. Lea was, by all
indications, a model student. She was a member of the orchestra, a member of the student
council, and an athlete on the track team at Niles North High School. Lea was also an honor
student, a volunteer at the Resurrection Hospital, and an active member of the Filipino
community.

Seemingly overnight, Brent's life changes irrevocably. He's no
longer interested in impressing anyone, and he becomes a loner. Shell-shocked and depressed, he
eats little and converses little. The import of what he's done is shattering, and Brent
struggles to live with himself. In light of Lea's death, he finds it difficult to discuss his
attempted suicide with anyone. He is profoundly horrified that he never once considered the
possibility that his actions could have resulted in someone else's death.

At
this point, we begin to realize that the catastrophe Brent has just experienced is a
life-changing event. As the story progresses, he begins a journey of self-discovery and
redemption that both inspires and encourages him to continue Lea's legacy of goodness and joy.
Brent embarks on his mission when Lea Zamora's mother gives him the seemingly impossible task of
building four whirligigs and depositing them at the four corners of the United States. Although
his parents initially balk at the bold request, Brent decides that he will do everything he can
to honor Lea's memory.

Thus, in selflessly given himself to the tasks at
hand, Brent finds new peace, confidence, and courage, all the things he's never had before.
After he finishes his last whirligig in Maine, Brent is finally able to unburden his feelings to
a sympathetic artist, who supports his project. What she tells him completely changes his
perspective about forgiveness and redemption. The artist assures Brent that he's still a good
person, despite his terrible mistakes. For his part, Brent is touched that, even after revealing
his part in Lea's death to her, her perspective about him doesn't change.

By
the end of the story, Brent comes to understand that Lea's memory will always be a part of him.
When she died, she also managed to touch his life in a way that neither of them could have
envisioned. Brent realizes that he has become the chosen conduit for Lea's joyful legacy; this
realization so heartens him that he becomes hopeful that he will have the confidence to face his
parents, Lea's mother, and a new group of peers in the fall. Unlike the 'old' Brent, the 'new'
Brent is hopeful and enthusiastic about his future.

What passages in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird tell us Tim Johnson, the mad dog, represents racism?

Inof 's
, one reason why we know Tim Johnson, the
rabid dog, symbolizes racism is the dog is shot to death by , one
who normally refuses to shoot anything because he values all of life too much. Since Atticus is
fighting racism by defending Tom Robinson , we know Atticus's
killing of Tim Johnson also symbolizes Atticus's fight...

What is significant about setting the story "A Worn Path" in December and during Christmas?

There are
two main things it seems the author was trying to accomplish by setting the story ""
near Christmas time: one is positive while the other is negative.

On the
positive side, it reinforces the theme of charity and love. Christmas is a time of family and
giving, typified by selflessness and sacrifice. In the story, Old Phoenix is acting extremely
selflessly in an attempt to help her grandson's sore throat. She is braving the elements and
going into town to help him, which is sacrificial and kind, and the salve she seeks is
representative of a Christmas gift.

In "Pygmalion", what was the underlying cause of Eliza's anger with Higgins in act 4? In Act 4 of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, what is the...

Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering spend
the evening after the party in self-congratulatory celebration, ignoring Eliza and her
contribution to the success of the deception. Eliza, understandably is infuriated by Higgins'
conceit, but the final straw was his condescending dismissal, telling her to "go to bed
like a good girl and sleep it off."

Eliza understands that her entire
life (and livelihood) is forever altered by her transformation, but Higgins appears both
unobservant and unconcerned. His telling Eliza to just marry well is an insult to Eliza's
integrity, and she lets him know that as a scientist he may have succeeded, but as a human he
failed miserably.

What are the complex traditions of the Igbo clans?

From our
point of view, many of the traditions of the Igbo clans are complex, but it is only because they
fall outside the accepted norms of traditional Western culture. In the same way, the
missionaries in the story who encounter many of the traditions described are horrified or
confused by what goes on in the Igbo society. A few of the traditions that can be considered the
most complex deal with death and the concept of guilt.

One of the most
seemingly tragic parts of the Igbo culture is related to the idea of sacrificial revenge or
blood debt. The tribe thatbelongs to is given a young boy, , as a sacrifice to make up for the
murder of one of their own women by someone in Ikemefunas tribe. The main reason this part of
the story adds to Okonkwosis two-fold: first, the practice is meant to keep the peace, but it
requires an entirely innocent sacrifice to make up for the blood price of the murder. Ikemefuna
is a young boy who has done nothing wrong, but he is...

Why was Montresor so intent on seeking revenge against Fortunato in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Montresor wants revenge against
Fortunato for some imaginary insult.

It is important to
remember that Montresor does not have a real reason for killing Fortunato.  Montresor is a
madman, and the reasons he wants to kill Fortunato are all imaginary.  Poe makes sure that we
realize this with his very first sentence.

The thousand
injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed
revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that gave
utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged €¦

Theis our first clue.  A thousand injuries?  Really?  Isnt that a little extreme?  You
cant really do a thousand terrible things to a person, especially without him noticing. 
Montresor probably imagines these, or turns minor slights and insults into crimes worthy of
prosecution.

Montresor wants to not get caught.  He explains that he has to
get away with the murder, or he will not really be avenged.  Since the telling of the story is
fifty years after the event, he must have succeeded.

Another reason that we
know that Fortunato did not really do something terrible enough to Montresor to justify being
killed is that he agrees to go with Montresor into the catacombs.  If you had wronged a person
in some terrible way, you would not go underground with him at night without
witnesses.

Montresor is able to easily convince Fortunato to go into the
catacombs with him by telling him he has a cask of valuable Amontillado wine that he needs his
opinion of.  When he offers to show it to Luchesi instead, Fortunato protests.

Come, let us go."

"Whither?"

"To your vaults."

"My friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature. I perceive you have an
engagement. Luchresi--"

"I have no engagement;
--come."

Montresor makes other arguments that he
should not go, such as the fact that it will not be good for his cold, but Fortunato insists. 
He willingly goes underground with Montresor because he does not know that the man is his
enemy.

If Fortunato had really done something to Montresor, it would be a
very different story.  This one is the tale of a crazy guy killing another guy for no reason.
 He is a psychopath, because he believes that he is right.  Montresor really thinks that
Fortunato deserves to die and has no problem with killing him as long as he gets away with
it.