`A = 110^@, a = 125, b = 200` Use the law of sines to solve (if possible) the triangle. If two solutions exist, find both. Round your answer...

Given:  `A=100^@, a=125, b=200`

The Law of Sines:  `a/sin(A)=b/sin(B)=c/sin(C)`

`125/sin(100)=200/sin(B)=c/sin(C)`

` `

`125/sin(100)=200/sin(B)`

`sin(B)=[200sin(100)]/125`

`sin(B)=1.57`

`B=arcsin(1.57)`

It is not possible to find angle B. A triangle cannot be formed from the given information.

Given:  `A=100^@, a=125, b=200`

The Law of Sines:  `a/sin(A)=b/sin(B)=c/sin(C)`

`125/sin(100)=200/sin(B)=c/sin(C)`

` `

`125/sin(100)=200/sin(B)`

`sin(B)=[200sin(100)]/125`

`sin(B)=1.57`

`B=arcsin(1.57)`

It is not possible to find angle B. A triangle cannot be formed from the given information.

How does Atticus allow Scout and Jem to express themselves in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus allows his children to express themselves by giving them a number of freedoms.

Atticus allows his children to express themselves by speaking to him on any topic; Scout dresses as she wants in overalls; the children can shoot their air rifles and play act as long as they do not ridicule anyone. They can bring children such as Walter Cunningham home for lunch without reprisal, and they are allowed free speech to adults as long as they are respectful.After Scout is scolded repeatedly by Miss Caroline, she tells her father that evening about what has happened, and he does not scold her harshly, so that she will not be afraid to talk with him. Instead, he teaches her to try to understand her teacher by "climbing into her skin" and trying to understand her. Then, he makes an agreement with Scout not to say anything at school about her continuing to read the Mobile Register with him in the evening. This action endears him to Scout as he has corrected her, while at the same time he has made an agreement with her so that he "will not get into trouble" with Miss Caroline. Furthermore, Scout is never afraid to ask Atticus what certain words mean, such as rape. He always answers her questions or those of Jem with straightforward answers.

In another instance, when Atticus is threatened by the Old Sarum Bunch at the jailhouse, Scout and Jem come to give him aid. Being a protective father, Atticus tells his children to go home; however, in their love for him, they defy him and stay. Scout goes so far as to address Mr. Cunningham, hoping to diffuse the tension. When her efforts accomplish the discomfiture of Mr. Cunningham, he summons his relatives and friends, and they depart. Instead of scolding his children for their disobedience, Atticus lovingly rubs Jem's head as they all walk home.

In the final chapter when the decision must be made about how Sheriff Tate will report the murder of Bob Ewell, Atticus is reluctant to concur with Tate's version until he consults Scout, who reaffirms Tate's contentions by quoting her father's own advice: "It'd be sorta like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?" Then, valuing the wisdom of her remark, he agrees--"Atticus put his face in my hair and rubbed it."

Atticus Finch allows his children a certain freedom to express themselves because he understands that through their acts of expression they learn to think, and they acquire self-esteem.

In Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, what are some examples of different characters' perspectives of historical events.

In John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Bruno interacts with a few characters who have different perspectives on the historical events they experience during World War II. First of all, there's Bruno's grandmother who is opposed to the Nazi regime. In chapter 8, Bruno remembers an evening back in Berlin when his father shows off his new commandant's uniform for his family. When Bruno's mother asks the grandmother if she thinks her son looks handsome in his uniform, she responds as follows:

"Handsome, did you say? You foolish girl! Is that what you consider to be of importance in the world? Looking handsome? . . . That's all you soldiers are interested in anyway . . . Looking handsome in your fine uniforms. Dressing up and doing the terrible, terrible things you do. It makes me ashamed" (92).

Bruno's grandmother does not support Germany's rise to power because she knows that Nazi soldiers commit terrible acts of violence. Her son's uniform reflects the Nazis, so she does not consider it handsome. While her son goes along with the rising Nazi regime, she feels "ashamed." Grandmother represents the small percentage of Germans who did not support the Nazis at that time.

Another character with a different perspective on life is Pavel, the waiter who serves Bruno's family at the home in Auschwitz. In chapter 7, Bruno falls and scrapes up his knee. No other adult is around to help him except for Pavel, so he takes care of Bruno with extraordinary skill. During the clean up, Pavel reveals that he practiced as a doctor before he became a waiter. This confuses Bruno because there is no clear reason in his mind why anyone would go from doing something they loved to working as a waiter. It isn't until chapter 13 that Bruno understands Pavel's perspective because Maria finally explains it to him. It is at this point the Bruno starts to realize that not only is life unfair, but people are treated differently for what seems like unknown reasons. Pavel represents the highly educated and skilled professionals who were forced to give up their homes and careers because of discrimination and Hitler's hatred toward Jews.

Finally, Shmuel's perspective is described to Bruno in great detail. In chapter 12, Bruno hears about Shmuel's experiences at the hands of soldiers like his father. First, Shmuel and his family are forced to leave their house and move into a one room apartment in the ghetto. While there, Shmuel is bullied by a boy named Luka each day, and the window to his room is blocked by the wall that the soldiers built to keep him away from society. After living in the ghetto for awhile, Shmuel explains how he came to Auschwitz:

"The train was horrible . . . There were too many of us in the carriages for one thing. And there was no air to breathe. And it smelled awful . . . When the train finally stopped . . . we were in a very cold place and we all had to walk here" (129-130).

Shmuel also explains that he has been separated from his mother since living in the camp, and he does not play games on his side of the fence like Bruno supposes. Shmuel represents the Jewish children caught in the wake of war and forced to live in ghettos and concentration camps. 

What are the rising action, falling action, and resolution in Animal Farm by George Orwell?

The rising action is the name given to the events which build interest and tension ahead of the climax. In Animal Farm, the rising action begins with the death of Old Major and the rebellion against Mr. Jones. Once all of the humans have fled, the animals take control of the farm for themselves and create the Seven Commandments as the foundation of their new society. 

The falling action is the events which take place after the climax. In Animal Farm, the falling action is characterized by the growth of Napoleon's power on the farm. With Squealer's power of public speaking, the pigs are able to justify their abuse of the Seven Commandments, like trading with humans and drinking alcohol. Another key event in the falling action is Boxer's death. Instead of being allowed to retire, as Napoleon promised, he is, in fact, sent to be slaughtered and turned into glue. 

Finally, the resolution takes place at the end of the story. In essence, the pigs have become the very tyrants that they overthrew in Chapter Two. They wear clothes, walk on two legs, and drink alcohol. Napoleon also renames the farm, Manor Farm, a symbol of his complete transformation into a totalitarian dictator. For the surviving animals, life on the farm seems very bleak indeed, with no hope of ever improving.

Why is the bank’s recent borrowing of 30,000 gold napoleons a significant detail? A.Someone from the bank may be involved in the crime.B.The...

C. The gold is an attraction for a potential thief.

The story makes it pretty obvious that the gold is an attraction to a potential thief because it is all about how two thieves are actually trying very hard to break into the bank's storeroom. Mr. Merryweather, chairman of the bank's directors, explains about the French gold in the final part of the story, when Holmes, Watson, Merryweather, and a Scotland Yard officer go to...

C. The gold is an attraction for a potential thief.

The story makes it pretty obvious that the gold is an attraction to a potential thief because it is all about how two thieves are actually trying very hard to break into the bank's storeroom. Mr. Merryweather, chairman of the bank's directors, explains about the French gold in the final part of the story, when Holmes, Watson, Merryweather, and a Scotland Yard officer go to the bank at night to set a trap for the tunnelers.

"We had occasion some months ago to strengthen our resources and borrowed for that purpose 30,000 napoleons from the Bank of France. It has become known that we have never had occasion to unpack the money, and that it is still lying in our cellar. The crate upon which I sit contains 2,000 napoleons packed between layers of lead foil. Our reserve of bullion is much larger at present than is usually kept in a single branch office, and the directors have had misgivings upon the subject.”

John Clay was the only thief bold enough and clever enough to think of digging a tunnel into the underground storeroom, which, as the story shows, is guarded by a number of locked doors and gates. He had to find a nearby shop which was suitable for his purposes. The pawnshop operated by Jabez Wilson looked ideal, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created in Wilson a character who would be perfect to suit Clay's purposes.

Wilson is not very bright. He is tight with his money. He needs an assistant. He is happy to get a qualified younger man who volunteers to work for half wages. Wilson is old, fat, and phlegmatic. He suffers from high blood pressure, as his florid complexion tells Dr. Watson. Wilson would be extremely unlikely to go down the steep, rickety stairs of his cellar to see what his assistant was doing down there. And if he ever did discover Clay digging a tunnel, Clay would simply kill him with his shovel and bury him in his own cellar. It is incidental that Wilson has flaming red hair, but this gives Clay the idea of advertising an opening in the fictitious Red-Headed League in order to get his employer out of his way for about five hours a day, six days a week. Clay and his cohort are under time pressure to finish the tunnel and loot the gold because the French napoleons are only being stored there on a temporary basis. 

Most money in those days was in coinage. Banks issued paper "bank notes" which could be redeemed in coins. In those days 30,000 gold coins, apparently equivalent to 30,000 British pounds, would be a fabulous haul, equivalent to millions of American dollars. Many of the Sherlock Holmes stories end up being about money, even though they start off from a different perspective. Holmes, with all his experience, must have been well aware of this supreme motivating factor. He immediately suspected there must be money involved somewhere in the problem Jabez Wilson brought to him. It is hard to think of Sherlock Holmes stories that do not concern money. For instance, in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Dr. Grimesby Roylott killed his stepdaughter Julia and is attempting to kill his other stepdaughter Helen because he wants to keep the money he would otherwise have to pay them if they got married. So Doyle's villains are usually motivated by wanting to get money or to keep money. In the famous "The Hound of the Baskervilles," the villain Mr. Stapleton wants to get possession of the entire Baskerville estate.

What was the most effective way the American colonists responded to British taxes such as the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts?

The British colonists used several methods to protest the taxes that Great Britain imposed upon them. The colonists were very unhappy with the Stamp Act and with the Townshend Acts. I will share some of the methods the colonists used to protest these taxes. I will also share how effective each protest was. Then you can decide which form of protest was the most effective.

One very effective method was to claim that these taxes violated the rights of the colonists. British citizens were supposed to have elected representatives that can speak about and vote on proposed taxes. Since the colonists didn’t have elected representatives in Parliament, they were able to effectively make their case about the British violating their rights. The colonists didn’t have representatives in Parliament that could speak about and vote on these proposed taxes. Some people supported the colonists for this reason.

The colonists also agreed to boycott British products until the taxes were repealed. Since the colonists stopped buying some products from British merchants, these merchants suffered some financial losses. This caused these merchants to put pressure on Parliament to end the taxes. This pressure helped bring about the repeal of the Stamp Act. 

In some cases, the colonists harassed the tax collectors. The colonists destroyed the property of the tax collectors and threatened them physically. As a result, many tax collectors resigned from their job. This also contributed to the repeal of the Stamp Act.

The colonists also began to make some of the products that they had bought from Great Britain. This was a more serious threat to the British merchants because if the colonists were successful in making their own products, they might permanently stop buying them from the British merchants.

The colonists also formed committees of correspondence to keep the people throughout the colonies informed about events and actions that were occurring. This helped the colonists to develop a response to various British actions including a response to these taxes.

The colonists also protested the Tea Act. While this law didn’t create a new tax, it did keep the existing tea tax in place while giving a monopoly of the tea trade to the British East India Company. The colonists boarded ships in Boston Harbor and dumped the tea that was on those ships into the harbor. This was known as the Boston Tea Party. The British responded to this action with the Intolerable Acts. The Intolerable Acts were designed to punish the colonists, especially those in Massachusetts, for the Boston Tea Party. The Intolerable Acts increased the anger of the colonists. For example, they began to form their own militias.

The colonists used various forms of protests. Which one do you think was most effective based on the information provided?

I am supposed to write an essay on what makes a leader. What are some ways to start that off?

This is an interesting question, and a good place to start might be whether or not you plan to talk about the qualities of a good leader or a bad leader, as there are both. Also, you'll need to decide if you are going to only be using Julius Caesar's character as an example of a leader, or if you might be using other characters as well, since many of them has leadership roles (Marc...

This is an interesting question, and a good place to start might be whether or not you plan to talk about the qualities of a good leader or a bad leader, as there are both. Also, you'll need to decide if you are going to only be using Julius Caesar's character as an example of a leader, or if you might be using other characters as well, since many of them has leadership roles (Marc Anthony and Cassius immediately spring to mind).

Once you have decided on what type of leader you want to look at and who in the play fits this description, it might be interesting to begin your introduction with a quote about that type of leadership. If you want to talk about tyranny, for example, then you might find a quote in the play about tyranny, like this one from Act I:

"Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus, and we petty men Walk under his huge legs and peep about To find ourselves dishonorable graves."

Then comment on how your quote represents how people view tyranny and the traits of a tyrant. What is it they fear? How might your character(s) embody those traits? This should give you a strong intro and then move you right into your thesis about what makes a good or bad leader. 

How is nature presented in the poem 'To Autumn'?

Nature is presented in all its bounty and fruitfulness in John Keats's mellifluous ode.

It is of particular note that in the second stanza in which Keats describes all of nature's gifts, he creates the image of a young woman "sound asleep" from her labors, who

...sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keepSteady thy laden head across a brook;

While many of the harvest laborers were young women in England in the 1800's, there...

Nature is presented in all its bounty and fruitfulness in John Keats's mellifluous ode.

It is of particular note that in the second stanza in which Keats describes all of nature's gifts, he creates the image of a young woman "sound asleep" from her labors, who

...sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;

While many of the harvest laborers were young women in England in the 1800's, there is, perhaps, the metaphoric suggestion that Nature is like a woman who nurtures her unborn baby most of a year and then the "fruit" of her womb is produced later. So, too, does Autumn yield the fruits and products of its earlier growing months, and the richness of Nature is bountiful in its production in this season. 

Connotations of birth are in the first stanza with the words "ripeness," "sweet kernel" and the phrase "swell the gourd"; then later there are "flowers for the bees."

Certainly, Keats' lyric ode paints a rich, and enduring tableau of what he depicts as Nature's richest season, the season that brings forth all the fruits and grains and mellow bounty.

What is the most important thing to know about Christopher Columbus ?

The answer to this question is quite subjective, as determining the most important thing about Christopher Columbus would depend upon what you consider to be worth knowing about a person.

That being said, most historians would agree that it is important to know that Christopher Columbus is credited with the (re)discovery of the New World. Though Vikings from Northern Europe had traveled to North America during the 11th century, their settlement was short lived. The...

The answer to this question is quite subjective, as determining the most important thing about Christopher Columbus would depend upon what you consider to be worth knowing about a person.

That being said, most historians would agree that it is important to know that Christopher Columbus is credited with the (re)discovery of the New World. Though Vikings from Northern Europe had traveled to North America during the 11th century, their settlement was short lived. The attempt to settle at L'Anse Aux Meadows in Canada was complicated by weather and a lack of natural resources the Vikings were accustomed to. Centuries later, Christopher Columbus famously sailed from Spain to South America, beginning a long legacy of colonization in the Americas.

Some other things which might be considered about Christopher Columbus were that he traveled on behalf of the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. They funded his journeys so that he  might find the New World and bring back resources for their use. During this time, the spice trade with Asia was both lucrative and a sign of luxury. The Spanish monarchs would have loved the idea of importing rare and unusual goods from a place which was mysterious in the European mind.

There has been an academic movement to understand the implications of Columbus' journeys and to make this knowledge a part of historical studies. Christopher Columbus may be credited as the father of the transatlantic slave trade and he believed that people of color needed the shepherding of white Europeans to become civilized. From his arrival in Hispaniola and South America, he captured slaves to bring back to Spain. Columbus' claiming territory and pioneering exploration of the New World for Europeans lead to the forced conversions of millions of First Nations peoples, the colonization of their lands, and the import of African people as a source of labor. 

Which type of reaction occurs in a nuclear power plant and in an atomic bomb?

The reaction that takes place in nuclear power plants and nuclear bombs is nuclear fission, which is a chain reaction. Fission is the splitting of atoms. Nuclear reactions are different from chemical reactions because they involve the nucleus, while chemical reactions only involve electrons outside the nucleus. 

In a nuclear reactor the chain reaction is controlled and sustained for the purpose of producing heat, which is tranferred to water which turns to steam and moves...

The reaction that takes place in nuclear power plants and nuclear bombs is nuclear fission, which is a chain reaction. Fission is the splitting of atoms. Nuclear reactions are different from chemical reactions because they involve the nucleus, while chemical reactions only involve electrons outside the nucleus. 

In a nuclear reactor the chain reaction is controlled and sustained for the purpose of producing heat, which is tranferred to water which turns to steam and moves turbines. Some reactors produce medical isotopes or plutonium for weapons.

Fissionable materials such as uranium-235 have unstable nuclei. When they absorb neutrons they undergo radioactive decay to produce heat, radiation and addtional neutrons that trigger fission of more atoms. The nucleus is split into lighter nucei.

The rate of the fission is controlled in reactors using moderators, which are substances that absorb the neutrons being produced to prevent them from triggering fission. Moderators aren't used in nuclear weapons, which explains the explosive nature and tremendous amount of energy released  at once vs. the more steady nature of nuclear reactors. 

How does power bring corruption in Macbeth?

Power brings corruption in two ways in Shakespeare's Macbeth. The first way that power brings corruption is through temptation.  Macbeth starts the play with plenty of power.  He is already a thane, and he is awarded a second thane title for his heroic deeds in battle.  The temptation of power begins to corrupt Macbeth early on though.  The witches told Macbeth that he would be more than just a thane.  They told him that he...

Power brings corruption in two ways in Shakespeare's Macbeth. The first way that power brings corruption is through temptation.  Macbeth starts the play with plenty of power.  He is already a thane, and he is awarded a second thane title for his heroic deeds in battle.  The temptation of power begins to corrupt Macbeth early on though.  The witches told Macbeth that he would be more than just a thane.  They told him that he would be king.  

All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!

The problem is that Duncan is king and announces that his son will be king after him.  The witches' prophecy corrupts Macbeth, because he wants the power of the throne, but the only way that he can attain the throne is through evil deeds.  

My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,
Shakes so my single state of man that function
Is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is
But what is not.

The second way that power corrupts Macbeth is after he has attained the throne. Macbeth has all of the power in the kingdom, but he is afraid of everybody that might lay a claim to the throne.  In order to combat that threat, Macbeth starts having everybody killed.  He's completely blinded by his power.  

How has the lottery evolved over time in the short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson?

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," the purpose of the lottery has remained the same. The town gathers to draw lots and determine who dies. Some parts of that ritual have changed over the years, though, including the box from which the lots are drawn and the ceremony itself.

The box that is used to hold the lots people draw is not the original box. It's been used for a long time and people are reluctant to make a new one. Jackson writes:

The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born. Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box. There was a story that the present box had been made with some pieces of the box that had preceded it, the one that had been constructed when the first people settled down to make a village here.

The box becomes more worn with every passing year, but the town is still unwilling to accept a new one. 

The original lots drawn by the villagers were pieces of wood; now the town uses paper slips. They're made by Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves the night before the ceremony. When the town was smaller, it was possible to fit wooden chips into the box. With more than 300 people now living in the town, wood doesn't work. It won't fit. Paper is small enough that all the lots fit in the box. 

The ceremony is also a shadow of what it once was. Many of the residents are unclear on what used to happen or disagree on the details. Jackson says:

There was the proper swearing-in of Mr. Summers by the postmaster, as the official of the lottery; at one time, some people remembered, there had been a recital of some sort, performed by the official of the lottery, a perfunctory, tuneless chant that had been rattled off duly each year; some people believed that the official of the lottery used to stand just so when he said or sang it, others believed that he was supposed to walk among the people, but years and years ago this part of the ritual had been allowed to lapse. There had been, also, a ritual salute, which the official of the lottery had had to use in addressing each person who came up to draw from the box, but this also had changed with time, until now it was felt necessary only for the official to speak to each person approaching.

Even though the village will accept some changes to the lottery, there's no discussion of doing away with it altogether. They aren't even sure how to conduct it the way it was done originally—but they still gather to perform the bizarre ritual every year. 

Another interesting fact about the annual tradition is that the villagers aren't sure why it began in the first place. No one left has any knowledge of why the lottery exists at all. In addition, Jackson says that "so much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded." That doesn't stop them from gathering each year, drawing their lots, and stoning the loser to death. 

It's a grim scenario and there seems to be no end in sight. As Jackson writes near the end of the story, "Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones."

What events occur on Ismarus in Part One of The Odyssey?

Ismarus is another name for the Cicones’ stronghold. This is the first stop for Odysseus’ men after leaving Troy. Still on the battle-high of sacking Troy, Odysseus and his men decide to also sack the Cicones’ stronghold.

Event 1: Odysseus and his men act piratical by sacking the city, killing the men, and sharing the women and plunder. After this pillaging, Odysseus suggests to his men that they should cut and run with their spoils....

Ismarus is another name for the Cicones’ stronghold. This is the first stop for Odysseus’ men after leaving Troy. Still on the battle-high of sacking Troy, Odysseus and his men decide to also sack the Cicones’ stronghold.

Event 1: Odysseus and his men act piratical by sacking the city, killing the men, and sharing the women and plunder. After this pillaging, Odysseus suggests to his men that they should cut and run with their spoils. His men choose to stay and drink wine and slaughter sheep and cattle on the beach.

Event 2: Some of the Cicones flee the city and go inland to get reinforcements.

Event 3: The next morning the Cicones show up with their reinforcements. Another battle commences and lasts all day, ending with Odysseus and his men fleeing on their ships. Out of each ship, six men have been killed. Since Odysseus left Troy with twelve ships, he lost 72 men in this battle.   

 This is all according to the Robert Fagles version.

From the book Speak: List all three mascots that have been used at Merryweather High and explain why the school felt that they had to change each...

The never-ending mascot fight is one of the many aspects of high school that leave Melinda feeling jaded about the whole high school experience. The mascot is first mentioned on the second page of the story: it's been changed from the Trojans to the Blue Devils, because "Trojans" didn't "send a strong enough abstinence message" (pg 4). (Confused? Think Trojan brand condoms...)

After Halloween, though, the school board decides against Devils. No reason is given in the book, but it sounds like they might think there is some sort of satanic suggestion, due to the timing with Halloween. The new mascot becomes tigers, but this is controversial already: "The Ecology Club is planning a rally to protest the 'degrading of an endangered species'" (pg 41). After the Ecology Club make terrifying posters featuring photos of skinned Bengal tigers, the school held an assembly to come up with a new mascot. The options the school will vote on are Bees, Icebergs, Hilltoppers, and Wombats (pg 49-50). By Christmas, the votes are in: with only 32 votes, Wombats wins the place as Merryweather's new mascot. 

Not for long, though. At the beginning of the third marking period,

"the Wombat is dead. No assembly, no vote. Principal Principal made an announcement this morning. He said hornets better represent the Merryweather spirit better than foreign marsupials, plus the Wombat mascot costume was going to suck money from the prom committee's budget" (pg 95).  

Of course, this mascot comes with more controversy too. The PTA started a petition to change the mascot again after hearing the cheer, "We are the hornets, the horny, horny hornets" (pg 141). This final time, however, the mascot doesn't change. Instead, the Honor Society writes a counter-petition talking about lack of identity and psychological harm.

While all this change seems silly, it illustrates a few larger points about the novel. For one, it shows how adults judge and stifle teenagers. The mascot is always dangerous to the various adults in some way - too sexual, or too demonic, or too weird. While most students don't care one way or the other, the adults seem worried that the mascot will inspire students to do something terrible. The only time the students want to change the mascot themselves is actually for what could be viewed as a good cause: they want to respect an endangered species. Teens seem to be better than adults give them credit for. 
Another point the mascot debacle shows is the lacking an identity is harmful. Even though Melinda scoffs at the whole mascot debate, she herself is a girl without an identity or clan, and it is absolutely psychological damaging to her. As silly as the whole thing is, it speaks to Melinda's larger problems.

From Judith Ortiz Cofer's short story "American History," describe Eugene's mother.

Eugene's mother is a nurse who works at St. Joseph's Hospital, comes from Georgia, and recently moves to Paterson, New Jersey in August of 1963. They move into a predominantly African American neighborhood, but live next door to El Buildingwhich houses mostly immigrants from Puerto Rico. Because she and her family are Caucasian and from the South, they experience some of what most minorities feel all the time. For Eugene's mother, though, the house they are living...

Eugene's mother is a nurse who works at St. Joseph's Hospital, comes from Georgia, and recently moves to Paterson, New Jersey in August of 1963. They move into a predominantly African American neighborhood, but live next door to El Building which houses mostly immigrants from Puerto Rico. Because she and her family are Caucasian and from the South, they experience some of what most minorities feel all the time. For Eugene's mother, though, the house they are living in is only temporary because they plan to move away soon. It seems as if she is also prejudiced because she won't allow a Puerto Rican girl study with her son:

"Eugene doesn’t want to study with you. He is a smart boy. Doesn’t need help. You understand me. I am truly sorry if he told you you could come over. He cannot study with you. It’s nothing personal. You understand? We won’t be in this place much longer, no need for him to get close to people—it’ll just make it harder for him later. Run back home now" (Lines 230-234).

Eugene's mother probably grew up like most Southern girls who are taught that segregation between races is not only O.K., but the right thing to do. Hence, she is probably against mixed-race couples or even mixed-race friendships. As a result, she sends away a girl who might have been her son's only friend at the time.

What does the princess learn?

The princess is present at the arena when her lover has to undergo his trial. She is perhaps the only person present who knows which of the two doors conceals the tiger and which conceals the beautiful lady. Even the king himself may not know what to expect. He may like guessing what will happen and being pleased with his intuition or surprised. The princess holds her lover's fate in her hands. This is the essence of this unusual story.

Possessed of more power, influence, and force of character than any one who had ever before been interested in such a case, she had done what no other person had done,--she had possessed herself of the secret of the doors. She knew in which of the two rooms, that lay behind those doors, stood the cage of the tiger, with its open front, and in which waited the lady.

The lover gives her a "quick and anxious glance," hoping against hope that she can answer his unspoken question, "Which?" She gestures "with a slight, quick movement toward the right." We are told at the beginning of the story that this happened "in the very olden time," that is, hundreds of years ago. Whatever occurred in the arena that day is long since over and done with. The lover would be dead anyway. So would the princess and her father. The story comes to an end just before the lover trustingly opens the door on the right.

Does it really matter what happened? What we want to know is whether the princess directed her lover to his death or to the arms of her beautiful rival. We want to know about the psychology of women. Would she rather see her lover alive and happy but married to another woman? Or would she rather see him torn to pieces and devoured by a tiger?  Was her lover right or wrong in trusting her? Would he have been wiser to open the other door instead? We can never know the answer because it happened so long ago.

Hi! I'm in grade 7, I need a simpler method to know how to solve this: A line segment ST has midpoint M=(-2,4) and the coordinates of point T...

The most straightforward method is to use the midpoint formula. The coordinates of the midpoint M, `(x_M, y_M)` can be found as

`x_M = (x_S + x_T)/2` , `y_M = (y_S + y_T)/2`

Now, we do know the coordinates of the point M, but we do not know the coordinates of point S. We can plug in everything we know into the formulas and then solve for the unknowns.

For x-coordinate: `-2 = (x_S +...

The most straightforward method is to use the midpoint formula. The coordinates of the midpoint M, `(x_M, y_M)` can be found as

`x_M = (x_S + x_T)/2` , `y_M = (y_S + y_T)/2`

Now, we do know the coordinates of the point M, but we do not know the coordinates of point S. We can plug in everything we know into the formulas and then solve for the unknowns.

For x-coordinate: `-2 = (x_S + 1)/2`

Multiply both sides by 2: `-4 = x_S + 1`

Subtract 1 from both sides: `-5 = x_S` , or `x_S = -5` .

Similarly, for y-coordinate: `4 = (y_S+9)/2`

From here, `8 = y_S + 9` and `y_S = -1` .

So point S has coordinates (-5, -1).

An alternative method to figure this out is to consider that since the midpoint divides the segment in half, it is the same distance from point S and point T.

The horizontal distance between point M and point T is the difference of x-coordinates: there are 3 units between `x_M = -2` and `x_T = 1` . Then, the x-coordinate of S must be 3 units away from `x_M` : -2 - 3 = -5.

So `x_S = -5.`

In the y direction, point M is 5 units away from T: `y_M = 4` and `y_T = 9` .

So y-coordinate of S will be 5 less than `y_M` : 4 - 5 = -1. `y_S = -1` .

Again, point S has coordinates (-5, -1).

Depending on your personal preference, one method might seem simpler than another.

In "The Masque of the Red Death," how do the chimes of the clock affect the guests? What are their costumes like? What do you think might occur in...

The chimes from the clock send a wave of unease over the guests at the party. When the clock chimes, the musicians stop playing, leaving the chimes to be the only sound throughout the rooms. Poe says that the sounds of the clock make even most carefree people become pale with anxiety; the most reserved people "passed their hand over their brows" out of nervousness.

I do not think much occurs in the black room...

The chimes from the clock send a wave of unease over the guests at the party. When the clock chimes, the musicians stop playing, leaving the chimes to be the only sound throughout the rooms. Poe says that the sounds of the clock make even most carefree people become pale with anxiety; the most reserved people "passed their hand over their brows" out of nervousness.

I do not think much occurs in the black room because the room made the party goers nervous. Any who entered looked so freaked out that there were not many people who wished to actually go into the room. Those who did probably just stood in silence or chatted lightly, as is normal behavior for a party.

It is my understanding that the dreams represent the people at the party in their magnificent costumes, walking around the party, in and out of the various rooms. Poe describes them as freezing where they stand when the clock chimes, just like he describes the guests doing.

The guests are described as being "grotesque," and their costumes were influenced by Prince Prospero and his "guiding taste." They wore clothes with shine and glitter, and the costumes were exciting and strange to look at. Some people wore clothes that did not quite match each other, that were unusual. There is one quote that describes it well:

"There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust."

Explain how "Harrison Bergeron" is a satire.

According to dictionary.com, satire is defined as “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices.”  “Harrison Bergeron” is a short story by Kurt Vonnegut that exposes what could happen if the individual gives up his personal freedoms to a government.  The Bergerons are just one family in the story who have been convinced to suppress their individuality and strengths to a government that claims everyone should be...

According to dictionary.com, satire is defined as “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices.”  “Harrison Bergeron” is a short story by Kurt Vonnegut that exposes what could happen if the individual gives up his personal freedoms to a government.  The Bergerons are just one family in the story who have been convinced to suppress their individuality and strengths to a government that claims everyone should be equal and no better than anyone else.  The government “handicaps” people’s strengths to bring everyone down to the same level.  For Harrison who is a strong, young teenager, the government weighs him down with bags of sand to weaken him.  George, Harrison’s father, gets blasted in the ears with a loud noise when he begins to think too much. 

Vonnegut is using satire to point out how we as humans are often stupid enough and willingly enough give up our individuality to be like everyone else.  We give in to peer pressure or societal rules to not stick out and to blend in.  In the case of the short story, the citizens give up these rights to an oppressive government that claims everyone should be the same.  Written in 1961 during the Cold War, the story could also be a comment on communism and its political theories of a collective society where everyone is equal and works for each other. 

All in all, “Harrison Bergeron” is a story about a dystopian society that feels everyone should be equal in talents and abilities, and it is up to the individual, like Harrison, to rebel and protest the oppression enforced by the government.  Vonnegut is pointing out the stupidity of conformity and man’s need to fit in at all costs.

How is the Declaration of Sentiments similar to the Declaration of Independence?

The Declaration of Sentiments is very similar to the Declaration of Independence. The structure of both documents is nearly identical. Both documents open with an explanation of their purposes. This is referred to as the Preamble section of the document.

Both documents then explain how the government shouldn’t take away the rights of the people. This section focuses on the inalienable rights that people have including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of...

The Declaration of Sentiments is very similar to the Declaration of Independence. The structure of both documents is nearly identical. Both documents open with an explanation of their purposes. This is referred to as the Preamble section of the document.

Both documents then explain how the government shouldn’t take away the rights of the people. This section focuses on the inalienable rights that people have including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights can’t be given up or taken away.

The third section lists all of the complaints each group has. In the Declaration of Independence, the complaints are directed at the King. In the Declaration of Sentiments, the complaints are directed at men. In both documents, there are many complaints that are listed and explained.

The last section calls for freedom. In the Declaration of Independence, it is freedom from Great Britain. In the Declaration of Sentiments, it is freedom from being treated unequally.

Both documents were a statement of wanting to have freedom and equality. The parallels between these two documents are fascinating.

You have an opportunity to invest $1,000,000 today in a business that will pay $200,000 in the first year, $400,000 in second year, $600,000 in the...

The question abstracts away from what the project actually involves, so basically we are really only asking one question: Which choice makes more money?

If you just add up the amounts of cash that you get from doing the project, it obviously looks like more than $1,000,000. But be careful: You don't get those cashflows right away. Time is money, and the delayed cashflows are not worth as much in real terms as they would be if you got them immediately.

How much less? For that, we need a discount rate. It could depend on a lot of things---what the inflation rate is, what else you could do with the money, how patient you are. But for this problem we really only have one thing to go on: the rate of return. We are only concerned about whether we'll have more actual dollars in the bank at the end, and our dollars grow each year by a 12% annual rate of return.

Using that 12% annual return (which is huge, by the way---a typical return is about 5-7%) as our discount rate, $1 today is worth the same as (1+0.12)*$1 a year from now, and (1+0.12)^2*$1 two years from now, etc.

Thus, this means that we have as our two options:

1. Don't invest:
Start with $1,000,000
After 4 years, we have $1,000,000*(1.12)^4 = $1,573,519.36

2. Invest:
Start with $0
After 1 year, get $200,000; this will grow for 3 years and become $200,000*(1.12)^3 = $280,985.60
After 2 years, get $400,000; this will grow for 2 years and become $400,000*(1.12)^2 = $501,760.00
After 3 years, get $600,000; this will grow for 1 year and become $600,000*(1.12) = $672,000
After 4 years, get $800,000; this will not grow at all, so it's just $800,000.
Total value after 4 years: $2,254,745.60

So, we definitely should invest.

You can also compute a slightly different way as a net present value, the amount of money you'd have to have right now in order to end up with the same amount at the end simply from leaving it in the bank.

The net present value of not investing and keeping the $1,000,000 we already have is simply $1,000,000.

The net present value of investing is not that $2,254,745.60; instead we must divide it by the amount it could grow if it had been there for 4 years, which is (1.12)^4. So the actual amount we'd need to have right now to end up with the same is $1,432,931.59. This is the net present value. (Sometimes you'll also see net present value computed a bit differently, dividing the first year's cashflow by 1.12, the second by 1.12^2, etc.; it's a good exercise to think for a little while about how those two methods are actually equivalent.)

Since the net present value is higher for investing, we should invest.

What are the similarities and differences between "To Build a Fire" by Jack London and "After Twenty Years" by O.Henry?

One of the similarities is that both stories end with a man's demise. In "To Build a Fire," the man is over-confident in his ability to survive in the harsh conditions of the Yukon. In "After Twenty Years" there isn't as clear a focus of the overconfidence except perhaps that the waiting man is convinced that his friend Jimmy Wells will show up to see him. It is possible to suggest that this confidence that...

One of the similarities is that both stories end with a man's demise. In "To Build a Fire," the man is over-confident in his ability to survive in the harsh conditions of the Yukon. In "After Twenty Years" there isn't as clear a focus of the overconfidence except perhaps that the waiting man is convinced that his friend Jimmy Wells will show up to see him. It is possible to suggest that this confidence that leads to their downfall is a common theme.

One of the major differences is that there are several characters in "After Twenty Years" whereas in "To Build a Fire," the man trying to reach his friends is the only human present.

Another possible similarity is that the man in "To Build a Fire" sees the fire as his friend and believes that he has kept himself from danger. So too the man waiting for Jimmy Wells believes that the cop he speaks to is not a threat and that he is safe there. But the fire loosens the snow which falls and extinguishes the warmth the man is depending on. So too the cop the waiting man thinks is just keeping things safe goes to get another cop to arrest his old friend.

Were Jem's actions justified in Chapter 11 of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

One could argue that Jem's actions were justified following Mrs. Dubose's derogatory comments about his father. At first, when Mrs. Dubose begins to insult the children, Jem does the right thing and tells Scout to ignore her. Mrs. Dubose then says, "Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers!" (Lee 135) Jem could handle personal attacks on his character, but when Mrs. Dubose mentions his father, he becomes...

One could argue that Jem's actions were justified following Mrs. Dubose's derogatory comments about his father. At first, when Mrs. Dubose begins to insult the children, Jem does the right thing and tells Scout to ignore her. Mrs. Dubose then says, "Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers!" (Lee 135) Jem could handle personal attacks on his character, but when Mrs. Dubose mentions his father, he becomes infuriated. She follows up with an additional comment, "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" (Lee 135) Jem is a polite, respectful young man who holds his father in high esteem. He is usually calm and able to handle criticism, but Mrs. Dubose's comments crossed the line. Jem felt that he had a good reason to destroy her camellia bush because her comments were aimed at the person he adored the most in life. One could argue that he was simply defending his father's reputation. The fact that an elderly woman would say such a disgusting comment to children about their father makes one consider Jem's actions justifiable. Such a rude, racist comment deserves a response similar to Jem's.

What are the themes in the play Harvey?

Harvey, written by Mary Chase, is the story of Elwood P. Dowd and his friend Harvey. Harvey is a giant rabbit that only Elwood can see. Elwood’s sister and niece are embarrassed by him and attempt to have him committed to an insane asylum. But they realize that Elwood is happy as he is and decide to leave him be.

There are several themes explored in this play. One is the idea of reality...

Harvey, written by Mary Chase, is the story of Elwood P. Dowd and his friend Harvey. Harvey is a giant rabbit that only Elwood can see. Elwood’s sister and niece are embarrassed by him and attempt to have him committed to an insane asylum. But they realize that Elwood is happy as he is and decide to leave him be.

There are several themes explored in this play. One is the idea of reality vs. imagination and which is better to live with. Elwood has an imaginary friend and it makes him happy. His family wants him to live in the real world, but if he is happy, what is the advantage of living in the real world?

This runs into the idea of living up to social expectations. The reason Elwood’s sister and niece want him to change is because they are embarrassed by him. They want to have a good place in society and feel he is hurting that by talking about Harvey in public. Would they feel the same way if they were not concerned with their standing in society?

Recent new articles indicate that because of the current high price of oil, future availability of oil may be much greater then when your text was...

There are several aspects of the global oil crisis. One aspect is the price of oil. High prices force companies and governments to look for other alternatives, such as solar energy and wind power. Current level of prices is pushing many governments in that direction. Another aspect is the current oil reserves. The global demand may be slightly increasing, but the rate of new discoveries and reserves is higher, thus giving the hope of increased...

There are several aspects of the global oil crisis. One aspect is the price of oil. High prices force companies and governments to look for other alternatives, such as solar energy and wind power. Current level of prices is pushing many governments in that direction. Another aspect is the current oil reserves. The global demand may be slightly increasing, but the rate of new discoveries and reserves is higher, thus giving the hope of increased future resources. However, reserves may or may not be completely accessible or practically harvested. Also, think about the new technologies that may be developed (in next few decades) to help us harvest the oil fields more completely. One such technology is microbially enhanced oil recovery and it aims to increase the oil supply from oil fields that are considered exhausted (technically). Another interesting aspect is the global warming which is causing countries ot commit to reduced carbon production. This will encourage reduced oil production and consumption and more emphasis will be placed on cleaner and renewable energy sources. All in all, there is still hope for sustained oil production for a long time.

Hope this helps.  

Who is Sunday's offering being taken up for in To Kill a Mockingbird? Why?

Sunday’s offering is begin taken for Helen Robinson because her husband is in jail and no one will hire her.

When Jem and Scout accompany Calpurnia to church, they see many things they have not seen before.  They have never been in the African American church.  Calpurnia wants to make sure that they make a good impression, but not everyone is happy that they are there.  Some people feel that they do not belong.  However,...

Sunday’s offering is begin taken for Helen Robinson because her husband is in jail and no one will hire her.

When Jem and Scout accompany Calpurnia to church, they see many things they have not seen before.  They have never been in the African American church.  Calpurnia wants to make sure that they make a good impression, but not everyone is happy that they are there.  Some people feel that they do not belong.  However, Reverend Sykes is aware of and appreciative of their father’s contribution to the community in defending Tom Robinson.

The children are surprised that almost no one in the church can read, other than the preacher and Zeebo, Calpurnia’s son.  The children see that the Reverend has taken up a collection for Helen Robinson.

“You all know of Brother Tom Robinson’s trouble.  He has been a faithful member of First Purchase since he was a boy. The collection taken up today and for the next three Sundays will go to Helen—his wife, to help her out at home.” (Ch. 12)

The Reverend takes the creative approach of saying no one can leave until they have a good collection of at least ten dollars.  He is aware that not only has the family lost Tom Robinson’s income, but Helen too is having a hard time finding work because of what her husband is accused of.

Scout asks why they are taking a collection for Helen, and at first Reverend Sykes says that it is because she can’t work because of her children.  Then he admits the real reason when asked why she can’t just take the children with her.

Reverend Sykes hesitated. “To tell you the truth, Miss Jean Louise, Helen’s finding it hard to get work these days… when it’s picking time, I think Mr. Link Deas’ll take her.” (Ch. 12)

The treatment of Helen by the town is another example of the assumption of guilt Maycomb has.  They assume that if a black man is accused of doing something, he is guilty.  The fact that Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman, makes matters worse.  Not only does Helen lose her husband, she is also a pariah.

This chapter demonstrates the harsh reality of segregation.  The church is crumbling and no one can read.  The town turns against Helen Robinson because of what her husband is accused of.  Many of the churchgoers are suspicious of Scout and Jem, because they are white children and do not belong there.  All in all, the visit makes quite an impression on Scout.

What are five rules to survive and five rules to thrive in Bud, Not Buddy?

Bud lives by a set of rules he has composed titled "Rules and Things for a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself." Some of these rules were adapted from bits of wisdom his mother passed down to him and some are his own thoughts.

These rules could be categorized into those that help Bud survive and those that help Bud thrive.

Five rules that help Bud survive are:

#3 If you got to tell a lie, make sure it’s simple and easy to remember.

#16 If a grown-up ever starts a sentence by saying “Haven’t you heard,” get ready, ’cause what’s about to come out of their mouth is gonna drop you head first into boiling tragedy.

#29 When you wake up and don’t know for sure where you are at and there’s a bunch of people standing around you, it’s best to pretend you’re still asleep until you can figure out what’s going on and what you should do.

#8 Whenever an adult tells you to listen carefully and talks to you in a real calm voice do not listen, run as fast as you can because something terrible is just around the corner.

#63 Never, ever say something bad about someone you don’t know—especially when you’re around a bunch of strangers. You never can tell who might be kin to that person or who might be a lip-flapping, big-mouth spy.

Five rules that help Bud thrive are:

#39 The older you get, the worse something has to be to make you cry.

#87 When an adult tells you they need your help with a problem get ready to be tricked—most times this means they just want you to go fetch something for them.

#328 When you make up your mind to do something, hurry up and do it, if you wait you might talk yourself out of what you wanted in the first place.

#83 If a adult tells you not to worry, and you weren’t worried before, you better hurry up and start ’cause you’re already running late.

#118 You have to give adults something that they think they can use to hurt you by taking it away. That way they might not take something away that you really do want.

What are the purposes of Christmas carols?

We must first differentiate between Christmas "Carols", Christmas "songs", and Christmas Hymns. Many of the songs one hears at Christmas time are not actually Christmas carols.  Especially "secular" songs, such as "Jingle Bells", "Frosty the Snowman", are not carols, but popular songs written on imaginatively generated texts. They invoke ideas and customs we have come to associate with the Season over many years, and are meant to heighten our enjoyment of the traditions we have come to celebrate societally.

Even songs such as "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas", "The First Snowfall of the Winter", "Walking in a Winter Wonderland", etc., are not Christmas carols. Many are individually composed for commercial purposes, and many are from movies such as "Holiday Inn".  This does not lessen their value and their position in popular music.  It is simply that they are to be distinguished from carols, about which you have inquired.

Carols, technically, are those vocal pieces which were originally meant as teaching agents.  In Medieval times, very few persons were literate. They were not able to read the scriptures for themselves, nor, as a matter of fact, were they allowed to do so, even if capable.  The Church saw the reading of Scripture as a function of the clergy, who were also the only persons who had access to the Bible before the invention of the printing press.

We must also remember that the Scriptures were generally read in Latin, despite the fact that Latin was no longer the lingua franca of those who listened to the reading of same. To enable the laity to be taught the stories of the Bible and the beliefs of the Church, several devices came into use.  Stained glass windows, for example, depicted scenes from the Bible, which could be explained to lay persons in their own language.  They were then reminded of the stories, and their attendant meanings, when they viewed the windows.

Similarly, stories, primarily of the advent and birth of Jesus, were taught by the singing of songs which told the story, although there are also carols for Easter.  The carols were composed in popular styles, accompanied often by drums, primitive flutes (such as recorders), and brought to the attention of the public through performances much like a traveling show of earlier days in our own country.

Themes from the Old Testament, such as that stating that Jesus was the "Second Adam", were taught in such carols as "Adam lay y-bounded".  Seeing the Christ Child as a winter-blooming rose was taught with "Lo!  How a Rose E'er-Blooming". Some of these, called "macaronic carols", featured the native language, with interspersions of short, Latin phrases, such as "Gaudeamus" (meaning "let us praise"), or "Adoramus Dominus" ("Let us adore the Lord"), which the people heard often in church.

Therefore, the purpose of Christmas carols, in direct response to your question, was originally as a device for teaching.  Over the centuries, the original use was not abandoned, but added to, by simple ideas of joy, wonder, mystery, and gratitude.  In our present day, carols are often un-distinguished from other seasonal songs, which are largely imbued with the same intent, whether it be sacred or secular.

I mentioned above that Christmas carols are often thought of in the same vein as Christmas hymns.  The difference lies primarily in the fact that Carols were originally in a popular idiom, much like the "street music" of the day.  That is to say, the dance rhythms of the time were adopted and adapted for religious purposes. The people were familiar with such music, and could, therefore, be "enticed" to the learning of Christian ideals through its use.  In actuality, we find the same process today, as is witnessed to by the fact that we can hear music which, at first, sounds like any other "rock" or popular music on the radio, CD's, etc.  Only after listening carefully to the words do we find that they carry a Christian message.

On the other hand, Christmas Hymns are more akin to the traditional hymnody of the Church, based largely on Lutheran Chorales by Bach(1685-1750), or on Victorian hymns.  These hymns are "strophic" in nature (meaning that several verses are sung to a single melody), and are usually harmonized in Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass parts.

Whether in popular Christmas music, Christmas hymns, or Christmas Carols, the purpose is to share the stories and traditions of Christmas in ways which can be enjoyed through passive listening and active participation of singing.

True or false: ordinary lightbulbs provide fluorescent light.

This is false. Ordinary screw-in lightbulbs produce light through a phenomenon called incandescence. They're called incandescent lights. They contain a very thin filament of tungsten wire that's part of the circuit. Tungsten has a high resistance. When electrons flowing through the circuit enter the thin wire the resistance causes heat to build up and the wire becomes hot and glows. Tungsten is used because of its high melting point. The sealed glass bulb contains argon...

This is false. Ordinary screw-in lightbulbs produce light through a phenomenon called incandescence. They're called incandescent lights. They contain a very thin filament of tungsten wire that's part of the circuit. Tungsten has a high resistance. When electrons flowing through the circuit enter the thin wire the resistance causes heat to build up and the wire becomes hot and glows. Tungsten is used because of its high melting point. The sealed glass bulb contains argon gas which is inert and won't oxidize the tungsten.

Fluorescent lightbulbs produce light through a different process. A fluorescent light contains a small amount of vaporized mercury, usually along with an inert gas. They are sealed in a glass tube under low pressure. There are electrodes at each end of the sealed tube. High voltage across the electrodes moves electrons through the gas in the tube, and in doing so energizes electrons in the mercury atoms. The absorbed energy is emitted as photons of light that are in the ultraviolet region and largely invisible to people. When the uv light strikes the white phosphor coating on the inside of the tube its electrons absorb energy and emit light in the visible region. This phenomenon is called fluorescence, giving this type of light its name.

What was the young Kathleen's clearest memory about saying goodbye to her soldier?

Most of Kathleen's memories about her soldier fiancé were vague. She could not even remember his face. Even when she looked at his photograph, which had been ruined by an acid mark, "under no conditions could she remember his face." As time passed, Kathleen remembered less and less about her former fiancé, who "was reported missing, [and] presumed killed."

One memory did stand out to Kathleen. On the night that she said good-bye to her...

Most of Kathleen's memories about her soldier fiancé were vague. She could not even remember his face. Even when she looked at his photograph, which had been ruined by an acid mark, "under no conditions could she remember his face." As time passed, Kathleen remembered less and less about her former fiancé, who "was reported missing, [and] presumed killed."

One memory did stand out to Kathleen. On the night that she said good-bye to her soldier, she reached out her hand toward him. He took her hand and pressed it, "without very much kindness, and painfully, onto one of the breast buttons of his uniform." He pressed her hand so hard against his sharp buttons that they cut her skin. Even after he had gone, "that cut of the button on the palm of her hand was... what she was to carry away." She wore the scar from that cut even twenty-five years later. It was a reminder of that mysterious and sinister man. Even though much time had passed, Kathleen "remembered with such dreadful acuteness that the twenty-five years since then dissolved like smoke and she instinctively looked for the weal left by the button on the palm of her hand."

Most of the details about Kathleen and the soldier were vague in the story. The most vivid description was of Kathleen's hand being cut on the soldier's buttons.

Note the reference to the mockingbird in chapter 28 of To Kill a Mockingbird and explain the significance of it.

The reference in question is in chapter 30. Scout and Jem have been attacked on their way home from the Halloween pageant at the high school and attacked in the dark. There was a scuffle and someone yanked a man off of Scout (who was saved by her costume; the chicken wire that created it saved her from being knifed) and then there was a man coughing and wheezing. When Scout got her bearings, she saw the man carrying Jem home, and she followed. 

They find out shortly, when Sheriff Heck Tate arrives, that Bob Ewell is lying dead under the tree with a kitchen knife stuck under his ribs. The mystery man is Boo Radley himself. 

Tate and Atticus go to the porch to discuss what happens next. Atticus seems to believe that Jem killed Ewell, even if it was in self-defense, but Tate will have none of it. It's clear to him that Boo killed Ewell to protect the children, and he convinces Atticus of this--and also convinces Atticus that they can't tell the truth because Boo would suddenly be a hero, which would be cruel to a man as retiring and shy as he. So Tate says that Ewell fell on his knife, and that's all there is to it. 

Atticus finally accepts this, and calls Scout to him. He says, "Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Can you possibly understand?" 

Scout says, "Yes sir. I understand. Mr. Tate was right." Atticus asks what she means, and she says, "Well, it would be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?"

Years earlier, Atticus had given his children air rifles for Christmas and had said they could shoot at any bird except mockingbirds, because it was a sin to shoot a mockingbird. All a mockingbird does is sing and bring joy to people. Scout here equates bringing Boo into the limelight with shooting a mockingbird. Boo has never hurt anyone; he's only done good, saving the children from a homicidal drunk. To bring what he did into the open would be cruel and pointless--like shooting a mockingbird. 

How does Scrooge try to extinguish the light? Does he succeed?

At the end of the first stave, Scrooge attempts to put out the Ghost of Christmas Past's light by taking the extinguisher cap by force and pressing it down on the ghost's head. Scrooge's effort, however, is unsuccessful:

"But though Scrooge pressed it down with all his force, he could not hide the light, which streamed from under it, in an unbroken flood upon the ground."

Scrooge's attempt to extinguish the light is an important...

At the end of the first stave, Scrooge attempts to put out the Ghost of Christmas Past's light by taking the extinguisher cap by force and pressing it down on the ghost's head. Scrooge's effort, however, is unsuccessful:

"But though Scrooge pressed it down with all his force, he could not hide the light, which streamed from under it, in an unbroken flood upon the ground."

Scrooge's attempt to extinguish the light is an important part in this stave. It is a metaphor for Scrooge's character in which the light represents the process of change. After seeing some painful images of his past, specifically his time at school and the end of his engagement to Belle, he can no longer deny the negative aspects of his character. He has no choice but to accept that he has done wrong and that he must now make amends by reforming his personality and improving his relationships with others. Like the light which shines in an "unbroken flood," Scrooge is now committed to changing his life and cannot go back to the way things were. 

What pictures can I decorate my memory box for Jem Finch with?

To do a creative memory box, you need to think of several things that you can associate with Jem throughout the book as well as things that also tell us something about him as a person.  Think about his actions, the events that surround his journey throughout the book, and perhaps something he said. Although I don’t want to do the memory box for you, I listed a few ideas to get you started. 

To do a creative memory box, you need to think of several things that you can associate with Jem throughout the book as well as things that also tell us something about him as a person.  Think about his actions, the events that surround his journey throughout the book, and perhaps something he said. Although I don’t want to do the memory box for you, I listed a few ideas to get you started. 

• The book, Ivanhoe, that he reads to Mrs. Dubose to help her break her morphine addiction.


• The note he tries to give to Boo through the Radley window asking him out for ice cream.


• A picture/photograph of a broken arm in a cast.


• A camellia, the flower he destroys at Mrs. Dubose’s house.


• A picture of a tire that Jem, Scout, and Dill rolled in down the street.


• Things found in the knothole of the Radley tree.


• A mockingbird.


• A pair of mended pants.

I hope that gets you started!  Look for some important quotes or events that really tell you who Jem is as a character and young boy growing up in Maycomb. 

In Lord of the Flies, is having a chief the only choice for how the boys can organize themselves?

A number of possible ways to organize themselves could have been used by the boys in Lord of the Flies. The boys could have had a council, a triumvirate, or a partnership to act as leaders. They could also have had a buddy system. 

A council of five or seven of the oldest boys might have been a wise choice. Such an arrangement would have allowed various perspectives to be shared more fully, and...

A number of possible ways to organize themselves could have been used by the boys in Lord of the Flies. The boys could have had a council, a triumvirate, or a partnership to act as leaders. They could also have had a buddy system. 

A council of five or seven of the oldest boys might have been a wise choice. Such an arrangement would have allowed various perspectives to be shared more fully, and it may have prevented the jealousies between Jack and Ralph from getting out of hand. By having an odd number of boys on the group, tie votes would have been impossible. Jack might have been held in check if four other boys with equal authority all tried to rein him in.

A triumvirate of Ralph, Piggy, and Jack might have been effective, but it probably would have ended up with Ralph and Piggy siding against Jack, which is what happened anyway. Jack would have had to be willing to accept Piggy as an equal, which he may not have done. 

A partnership would mimic a parenting situation. If Ralph and Jack had been co-chiefs, some of the jealousy could possibly have been avoided, and Jack may have been more vested in the success of the society. However, a father and mother generally have love for one another that allows a level of give and take in the relationship, resulting in a softening of the harsher partner and a strengthening of the milder partner. Since Ralph and Jack did not have a commitment to or love for each other, partnership rule could have resulted in stalemates and competition, which happened anyway.

A buddy system could have been put in place no matter what the leadership strategy was. Instead of assigning Piggy the task of cataloging all the littluns himself, each older boy could have been assigned a younger boy to mentor and keep track of. Having a younger boy for whom to act as a role model may have resulted in many of the boys "stepping up" to take responsibility on the island in a personal way--rather that just being part of the "hunters" group, for instance. The buddy system may have prevented the loss of life of the boy with the mulberry birthmark in the first fire. The organization the boys put in place, with its top-down structure, did not place enough emphasis on the emotional and social development of the boys and created a selfish mindset where most boys only thought of their own needs and desires. Establishing a buddy system from the beginning may have resulted in a different outcome for the boys. 

Who are the main characters in "The Fly" by Katherine Mansfield?

The main characters in "The Fly" by Katherine Mansfield are "the boss" and old Mr. Woodifield.

This particular story of Mansfield's is considered by many literary critics as her darkest story because it is a tale of internal crisis as well as a criticism of sending young men off to war. In this story, the fly which represents death plays a symbolic role.

The plot revolves around the visit to a friend by old Woodifield, whose name suggests the Battle of the Argonne Forest, a major battle of the First World War which lasted from September 1918, until the Armistice of 11 November 1918. In this battle, many American and European soldiers were killed because of their lack of skill and military experience. Among those who have died in this war are the sons of both Woodifield and his friend, known as "the boss." The boss, who intended for his son to take over his business, keeps a photograph of his son taken six years ago on his desk. 

After the boss gives the shaky Woodifield a drink of whiskey, he is able to remember what it is that he wishes to tell the boss:

"I thought you'd like to know. The girls [his daughters] were in Belgium last week having a look at poor Reggie's grave, and they happened to come across your boy's. They're quite near each other, it seems."

This news jars the boss into the reality of his boy's death. No longer does the son seem to his father as the young man who lies "unchanged, unblemished in his uniform, asleep for ever." With this image shattered, the boss sits benumbed at his desk after Woodifield departs. He decides to look at his son's photograph, but "[I]t was cold, even stern-looking," and not as he wants to remember his boy.

Dead to any emotion, the boss toys with the life of a fly who has fallen by chance into his ink pot. After putting the fly on his blotting paper, he is impressed with the fly's ability to clean the ink from itself. So, the boss cruelly replaces it in the ink pot more times so that he can watch it revive, but it finally becomes too weakened, and it dies. When this happens, "such a grinding feeling of wretchedness seized him that he felt positively frightened."

What commandments are broken in the book Animal Farm by George Orwell?

Early in George Orwell's Animal Farm, the animals take over Manor Farm and come up with seven commandments by which they agree to live their lives.

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.

3. No animal shall wear clothes.

4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.

5. No animal shall drink alcohol.

6. No animal shall kill any other animal.

...

Early in George Orwell's Animal Farm, the animals take over Manor Farm and come up with seven commandments by which they agree to live their lives.

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.

3. No animal shall wear clothes.

4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.

5. No animal shall drink alcohol.

6. No animal shall kill any other animal.

7. All animals are equal. (Orwell 43)

It does not take long, though, for the pigs, particularly Napoleon, to take over as leaders and once this happens, the commandments start to change. By the end of the book, the pigs are walking around on two legs, wearing clothes, sleeping in beds, and drinking alcohol. As each commandment is broken, the other animals go to check the original commandments on the wall and find them "magically" changed. "No animal shall sleep in a bed" has "with sheets" added to the end of it, for example. Alcohol may be drunk, just not to excess. Animals can kill other animals if there's a good reason for it. Snowball, though he has four legs, is considered an enemy. The pigs live in the house and have become quite human-like and in many ways worse than Mr. Jones in their treatment of the other animals. 

"I Celebrate Myself" is the first section of Whitman's poem "Song of Myself." In what ways does "I celebrate myself" serve as an appropriate...

A lover of humanity, Walt Whitman feels that he is a part of everyone else as well as a part of Nature. So, when he writes "I celebrate myself," Whitman implies that he celebrates all mankind. Much like his contemporary Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote him and praised this work, Whitman felt himself a part of something similar to Emerson's concept of the Oversoul. 

Like Emerson, Whitman believes that the individual human heart can embrace...

A lover of humanity, Walt Whitman feels that he is a part of everyone else as well as a part of Nature. So, when he writes "I celebrate myself," Whitman implies that he celebrates all mankind. Much like his contemporary Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote him and praised this work, Whitman felt himself a part of something similar to Emerson's concept of the Oversoul. 

Like Emerson, Whitman believes that the individual human heart can embrace the entire universe. His "Song of Myself," therefore, is both an offering of himself and a celebration of this unity of self with nature and culture. "I am the poet of the woman the same as the man," he writes. In Section 16, also, Whitman writes of his connection to the world: "Of every hue and caste am I, of every rank and religion."

Further, Whitman's placing of himself in and out of the points of view of others reflects his commitment to democracy and equality. Thus, the reader of "Song of Myself" is able to view the world through the eyes of the poet, and, therefore, experience a sense of unity in humanity. In the final section (52), Whitman writes,

Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged, 
Missing me one place search another, 
I stop somewhere waiting for you.

In Leaves of Grass the sensibilities in the individual as described throughout the poem by Whitman are actually linked to a larger social and political fabric. For this reason, then, the phrase "I celebrate myself" serves as an appropriate introduction.

Why did the British lose the thirteen American colonies?

The British lost the thirteen colonies because they were defeated in the American Revolutionary War. When they signed the Treaty of Paris to end the war in 1783, they acknowledged that the colonies were free and independent states, and they gave the new United States all of the lands east of the Mississippi and north of Florida. The reasons they lost the thirteen colonies stretch back to the years following the French and Indian War....

The British lost the thirteen colonies because they were defeated in the American Revolutionary War. When they signed the Treaty of Paris to end the war in 1783, they acknowledged that the colonies were free and independent states, and they gave the new United States all of the lands east of the Mississippi and north of Florida. The reasons they lost the thirteen colonies stretch back to the years following the French and Indian War. British authorities attempted to change the relationship between colonies and mother country in ways that the colonists argued were not consistent with their rights. For example, Parliament passed a Stamp Act that placed a tax on all official documents, contrary to the longstanding tradition that English subjects would not be taxed without their consent. This sparked a series of crises that ultimately led to the American Revolution. One year into the Revolution, the colonists declared their independence, ensuring that if the British did not win the war, they would lose the colonies. They did not win the war, basically because they found it difficult to occupy the colonies, a vast expanse of territories, at once, and perhaps more importantly, because the kingdom of France provided assistance in the form of its navy and several thousand troops.

Explain how The Crucible shows the individual against authority.

The Crucible shows an individual standing up against authority in two main characters.  Those two characters are John Proctor and Reverend Hale.  

John Proctor has a larger individual influence against the Puritan authority, so I will start with him.  John knows early on that Abigail and the girls in the forest were not affected by spirits in any way.  Abigail admits to John that they were simply dancing and took fright.  

We were...

The Crucible shows an individual standing up against authority in two main characters.  Those two characters are John Proctor and Reverend Hale.  

John Proctor has a larger individual influence against the Puritan authority, so I will start with him.  John knows early on that Abigail and the girls in the forest were not affected by spirits in any way.  Abigail admits to John that they were simply dancing and took fright.  

We were dancin' in the woods last night, and my uncle leaped in on us. She took fright, is all.

John does not do anything with that knowledge though until the witchcraft trials are getting far out of control.  It's then that John decides to take his knowledge before the court in an effort to save the lives of his friends.  He knows that what he is doing will undermine the authority of the court, but John is still willing to ruin his good name in the community to undo the mistakes of the court.  

Parris: He's come to overthrow this court, Your Honor!

Reverend Hale is also willing to ruin his good name in defense of the accused.  Unfortunately, he can't convince the court to change its mind.  So instead of working directly against the court's authority, Hale begins to counsel the accused.  He wants to convince them to confess in order to save their lives.  

Why, it is all simple. I come to do the Devil's work. I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves. . .  Life, woman, life is God's most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it. I beg you, woman, prevail upon your husband to confess. Let him give his lie.

Unfortunately, neither Hale nor Proctor succeeds, and far too many innocent people are killed.  

What are some good ideas for an argumentative essay on Hamlet?

For any argumentative essay, you need a thesis statement (topic). In the first paragraph, you want to start with a general introduction of a few sentences about your topic. Then, state your thesis. Then, explain why the thesis is significant, interesting, relevant to the play, or relevant to a particular interpretation of the play. 

Hamlet's "delay" is a popular topic and many essays and articles have been written about it. A first paragraph on this...

For any argumentative essay, you need a thesis statement (topic). In the first paragraph, you want to start with a general introduction of a few sentences about your topic. Then, state your thesis. Then, explain why the thesis is significant, interesting, relevant to the play, or relevant to a particular interpretation of the play. 

Hamlet's "delay" is a popular topic and many essays and articles have been written about it. A first paragraph on this topic needs to start with the general introduction, followed by the thesis statement, and then the significance of that thesis statement. I will use a logical introduction with a ridiculous thesis (in bold) statement just to show the structure of this opening paragraph: 

Hamlet must kill Claudius to avenge his father. He delays this vengeance repeatedly and this procrastination has been the subject of debate for centuries. Why does he keep putting it off? I would argue that whenever Hamlet sees Claudius in person, something triggers in his mind and he sees Claudius as a cute and fuzzy bunny. Hamlet has been hypnotized to see this hallucination by Polonius. Seeing the bunny (Claudius), Hamlet is simply unable to murder it (him). This, of course, drastically reinterprets the play and totally changes the traditional perception of Polonius's role in the play. 

In subsequent paragraphs, you want to find evidence from the play to support this thesis. It would also help to use secondary sources (articles) that argue in favor of your thesis. Quote these articles if necessary in the proper paragraphs. After that, provide one or more paragraphs of arguments that disagree with your thesis. Show how these arguments are false.

Use a final paragraph to state your conclusion. Note: do not just restate your thesis at the end, word for word. Restate your thesis by briefly explaining how your evidence supports it. State something like, "It is plausible if not certain that Polonius hypnotized Hamlet to view Claudius as a cute, fuzzy bunny in Act II. As an ally of Claudius, this was Polonius's way of protecting the king and making a fool of Hamlet in the process. The evidence I've provided lends more credence to the so called "Bunny Theory." 

Which powers are granted to Congress by the Constitution?

In Article I of the Constitution are listed the powers granted to Congress.  Generally, Congress is empowered to create all legislation for the United States. This is stated in the first section of the article.  The subject matters of this legislation, what are often called the enumerated powers, are listed in Section 8 and in various amendments, and these cover a broad range.

Congress can legislate to impose taxes, provide for the payment of debt...

In Article I of the Constitution are listed the powers granted to Congress.  Generally, Congress is empowered to create all legislation for the United States. This is stated in the first section of the article.  The subject matters of this legislation, what are often called the enumerated powers, are listed in Section 8 and in various amendments, and these cover a broad range.

Congress can legislate to impose taxes, provide for the payment of debt and for incurring debt, and for payment for the defense of the country. It may legislate on any matter affecting interstate commerce and on commerce with native Americans and other countries. It is the sole body that can create bankruptcy law.  It is responsible for legislation on immigration and naturalization.  It is responsible for coining money, that is to say, for its production and value, as well as for what punishments ensue for counterfeiting American money. The postal system is a creature of Congress, which established its enabling legislation and continues to control it to this day.  Patent and copyright law are the responsibility of Congress.  While the Constitution establishes the Supreme Court of the United States, all other lower courts are established by Congress through legislation. This includes the federal district and circuit courts.  Congress legislates to establish maritime law, which is the law of the sea. Its military powers are broad, to declare war, to create military entities and to fund then, and to create the rules that govern those military entities. An army and navy are mentioned specifically, but of course, there was no air force when the Constitution was created. Also part of this group of powers is the power to create and call forth the state militias, which we now refer to as the National Guard.  Congress also has complete legislative authority over Washington, D.C., which is not a state at all, but the center of federal government. Additionally, each time an amendment has been passed that required some legislative authority, included within the amendment is the granting of power to Congress to enforce that amendment through legislation. 

Any power that is not enumerated in the Constitution and its amendments is a power that falls to the states. This is why most criminal law, family law, and negligence law, to name a few examples, are created by state legislatures, and why there is variability in these areas from one state to another.

Why is Fortunato's decision to wear a clown hat an interesting and appropriate costume choice by writer Edgar Allan Poe?

Most of the people celebrating the carnival would have been wearing costumes. Poe's narrator Montresor relates of Fortunato:

He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells. 

Fortunato has apparently chosen a costume that represents the way he thinks of himself, which is as a witty and funny man. The costume with the cap and bells is ideal for Poe's plot purposes because it is so...

Most of the people celebrating the carnival would have been wearing costumes. Poe's narrator Montresor relates of Fortunato:

He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells. 

Fortunato has apparently chosen a costume that represents the way he thinks of himself, which is as a witty and funny man. The costume with the cap and bells is ideal for Poe's plot purposes because it is so conspicuous. If people didn't at first notice the man in the gaudy costume, their attention would be attracted by the ringing bells. No doubt this costume also makes Fortunato seem like a bit of a fool, but for plot purposes it makes him conspicuous and thereby seems to increase Montresor's difficulties in luring him to his palazzo without being noticed as his companion. Montresor has many difficulties to cope with. The story is mainly about how the narrator deals with all the possible things that could go wrong and achieves his ideal revenge.

The fact that the costume is "tight-fitting" is also apparently intended to make it easy for Montresor to chain Fortunato to the granite wall of the catacombs and impossible for Fortunato to escape. If, for example, Fortunato were wearing a suit and cloak like Montresor, he would have some chance of slipping out of the chain around his waist; or he might have more freedom to reach out and push against the stone wall, either while Montresor was erecting it or after Montresor had left and the mortar was still damp. Also, the fact that the costume is "tight-fitting" suggests that Fortunato has nothing with which he might be able to file at the chains or pick at the padlock. Such a costume would probably not even have any pockets.

Montresor disposes of the question of his motive for killing Fortunato very quickly. Poe evidently wants to make it clear that this is a perfect-crime story. The biggest problem is to lure Fortunato to Montresor's palazzo without being noticed as his companion, and to keep Fortunato drunk and distracted until he is chained to the rock wall. The gaudy costume with its cap and bells would seem to present a problem. This actually serves as an advantage, however, because it attracts all the attention to Fortunato and allows Montresor to go unnoticed. Montresor is wearing a dark cloak and a black mask. He would look almost like Fortunato's shadow as the two men passed through the crowds of intoxicated celebrants. Many people would remember seeing Fortunato when the inevitable inquiry began, but nobody would remember seeing anyone with him.

Because of the tight-fitting costume, Montresor can see at a glance that Fortunato does not have any weapon, visible or concealed. Once Montresor gets Fortunato down into his wine vault, he has him at his mercy. Montresor has a rapier concealed under his roquelaire. He can kill his victim at any time, although it would be more convenient to lead him to the crypt where everything is waiting for his entombment rather than to drag his dead body through a series of dark tunnels.

Need to write letter for The Great Gatsby from Tom to Nick.

In writing a letter from Tom to Nick, you will want to consider the various dynamics that mark Tom's perceptions of his relationship to Nick in The Great Gatsby. 

In a letter to Nick, Tom might address ideas like these: 

• Why Nick should still admire and respect Tom for his successful evasion of responsibility in the wake of three deaths. 


• Why Tom is unshaken in his faith in himself even after nearly losing his wife to another man then helping to cover up his wife's role in a hit-and-run accident. 


• Why Tom is possibly sorry that things went so wrong that summer and that Nick was caught up in it all. 


• Why Nick might be seen to be somehow just as guilty and responsible as anyone else for these deaths. 

Tom is arguably, after all, a shallow materialist who is interested in exercising his own power more than anything else. These traits color his relationship to Nick and would most likely appear in any letter he would write to the less wealthy, less experienced and less callous cousin of his wife (Nick). 

In writing the letter, you might think about expanding upon or exploring the central dynamics of the relationship between Tom and Nick and look at them from Tom's point of view. Considerations of both Tom's character and his actions in the narrative might help shape the content of your letter.

Patronizing and Arrogant -- Early in the novel, Tom relates to Nick in ways that can be described as patronizing and condescending. Tom recognizes that Nick is new to the east coast and to the environs of the very wealthy and he brings Nick along with him to New York City with the apparent expectation that Nick will not have judgmental or negative feelings about Tom cheating on Daisy with Myrtle. 

Nick does not agree to meet Myrtle. He is forced to meet her. 

"I went up with Tom on the train one afternoon and when we stopped by the ashheaps he jumped to his feet and, taking hold of my elbow, literally forced me from the car. 

'We're getting off,' [Tom] insisted. 'I want you to meet my girl.'"

This is an example of Tom's arrogance, which is perhaps Tom's most enduring and characteristic trait. 

Guilt -- Tom is aware that Daisy is responsible for Myrtle's death, yet he deflects blame from his wife onto Gatsby. He effectively turns the man he has cuckolded into a murderer and a suicide when he gives Wilson Gatsby's address late in the novel. 

Nick is left as the only person to deal with the aftermath of the tragedy (which includes Myrtle's death, Wilson's death and Gatsby's death). 

Given Tom's sense of entitlement and sense of exceptional-ism, we might wonder if he would write to Nick to explain why he does not (and should not) feel guilty. Perhaps Tom would expand on the idea he expresses to Nick regarding his sense that Wilson would have shot him (Tom) and would have shot Daisy if he did not provide Wilson with Gatsby's address. 

If we presume that Tom may have grown and come to accept some responsibility for the numerous deaths that occur, he might offer some qualified apology to Nick in his letter. 

`int_0^1 (dx)/(1 + sqrt(x))^4` Evaluate the definite integral.

You need to solve the definite integral, using fundamental theorem of calculus, such that:

`int_a^b f(x) dx = F(b) - F(a)`

First, you need to solve the indefinite integral `int (dx)/((1+sqrt x)^4)` , using the substitution `1 + sqrt x = t` such that:

`1 + sqrt x = t => 1/(2sqrt x) dx = dt => dx = 2(t-1)dt`

`int (dx)/((1+sqrt x)^4) = int (2(t-1)dt)/(t^4)`

`int (2(t-1)dt)/(t^4) = int (2t)/(t^4)dt - int 2/(t^4)...

You need to solve the definite integral, using fundamental theorem of calculus, such that:

`int_a^b f(x) dx = F(b) - F(a)`

First, you need to solve the indefinite integral `int (dx)/((1+sqrt x)^4)` , using the substitution `1 + sqrt x = t` such that:

`1 + sqrt x = t => 1/(2sqrt x) dx = dt => dx = 2(t-1)dt`

`int (dx)/((1+sqrt x)^4) = int (2(t-1)dt)/(t^4)`

`int (2(t-1)dt)/(t^4) = int (2t)/(t^4)dt - int 2/(t^4) dt`

`int (2(t-1)dt)/(t^4) = int 2/(t^3)dt - int 2/(t^4) dt`

`int (2(t-1)dt)/(t^4) = int 2*(t^(-3))dt - int 2*(t^(-4)) dt`

`int (2(t-1)dt)/(t^4) = 2*(t^(-2))/(-2) - 2(t^(-3))/(-3) + c`

`int (2(t-1)dt)/(t^4) = -1/(t^2) + 2/(3t^3) + c`

Replacing back `1 + sqrt x` for t yields:

`int (dx)/((1+sqrt x)^4) = -1/((1 + sqrt x)^2) + 2/(3(1 + sqrt x)^3) + c`

Calculating the integral yields:

`int_0^1 (dx)/((1+sqrt x)^4) = (-1/((1 + sqrt x)^2) + 2/(3(1 + sqrt x)^3))|_0^1`

`int_0^1 (dx)/((1+sqrt x)^4) = (-1/((1 + 1)^2) + 2/(3(1 + 1)^3) + 1/((1 + 0)^2) - 2/(3(1 + 0)^3))`

`int_0^1 (dx)/((1+sqrt x)^4) = -1/4 + 1/12 + 1 - 2/3`

`int_0^1 (dx)/((1+sqrt x)^4) = (-3 + 1 + 12 - 8)/12`

`int_0^1 (dx)/((1+sqrt x)^4) = 2/12`

`int_0^1 (dx)/((1+sqrt x)^4) = 1/6`

Hence, evaluating the definite integral, using the fundamental theorem of calculus, yields `int_0^1 (dx)/((1+sqrt x)^4) = 1/6.`