Notes: October 2013

Thursday 31 October 2013

Why is the bar in The Catcher in the Rye important? Does it represent cultural criticism? How?

Setting is very important in Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye because Holden either experiences or learns something profound at almost every place. Holden rides trains and cabs, walks the street, stays in the bad part of town, and participates in conversations with all walks of life from nuns to prostitutes. Holden goes to the Wicker Bar to meet and older, former classmate. He has socialized with all kinds of people who disappoint him so...

". . . the Wicker Bar is in this sort of swanky hotel, the Seton Hotel. . . It's one of those places that are supposed to be very sophisticated and all, and the phonies are coming in the window" (141).

Holden goes on to criticize the French girls who play and sing each night, the bartender who is apparently a "louse," (142) and the audience who simply cheers for everything. Holden believes the whole place is fake and swimming with fake people. This is how Holden views society and the culture he lives around. Bars, in many places, are the social centers for the community. One goes there to feel accepted among those of the same class. In this case, the Wicker Bar represents upper-class society and Holden does his best to fit in there with Luce, but ultimately fails. If the bar represents society, this would suggest that Holden would not fit in as he is, and that would be very upsetting for him.

How is A Streetcar Named Desire viewed and understood by readers in our society?

A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the most important plays in American history. Today, the play has significance in many ways.

The first of these is that it defined an important genre in American theater. This genre is called "lyrical realism." Tennessee Williams pioneered the style of lyrical realism after World War II; previously, American theater had been defined by a style of gritty or dirty realism in the 1920s and 30s, which strove to accurately capture the struggles of working and middle class Americans. In Streetcar, some of Williams' characters use common dialect, and many of the scenes are sordid, involving street scenes and domestic violence. However, his stage directions--which call for soft, ethereal lighting--and Blanche's dialogue, which is poetic and romantic, attenuate this realism and create a layer of poetry that covers the play, as well. This was considered revolutionary at the time.

The second significance of Streetcar is historical. The play captures the transition of the American South from a planter aristocracy (represented by Blanche, an older, fading beauty who comes from a foreclosed plantation in the country), to an urbanizing, industrializing society (represented by Stanley, a Polish immigrant living in New Orleans and working in manufacturing). What is so interesting about Streetcar is that its attitude towards this transition is complicated: neither Blanche nor Stanley are represented as sympathetic characters. It still begs the question, how should we think about the past? What are the ethics of nostalgia? How do we compare the weight of injustices committed by societies (like Blanche's slave-owning ancestors) and by people (like Stanley, who commits rape)?

`y = cos(x), y = 1 - cos(x), 0

`y=cos(x) , y=1-cos(x) ,0<=x<=pi`

Refer the attached image, y=cos(x) is plotted in red color and y=1-cos(x) is plotted in blue color.

From the graph,

cos(x) is above (1-cos(x)) from 0 to pi/3 and

(1-cos(x)) is above cos(x) from pi/3 to pi.

Area of the region enclosed by the given curves A=`int_0^(pi/3)(cos(x)-(1-cos(x)))dx+int_(pi/3)^pi((1-cos(x))-cos(x))dx`

`A=int_0^(pi/3)(2cos(x)-1)dx+int_(pi/3)^pi(1-2cos(x))dx`

`A=[2sin(x)-x]_0^(pi/3)+[x-2sin(x)]_(pi/3)^pi`

`A=((2sin(pi/3)-pi/3)-(2sin(0)-0))+(pi-2sin(pi)-(pi/3-2sin(pi/3))`

`A=(2*sqrt(3)/2-pi/3)+pi-pi/3+2*sqrt(3)/2`

`A=sqrt(3)-pi/3+pi-pi/3+sqrt(3)`

`A=pi/3+2sqrt(3)~~4.511`

`y=cos(x) , y=1-cos(x) ,0<=x<=pi`

Refer the attached image, y=cos(x) is plotted in red color and y=1-cos(x) is plotted in blue color.

From the graph,

cos(x) is above (1-cos(x)) from 0 to pi/3 and

(1-cos(x)) is above cos(x) from pi/3 to pi.

Area of the region enclosed by the given curves A=`int_0^(pi/3)(cos(x)-(1-cos(x)))dx+int_(pi/3)^pi((1-cos(x))-cos(x))dx`

`A=int_0^(pi/3)(2cos(x)-1)dx+int_(pi/3)^pi(1-2cos(x))dx`

`A=[2sin(x)-x]_0^(pi/3)+[x-2sin(x)]_(pi/3)^pi`

`A=((2sin(pi/3)-pi/3)-(2sin(0)-0))+(pi-2sin(pi)-(pi/3-2sin(pi/3))`

`A=(2*sqrt(3)/2-pi/3)+pi-pi/3+2*sqrt(3)/2`

`A=sqrt(3)-pi/3+pi-pi/3+sqrt(3)`

`A=pi/3+2sqrt(3)~~4.511`

What is the significance of the robe, and the annual Song to the social stability of this society?

In Gathering Blue both the robe and the Song are methods by which the Council keeps control of society. Gathering Blue is a "companion" book of The Giver; both are set in the future after an unspecified disaster has changed the world. In Kira's society, the Council is all-powerful. Like many powerful organizations, a lot of their energy is spent on keeping that power. In Gathering Blue strict control is kept over the people's knowledge of the past. Kira's job is to add to the robe, which is a visual story of the society's past. Emphasis is on angry, hot colors such as orange and red. Blue is too peaceful for the Council's purposes, but Kira works to insert them. The Song is added to every year and is sung once per year. It serves the same purpose as the robe but in words. In general, the Council benefits from encouraging a view that death and destruction are inevitable, and that trusting in the Council is in everyone's best interests. Although you do not ask about it, there is a third symbol of the Council's control, which is the staff. It is also added to every year with new carvings, and is held by the singer of the Song, while wearing the robe.

Wednesday 30 October 2013

What are the representative spirits or characteristics of American Literature before 1865? Please explain those spirits/characteristics you can...

Prior to 1865 could cover a lot of dates. I think that you are specifically referring to Romanticism. Typically, Romanticism covers from 1800 - 1850. It's a wonderful literary period. There is a huge emphasis on nature and the importance of nature. It's essentially a full fledged god that should be worshiped. By attaining a "oneness" with nature, a person can gain special knowledge that has been transcended through communing with nature. There is...

In modern American media, we see the reflections of Romanticism in something called "the myth of rural simplicity." I teach it in my media class. Basically, what it is saying is that life is better, simpler, etc. in the country. A good example of this kind of thinking can be seen in the TV show The Walking Dead. Zombies are in the city. The good guys find refuge in the country. In normal, "real" life, people go on camping trips to "simplify" things for a bit. I can use Lord of the Rings too for a good example. Everything is perfect and beautiful in the Shire, but in the population centers, everything is starting to go bad. Robin Hood is safe in the forest, but castles are places to avoid. In each of those examples, nature offers a peaceful sanctuary, which is what Romanticism always said.

What is one action Kevin does in Freak the Mighty?

Considering that Kevin does many "actions" in Freak the Mighty, I thought it might be a good idea to choose one that says something about his character. One "action" that Kevin does all the time is read. This action is intended to show Kevin's intelligence.

Matter of fact, I watch tons of tube, but I also read tons of books so I can figure out what's true and what's fake, which isn't always easy....

Matter of fact, I watch tons of tube, but I also read tons of books so I can figure out what's true and what's fake, which isn't always easy. Books are like truth serum--if you don't read, you can't figure out what's real.

In this quotation, Kevin is speaking to Max who, of course, is a big fan of the television set. Kevin is always described as the opposite of Max. While Max's important "action" here is watching TV, Kevin's important "action" is reading. As described, Kevin reads in order to find out what is true and real. This is a testament to how smart Kevin is.

Kevin needs these smarts because of his physical disabilities. Kevin has a kind of growth condition and many birth defects that cause him to be of incredibly small stature. One of these many defects is that Kevin's heart is literally too big for his body. (This becomes a metaphorical element as well in that Kevin also has love for everyone, often to his own detriment.) Not only is Kevin's heart too big, but his imagination and his intelligence are "too big" for his body as well. Kevin never "fits" into society, school, or any situation well. Kevin uses his imagination (and his reading prowess) in order to make life livable.

How does Mrs. Cratchit react to the mention of Scrooge’s name on Christmas in A Christmas Carol?

Mrs. Cratchit is no fan of Mr. Scrooge. On the other hand, Bob Cratchit is very respectful of Mr. Scrooge, in spite of how poorly he is treated by his boss.

At Christmas dinner Bob Cratchit gives a thanks to Ebenezer Scrooge and refers to him as "the Founder of the Feast." This irritates Mrs. Cratchit, who replies,

"The Founder of the Feast indeed!" cried Mrs. Cratchit, reddening. "I wish I had him here. I'd...

Mrs. Cratchit is no fan of Mr. Scrooge. On the other hand, Bob Cratchit is very respectful of Mr. Scrooge, in spite of how poorly he is treated by his boss.

At Christmas dinner Bob Cratchit gives a thanks to Ebenezer Scrooge and refers to him as "the Founder of the Feast." This irritates Mrs. Cratchit, who replies,

"The Founder of the Feast indeed!" cried Mrs. Cratchit, reddening. "I wish I had him here. I'd give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope he'd have a good appetite for it."

When Bob reminds her it is Christmas and that kind of tone might not be appropriate, she retorts:

"It should be Christmas Day, I am sure," said she, "on which one drinks the health of such an odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man as Mr. Scrooge. You know he is, Robert. Nobody knows it better than you do, poor fellow."

It is important to remember this takes place in Christmas future, after tiny Tim has died. Mrs. Cratchit has a lot of resentment toward Scrooge, whom she sees as responsible for her family's financial struggles. Bob Cratchit, however, is still trying to find the bright side where he can, thus he is grateful for the meager "feast" they have as a result of his small salary working for Mr. Scrooge.

What is the result of heating washing soda (Na2CO3) ?

Na2CO3 is sodium carbonate. Like most metal carbonates it undergoes thermal decomposition to produce carbon dioxide. Here's the equation:

`Na_2CO_3 -gt Na_2O + CO_2`

Sodium carbonate absorbs water to form a decahydrate, meaning that each molecule is associated with 10 water molecules. As it's heated it begins to dehydrate, or lose water molecules to form the anhydrous compound. The anhydride begins to gradually decompose to CO2 and Na2O at a temperature near its melting point...

Na2CO3 is sodium carbonate. Like most metal carbonates it undergoes thermal decomposition to produce carbon dioxide. Here's the equation:

`Na_2CO_3 -gt Na_2O + CO_2`

The pattern for the thermal decomposition of carbonates is the production of CO2 and an oxide of the metal. Baking soda, a similar compound, is less stable and decomposes at a lower temperature to produce CO2, Na2O and water. Calcium carbonate is heated to produce the calcium oxide used in cement through a similar chemical reaction.

Tuesday 29 October 2013

What strategies did the Americans use in fighting the Battle of Bunker Hill? Why was it considered a “bitter” victory for the British?

The American strategy at the Battle of Bunker Hill was one of trying to use the advantage of being on top of the hill to control the British advance up the hill. The colonists knew they were in a good position militarily. They had control of the hill. If the British were going to take the hill, they would have to run straight into the American attack. There would be no sneaking up on the Americans in this battle. The Americans waited until the British were very close before they fired upon the British soldiers. The British failed in their first two attempts to capture the hill. They succeeded on their third attempt only because the colonists ran out of ammunition.

This was a bittersweet victory for the British for a few reasons. One reason was it was much harder to take the hill than the British thought it would be. This gave the Americans confidence they could hang in there when they fought the British. It also suggested to the British that the fight for the colonies wouldn’t be an easy one, contrary to what some British believed. The British also suffered significant casualties in this battle. As a result, this victory was bittersweet for the British.

Why is Lord Capulet reluctant to accept Paris's offer to marry Juliet in Romeo and Juliet?

Lord Capulet is initially reluctant to accept Paris's proposal that he marry Juliet because he feels his daughter is too young to marry. Capulet suggests the proposal of marriage be delayed for two years so Juliet has more time before she becomes a bride.

My child is yet a stranger in the world.

She hath not seen the change of fourteen years.

Let two more summers wither in their pride

Ere we may think her ripe...

My child is yet a stranger in the world.

She hath not seen the change of fourteen years.

Let two more summers wither in their pride

Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride (Act II, Scene 1, lines 8-11).

This conversation with Paris puts Lord Capulet in a difficult situation because Paris is related to Prince Escalus, and the Prince of Verona recently threatened Capulet's life if he continues to feud with the Montagues. Making the Prince's relative unhappy is risky for Capulet.

Interesting, too, is that fact that in this situation the typically headstrong Lord Capulet is more reasonable and will not be easily swayed by Paris. Also, in this scene, Lord Capulet echoes Benvolio's earlier speech as he speaks with Romeo about not rushing into relationships with women. It is certainly ironic, then, when a seemingly impulsive Capulet later insists his daughter Juliet marry Paris soon after Tybalt's death.

Why did the colonies need enslaved Africans?

Though every colony had at least some enslaved people, the colonies that took in the most African slaves were those that raised staple crop for the Atlantic market. In North America, these colonies were the Chesapeake colonies, Virginia and Maryland, which raised tobacco, and the Low Country (South Carolina and eventually Georgia) which grew rice. These were both very labor-intensive crops, and planters figured they could most profitably exploit enslaved African laborers. There was a social dimension to this as well. In Virginia especially, the first labor force was not enslaved but indentured. These people, if they survived, could gain freedom and land after a predetermined term. Over time, these people became a subversive force in the colony, and the colony slowly turned to African slaves. The colonies that most depended on enslaved African labor were the sugar colonies in the Caribbean. People labored under such brutal conditions, and so little opportunity to gain land existed, in places like Barbados that no indentured servants would go there. These colonies imported people directly from Africa at a dizzying rate that reflected the astonishingly high death rates of slaves on the islands. So the colonists made the decision to import enslaved African people because the work was so labor intensive, and slave labor seemed the cheapest and most socially stable alternative. It should be noted that in many places in the Americas, Native peoples were enslaved. But because they lacked immunity to many diseases, and because they found it easier to run away and blend into the countryside (and because some reformers favored enslaving blacks instead) Europeans turned to the African slave trade for labor.

What factors show that Framton's visit to Mrs. Sappleton might have worsened his nerve problem?

Framton Nuttel is an example of a character who is created to suit the purposes of the author's plot. Young Vera's practical joke would not be as effective on a man in normal health. Saki takes pains to emphasize that Framton is only here at the Sappleton's because of his bad nerves, or neurosis, as we would say in modern times. He was told by his doctors, who were in complete agreement, that he needed a "rest cure" in the country, and then his sister gave him some letters of introduction which brought him to this zany country establishment. The whole point of Saki's story is that Framton's nerve cure only made his nerves worse.

"The doctors agree in ordering me complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise," announced Framton, who laboured under the tolerably widespread delusion that total strangers and chance acquaintances are hungry for the least detail of one's ailments and infirmities, their cause and cure.

He is supposed to get complete rest, yet he ends up running for dear life down the country road. He is supposed to have an absence of mental excitement, yet Vera provides more mental excitement than he has ever had before when she makes him believe he may have three ghosts with shotguns chasing him. He is supposed to avoid anything in the nature of violent physical exercise, yet he disappears from the story like this:

Framton grabbed wildly at his stick and hat; the hall door, the gravel drive, and the front gate were dimly noted stages in his headlong retreat. A cyclist coming along the road had to run into the hedge to avoid imminent collision.

So if Framton's doctors are correct in their diagnoses and prescriptions, his nerve problem must indeed have been worsened.

It is probably significant that he didn't say anything about his nerve problem to Vera. If she had known about it, she might not have made him the victim of her ghost story. Not that she would have been too much concerned about Framton as that she would have been concerned about herself if their guest died of fright.

Vera is another example of a character who is created to suit the plot, as is Mrs. Sappleton. Vera is a very "self-possessed" young lady. She is just old enough to be believed and just young enough to think of pulling such a trick. When she deliberately loses her self-possession, the contrast between her tranquil demeanor and her look of "dazed horror" is so effective that it is responsible for making Framton panic and flee into the night. Mrs. Sappleton has become almost as nutty as Nuttel. She hears nothing but male talk about shooting birds, and so Vera knows she will talk about that subject when she meets her guest.

She rattled on cheerfully about the shooting and the scarcity of birds, and the prospects for duck in the winter. To Framton it was all purely horrible.

Vera is not only a creative story-teller but an actress and stage director. She even knows that Ronnie is going to burst out singing, "I said, Bertie, why do you bound?" How could Framton suspect he was being set up? Even if he should find out that Vera's story was a complete hoax, he may never be the same again.

Monday 28 October 2013

What are the disadvantages of double-entry bookkeeping?

The disadvantages of double-entry bookkeeping include;

The Complexities arising when there are different departments, located in different places and each maintaining individual records. This makes the double entry system quite expensive especially, with regards to the amount of labor and time required to maintain such records. These costs often increase as the records become complex with time.

Cross checking of the double entry system is time-consuming. All entries must be entered twice and confirmation of the figures must be done to eliminate errors and ensure the reliability of the results in the final record.

The Double entry system is generally complex and prone to errors of omission. This is because it is often difficult to detect omitted entries. The errors leave no trace as the books will still balance despite the omission, further compounding the problem.

In Among the Hidden, what keeps the characters from getting what they want?

The main characters in Among the Hidden are the children and their families. The story focuses on children known as illegals. They are children born to a family that already has two children. A third child is illegal in the setting of this novel.

The children believe it is unfair that they must always stay hidden from everyone, as if they do not exist at all. What they want is freedom to live out in...

The children believe it is unfair that they must always stay hidden from everyone, as if they do not exist at all. What they want is freedom to live out in the open like their other two siblings. The Population Police who enforce the Population Laws keep them from having what they want. What happens to illegals who are caught is not clearly defined but the author allows the children to discuss the horrible things that could happen and the rumors they have heard. Eventually, a few of the children decide to stand up to the population's laws, to march to the capitol and protest the laws, demanding their freedom at a rally. Though the truth about the rally is not fully explained, the children find out that it failed because the Population Police and government officials stopped them.

Why did Montresor invite Fortunato into the catacombs?

Our quite maniacal narrator, Montresor, ¨invites¨ Fortunato into his family catacombs on the excuse that he has purchased a pipe of Amontillado (rare, high quality wine), but that he now doubts its authenticity. It being the Carnival celebration, Fortunato is rather intoxicated and boasts that he can judge whether the wine is authentic. In truth, there is no Amontillado. Montresor has systematically planned to gain revenge on Fortunato, since he claims, ¨The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.¨ It seems Montresor is so upset by these insults that he will not repeat them, even as he gloats about every other detail of his perfectly ironic murder/revenge.

However, we can guess that the insult might have been a slur that Fortunato uttered against Montresor's family name -- a matter of extreme pride for these upper echelon Italian men. Several times during their descent into the vault, Fortunato digs at Montresor´s social standing. He causes Montresor to admit that his family is no longer ¨great and numerous,¨ and insultingly says that he cannot remember the Montresor family arms, so that our narrator must remind him. Ironically, the victim does not catch on that the image of a snake biting the foot that stomps it d a theme of revenge in this family. Fortunato also taunts that Montresor has not been accepted into the secret society of the Masons, as he has. Indeed, the victim is clearly a very pompous man, never imagining that his prideful expertise in wine is being used to lure him to his own death.

By the time they reach the bottom of the catacombs, we are convinced that the victim--drunk, boastful, openly calling a mutual acquaintance an ¨ignoramus¨--is indeed guilty of insulting Montresor. Yet we observe with growing horror as the narrator describes his over-the-top revenge, and we are left to judge him a much more horrid man than Fortunato.

Sunday 27 October 2013

Has the tomb of Jesus been found?

To find the tomb of Jesus would one of the greatest finds in the history of Biblical archaeology. For that reason, the location is one of controversy. There are no less than five sites that lay claim to the final resting place of Jesus Christ. Adding to the controversy, the very mention of a burial site for Jesus is sacrilege in the Christian and Muslim communities. Scriptures teach that Jesus ascended into heaven.

The five...

The five sites that claim to harbor the remains of Jesus range from believable locations in Jerusalem to more unlikely locations in Japan and Kashmir (India/Pakistan.) In April of 2015, an Israeli geologist studied a tomb with the inscriptions of Jesus and his father Joseph and studied the soil around it. He claimed that through chemical tests and the names on the tombs that the East Jerusalem site was the burial place of Jesus. Archaeologists met his claims with great skepticism and feel it is unlikely to contain the remains of Jesus. As of 2015, there is no agreement in the scientific community that the burial location of Jesus has been discovered.

In One Writer's Beginnings, how does author Eudora Welty foreshadow her eventual epiphany and writing style?

One Writer's Beginnings, by Eudora Welty, is her Pulitzer Prize–winning collection of autobiographical essays based on three lectures she gave at Harvard University on "Listening," "Learning to See," and "Finding a Voice." In these essays--especially in "Listening"--Eudora Welty explains how in her youth listening and eavesdropping would later become essential to her as a writer, helping her to understand the cadence of words and how they worked together to shape sentences and lines. She recounts how she could hear her father shaving, her mother cooking, and them both whistling a shared tune. Moments like this would later influence how she incorporated sounds and tender moments into her own short stories.

Additionally, Welty's mother would constantly read to her, even while cooking, which would integrate itself so much into the younger Welty that she would later hear her mother's voice when she would read silently to herself. Welty also mentions how this reading voice influences her sentences so that they have a particular rhythm that mirrors the reading voice, and how constantly being surrounded by books and reading gave her such a fascination and love for reading and writing.

Additionally, she used her ability to listen in order to inspire her writing, finding stories, inspiration for stories, dialogue, and characters by simply listening to the world around her. By listening and eavesdropping as a young girl, she was able to cultivate that into a talent for storytelling and writing later on in life.

What crime is Crispin falsely accused of committing?

In the novel, Crispin has been falsely accused of breaking into John Aycliffe's manor home and stealing money from his treasure chest. Unbeknown to Crispin, the Lord Furnival is dying, and the family must make sure that no one with even a possible claim to the Furnival fortune and name can come forth to plead his case. Unfortunately for Crispin, the young boy is the illegitimate son of Lord Furnival and is therefore viewed as...

The accusation by the steward is merely a pretense to cover up any culpability for Crispin's death. Meanwhile Crispin must run for his life, as John Aycliffe has declared him a wolf's head, a criminal who can be hunted down and killed by anyone. Moved by pity for Crispin's difficult situation, Father Quinel advises Crispin to find a city with 'its own liberties' where he can be free from the likes of John Aycliffe. All Crispin will have to do is to stay in a city like Great Wexly or London for a year and a day. If the time passes without incident, Crispin will have earned his freedom.

Saturday 26 October 2013

How does Percy Jackson show he is a hero in chapter 17? I need three examples please.

After Percy, Annabeth, and Grover arrive in Los Angeles, they go to the beach, and Percy steps into the water. He really doesn’t seem to have a plan, but he walks in until he’s up over his head, and then he forces himself to inhale water. He seems to be hoping for some assistance from his father or some inspiration about how he and his friends can proceed on this quest. He finds that “[he] could breathe normally.” He meets with a Nereid who gives him the three pearls, a gift that will be very helpful in the Underworld. Percy’s willingness to take his life into his own hands, risking personal peril, in order to help the quest is quite heroic.

Once the friends walk away from the beach, they are attacked by a gang of kids; Percy attempts to stand up to them, uncapping Riptide, and this is pretty heroic. Though they are outnumbered, Percy doesn’t immediately run away, and this takes a lot of guts (especially because he knows that Riptide won’t work on regular mortals).

However, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover eventually run down the street to get away, going into the only store that looks open: Crusty’s Water Bed Palace. Once there, Crusty traps them, binding them with magic to water beds with the intention of stretching them until they are six feet tall. He reveals himself to be Procrustes, “‘The Stretcher’ […]: the giant who’d tried to kill Theseus with excess hospitality on his way to Athens.” Percy cleverly turns the tide on Crusty, binding him to a bed and then cutting off his head so that he can free his friends. This use of intelligence and quick-thinking is heroic.

Why does Bob Ewell say he didn't run after Tom Robinson after he caught him raping his daughter?

When questioned, Bob Ewell claimed that he didn't run after Tom Robinson because he was too distracted by Mayella's screaming to do so.

Accordingly, Bob Ewell testified that he saw Tom raping his daughter, Mayella, when he came home. When questioned by Mr. Gilmer, the prosecuting attorney, Bob Ewell stated that he had to drop his load of kindling when he heard his daughter's screams. Supposedly, Bob went to check on Mayella but accidentally ran into the fence in the process. After he disentangled himself, Bob Ewell mentioned that he looked in at the window. That's when he apparently saw Tom Robinson raping his daughter.

However, Bob Ewell also testified that he ran round the house in order to get in. Interestingly, he didn't bother to try to stop Tom when he saw Tom run out the front door. Later on, Bob Ewell's story starts to fall apart when Atticus reveals that Bob is left-handed. As Mayella's injuries were sustained on the right side of her face, Atticus was trying to show the court that Bob Ewell could have beaten up his own daughter and blamed it on Tom Robinson. The fact that Tom's left arm is disabled (due to an injury) further solidifies Atticus' skillful portrayal of Bob Ewell as an unreliable witness.

In the Grapes of Wrath, is Tom Joad powerful? How does he demonstrate power?

Tom Joad's power in The Grapes of Wrath is in the strength of his character. It is shown in his ability to adapt, change when necessary, inspire others, and expand the circle of those he cares for and about. He is also a relatively strong man physically, but his important power is internal.

When we first meet Tom he has just been paroled from prison for killing a man in self-defense, and has survived by...

When we first meet Tom he has just been paroled from prison for killing a man in self-defense, and has survived by taking it a day at a time. At this point in Steinbeck's novel, Tom is mainly concerned for himself, and how to survive as a man on parole during the Great Depression. When he reconnects with his family it becomes clear to him that he is the one on whom the others depend. For the first time he has to be responsible not just for himself, but for others. At first this extends mostly to his family and friends, but eventually he comes to care for all the "downtrodden", poor, and abused people. He works to help others, even though this makes him far more likely to come to the attention of the authorities. Tom's power is shown in his willingness to put himself at risk for others. When his mother tells him he is likely to be killed for his work, he responds,

Then it don't matter. I'll be all around in the dark - I'll be everywhere. Wherever you can look - wherever there's a fight, so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad. I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry and they know supper's ready, and when the people are eatin' the stuff they raise and livin' in the houses they build - I'll be there, too.

What problem do Della and Jim have in the story?

Della is the point-of-view character in "The Gift of the Magi." She and Jim have the same problems: each wants to buy the other a nice Christmas present, and neither of them has any money. But it would be a mistake to try to write an essay about this story as if both Della and Jim have problems of equal weight. This is Della's story. Jim is a minor character. He only appears at the end. He exists mainly in Della's thoughts, and we see him from her point of view when he returns home from work. People will always remember "The Gift of the Magi" as a story about a young woman who sold her long, treasured hair in order to buy her husband a Christmas present. It is true that Jim sold his watch, but that happened offstage, so to speak. We do not see him agonizing over buying his wife a gift or agonizing over parting with the elegant gold watch which had been his father's and his grandfather's before that. In writing a paper about this story it would be much easier to focus on Della's thoughts, feelings, and actions than to try to deal with the problems of both characters simultaneously. We know very little about Jim, but we know a lot about Della because O. Henry chose to make it Della's story. We see that remarkable long, youthful, glowing hair done up, let down, done up again, and finally shorn off by the unsympathetic Madame Sofronie. Everything is about Della's hair. Even the combs Jim brings her were intended to hold and highlight that beautiful long hair.

How can others' rights be obstructed?

There are ways the rights of people can be obstructed. One way is during a war. During World War I, the government passed laws that limited the rights of the people. The Sedition Act made it illegal to criticize the government or war effort. This restricted our right to freedom of speech. The Espionage Act made it possible for the government to punish antiwar activities. This also restricted our right to freedom of expression.

Another...

Another way the rights of people can be obstructed is by actions of the courts. In the case of Engel V Vitale, the Supreme Court ruled that prayer can’t be required in public schools. In Abington School District V Schempp, the Supreme Court ruled that daily bible readings in public schools were illegal. These rulings limit freedom of religious practice.

Finally, the actions of people can interfere with the rights of people. A person who is smoking is violating a person’s right to breathe clean air. A ban on smoking violates a person’s right to smoke. There are many ways the rights of people can be obstructed.

How do I come up with a good thesis statement for the book The Great Gatsby?

F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsbyhas many significant themes, characters, conflicts, symbols, and other elements that contribute to its quality. Writing a good thesis statement for the novel would depend on whether or not your teacher has provided you with a prompt or if you've been given free range to propose your own argument regarding Fitzgerald's text. Because I'm not sure what the case is, I'm going to give you general advice on...

F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby has many significant themes, characters, conflicts, symbols, and other elements that contribute to its quality. Writing a good thesis statement for the novel would depend on whether or not your teacher has provided you with a prompt or if you've been given free range to propose your own argument regarding Fitzgerald's text. Because I'm not sure what the case is, I'm going to give you general advice on writing a strong thesis statement, and then touch on a few key elements of The Great Gatsby that you could choose to focus on in your paper.

A strong thesis statement needs to be argumentative, not a statement of fact. That means that your thesis statement needs to claim that there is some sort of relationship or connection between two elements of the text, and then the rest of your essay depends on proving that your claim is true. If you are struggling with identifying whether or not your thesis is an argument, an easy way to ensure that it is in fact argumentative is to use the word "because".

Writing for The Great Gatsby tends to address several key aspects, which I can list here for you as inspiration:

Theme: The American Dream

Symbols: The Green Light, cars

Diction: Imagery

Conflicts between characters

Characterization of characters to develop a theme, conflict, or symbol

Friday 25 October 2013

Discuss the conflict between good and evil in Macbeth.

On one level, the struggle between good and evil in Macbeth is a simple one. Macbeth, responsible for so much evil in the play, is destroyed by the good Macduff, allowing Malcolm, revealed as a sympathetic character, to rise to the throne of Scotland. So in the end, one might say, good prevails. But the real struggle between good and evil in this play is an internal one within Macbeth himself. Portrayed as a decent, honest, valiant nobleman at the beginning of the play, Macbeth becomes twisted beyond recognition by ambition. He commits, or conspires to commit, one murder after another to satisfy this ambition, driven early on by his wife, who is portrayed as a woman made thoroughly evil by ambition. So in this way, one might argue, evil wins. It destroys Macbeth and his wife as well as Macbeth's ties with his cousin Malcolm and friend Banquo.

The role of Hecate and the witches, or the "weird sisters" is also important here. We are left to debate whether Macbeth pursued his evil course of action out of free will, or whether the witches were able to exercise their malevolent influence on him, and events more generally, to cause chaos in Scotland. In any case, if there is a "good" force to battle the forces (if, perhaps, only the potential forces) of evil that the witches represent, we do not know about it in the play. Macbeth's conscience seems weak indeed in the face of the temptations their prophecies place in front of him.

Where in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird are references to the themes of pride or tradition?

Pride vs. humility is a dominant theme found in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. The development of humility is one lesson Scout learns as she matures throughout the book. One scene in which she begins to understand the value of humility concerns the moment she observes her farther shoot the rabid dog named Tim Johnson. In Chapter 10, the moment Scout, Jem, and Calpurnia realize Tim Johnson is rabid, Calpurnia immediately phones...

Pride vs. humility is a dominant theme found in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. The development of humility is one lesson Scout learns as she matures throughout the book.

One scene in which she begins to understand the value of humility concerns the moment she observes her farther shoot the rabid dog named Tim Johnson. In Chapter 10, the moment Scout, Jem, and Calpurnia realize Tim Johnson is rabid, Calpurnia immediately phones Atticus at his office, who tells her to warn all the neighbors and that he is bringing Sheriff Heck Tate. When Atticus and the sheriff arrive and the dog gets close enough to be shot at, Jem and Scout are astonished to see Tate hand his riffle over to Atticus and beg Atticus to take the shot, warning Atticus that it is a "one-shot job" and that Atticus is the only person in Maycomb County who could successfully make the shot. Jem and Scout are even more astonished as they watch their father perfectly succeed in making the difficult and dangerous shot.

More importantly, while discussing the shot with Miss Maudie, Scout comments that she would think Atticus would be proud of his talent to shoot so well. Yet, Miss Maudie makes a very revelatory statement: "People in their right mind never take pride in their talents" (p. 102). As Miss Maudie further explains, Atticus did not take pride in his God-given talent of marksmanship because he realized it put him at an "unfair advantage over most living things" (p. 101). In other words, Miss Maudie is asserting that people should not take pride in their God-given talents because those talents place them at unfair advantages. Once a virtuous person like Atticus realizes the unfair advantage, such a person is likely to realize that he/she is unworthy of having such an unfair advantage, and the realization of unworthiness is the very definition of humility. Hence, from watching her father display perfect marksmanship and knowing he had kept his abilities a secret all this time, Scout learned that pride is not always a virtue, that humility is far more virtuous than pride.

Later, in Chapter 13, contrary to the above, Scout and Jem are also taught to take pride in their family heritage. Their Aunt Alexander was surprised to learn that Atticus had never taught the children much about their family heritage and to have pride in their family heritage. Therefore, she commands Atticus to inform the children that they are the "product of several generations' gentle breeding" and valuable to Maycomb County (p. 134).

Thursday 24 October 2013

How does the speed-up affect Lyddie in Lyddie? How does it affect the other girls?

Lyddie does not complain about the speedup, but she does get hurt and sick.

Lyddie becomes a factory worker after her mother leaves. She does not last long working at a tavern before she gets fired, and she has learned that she can make more money at the factory. She needs the money to pay off the family debts so that her family can be re-formed.

Lyddie picks up how to do the factory work...

Lyddie does not complain about the speedup, but she does get hurt and sick.

Lyddie picks up how to do the factory work quickly. She is a fast learner and a hard worker.

So it was that when the Concord Corporation once again speeded up the machinery, she, almost alone, did not complain. She only had two looms to tend instead of the four she'd tended during the summer. She needed the money. (Ch. 12)

While many of the other girls are going home because they can’t keep up the pace, Lyddie just keeps taking on more looms. Many girls are getting sick, and some are just worn out.

Betsy explains why she is considering signing the petition for a ten-hour work day.

"… When I started in the spinning room, I could do a thirteen‐hour day and to spare. But in those days I had a hundred thirty spindles to tend. Now I've twice that many at a speed that would make the devil curse. I'm worn out, Amelia. We're all worn out." (Ch. 12)

No matter how much the machines speed up and how many she is assigned, Lyddie keeps up the pace. She has become one with the machines. With four machines to tend, Lyddie has to remain focused on her work. The overseers get rewards for producing more goods.

As the New England workers leave, they are replaced with Irish immigrants. These girls live in tenements in a rough part of town. Rumor is that they work for lower wages.

One day Lyddie gets hurt when a shuttle from the machine hits her right temple. She does not even want to go home from work. Diana takes her to her doctor friend. Later, Lyddie gets very sick. After many days with a fever she recovers. Many girls do not.

What images from chapters 9-15 of The Scarlet Letter are more vivid than those in previous chapters?

From chapter 9, the image of Chillingworth's face getting darker and darker, becoming more "ugly and evil" the longer he lives with Dimmesdale, as though it were "getting sooty with the smoke" of hell is pretty vivid. To imagine an older face becoming grizzled and darkening as though with hell's soot is quite a visual image indeed.

From chapter 10, the narrator presents the image of little Pearl collecting burrs and "arrang[ing] them along the...

From chapter 10, the narrator presents the image of little Pearl collecting burrs and "arrang[ing] them along the lines of the scarlet letter that decorated the maternal bosom, to which the burrs, as their nature was, tenaciously adhered." Such an image is both visual and tactile, as we can see the red A outlined in green, and imagine the prickliness of the burrs.

From chapter 12, the sight of Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl all together on the scaffold makes for a pretty memorable image. The narrator says that "The three formed an electric chain." It is easy to imagine the tension running through the characters in this moment. Further, the "great red letter in the sky -- the letter A" that a meteor paints in the night sky is quite vivid as well. The townsfolk interpret it to stand for "Angel" for John Winthrop, the first governor of the colony, but readers likely interpret it as a signal from God and/or nature that Dimmesdale's guilt is known.

In "The Monkey's Paw," who do you think was knocking on the door at the end of the story?

The author has told the story in such a masterful way that I cannot help believing it is Herbert standing right on the other side knocking for admission. Like Mr. White, I dread the thought of seeing this formerly happy, playful young man as he must look now. Mrs. White did not see him after he died. He was caught up in the textile machinery where he worked and horribly mangled. Then he was buried and has been decaying for some ten days. Unfortunately, Mr. White did not consider that when he made his second wish. He was reluctant to make that wish at all, but his wife forced it out of him. The author had established that only the owner of the paw could make a wish with it, and Mr. White had become the owner by insisting on paying Sergeant-Major Morris a small sum of money. Mr. White had blurted out the following:

He raised his hand. "I wish my son alive again."

Furthermore, who else could it be out there at that time of night in those weather conditions? The author has not suggested any alternatives. There is one hint that the person knocking at the door could be some stranger lost in these dark, sparsely settled suburbs, who is seeking directions. This hint is given in the following excerpt.

He sat until he was chilled with the cold, glancing occasionally at the figure of the old woman peering through the window. The candle-end, which had burned below the rim of the china candlestick, was throwing pulsating shadows on the ceiling and walls, until, with a flicker larger than the rest, it expired.

The author V. V. Jacobs wanted to maintain the possibility that the wishes made with the monkey's paw could have all been granted as the result of mere coincidence.

"Morris said the things happened so naturally," said' his father, "that you might if you so wished attribute it to coincidence."

Mrs. White was standing at the bedroom window with a lighted candle (these were still the days before electric lights), and the candle was throwing shadows on the ceiling and walls. A stranger looking for help would have seen that light in all that darkness and would have been sure there was someone at home. That would explain why he continued knocking louder and louder. He was desperate.

Nevertheless, the odds that it was actually the gruesome monster that had been Herbert was standing out there pounding on the door seem so high that it is nearly impossible not to imagine what he must look like and to dread seeing him enter that little house to resume residence with his horrified parents.

The story resembles one by the Russian writer Leonid Andreyev (1871-1919) titled "Lazarus." It is about the biblical Lazarus who was raised from the dead by Jesus. According to the summary (see reference link below):

Lazarus has just returned home after being dead for three days. Sumptuously dressed, he is surrounded by his sisters Mary and Martha, other relatives, and friends celebrating his resurrection. His three days in the grave have left marks on his body; there is a bluish cast to his fingertips and face, and there are cracked and oozing blisters on his skin. The deterioration of his body has been interrupted, but the restoration, his return to health, is incomplete. His demeanor, too, has changed. He is no longer joyous, carefree, and laughing, as he was before death.

How does an organism survive? Including its habitat, how it obtains food, shelter, and how it avoids danger.

Organisms need basic elemental things to survive. The things they need depend on the biome they are living in, but basically boil down to the following: sunlight, water, food, temperature, and air. Animals will also need some form of shelter, a place to call home, to rest, to recharge. Sunlight is the primary energy source; all green plants require the radiation from the sun to manufacture food in a process called photosynthesis. Water is required on both plants and animals, some more, some less, depending on the life form. Food is eaten by animals, some in plant form, some consume other organisms, all to produce energy for their cells in a process called cellular respiration. Animals need oxygen to survive, while plants need carbon dioxide to participate in photosynthesis.

Depending on the habitat, all these factors must be covered. An animal living in the rain forests of South America will have unlimited supplies of water, sun, and food. Animals in the polar extremes, like polar bears, have exactly the opposite in terms of availability, but manage to find resources where they live. Then, compare animals and plants living in desert biomes, where water is scarce, food is scarce, and sun and temperature are abundant. This is why you find the variety of different organisms worldwide, depending upon where and how they make their living.

Avoiding danger is another concern for survival. In the wild, there is an established food chain. Depending upon an organism's location on the food chain, being consumed by a larger consumer is a real concern. Not only do they have to consume for themselves, they have to avoid becoming food. Beavers do this by building a beaver dam, which has several entrances, from underwater. This is a safe haven from which they may procure food, and avoid becoming food, for say, a hungry bear.

What is difference between point mutations and frameshift mutations?

Mutations are changes in the genetic code. DNA holds the genetic code. Nucleotides make up DNA. Therefore, mutations change the order and/or the number of nucleotides changes within DNA. If the codons on the complementary mRNA strand that is created during transcription do not code for the same amino acids that are brought over during translation, then mutations can change the structure and function of the protein produced. However, some mutations are unnoticed because the altered and original nucleotide...

In a point mutation, one nucleotide is swapped out for another. Therefore, the mutation occurs at a single point or location within the DNA strand. Point mutations usually only affect the codon that contains the altered nucleotide.

Frameshift mutations are due to either insertions or deletions of nucleotides. This causes the entire DNA strand to elongate or to shrink in size. Thus, frameshift mutations may alter all of the codons that occur after the deletion or insertion. Therefore, frameshift mutations tend to be more detrimental than point mutations.

Wednesday 23 October 2013

What do people in the town generally think of Miss Strangeworth?

Generally, people in the town are fond of Miss Strangeworth and we can see this from their interactions with her. When she goes to the grocery, for example, she is instantly acknowledged by other customers:

Half a dozen people turned away from the shelves and counters to wave at her or call out good morning.

Similarly, other members of the town value her opinion and experiences. Mrs Crane, for example, asks Miss Strangeworth for an...

Half a dozen people turned away from the shelves and counters to wave at her or call out good morning.

Similarly, other members of the town value her opinion and experiences. Mrs Crane, for example, asks Miss Strangeworth for an opinion on child development:

Don' you think she ought to move around more? Try to sit up, for instance?

Miss Strangeworth is also well-respected by younger members of the community, as shown when she goes to the Post Office. Most of the children, for example, stand back "respectfully" and many of them greet her by saying hello.

Arguably, people like Miss Strangeworth because they have no idea that she is the mastermind behind the poison pen letters. On the surface, she appears to be a kind and friendly old lady but, in reality, she uses her anonymous letters to upset and wreak havoc on the lives of others. This idea demonstrates the notion that appearances can be deceptive and this is one of the story's central themes.

If we use weedicides, why are useful crops not affected?

Weedicides, which are also known as herbicides, are chemicals which are harmful to plants. Herbicides can be selective (only kill certain types of plants) or non-selective (kill all types of plants).

Selective herbicides have different mechanisms of action. Different plants will have varying degrees of susceptibility to different mechanisms of action due to differences in absorption of the chemical and the physiology or morphology of the plant. Thus, care is taken to select the appropriate...

Weedicides, which are also known as herbicides, are chemicals which are harmful to plants. Herbicides can be selective (only kill certain types of plants) or non-selective (kill all types of plants).

With respect to non-selective herbicides, it is generally the manner in which these herbicides are applied which limits the effects on useful crops. Non-selective herbicides are generally dispensed as a liquid spray which is applied directly onto the weeds. Care is taken to prevent applying the herbicides to the useful crop plants. Alternatively, these types of herbicides may be applied to entire fields before the useful crop is planted.

Explain how Oberon gets what he wants from Titania in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Oberon is very tricky when it comes to getting the little boy away from Titania. At first, he tries negotiation. He has been arguing with Titania long enough when we first see them in Act II, but Titania won't give him the boy because Oberon wants to train him to be a henchman and she wants to honor his mother's memory by rearing him herself. When Titania refuses Oberon for the last time and leaves, he says the following:

"Well, go thy way. Thou shalt not from this grove

Till I torment thee for this injury" (II.i.148-149).

This shows that Oberon means business and intends to harm Titania. So, he tells Puck to go get a flower with a magic love potion in it. The goal is to get Titania to fall in love with something hideous in order to distract her so he can steal the boy away. The question is, does it work? The audience finds out in Act IV as follows:

"When I had at my pleasure taunted her,

And she in mild terms begg'd my patience,

I then did ask of her her changeling child;

Which straight she gave me, and her fairy sent

To bear him to my bower in Fairyland.

And now I have the boy," (IV.i.53-59).

Most of Act III shows Titania in love with Bottom, whose head has been turned into that of a donkey's. Oberon sits back and laughs at the scene, then he goes and makes fun of her to her face. Once she is finally humble, vulnerable, are drugged sufficiently, he asks for the boy and she "willingly" gives the boy over to him. It's a pretty clever trick, but not very nice, either.

Tuesday 22 October 2013

What is significant about the following simile, and how does it add to the mood and/or theme of "The Pedestrian"? The light held him fixed,...

This passage is significant because it points directly to what an anachronism the pedestrian has become in his society. Also, this final act adds an even more despairing tone to the narrative, underscoring the theme of depersonalization and alienation of the society in which Leonard Mead lives.

Again a light holds a person transfixed. Just as almost everyone else in the town sits in dark houses mesmerized by the television sets' programs, Leonard Mead is...

Again a light holds a person transfixed. Just as almost everyone else in the town sits in dark houses mesmerized by the television sets' programs, Leonard Mead is held captive by a beam of light, except this situation involves the light from the sole police car of the town. He is held still by its blinding light, much like a deer who is blinded by the headlights of a vehicle at night as he attempts to cross a highway.

Interrogated by an automated voice, Mead is arrested because he has "no profession" since he has been a writer and no one reads anything anymore.

Everything went on in the tomblike houses at night now, he thought, continuing his fancy. The tombs, ill-lit by television light, where the people sat like the dead, the gray or multicolored lights touching their faces, but never really touching them.

As the patrol car traverses the streets, Mead sees that his house stands alone as the only one with lights shining from it. But, like the museum specimen, he has been torn from his own environment and trapped into non-existence.

How are romance and realism blended in Jane Eyre?

Jane Eyre is a romance that actually portrays the heartache and pain often associated with love in real life.

Romance: Jane Eyre meets a rich gentleman named Edward Rochester. Although not initially attracted to him, she slowly begins to admire and eventually love him. In the end, they marry and she is very happy. It is something of a fairytale romance since she is of a lower class and he is wealthy and in the upper class (see of Jane Eyre).

Realism: Jane does not live a happy life. She grows up in an abusive home, and then lives at a school that is also cruel and unpleasant. When she meets Mr. Rochester, she begins to love him, even though given her status it would be very difficult if not impossible to marry him. This part of love—wanting someone you can’t have—is extremely relevant to people on many different levels. It seems the heart always wants what it can’t have.

Surprisingly for Jane, Mr. Rochester returns her love, and the two decide to marry. But on the wedding day, Jane discovers that Mr. Rochester has deceived her—actually lied to her by hiding the fact he was already married, and leading her to believe he was single. Utterly betrayed by her true love and completely heartbroken, Jane flees.

While living away from Mr. Rochester, Jane receives a proposal of marriage from another man. Even though this is a good opportunity for her (given her status), Jane turns it down, her aching heart still with Mr. Rochester.

This element of the story is vividly true. Even though Mr. Rochester was a liar and completely broke Jane’s heart, she loved him anyway.

In the end, Mr. Rochester suffered for his choices during a terrible fire, and the story does not end “happily ever after” in the romantic, Disney sense of the phrase. However, they do reunite and eventually marry, even though Mr. Rochester is now blind. But they are happy together at last.

The romance will thrill the heart of true romantics while keeping a realistic feel, as things aren’t perfect, but the two love each other with their actions. And that is the true definition of love anyway.

Monday 21 October 2013

From Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, why is Atticus Finch idealistic?

An idealist is a person who deeply values noble purposes. He believes that humanity can and should achieve its fullest potential. He is also an optimist, a perfectionist, and a visionary. Atticus Finch is just such a man, but along with all of these positive synonyms, he is not ignorant or naive, either. The question placed, though, is not if Atticus is idealistic or not, but why. What are the influences in his life that helped to create this humble, yet quietly powerful man. The answer is in the people and places that shaped him as well as his higher level of education and position as an attorney in the community.

First of all, Atticus is a multi-generational native of Maycomb County, Alabama. His ancestors settled in the county and called their land "Finches Landing." He has a strong sense of loyalty to his home and to his family. He left home to get his law degree, but he came back rather than make a home somewhere else. He also financially supported his brother through medical school. Scout describes her father's loyalty to his home county as follows:

"He liked Maycomb, he was Maycomb County born and bred; he knew his people, they knew him, and because of Simon Finch's industry, Atticus was related by blood or marriage to nearly every family in the town" (5).

Atticus's loyalty runs through the blood of the county because he's related to most of it. As a result, Atticus loves and has patience with the people who live there. Because of this loyalty and love, he wants his home and the people there to grow, prosper, and succeed. This can be seen in the way he is patient and kind with everyone. This love and loyalty also give him the motivation to believe the best is in everyone and to forgive them their shortcomings.

Another reason why Atticus is an idealist is because he comes from a privileged family. Simon, the first one in Maycomb, also became wealthy enough to be self-reliant while also gaining the respect of his neighbors. People who are wealthy have time and money for education, which also places them in good positions to learn about the best things in life and the potential that one can achieve. That wealth would have been passed on if it had not have been for the Civil War. Scout describes his views in the following way:

"Simon would have regarded with impotent fury the disturbance between the North and the South, as it left his descendants stripped of everything but their land" (4).

Atticus didn't grow up wealthy like his ancestor, but that privileged, ancestral foundation still held true for him. Hence, he was the first Finch to leave the Landing to pursue a higher education. Along with a higher education came an understanding of what the world had been in the past, as well as what it could be in the future. People without a higher education usually do not have the depth and breadth of knowledge to support a belief in noble purposes. The education he gained, his chosen field of work, and the fact that he's very well-read all help to support a positive, idealistic mindframe for noble pursuits.

Why does the poet say "I firmly believe" instead of "I believe" in the poem "I Believe" by Brucellish K Sangma?

The addition of "firmly" has to do with the poem's meaning. The poet wrote 6 complete stanzas in the poem. The first five stanzas are about all of the things that the speaker could supposedly do, if she put her mind to it. Things like soar to the heights like a bird or dive deep with the sharks are all included. The final stanza is this:

But I firmly believe I've to complete

The role...

But I firmly believe I've to complete

The role assigned to me here

Where I dream and breathe

The poet's meaning here is that it doesn't matter what he can accomplish. What does matter is that the narrator does well the tasks that he is involved in. His calling in life might be to swim with sharks. It might be to fly high in the sky. It might be something else. Whatever it is, the poet strongly believes that it must be done. It's not a question of should. It's a calling that will be accomplished no matter what.

Sunday 20 October 2013

Did Friar Laurence do wrong to Romeo and Juliet because his aim was to rescue Juliet? How did his actions lead to sorrow?

Friar Laurence married Romeo and Juliet because he hoped to bring about a reconciliation between the Capulets and Montagues. This was a noble motive, but things go horribly wrong when Romeo kills Tybalt, a Capulet, in a duel in the streets of Verona. He is banished for this offense, and shortly thereafter the situation worsens when Lord Capulet agrees to Juliet's marriage to Paris. Of course, he is unaware that she is married to Romeo. Juliet cannot marry Paris, and the Friar cannot marry them. Juliet is distraught and near suicide. The Friar's plot to have Juliet fake her own death by drinking a poison, while very dangerous, is born of desperation. The Friar sees it as a way to reunite the young couple, but it does indeed lead to disaster. This is because Romeo receives the news of Juliet's "death," but not news of the Friar's plot. Friar John, who was chosen by Laurence to carry the message to Romeo, could not reach him. Romeo hurries to Juliet's tomb, where he takes his life by drinking poison. When Juliet awakes, she finds her husband dead, and kills herself with his dagger. The Friar's plan, while well-intentioned, falls apart, leading to sorrow for both the Montagues and Capulets.

How do the different connotation and tone portrayed in the "hips" and the "high heels" scenes from The House on Mango Street compare and...

Connotation has to do with the popular meaning of a word or concept. Tone refers to the author's attitude conveyed in the story. Since The House on Mango Street is told from Esperanza's perspective, her understanding behind the "hips" and "high heels" might be different than what an adult or younger child might understand. For example, in "The Family of Little Feet," Esperanza and her friends walk around their neighborhood wearing lemon-colored high heels. They are feeling grown up and pretty as they practice crossing their legs when they sit or making "the shoes talk back to you with every step" (40). The tone for this scene is fun and happy as the girls pretend to be women in these womanly shoes. The connotation of high heels, to the girls, has to do with feeling pretty and grown up. However, the tone and connotation changes when Rachel asks a bum if he thinks the shoes are pretty. To the bum, high heels connote prostitution, and he offers Rachel a dollar to kiss him. The tone changes from fun to creepy, with a little bit of seriousness mixed in, because Esperanza says, "She is young and dizzy to hear so many sweet things in one day, even if it is a bum man's whiskey words saying them" (41). This coming-of-age experience teaches Esperanza, and hopefully Rachel, not to discuss high heels and other such things with strangers—especially older men on the street.

The coming-of-age theme continues in "Hips" as the older girls discuss the connotation hips have for them. The girls say that hips are for holding babies while cooking, for dancing, and to signify that a girl is turning into a woman and not a man (50). The tone of this vignette is happy, yet analytical, because the girls are excited to be getting hips and becoming women, but they are just beginning to learn about and become interested in these changes. The girls innocently talk about how hips help with bearing children, but Esperanza adds a scientific tone to the subject and says that girls need to practice how to walk correctly when they get hips, too.

Nenny, on the other hand, being younger, is oblivious to the concept or importance of hips and continues to sing her innocent jump rope songs rather than making up one about hips like the older girls. The difference behind the older girls' connotation of hips and Nenny's shows a gap between girlhood and womanhood. The vignette ends with a childlike tone as Nenny, oblivious to puberty and womanly changes, continues to sing her childish jump rope songs. "She is in a world we don't belong to anymore," says Esperanza (52).

Heart of Darkness can sometimes seem to the reader like an incredibly dark, depressing story that paints realization in a very negative light. Did...

You are very right in thinking that Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is a depressing story; indeed, by the end of the novella, it's easy to regard the whole human race with mistrust and suspicion. However, I think that simply saying the book is depressing is doing it a disservice (at least to some extent).

For me, the aspect of Heart of Darkness that was most engrossing was its intense exploration of human nature. I...

For me, the aspect of Heart of Darkness that was most engrossing was its intense exploration of human nature. I see the whole story as an extended metaphor for the exploration of human identity and the individual psyche. Marlowe's trip up the river becomes a journey back into the primordial essence of humanity, and as he moves farther from civilization, we learn more about the origins of our species. Granted, much of Marlowe's revelations are depressing and disturbing (Kurtz's disheveled life is especially distressing to read about), but I don't see this depressing nature as the dominant tone. Instead, I see the story as almost a scientific dissection of the energies, influences, and essences that make up human nature. In fact, I actually find the story exciting, albeit in a somewhat distressing, demented way.

It's worth noting at least one potentially uplifting element, however: during the course of Marlowe's journey, it becomes apparent that most of the natives are actually more civilized than the supposedly civilized Europeans. For instance, the native cannibals working on Marlowe's riverboat show remarkable restraint by respecting the Europeans and essentially choosing to starve, rather than offend the white men's cultural sensibilities. While this gesture might not seem like much (they're basically deigning to not eat the white men, after all), it is remarkably civilized when one considers that the white settlers don't think twice about enslaving and murdering the natives. I find this subtle social commentary relatively uplifting, as it handily subverts the established racial hierarchy of Conrad's time.

Who were the puritans in The Crucible by Arthur Miller?

In short, pretty much every character in The Crucible is a Puritan, except perhaps for Tituba who is a slave brought to America from Barbados. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible as a social commentary on what was happening in America during the 1950s in what is now called The Red Scare. Senator Joseph McCarthy was accusing people, specifically actors in America, of being communists. There was absolutely no way to prove that one was innocent of these claims - of course, a communist would deny trying to overthrow the government! With these accusations came backlash from the public, and some careers were impacted by the now-determined-false accusations.

What's really troubling is that Joseph McCarthy had essentially no proof of any guilt for anyone he accused. People were fearful of communism, and he exploited those fears. Arthur Miller hoped that by writing The Crucible and highlighting how crazy and out of control the witchtrials in Salem were, he could draw a parallel to what was happening in America at that time. These Puritan characters offered a great similarity to how hysteria can take hold very quickly and have devastating results.

This is biology related.. Describe the origin and effects of air, soil and water pollution.

There are various sources of environmental pollution. Industrial and domestic discharges are the chief sources of air, water and soil pollution. Our industries, especially the manufacturing sector, generates solid, liquid and gaseous wastes. Inadequate treatment and inappropriate discharge of these waste products into our environment causes pollution. For example, a battery making industry will produce waste containing acids, which if discharged into environment without treatment, may end up in our rivers, thus polluting it. Low pH waste (acidic waste) will decrease the pH of water and causes ion imbalance. Organic wastes will reduce the dissolved oxygen level in the water, thus killing phytoplankton and zooplankton. These effects will also render water unfit for drinking or swimming, etc. When such wastes are discharged into agricultural fields, they contaminate the soil and decrease its fertility, while also harming the native microbial community. Industries also discharge a lot of harmful gases (such as CO2, methane, etc.) into the atmosphere, thus polluting it. These are generated as a result of burning of materials, esp. fossil fuels. When they escape into environment, they make breathing difficult and can also cause acid rain. One big effect of air pollution, esp. by CO2, is enhanced greenhouse effect, causing global warming.

Hope this helps.

Saturday 19 October 2013

What age of person does the First Ghost look like in A Christmas Carol?

The first ghost looks both old and young at the same time.

Fitting the changing nature of the past, where memories are murky, the Ghost of Christmas Past has an interesting look. It is described by Dickens as both old and young at the same time, and both man and woman. The ghost is everyone.

It was a strange figure—like a child: yet not so like a child as like an old man, viewed through...

The first ghost looks both old and young at the same time.

It was a strange figure—like a child: yet not so like a child as like an old man, viewed through some supernatural medium, which gave him the appearance of having receded from the view, and being diminished to a child's proportions. (Stave 2)

Waiting for the ghost, Scrooge is nervous as a result of Jacob Marley’s prediction that three ghosts will visit him. He does not know what to expect, and when the first appointed hour comes, he is exceedingly nervous. The first ghost appears to him through his bed curtains, and has an odd appearance almost as if it is glowing. The description goes on to explain how the ghost’s physical features are contradictory.

Its hair … was white as if with age; and yet the face had not a wrinkle in it, and the tenderest bloom was on the skin. The arms were very long and muscular; the hands the same…. Its legs and feet, most delicately formed, were, like those upper members, bare. (Stave 2)

The ghost glows almost like a candle, and is wearing white. It’s varying and contradictory appearance reflects our view of and memory of the past. As the ghost takes Scrooge through his journey, he shows him the events in his past that have most made him the man he is in the present. Some are pleasant, and some are almost unbearable.

Scrooge’s second ghost, The Ghost of Christmas Past, makes a big impression on him. He was already baffled by Marley’s shackles, and now he is confused by the ghost’s inconsistent features. Yet the ghost shows him things he needs to see but does not want to, so eventually Scrooge can take no more and puts out his light. It will do little good, for the next ghost is coming! By the time Scrooge meets with the Ghost of Christmas present, he is already reflective.

Why did European countries engage in imperialism?

European countries engaged in imperialism for a number of reasons. For one, they sought new secure, captive markets for manufactured goods. This would be profitable and guard against the danger of industrial overproduction, which many blamed for economic downturns in the late nineteenth century. Along with this, many industrialists and investors also wanted access to the cheap natural resources and labor to be found around the world. So colonies were seen as business opportunities.

Europeans...

Europeans also had ideological motives for expansion. Many Social Darwinists thought that white Europeans were superior to non-white peoples around the world, and that they should have no qualms about conquering them. Indeed, many believed that it was the obligation of Europeans to bring culture, technology, and Christianity to others deemed primitive and "savage."

Social Darwinists also tended to view relations between nations as a brutal, pitiless struggle, and the process of imperialism was thus also a "race" to gain the most territory. Great Britain was far in advance of the others, having control of a massive empire by the 1870s. France and the new nations of Germany and Italy were eager to gain territories to rival the British and each other. There was a sense in which the old territorial competitions between European nations on the continent gave way to struggles in colonial lands around the world. These conflicts were somewhat managed by the Berlin Conference of 1885, which effectively carved up the continent of Africa between the European powers.

These motives, economic, ideological, and strategic, were the primary motivators for European imperialism.

What is the name of the boy in Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas that Bruno describes to Lieutenant Kotler?

The name of the boy that Bruno describes to Lieutenant Kotler in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is Shmuel. My guess is that this question is one in a series of questions specifically asked about Chapter 15. This is the chapter when Bruno enters the kitchen and is completely shocked to find Shmuel there. Shmuel is chosen to enter the house because his fingers are so small that he is the only one that can clean the tiny glasses. It should be obvious to the reader that Shmuel's fingers are tiny and thin because he is at the point of starvation. Bruno gives Shmuel food. It is at this point that Lieutenant Kotler comes in and begins his questioning of Shmuel, who replies that he did not steal food. "No, sir. He gave it to me. ... He's my friend." This is the moment that Bruno is forced to explain himself in a way that no nine-year-old child ever should.

I ... he was here when I came in. ... He was cleaning glasses. ... I've never spoken to him. ... I've never seen him before in my life. I don't know him.

Bruno is immediately disgusted with himself for his grave mistake and for his cowardice in the situation. Even so, Bruno does not understand what his denial of friendship means for Shmuel. The next time Bruno sees Shmuel to apologize, Bruno notices that Shmuel is covered in bruises.

Friday 18 October 2013

How might psychologists approach a study of childhood happiness and wellbeing differently from sociologists?

On the whole, psychologists tend to tackle issues from the perspective of the individual mind, while sociologists tend to look at societies or cultures as a whole.

When it comes to the specific issue of childhood well-being and happiness, a psychologist might study factors that contribute to the mental health of children (for example, having caring and warm adults that they can attach to in early childhood, which is currently considered a critical factor to a good upbringing). In many cases, although not all, these factors tend to be typical to most children, unless the psychology of only a very specific group is being studied. These are questions of cognitive health and development.

A sociologist, however is more likely to study the ways a society contributes to the happiness of their children. For example, a sociological study on the same subject might look at ways in which many Latin cultures support this need by surrounding the child with many family and community members, including grandparents and neighbors. These are questions of societal mores and mannerisms.

Please explain why molten magnesium chloride conducts electricity whereas solid magnesium chloride does not.

In order for a substance to conduct electricity charge must be able to move through it. An ionic solid has a rigid structure in which ions and their electrons remain in fixed positions so charges are unable to move through the substance. This also explains the brittleness of ionic solids. They tend to shatter when a force is applied because of the rigid structure. Particles within the crystal lattice are unable to move in response...

An ionic solid begins to melt when heated because the increased vibration of the ions overcomes the electrostatic force holding them in the crystal lattice and they begin to move around. An ionic substance conducts electricity in the liquid or molten state because these mobile ions are able to carry charge throughout the material.

The same thing happens when ionic solids dissolve in water. The hydrated ions are free to move and the solution conducts electricity.

Metals, unlike ionic solids, conduct electricity in the solid state because their shared valence electrons are free to move around and carry charge.

Thursday 17 October 2013

What is the writer's purpose and the writer's message in the story "A Child Called It"?

A Child Called It is a memoir recounting Dave Pelzer's experience with unfathomable child abuse at the hands of his own mother. His case was one of the worst cases of child abuse ever documented in the state of California.

The author's overall message in the novel is to demonstrate that the torture he experienced didn't end up defining him. His mother's abuse didn't destroy his will to survive or his spirit. He managed to...

In the epilogue of the novel, Pelzer stands by the Russian River with his own young son, Stephen. Pelzer hugs Stephen and tells him he loves him. Stephen returns the sentiment and tells his father that this is his favorite place. This exchange shows that the cycle of abuse has been broken. Pelzer is filled with gratitude and and joy as he takes in the scene and reflects on the past.