This action is an example of affect display or kinesics.
Explanation:
Affect display is an example of non verbal communication in which <u>someone does some gesture from their body or face that betrays their emotional state or what they are thinking.</u>
It is evident in the passage that the batter is
- nervous
- eager to outplay the pitcher
The biting of the nail while watching the pitcher closely is a telltale sign of this.
I guess that what is suggested about Lady of Shalott's love towards Sir Lancelot is that her love is impossible. She was cursed not to look at the city below her, yet she did and fell in love with Sir Lancelot, although she knew she could never be with him because of the curse. Her love is thus impossible, and even before she got to meet the love of her life, she died because their romance was doomed to fail even before it began.
Answer:
They thought nature was out to get them, thought everything was altered by God and thanked him for all good and bad, bias toward native Americans at first but not at the end.