What are ten items that are significant to Scrooge?

Upon first glance, it doesn't appear that a miser like Scrooge cares for one item, let alone ten.  However, further exploration into A Christmas Carol reveals that while Scrooge might not specifically address the significance of specific items (or even be aware of their significance himself), there are a number of things that he does, indeed, hold dear.

A number of the significant items can be paired together, based on how Scrooge feels about them both before and after his transformation. The items are significant not for sentimental reasons but rather as symbols.  For the sake of simplicity, I've grouped the items in their pairs below.

His money/the turkey (symbol for charity) - The most obvious item of importance to "before" Scrooge is his money.  At the start of the story he is the quintessential miser.  He has money, lots of it, and he doesn't want to share.  Money is the reason for his respect of deceased partner Jacob Marley, an "excellent man of business" in Scrooge's mind, and money was the catalyst for his break up with Belle in his younger years.  Money rules the world for Scrooge.  However, after Scrooge's transformation, money is replaced with charity.  Perhaps the best symbol of Scrooge's charity is the prize turkey from the Poulter's.  Upon waking up Christmas morning, Scrooge is elated.  He understands the true meaning of life.  Upon finding out that it is Christmas day, Scrooge asks a young boy to go purchase the turkey on his behalf.  He plans to send the great bird to the Cratchits, for them to enjoy on Christmas.  His ability to even remember that the turkey was in the window of the shop reveals that he understood its importance, even before his change.

The sparse coal box/the warm fire in the counting house - One of the first things we learn is that Scrooge keeps his counting house very cold.  He  keeps the coal box by his desk, so Bob Cratchit cannot use any coal to warm up the office.  The coal box represents Scrooge's tight-fistedness, a trait that he seems almost proud of.  However, after his transformation, the coal box (and its contents) symbolize his newfound generosity as he commands "Make up the fires, and buy another coal-scuttle before you dot another i, Bob Cratchit!" The fire, the second item of this pair, represents the goodness and generosity that now burns within Scrooge.

His gruel/the bowl of smoking Bishop - Before meeting Marley's ghost, Scrooge is alone in his cold, dark chamber, eating his nightly gruel.  Gruel is a thin, bland, mush with very little substance.  It's a lot like "before" Scrooge.  he is content to have his gruel; he wants nothing more.  To Scrooge, flavor is worthless.  After his transformation, though, Scrooge's change is further accented by his desire to share a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop with Bob.  Smoking bishop is a type of mulled wine or punch.  By nature, it is far more flavorful and exciting than gruel, and the importance Scrooge places on the drink reveals that he, too, is now much more flavorful and exciting.

The bell in Scrooge's room/the church bells - Throughout A Christmas Carol, bells symbolize warnings of varying types and degrees.  The service bell in Scrooge's room is significant because it heralds Marley's arrival.  Its sudden movement sparks tension in both Scrooge and the reader, and proves to be one of the most eerie scenes in the entire book.  Scrooge's old flame, who ended their relationship when she realized he had chosen money over her was named Belle.  And after Scrooge's transformation, he rejoices to hear the church bells.  Just the night before the bell was "gruff" and shrouded by cloud.  Now, in the clear of the morning, they are "glorious."  Now that Scrooge has changed, the bells take on a different tone for both the character and the reader.

The clock in the counting house/the clock at night - Clocks are very significant to Scrooge.  He makes Cratchit work to the very stroke of the hour.  He expects Cratchit to come in on time, if not earlier.  He very clearly ties production to the clock.  Time is, indeed, money to Scrooge.  However, clocks also function as a very important symbol in the story.  Scrooge focuses on clocks throughout, both in regards to the work day and in anticipation of the spirits at night.  Initially, the clock functions as a way for Scrooge to regulate his affairs and employee.  At the end of the story the clock takes on a completely different meaning.  As Scrooge's perspective shifts, so does the value of the clock to him.  He will continue on as an excellent man of business, but he now understands the relative importance of the clock in the grand scheme of life.  Scrooge takes Cratchit's after-Christmas tardiness as an opportunity to trick his employee.  At first he feigns anger, but rather than chastise Cratchit for being late, he instead gives him a good-natured ribbing and promotes him.  Here Scrooge shows that time is still important, but what displays his newfound understanding that what one does with it is far more significant. 

While there are many other items of significance, including Scrooge's bed curtains and burial shirt—important because they help Scrooge to put his own materialism in perspective—the items above represent a number of binaries that Dickens creates to help the reader better understand the depth of Scrooge's transformation.

Why doesn't Alexandra want Atticus speaking about race in front of Calpurnia? Whom does Alexandra think it will encourage?

In Chapter 16 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Aunt Alexandra expresses her point of view that white folks speaking of racial tensions before African Americans only leads to more racial tensions and eventually stirs up rebellion.

The scene opens at breakfast with Aunt Alexandra making known her disapproval of the children having sneaked out to the jailhouse at night to see if their father was in danger. When Atticus proclaims he was...

In Chapter 16 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Aunt Alexandra expresses her point of view that white folks speaking of racial tensions before African Americans only leads to more racial tensions and eventually stirs up rebellion.

The scene opens at breakfast with Aunt Alexandra making known her disapproval of the children having sneaked out to the jailhouse at night to see if their father was in danger. When Atticus proclaims he was glad the children came along since they saved him, her retort is that "Mr. Underwood was there all the time" with his gun, ready to protect Atticus. But Atticus expresses his doubt that Mr. Underwood would have really taken action against the mob since Mr. Underwood "despises Negroes, won't have one near him." It's this comment that Aunt Alexandra expresses disapproval of Atticus having said in front of Calpurnia while she was serving breakfast.

Aunt Alexandra's argument is that talking about the disrespect of and mistreatment of the Negroes "encourages them," meaning encourages them to rebel against the white folks. As Aunt Alexandra sees it, the Negroes gossip about any racist event that occurs in Maycomb, which incites them to rebellion, as we see when she comments, "Every thing that happens in this town's out to the Quarters before sundown."

In contrast to Alexandra, Atticus shows he holds the right views about racism and racial tensions. Atticus argues that he would be showing Calpurnia disrespect if he didn't treat her as valuable enough to talk in front of her about the same problems of racism he spoke of in front of his own children. More importantly, he further argues that if the Negroes were not treated with so much disrespect, they wouldn't talk among themselves and feel the need to form a rebellion. Hence, Atticus demonstrates that a central difference between he and his sister is that he wants to address the problem of racial tension whereas his sister only wants to cover up the problem.

What kind of atmosphere did Poe create in "The Masque of the Red Death"?

The atmosphere inside the castle seems to be one of frantic, enforced gaiety. It is a bit reminiscent of the court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette at Versailles just before the outbreak of the French Revolution--and perhaps there is a hidden political message in Poe's story. The people inside the castellated abbey do not feel completely safe. They seem to be aware of the devastation being caused by the Red Death outside the castle walls, but to be trying their best to keep from thinking about it by diverting themselves with every possible kind of worldly pleasure.

This story is evidently intended to be read like an extended metaphor representing reality and the human condition. We are all aware that our deaths are inevitable, and yet we try to ignore the fact and to divert ourselves with all kinds of serious and frivolous activities. It would be maddening to have to be confined in such a setting for a long period of time, and the various forms of entertainment would begin to seem like lunacy. The interior of the castle is supposed to be beautiful, but it actually seems rather hideous because of its wild colors and extravagant decorations. The people pretend that they are having a good time, but most of their pleasures seem empty. They have locked the world out, but they have locked themselves in. They are prisoners. Good quotations which would serve as a moral for Poe's story are to be found throughout Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. For example:

I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.

I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

Poe seems to be drawing an analogy between Prince Prospero and his guests, on the one hand, with many of us who are alive today, on the other. We know we are going to have to die someday, but we don't want to think about it. We try to think about anything else. 

In one of Ingmar Bergman's marvelous "existential" films,Through a Glass Darkly (1961), David (Gunnar Bjornstrand), the father of Karin, the lovely girl who has recently been released from a mental hospital and is desperately searching for God, tells his daughter:

We draw a magic circle around ourself and shut out everything that doesn’t agree with our secret games.

Poe seems to be suggesting a similar contrast between "the supreme madness of the carnival" in which Fortunato is taking part in "The Cask of Amontillado" and the catacombs full of dead men's bones just below their feet. Poe was obsessed with death, as is obvious in many of his stories, notably in "Ligeia," which contains his morbid poem "The Conqueror Worm." Here is one stanza: 

But see, amid the mimic rout,
A crawling shape intrude!
A blood-red thing that writhes from out 
The scenic solitude!
It writhes! --it writhes! --with mortal pangs 
The mimes become its food,
And the seraphs sob at vermin fangs 
In human gore imbued. 

"The Masque of the Red Death" is more like a parable than a modern short story. It is very heavy on "atmosphere" but very light on plot. None of the characters is well drawn, including Prince Prospero (who has a name similar to Fortunato's in Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"). 

What lie does Iago tell Roderigo about Desdemona?

In Act II, Iago lies to Roderigo about Desdemona and Cassio. He convinces Roderigo that Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio. This leads to Iago convincing Roderigo to get into a fight with Cassio in the hopes of getting Cassio into trouble, and it works.

"Cassio knows you not. I'll not be far from you. Do you find some occasion to anger Cassio, either by speaking too loud, or tainting his discipline, or from...

In Act II, Iago lies to Roderigo about Desdemona and Cassio. He convinces Roderigo that Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio. This leads to Iago convincing Roderigo to get into a fight with Cassio in the hopes of getting Cassio into trouble, and it works.

"Cassio knows you not. I'll not be far from you. Do you find some occasion to anger Cassio, either by speaking too loud, or tainting his discipline, or from what other course you please, which the time shall more favorably minister" (Act II).

Basically, Iago simply uses the unassuming Roderigo as a pawn in this larger game of chess that he is playing. He knows that Roderigo will be easily swayed and do Iago's bidding. He needs to make Othello dislike Cassio and get Cassio indebted to Desdemona in the hopes of getting his job back.

Ultimately, Roderigo does get into a fight with Cassio, Iago tells Othello, and Cassio is fired. Poor Cassio's misfortunate does not simply end there, though, as Iago continues to advance the rumor that he is cheating with Desdemona, even telling Othello this straight to his face.

In chapter 9, why does Daniel bring back one of the daggers to the man he has robbed?

In Chapter 9, Daniel is given his first solo job to do for Rosh. He is to ambush a lone man who will be walking on a certain road, take his money, and return to camp with it. Daniel feels "uneasy" about doing such a job, but rationalizes it to himself as he waits. Following orders, he pounces on the man, who claims to be a poor pauper, just as Rosh predicted. Daniel fights with...

In Chapter 9, Daniel is given his first solo job to do for Rosh. He is to ambush a lone man who will be walking on a certain road, take his money, and return to camp with it. Daniel feels "uneasy" about doing such a job, but rationalizes it to himself as he waits. Following orders, he pounces on the man, who claims to be a poor pauper, just as Rosh predicted. Daniel fights with him, and the man tries to stab him with one dagger, then another, but Daniel is able to overcome the man and get the knives away from him as well as his money bag. When he is about to leave the man lying at the side of the road, unconscious, he is struck by how the man resembles his grandfather, of whom Daniel has only faint memories. Daniel cannot leave a man who looks like his grandfather in such a precarious position. He drags him to the side of the road and stays with him until he regains consciousness. When he does, Daniel gives him one of the two daggers so that the man will have something with which to protect himself as he continues on his journey. This action earns Daniel derision from Rosh, who calls him "soft," but it shows that Daniel has a level of compassion that Rosh and the other bandits do not.

What type of clothing materials are worn by astronauts and firemen and why?

Astronauts and firefighters wear uniforms or specialty garments made from synthetic fabrics to ensure their safety. It may surprise you to know that their uniforms incorporate a lot of the same materials, even though their jobs are radically different. The fabrics in space suits and firefighting uniforms are flexible but offer insulation from extreme temperatures and debris.

Firefighters wear suits made of Nomex or Kevlar. Both are fire-resistant materials which help to protect the firefighter...

Astronauts and firefighters wear uniforms or specialty garments made from synthetic fabrics to ensure their safety. It may surprise you to know that their uniforms incorporate a lot of the same materials, even though their jobs are radically different. The fabrics in space suits and firefighting uniforms are flexible but offer insulation from extreme temperatures and debris.

Firefighters wear suits made of Nomex or Kevlar. Both are fire-resistant materials which help to protect the firefighter from catching aflame or from sustaining burns when nearby fire. Sometimes, Nomex and Kevlar are blended together. Nomex also insulates against electric charge, which prevents firefighters from being electrocuted.

Nomex is also used in some astronaut clothing. Space suits are made of many layers of protective and insulating materials to ensure durability, flexibility, and insulation. Another important fabric in space suits is called Chromel-R- it helps to keep the astronaut's body heat inside the suit and protect against extremely cold temperatures outside the suit. This fabric is especially important for the hand or glove parts of a suit, as astronauts sometimes handle objects which are very cold!

After one week on the ship, what does Mother have Há's older brother do for the children on board?

Há's brother works on helping the children learn to speak English.

About a third of the way into the story, in the section titled "Routine," we learn that Há and her family have been on the ship for a week. It's a tough situation: there's just barely enough food and water to keep them all alive, and it's incredibly boring.

Há explains that her mom doesn't "allow idle children, hers or anyone else's." She means that...

Há's brother works on helping the children learn to speak English.

About a third of the way into the story, in the section titled "Routine," we learn that Há and her family have been on the ship for a week. It's a tough situation: there's just barely enough food and water to keep them all alive, and it's incredibly boring.

Há explains that her mom doesn't "allow idle children, hers or anyone else's." She means that Mother hates to see kids wasting their time doing nothing, even if it's not even her own kids.

So: 

"Brother Quang begins English lessons."

The narrator doesn't tell us straightforwardly, but we can assume that it's Mother who is having Quang give the English lessons to all the kids on board. (Why else would she tell us first that Mother hates to see children being idle?)

The lessons are probably useful for the kids, who will have to assimilate quickly into the English-speaking world, not to mention they are probably also a welcome distraction. Há, however, is quickly bored by these lessons. She wishes she could just learn the easy stuff, like how to say "How are you?" or "This is a pen." Instead, Brother Quang insists on reminding the children that entering a new country without knowledge of the language is shameful.

How is the theme of the power of words developed in Animal Farm?

In the first chapter, Old Major gives a speech to the other animals to inspire them and encourage a revolution. He explains that man (humans) are the cause of their miseries and determines that a revolt is necessary to improve their lives. He establishes the commandments of Animalism which set up a framework for the improvement of their lives. He then sings "Beasts of England" which is like a national anthem for the animals. The...

In the first chapter, Old Major gives a speech to the other animals to inspire them and encourage a revolution. He explains that man (humans) are the cause of their miseries and determines that a revolt is necessary to improve their lives. He establishes the commandments of Animalism which set up a framework for the improvement of their lives. He then sings "Beasts of England" which is like a national anthem for the animals. The animals are inspired and excited with Old Major's reasoning and his encouragement. The song sends them over the top. This shows the power of words in speech and in song: 

The singing of this song threw the animals into the wildest excitement. Almost before Major had reached the end, they had begun singing it for themselves. 

Throughout the novel, the experiment of Animalism grows steadily worse. As Napoleon gains more power, he has Squealer change the written commandments in order to suit his desire for more power. This is done one commandment at a time, a sly way of changing the laws subtly enough that no animals might notice. The last commandment Old Major gives in Chapter 1 is "All animals are equal." In Chapter 10, after Napoleon has already changed some commandments, he changes this to "All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others." In other words, the pigs are superior to all other animals. Each time Squealer changes the commandments, the law of the land changes. The living conditions of the animals change as well. This shows the power of the written word and of written laws. This shows how written words and laws directly affect lives. 

How does Scout experience loss of innocence, in "To Kill A Mockingbird?"

Scout, one of the main characters in Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird", experiences loss of innocence as she grows up through the book.  One such experience occurs in chapter two, where she is defending Walter Cunningham when Miss Caroline offers him a quarter to pay for his lunch.  She explains that Walter's family wouldn't be able to pay back the quarter, which Miss Caroline took as Scout demeaning Walter and his family

Another loss...

Scout, one of the main characters in Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird", experiences loss of innocence as she grows up through the book.  One such experience occurs in chapter two, where she is defending Walter Cunningham when Miss Caroline offers him a quarter to pay for his lunch.  She explains that Walter's family wouldn't be able to pay back the quarter, which Miss Caroline took as Scout demeaning Walter and his family

Another loss of innocence occurs when a group of school children are defaming Atticus, Scout's father, because he is defending Tom Robinson, a black man.  Racial tension, strife, and disparity abound in the juvenile version of a mob, while Scout doesn't see anything wrong with her father's defense of a black man.

Thirdly, in chapter twenty six, Scout understands hatred for Hitler and Hitler's Germany in it's persecution of Jews, but she doesn't understand her teacher's equal hatred for black people as an equal stance.  In her eyes, the two situations are unequal.

What is aqua-regia? Which metal is obtained from the ore argentite?

Aqua-regia is a mix made up of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. It is also known as King's water or royal water, because of its capability of dissolving gold and platinum. It is made by mixing the two acids in a 1:3 ratio. It is used in gold refining operation and for etching purposes.

The mineral argentite has a chemical formula of Ag2S and is another name for silver sulfide. The metal silver is obtained...

Aqua-regia is a mix made up of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. It is also known as King's water or royal water, because of its capability of dissolving gold and platinum. It is made by mixing the two acids in a 1:3 ratio. It is used in gold refining operation and for etching purposes.

The mineral argentite has a chemical formula of Ag2S and is another name for silver sulfide. The metal silver is obtained from this mineral. In fact, the name of mineral is based on the Latin name of silver (Argentum). It consists of about 87% silver. Interestingly this ore is stable only at high temperature (around 179 degrees Celsius). It is a heavy mineral and has a specific gravity of about 7 gm/ml.

Hope this helps. 

Compare and contrast Popova and Smirnov within the play "The Bear" by Anton Chekhov.

In The Bear, a one-act farce, the exchange between the two main characters, Yelena Ivanova Popova and Gregory Stepanovich Smirnov, is extreme, as these characters both possess intense emotions and are impulse-driven. Certainly, they swiftly prejudge the other and accelerate their antipathies about the opposite sex.

Popova, who has forgiven her deceased husband his many indiscretions, now decides to dedicate herself to his memory by going into mourning. She addresses her dead husband, a philanderer who left...

In The Bear, a one-act farce, the exchange between the two main characters, Yelena Ivanova Popova and Gregory Stepanovich Smirnov, is extreme, as these characters both possess intense emotions and are impulse-driven. Certainly, they swiftly prejudge the other and accelerate their antipathies about the opposite sex.

Popova, who has forgiven her deceased husband his many indiscretions, now decides to dedicate herself to his memory by going into mourning. She addresses her dead husband, a philanderer who left her for weeks, in fond tones, telling him she will be "true to [him] till the grave." She refuses to listen to her servant Luka's encouragements to get out and socialize. 

She is not left alone, however, as Smirnov arrives in order to collect a debt. At first he is polite:

I am Grigory Stepanovitch Smirvov, landowner and retired lieutenant of artillery! I am compelled to disturb you on a very pressing affair.

He tells her that her husband died in debt to him for "one thousand two hundred roubles, on two bills of exchange." Since he must pay the interest on a mortgage the next day, he needs the money this day. But Popova refuses, saying she cannot pay him until her steward returns the next day, and an argument ensues. Neither will concede.

Smirnov refuses to leave her house. As they argue, he accuses her of trying to use feminine wiles against him. This angers her even more, and they argue back and forth about the faults of the other gender. Finally, Smirnov says they should just have a duel. Surprisingly, Popova agrees, although she has never fired a pistol. Smirnov explains about the guns, then he shows her how they work:

You must hold the revolver like this.... [Aside] Her eyes, her eyes! What an inspiring woman!

When Popova declares that she is ready to duel, Smirnov has changed. He tells her he will only shoot into the air because he loves her. She insists that he fire his gun, but Smirnov declares,

You can't understand what happiness it would be to die before those beautiful eyes, to be shot by a revolver held in that little, velvet hand.... I'm out of my senses! 

Popova wants to continue with the feud, but when he kisses her, her protests and her words of hate end abruptly. She, too, falls in love; however, she probably would not have felt any tenderness toward Smirnov if he had not displayed deep feelings toward her.

What led Americans to distrust paper currency?

During the days when the Articles of Confederation was our plan of government, we had serious financial issues. Because there was no unified currency, both the state governments and the federal government printed paper money. Additionally, the federal government didn’t have the power to levy taxes. Thus, money was an issue for the government.

Because the state governments and the federal government were printing money, there was too much money in our economy. This caused...

During the days when the Articles of Confederation was our plan of government, we had serious financial issues. Because there was no unified currency, both the state governments and the federal government printed paper money. Additionally, the federal government didn’t have the power to levy taxes. Thus, money was an issue for the government.

Because the state governments and the federal government were printing money, there was too much money in our economy. This caused inflation as people had the money to buy things, but there weren’t enough goods to meet the demand. As prices rose, the purchasing power of our paper money decreased. As a result, people lost confidence in the value of the paper money. In some places, people stopped accepting paper money as payment for goods and services. They only accepted gold and silver coins because they knew gold and silver had value and would be accepted as payment anywhere.

Printing too much paper money is not a wise economic decision. It leads to inflation and a decrease in the purchasing power of paper money. This, in turn, can cause people to lose confidence in the paper money if inflation is really high.

Is the narrator dying or dreaming in the poem "After Apple Picking"?

As with many of Robert Frost's poems, nature is an important part of the setting and the activity performed in nature creates an opportunity for what is usually an allegorical message. As with "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and "The Road Not Taken," Frost imbues an ordinary event (such as walking in the woods of traveling home) with deeper significance by suggesting that the event is somehow symbolic of a larger picture. Those...

As with many of Robert Frost's poems, nature is an important part of the setting and the activity performed in nature creates an opportunity for what is usually an allegorical message. As with "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and "The Road Not Taken," Frost imbues an ordinary event (such as walking in the woods of traveling home) with deeper significance by suggesting that the event is somehow symbolic of a larger picture. Those two poems offer the description of short journeys as somehow emblematic of life's longer journey and the choices made.

"After Apple Picking" is even more allegorical than these two, since it portrays an activity that embodies the cycle of living: picking apples at the time of harvest, realizing some apples are left unpicked, but that the task is finished. The narrator is weary ("drowsing off" he says, and "I am overtired") and refers to sleep a number of times, referring to a woodchuck hibernating and then to "some human sleep" which may refer to death. The narrator is neither dreaming nor dying, but ruminating on the process of living and the thoughts people have as they contemplate the end of their lives. The apples represent the many experiences the narrator has had in life, some good, some bad, and some in between ("went surely to the cider-heap as if no worth"), and finally realizes there is peace in acceptance of one's death that will come eventually.

What actions do the Flints take after they find out Linda has left in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?

The answer to this question can be found in chapter 17 ("The Flight") of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.  Dr. Flint and his wife are absolutely furious when they find out that Linda has escaped.  As a result, they do three different things.  First, they search Linda's grandmother's house "from top to bottom."  Of course, Dr. Flint thinks that Linda is hiding there.  Linda is smart enough to know not to...

The answer to this question can be found in chapter 17 ("The Flight") of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.  Dr. Flint and his wife are absolutely furious when they find out that Linda has escaped.  As a result, they do three different things.  First, they search Linda's grandmother's house "from top to bottom."  Of course, Dr. Flint thinks that Linda is hiding there.  Linda is smart enough to know not to take that particular action at first.  (The irony is that, after Linda spends some time hiding in Betty's house, she does move to her tiny "loophole retreat" in her grandmother's attic which has already been searched and, therefore, is safe.)  Next, the Flints take out an advertisement for a runaway slave which is "posted on every corner."  This ad offers a "$300 REWARD" for Linda's return to the Flints.  Finally, when this fails to bring Linda back to them, they put Linda's brother and Linda's children in jail.  Of course, Linda learns of this from her space "above the stairs" at Betty's house and is never returned to the Flint plantation.

What motivated Michael Rogers to find the Lacks family?

He was motivated by his extreme curiosity to locate the woman responsible for donating the cells known as immortal HeLa cells.  Michael Rogers was a writer who had a penchant for scientific fiction and nonfiction, particularly that nonfiction that was on the "cutting edge." 

Biogenetic cell culturing was just getting started, and Rogers was busy chasing an elusive story about the cells named HeLa cells, taken from a real woman known only as "Helen Lane." ...

He was motivated by his extreme curiosity to locate the woman responsible for donating the cells known as immortal HeLa cells.  Michael Rogers was a writer who had a penchant for scientific fiction and nonfiction, particularly that nonfiction that was on the "cutting edge." 

Biogenetic cell culturing was just getting started, and Rogers was busy chasing an elusive story about the cells named HeLa cells, taken from a real woman known only as "Helen Lane."  The real woman turned out to be a young mother named Henrietta Lacks, who, after having several children, contracted an extremely aggressive form of cervical cancer.  Dr. George Gey, at Johns Hopkins Hospital, cultured both the cancer cells, as well as normal cells, which became the cells known as "HeLa cells." 

Michael Rogers was a scientific writer who stood out, as he wrote and pursued stories that were ahead of his time.  His pursuit of the Lacks family in this story was for the purpose of providing more solid detail about the woman whose cells had gained a sense of immortality.

In "The Minister's Black Veil", who is the nurse at Hoopers deathbed?

The nurse at Hooper's deathbed is Elizabeth, his former fiancee. 

Not much mention of Elizabeth is made at this point in the story, other than to name her as the nurse. This may be because it is more important for Hooper's personal story arc for her to simply be present, rather than to really do much of anything. 

Hooper's choice to wear the mysterious veil, obscuring his face, comes as much of a surprise to...

The nurse at Hooper's deathbed is Elizabeth, his former fiancee. 

Not much mention of Elizabeth is made at this point in the story, other than to name her as the nurse. This may be because it is more important for Hooper's personal story arc for her to simply be present, rather than to really do much of anything. 

Hooper's choice to wear the mysterious veil, obscuring his face, comes as much of a surprise to Elizabeth as it does to everyone else. Like others, she asks Hooper to remove it for her, appealing to their personal relationship. This was probably meant to fully round out the depiction of Hooper's resolution, showing that no common or earthly temptation was enough to change his mind. However, Elizabeth comes to fear the veil as others do, and breaks off the engagement when she sees that the veil will always separate her from Hooper. Hooper finds it sad that a piece of cloth should have this effect.

Elizabeth's presence at his bedside as he dies, with her affection for him having "endured in secret" tells us that she never stopped caring for Hooper, and while the veil had a powerful effect on his life, some people still saw him for who he was and were not completely superficial about it. It also signifies that the veil had a permanent isolating effect, preventing Hooper from having things that would have been available to him whenever he wanted, had he taken off the veil.

What is the relation between the theme and the characters in the story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"?

In this Irving story, the relationship between characters and themes is that the characters are very representative of the themes themselves.  

Two themes present within "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" are greed and gluttony.  The best character to illustrate those two themes is Ichabod Crane.  The guy is greedy to a fault.  He's a poor school teacher, so he doesn't have a lot of money.  That might be one reason why he is envious,...

In this Irving story, the relationship between characters and themes is that the characters are very representative of the themes themselves.  

Two themes present within "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" are greed and gluttony.  The best character to illustrate those two themes is Ichabod Crane.  The guy is greedy to a fault.  He's a poor school teacher, so he doesn't have a lot of money.  That might be one reason why he is envious, but I have the feeling that Crane would be greedier even if he was the richest guy in town. Ichabod wants everything.  He wants food.  He wants money.  He wants the girl, and the only reason he wants her is because she's rich.  He's a very self-centered guy, which is surprising considering his profession.  As for gluttony, yes, Crane is a glutton.  He eats everything in sight and even fantasizes about eating.  For example, here is what he is thinking about when walking through a forest.   

"of dainty slapjacks, well buttered, and garnished with honey or treacle, by the delicate little dimpled hand of Katrina Van Tassel"

Wealth is another theme present in the story.  You could choose Crane to illustrate the antithesis of wealth and Baltus as the prime example of a character illustrating wealth.  Crane is skinny and poor.  Baltus is fat and rich. 

One last theme.  The power of the supernatural.  Use the Headless Horseman for this one.  

What is the poem "Caged Bird" based on?

Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird” is based on an earlier poem by an African American author by the name of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Dunbar, who lived from 1872–1906, was the son of parents who endured lives of slavery. He became an influential author, not only through his poetry, but through his many literary works, which included poems, novels, and essays.

His poem “Sympathy,” written in 1899, provided Ms. Angelou with material for her famous poem...

Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird” is based on an earlier poem by an African American author by the name of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Dunbar, who lived from 1872–1906, was the son of parents who endured lives of slavery. He became an influential author, not only through his poetry, but through his many literary works, which included poems, novels, and essays.

His poem “Sympathy,” written in 1899, provided Ms. Angelou with material for her famous poem “Caged Bird” and the title for her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The third stanza of his poem is thought to have been the most inspirational. As the son of slaves, Dunbar knew the restrictions racism put on the lives of oppressed people, and this poem expresses the emotions which resided in his soul.

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,

    When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—

When he beats his bars and he would be free;

It is not a carol of joy or glee,

    But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,  

But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—

I know why the caged bird sings!

What are the significant historical events of 1880 to 1925 that form the contextual setting of The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle? Among the...

The Sign Of Four was written against the backdrop of the Sepoy Rebellion or Indian Mutiny of 1857.

By the 1850s, the East Indian Company ruled India on Britain's behalf. In this system, the Sepoys were incredibly fierce and loyal soldiers hired by the English to maintain order at trading posts and reservations. Despite their loyalty, these proud Sepoys were driven to anger and despair at the daily abuses perpetrated upon the Indian people by their English occupiers. As an example, when a local leader died without an heir to continue his rule, the British swooped in to annex the region, without consultation with the local populace. The Sepoys were also incensed by what they saw as an encroaching Christian influence in their country. They felt deeply violated by acts of supreme inconsideration on the part of the British in installing Christian missions and schools in India.

Despite these abuses, the Sepoys didn't mutiny until a rumor took hold upon an unsuspecting public. Accordingly, the British had resorted to using pig and cow grease in the cartridges of rifles that were largely used by the Sepoys. If true, this was considered an outrage. The mutiny started on March 29, 1857, when Mangal Pandey, a Sepoy soldier, refused to use the new rifles. In defiance, he shot an English lieutenant and sergeant-major. This incident fueled many more atrocities before the situation was brought under control by the English. Both sides resorted to brutal violence to achieve victory; yet, not every atrocity on the Indian side was committed by the Sepoys alone. During the Cawnpore massacre (this is mentioned in Jonathan Small's story in Chapter 12), many Sepoys refused to participate in the killing of more than 200 English women, children, and infants. As a result, butchers were brought in by local leaders to cut down the defenseless women and children.

So, why is this background important? In the story, we are given glimpses of the prevailing British opinion about Indians. The imperialist attitude (that Indians were savages who needed to be civilized) can be seen in Holmes' descriptions of various footprints belonging to that of the darker races:

"A savage!" I exclaimed. "Perhaps one of those Indians who were the associates of Jonathan Small."

"Hardly that,"... the remarkable character of the footmarks caused me to reconsider my views. Some of the inhabitants of the Indian Peninsula are small men, but none could have left such marks as that. The Hindoo proper has long and thin feet. The sandal-wearing Mohammedan has the great toe well separated from the others, because the thong is commonly passed between. These little darts, too, could only be shot in one way. They are from a blow-pipe. Now, then, where are we to find our savage?"

And, here again, we see Holmes educating Watson on the savagery of the aborigines of the Andaman Islands. He also tells Watson that some of the smallest races of men may invariably be other darker-skinned peoples such as the Bushmen of Africa, the Digger Indians of America, and the Terra del Fuegians:

'They are naturally hideous, having large, misshapen heads, small, fierce eyes, and distorted features. Their feet and hands, however, are remarkably small. So intractable and fierce are they that all the efforts of the British official have failed to win them over in any degree. They have always been a terror to shipwrecked crews, braining the survivors with their stone-headed clubs, or shooting them with their poisoned arrows. These massacres are invariably concluded by a cannibal feast.'

In the story, Jonathan Small tells of the Sepoy Mutiny in Chapter 12; he describes India being over-run by 'two hundred thousand black devils let loose,' and he also admits his part in making a pact with two Sepoys (Mahomet Singh and Abdullah Khan) and a third, Dost Akbar, in order to save his life during the Mutiny.

The rest of the story is continued in the chapter, of course; however, we can see that this historical background reinforces the English mentality of Indians as inferior savages, and of India as a corrupting influence upon the British psyche. It is no coincidence that every chief player in the Agra treasure incident has been consumed by suspicion and greed.

Another anecdote owing to historical origins in the story would be the infamous 'cocaine discussion' in Chapter 1. In the 19th century, England became a successful global trafficker of opium. From India, opium was trafficked to China. Interestingly, cocaine in 19th Century England was widely used as a mental stimulant. You can read Holmes' rationale of his use of cocaine to Watson in Chapter 1:

I find it, however, so transcendently stimulating and clarifying to the mind that its secondary action is a matter of small moment.

For more, please read about Victorian Drug Use.

I hope that what I have written proves useful for your project. Good luck!

In Julius Caesar, why did Antony have a change of heart about Caesar being the noblest man of all and then Brutus being the noblest man of all?

Antony did not have a change of heart. He never thought that Brutus was more noble than Julius Caesar. He thought that Brutus was the noblest man of all the conspirators. But he thought that Caesar was the noblest man who ever lived anywhere at any time in human history. There are two passages in the text that show clearly how Antony thought and felt about Caesar and about Brutus. One is to be found in the soliloquy he addresses to the dead body of Caesar in Act III, Scene 1. It begins with these lines:

O pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers.
Thou are the ruins of the noblest man
That ever lived in the tide of times.

That is where he expresses his belief that Caesar was the noblest man that had ever lived. Then near the very end of the play, when Antony and Octavius are looking at the body of Brutus, who committed suicide on the battlefield, Antony says:

This was the noblest Roman of them all.
All the conspirators save only he
Did that they did in envy of great Caesar.
He only in a general honest thought
And common good to all made one of them.    V.5

Antony is saying that Brutus was the noblest Roman of all the Roman conspirators. In the first line he says "of them all," meaning only that Brutus was the noblest of the whole group of conspirators--but not that he was the noblest of all the Romans who had ever lived, and certainly not, like Caesar, the noblest man that ever lived anywhere in the world. Brutus, according to Antony's tribute, was the noblest man in a group of perhaps thirty Romans.

The fact that Antony does not hold a higher opinion of Brutus is also shown in what he says to Brutus and Cassius during their parley just before the battle at Philippi. Brutus tells Antony that he has stolen the Hybla bees' buzzing 

And very wisely threat before you sting.

Antony heatedly replies:

Villains, you did not so when your vile daggers
Hacked one another in the sides of Caesar.
You showed your teeth like apes, and fawned like hounds,
And bowed like bondmen, kissing Caesar's feet...      V.1

He is calling both Brutus and Cassius villains. He hates both of them for killing the friend he regarded as the noblest man who ever lived. He considers all of the conspirators villains, including Brutus, because of the way they went about killing Caesar. They had him outnumbered, surrounded, unarmed, unprepared. Brutus was the leader, and Antony must hold him responsible for what he considers butchery.

Antony can afford to be complimentary after he and Octavius have won the battle and Brutus is lying dead. But he obviously does not place him in the same category as the great Julius Caesar.

What is a significant scene in "A Christmas Memory" that depicts the main purpose?

This short memoir contains a number of significant scenes that help to illuminate its purpose, which is capturing the essence of what Christmas was like for the author as a young boy. This story discusses a particular Christmas season, beginning in late November and ending on Christmas Day, and also hints at events that took place weeks, months and years later: in describing the Christmas memories the author is painting a picture of his childhood...

This short memoir contains a number of significant scenes that help to illuminate its purpose, which is capturing the essence of what Christmas was like for the author as a young boy. This story discusses a particular Christmas season, beginning in late November and ending on Christmas Day, and also hints at events that took place weeks, months and years later: in describing the Christmas memories the author is painting a picture of his childhood and honoring his elderly cousin who was an important fixture in his upbringing. One purpose of the story is to demonstrate Buddy's point of view and perspective on life as it must have been influenced by his cousin and friend.

Several scenes stand out as important here: certainly the events surrounding the baking of the fruitcakes is significant, and they span a number of days. These activities including gathering pecans, then going to buy other ingredients with what little money they have (the Fruitcake Fund), buying whiskey at a special secret place, and then four whole days of baking. Buddy describes these activities in a way that shows he looks forward to them every year, and they seem to define the holiday season.

The scene where Buddy and his cousin go out on Christmas Day to fly the kites they made and gifted to one another is also important, perhaps even the most important scene in the story. In this scene, Buddy's cousin admits she has changed her mind about God and religion, and realizes that she does not have to wait until death to see God, and that she sees Him all around her in everyday pleasures and pastimes. Buddy also states that this was their last Christmas together, and that admission gives the entire story context, in terms of his relationship with his friend defining his childhood and creating his most potent memories.

Choose one major event from To Kill a Mockingbird and rewrite it from the perspective of a different character with details.

Although I can’t write this for you, I will be glad to give you some direction.  The first thing you need to do is to pick an event from the novel to rewrite from another character’s perspective.  Here’s a list of major events that could be easy to do:

• Boo Radley’s perspective on why he put the items in the tree for Jem and Scout.


• Tom Robinson’s feelings and emotions when he tries to escape the prison.


• The trial from Helen Robinson’s perspective.


• The attack on Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell’s or Boo Radley’s perspective.


• Mayella Ewell’s perspective on her life.  What happened to Mayella after Tom Robinson runs off and she is left alone with her father who saw her try to kiss Tom?


• Tom Robinson’s feelings the night of the lynch mob.


• Why does Boo Radley remain a recluse in the house?  Is he forced by his family, or is it his choice?

You can choose almost any event, but more exciting ones will be more interesting.  Think about the event from another character’s point of view.  For example, what was Bob Ewell feeling or thinking when he tried to kill Scout and Jem?  Would Helen Robinson be fearful of how her family will survive if Tom went to jail?  How does Mayella Ewell survive the abuse from her father?  What did the flowers in the glass jars symbolize for Mayella?  What was Boo trying to communicate to the children when he put the gum, soap figures, etc. in the knothole of the tree?

After you decide on the event, you need to go to the text to make sure you have enough details to support the character’s point of view.  Think about each character’s life and build on what you think they have experienced as a member of the Maycomb community.  Put yourself in the scene as if you are that character.  Use your senses.  What does Bob Ewell see, hear, feel when he attacks Scout and Jem?  What does Tom Robinson see, hear, feel when he is running for the fence and is shot 17 times trying to escape?

Use your imagination and become the character as you describe the scene.  Take clues from the text to help you understand the characters’ motives for the things they do. 

I hope this helps!

What are the clauses of the bet and what happens when the bet is over?

When the banker and the lawyer agree to make a bet, they stipulate the following conditions:

1. For the duration of the bet (fifteen years), the lawyer shall live in a lodge in the banker's garden and shall not have any contact with the outside world. This includes hearing a human voice and receiving newspapers and letters.


2. The lawyer shall have access to books, musical instruments, wine, cigarettes and is permitted to write letters.


3. The lawyer will receive these goods through a little window in the lodge.


4. The lawyer shall be in confinement for "exactly" fifteen years: that is, "from twelve o'clock of November 14, 1870, and ending at twelve o'clock of November 14, 1885."


5. If the lawyer tries to break any of these conditions, he immediately forfeits all of the prize money.

At the end of the fifteen years, however, the lawyer agrees to leave the lodge a few hours early. He deliberately makes himself the loser of the bet and does this because he is no longer interested in winning the money. This comes as a great relief to the banker who would have become bankrupt, had the lawyer succeeded.

Where can I find any chronological timeline information for the 12th or 13th centuries for my studies about Medieval History?

In addition to the sources described by the first response, there are many options for learning more about the Middle Ages. Certainly one major font of information is in literature, and the timeline approach to studying history is revealed in the changes seen in written literature, as it becomes more refined and sophisticated over time. Medieval literature's timeline is particularly fascinating, for it provides the basis for the literary and intellectual phenomenon of the Renaissance,...

In addition to the sources described by the first response, there are many options for learning more about the Middle Ages. Certainly one major font of information is in literature, and the timeline approach to studying history is revealed in the changes seen in written literature, as it becomes more refined and sophisticated over time. Medieval literature's timeline is particularly fascinating, for it provides the basis for the literary and intellectual phenomenon of the Renaissance, from which western culture emerged. 

Dr. Wheeler's Medieval Literature Resources contains many very useful links for exploring the world of medieval literature and its historical context. There are links to many different aspects of medieval history including the Black Plague, chivalry and courtly love, and chronicles of war.

The are also specific timelines from 400 AD through 1400 AD, the entire range of Medieval history. The specific timeline for 1200-1300 includes such events pertaining to the Church, such as the start of the Fourth Crusade and the founding of the Franciscan order, as well as the appointment of several different Popes. This time period also saw the invasion of China, Persia, Russia and other countries by the Mongols and their leader Genghis Khan. Great Britain, a nation widely associated with the Middle Ages because of stories that inspire fascination with this period, saw many important events as well, including the battle for the independence of Scotland led by William Wallace (whose story was told in the film Braveheart). These and many other important historical events are detailed in the timeline provided.

What are the different significances of each character in Salvage the Bones?

There are many characters in Salvage the Bones, and the author Jesmyn Ward employs some stereotypical characters in the interest of plot and thematic development.  An example of one of these stereotypical characters is Manny's girlfriend Shaliyah--she is only present in the story to provide a complication in the relationship between Esch and Manny.  So here are some points that highlight the significant aspects of a few of the major characters in the novel. 

The protagonist and narrator Esch has been compared by many literary critics to the Greek character Medea.  In Greek literature, Medea was scorned by her husband Jason and killed her own children as a way to both posit a voice for herself and to avenge the wrongs that she felt were done against her.  Esch feels that Manny has wronged her by taking advantage of her for sex, and when she finds out that she is pregnant and that Manny wants nothing to do with her pregnancy, she considers methods of abortion.  Esch's character is significant because through her character, Ward is able to explore both the harsh and harmonious aspects of motherhood.  

Another significant character is Esch's brother Skeetah.  He is raising dogs for fighting, and although he basically sacrifices these dogs to the pits, at home, he takes fierce care of them.  It is Skeetah in the end who saves Esch from being swept away in the flood, so Skeetah's character is symbolic of a savior.  

Finally, although not as dynamic of a character as Esch and Skeetah, Manny is important to the story because his character represents a harsh patriarchal factor that Esch must learn to overcome.

The Paris attack is a wake-up call for us to show our concern in combating terrorism. What role would you play in such a case to save your own...

Your first question highlights the individual citizen's role in combating terrorism. Below is a website you might find useful. It is authored by the New York State police and discusses how teenagers can help in the fight against terrorism. Whether you live in New York state or not, many of these ideas are extremely helpful. The most important, of course, is to learn how to report any suspicious activity you see. Other ideas involve setting up a neighborhood or school watch, knowing how to respond to emergencies, and even learning CPR.

What teens can do against terrorism.

Here's the FBI page on how to recognize suspicious activity:

Help prevent terrorism.

Here are some highlights from the FBI page:

Surveillance: Are you aware of anyone video recording or monitoring activities, taking notes, using cameras, maps, binoculars, etc., near key facilities/events?

Acquiring Supplies: Are you aware of anyone attempting to improperly acquire explosives, weapons, ammunition, dangerous chemicals, uniforms, badges, flight manuals, access cards or identification for a key facility/event or to legally obtain items under suspicious circumstances that could be used in a terrorist attack?

"Dry Runs": Have you observed any behavior that appears to be preparation for a terrorist act, such as mapping out routes, playing out scenarios with other people, monitoring key facilities/events, timing traffic lights or traffic flow, or other suspicious activities?

Your next question discusses what a country can do to combat terrorism. Various countries around the world have instituted certain important measures, and ours is no different, if you live in the United States.

Here is how President Obama and other officials are handling the threat of terrorism in the aftermath of the Paris attacks:

1)Increased security at airports and big cities.

The NYPD has deployed a new counter-terrorism unit of about 560 officers in New York City. Security will be ramped up at subway stations and important landmarks such as Times Square and the World Trade Center. Other cities may have also instituted similar measures around the United States.

2)Department of Homeland Security efforts.

Did you know that Homeland Security has fusion centers which coordinate efforts between first emergency responders, law enforcement, and private security personnel? Homeland Security also has a passenger screening list for airports and a visa security program where special agents are deployed to high risk security areas to identify potential terrorists. Please refer to the link for more information.

3)Obama administration changes to the visa waiver program.

This is a page detailing some new steps our government is taking to combat terrorism after the Paris attacks. Some highlights from the page:

DHS will immediately take steps to modify its Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) applications to capture information from VWP (Visa Waiver Program) travelers regarding any past travel to countries constituting a terrorist safe haven.

Identifying possible pilot programs designed to assess the collection and use of biometrics (fingerprints and/or photographs) in the VWP (Visa Waiver Program) to effectively increase security;

DHS will offer assistance to countries to better facilitate terrorism information sharing, specifically to include biometric pilots. For example, DHS and the Terrorist Screening Center will assist all interested VWP countries in screening refugees or asylum seekers, including through the application of extensive terrorism information already provided to VWP members and through piloting capability for conducting near real time biometric checks.

Hope this helps! Remember that you do not need to include everything that is posted here. You may decide to include some things and not others, based on the prompts given by your instructor. Hopefully, some of these will help you write your essay and reassure you that much is being done to combat terrorism in our country.

What is the interplay between fear and foresight when individuals make life-altering choices in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice?

In Pride and Prejudice, author Jane Austen often uses the interplay of fear and foresight to show that a balance of both can result in very beneficial life-changing decisions. One example can be seen in the decision of Charlotte Lucas to marry Mr. Collins.

Charlotte Lucas is the daughter of Sir William Lucas, who had been knighted while being mayor of Meryton and made his fortune through trade. Once he made his fortune, he quit his business and purchased an estate he named Lucas Lodge. Austen makes a point of asserting it would have benefited him and his family more had he continued his business and left the purchase of an estate to later generations. She makes this assertion through her reference to the fact that he bought Lucas Lodge for the purpose of "think[ing] with pleasure of his own importance" (Ch. 5). Later, she points out that the Lucas girls are needed to do chores around the house, such as make mince pies, because the Lucases do not have enough money to keep the number or servants their station would require (Ch. 9). Furthermore, Austen points out that the Lucases had "little fortune" they could give their daughter, making Charlotte's marriage to a respectable man a necessity (Ch. 22). If we look at all of these points about the Lucases in conjunction with Mr. Bingley, whose father also made his fortune through trade but left the purchase of an estate up to the next generation, we see that Austen is ridiculing the actions of Sir Lucas.

It is the self-serving actions of Sir Lucas that put his children, like Charlotte, in a fearful situation--they have no fortune to inherit. Charlotte is particularly in a fearful situation because she is plain and already 27 years old. She knows it is unlikely for her to receive a marriage proposal, so she jumps at the chance to secure Mr. Collins. Hence, as we can see, fear of her living her future being dependent on her siblings, who also have no fortune to inherit, drives her to choose Mr. Collins as a spouse.

Yet, Charlotte's foresight is even more responsible for her decision to secure Mr. Collins than her fear of the future. Mr. Collins has been shunned by Elizabeth as a ridiculous and arrogant man. Though all see that Mr. Collins is ridiculous, even Charlotte, Charlotte also recognizes he has a kind and honorable character. Alongside his kind and honorable character, he has a comfortable home and substantial income he can offer her because he has secured the position of rector over the parish on Lady Catherine de Bourgh's estate. Moreover, Mr. Collins is destined to inherit the Bennets' Longbourn estate. Hence, Mr. Collins's character coupled with the comfort he can provide for her allows Charlotte to see Mr. Collins as a desirable match for her, which Charlotte explains to Elizabeth once Charlotte is engaged to Mr. Collins:

I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state. (Ch. 22)

Hence, not only does Charlotte's foresight allow her to see that Mr. Collins is a good match for her, it allows her to see that marriage is never an ideal state for anyone and prevents her from developing what she considers to be false hopes about marriage. And, as we see when Elizabeth later visits her newly married friend, Charlotte truly is happy in her new home. Therefore, we see that Charlotte's foresight allowed her to make the correct decision for herself, which shows us that beneficial life-changing decisions can depend on a balance between fear and foresight.

What is the theme of A Raisin in the Sun ?

There is no singular theme in A Raisin in the Sun; however, there does seem to be an overriding theme: the collusion of race and socio-economic class as barriers that impede social mobility.

The impeding of socio-economic mobility is what causes dreams to be "deferred"-- as Langston Hughes writes in his poem alluded to in Hansberry's title--to dry up like "a raisin in the sun." This idea is symbolized by the plant that Lena Younger has in the one window in the front rooms; it struggles to sustain itself on this small amount of sun.

After Mrs. Lena Younger receives the $10,000 life insurance check for her deceased husband, she dreams of moving to a house with a yard where she can have a garden. Her son Walter Lee dreams of owning a business and of being the new man of the family. Ruth, his wife, also anticipates a new home and new beginning as she has been depressed by Walter's dissatisfaction and a pregnancy they cannot afford. Beneatha is the daughter of Lena, a young woman who is uncertain of her future as she waivers in her choice of values and boyfriends.

Unfortunately, Walter's dream of owning a liquor store is shattered when a friend to whom he has given a part of the insurance money runs off with it. Also, Lena's dream of owning a home starts to fall through when objections come from the suburban homeowners' association. But, when Mr. Lindner visits the Youngers and offers more than the family has paid for the house, Walter Lee changes his mind about accepting the money. He tells Mr. Lindner,

WALTER: [W]e have decided to move into our house because my father—my father—he earned it for us brick by brick. We don’t want to make no trouble for nobody or fight no causes, and we will try to be good neighbors. And that’s all we got to say about that. We don’t want your money.

Walter has changed his priorities from becoming prosperous to the welfare of his family. Lena closes her eyes and nods as though she were in church. But Walter has been "saved" in the sense that he now is the man of the family, and Youngers will no longer have their dreams dry up like "raisins in the sun."

Brutus accuses Cassius of having an "itching palm." What does it mean?

"Itching palm" is simply a slang term for being money-hungry. Brutus makes it clear what he means when he continues with the accusation.

Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
Are much condemned to have an itching palm.
To sell and mart your offices for gold
To undeservers.

Brutus did not realize that Cassius had such a greedy, petty, selfish nature until he became hopelessly involved in an ill-fated partnership with him. Brutus is an idealistic, reclusive, philosophic type of man. Cassius is a scheming, selfish, untrustworthy man. Brutus finds out what a miser he is linked with when he asks for some gold to pay his soldiers and Cassius sends back a message in which he refuses the request. People who form partnerships of any kind often do not find out about their partner's character until too late.

Cassius is a real miser. Shakespeare shows this in several places. For example, after their heated argument in the tent in Act IV, Scene 2, Brutus calls for a bowl of wine and says:

In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius.

Cassius acts in character as a miser when he replies:

My heart is thirsty for that noble pledge.
Fill, Lucius, till the wine o'erswell the cup.
I cannot drink too much of Brutus' love.

He cannot drink too much of Brutus' wine, either, as long as Brutus is paying for it. He knows Brutus serves much better wine than he does. This kind of behavior is a sure sign of a miser. They are always freeloaders and cheapskates, penny-pinchers. They take as much as they can get and give as little back as possible. Earlier in the play, Cassius invites Casca to supper because he wants to sound him out about joining in the conspiracy which Cassius is trying to foment against Caesar.

CASSIUS: Will you sup with me tonight, Casca?

CASCA: No, I am promised forth.

CASSIUS: Will you dine with me tomorrow?

CASCA: Ay, if I be alive, and your mind hold, and your dinner
worth the eating.

A supper would not cost Cassius much. He would serve some bread and cheese, a few grapes and a little wine. Casca obviously dislikes Cassius. He has known him all his life and has been to his home before. He knows what kind of grudging hospitality to expect. He probably has no previous engagement but is simply telling a white lie. But Cassius persists. He raises the ante, so to speak, and invites Casca to dinner. This is evidently the main meal of the day, eaten in the afternoon, and would be more costly to provide. Casca sees that he won't be able to keep declining the persistent invitations, so he responds rudely. When he says, "...and your dinner worth the eating," he really means it. He doesn't expect much from Cassius, but he knows Cassius will expect a lot from him!

People should learn to identify misers by their behavior and not become too friendly with them. They are like black holes. Everything goes in, nothing comes out. Cassius is only thinking about his own welfare when he dreams up his conspiracy. He is afraid of Caesar and suspects that Caesar might be thinking of having him "put to silence" if he becomes king. After Cassius and Brutus have had their long talk in Act 1, Scene 2, Cassius says to himself:

Caesar doth bear me hard, but he loves Brutus.
If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius,
He should not humor me.

In other words, if Cassius could become one of Caesar's favorites he wouldn't really care whether Caesar became king or not. But Cassius could never become a favorite of Caesar. Cassius is a bad-tempered, unlikeable man. That is why he needs Brutus to act as the leader of the conspiracy he is trying to form. Everybody likes Brutus. He is everything Cassius is not. Shakespeare intentionally characterized these two men as opposites in order to differentiate them for the audience.

What is a summary of Chapter 1 in "The Hunger Games"?

The first chapter of The Hunger Games begins with Katniss Everdeen waking up on the morning of the Reaping. Her little sister, Prim (short for Primrose), had left her some goat cheese for breakfast. Katniss takes the cheese and heads out to the woods just outside the fence that served as the border of District 12. It is illegal for her to do this, but she does it anyway; she had started doing so with her father before he was killed, and he taught her how to hunt. She meets up with Gale, her hunting partner, in the woods, and after a bit of hunting, they sit down and eat some bread and cheese. As they do this, they talk about how they could run away and live in the woods because they are both so good at hunting, but because they both have family who is dependent upon them, they cannot.

After a bit more hunting, they head back into town with what they caught and go to the Hob, which is the black market where they can sell their goods. They return home after that and Katniss gets ready for the Reaping: she takes a bath, puts on one of her mother's nice dresses, and then her mother does her hair. By 2pm, all of the citizens of the district are in the square, with all the children between the ages of 12 and 18 arranged oldest to youngest with boys on one side and girls on the other; everyone else stands around them.

When the Reaping starts, the mayor of the town tells about the history of Panem, which was once North America, how the Capitol and the thirteen districts used to be before the Dark Days, when the districts rose against the Capitol and were subsequently defeated, with District 13 being destroyed entirely. From the Dark Days came the Treaty of Treason, which was meant to keep the Dark Days from happening again, and it also set up the Hunger Games, which was what the Reaping is for. Two tributes from each district are chosen by lottery to compete in the Games, the sole purpose of which is to survive; the lone survivor, called the Victor, is allowed to return home (though they have to serve as a mentor for the following tributes from their district), and their district is showered with gifts (most of which are food of various sorts).

Once Haymitch Abernathy (the only living Victor from District 12) stumbles drunk onto the stage, Effie Trinket (the Capitol escort for District 12) chooses the name of the female tribute from the glass bowl in front of her. Katniss had assured her little sister that her name would not be chosen because she was only in the lottery once (unlike Katniss, who was in the lottery 20 times), but the odds are not in her favor because the name Effie calls is Primrose Everdeen.

How does Scrooge change in A Christmas Carol?

At the very beginning of the story Ebenezer Scrooge is a selfish and greedy man who cares for only his money. He has no friends and he pushes away the only family he has left, his nephew, Fred. He does not seem to care about anyone and is described as being a very cold man.

"External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind...

At the very beginning of the story Ebenezer Scrooge is a selfish and greedy man who cares for only his money. He has no friends and he pushes away the only family he has left, his nephew, Fred. He does not seem to care about anyone and is described as being a very cold man.

"External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. Foul weather didn’t know where to have him" (Stave One).

This means he is so cold, in terms of his emotions, that he literally cannot warm to anything. In other words, he is cold-blooded.

By the end of the story he has changed completely. He has seen the error of his ways. He understand how much people are willing to care for him if he will only care back. He understands how alone he is and if he were to die no one would really care- some people might even be relieved. He truly understands all he has done wrong and wants to make it right. So, he goes about becoming a better person by showing those around him how much he cares.

"He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them" (Stave Five).

What is a "litmus" test when considering court nominees? Why are court appointments so important politically today? Utilize the Citizen's United...

You have a great number of questions here, and I am going to address only the first two for today, concerning litmus tests for judicial candidates, the politics of appointments, and the Citizens United case.

A litmus test in judicial appointment is an inquiry into the candidate's stance on a particular "hot button" issue, such as abortion.  As a president selects a candidate for approval by the Senate, the president's selection is often subject to such a test, and presidents must bear this in mind if they wish to have a selection approved. This is a fairly recent phenomenon, since candidates historically declined to be subject to litmus tests, stating that they would not offer prospective opinions but would only rule on matters before them, which is precisely what judges are supposed to do.  Even if a candidate declines to be subject to a litmus test  today, Senators scrutinize all previous opinions of the candidate for evidence as to how the candidate might rule. Thus, a candidate who previously ruled on an abortion issue has provided a paper trail that the Senate can make a judgement about.  In my opinion, the litmus test is a perversion of the entire process of judicial appointment, which should be focused on the legal quality of the candidate's previous rulings, not on his or her prospective opinion on any particular matter.

The litmus test on abortion is just one test, though, and there are other tests that the Senate has concerned itself with in recent years.  For example, the Senate wants to know whether a candidate is a strict constructionist, meaning that the candidate's philosophy is to never go beyond the literal words of the Constitution.  Affirmative action and voters' rights are other areas that are subject to great scrutiny. Whether a candidate is pro-business or pro-consumer and the candidate's stance on the First Amendment may also be subject to examination, particularly in the wake of Citizens United.

The case of Citizens United ruled that business entities had First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, which allows them to support political candidates as they so please. This opened up a Pandora's box of campaign funding, since corporations have a great deal of capital they can use to support candidates who will be beholden to them and who will be likely to support their agendas.

On the political front, first, historically, there is no question that federal judicial appointments have always been politicized, if only because federal judges are appointed for life and a president's term is limited to a maximum of ten years. This means that the influence of the president on federal courts lasts well beyond that president's administration. Judges can work into their eighties or nineties, or really, even longer if they live. Thus, a judge appointed to carry out a president's political agenda and philosophy can have influence on the court for generations. 

Second, there is presently a great political divide between conservatives and liberals, between Republicans and Democrats, a divide that is being played out in the rulings of the Supreme Court, as it is presently constructed, with four fairly consistent conservative votes, four consistently liberal votes, and one judge who is often a "swing voter." Several judges are elderly, and there is concern about what president will have the power to appoint their replacements if they die in office or retire, this president or the next one.  And of course, this power of appointment rests on the consent of the Senate, too, with its own liberal and conservative proponents. Thus, the makeup of the federal judiciary is of great importance as we go forward, determining whether rulings will be liberal or conservative, pro-business or pro-consumer, pro-choice or anti-abortion, generous or repressive on affirmative action and voters' rights, and so on and so on, for all of these hot button issues that are on the table right now. 

Those who believe that the federal judiciary is not the creature of politics are mistaken, since even before the days of instant polling and lobbying, federal court appointments were political in nature. Today, though, as the Supreme Court is presently configured and as it continues to be an aging court, the politics of our great divide is even more reflected in that court, and the chance to control the future of the country is what politics is all about.  

What types of transport does the cell membrane regulate?

To understand what types of transport the cell membrane regulates, let us first discuss what the cell membrane is. The cell membrane is a lipid bilayer that separates the inside of the cell, the cytoplasm, from the outside of the cell, the extracellular space. Within this bilayer, a number of different membrane proteins, which each serve various functions, exist. Because this bilayer is tightly packed, only small molecules such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water...

To understand what types of transport the cell membrane regulates, let us first discuss what the cell membrane is. The cell membrane is a lipid bilayer that separates the inside of the cell, the cytoplasm, from the outside of the cell, the extracellular space. Within this bilayer, a number of different membrane proteins, which each serve various functions, exist. Because this bilayer is tightly packed, only small molecules such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water are able to easily pass through it. Larger molecules, such as ions, like calcium, sodium, and potassium can not pass through the lipid bilayer directly, and instead can only cross into (or get out of the cell) through the regulated opening of channel proteins. These channel proteins are regulated by other signaling molecules that tell them when to open and close. This opening or closing then allows molecules to either leave or enter the cell. Another mechanism of transport through the lipid bilayer is through carrier proteins, which are able to bind large molecules and physically move them across the lipid bilayer membrane and into the cell. Hope this helps!   

In The Old Man and the Sea, what is the connection or difference between suffering and being a man?

The theme of suffering and how that impacts manhood is prevalent in The Old Man and the Sea. Santiago has very definite ideas of what suffering should be to a man. The story shows different types of suffering, and different ways of dealing with that suffering as a man. The first example in the book of dealing with suffering stoically as a man is when the old man goes to wake up Manolin (the boy) on the 85th day. He apologizes for waking Manolin, who responds "Qua Va [something like "no worries"]. It is what a man must do." In their culture, a man does not suffer and complain about it.

The old man went out the door and the boy came after him. He was sleepy and the old man put his arm across his shoulders and said, “I am sorry.” “Qua Va,” the boy said. “It is what a man must do.”

Santiago has hooked his marlin and is tired and in pain. He does not admit his suffering, possibly not even recognizing it himself fully.

“Bad news for you, fish,” he said and shifted the line over the sacks that covered his shoulders. He was comfortable but suffering, although he did not admit the suffering at all.

In contrast, at the end of the story, Santiago admits his suffering in a moment of vulnerability to Manolin when he returns with the skeleton of the marlin.

Manolin: "How much did you suffer?”

“Plenty,” the old man said.

Santiago imagines that the marlin jumped out of the water as a sort of macho show of strength and manhood. He wishes he could return the gesture, but sees his cramped hand as a sign of emasculation.

I wonder why he jumped, the old man thought. He jumped almost as though to show me how big he was. I know now, anyway, he thought. I wish I could show him what sort of man I am. But then he would see the cramped hand. Let him think I am more man than I am and I will be so.

Santiago identifies suffering as part of being a man, as the following quote demonstrates. He sees his abilities as an extension of his manhood.

“I’ll kill him though,” he said. “In all his greatness and his glory.” Although it is unjust, he thought. But I will show him what a man can do and what a man endures.

Santiago sees DiMaggio's ability to perform even when in pain as a positive sign of manhood. He doubts his own ability to fight when he is in pain the way that cornered animals do, and looks up to their endurance. From here we see that he sees the ability to endure suffering as something very admirable.

I must have confidence and I must be worthy of the great DiMaggio who does all things perfectly even with the pain of the bone spur in his heel. What is a bone spur? he asked himself. Un espuela de hueso. We do not have them. Can it be as painful as the spur of a fighting cock in one’s heel? I do not think I could endure that or the loss of the eye and of both eyes and continue to fight as the fighting cocks do. Man is not much beside the great birds and beasts.

He tells himself that pain does not matter to a man to remind himself of his value of having the ability to struggle through his pain and get the job done, because pain does not matter to a man in his viewpoint.

After he judged that his right hand had been in the water long enough he took it out and looked at it. “It is not bad,” he said. “And pain does not matter to a man.”

The following quote is significant because it elaborates on the idea that not only does he believe that suffering is a part of being a man, there is a specific way for men to suffer. 

You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills who. Now you are getting confused in the head, he thought. You must keep your head clear. Keep your head clear and know how to suffer like a man. Or a fish, he thought.

What are the two customer reactions when Marguerite weighs their goods on he scale?

In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Marguerite assists customers who buy goods at her grandmother's general store. The store is the hub of her family life in Stamps, and she describes it as her "favorite place to be." She discovers a "simple kind of adventure" in accurately measuring ladles of "flour, mash, meal, sugar or corn" prior to weighing them on the scale for customers.

This process turns into a sort of...

In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Marguerite assists customers who buy goods at her grandmother's general store. The store is the hub of her family life in Stamps, and she describes it as her "favorite place to be." She discovers a "simple kind of adventure" in accurately measuring ladles of "flour, mash, meal, sugar or corn" prior to weighing them on the scale for customers.

This process turns into a sort of game or test for Marguerite. Depending on what the scale reads, she receives two types of responses. When she's precise with her estimations, the customers compliment her by saying:

"Sister Henderson sure got some smart grandchildrens."

When the scale shows that her measurements are short, the customers chide her:

"Put some more in that sack, child. Don't you try to make your profit offa me."

If Marguerite is off in her judgment, she imposes penalties upon herself by restricting access to her favorite treats, namely Hershey's Kisses and canned pineapple rings.

How is Scrooge affected when the ghost says Fezziwig has done very little to "make these silly folks so full of gratitude?"

Scrooge responds to the ghost by saying that Fezziwig deserves praise and wishing he could talk to Bob Cratchit.

When the Ghost of Christmas Past tells Scrooge that Fezziwig does not deserve praise, Scrooge refutes this idea.  He tells the ghost that Fezziwig was their employer and boss, and therefore had the ability to make their lives miserable or happy.  This was praiseworthy, to Scrooge.

“It isn't that, Spirit. He has the power to render...

Scrooge responds to the ghost by saying that Fezziwig deserves praise and wishing he could talk to Bob Cratchit.

When the Ghost of Christmas Past tells Scrooge that Fezziwig does not deserve praise, Scrooge refutes this idea.  He tells the ghost that Fezziwig was their employer and boss, and therefore had the ability to make their lives miserable or happy.  This was praiseworthy, to Scrooge.

“It isn't that, Spirit. He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil. … The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.” (Stave 2)

Scrooge is said to have been talking like his former self, not his current self.  He is remembering how much he enjoyed Fezziwig’s party.  Fezziwig did not spend much.  It was not the money that mattered to young Scrooge or his friends.  What mattered was that Fezziwig cared enough about his employees to throw them a party.

Scrooge gets thoughtful and emotional when he thinks about how kind his former master was to him.  The ghost looks at him and thinks that Scrooge is affected.  He asks him what is wrong, and Scrooge says nothing is, but the ghost presses him until he admits what he is thinking about.

“No,” said Scrooge, “No. I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now! That's all.” (Stave 2)

This continues the pattern of Scrooge wanting to talk to the boy singing the carol when he sees his childhood self so solitary and sad.  Scrooge wants to talk to Bob Cratchit, his one and only employee, when he sees the difference between how his former employer treated him and the others.

The fact that Scrooge is able to rank happiness over money at this point shows that he is already transforming himself.  The visions of the past have affected him, and he is starting to think about other people than himself.  By the time Scrooge has seen the images of the present, and how he currently affects people, he will be a different man.

Why does Beowulf slay Grendel?

Beowulf doesn't really announce a specific reason for his intention to slay Grendel. The tone of the poem, and the manner in which the author regards Grendel (calling him hellspawn and a descendant of Cain, who killed his own brother and was damned to wander the earth forever), makes it clear that the author means for us to interpret Grendel as a near-supernatural, purely evil entity with no redeeming qualities nor any possibility of negotiation...

Beowulf doesn't really announce a specific reason for his intention to slay Grendel. The tone of the poem, and the manner in which the author regards Grendel (calling him hellspawn and a descendant of Cain, who killed his own brother and was damned to wander the earth forever), makes it clear that the author means for us to interpret Grendel as a near-supernatural, purely evil entity with no redeeming qualities nor any possibility of negotiation or peace. Just as good and evil are clearly delineated in the Biblical sources the author draws upon, so too is Grendel clearly evil and therefore deserving of retribution and death, according to this morality. Beowulf doesn't need to explain why he kills Grendel because, as far as the author and the characters in the context of the poem are concerned, it is self-evident that Grendel must be slain in order to stop the attacks on Heorot.

There is a small concession to diplomacy on lines 154 to 160, where it is mentioned that Grendel has no intention of stopping his attacks, and nobody expected him to pay the money normally demanded of a murderer to stave off retribution from the murdered person's kinsmen. 

Beowulf does mention, beginning at line 960, that he wishes Hrothgar could have seen Grendel rather than just his disembodied arm; Beowulf wanted to grapple Grendel into submission and then kill him, but by chance, Grendel was too slippery for Beowulf to completely subdue. Beowulf states that Grendel basically "traded his arm for his life", but he knows the wound was mortal and Grendel is likely dead already.

I need help finding a specific example when Martin Eden was an outcast or outsider in Martin Eden by Jack London.

I think, perhaps, you are making this question seem harder than it actually is. Some of Martin Eden’s simple statuses in life lead to his being an outcast or an outsider.

For example, Martin Eden was an fatherless (or illegitimate) child of a traveling psychic. Both of these specifics lead to Eden being an automatic outcast. At that time, any illegitimate child (due to no fault of his or her own) was outcast by society....

I think, perhaps, you are making this question seem harder than it actually is. Some of Martin Eden’s simple statuses in life lead to his being an outcast or an outsider.

For example, Martin Eden was an fatherless (or illegitimate) child of a traveling psychic. Both of these specifics lead to Eden being an automatic outcast. At that time, any illegitimate child (due to no fault of his or her own) was outcast by society. Further, having a parent who was a palm reader or fortune teller or psychic again puts the child at risk of being ostracized.

Further, both Jack London and Martin Eden grow up in the lower class. Again, this fact is an immediate factor in the character being outcast. Being in the lower class and experiencing extreme poverty in Oakland, California is going to ostracize both character and author from upper class life.

Finally, Martin Eden spends some time being a “hobo,” in that he is jobless and wandering in looking for adventure. During this time, he also becomes a prisoner due to his derelict behavior. This absolutely adds to Martin Eden’s outcast qualities. Being an outcast is almost in the definition of hobo in that a hobo is literally often cast out of homes where he begs for food.

Also consider that the self portrait of Martin Eden is also considered the self portrait of Jack London (the author). Even the first edition of the book contained an imagined image of Martin Eden with Jack London’s face. Just like Martin Eden, Jack London always found more adventure in life than in his education and writing.

What are the grotesque elements of "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift?

In literature, the "grotesque" refers to that which invokes a feeling of uncomfortable bizarreness as well as sympathetic pity. It is used to describe anything that is strange, ugly, unpleasant, or disgusting. Swift's "A Modest Proposal" is full of the grotesque. 

He sets out to establish himself as a well-meaning, level-headed citizen interested in finding a solution to Ireland's poverty. In particular, he's about to suggest a way to deal with the children of the poor who tend to...

In literature, the "grotesque" refers to that which invokes a feeling of uncomfortable bizarreness as well as sympathetic pity. It is used to describe anything that is strange, ugly, unpleasant, or disgusting. Swift's "A Modest Proposal" is full of the grotesque. 

He sets out to establish himself as a well-meaning, level-headed citizen interested in finding a solution to Ireland's poverty. In particular, he's about to suggest a way to deal with the children of the poor who tend to become beggars and thieves in the streets, in such a way that everyone would benefit. The way he sets himself up as a reasonable man only exaggerates the grotesqueness of what he actually suggests: 

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout.

What he is suggesting is, in itself, strange, unpleasant, and even disgusting. Another element of the grotesque present here is the apparent calm, matter-of-fact way he goes about making his case. He suggests roasting an entire infant for company or simply a hindquarter with a little salt and pepper for a family--as though he is a chef suggesting what dish people in a fine restaurant might order. This is entirely incongruous with the subject matter, which makes it grotesque. 

Further, he suggests flaying the carcass to produce ladies' gloves--as if ladies would wear such a thing. 

His apparent assumption, throughout, is that simple economics and the tables of the rich and cleaning up the streets are far more important than the lives of the poor. The thing is...this is absolutely true, which is the heart of his masterpiece, the soul of his wit. He's simply using grotesque exaggeration to point out this sad fact. 

Apart from its length, what else makes a short story different from a novel?

It was Edgar Allan Poe who offered a definition of the short story which has been widely observed by authors ever since. In a review of Nathaniel Hawthorne's collection of stories and sketches Twice-Told Tales in Graham’s Magazine, May, 1842, Poe wrote: 

A skilful literary artist has constructed a tale. If wise, he had not fashioned his thoughts to accommodate his incidents; but having conceived, with deliberate care, a certain unique or single...

It was Edgar Allan Poe who offered a definition of the short story which has been widely observed by authors ever since. In a review of Nathaniel Hawthorne's collection of stories and sketches Twice-Told Tales in Graham’s Magazine, May, 1842, Poe wrote: 

A skilful literary artist has constructed a tale. If wise, he had not fashioned his thoughts to accommodate his incidents; but having conceived, with deliberate care, a certain unique or single effect to be wrought out, he then invents such incidents--he then combines such events as may best aid him in establishing this preconceived effect. If his very initial sentence tend not to the outbringing of this effect, then he has failed in his first step. In the whole composition there should be no word written, of which the tendency, direct or indirect, is not to the one pre-established design. 

A novel is not intended to produce a single effect because of its greater length than a short story. A short story is intended, as Poe established elsewhere, to be read at a single sitting. A novel is typically divided into chapters, and sometimes even into "books" or "volumes" because it is not intended to be read at a single sitting. Since a novel may be read in many sittings, each chapter can usually produce a separate effect. 

What Poe meant by the word "effect" is the feeling that is left with the reader at the end of the story. Poe maintained that every single word should be designed to produce that single emotional feeling. In some stories, such as those of O. Henry, the effect is usually produced by the ending. But there are many stories in which the effect is produced by the pervasive mood established from the beginning and sustained throughout. Edgar Allan Poe's stories "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Masque of the Red Death" might serve as examples of stories in which the single effect is produced by tone, mood, characterization, and setting. 

If a short story is intended to produce a single effect, then it would seem that a very good way in which to critique any short story would be to start by analyzing its single effect, i.e., the feeling the reader is left with at the end.