Consider: Art is the antidote that can call us back from the edge of numbness, restoring the ability to feel for another. — Barbara Kingsolver, High Tide in Tucson

1. By using the word antidote, what does the author imply about the inability to feel for another?

2. If we changed the word antidote to gift, what effect would it have on the meaning of the sentence?

how to separate a subordinate clause from the main clause

a friend in need is a short story written by william somerset maugham. in the story, the main character (whose name is never mentioned) reflects upon the fact that people appearances do not tell us the reality of their personalities. in fact, the character states that his longtime and friends are the ones that he have known the less, as he mentions in the first paragraph of the text: “my oldest friends are just those of whom i can say that i don't know.”the character supports this idea by narrating an experience that happened with his friend edward hyde burton.

in the first place, the main theme of the story is the people real personalities beyond their cover. furthermore, he states that even the nicest friends can have dark personalities. using the example of burton:

“i think the chief thing that struck me about burton was his kindliness. there was something very pleasing in his mild blue eyes. his voice was gentle; you could not imagine that he could raise it in anger; his smile was kind. here was a man who attracted you because you felt in him a real love for his fellows.”

subsequently, the character narrates the events that led him to come to this belief. burton told him about a poor man (also name burton) that once came to his office in seek for an employ. burton agreed with the man that he would give him a job if he was able to swim around “the beacon and landed at the creek of tarumi.” eventually the man drowned due to his terrible health.  

finally, the character concludes his remark by mentioning the satirical response of burton when he is asked if he had thought of the man’s possible fate:  

"when you offered him the job, did you know that he'd be drowned?

he gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind blue eyes of his. he rubbed his chin with his hand.

well, i hadn't got a vacancy in my office at the moment."

here’s the link of the text:

you could write about how your feeling. you can talk about times ou thought about the friend in particular.

example, you think about the time you've spent with that friend. like if you had sleep overs at each others place, or activities you did together like going to the movies.

you could talk about others who miss him/her like school mates to neighbors around.