Dionysius, the ruler of Syracuse, grew annoyed when he heard about the kind of speeches Pythias was giving. The young scholar was telling the public that no man should have unlimited power over another and that absolute tyrants were unjust kings. In a fit of rage, Dionysius summoned Pythias and his friend.
“Who do you think you are, spreading unrest among the people?” he demanded.
“I spread only the truth,” Pythias answered. “There can be nothing wrong with that.”
“And does your truth hold that kings have too much power and that their laws are not good for their subjects?”
“If a king has seized power without permission of the people, then that is what I say.”
“This kind of talk is treason,” Dionysius shouted. “You are conspiring to overthrow me. Retract what you’ve said, or face the consequences.”
“I will retract nothing,” Pythias answered.
“Then you will die. Do you have any last requests?”
“Yes. Let me go home just long enough to say goodbye to my wife and children and to put my household in order.”
“I see you not only think I’m unjust, you think I’m stupid as well,” Dionysius laughed scornfully. “If I let you leave Syracuse, I have no doubt I will never see you again.”
“I will give you a pledge,” Pythias said.
“He will keep his word,” Damon replied. “I have no doubt of that.”
“What kind of pledge could you possibly give to make me think you will ever return?” Dionysius demanded.
At that instant Damon, who had stood quietly beside his friend, stepped forward.
“I will be his pledge,” he said. “Keep me here in Syracuse, as your prisoner until Pythias returns. Our frienship is well known to you. You can be sure Pythias will return so long as you hold me.”
Dionysius studied the two friends silently. “Very well,” he said at last. “But if you are willing to take the plce of your friend, you must be willing to accept his sentence if he breaks his promise. If Pythias does not return to Syracuse, you will die in his place.”
Pythias was allowed to go free for a time, and Damon was thrown into prison. After several days, when Pythias failed to reappear, Dionysius’s curiosity got the better of him, and he went to the prison to see if Damon was yet sorry he had made such a bargain.
“Your time is almost up,” the ruler of Syracuse sneered. “It will be useless to beg for mercy. You were a fool to rely on your friend’s promise. Did you really think he would sacrifice his life for you or anyone else?
“He has merely been delayed,” Damon answered steadily. “The winds have kept him from sailing, or perhaps he has met with some accident on the road. But if it is humanly possible, he will be here on time. I am as confident of his virtue as I am of my own existence.”
Dionysius was startled at the prisoner’s confidence. “We shall soon see,” he said and left Damon in his cell.
The fatal day arrived. Damon was brought from prison and led before the executioner. Dionysius greeted him with a smug smile.
“It seems your friend has not turned up,” he laughed. “What do you think of him now?”
“He is my friend,” Damon answered. “I trust him.”
Even as he spoke, the doors flew open, and Pythias staggered into the room. He was pale and bruised and half speechless from exhaustion. He rushed to the arms of his friend.
“You are safe, praise the gods,” he gasped. “It seemed as though the fates were conspiring against us. My ship was wrecked in a storm, and then bandits attacked me on the road. But I refused to give up hope, and at last I’ve made it back in time. I am ready to receive my sentence of death.”
Dionysius heard his words with astonishment. His eyes and his heart were opened. It was impossible for him to resist the power of such constancy.
“The sentence is revoked,” he declared. “I never believed that such faith and loyalty could exist in friendship. You have shown me how wrong I was, and it is only right that you be rewarded with your freedom. But I ask that in return you do me one great service.”
“What service do you mean?” the friends asked.
“Teach me how to be part of so worthy a friendship.”
The first paragraph of this story mostly provides the reader with __________.
a. the crisis or turning point in the story
b. the specific obstacles the characters will face
c. complications that contribute to the rising action
d. information to establish characters and background
Answer:
D
Explanation:
Answer:
Queen Mab is the fairies' midwife.
Explanation:
The English playwright and poet William Shakespeare was perhaps one of those who contributed most in his works to extol the charms of Mab.
According to him, the Mab Fairy would have the power to give men the fulfillment of their innermost desires in the form of dreams.
In "Romeo and Juliet," one of Shakespeare's most beautiful love stories, Romeo's cousin, Mercury attributes to the Mab Fairy the guilt that with his beautiful dreams of love confused the minds of mortals.
Also according to the European traditions the Fairy Mab is also the midwife of the Fairies, hence probably the origin of its name, which translated from the old Welsh to English means "baby".
Once a car runs out of gas it can no longer function.
Katrina will put on hers sweater because it's getting cold.
If a student doesn't eat breakfast they cannot do well at school.
Choose the sentence type and the punctuation it should have.
Stand up, please (Points : 3)
declarative, period
interrogative, question mark
imperative, period
exclamatory, period
Question 4. 4.
Choose the sentence type and the punctuation it should have.
Will the mixture’s temperature increase when you stir it (Points : 3)
declarative, period
imperative, question mark
exclamatory, period
interrogative, question mark
Question 5. 5. If the sentence contains an error in punctuation, type the word with the correct punctuation. If the sentence is correct, write C.
Our new address is 91724 East Jackson Dr, Hershey, PA 17033.
(Points : 3)
Hindley
Joseph
Lockwood
Hindley Earshaw is based on Patrick Branwell, Emily Bronte's brother. Many details of his life were written into the book and to such extent that many scholars believe that he is actually a co-writer of Wuthering Heights.
Explanation:
Among the characters in Wuthering Heights on top of, the one who shapely on Emily Brontë's brother, patron saint Branwell is HINDLEY. Wuthering Heights may be a novel by Elliot L Gilbert and author.