His, father, Samuel, encouraged him to read some of the great literary classics, providing him with a ten cents reward for each book he mastered. ... For example, when he queried them about concepts dealing with mathematics and physics such as those found in Isaac Newton's "Principia" they were utterly stymied. ... It was an automatic "repeating" device that transmitted telegraph signals between unmanned stations, allowing anyone to translate code at their own convenience with relative ease and accuracy. ...

• Word Count: 3349
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Plot Overview Heart of Darkness centers around Marlow, an introspective sailor, and his journey up the Congo River to meet Kurtz, reputed to be an idealistic man of great abilities. Marlow takes a job as a riverboat captain with the Company, a Belgian concern organized to trade in the Congo. As h...

• Word Count: 3088
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The beginning chapter sets up the problems of the entire novel with great efficiency. It tells us what is going on at present with Obi's trial and backtracks to the past in order to reveal what kind of man Obi is: an educated man, a young man who is Nigerian but who has studied in England. Most significantly, this first chapter juxtaposes the two extreme cultures that are at work in the novel as a result of colonialism. The scene between Mr. Green and the British Councilman, and the scene among the Umuofia Progressive Union are juxtaposed against each other to illustrate their differen...

• Word Count: 7844
• Approx Pages: 31
• Grade Level: High School