What literary devices are used in Chapter 3 of Frankenstein?

Victor discusses what it felt like to think so intensely on the same subject for an extended period of time.  He says that in "the midst of this darkness a sudden light broke in upon [him] -- a light so brilliant and wondrous, yet so simply, that [he] became dizzy with the immensity of the prospect which it illustrated [...]."  Light has often been connected to knowledge in the novel, and thus it functions as a symbol.  Victor describes an intellectual breakthrough as though it were a light pouring over him.  Importantly, though, light can be both life-giving as well as dangerous, just as knowledge can be.

The motif of knowledge returns again in the chapter when Victor tells Captain Walton to "Learn from [him] [...] how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world [...]."  A motif is a recurring symbol that is often connected to theme.  Certainly one theme of this novel is that knowledge can be both a positive force as well as a destructive one.  The light motif is furthered by Victor's assertion that, with his knowledge, he will "pour a torrent of light into [their] dark world."  He believes that he will be able to render humans invulnerable to disease with his discoveries. 

Victor also employs a metaphor when he says that his "eyes swim with the remembrance" of what he thought at the time.  His eyes, of course, don't really swim, but he is describing the tears produced by remembering how naive he was, back before he created a monster (literally).  There are so many tears now, that he compares the quantity of water to a deep pool or a flood.  In other words, he feels great remorse in this moment.

As he worked on his experiment, Victor says that his "eyes were insensible to the charms of nature."  This is an example of metonymy; he does not mean that he literally could not see nature's beauty but that he couldn't recognize it or its value.  Metonymy is the use of a detail associated with something for the thing itself.  In this case, his eyes and his physical sight stand in for his mind, his figurative ability to see truth, or to see what's important.

Victor also uses allusions when he refers to the histories of various countries in the world (Greece, America, Peru, etc.) and the ethical failures of people who failed to realize that we should not apply ourselves to pursuits that "[have] a tendency to weaken [our] affections, and to destroy [our] taste for [...] simple pleasures [...]."

What is a quote that shows how Lyddie is brave in chapters 1-4 of Lyddie?

Lyddie bravely faces danger when a bear comes into her house.

Lyddie demonstrates bravery and quick thinking quite often.  An example of this is when her brother leaves a door open (or doesn’t shut it well enough), and a huge bear wanders into their house.  Lyddie is perfectly calm, and immediately begins giving orders to everyone—including her mother.

"Don't nobody yell," she said softly. "Just back up slow and quiet to the ladder and climb up to the loft. Charlie, you get Agnes, and Mama, you take Rachel." She heard her mother whimper. "Shhh," she continued, her voice absolutely even. "It's all right long as nobody gets upset. (Ch. 1)

Everyone climbs into the loft but Lyddie.  She says she will go last and take the ladder up. She does not get a chance.  Lyddie looks straight into the bear's eyes, glaring and daring him to get her.  She almost seems to have a charm on him.  However, he hears a noise and attacks. Again, Lyddie is quick thinking.  She remains below as the bear thrashes around until he sticks his head in boiling hot oatmeal and runs away.

Lyddie shows daily bravery just by keeping things going in her mother’s negligence.  He has gone off prospecting, and she never expects him to return.  As a result, she has gone “queer” according to Lyddie.  She decides to leave her farm and go to Uncle Judah’s, but Lyddie knows they can’t all just get up and leave.

"I can't stop you to go," Lyddie said, "but I can't go with you. I can't. leave the farm." When her mother opened her mouth to argue, Lyddie went on. "The sow won't fetch enough to provide coach fare for the lot of us." (Ch. 1)

Lyddie is very brave to stay behind while her mother and the younger children leave.  It is a different kind of bravery than the physical bravery of facing down the bear, but she does it for the same reason.  She is trying to protect her family.  She knows that the farm is all they have left, and their financial mainstay. Her mother is not mentally well enough to be of use.

Throughout her journey, Lyddie will remain resolute and strong.  Even when her mother basically sells her into servitude, Lyddie never breaks.  She eventually finds her own way, becoming a factory girl, where she will also always remain brave and strong in the face of difficulties.

How and why is a social group represented in a particular way?

A social group, within social sciences, is defined as two or more people who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and have a collective sense of unity. In general, a social group is represented as a group of people who have similar interests and beliefs. 

There are three types of social groups: primary, secondary and reference groups. 

Primary groupsare characterized by close-knit and intimate relationships. They often consist of the nuclear family structure, but can also...

A social group, within social sciences, is defined as two or more people who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and have a collective sense of unity. In general, a social group is represented as a group of people who have similar interests and beliefs. 

There are three types of social groups: primary, secondary and reference groups. 

Primary groups are characterized by close-knit and intimate relationships. They often consist of the nuclear family structure, but can also exist as any other group formation that provides love, security, and companionship.

Secondary groups are characterized by impersonal relationships, and can vary in size. Secondary groups are found in the workplace or in school settings, where people come together to collaborate for group projects. Other examples of secondary social groupings are found in college courses or on sports teams. Lastly, all secondary social groupings are temporary, as they eventually come to an end. 

Reference groups are characterized by the groups we look up to. It is not required to actually be a part of a reference group (though you can be), so much as they are used for a standard or guidelines to follow. Examples of this are looking to the media for fashion advice or following a sports team closely to adapt their winning strategies. 

Social groups are represented differently because each social group has different values, beliefs, and forms of interaction. For example, a secondary social group like a group project represents itself much differently than a primary social group like the nuclear family would, because each interact for different purposes, and they both have different values and beliefs.

Lincoln wanted to prevent Maryland from seceding because what would happen?

Washington, D.C. is our nation’s capital. It was created when Maryland and Virginia donated land as part of the compromise to deal with our nation’s debt. Since Maryland and Virginia were considered part of the South, there could be issues if the country ever split along regional lines.

When Virginia decided to secede from the Union, President Lincoln knew there could be an issue with our capital. Since Maryland had slaves, there was a very...

Washington, D.C. is our nation’s capital. It was created when Maryland and Virginia donated land as part of the compromise to deal with our nation’s debt. Since Maryland and Virginia were considered part of the South, there could be issues if the country ever split along regional lines.

When Virginia decided to secede from the Union, President Lincoln knew there could be an issue with our capital. Since Maryland had slaves, there was a very good possibility that Maryland could secede from the Union. If Maryland seceded from the Union, our capital would be cut off from the Union. It would have been located in the Confederacy. As a result, President Lincoln had to be sure Maryland stayed in the Union.

To prevent the Maryland legislature from voting to secede, President Lincoln ordered the arrest of those legislators that supported secession. This prevented Maryland from seceding. By keeping Maryland in the Union as a border state, our capital wouldn’t be cut off from the Union.

In Fahrenheit 451, what does Montag mean when he says that he wants to hold onto the world?

Montag has undergone a profound transformation. For much of his life, he had been a passive, thoughtless citizen who took satisfaction in doing what he was told. Over the course of the events with Clarisse and Faber, Montag has changed completely. He is no longer an automaton, simply acting out the orders of his superiors. He is now an agent with free will. He intends to experience the world as much as possible and with...

Montag has undergone a profound transformation. For much of his life, he had been a passive, thoughtless citizen who took satisfaction in doing what he was told. Over the course of the events with Clarisse and Faber, Montag has changed completely. He is no longer an automaton, simply acting out the orders of his superiors. He is now an agent with free will. He intends to experience the world as much as possible and with little to no interference from any authority or outside influence. 

Look at the world out there, my God, my God, look at it out there, outside me, out there beyond my face and the only way to really touch it is to put it where it's finally me, where it's in the blood, where it pumps around a thousand times ten thousand a day. I get hold of it so it'll never run off. I'll hold on to the world tight some day. I've got one finger on it now; that's a beginning. 

He says he will he will hold on to the world "some day." What he means is that he has only just begun to apprehend and observe the world with this new, willing, fresh perspective. Just as he had been doing with Faber, he will have to continue to learn to think more speculatively and creatively. He will likewise have to continue observing the world and more genuinely and compassionately interacting with others. This will all be a learning process. And then, "some day," he will really be able to understand the world. He will then be able to hold on to it: to fully "grasp" it. But at this point, he is a novice; he is just beginning. 

Describe the poetic elements of Sonnet 73. What imagery and symbolism does Shakespeare use, and what is the central theme of the work?

This is perhaps Shakespeare's best sonnet, technically speaking. What makes it unique is the display of metaphors. Each of the three stanzas contains two metaphors. The first in each case is a metaphor for the speaker's age, and the second is a metaphor for that metaphor.

In the first stanza the poet, presumably Shakespeare himself, compares his aging condition to 

That time of year...

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

And then he compares those barren boughs to

Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

The sound of singing birds is simulated by the "S" sounds in "sweet" and "sang." It should be noted that the concept of the boughs shaking because of the cold is a poetic conceit. The boughs cannot not feel the cold but are shaking because of the wind. What is interesting is that they look as if they are shaking because of the cold. And they look as if they are shaking because of the cold because they are nearly naked. Shakespeare makes the preceding line move slowly, breaking it up with commas

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

so that the words "shake against the cold" will convey that image more effectively by contrast.

In the second stanza he returns to his aged appearance and mood. He compares them with 

The twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;

And then he compares the ensuing "black night" to

Death's second self that seals up all in rest.

The poet is equating death and night. It is a thought which must be familiar to his reader. Many of Shakespeare's metaphors and similes are characteristically familiar, homely, commonplace, unpretentious, and simple. That is one of Shakespeare's finest attributes as a poet. In Macbeth he has his protagonist compare sleep to "the death of each day's life." Everybody can understand that metaphor. Going to sleep is like dying, and waking up is like being reborn. In Hamlet he has the Prince compare humanity to a neglected garden:

How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world!
Fie on't! ah, fie! 'tis an unweeded garden
That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely. 

Everybody has seen such a garden by an abandoned house. The grass gets long and choked with weeds. This is "rank." Huge, ugly weeds spring up here and there. They are "gross." The rank vegetation represents most of the people in the world. The gross weeds represent people like Claudius and Polonius.

In the third stanza, Shakespeare compares his time of life to

the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,

And then he compares those ashes to a death-bed.

The central theme of Sonnet 73 is summarized in the final couplet.

This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.

Shakespeare is expressing his appreciation for the fact that his paramour still continues to love him in spite of the fact that he is growing old. No doubt the person addressed in the poem continues to love him more or less the same as always. But the love seems "more strong" and more precious to the poet because he knows he is growing older, losing his vitality and whatever good looks he once possessed. 

In some of Shakespeare's sonnets he uses only one striking metaphor or simile, which stands out because of its placement and because it stands alone. For example, in Sonnet 29, which begins with 

When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,

he breaks into his morbid reflections with these lines containing a commonplace but dazzling simile:

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;

The lark begins to take flight in one line and soars all the way up to heaven in the next. The lark's singing is simulated by all the "S" sounds in "arising," "sullen," "sings," "hymns," and "heaven's."

But in Sonnet 73, Shakespeare fills his poem with metaphors as if to offer a tiny sample of his unfathomed and inexhaustible creative prowess.

How can I present a solution using pseudocode and a flowchart? Identify the logic needed to apply a discount on all items in the shopping cart....

While we don't have the tools (or the aim) of drawing the pseudocode flowchart for you, we can help talk you through how to go about satisfying the requirements of this computer programming task.

Starting with the programming flowchart, a programming flowchart combines predefined geometric symbols and arrowed lines with simple pseudocode sentences to describe a problem, a solution and an action (or a process) to be carried out by a computer program operation.

Processing operations might show the logical steps in carrying out the solution of the task in a straight linear relationship (one end solution), called "sequencing"; in a "Yes" "No" alternative relationship (two possible end solutions), called "decision"; or in a repeating relationship (multiple applications of a process(s)), called "looping." Each operation relationship has specific guidelines for using pseudocode and for building the flowchart.

Logic

The logic for applying a monetary discount to all items an online customer has placed in a website shopping cart is looping logic: the process will be applied--will be looped--over and over again to each individual item in the shopping cart. The logic is not "decision" because, since the discount is applied to all items, the end result isn't derived from a "Yes" "No" alternative resulting in two possible processing routes (although "Yes" "No" decision logic may be incorporated as a part of the looping process). The logic is not "sequence" because there is not one single process that arrives at one, final end solution. The logic statements would include the problem, the discussion, the output, input and processing. For a discount applied to a whole shopping cart, the logic would be similar to this:

• Problem: Apply a discount to each item in an entire shopping cart of items.


• Discussion: The discount equals 10% of the price of each item.


• Output: The discounted price per item.


• Input: The Item prices.


• Process: Find the price of each item; deduct the 10% discount from each price; find the final item price.

Pseudocode

The pseudocode language, simplified program descriptive sentences, would describe a loop and capture the logic in a manner similar to this:

• Determine the discounted price of each item in a shopping cart


• Initialize multiplier and deduct from price


• Do While there are more data


•   a. Get next item


•   b. Multiply by discount


•   c. Finalize discounted price


• Loop


• Final Item Price

Flowchart

The flowchart would graphically represent the programming process and be labeled with the pseudocode. Some significant elements of the flowchart include these:

• The flowchart begins and ends with the geometric shape of a sideways oval. The top one will be labeled Start (or Begin) while the bottom one will be labeled End.


• A directional arrow will indicate the flow of the program between one step and the next. With a loop involved, some directional arrows will point the side and some back toward the top (indicating a loop), although the primary sequential arrows will point downward.


• On the step during which the next item price is retrieved, the sequencing will incorporate pseudocode asking something similar to: "Are there more items?" At this step, a decision sequence will be incorporated with "Yes" looping to the next item price and "No" diverting the program to the end result and to the End oval shape.


• On the "Yes" diversion, the loop is initiated and is indicated by a directional arrow to the left, joined by another toward the top, joined by another to the right that ends at the primary sequence arrow just ahead of the diamond shape asking "Are there more items?"

Pseudocode and flowcharts are clearly explained in a PowerPoint made available by the Computer Science Department of Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) in Long Island, New York, with clear examples provided; this answer is drawn from the SCCC PowerPoint.

In "Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing, why does Jerry's mother feel impatient with Jerry and worry over things he might secretly be thinking about?

In that first paragraph, Jerry's mother "looked impatient, then smiled."  She assumed he was right behind her, but he was dawdling and stopping to turn and look "toward the bay" instead.  Her initial impatience seems to be a typical parental response when they believe their child is with them and turn around to find the child is lagging far behind, distracted by something or other.

When she sees where Jerry is looking, his mother asks,...

In that first paragraph, Jerry's mother "looked impatient, then smiled."  She assumed he was right behind her, but he was dawdling and stopping to turn and look "toward the bay" instead.  Her initial impatience seems to be a typical parental response when they believe their child is with them and turn around to find the child is lagging far behind, distracted by something or other.

When she sees where Jerry is looking, his mother asks, "'Why, darling, would you rather not come with me?  Would you rather--,'" stopping short before she finishes the question.  She doesn't honestly know what would amuse him, if those amusements would be ones she'd approve or feel were safe.  "She frowned, conscientiously worrying over what amusements he might secretly be longing for which she had been too busy or too careless to imagine."  As an eleven year-old boy, Jerry's interests are changing and he is beginning the process of becoming an adult, beginning to long for freedom and independence from his mother.  Perhaps this moment sort of snuck up on her.  She realized, of course, that this moment would come, but she worries now about how to treat him and what to say, "determined to be neither possessive nor lacking in devotion."  Her worry is caused by the internal conflict she feels, wanting to grant Jerry the independence he needs but also wanting to keep him safe.

Why does Jimmy want to carry his own suitcase?

When Jimmy Valentine checks into the Planters' Hotel in Elmore, Arkansas, under the alias of Ralph Spencer, he prevents the clerk from calling the bellboy.

Mr. Spencer thought he would stop over in the town a few days and look over the situation. No, the clerk needn't call the boy. He would carry up his suit-case, himself; it was rather heavy.

Jimmy doesn't want the bellboy to realize how heavy the suitcase really is, because it...

When Jimmy Valentine checks into the Planters' Hotel in Elmore, Arkansas, under the alias of Ralph Spencer, he prevents the clerk from calling the bellboy.

Mr. Spencer thought he would stop over in the town a few days and look over the situation. No, the clerk needn't call the boy. He would carry up his suit-case, himself; it was rather heavy.

Jimmy doesn't want the bellboy to realize how heavy the suitcase really is, because it would start the boy wondering and then talking about it. This is a small town where everything gets around. Other people would start wondering and talking about Jimmy's suitcase. It is heavy because it is full of the tools of his trade.

It was a complete set, made of specially tempered steel, the latest designs in drills, punches, braces and bits, jimmies, clamps, and augers, with two or three novelties, invented by Jimmy himself, in which he took pride. 

O. Henry makes repeated references to this suitcase. It is a symbol of Jimmy's high professional status as a safecracker. But it also becomes a terrible burden after he decides to go straight. He happens to have it with him when the little girl gets trapped in the bank vault. He is forced by his own conscience and his fiancee's pleadings to open the suitcase and reveal to everybody that he is a professional safecracker, an imposter, a criminal and an ex-convict. The tools will be incontrovertible evidence against him in court when Ben Price arrests him, because they can be linked to the three bank jobs Jimmy pulled after being pardoned and released from prison.

Jimmy would like to get rid of the suitcase, but he can't. It has become a millstone around his neck. This symbolizes what happens to people when they enter a life of crime. They develop criminal mentalities, and later they develop convict mentalities. We are all shaped by what we do in life. 

O. Henry spent three years in a state prison for embezzlement, and he learned a lot about criminals and convicts. He knew how hard it was to go straight. He saw many men walk out of prison and then be brought back inside. They are called "recidivists." It is hard for them to make it on the outside because they have no respectable trades and they cannot explain what they have been doing for a number of years.

An extreme example of a recidivist is Jean Valjean in Victor Hugo's great classic novel Les Miserables. Valjean tries all his life to be a respectable citizen, but he is pursued relentlessly by his nemesis Inspector Javert. Ben Price is Jimmy Valentine's nemesis, but Price is not such a hard-hearted martinet as Javert. Price is willing to give Jimmy a break after he sees how Jimmy sacrifices his freedom and happiness to save that little girl.

What other decisions does Macbeth have to make besides killing Banquo in Act 3, scene 4?

Act 3, scene 4 finds Lord and Lady Macbeth presiding over a banquet in their honor. The two murderers return to tell Macbeth that they succeeded in killing Banquo, but Fleance got away. When Macbeth returns to the banquet hall he sees Banquo's ghost sitting at the table; he begins to address the ghost, unable to hide his anguish at seeing the ghost of his friend who he murdered at the table. The company is...

Act 3, scene 4 finds Lord and Lady Macbeth presiding over a banquet in their honor. The two murderers return to tell Macbeth that they succeeded in killing Banquo, but Fleance got away. When Macbeth returns to the banquet hall he sees Banquo's ghost sitting at the table; he begins to address the ghost, unable to hide his anguish at seeing the ghost of his friend who he murdered at the table. The company is aghast at his behavior and Lady Macbeth attempts to excuse Macbeth's odd and frenetic behavior by blaming it on an illness that he's had since childhood. Macbeth finally manages to pull it together, but loses it again during the dinner. Everyone leaves and Lady Macbeth berates her husband for his behavior and for ruining the evening. 

Macbeth makes the decision at the end of the scene to send for Macduff in the morning and to visit the witches to find out how to protect himself. He worries that he might lose all that he has gained, but has come too far to turn back now. 

What are the duties of the Canterville Ghost?

The Canterville Ghost has a very rigid set of duties in the story. While we do not know the origin of these duties, they consist of a number of activities.

First of all, the ghost is obliged to appear in various parts of Canterville Chase at particular days and times. This is clarified in Chapter Four:

It was his solemn duty to appear in the corridor once a week, and to gibber from the large...

The Canterville Ghost has a very rigid set of duties in the story. While we do not know the origin of these duties, they consist of a number of activities.

First of all, the ghost is obliged to appear in various parts of Canterville Chase at particular days and times. This is clarified in Chapter Four:

It was his solemn duty to appear in the corridor once a week, and to gibber from the large oriel window on the first and third Wednesdays in every month.

Secondly, it is the ghost's duty to maintain the bloodstain in the library. This is a visual reminder of the murder he committed there in 1575 (of his wife, Lady Eleanore). When Washington Otis cleans the stain with Pinkerton's Detergent, the ghost resorts to stealing, as we learn during his conversation with Virginia in Chapter Five:

It is a very difficult thing to get real blood nowadays, and, as your brother began it all with his Paragon Detergent, I certainly saw no reason why I should not have your paints. 

Finally, it is the ghost's duty to scare people. The ghost has terrified residents of Canterville Chase for the last 300 years and he looks back on his supernatural career with great pride. When the Otises fail to feel terror, the ghost becomes depressed and forlorn because his purpose for existing is suddenly brought into question. It is this failure which brings the story to its climax as the ghost leaves Canterville Chase and goes to the Garden of Death where he can rest for eternity.

What is the pharmaceutical application of alkenes?

Alkenes are organic compounds made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms with one or more carbon- carbon double bonds. Their names end with ‘-ene’ and their physical state depends on their number of carbon atoms. Alkenes containing two to four carbon atoms usually exist as gases. Examples include ethane and propene.

Those with carbon atoms between five and sixteen generally exist as liquids and those with carbon atoms in excess of seventeen tend to exist...

Alkenes are organic compounds made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms with one or more carbon- carbon double bonds. Their names end with ‘-ene’ and their physical state depends on their number of carbon atoms. Alkenes containing two to four carbon atoms usually exist as gases. Examples include ethane and propene.

Those with carbon atoms between five and sixteen generally exist as liquids and those with carbon atoms in excess of seventeen tend to exist as waxy solids. Examples can be found in paraffin wax which is a material for making candles. They are generally soluble in organic solvents such as acetone or benzene.

Alkenes are used for a wide variety of purposes, the most notable being their role in the manufacture of plastics and rubber. Alkenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons, they are insoluble in water and their use in pharmaceutical preparations is very restricted as a result of their toxicity to the body. They are more commonly used in industry as raw materials for the manufacturing of alcohols and aldehydes.

What steps has the government taken to evaluate the impact of the legislation on health care cost in the U.S.?

The federal government monitors the impact legislation has on health care costs in a variety of manners.  The department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been tasked with evaluating, reviewing, collecting data, and working with states to ensure that legislation, particularly the Affordable Care Act, is enacted properly. 

The federal government further evaluates health care data and information provided by clinicians, hospitals and other healthcare organizations that receive federal dollars.  The Physician Quality Reporting...

The federal government monitors the impact legislation has on health care costs in a variety of manners.  The department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been tasked with evaluating, reviewing, collecting data, and working with states to ensure that legislation, particularly the Affordable Care Act, is enacted properly. 

The federal government further evaluates health care data and information provided by clinicians, hospitals and other healthcare organizations that receive federal dollars.  The Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) is an example of a reporting method.  Physicians report to the government on predetermined key indicators.  Physicians must meet the standards established by the government.  By doing so, the providers then receive payment accordingly.  This is otherwise referred to as pay for performance.

Hospitals also report to CMS various measures, which are called core measures. Hospitals then receive incentive payments based on their abilities to meet the standards established by the government. 

The government further monitors legislation through health care costs by working with states on determining payment systems through the managed care programs in the respective states. 

How does A Doll's House reflect the life of its author Henrik Ibsen?

Henrik Ibsen drew his plot for the play A Doll's House from the real-life experiences of his friend Laura Kieler, whose maiden name was Laura Smith Petersen.Just like Torvald in the play, Laura's husband Victor was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and his doctor counseled him to move to warmer southerly climates for a greater chance at recovery. Just like Nora, Laura took out a loanto pay for the trip. She ran into...

Henrik Ibsen drew his plot for the play A Doll's House from the real-life experiences of his friend Laura Kieler, whose maiden name was Laura Smith Petersen.

Just like Torvald in the play, Laura's husband Victor was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and his doctor counseled him to move to warmer southerly climates for a greater chance at recovery. Just like Nora, Laura took out a loan to pay for the trip. She ran into such difficulty repaying the loan, however, that she eventually resorted to forging a signature on a second loan to help pay for the first, just as Nora forged a signature to acquire her own loan to pay for her husband's care.

Unlike Nora's forgery in the play, Laura's forgery became public. Also, unlike Nora, once Laura's husband learned of the forgery, he immediately divorced Laura. During this time period, upon divorce, the husband was given legal possession of the children, so Laura's children were removed from her care. Laura's story also ends much more tragically than Nora's potentially optimistic ending. After losing her husband and children in the divorce, Laura fell into such a state of anxiety and heartbreak that she was committed to a mental hospital for a while, although she ultimately lived to be a successful playwright and historic novelist.

Why carbon dioxide is a gas at room temperature in terms of bonding and structure?

Carbon dioxide is made of one carbon atom that is sandwhiched in between two oxygen atoms. The carbon atom is in between each of the two oxygen atoms and there is a double bond between each carbon-oxygen bond (O=C=O). Thus, carbon dioxide is symmetrical. Oxygen is more electronegative than carbon. Therefore, the oxygens pull the electrons towards themselves with the same force on either side of the carbon atom. The symmetry of carbon dioxide and equal pulling...

Carbon dioxide is made of one carbon atom that is sandwhiched in between two oxygen atoms. The carbon atom is in between each of the two oxygen atoms and there is a double bond between each carbon-oxygen bond (O=C=O). Thus, carbon dioxide is symmetrical. Oxygen is more electronegative than carbon. Therefore, the oxygens pull the electrons towards themselves with the same force on either side of the carbon atom. The symmetry of carbon dioxide and equal pulling of oxygen on either side of the carbon results in little to no intermolecular existing within carbon dioxide other than London (dispersion) forces and Van Der Waals. These are very weak intermolecular forces that are overcome at room temperature. Thus, carbon dioxide molecules are able to move freely as a gas.

What words in the first two stanzas are repeated most?

In the poem "Annabel Lee," by far the word that is repeated most from the first two stanzas is the word "love." In the first two stanzas alone, it is repeated six times, though it only has two more repetitions in the remainder of the poem. There is no other word that is repeated more than twice in the first two stanzas, but the next most used word in the poem is actually two words,...

In the poem "Annabel Lee," by far the word that is repeated most from the first two stanzas is the word "love." In the first two stanzas alone, it is repeated six times, though it only has two more repetitions in the remainder of the poem. There is no other word that is repeated more than twice in the first two stanzas, but the next most used word in the poem is actually two words, "Annabel Lee," which is said at least once in every stanza of the poem. As this poem is about the narrator's love for Annabel Lee, it should come as no surprise that the words "love" and "Annabel Lee" are the most used in the poem.

`cos(x + pi/4) - cos(x - pi/4) = 1` Find all solutions of the equation in the interval [0, 2pi).

`cos(x+pi/4)-cos(x-pi/4)=1 , 0<=x<=2pi`

We will use the following identity,

`cos(A+B)=cosAcosB-sinAsinB`

`cos(x+pi/4)-cos(x-pi/4)=1`

`rArr (cos(pi/4)cos(x)-sin(pi/4)sin(x))-(cos(pi/4)cos(x)+sin(pi/4)sin(x))=1`

`rArr(cos(x)-sin(x))/sqrt(2)-(cos(x)+sin(x))/sqrt(2)=1`

`rArr(cos(x)-sin(x)-cos(x)-sin(x))/sqrt(2)=1`

`rArr(-2sin(x))/sqrt(2)=1`

`rArrsin(x)=-1/sqrt(2)`

General solutions are ,

`x=(5pi)/4+2pin , x=(7pi)/4+2pin`

solutions for the range `0<=x<=2pi`  are,

`x=(5pi)/4 , x=(7pi)/4`

`cos(x+pi/4)-cos(x-pi/4)=1 , 0<=x<=2pi`

We will use the following identity,

`cos(A+B)=cosAcosB-sinAsinB`

`cos(x+pi/4)-cos(x-pi/4)=1`

`rArr (cos(pi/4)cos(x)-sin(pi/4)sin(x))-(cos(pi/4)cos(x)+sin(pi/4)sin(x))=1`

`rArr(cos(x)-sin(x))/sqrt(2)-(cos(x)+sin(x))/sqrt(2)=1`

`rArr(cos(x)-sin(x)-cos(x)-sin(x))/sqrt(2)=1`

`rArr(-2sin(x))/sqrt(2)=1`

`rArrsin(x)=-1/sqrt(2)`

General solutions are ,

`x=(5pi)/4+2pin , x=(7pi)/4+2pin`

solutions for the range `0<=x<=2pi`  are,

`x=(5pi)/4 , x=(7pi)/4`

How is Atticus's remark to Jem about why Tom was convicted similar to Dolphus Raymond's?

In Chapter 22, Atticus explains to Jem, when Jem cannot understand how the jury could convict a clearly innocent man, that "They did it before, they did it tonight, and they'll do it again and when they do it--seems that only children weep" (243).

In Chapter 22, the children leave the courtroom because Dill can't deal with how nasty Mr. Gilmer is being to Tom Robinson on the stand, and they encounter Mr. Adolphus Raymond,...

In Chapter 22, Atticus explains to Jem, when Jem cannot understand how the jury could convict a clearly innocent man, that "They did it before, they did it tonight, and they'll do it again and when they do it--seems that only children weep" (243).

In Chapter 22, the children leave the courtroom because Dill can't deal with how nasty Mr. Gilmer is being to Tom Robinson on the stand, and they encounter Mr. Adolphus Raymond, known for being a miscegenist with "mixed children" and an incurable alcoholic. Mr. Raymond offers Dill something to settle his stomach and Scout is horrified that he would corrupt a child, but it turns out that what Raymond is drinking is only Coca Cola. Scout is fascinated with why anyone would "deliberately perpetrate fraud against himself" (228), so she asks him why. He explains that people would never understand that he lives the way he does (being married to a black woman) because he wants to, but "it helps folks if they can latch onto a reason," like their belief that he's "in the clutches of whiskey" and "can't help himself." She asks him why he's telling them, then, and he says, "Because you're children and you can understand it." He says "things" haven't caught up with Dill yet, which is why he is crying, but when he gets older he won't. Dill says, "Cry about what?" and Raymond says "Cry about the simple hell people give other people--without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, even without stopping to think that they're people, too" (229). 

Both Atticus and Raymond are observing that only children haven't yet been hardened by the world to the point that they no longer see the innate unfairness and horror of racism and bigotry. 

What percent of hydrochloric acid is hydrogen?

A clearer way to think about this question is to ask: What percent of hydrogen chloride is hydrogen? (Hydrochloric acid results when hydrogen chloride is added to an aqueous solution.)

Hydrogen chloride contains one hydrogen atom and one chlorine atom per molecule. The mass of these two atoms are 1.01 amu for hydrogen and 35.45 amu for chlorine. Thus every individual molecule of hydrogen chloride contains a total mass of 1.01 + 35.45 = 36.46...

A clearer way to think about this question is to ask: What percent of hydrogen chloride is hydrogen? (Hydrochloric acid results when hydrogen chloride is added to an aqueous solution.)

Hydrogen chloride contains one hydrogen atom and one chlorine atom per molecule. The mass of these two atoms are 1.01 amu for hydrogen and 35.45 amu for chlorine. Thus every individual molecule of hydrogen chloride contains a total mass of 1.01 + 35.45 = 36.46 amu

To find the mass percent of hydrogen in hydrogen chloride, we must divide the weight of the hydrogen atom alone by the weight of the entire molecule.

1.01 / 36.46 = 0.0277

Then we multiply by 100% to find the percentage.

0.0277 x 100% = 2.77%

Thus, 2.77% of the mass of hydrogen chloride is hydrogen.

How can the story of Henrietta Lacks influence the way we think about global health and health promotion/disease prevention?

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot as well as telling the story of the HeLa cell line also reflects on how cultural assumptions and circumstances affect the quality of medical care. 

In Skloot's book, the medical establishment is portrayed as well-educated and belonging to a generally white upper-middle class. The poor, rural black Lacks family is shown as receiving sub-par medical care due to not only poverty but lack of cultural capital...

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot as well as telling the story of the HeLa cell line also reflects on how cultural assumptions and circumstances affect the quality of medical care. 

In Skloot's book, the medical establishment is portrayed as well-educated and belonging to a generally white upper-middle class. The poor, rural black Lacks family is shown as receiving sub-par medical care due to not only poverty but lack of cultural capital and education. Henrietta's tumor was far advanced by the time when she received treatment, meaning that she was killed by a cancer that has a very high 5-year survival rate among wealthier and better educated women. 

As wealthier countries attempt to fund or provide health care for developing countries, especially the global south, we can apply the lessons we find in Skloot's book. First, we can understand that cultural differences and low educational levels can be obstacles to treatment, both in terms of willingness of patients to access treatment and also to their compliance with care plans. Next, Lack's example shows that poverty makes access to health care logistically difficult especially for people in rural communities. This suggests on a global level that putting a sophisticated medical center in a large city may not actually help rural residents who lack access to transportation and communication. Finally, the combination of difficulty of access and lack of understanding, causing unwillingness to seek treatment, may allow epidemic diseases to spread in rural arras for long periods before they are identified and treated.

Thus the lesson for developed countries is that when helping developing nations it is necessary to create systems of community-based health care and focus as much on education and building trust in smaller communities as simply providing shiny new health care technology in major urban areas. 

What effect did the US have on WWII when it joined the war?

The United States joining WWII was probably the most important turning point in that war.  In the Pacific, it meant that the Japanese now faced a strong and highly motivated foe.  In Europe, it meant that the Allies now had a practically unlimited supply of materiel along with a large number of potential combatants to bolster them.

There was not much of a war in the Pacific before Pearl Harbor.  However, Japan dominated what war...

The United States joining WWII was probably the most important turning point in that war.  In the Pacific, it meant that the Japanese now faced a strong and highly motivated foe.  In Europe, it meant that the Allies now had a practically unlimited supply of materiel along with a large number of potential combatants to bolster them.

There was not much of a war in the Pacific before Pearl Harbor.  However, Japan dominated what war there was.  The French, Dutch, and British were much too weak in the Pacific to resist Japan.  China lacked the unity to resist and was not technologically advanced enough.  When the US entered the war, it became a major danger to Japanese ambitions.

In Europe, the Allies had been on the ropes before the US joined the war.  France was essentially out of the war so (after June of 1941) the USSR and Britain had to fight alone.  When the US joined the war, it brought a vast new source of manpower.  Perhaps even more important was the fact that the US had so many resources that it could help supply its allies with many things that they needed.  The US was a huge and rich nation and its factories were out of range of any German bombers or army units.  The US could produce vast amounts of materiel that the Allies could use.  Because the US brought so much manpower and so many resources to the war, it had a huge impact on the war when it joined.

Which targets does Swift ironically identify in paragraphs 21 and 22 of "A Modest Proposal"? By using such a method, what is Swift satirizing?

In these paragraphs of "A Modest Proposal," author and satirist Jonathan Swift lists his reasons for his proposal. In each paragraph, a new benefit is presented, and often each paragraph identifies a group of people who could benefit from eating the children of Ireland.  

In paragraph 21, Jonathan Swift immediately identifies Papists as numerous beings "with whom we are yearly over-run." As Jonathan Swift was a member of the Anglican Church, and Papists were...

In these paragraphs of "A Modest Proposal," author and satirist Jonathan Swift lists his reasons for his proposal. In each paragraph, a new benefit is presented, and often each paragraph identifies a group of people who could benefit from eating the children of Ireland.  

In paragraph 21, Jonathan Swift immediately identifies Papists as numerous beings "with whom we are yearly over-run." As Jonathan Swift was a member of the Anglican Church, and Papists were Roman Catholic, he was distinctly against Catholic influence in Ireland. Rhetorically Swift identifies Papists as the "principal breeders of the nation, as well as our most dangerous enemies." As satire pokes fun at the truth, Swift's witty comments about Papists most likely reflect his sincerely negative feelings towards them. 

In paragraph 22, Swift identifies Tenants and Landlords. He says that Tenants will have children to sell to pay the rent, having already had their "corn and cattle seized" most likely by their landlords. Here Swift satirises the corrupt system of land-ownership in Ireland, asserting that it is unfair to tenants who are left with nothing while Landlords are wealthy beyond necessity. Swift's criticisms in these paragraphs are both religious and political, and he points to a need for change in both these areas. 

Who is Gregor? |

In the story, The Metamorphosis by Kafka, Gregor appears as the main character. Although Gregor becomes a bug, he is human first. As the story progresses, the readers learn about his life, transformation, and even his thoughts.

When first reading the book, Gregor appears as the first character mentioned. The readers quickly learn about his life, including information about his family and his job.

As the book progresses, the readers discover more about his life...

In the story, The Metamorphosis by Kafka, Gregor appears as the main character. Although Gregor becomes a bug, he is human first. As the story progresses, the readers learn about his life, transformation, and even his thoughts.

When first reading the book, Gregor appears as the first character mentioned. The readers quickly learn about his life, including information about his family and his job.

As the book progresses, the readers discover more about his life before and after the transformation into a bug. Although he was initially a human, he eventually (and mysteriously) became a bug. He responds by going through a period of seeming not to care or possibly even denial about the transformation. However, he must soon face the repercussions of this change.

Furthermore, the readers personally learn about Gregor’s thoughts. Although Gregor is a bug for the story’s entirety, the readers still discover insight about his thought processes and emotions. With this, the readers see how he feels about his family, his job, and even himself.

Thus, Gregor is a pivotal character in The Metamorphosis. Although there are other characters in this story as well, the story focuses on his life, thoughts, and transformation. His feelings and changes make his character fascinating and even personable, despite his outward appearance.

What passages in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird show life lessons about friendship and family?

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the children's relationship with Arthur (Boo) Radley best represents lessons about friendship.

Arthur Radley is significantly stigmatized by Maycomb's society due to the fact he is a recluse who never leaves his home. As a result, Maycomb's citizens have circulated many rumors about why he never leaves his house, such as Miss Stephanie Crawford's rumor that he has been kept under house arrest by his father and now his brother for being mentally unstable. Due to the rumors and stigmatization, Maycomb's children have given Arthur Radley the name Boo Radley and frequently mock him.

Jem, Scout, and Dill particularly become guilty of mocking Arthur when Dill comes up with the idea to try and make Arthur come out of his house. One thing they do to mock him is re-enact Miss Stephanie's rumors in their yard, which is in Arthur's line of sight from his house.

However, despite mocking him, the children begin understanding that Arthur is doing kind things for them and reaching out to them in his own special way. For example, after a failed nighttime attempt to try and get a glimpse of Arthur in his window, Jem returns to the Radley property at 2 am to retrieve his lost trousers and finds them lying on the fence, neatly folded, and mended. The children also begin finding items in a knothole in one of the oak trees on the Radley lot and soon come to realize they are gifts from Arthur. The most noteworthy gifts are two bars of soap craftily carved to look just like the children. As soon as Jem becomes convinced the objects they are finding are gifts to them from Arthur, he sets out to leave Arthur a thank you note but is devastated to find that Arthur's care-taking brother, Nathan Radley, had filled in the knothole with cement. Jem is so devastated he cries because he feels guilty for having mocked Arthur and devastated by the fact they have no way to show Arthur kindness in return. We know Jem cries based on Scout's following narration the day Jem realized Nathan had filled in the knothole:

He stood there until nightfall, and I waited for him. When we went in the house I saw he had been crying; his face was dirty in the right places, but I thought it odd that I had not heard him. (Ch. 7)

Another memorable act of kindness Arthur shows the children is when he sneaks out of his house at night to cover Scout up with a blanket while Jem and Scout wait in front of the Radley property for the town to put out Miss Maudie's house fire. Finally, when Scout's and Jem's lives are threatened by Bob Ewell, Arthur is the one who comes to their rescue, risking public exposure by stabbing and killing Ewell in defense.

As Scout comes to realize by the end of the novel, Arthur acted kindly towards the children because he cared about them; he saw them as his friends, or, more specifically, as Scout phrases it, he saw them as "his children" (Ch. 31). Hence, Arthur Radley's actions in the face of the children's mockery gives us a lesson about the unconditional love felt by true friends.

In the "Pit and the Pendulum," what do you learn about the narrator from the way he describes his reaction to the sentence?

For me, based on the narrator's reaction to his death sentence, I've always thought that the narrator is innocent.  If he were guilty, I would assume that his reaction would have been a reaction of resignation.  He did the crime, got caught, and is now being given a punishment that he accepts.  That isn't the case though.  The narrator "swoons."  He is utterly despondent.  It feels as if he can barely stand.  Like the entire...

For me, based on the narrator's reaction to his death sentence, I've always thought that the narrator is innocent.  If he were guilty, I would assume that his reaction would have been a reaction of resignation.  He did the crime, got caught, and is now being given a punishment that he accepts.  That isn't the case though.  The narrator "swoons."  He is utterly despondent.  It feels as if he can barely stand.  Like the entire room is spinning.  That tells me that the narrator assumed that he would be found innocent.  He never thought that he could possibly be found guilty.  

The other thing that I learn about the narrator is that he is likely a man of faith.  Either he believes in God and salvation to his very core, or he is at least educated enough to know about God's salvation and eternal life.  

And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note, the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave. The thought came gently and stealthily, and it seemed long before it attained full appreciation;

I believe the above lines of text indicate that the narrator sees death as more than just a release from his prison sentence and any torture that may be coming.  I believe the narrator sees his death as an eternal rest filled with peace in heaven with the angels and God.  As he is swooning, the narrator sees angels in the room with him.  Granted, he is imagining them, but he could have imagined anything.  It's an important detail that he imagined angels of God.  

What surprising ideas about friendship are revealed in A Separate Peace by John Knowles?

Every reader might interpret the meaning of friendship in A Separate Peacedifferently based on personal experiences; however, one thing is for sure, and it might be trite, but nothing really is as it seems. Friendship might not be exactly what a person perceives it to be. For example, chapter 4 reveals the fact that both Finny and Gene perceive each other differently than what is really going on. Gene thinks Finny doesn't work hard...

Every reader might interpret the meaning of friendship in A Separate Peace differently based on personal experiences; however, one thing is for sure, and it might be trite, but nothing really is as it seems. Friendship might not be exactly what a person perceives it to be. For example, chapter 4 reveals the fact that both Finny and Gene perceive each other differently than what is really going on. Gene thinks Finny doesn't work hard at anything social or athletic and Finny thinks Gene doesn't need to study to get good grades. They also discover that their friendship might have selfish qualities from which each boy benefits to a certain degree. 

Another fact about friendship is that it can be one-sided at times. For instance, Leper considers Gene to be his best friend, whereas Gene doesn't much care for the guy. Leper's claim that Gene is his best friend is explicitly seen when he writes:

"I have escaped and need help. I am at Christmas location. You understand. No need to risk address here. My safety depends on you coming at once. (signed) your best friend, Elwin Leper Lepellier"(137).

Gene has sympathy for him. He may even pity the guy because he reminds him of qualities that he sees in himself. Sadly, Gene is not mature enough, or committed enough to the friendship, to listen to Leper explain his mental breakdown at bootcamp. In fact, Gene can't stand listening to Leper and leaves him in the middle of his story. Summarily, friendship can be different than the participants may believe and some friendships can one-sided.

How does this short story represent dramatic, situational, and verbal irony?

"Lamb to the Slaughter" definitely has all three of those types of irony. The verbal irony might be the least prevalent, so I'll start there.  One of the last things the investigating officers say is about the murder weapon.  

"Personally, I think the weapon is somewhere near the house."

"It's probably right under our noses. What do you think, Jack?"

The line is ironic, because the murder weapon really is right under their noses....

"Lamb to the Slaughter" definitely has all three of those types of irony. The verbal irony might be the least prevalent, so I'll start there.  One of the last things the investigating officers say is about the murder weapon.  

"Personally, I think the weapon is somewhere near the house."

"It's probably right under our noses. What do you think, Jack?"

The line is ironic, because the murder weapon really is right under their noses.  They are eating the weapon as they speak.  

Another example of verbal irony is when Mary says the following line:

I know that Patrick would never forgive me if I let you stay in the house without offering you anything to eat.

It's ironic, because Patrick can't forgive her either way any more.  He's dead.  

The dramatic irony of the story is also the part where the officers are eating the lamb.  Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something that all or most of the characters do not know.  In this case, the reader knows that the lamb is the murder weapon.  The police do not; therefore, they go about happily eating it.  

Situational irony is when something happens that is the opposite of what the reader would normally expect to happen.  I can think of two clear examples of situational irony in the story.  The first is that Mary Maloney clubs her husband to death with a chunk of meat.  The story opens with her being the perfect doting wife.  She's practically a member of the Stepford Wives Club.  It is completely unexpected that she would kill her husband.  The second major piece of situational irony is how Mary deals with the murder.  She is cool, calm, and collected.  She goes about setting an alibi and getting rid of the murder weapon.  That one really took me by surprise.  

In the short story, "Through the Tunnel," what do the boys represent?

The older boys, to Jerry, seem like "men," and they represent his desire to grow up.  "To be with them, of them, was a craving that filled his whole body."  They swim and dive so freely and confidently in the "wild bay."  They need no supervision, unlike Jerry, who only just got his mother's permission to leave her for a few hours.  He wants to be accepted by them because, to be accepted would mean...

The older boys, to Jerry, seem like "men," and they represent his desire to grow up.  "To be with them, of them, was a craving that filled his whole body."  They swim and dive so freely and confidently in the "wild bay."  They need no supervision, unlike Jerry, who only just got his mother's permission to leave her for a few hours.  He wants to be accepted by them because, to be accepted would mean that he is like them: that he, too, is almost a man.  "He felt he was accepted" as they dived off the promontory, and so he was happy. 

However, once they begin to swim through a tunnel in the rock, Jerry can no longer remain with them.  They are capable of doing something that he cannot do, going somewhere he cannot follow, and so he desperately tries to get their attention.  "[I]n a panic of failure," he clowned around "splashing and kicking in the water like a foolish dog," and "They swam back to the shore without a look at him."  They know that he is not like them; they can tell that he is younger and foreign.  And when he begins to act so childishly, they leave him without a second thought.  Their rejection feels like a confirmation to Jerry that he is not the same as them, and so he "crie[s] himself out."

Who started the Hippie Movement?

There is not one person who is credited with starting the Hippie Movement, but there are several social reasons why many young people during the 1960s and 1970s strayed away from the mainstream society and began to live the Hippie lifestyle. Its origins may trace to European movements such as the Bohemians, who deeply valued art, music, and literature. During the 1960s, many young people in the United States were enraged at social issues, such...

There is not one person who is credited with starting the Hippie Movement, but there are several social reasons why many young people during the 1960s and 1970s strayed away from the mainstream society and began to live the Hippie lifestyle. Its origins may trace to European movements such as the Bohemians, who deeply valued art, music, and literature. During the 1960s, many young people in the United States were enraged at social issues, such as civil rights, equality for women, and the growing tension in Vietnam. There was also anger towards authority and a curiosity about psychedelic drugs. Due to this unrest, the Hippies took a countercultural stance and believed that there were other "American Dreams" that did not involve traditional beliefs and culture. The Hippies created different music, believed in peace and love, and were known for experimentation with sex and drugs. Although there is not one root cause or one primary leader, the Hippie Movement was an outlet for many frustrated young men and women who needed to separate themselves from what they believed to be a corrupt society and create a utopian society instead.

How does Squealer explain Napoleon's intention to build the windmill, after all?

In Chapter Five of Animal Farm, Napoleon makes the unexpected announcement that he will build the windmill. This is unexpected because Napoleon was opposed to the windmill from the very start, and expelled Snowball from the farm, three Sundays earlier, when he realised that Snowball was about to win the popular vote. 

Squealer explains Napoleon's decision by saying that he had never been opposed to the building of the windmill and that it was,...

In Chapter Five of Animal Farm, Napoleon makes the unexpected announcement that he will build the windmill. This is unexpected because Napoleon was opposed to the windmill from the very start, and expelled Snowball from the farm, three Sundays earlier, when he realised that Snowball was about to win the popular vote. 

Squealer explains Napoleon's decision by saying that he had never been opposed to the building of the windmill and that it was, in fact, Napoleon's idea from the very beginning. While this account is fictional, it has two functions in the text: firstly, it is used to blacken Snowball's character and reputation, and, secondly, to enhance Napoleon's prestige on the farm. This idea is supported by Squealer's further explanation to the animals; specifically, that Napoleon pretended to be opposed to the windmill because he sensed Snowball's "dangerous character" and "bad influence." In reality, Snowball poses no threat to the animals but vilifying him is an essential step on Napoleon's path to total control and domination of the farm. 

To make Squealer's propaganda technique even more effective, he tells the animals that this is a technique called "tactics." By making the animals feel included, he and Napoleon further gain their trust and confidence. Again, this is what enables Napoleon to assume complete control of the farm, later in the novel. 

Which of the following government services doesn't encourage community safety? Car seat installations, recycling, fire prevention programs,...

Two of these government services clearly promote community safety while two do not. You will need to decide which of the two that do not clearly promote safety is the right answer for this question. (You may want to consult your class materials to see what answer your instructor expects to see).

Clearly, car seat installations and fire prevention programs promote community safety. When car seats are properly installed, they can save the lives of...

Two of these government services clearly promote community safety while two do not. You will need to decide which of the two that do not clearly promote safety is the right answer for this question. (You may want to consult your class materials to see what answer your instructor expects to see).

Clearly, car seat installations and fire prevention programs promote community safety. When car seats are properly installed, they can save the lives of children who are involved in car accidents. This increases overall safety in the community. When the government helps prevent fires, it helps to prevent the loss of life and property that can occur in a fire. Again, this promotes safety.

Recycling and cultural festivals, on the other hand, do not promote safety as their main effect. Recycling programs are meant mainly to benefit the environment while cultural festivals are meant mainly to promote happiness and pride in the community. Neither of these are particularly connected to safety. However, one of them must be connected to community safety (according to your instructor). If I had to answer this question, I would say that recycling programs are not meant to promote public safety while cultural festivals are.

My reasoning is that cultural festivals promote pride among various communities. They let the various ethnic communities in a place feel that they are valued by the government and by their broader community. If people from all ethnic groups feel valued, they are less likely to commit crimes against one another. In that way, we can say that cultural festivals promote community safety. This means that recycling programs are potentially the government service that does not encourage community safety.

Calcium chloride is commonly used as a drying agent. Write the ionic formula for this compound.

The ionic formula for calcium chloride is CaCl2.

The octet rule in chemistry states that all atoms want eight valence electrons in their outermost orbital in order to be stable. The only exceptions are atoms that have only one orbital, such as hydrogen and helium. These atoms only need two electrons in order to be stable.

When a metal reacts with a nonmetal, such calcium and chlorine, an ionic bond is formed. Metals lose electrons...

The ionic formula for calcium chloride is CaCl2.

The octet rule in chemistry states that all atoms want eight valence electrons in their outermost orbital in order to be stable. The only exceptions are atoms that have only one orbital, such as hydrogen and helium. These atoms only need two electrons in order to be stable.

When a metal reacts with a nonmetal, such calcium and chlorine, an ionic bond is formed. Metals lose electrons to the nonmetals and become positively charged ions. The nonmetals gain electrons from the metals and become negatively charged ions.

Calcium is an alkaline earth metal with two valance electrons. Thus, calcium gives one of its two valence electrons to each of the chloride ions within calcium chloride. In this way, calcium drops to a lower and full electron orbital in order to fulfill the octet rule. Chlorine is a halogen with seven valence electrons. Therefore, each chlorine atom needs only one more electron in order to fulfill the octet rule. Thus, each chlorine atom receives one of calcium’s two electrons in order to fulfill the octet rule.

When did Juliet get married?

Juliet marries only once during the play.  Friar Lawrence marries Romeo and Juliet in Act 2, Scene 5, in the hopes of uniting the Montague and Capulet families.  Timing wise, the marriage takes place in the afternoon, the day after Romeo and Juliet meet at the Capulet party.  Of course, the marriage is initially kept a secret from most of the characters.

While Juliet is ultimately engaged to Paris, she does not go through with that marriage.  In fact, it is the "threat" of her impending marriage to Paris, coupled with Romeo's banishment to Mantua, that brings about the plan that will lead Juliet to initially fake her own death and, ultimately, to take her life.  It is only after she is dead that the majority of the characters (those that are still alive!) learn of her marriage to Romeo.

In "The Ransom of Red Chief," what does Sam mean when he says "a fraudulent town lot scheme"?

Sam and Bill are a pair of criminals.  They are not the smartest or most ruthless pair either. They just like to think that they are.  Sam also believes that he is the brains of the operation.  Considering Bill's level of cognitive overhead, it's not hard to be the brains of the operation.  Sam also likes to use random, big words to make himself sound smart.  

The quote that you are talking about is...

Sam and Bill are a pair of criminals.  They are not the smartest or most ruthless pair either. They just like to think that they are.  Sam also believes that he is the brains of the operation.  Considering Bill's level of cognitive overhead, it's not hard to be the brains of the operation.  Sam also likes to use random, big words to make himself sound smart.  

The quote that you are talking about is in the third paragraph of the story.  Sam is explaining to his audience why he and Bill need to kidnap and ransom a child.  They need some extra money in order "to pull off a fraudulent town-lot scheme in Western Illinois."  What that likely means is that Bill and Sam are going to run a real-estate scam of some kind.  It's obvious they are going to commit some kind of fraud.  Houses are built on lots, and that's what I think "town-lot" is referring to.  

How effectively does Wilfred Owen portray the physical and mental suffering of individual soldiers in his war poetry?

Wilfred Owen was a British soldier in World War I who wrote poems about the suffering of soldiers and the uselessness of their deaths. In the opening lines of his beautiful poem "Anthem for Doomed Youth," he writes, "What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? — Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle." Using alliteration such as "rifles' rapid rattle," Owen emphasizes the relentlessness of war and the way in which soldiers die without commemoration such as bells. Instead, the dead are only mourned with continued gunfire that makes soldiers into creatures no more valued than cattle. 

Other poems in which he comments on the hideous nature of the war are "Dulce et Decorum Est," in which he writes movingly and with horror about a surprise gas attack on a marching band of soldiers. In the final lines of the poem, he writes that if the reader could hear "at every jolt, the blood/Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,/Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud/Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—" the reader would never say, as the title suggests in a phrase taken from the Roman poet Horace, that it is sweet and proper to die for one's country. 

In "A Terre," Owen describes the physical and mental plight of a wounded soldier. He writes, "Both arms have mutinied against me,—brutes. My fingers fidget like ten idle brats." In this passage, he effectively compares his wounded arms to rebellious soldiers and his fingers to brats because his body is no longer under his control. His body parts are also perhaps expressing the anger and rebellion he feels for a war he considers hopeless. 

Wilfred Owen himself suffered from what was then termed "shell shock" and what is today better known as post-traumatic stress disorder. He was treated and then returned to the front, only to die in battle shortly before the armistice that ended World War I. His poetry was some of the first to challenge the patriotic themes that had largely been written about by British poets. His work characterized World War I not as an exercise in patriotism or pride but as a futile battle that was senseless and deadly to the soldiers who fought in it. 

How can the meeting between Daisy and Gatsby be paraphrased?

When Daisy and Gatsby are reunited in Chapter IV, it is very awkward as they both try to grapple with their feelings, all the while pretending to be very matter-of-fact, at least at first.

Daisy is the first to speak, saying that she is very happy to see Gatsby again. Gatsby turns to Nick, telling him that he and Daisy had met before (although Nick already knows this). When Gatsby almost breaks Nick's clock, he apologizes, and...

When Daisy and Gatsby are reunited in Chapter IV, it is very awkward as they both try to grapple with their feelings, all the while pretending to be very matter-of-fact, at least at first.

Daisy is the first to speak, saying that she is very happy to see Gatsby again. Gatsby turns to Nick, telling him that he and Daisy had met before (although Nick already knows this). When Gatsby almost breaks Nick's clock, he apologizes, and Nick assures him that the clock is old-fashioned anyway. Daisy mentions that it's been quite a long time since she and Gatsby have seen one another, and Gatsby automatically replies that, in just a few months, it will have been five years. They are all relieved when the tea is ready because it gives them something to do besides stare awkwardly at one another and try to think of things to say. Finally, Nick gets up to leave and Gatsby follows Nick out of the room as if he's afraid to be alone with Daisy, and he only goes back in when Nick accuses him of being rude by leaving her alone.

In Chapter 3 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus said, ''You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view......

In Ch. 4, Jem, Scout, and Dill are all bored out of their minds and looking for things to keep them entertained during summer break. Then, Jem comes up with a game, the Boo Radley game, and this game ends up becoming the focus of each of their summer days until they get caught one day by Atticus, who disapproves because it clearly ignores the advice he gave in Ch. 3.

The game involves the...

In Ch. 4, Jem, Scout, and Dill are all bored out of their minds and looking for things to keep them entertained during summer break. Then, Jem comes up with a game, the Boo Radley game, and this game ends up becoming the focus of each of their summer days until they get caught one day by Atticus, who disapproves because it clearly ignores the advice he gave in Ch. 3.

The game involves the kids acting out the gossip that has been told over the years about the Radleys. One of the stories is that Boo stabbed Mr. Radley and yet another has Boo biting off the finger of his own mother.

"As the summer progressed, so did our game. We polished and perfected it, added dialogue and plot until we had manufactured a small play upon which we rang changes every day."

Of course, none of these stories are flattering, probably none of them are true, and most importantly the kids are being insensitive by turning a perfect stranger's life into their game of pretend each day. It shows their lack of understanding for Boo and his family, and their inability yet to understand his point of view. 

What is the summary of "If I Forget Thee, O Earth?"

Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth . . .” tells the post-apocalyptic story of ten-year-old Marvin and his father. When the story opens, the two are ascending higher and higher up the various floors of the colony in which they live. After passing through the uppermost levels, the boy realizes that he is going to go somewhere he has never gone before.

He had seen it in photographs, of course: he had watched it imaged on television screens a hundred times. But now it was lying all around him, burning beneath the fierce sun that crawled so slowly across the jet-black sky.

Marvin, we learn, has never been outside of the colony before, and much of the story details his confusion at the various sights. The boy’s confusion is mirrored by the reader’s own, as much of the setting is ambiguous, but based on the black sky and their vehicle’s moon tires, at this point we can begin to infer that the two are on the moon.

After what seems to Marvin to be an eternity, the two descend into a valley, and Marvin “slowly realized that something very strange was happening in the land ahead.” Marvin looks out, and for the first time, he sees Earth with his own eyes, something that previously he was only able to see through photos and television.

For no warmth at all came from the great silver crescent that floated low above the far horizon and flooded all this land with pearly light. It was so brilliant that minutes passed before Marvin could accept its challenge and look steadfastly into its glare, but at last he could discern the outlines of continents, the hazy border of the atmosphere, and the white islands of cloud. And even at this distance, he could see the glitter of sunlight on the polar ice.

In this moment, Marvin realizes why his father has taken him on this adventure. Although neither Marvin’s father nor Marvin himself will live long enough to return to Earth—which has been destroyed by unexplained forces—eventually, Marvin’s children or his children’s children might. This, Marvin realizes, is what the colony continues to fight for and why it cannot give up hope:

That was the dream: and one day, Marvin knew with a sudden flash of insight, he would pass it on to his own son, here at this same spot with the mountains behind him and the silver light from the sky streaming into his face.

Explain how "The Fall of the House of Usher" is uncanny.

The uncanny or unheimlich is the uncomfortable or the strange. The German word unheimlich, meaning unhomelike, best captures the eerie feeling of the uncanny, the sense of the ordinary being "off" in a weird or uncomfortable way.

To Freud, the uncanny represented death and was most clearly symbolized in the corpse. A corpse is uncanny because it is both completely human and completely inhuman. The twin, known as the doppelganger, also represents the uncanny, both "you" if...

The uncanny or unheimlich is the uncomfortable or the strange. The German word unheimlich, meaning unhomelike, best captures the eerie feeling of the uncanny, the sense of the ordinary being "off" in a weird or uncomfortable way.

To Freud, the uncanny represented death and was most clearly symbolized in the corpse. A corpse is uncanny because it is both completely human and completely inhuman. The twin, known as the doppelganger, also represents the uncanny, both "you" if you are part of its pair, and yet not you.

In "The Fall of the House of Usher," a twin becomes a corpse, which is about as uncanny as it gets. Roderick's twin sister Madeline dies, and with the help of the narrator, Roderick entombs her in a coffin covered with a heavy lid in a thick-doored vault in the dungeon of the house. However, it happens that his twin is not really dead--one symptom of her fatal disease is that she can look as if she is dead when she is, in fact alive--and somehow, eerily, she emerges from the coffin and the vault. When Roderick sees her, his nerves already shot from anticipating her return, he dies and becomes "a corpse."  

Many believe Madeline, Roderick's twin, is simply a projection of himself created by his fevered brain. Whether she exists or not, a twin is uncanny and a dead twin doubly so. Furthermore, the entire setting drips with the uncanny: the mildew-covered house of Usher, with its dark, creepy tarn, isolated setting and Gothic features, is anything but "homey." It is an appropriate setting for the dark, repressed wanderings of the unconscious, everything we don't want to face in our everyday life. 

What types of characterization are used in "The Most Dangerous Game"?

In his short story "The Most Dangerous Game," Richard Connel uses indirect characterization to describe the two main characters in the story. The reader also finds that by the end of the story the protagonist, Rainsford, is a dynamic character, meaning he changes over the course of the story.

Writers usually choose between direct or indirect characterization to reveal the traits of the characters in a story. With direct characterization the writer unequivocally tells us...

In his short story "The Most Dangerous Game," Richard Connel uses indirect characterization to describe the two main characters in the story. The reader also finds that by the end of the story the protagonist, Rainsford, is a dynamic character, meaning he changes over the course of the story.

Writers usually choose between direct or indirect characterization to reveal the traits of the characters in a story. With direct characterization the writer unequivocally tells us what the character is like. Indirect characterization shows things that reveal the personality of the character such as what the character says, what others say about him, his actions and how others react to him. 

The two main characters are Rainsford and General Zaroff. Both reveal themselves through what they say and their actions. In the beginning of the story Rainsford, who is a big game hunter, doesn't care about the feelings of the animals he hunts. In his discussion with Whitney on the yacht:

"Don't talk rot, Whitney," said Rainsford. "You're a big-game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar feels?" 

Later, however, when Rainsford actually becomes "a beast at bay" we understand that he is rethinking his philosophy of hunting. This change in character also reveals him to be a dynamic character, or one who goes through an important change during the course of the story. 

The other character, General Zaroff, remains static. He never changes. From the beginning he is a remorseless sociopath. His character is revealed during his dinner with Rainsford when he tell his guest he hunts men, explaining:

"Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not? I hunt the scum of the earth: sailors from tramp ships--lassars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels--a thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than a score of them." 

This is the clearest statement of Zaroff's diabolical nature. He feels morally and intellectually superior; therefore, it is perfectly logical that he hunt those who are not his equal. Later, after he thinks Rainsford has committed suicide to escape the hunt, he relaxes at his chateau feeling no guilt:

General Zaroff had an exceedingly good dinner in his great paneled dining hall that evening. With it he had a bottle of Pol Roger and half a bottle of Chambertin. Two slight annoyances kept him from perfect enjoyment. One was the thought that it would be difficult to replace Ivan; the other was that his quarry had escaped him; of course, the American hadn't played the game--so thought the general as he tasted his after-dinner liqueur. In his library he read, to soothe himself, from the works of Marcus Aurelius. At ten he went up to his bedroom. He was deliciously tired, he said to himself, as he locked himself in. There was a little moonlight, so, before turning on his light, he went to the window and looked down at the courtyard. He could see the great hounds, and he called, "Better luck another time," to them. Then he switched on the light. 

Zaroff can also be considered an ironic character. Even though he is criminally insane, he displays all the mannerisms of a well cultured and highly civilized man. He drinks fine wine and reads from the annals of Marcus Aurelius. It is particularly incongruous that he would read Aurelius because the Roman emperor/philosopher preached stoicism, a philosophy which stresses ethical behavior. It is impossible to match the ideas of Aurelius with Zaroff's murderous behavior.

A boy of mass 45 kg stands on a square wooden block of 50 cm side. Calculate the pressure exerted by the boy on the block?

Pressure is defined as force exerted per unit area (perpendicular to the direction of application of force, or the area over which the force actually acts). Here the force is exerted by a boy of mass 45 kg. Given the mass of boy, we can use Newton's Second Law of motion to determine the force as the product of mass and acceleration (g or acceleration due to gravity, in this case) as:

Force exerted by...

Pressure is defined as force exerted per unit area (perpendicular to the direction of application of force, or the area over which the force actually acts). Here the force is exerted by a boy of mass 45 kg. Given the mass of boy, we can use Newton's Second Law of motion to determine the force as the product of mass and acceleration (g or acceleration due to gravity, in this case) as:

Force exerted by the boy = mg = 45 kg x 9.81 m/s^2 = 441.45 N

Area over which the force acts = side^2 (for a square)

= (0.5 m)^2 = 0.25 m^2.

Thus, the pressure exerted by the boy = force/area = 441.45 N/ 0.25 m^2 = 1765.8 N/m^2.

Thus, the boy exerts a pressure of 1765.8 N/m^2 on the square wooden block.

Hope this helps.

How many events occur in the story "The Pit and the Pendulum"?

When one reads a short story, one can think of it in terms of the story arc, that is, the rising action, climax, and falling action. These events are related to the plot and follow the development and resolution of the conflict. Another way to think of a story is to follow the story line, that is, to follow the events of a story in chronological order. This will give an understanding of what happens...

When one reads a short story, one can think of it in terms of the story arc, that is, the rising action, climax, and falling action. These events are related to the plot and follow the development and resolution of the conflict. Another way to think of a story is to follow the story line, that is, to follow the events of a story in chronological order. This will give an understanding of what happens in the story, whereas following the plot helps one understand why things happen.

In Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Pit and the Pendulum," the main events unfold as follows:

1. The narrator is tried and sentenced.

2. The man wakes up in a dark dungeon; he tries to determine how large it is and what its features are by walking around the perimeter.

3. The man falls asleep, then wakes to continue his exploration. He trips and finds his face hanging over the edge of a pit.

4. The man drinks and sleeps from the drugged liquid. When he wakes up he can see the cell. He finds himself strapped to a low table.

5. The pendulum above him begins to swing and slowly descend for days. 

6. When the blade gets very near his chest, the man escapes by rubbing meat on his bonds, which causes the rats to chew through them.

7. Upon his escape, the pendulum is withdrawn upwards. The walls begin to heat up and close in on him.

8. Just as he is about to be forced into the pit by the moving walls, he hears noises, and the walls are drawn back. He has been rescued by General LaSalle.

Much of the story involves the thoughts of the man as he undergoes the psychological agonies involved in the torture. The main events are relatively few and straightforward; the suspense occurs as the reader participates with the main character in the fears and mental torture his captors inflict on him. 

How does the U.S. policy on discharge and layoffs compare to the rest of the world?

There are over 190 countries in the world today. To even write a few paragraphs comparing the labor policies and regulations in the United States with those in every single country in the world would require writing an entire book. 

Within the comparable group of members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a group of 34 countries committed to democratic governance and market economies, the United States has a relatively open labor market,...

There are over 190 countries in the world today. To even write a few paragraphs comparing the labor policies and regulations in the United States with those in every single country in the world would require writing an entire book. 

Within the comparable group of members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a group of 34 countries committed to democratic governance and market economies, the United States has a relatively open labor market, with few restrictions on discharges and layoffs. 

US legal protections on layoffs include prohibition discrimination on the basis of race, gender, disability, and religion in choosing which people to lay off. Also, layoffs must be documented and must not violate employment contracts. In general, though, these rules are common in OECD countries, and other protections, such as the strong voice of labor in negotiating layoffs found in Germany or the protections surrounding permanent workers found in Spain and Portugal are quite different from the US labor regulations, making it more difficult for companies to fire permanent employees. 

The United States also has less of a social safety net. Most OECD countries have universal health insurance, irrespective of employment status, while in the US, workers lose health insurance when they are laid off, although many companies do offer COBRA coverage for limited periods. Like most OECD countries, the US does offer unemployment insurance, but the benefits are less generous than in many other OECD countries and the social safety net more porous.

Based on Paul Zindel's The Pigman, is environment a driving force in who we are and how we behave?

One could definitely argue that Zindel's The Pigman addresses the question of our environment affecting our behavior. Zindel shows that our environment does contribute to our character and behavior through John, Lorraine, and Norton. All three characters are teenagers who have untraditional home lives in the 1960s; and, because of this, each teen develops certain survival skills or rebellious attitudes in order to find comfort and acceptance that they so dearly desire.

First, there's John. His parents are older than his other friends' and his siblings are grown up and moved out of the house. Hence, there seems to be quite a generation gap of understanding between them. Growing up, his father would also give him swigs of alcohol and then joke around at parties that his son would grow up to be a drunk:

"'Johnny wants a sip of beer,' Bore used to say in the old days. He got a big kick out of it when I was about ten years old, and I'd go around emptying all the beer glasses lying around the house.

'That kid's going to be a real drinker,' he'd say in front of company, and then I'd go through my beer-drinking performance for everybody, and they'd laugh their heads off. It was about the only thing I ever did that got any attention" (103).

As a result, and by way of subconscious, self-fulfilling prophecy, John becomes a trouble-maker at school as well as a smoker and a drinker. It is also possible that he's acting out for attention because he doesn't get any quality time or attention at home. If drinking is the only way a kid gets attention, then that's probably what he is going to do.

Next, Lorraine lives with her single mother who struggles to make ends meet. Lorraine suffers through her mother's negative attitude towards life and men because first, her husband cheated on her; then, they got a legal separation; and finally, he died. Lorraine diagnoses herself as the following:

"They call that paranoia. I knew that because some magazine did a whole article on mental disturbances, and after I read the symptoms of each of them, I realized I had all of them--but most of all I had paranoia. That's when you think everybody's making fun of you when they're not" (14). 

Lorraine also probably feels paranoia because her mother is always warning her to keep away from boys and not to do anything for fear she will get hurt. It's as if her mother's fear of men and fear for life have been transferred over to her daughter in a very negative way. If Lorraine's mother had not created a fearful and negative environment, Lorraine may have had more confidence in life.

Finally, Norton suffers from a childhood stigma of having played with dolls up until he was ten years-old. Once his school friends found out, they mercilessly teased him. In an effort to fight against this hostile environment, Norton turned into a bully, a creep, and a thief.  John describes Norton as follows:

"Norton actually did play with dolls when he was a kid. That was his mother's fault. . . He  was the only berserk ten-year-old in the neighborhood. From then on he turned tough guy all the way. He was always picking fights and throwing stones and beating up everybody" (99).

All of these kids have one thing in common--incapable parents. Had these parents been able to teach them to overcome the affects of their environments, they would have been better, more well-rounded people. Left to their own devices, however, the environment can wreak havoc on a person's understanding of the world around them.

What can we understand to be the writer's own attitude toward the lottery and the stoning in the story "The Lottery"?

Having written "The Lottery" in the wake of World War II (1948), Shirley Jackson may have intended to comment on both the role of the scapegoat and that of violence in societies.

When Jackson's story was published in The New Yorker, there were many outraged responses and cancellations of subscriptions. The magazine published this response:

Miss Jackson has chosen a nameless little village to show, in microcosm, how the forces of belligerence, persecution, and vindictiveness...

Having written "The Lottery" in the wake of World War II (1948), Shirley Jackson may have intended to comment on both the role of the scapegoat and that of violence in societies.

When Jackson's story was published in The New Yorker, there were many outraged responses and cancellations of subscriptions. The magazine published this response:

Miss Jackson has chosen a nameless little village to show, in microcosm, how the forces of belligerence, persecution, and vindictiveness are, in mankind, endless and traditional and that their targets are chosen without reason. 
<http://www.artsjournal.com/dancebeat/2013/03/taylor-made/>.

The fact that there were those who wrote requesting the location of "the lottery" and when it was held indicates the veracity of Jackson's message that there is something inherently dark in man that delights in violence. There is also in humanity the propensity to find a scapegoat for social ills or a group of people's or a country's own shortcomings. When Hitler made the Jews scapegoats, blaming them for many of the economic problems of the nation, there were many Germans who did not participate in any persecution, but they stood by when cruelty was dealt to the Jews, and they did nothing. Jackson hints at this passivity in the face of evil as she describes the men standing together, "away from the pile of stones in the corner" who speak quietly and "smile rather than laughed."  

Also, because no one listens to the protests made by Tessie Hutchinson as she cries "It ain't fair, it isn't right," Miss Jackson may well have been commenting upon this passivity in people to ignore social wrongs out of fear for their personal well-being. Shirley Jackson wrote this in the July 22, 1948, issue of the San Francisco Chronicle:

...I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my own village to shock the story's readers with a graphic dramatization of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives. 
<http://northbennington.org/jackson.html>