Which different parts of the United States does Martin Luther King mention in his speech?

I will assume you are referring to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "I have a dream" speech, delivered in 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC as part of the March on Washington. In his speech, King references various locations in the United States, both general and specific. He mentions "motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities" where African Americans are not allowed to stay, and that...

I will assume you are referring to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "I have a dream" speech, delivered in 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC as part of the March on Washington. In his speech, King references various locations in the United States, both general and specific. He mentions "motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities" where African Americans are not allowed to stay, and that their mobility has been merely "from a smaller ghetto to a Larger one". Specific areas he mentions are Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana--the South, where prejudice is still acceptable and a daily occurrence. At the end, he speaks of freedom ringing from all parts of the country:

...from prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that. Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi...

When this happens, King says, then we will truly be free at last.

What are the essential differences between the House and the Senate in the United States?

There are several differences between the House of Representatives and the United States Senate. One difference deals with representation and the representatives themselves. In the House of Representatives, each state has a different number of representatives since representation is based on the population of the state. Large states have more representatives than small states. In the Senate, representation is equal with each state having two representatives. For many years, our citizens elected only members of...

There are several differences between the House of Representatives and the United States Senate. One difference deals with representation and the representatives themselves. In the House of Representatives, each state has a different number of representatives since representation is based on the population of the state. Large states have more representatives than small states. In the Senate, representation is equal with each state having two representatives. For many years, our citizens elected only members of the House of Representatives. That changed with the 17th amendment that allowed the people to also elect the members of the Senate.

The members of the House of Representatives are elected for two-year terms. Thus, the entire House of Representatives is up for reelection every two years. The members of the Senate are elected for six-year terms. Thus, one-third of the Senate is elected every two years. You must be at least 25 years old to get elected in the House of Representatives. In the Senate, you must be at least 30 years old. There are 435 members in the House of Representatives and 100 members of the Senate.

The roles of the Senate and the House of Representatives have some differences. Any bill that deals with spending money must start in the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives determines if there is enough evidence to have an impeachment trial. The Senate conducts the trial and determines if the impeached person will stay in office or will leave office. The Senate also confirms the appointment of judges and ambassadors. The House of Representatives has no role in the confirmation process. Finally, the Senate must approve treaties the President makes with other countries.

While both the House of Representatives and the Senate make laws, there are some significant differences between the two bodies.

Can you provide a Hollywood movie that promotes materialism?

Pick a Hollywood movie.  Seriously, just pick one, and I'm confident it promotes materialism.  

Materialism is basically finding meaning and value in life through owning stuff.  

Ironman has Tony Stark.  Yes, he is a hero, but an incredibly materialistic one.  He demands owning the best of the best.  

Pick any Fast and Furiousmovie.  The characters don't just want cars to get from point A to B.  They want the most amazing...

Pick a Hollywood movie.  Seriously, just pick one, and I'm confident it promotes materialism.  

Materialism is basically finding meaning and value in life through owning stuff.  

Ironman has Tony Stark.  Yes, he is a hero, but an incredibly materialistic one.  He demands owning the best of the best.  

Pick any Fast and Furious movie.  The characters don't just want cars to get from point A to B.  They want the most amazing cars ever.  In the most recent film, the one character is seen driving a $1,000,000 Bugati Veyron.  

Limitless.  Instead of using his newly acquired super brain to tackle things like ending world hunger or finding a cure for cancer, he uses it to make tons of money and buy lots of toys.  

Sex and the City.  It's a movie about shopping. . . and more shopping. 

Crazy Stupid Love. It's about a guy that buys nice stuff in order to be cool and woo women. 

Pretty Woman.   The main character is not happy until a crazy rich guy starts buying her stuff.  

Clueless.  It's about teenagers shopping. 

Devil Wears Prada.  Main character doesn't get any respect until she starts buying nice stuff.  

What are the summaries for Chapters 16, 17, and 18 in The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare?

In Chapter 16, Kit finds out from her uncle that Nat and his friends lit Jack-o-Lanterns in the windows of William's new house.  She also learns that they have been punished and must sit in the stocks.  Kit visits Nat and is upset to see him in the stocks.  She is too upset to go to the Meeting, so she visits Hannah instead.  Hannah offers words of comfort.  Prudence visits while Kit is there.  Kit...

In Chapter 16, Kit finds out from her uncle that Nat and his friends lit Jack-o-Lanterns in the windows of William's new house.  She also learns that they have been punished and must sit in the stocks.  Kit visits Nat and is upset to see him in the stocks.  She is too upset to go to the Meeting, so she visits Hannah instead.  Hannah offers words of comfort.  Prudence visits while Kit is there.  Kit teaches the child how to write her name.  Later, Kit goes home and finds out that John Holbrook has joined the militia.

In Chapter 17, Judith becomes ill.  The illness spreads throughout Wethersfield.  Kit comes down with a mild case of the illness.  Then Mercy falls seriously ill.  Reverend Bulkeley comes to offer his assistance, and Matthew Wood is so desperate that he welcomes him.  An angry mob arrives, blaming Hannah Tupper for the illness.  Matthew Wood dismisses them.  They leave to go find Hannah Tupper.  Kit sneaks out to help her friend escape.  They hide until morning, when they see Nat's father's ship.  Nat takes Hannah aboard and promises to keep her safe.

In Chapter 18, Mercy begins to recover from her illness.  The constable comes and informs Kit that she is under arrest due to suspicion of witchcraft.  They present her hornbook as evidence.  Matthew and Rachel try to persuade the constable not to take Kit, but he insists.  She is locked up.  Rachel Wood visits her niece.  Kit worries as she remains locked up, awaiting her trial.

What part of the plan has Macbeth failed to accomplish?

Each of the Macbeths has a role to play in Duncan's murder. Lady Macbeth is going to give the guards drugged wine, and when they're knocked out she's going to lift their daggers and place them where Macbeth can find them. Macbeth will then slip into the chamber, kill Duncan with the grooms’ daggers, and then plant the daggers on the unconscious grooms to make them look guilty.

All goes according to plan until Macbeth...

Each of the Macbeths has a role to play in Duncan's murder. Lady Macbeth is going to give the guards drugged wine, and when they're knocked out she's going to lift their daggers and place them where Macbeth can find them. Macbeth will then slip into the chamber, kill Duncan with the grooms’ daggers, and then plant the daggers on the unconscious grooms to make them look guilty.

All goes according to plan until Macbeth reunites with his wife. She realizes that rather than leaving the daggers planted on the grooms, he's brought them back with him and is holding them in his hand. The daggers in his bloody hands would incriminate him immediately in the murder, should anybody see him, but he’s too horror-struck to do anything about it, and is too frightened to return them. Lady Macbeth stays levelheaded, though, demanding, “Give me the daggers". She then takes off to plant them on the grooms, then returns to help Macbeth clean up the blood. She’s quite steely and calm in this scene. Over the course of the play we will see her steady exterior unravel as the blood she cleans in this scene begins to haunt her imagination.

What are the awards won by John Keats ?

John Keats, who died tragically young at the age of 26, is now regarded as one of the finest of the Romantic poets. Like other Romantics, he was not famous or even particularly well known in his lifetime; nor did he win any awards. However he did publish a number of works that won the respect and praise of various fellow poets and literary critics. He wrote a total of 150 poems, including sonnets and...

John Keats, who died tragically young at the age of 26, is now regarded as one of the finest of the Romantic poets. Like other Romantics, he was not famous or even particularly well known in his lifetime; nor did he win any awards. However he did publish a number of works that won the respect and praise of various fellow poets and literary critics. He wrote a total of 150 poems, including sonnets and some longer works such as "Endymion," which was a failure when it first appeared in 1818, but is now thought to be one of his finest works. Nearly all of his writing was published within the three years before his death of tuberculosis. This was a not uncommon disease in the late 19th century in England; and Keats was in frail health in his youth, as well as being poor. He was ordered by his doctor to live temporarily in a warmer, drier climate in an attempt to improve his health (a common treatment for tuberculosis then), but he continued to decline and died in 1821, only a year after some of his most famous works were published.

One of his most famous poems is "To Autumn" the first line of which gave inspiration to the author Neil Gaiman for his Sandman series, one of which is titled Season of Mists. His sonnet "Bright Star" was written for his lover Fanny, and the film Bright Star, directed by Jane Campion, is the story of his brief life, career and the woman he loved.

What is the actual definition of "stave" in the novel "A Christmas Carol"?

A stave is a chapter in A Christmas Carol.

If you look at the title of the book, you can see the significance of the chapters being called "staves."  Dickens is acting as if the book is a Christmas carol, and each chapter is part of the song.  Stave is another word for “staff.”  In music, a staff is how music is written.  It is the lines on which the notes are displayed.

Dickens could have just named his chapters as chapters, but what would be the fun of that?  By calling the chapters staves, Dickens reinforces the idea that the book is a song.  Songs are short, as this book is, and at the holidays carols often have deeper meanings.

The metaphor continues with Dickens’s use of other imagery.  You will notice as you read the book that Dickens is very descriptive, and loves to use similes, metaphors, and symbolism throughout the book.  Even Dickens’s note to the reader contains a metaphor.

I HAVE endeavoured in this Ghostly little book to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it. (Note)

When Dickens says the book will “haunt” his readers’ houses, that is a metaphor for people bringing the book into their homes and making it a part of their holiday celebration.  Just look at the description of Scrooge, which is full of figurative language.

Oh! but he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. (Stave 1)

Scrooge is described as “a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone” even though he was a banker and did not use a grindstone.  This metaphor is coordinated with several similes, including “sharp as flint” and “solitary as an oyster.”  These descriptions add to the poetry of the book and reinforce the idea that it is like a song.

Dickens wanted to create a book that would help people celebrate the holidays, but would also be meaningful.  The lesson he wanted to teach his readers was that during the holiday time of year, it was their responsibility to look out for the less fortunate.  The book is so powerful that, like a Christmas carol, it is still loved by many around the world over a hundred years later.

Is it possible to establish a literary-historical line about the American dream in American literature? How can we do that?

There are indeed several ways to do this. The first step in this task is conceptual clarification. One can either research the history of the term "American Dream" or one can try to define the American Dream as a concept, and then chart a history of its conceptual development independent of the specific uses of the phrase. 

The origin of the phrase is credited to James Truslow Adams' 1931 book Epic of America. One way...

There are indeed several ways to do this. The first step in this task is conceptual clarification. One can either research the history of the term "American Dream" or one can try to define the American Dream as a concept, and then chart a history of its conceptual development independent of the specific uses of the phrase. 

The origin of the phrase is credited to James Truslow Adams' 1931 book Epic of America. One way to use "big data" to look at the frequency of use of the phrase across time is by Google's Ngram viewer. The phrase appears to increase dramatically in frequency of usage starting in 1949, peaks in 1971, declines in the 1980s, has a second peak in 1994, and then tapers off in frequency of appearance. To trace the frequency of use in literary texts, one could do a narrower analysis of digitized texts by separating out ones you consider literary or doing a full text search in the MLA International Bibliography to find its use in literary criticism. 

A conceptual analysis would involve thinking about what American literary works tell a story of "rags to riches" success through hard work. This might include works of Ben Franklin, Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and later works which address the issue satirically such as Albee's The American Dream and Miller's Death of a Salesman. 

What is the difference between a dehydration synthesis reaction and a hydrolysis reaction?

Knowing the meaning of word-parts within each term will help in identifying their meanings.

The term "synthesis" means "to make". The prefix “de” means “the removal of”. Finally, “hydro” implies that "water" is present.

Using these word parts, we can infer that the term “dehydration synthesis” means making bonds by removing water in the process. Specifically, a dehydration synthesis is a chemical reaction in which a covalent bond is formed between two compounds by removing...

Knowing the meaning of word-parts within each term will help in identifying their meanings.

The term "synthesis" means "to make". The prefix “de” means “the removal of”. Finally, “hydro” implies that "water" is present.

Using these word parts, we can infer that the term “dehydration synthesis” means making bonds by removing water in the process. Specifically, a dehydration synthesis is a chemical reaction in which a covalent bond is formed between two compounds by removing the -OH from one of the compounds and the -H from the other compound. In this way, a new compound is formed as well as water. Since water is made in the process, the term “condensation reaction” is sometime used interchangeably with the term “dehydration synthesis”.

The formation of most biomolecules are produced via dehydration syntheses of their monomers. For example, a two monosaccharides form one disaccharide plus one water compound.

monosaccharide + monosaccharide  `->` water + disaccharide

A hydrolysis reaction is the opposite of a dehydration synthesis. During hydrolysis, bonds are broken by the addition of water. In this way, polymers are split into monomers. This often occurs during the process of digestion. The inverse of the chemical reaction provided above is an example of a dehydration synthesis.

water + disaccharide  `->` monosaccharide + monosaccharide

In The Crucible Proctor brings Judge Danforth the signatures of ninety-one people who have a good opinion of the accused. What does the judge do...

Your question refers to Act III scene 2 of The Crucible, in which John Proctor goes to the court to provide Judge Danforth with a testament signed by ninety-one of the townspeople who are willing to vouch for the good moral character of Elizabeth Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey. These women had been arrested as accused witches earlier in Act III. After John Proctor hands the list to Danforth, Reverend Parris comments that...

Your question refers to Act III scene 2 of The Crucible, in which John Proctor goes to the court to provide Judge Danforth with a testament signed by ninety-one of the townspeople who are willing to vouch for the good moral character of Elizabeth Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey. These women had been arrested as accused witches earlier in Act III. After John Proctor hands the list to Danforth, Reverend Parris comments that those people who signed the document should all be summoned for questioning, evidently because he views their willingness to defend the accused women as being a "clear attack upon the court". After glancing at the list, Danforth instructs Mr. Cheever to draw up warrants to arrest the ninety-one people who signed the document so that they can be examined by the court directly.

This is not the reaction that John Proctor and Francis Nurse had hoped for, to say the least. Nurse comments that he had promised those people that no harm would come to them as a result of adding their signatures, and he is filled with fear and guilt for dragging them into the court's attention now. Proctor unfortunately seems unconvinced of the court's dangerous unwillingness to change its mind about people's guilt or innocence. He does not say anything in response to Danforth's decision to issue warrants for the ninety-one neighbors, but a few lines later in the scene Proctor remarks to Mary Warren that she should remember that the angel Raphael told a boy named Tobias, "Do that which is good and no harm shall come to thee". 

Danforth's decision to arrest and question everyone on the list of signatures in support for the accused women indicates that he is not exactly looking at the matter with impartiality. He seems rather determined to find somebody guilty of something, whether it be the accused witches already in custody or the people who tried to vouch for them. Ironically Danforth and Proctor both have faith in the justice system and the idea that people who do the right thing will have nothing to fear. When Danforth wants to summon the ninety-one people on the list, it is because of his very concrete view that a person must either be for the court or against it, with no middle ground. This belief compels him to need to examine those ninety-one people. He cannot simply accept that they are just offering information without intending to undermine the court. At the same time, Proctor's continual belief that justice and honor will prevail puts him in jeopardy as the play moves forward. He cannot conceive of the notion that the court would still want to punish innocent people, especially when evidence is present that would prove their innocence. Danforth's treatment of the list of signatures and Proctor's mistaken belief in the list's power represent two sides of the same coin of concrete thinking.

What are the 4 parts of the earths’ integrated system?

The Earth's integrated system is seen as having four major parts: the geosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the biosphere. 

The geosphere is known as the solid part of the earth that includes the crust and mantle. 

The atmosphere is composed of the gas layer that surrounds the earth. This helps to protect us from the sun's radiation while maintaining temperatures on Earth that are favorable to life. 

The hydrosphereis made of the water on...

The Earth's integrated system is seen as having four major parts: the geosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the biosphere. 

The geosphere is known as the solid part of the earth that includes the crust and mantle. 

The atmosphere is composed of the gas layer that surrounds the earth. This helps to protect us from the sun's radiation while maintaining temperatures on Earth that are favorable to life. 

The hydrosphere is made of the water on Earth and in the air ("hydro" = water). Therefore, the hydrosphere consists of lakes, streams, ponds, oceans, seas, groundwater, and water vapor. 

Finally, the biosphere is considered to be made of all the living things on Earth as well as their environments. 

Energy and matter are thought to cycle through and flow between these four parts of the earth's integrating system, thus demonstrating the law of conservation of mass and the law of conservation of energy. 

What was the Tet Offensive?

The Tet Offensive was a major attack that was launched by the United States’ enemies in the Vietnam War.  This offensive happened early in 1968.  It was one of the major events that helped reduce American support for the war.

By 1968, the US was fighting against the Viet Cong (communist insurgents in South Vietnam) and against the military of communist North Vietnam.  The US had been heavily involved in the war since 1964 and...

The Tet Offensive was a major attack that was launched by the United States’ enemies in the Vietnam War.  This offensive happened early in 1968.  It was one of the major events that helped reduce American support for the war.

By 1968, the US was fighting against the Viet Cong (communist insurgents in South Vietnam) and against the military of communist North Vietnam.  The US had been heavily involved in the war since 1964 and Americans wanted results.  The government assured the public that the US was close to victory in Vietnam.

In Vietnam, people celebrate the lunar new year (as Chinese do) rather than the solar New Year like Americans do.  Tet is the Vietnamese word that refers to the lunar New Year festival.  It is the biggest festival of the year.  During Tet of 1968, the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese launched a series of coordinated attacks around the country.  The attacks were successful at first, but the US and the South Vietnamese eventually beat them back, regaining all lost territory and inflicting huge losses on the enemy.

However, the offensive made it clear that the US was not as close to victory as the government had claimed it was.  As the American public watched coverage of the Tet Offensive, they came to realize this and more Americans turned against the government’s policy.  This helped reduce American support for the Vietnam War and it led directly to President Johnson’s decision not to run for reelection in 1968.  Thus, the Tet Offensive was one of the most important events of the Vietnam War.

According to myth in The Way to Rainy Mountain, where did the twins come from?

When you speak about "myth," you are speaking about the first of the three voices that Momaday uses in his book The Way to Rainy Mountain.  Just as a short explanation, let me mention that the major parts of The Way to Rainy Mountainare called "The Setting Out," "The Going On," and "The Closing In."  These parts are separated into twenty-four sections with each of them divided into three voices:  one having to...

When you speak about "myth," you are speaking about the first of the three voices that Momaday uses in his book The Way to Rainy Mountain.  Just as a short explanation, let me mention that the major parts of The Way to Rainy Mountain are called "The Setting Out," "The Going On," and "The Closing In."  These parts are separated into twenty-four sections with each of them divided into three voices:  one having to do with myth, one having to do with history, and one having to do with a personal story.  Your question has to do with the mythical voice (always the first of the three voices) and, specifically, has to do with "The Setting Out."

In addition, "the twins" you speak of are very important to the Kiowa creation myth.  While the creation myth has to do with both the bundles of the Talyi-da-i (which means "Boy Medicine") and the Tai-me bundle (the creature-God of the Sun Dance), "the twins" are about the Talyi-da-i, specifically. 

The Talyi-da-i, or "Boy Medicine," part of the myth is about the offspring of the Sun and a Kiowa woman.  The child produced through this union is a son who is given to Spider Grandmother in order to raise him to adulthood on the earth.  Although Spider Grandmother worries about her charge, a miracle soon happens:  the son splits in two, forming twins. Now both twins are considered "sons of the Sun."  It is not long before one of the twins mysteriously disappears into the lake waters in order to become one with the earth.  Nature is now sacred to the Kiowa as a result.  The other twin miraculously converts himself into the ten bundles of Talyi-da-i in order to give a god-like gift from the Sun to the Kiowa tribe.

In conclusion, if you are searching for a very short answer to your question, then I can provide that for you as well.  According to the myth, the twins came from the union of the Sun with a Kiowa maiden.

Glacial striations gouged into bedrock allow geologists to understand _____.

Glacial striations gouged into bedrock allow geologists to understand the mass and pressure caused by glaciers resulting in the movement of glaciers.

As glaciers move, boulders, rocks, and pebbles are pushed underneath the glacier. The pushing of these rock formations scratch and gouge out the land on which they reside. These scratches and gouges that are caused by the movement of glaciers are called glacial striations.

Glacial striations reveal certain facts to geologists.

1. Glacial...

Glacial striations gouged into bedrock allow geologists to understand the mass and pressure caused by glaciers resulting in the movement of glaciers.

As glaciers move, boulders, rocks, and pebbles are pushed underneath the glacier. The pushing of these rock formations scratch and gouge out the land on which they reside. These scratches and gouges that are caused by the movement of glaciers are called glacial striations.

Glacial striations reveal certain facts to geologists.

1. Glacial striations help geologists determine the direction that the glacier moved.

2. Secondly, glacial striations can reveal the type of material that was moved by the glacier. For example, deep glacial striations are indicative of large boulders being carried by the glacier. Polished bedrock caused by a glacial striation is indicates that the glacier carried finer sediments.

3. Thirdly, glacial striations can be indicative of the speed of the glacier. For example, if a glacial abrasion indicates that there was a lot of debris carried by the glacier (by the size of the striation left behind), then it can be assumed that the glacier moved slowly.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what does Reverend Sykes say about race during the trial of Tom Robinson?

At the beginning of Chapter 21, Jem feels confident about winning the court case and tells Reverend Sykes not to fret because Atticus has won. Jem points to the lack of evidence and conflicting testimonies of the Ewells as to why Tom Robinson will win the case. Reverend Sykes says that he has never witnessed a jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man before. In 1930's Alabama, racial inequality and...

At the beginning of Chapter 21, Jem feels confident about winning the court case and tells Reverend Sykes not to fret because Atticus has won. Jem points to the lack of evidence and conflicting testimonies of the Ewells as to why Tom Robinson will win the case. Reverend Sykes says that he has never witnessed a jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man before. In 1930's Alabama, racial inequality and injustice is common. Reverend Sykes is an intelligent man who is aware of the prejudice against African Americans in his community and is not overly confident like Jem. Jem is a naive child who believes that the result of the trial will reflect justice for Tom Robinson. Based solely on the evidence provided, Tom Robinson should be acquitted. However, the racist Macomb jury members convict Tom of raping Mayella Ewell. Jem is devastated and loses his faith in the community members of Maycomb.

What is the basis of Locke's argument that human beings have natural rights? Does Rousseau agree? Why or why not?

Although he was an Enlightenment philosopher, Locke was also a man of God, in the sense that he believed in a higher power who had endowed humans with not only superior intelligence and self-awareness, but also inalienable rights. It is very possible that Locke, like many other Enlightenment philosophers, was a Deist, meaning that he believed in what Descartes termed a "Watchmaker God," one who set the universe in motion but then stepped back and did not intervene in the daily fate of the world that he/she had created. Nevertheless, when Locke sought to make the argument that humans had inalienable rights, he likely looked at how monarchs had justified their own rule, through the "Divine Right of Kings," which he opposed. 

Yet he judged that in order to make the then-extraordinary argument that ordinary people had rights, he would need to draw upon the moral authority of the highest power ("God"), who had imbued humans with these rights. After all, Locke still lived in a very Christian society, and was himself at least outwardly religious, as most scholars and other prominent figures had to be at the time in order to maintain their positions in society. So the most straightforward answer to the question is that Locke claimed that humans were born with certain basic rights as a consequence of their uniqueness, which was understood to be a direct result of being made in "God's image." Yet the term Locke used to describe the the moral authority he sought was "The Law of Nature." Still, Locke argued that God had given human kind this so-called law of nature, and thus it served as the moral backbone of his other contentions.

Rousseau also believed that humans were born free, endowed with certain rights by their “creator,” although he famously observed in the opening of "The Social Contract," that "Men are born free, but everywhere they are in chains." What Rousseau meant by this was that men were indeed born with certain inalienable rights, conferred by God, but that the systems of government, education and commerce of large, modern societies had stripped men of their free will, by damaging their moral compasses and by limiting their freedom of expression, thought action with laws aimed at keeping order. 

Ultimately, both Locke and Rousseau believed that humans were uniquely blessed with God-given rights. Rousseau was more critical of organized religion, education and what he deemed a materialistic society, which turned men against each other and away from their purer, more benevolent natures. At the center of both of these men’s philosophies was the idea that a new system of government could bring out the best nature of man, instead of the worst, and that system needed to derive its power not from an authoritarian ruler, but from the will of the people.

Which Enlightenment idea was included in the U.S. Constitution before the Bill of Rights?

There are many Enlightenment ideas reflected in the U.S. Constitution. Generally, the concepts of limited government, representative government, the rule of law, popular sovereignty, religious tolerance (as expressed in the outlawing of religious tests), and others underlie much of the Constitution. Perhaps the Enlightenment philosophe whose ideas are most obvious in the document (before the Bill of Rights) is the Baron de Montesquieu. Montesquieu had argued in his book The Spirit of the Lawsthat...

There are many Enlightenment ideas reflected in the U.S. Constitution. Generally, the concepts of limited government, representative government, the rule of law, popular sovereignty, religious tolerance (as expressed in the outlawing of religious tests), and others underlie much of the Constitution. Perhaps the Enlightenment philosophe whose ideas are most obvious in the document (before the Bill of Rights) is the Baron de Montesquieu. Montesquieu had argued in his book The Spirit of the Laws that an ideal government divided sovereignty between legislators, a judiciary and a king. He based his theory on the British system of government, which he thought was the best in the world, and the idea was that dividing power might stop the development of despotic government. The Framers of the Constitution (and for that matter the state constitutions that preceded it) drew on this idea in their creation of a government that featured a legislature, executive, and a judicial branch. Montesquieu was read and admired by many of the Framers, especially James Madison.

In Edgar A. Poe's story "The Tell Tale Heart," what is the pattern in Poe's use of auditory imagery (can you categorize these sounds?) How does...

One way to think about Poe’s use of sound in “The Tell-Tale Heart” is to think instead of the importance of silence. Silence is an expression of power for the narrator–by being silent, or be silencing noises (the old man’s heartbeat) he asserts control over his surroundings. Noises, on the other hand, represent the intrusion of disorder, a kind of aural mess that has to be “cleaned up.” The aural pattern in the story is...

One way to think about Poe’s use of sound in “The Tell-Tale Heart” is to think instead of the importance of silence. Silence is an expression of power for the narrator–by being silent, or be silencing noises (the old man’s heartbeat) he asserts control over his surroundings. Noises, on the other hand, represent the intrusion of disorder, a kind of aural mess that has to be “cleaned up.” The aural pattern in the story is one of silence and sound.

This pattern is evident in the old man’s murder. The narrator has silently put his head into the room – he inadvertently touches the lantern and makes a noise, alerting the old man. The narrator then remains absolutely still (“for a whole hour I did not move a muscle”). Finally, the old man groans (“the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe”). The sound of the old man’s heart beat becomes louder and louder: finally, afraid that “the sound would be heard by a neighbor,” the narrator springs on the old man and kills him, restoring silence again.

In Cell Theory, we say that cells are the building blocks of life. Then what is DNA? Building blocks should be indivisible.

Cells are said to be the building blocks of life because they are the smallest unit of life. The organelles and structures within a cell are part of the cell, but not able to sustain life their own. This is analogous to the atom, which is the smallest unit of matter. Atoms are also comprised of smaller parts called subatomic particles, which include the proton, neutron, and electron.

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a biomolecule that...

Cells are said to be the building blocks of life because they are the smallest unit of life. The organelles and structures within a cell are part of the cell, but not able to sustain life their own. This is analogous to the atom, which is the smallest unit of matter. Atoms are also comprised of smaller parts called subatomic particles, which include the proton, neutron, and electron.

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a biomolecule that is found within the cytoplasm of a prokaryotic cell and is housed within the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell. DNA is a double helix that is made of nucleotides. Nucleotides of DNA are made of a phosphate group, deoxyribose sugar, and one of four nitrogen bases. The possible nitrogen bases of DNA are adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. The order of the nitrogen bases within DNA is what makes one gene different from the other. This genetic information is passed onto offspring during sexual reproduction.

How has Scrooge changed in A Christmas Carol?

Ebenezer Scrooge changes completely from the beginning of the story to the end. Transformation is a very important theme to the story, in fact. The ways in which he changes are many, but the most significant is probably in terms of his generosity. 

At the beginning of the story we know that Scrooge is a miser. This means he is a penny-pinching, miserable, greedy man who cares of nothing other than his money. This love...

Ebenezer Scrooge changes completely from the beginning of the story to the end. Transformation is a very important theme to the story, in fact. The ways in which he changes are many, but the most significant is probably in terms of his generosity. 

At the beginning of the story we know that Scrooge is a miser. This means he is a penny-pinching, miserable, greedy man who cares of nothing other than his money. This love of money has cost him all of his personal relationships, his social life, and any any empathy he might have ever had.

At the end of the story, however, he is a generous and kind man who wants to help others. He is no longer selfish and greedy. We see this best displayed in the final stave where he so completely transforms.

"He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him" (Stave V).

It is important to note that he has not just become generous with his money, but with his feelings. Before he seemed so filled with anger that he was incapable of even seeing others, let alone feeling compassion for them. We see at the end of the story that he is freely sharing with friends and family and has become generous with his love and kindness as well as his money.

What are three ways Jimmy Valentine changed in the story "A Retrieved Reformation"?

It would seem that the first important change in Jimmy Valentine occurred instantaneously when he fell in love at first sight with a small-town girl named Annabel Adams.

A young lady crossed the street, passed him at the corner and entered a door over which was the sign “The Elmore Bank.” Jimmy Valentine looked into her eyes, forgot what he was, and became another man. 

Jimmy had learned something about repairing shoes while he was serving ten months in prison for burglary. He had moved to Elmore, Arkansas because he was getting too notorious in his previous area of operations around Indiana. He had opened a shoe business purely as a "front" but planned to continue his profession as a safecracker--until he fell in love. After that he decided to go straight. He wanted to be worthy of this lovely girl, and he knew that she would despise him if she found out he was a criminal with a prison record. So he changed his name to Ralph Spencer and became a legitimate businessman.

That was the second way Jimmy changed. As a result of learning to care for Annabel, Jimmy began to realize that not only is life better if you are honest, but life is better if you think about other people rather than only about yourself. He demonstrated this third change when he sacrificed all the benefits of his "reformation" in order to save a little girl who had gotten accidentally locked in a bank vault. In doing so, he had to open his suitcase and reveal that it was full of safecracking equipment, thereby revealing his true identity. Meanwhile Ben Price was waiting to arrest him for the three bank jobs he had pulled after being pardoned and released from prison. It seemed as if he had lost everything, including the girl he loved. 

But  Ben Price understood that Jimmy had changed completely. There was no need to send him to prison. Prison was intended to reform people, and Jimmy was already reformed. Jimmy had learned many things in a short time, including the fact that a man who has the talents to become a successful criminal can use the same talents to be come successful in the world of honest men and women. In a letter to a friend, Jimmy had written:

Say, Billy, I've quit the old business—a year ago. I've got a nice store. I'm making an honest living, and I'm going to marry the finest girl on earth two weeks from now. It's the only life, Billy—the straight one. I wouldn't touch a dollar of another man's money now for a million.

When Jimmy approached the bank detective, expecting to be arrested, Ben Price told him:

“Guess you're mistaken, Mr. Spencer,” he said. “Don't believe I recognize you. Your buggy's waiting for you, ain't it?”

Jimmy had enjoyed prosperity as a professional safecracker, but there were many drawbacks which he came to realize after he went straight. He had always been on the lam, always looking over his shoulder. He was getting to be too well known, so that it was easier to get sent to prison and harder to get out. He was in danger of compiling such a long criminal record that he would always be getting pulled in on suspicion when a bank job occurred. And he was in danger of becoming a hardened con with the mentality of an incorrigible recidivist. O. Henry had met many such men when he was serving three years in state prison for embezzlement. The moral of O. Henry's story can be expressed in two old adages, either: "Crime does not pay," or "Honesty is the best policy."

What would you change in the book Bud, Not Buddy?

This is truly an opinion question; therefore, it is important that you figure out your own opinion on what you would change. However, I am happy to add my ideas on the subject. In order to give Bud's story more closure, I would have allowed Bud to meet his father. I love the idea that Herman E. Calloway is Bud’s grandfather. I would not change that. However, it would have been an interesting idea if...

This is truly an opinion question; therefore, it is important that you figure out your own opinion on what you would change. However, I am happy to add my ideas on the subject. In order to give Bud's story more closure, I would have allowed Bud to meet his father. I love the idea that Herman E. Calloway is Bud’s grandfather. I would not change that. However, it would have been an interesting idea if Bud’s dad was actually a member of the band. Maybe Herman E. Calloway could have been inclined towards Bud from the beginning while Bud’s dad could have been a gruff and calloused member of the band who would have nothing to do with Bud. Perhaps the revelation would come at the end of the book, giving Bud's story the ultimate closure. Further, because Bud “no longer knows how to cry” until he finds his “home” with the band, perhaps the “rusty old valve” could open for Bud to cry during the reunification of Bud with his real father.

Why does the author repeatedly refer to Della and Jim as "the James Dillingham Youngs?"

The name "Dillingham" has money and upper-class connotations. Jim's last name is Young. The "Dillingham" must have been a sort of tribute to Jim's grandfather, who was evidently an important man, as symbolized by the big gold watch. Jim could never have afforded to buy such a watch himself. It had been handed down from grandfather, to father, to Jim.

Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's....

Della not only loves her husband, but she is proud of being married to a man who comes from impressive background. This explains why she is so strongly motivated to buy him an expensive fob that will suitably complement his watch. She knows he is proud of it, not only because of its beauty and value, but because it is a symbol of his ancestry. She herself is evidently from an inferior background. O. Henry hints at this in her dialogue. For example:

“Don't you like me just as well, anyhow? I'm me without my hair, ain't I?”

Jim would never use "ain't," nor would he ever correct her for using the word herself. He is a gentleman. He suffers more than she does from their privations. She has multiple reasons for wanting to buy him a beautiful Christmas present. She isn't doing it merely for love. She feels sorry for him because he has to work so hard at a low-paying clerical job and because he has to support her. There is a strong suggestion that she may be pregnant. When he comes home, the author records some of her observations.

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two—and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.

Jim also has to use an ugly attachment for his gold watch.

Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain.

In buying Jim a fob that will be "worthy" of his watch, Della is trying to be "worthy" of her distinguished husband. Her strongest motivation is her fear of losing him. She likes being Mrs. James Dillingham Young. But when she sacrifices her hair to buy the platinum fob, she fears she may be in greater danger of losing him. 

The name "Dillingham," reflects Jim's superior social background, his present fallen condition, his pride in his ancestry, his possession of such an expensive watch, his distinction in the eyes of his adoring wife, her motivation to buy him an exceptional Christmas present, her sacrifice of her beautiful hair, and his sacrifice of his watch to buy her the combs which she may not need for years. 

O. Henry suggests early in the story that Jim may also sacrifice the name Dillingham along with the watch.

Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name “Mr. James Dillingham Young.” The “Dillingham” had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, the letters of “Dillingham” looked blurred, as though they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. 

When the economy improves and Jim can afford to buy new calling cards, the cards will read "James D. Young." He will have merged into the lower middle class psychologically along with Della. Both were inordinately proud of their "treasures." In sacrificing her hair and in Jim's sacrificing his "Dillingham," they are both accepting the reality of their humble stations in life. They are somewhat similar to Monsieur and Madame Loisel in Guy de Maupassant's famous story "The Necklace," in that they have to face the reality of being plain, ordinary people.

In The Bronze Bow, what does the word "bellows" mean?

The word "bellows" can be a verb (an action word) or a noun (a thing). When the word is used in Elizabeth George Speare's novel The Bronze Bow, it is used as a noun. Daniel, the main character, is a blacksmith. In the first part of the book, he lives in Rosh's camp and has a forge that he has constructed on the mountain to do the blacksmith jobs for the band. Later, he...

The word "bellows" can be a verb (an action word) or a noun (a thing). When the word is used in Elizabeth George Speare's novel The Bronze Bow, it is used as a noun. Daniel, the main character, is a blacksmith. In the first part of the book, he lives in Rosh's camp and has a forge that he has constructed on the mountain to do the blacksmith jobs for the band. Later, he moves back to the village and takes over the smithy from Simon, who has gone to follow Jesus. Both forges require the use of bellows. Bellows are a tool used to blow air onto a fire to make the fire burn hotter. They look like a big bag of air with two handles that can be squeezed together, causing a stream of air to come out of the bag. When Daniel has Samson's help at the forge, because of his strength he is able to operate the bellows without tiring, meaning "he could keep a steady heat in the furnace." Below is a picture of a modern-day bellows that you could use to keep your fireplace fire burning. 

In Henry's "Speech in the Virginia Convention," what is an example of inductive argument?

Let's begin with a definition and example of induction from a peer-reviewed academic resource, the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy:

An inductive argument is an argument that is intended by the arguer merely to establish or increase the probability of its conclusion. Here is a mildly strong inductive argument: Every time I've walked by that dog, he hasn't tried to bite me. So, the next time I walk by that dog he won't try to bite me.

...

Let's begin with a definition and example of induction from a peer-reviewed academic resource, the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy:

An inductive argument is an argument that is intended by the arguer merely to establish or increase the probability of its conclusion. Here is a mildly strong inductive argument: Every time I've walked by that dog, he hasn't tried to bite me. So, the next time I walk by that dog he won't try to bite me.

In Henry's "Speech to the Virginia Convention," he uses induction when he observes that with regard to the colonies' relationship with Britain, he can only predict what Britain will do in the future by remembering what it has done in the past. Here are Henry's own words:

"I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House?"

Henry reiterates the point that the colonies have tried negotiation for a decade but nothing substantive has resulted. Using induction once again, he describes how the colonies have sent petitions, "remonstrated" (protested reproachfully), and asked Britain for change most humbly. He reminds his audience that Britain's response was to ignore their petitions, to answer their protests with violence, and to "disregard" their humble requests.  

Just like the example above with the dog, Henry believes there is nothing to indicate that Britain will behave any differently henceforward.

In the poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time," the speaker thinks that youth is better than old age. What is his reasoning? What age do you...

The speaker believes that youth is preferable to age for a number of reasons:

1. Life is short, and we have the most capacity to experience its joys when we are young.  "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, / Old Time is still a-flying" (1-2).  We have limited time and need to make the most of it when we're able.

2. Once we begin to approach middle age, time seems to go more quickly.  In...

The speaker believes that youth is preferable to age for a number of reasons:

1. Life is short, and we have the most capacity to experience its joys when we are young.  "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, / Old Time is still a-flying" (1-2).  We have limited time and need to make the most of it when we're able.

2. Once we begin to approach middle age, time seems to go more quickly.  In Herrick's metaphor, the higher the sun gets, the "nearer he's to setting" (8).

3. He says that "blood is warmer" in our youth (10).  In other words, we are more passionate when we are young.  This is a good thing.

4. Once we lose our beauty, "we may forever tarry" (i.e. no one will want us), and beauty is associated with youth as well.  

The speaker seems to think of a relatively youthful age as one's prime, perhaps the early 20s.  However, many would agree that there is more to one's prime than simply beauty and passion; I suppose it all depends on how one defines the best part of one's life.  This age would be one's prime.

Did the South have the right to split up the country in 1860?

If we look at the Constitution, the South didn’t have the right to split the country. The Constitution is clear that federal laws take priority over state laws. States aren’t allowed to pass laws that go against federal laws or the Constitution. Decisions are made based on the common good. Sometimes decisions will hurt a region while helping another region. If a state or region would threaten to leave the Union every time they don’t get what they want, the country could not possibly survive or function.

However, when we were colonies of Great Britain, we weren’t supposed to break away from them. If a region or state feels their concerns are not being heard or addressed, and if they have exhausted all efforts to resolve the differences, then they must be prepared to fight for their independence if they choose to break away from the Union. In the Declaration of Independence, it says people must remove a government if they feel the government isn't protecting their rights. The South felt this was the case, so breaking away wasn't out of the question. This is what we did when we declared independence from Great Britain.

Thus, in a narrow sense, the South didn’t have the right to break away from the Union. However, in a practical sense, if they broke away and fought and won the war that would follow, then it may have acceptable that they split from the Union.

How does the Bible verse Matthew 25:29 connect to Outliers?

Chapter One of the book is titled, “The Matthew Effect.” Gladwell begins it with this verse from the New Testament text of the Gospel of Matthew:

For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance. But from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. ~ Matthew 25:29

In other words: Those who are talented at something will continue to grow their talent. Those who are...

Chapter One of the book is titled, “The Matthew Effect.” Gladwell begins it with this verse from the New Testament text of the Gospel of Matthew:

For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance. But from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. ~ Matthew 25:29

In other words: Those who are talented at something will continue to grow their talent. Those who are not talented will continue not to be, to an even greater extent. It’s also known as the “self-fulfilling prophecy.” This “Matthew Effect” was first coined by sociologist Robert Merton. To illustrate this point, Gladwell introduces the example of the Canadian hockey system for training young athletes. Because of the standard January 1st cut-off date for registrations, anyone with a birthday soon after this day will essentially get an extra year to practice. For this reason, most successful professional hockey players have birthdays in the months of January, February, and March. Certainly these athletes also have talent. But early on, they also had the advantage of extra practice and development time, tracing back to the seemingly random days they were born.

In what way does Lorraine wish that her mother was more like the Pigman?

Lorraine and her mother don't have a good relationship because her mother is verbally condescending and cheap. Her mother has suffered a lot in her adult life because Lorraine's father cheated on her and divorced her. After that, her mother was never the same. In fact, her mother takes out all of her bitterness and doubt on her daughter rather than providing a safe and loving home. As a result, Lorraine is drawn into the...

Lorraine and her mother don't have a good relationship because her mother is verbally condescending and cheap. Her mother has suffered a lot in her adult life because Lorraine's father cheated on her and divorced her. After that, her mother was never the same. In fact, her mother takes out all of her bitterness and doubt on her daughter rather than providing a safe and loving home. As a result, Lorraine is drawn into the genuinely loving character of Mr. Pignati. She learns a lot from a man who has suffered in life as well, but who still wears a smile on his face. He is always respectful of Lorraine and treats her like an equal, if not like a daughter. Lorraine is able to find peace in her life for knowing Mr. Pignati and explains her desires for her mother to be like him as follows:

"Lots of times I'd cry myself to sleep, but more and more I felt myself thinking of the Pigman whenever I felt sad. Sometimes just after I put the light out, I'd see his face smiling or his eyes gleaming as he offered me the snails--some little happy detail I thought I'd forgotten--and I'd wish my mother were more like him. I'd wish she knew how to have a little fun for a change" (86).

As the passage indicates above, Lorraine wishes that her mother could have a little fun once in awhile. Both she and Lorraine would benefit from having fun; but as it is, her mother has a difficult career, feels like she failed in her marriage, and it has all hardened her so much that it's as if she is incapable of loosening up enough to have fun.

How can I make a story about the opposite of Penelope? In my story, I want her be a more independent person, and show her coming to terms with...

To create a story about the opposite of Penelope, a writer would probably have to place her in a different culture than the world of Bronze Age Greece. The world that Homer creates depicts married women as under the protectorship of their husbands or, in the case of Penelope, her now-mature son Telemachus (given that Odysseus has been away from home for twenty years).

To portray Penelope as more independent, one could take Sophocles' character...

To create a story about the opposite of Penelope, a writer would probably have to place her in a different culture than the world of Bronze Age Greece. The world that Homer creates depicts married women as under the protectorship of their husbands or, in the case of Penelope, her now-mature son Telemachus (given that Odysseus has been away from home for twenty years).

To portray Penelope as more independent, one could take Sophocles' character Antigone as a model. Antigone is unmarried and defies King Creon's order not to bury her brother Polyneices. For this "crime," Antigone is sentenced to death.

Another possible model for a more independent Penelope would be to transform her into a barbarian female like Euripides' character Medea. After Medea's husband divorces her, she takes revenge on him by poisoning his new bride and killing her own children (Medea's own children).

As for the notion that Penelope has not come to terms with Odysseus' marital infidelities, we should keep in mind that both Calypso and Circe are divinities. Odysseus was essentially Calypso's love slave and in Odyssey 10 the god Hermes had directed Odysseus to sleep with Circe:

Then she’ll invite you to her bed, and don’t refuse the goddess’ favours, if you want her to free your men, and care for you too.
(Kline translation).

Furthermore, in Odyssey 23, Odysseus tells Penelope all about his various adventures, including his sexual escapades with Calypso. So, Homer seems to suggest that Penelope has "come to terms" with Odysseus' extramarital affairs. After all, when Odysseus tells his story, Penelope reports that "she loved to hear it all".

What is a number that cannot be written as a ratio of two integers?

A number that cannot be expressed as a ratio of two integers is said to be irrational.

There are names for groups of numbers:

The natural numbers or the counting numbers are 1,2,3,...The integers are whole numbers including zero and the negative numbers.The rationals are numbers that can be expressed as a ratio of two integers.The irrationals are numbers on the real number that cannot be expressed as a ratio of two...

A number that cannot be expressed as a ratio of two integers is said to be irrational.

There are names for groups of numbers:

The natural numbers or the counting numbers are 1,2,3,...
The integers are whole numbers including zero and the negative numbers.
The rationals are numbers that can be expressed as a ratio of two integers.
The irrationals are numbers on the real number that cannot be expressed as a ratio of two integers.

There are subdivisions of the irrationals:

Algebraic numbers are solutions of equations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and the taking of roots (or rational powers.) Thus sqrt(2) is an algebraic irrational since it is the solution to x^2=2, but cannot be expressed as a ratio of integers.

Transcendental numbers are irrationals that are not algebraic. Pi, e (approximately 2.71828), sin(20) are transcendental. The vast majority of real numbers are transcendental.

Compare and contrast Gulliver's life in Lilliput and Brobdingnag.

Ironically, although Gulliver is initially charmed by the attractive looks of the tiny Lilliputians, they end up treating him badly. They show themselves, much like Swift's idea of the British, to be vain, nasty, and petty. Rather than appreciate how Gulliver, with the advantage of his large size, helps them, they grow angry at him for not destroying their enemies and for peeing on a fire to put it out. They are morally "little people," and Gulliver is glad to escape them.

In contrast, Gulliver is at first horrified by the ugly appearance of the Brobdingnagians, who are gigantic compared to him. He is repulsed, for example, by their large skin pores. However, they turn out to be much kinder to him than the Lilliputians, and their king is one of the most sympathetic characters in the entire work. His country is not perfect, but it is less corrupt than either Lilliput or England. Gulliver fares well there, despite feeling vulnerable because of his small size.  

“That won’t work because there are more liars than there are honest men.” Who said this to whom? What does it suggest about this...

Your question refers to the conversation that takes place between Lady Macduff and her young son in Act 4, Scene 2, just before the Murderers arrive with orders from Macbeth to kill Macduff's family and everyone else in his castle.

SON: Was my father a traitor, Mother?

LADY MACDUFF: Ay, that he was.

SON: What is a traitor?

LADY MACDUFF: Why, one that swears and lies.

SON: And be all traitors that do so?

LADY MACDUFF: Everyone that does so is a...

Your question refers to the conversation that takes place between Lady Macduff and her young son in Act 4, Scene 2, just before the Murderers arrive with orders from Macbeth to kill Macduff's family and everyone else in his castle.

SON: Was my father a traitor, Mother?

LADY MACDUFF: Ay, that he was.

SON: What is a traitor?

LADY MACDUFF: Why, one that swears and lies.

SON: And be all traitors that do so?

LADY MACDUFF: Everyone that does so is a traitor and must
be hanged.

SON: And must they all be hanged that swear and lie?

LADY MACDUFF: Every one.

SON: Who must hang them?

LADY MACDUFF: Why, the honest men.

SON: Then the liars and swearers are fools; for there are liars
and swearers enough to beat the honest men and hang up
them.

This dialogue between mother and son is intended to show the loving relationship that exists between them. It also characterizes the boy, who must be only about ten years old, as intelligent and likeable. We can understand why his mother loves him. The audience is amused, and there will be a lot of laughter at the boy's observation that there are more liars and swearers than honest men. Out of the mouths of babes! The author's intention is that the mother and little boy should be taken by complete surprise when the Murderers appear so abruptly. The audience is also taken by surprise, even though they were forewarned by Macbeth when he says in an Aside in Act 4, Scene 1:

The castle of Macduff I will surprise,
Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge of th' sword
His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls
That trace him in his line.

The key word here is "surprise." Since Macbeth says he intends to take the castle of Macduff by surprise, the intrusion of Macbeth's soldiers should come as a surprise to mother, son, and audience simultaneously. Shakespeare achieves this surprise effect by preceding the incursion with some deliberately misleading and comical dialogue. Macbeth probably says that he intends to take the castle by "surprise" because he only sends a small group of men to execute his orders, and they could only get inside if they took the castle by complete surprise.

The son shows remarkable bravery in spite of his small size and tender years. The kinds of questions he asks his mother show he cannot be much older than ten. He is forced to take on the role of protector which Macduff would have had to assume if he had been there. The little boy is true son of a brave and noble father. The audience feels the loss Macduff will have to bear before Macduff himself ever hears about what Macbeth has done to his family. 

Two blocks of mass m1 = 11 kg and m2 = 13 kg are connected by a string (that doesn’t stretch) that passes over a frictionless pulley as shown in...

Hello!

The central task in such problems is to draw force diagrams correctly. After that they become not so difficult.

A. If `m_2` is accelerating down, then `m_1` is accelerating up. Their accelerations `a_1` and `a_2` (vectors) have equal magnitude `a.` The same we can say about the traction forces `F_(T1)` and `F_(T2)` and their magnitude `F_T` (from the string).

Also, if `m_1` is moving, its friction is the kinetic one.

Please look at the picture. `N_1` and `N_2` are the reaction forces, `F_(f1)` is the friction force. The friction force acts to the opposite direction to the movement (down along its side for `m_1`). It is zero for `m_2` (given).

B. Newton's Second law says that

`m_1a_1=m_1g+F_T1+N_1+F_(f1)` and

`m_2a_1=m_2g+F_T2+N_2.`

All summands are vectors here.

Also we know that

`F_T=|F_(T1)|=|F_(T2)|,` `a=|a_1|=|a_2|,` `|F_(f1)|=mu_k*|N_1|.`

To solve these equations we have to project them on some axes. The most convenient are along the side and perpendicular to that side.

C. If the string is cut. The forces `F_(T1)` and `F_(T2)` vanish and Newton's Second law equations become

`m_1a_1=m_1g+N_1+F_(f1)`  and

`m_2a_2=m_2g+N_2.`

Note that `F_(f1)` is upside the hill now (`m_1` "wants" down).

For `m_2` project its equation to the axis down along its side and obtain

`m_2a_2=m_2gsin(theta),` or `a_2=g*sin(theta) approx 6.9 (m/s^2).`

For `m_1` two projections are needed. For the downward axis along its side

`m_1a_1=m_1gsin(theta)-F_(f1),` so `a_1=gsin(theta)-F_(f1)/m_1.`

`g sin(theta) approx 6.9 m/s^2.`

For the perpendicular axis `N_1=m_1gcos(theta).`

a) If `m_1` will move down, friction will be kinetic and `F_(f1)=mu_k*N_1=mu_k m_1 g cos(theta),` so

`F_(f1)/m_1=mu_k g cos(theta) approx 0.8 (m/s^2)`

and `a_1 approx 6.9-0.8=6.1 (m/s^2).`

b) if `m_1` will be stopped manually AND released, the maximum static friction will be `m_1*mu_s*g cos(theta) approx m_1g*0.56,` which is less than `m_1g*sin(theta) approx m_1g*0.71`. So `m_1` couldn't be in rest and the a) variant is the only possible.

How did the Treaty of Versailles punish Germany?

The Germans were forced to accept guilt for starting the war. This was highly debatable in light of events in the summer of 1914, but it served as justification for the harsh punishments assessed in the rest of the Treaty of Versailles. These included:

• Germany was stripped of territories, including Alsace-Lorraine, which the Germans had conquered from France during the Franco-Prussian War, their moment of national unification in the 1870s. This was deeply insulting, as...

The Germans were forced to accept guilt for starting the war. This was highly debatable in light of events in the summer of 1914, but it served as justification for the harsh punishments assessed in the rest of the Treaty of Versailles. These included:

• Germany was stripped of territories, including Alsace-Lorraine, which the Germans had conquered from France during the Franco-Prussian War, their moment of national unification in the 1870s. This was deeply insulting, as the region contained a significant number of German people. 


• British and French "administration" of the coal-rich Saar Valley for fifteen years. 


• The size of the German military, long a source of German national honor, was limited to 200,000. This was a small fraction of its wartime force and much smaller than that of its neighbor and enemy France.


• Germany was forced to renounce all "rights, titles, and privileges" in its former colonies, mostly in Africa. 


• Germany was forced to pay massive reparations to France and Great Britain. These totaled tens of billions of dollars, and, while they were eventually renegotiated, were ruinous to the German postwar economy.

All of these measures created an especially toxic political atmosphere in postwar Germany, one which contributed to the rise of radical political movements, including the National Socialist Party led by Adolf Hitler.

Hi, I have a problem in my science homework. The question is: Which particle is more soluble Particle A: 10 g/100ml of water at 25°C or B:...

Solubility is a property of a solute and represents its ability to be dissolved in a particular solvent. The higher the solubility, the more it can dissolve in the particular solvent. For example, we can dissolve a significant amount of sugar in water, at a given temperature. In comparison, we can hardly dissolve any sand or sawdust in the same amount of water. This clearly shows that sugar is more soluble (or, has higher solubility)...

Solubility is a property of a solute and represents its ability to be dissolved in a particular solvent. The higher the solubility, the more it can dissolve in the particular solvent. For example, we can dissolve a significant amount of sugar in water, at a given temperature. In comparison, we can hardly dissolve any sand or sawdust in the same amount of water. This clearly shows that sugar is more soluble (or, has higher solubility) in water than sand or sawdust. 

Here, we have two particles, one with a solubility of 10 gm in 100 ml of water, at 25° C and the other with a solubility of 24.7 gm in same sample of water. Since the second particle can dissolve a higher amount in water, it has more solubility. That is, particle B has a higher water solubility that particle A.

It should be noted that volume and temperature of the solvent was same in this case. In general, water solubility of solutes increase with an increase in water temperature. Similarly, a higher amount of a solute will be dissolved in larger volume of water. Here all the conditions were the same and hence the particle, with a greater amount of solute that dissolved in water, will indeed have higher solubility.

Hope this helps.

What position does Carlson have in the hierarchy in Of Mice and Men?

This is a very good question. There is obviously a definite hierarchy on the ranch. The Boss would be at the top because he has the power to hire and fire, and he controls the purse strings. Curley would probably be next because he is the Boss's son and acts as a sort of straw boss. Slim would rank next. Steinbeck stresses the fact that all the men respect Slim because of his personality and his status as a skilled worker. When they are all working in the fields, it is Slim who tells everybody else what to do. When Curley's hand gets crushed in the fight with Lennie, it is Slim who immediately takes charge. Carlson would probably rank just below Slim in the hierarchy, although he is only a relatively minor character. He would rank high because of his age and his "gravitas." He owns a Luger, which suggests that he served in World War I and brought the German handgun back as a souvenir. He is the one who suggests killing Candy's dog and then gets everybody to support his suggestion. He doesn't talk much, but he walks when he wants to talk, and everybody listens. He is the one who takes the old dog out and shoots it. Nobody objects, and Slim's approval makes the dog's demise inevitable.

Several of the major characters obviously have low status in the hierarchy. Crooks is the lowest because of his race as well as because of his crippled body. He can't do the same work as the others, and he probably gets paid considerably less than the others. He can't even play cards with the white men in the bunkhouse. The next in rank above Crooks would be Lennie because of his weak mind. Lennie, however, has some status because he can do more work in the fields than any of the others. Candy plays an important role in the story, but he has low status because of his missing hand, his age, and his inferior job. They gave him $300 compensation for losing his hand, but at the same time they are probably paying him a lower wage. He would rank just above Crooks, and he seems to know it. Above Crooks, Lennie and Candy would be George, who would rank low temporarily because he is a new guy. He would rise in the hierarchy if he stayed. He is obviously smart, articulate, assertive, opinionated, experienced, and a lot of other things. He seems to be well-liked already. Slim likes him, and that automatically gives George hierarchical status. Curley's wife would not be ranked at all in the hierarchy because she is a female and an complete outsider. There are some other men in the work force, but the author uses them only to fill up space, so to speak. He has to show there are more men employed on this big ranch, but he focuses on those already mentioned here.

On which topic does Willam Wordsworth most like to write poems?

This is a very interesting question, because Wordsworth was interested in many different themes and topics. He is considered one of the most significant of all the English poets and his works are widely read and anthologized. His prose essay "Preface to Lyrical Ballads" is considered a classic work on poetry and his own philosophy on poetics. Although known variously as a Romantic poet, a nature poet, and a political poet, Wordsworth could be counted...

This is a very interesting question, because Wordsworth was interested in many different themes and topics. He is considered one of the most significant of all the English poets and his works are widely read and anthologized. His prose essay "Preface to Lyrical Ballads" is considered a classic work on poetry and his own philosophy on poetics. Although known variously as a Romantic poet, a nature poet, and a political poet, Wordsworth could be counted on to return again and again to one dear subject in his poems: poetry itself.

Wordsworth did not necessarily write about poetry or writing poetry in so many words; rather, his poems explore the ideas, emotions and points of view that enriched his work as a poet. In "Tintern Abbey" his reflections upon a favorite landscape inspire him to explore his feelings about nature and the important place it holds in his mind, heart, and spirit. But these thoughts and feelings are conveyed in a way that also honors his own writing ability and practice.

Wordsworth also wrote searchingly about human nature in his poems, in ways that allowed him to examine his own deeply-felt attitudes about writing, art, and the experience of being human. The "elevation of the mind" that he believed occurred through engaging with nature was central to his idea of what poetry should be.

What are some quotes ( and page numbers ) from Lord of the Flies that shows Simon's personality?

Page numbers are going to be difficult.  I don't know which version of the book that you have, so chances are that my page numbers and yours won't match up perfectly.  I can get you relatively close though.  

Page 72 in my text.  For sure in chapter 3. Here is the quote:

"They talk and scream. The littluns. Even some of the others. As if—"

"As if it wasn't a good island."

Astonished at...

Page numbers are going to be difficult.  I don't know which version of the book that you have, so chances are that my page numbers and yours won't match up perfectly.  I can get you relatively close though.  

Page 72 in my text.  For sure in chapter 3. Here is the quote:

"They talk and scream. The littluns. Even some of the others. As if—"

"As if it wasn't a good island."

Astonished at the interruption, they looked up at Simon's serious face.

"As if," said Simon, "the beastie, the beastie or the snake-thing, was real. Remember?"

Simon is a tough character to analyze.  I've always thought he was more weird than anything else.  I mean he's always saying some weird things.  Of course that makes sense since Golding is presenting Simon as a sort of prophet figure.  There is no doubt that Simon knows things.  He knows them by feelings first, but his feelings are always confirmed.  He is the first boy to realize that the beast is both real and fake at the same time.  It's not a real physical beast; the beast is the power for destruction in all of them. The above quote is Simon already hinting that the island itself might be making very real monsters of a sort.  

Page 159.  Chapter 7

“You’ll get back to where you came from.”

Returning to what I said earlier about Simon being a prophet of sorts is this quote.  Simon is talking to Ralph about getting off of the island.  Simon actually says the above multiple times in a few variations, but it is always the same in concept.  Ralph will get home.  Simon never says "we."  In a way, Simon is predicting a future outcome that is, in his mind, absolute.  Ralph will live, Simon will die.  

Which word best describes the tone of Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken”?

Tone refers the writer's attitude toward his subject. In Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken," the word I would use to describe the tone would be "uncertain" or "doubtful." We see this in how the speaker reacts to the decision, represented by the two roads,  that he has to make. 

In the first stanza, the poem's speaker, referring to the two roads, says

. . . long I stood

And looked down one as far...

Tone refers the writer's attitude toward his subject. In Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken," the word I would use to describe the tone would be "uncertain" or "doubtful." We see this in how the speaker reacts to the decision, represented by the two roads,  that he has to make. 

In the first stanza, the poem's speaker, referring to the two roads, says

. . . long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth.

The speaker is having trouble making up his mind. He's basically standing around in the woods trying to decide what to do next. We see how uncertain he is by the time involved. He had to stand there for a "long" time before he could even think about making up his mind. 

In the second stanza, the word "perhaps" tells the reader that, despite the time it took him to make his decision, he still isn't at all sure he made the right one. 

In the third stanza, when considering whether or not he would ever return to the wood to try the other road, he uses the word "doubted." He isn't sure what he will do in the future regarding this decision.

In the final stanza, the speaker imagines that he will "sigh" in the future when he  thinks about the decision he has made. He already knows that he will be uncomfortable about his choice for the rest of his life. 

What similarities do you see between the world in which we live today and the world depicted by Stevenson in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr....

The setting of this story is Victorian England, where reputation was really everything. Dr. Henry Jekyll feels trapped by his own society because he wishes to lead a wild lifestyle that would not be permitted by his social and professional circles. The only way he is able to live the life he likes is to create a new identity and live outside of Jekyll's circles.

In society today there is still pressure to live up...

The setting of this story is Victorian England, where reputation was really everything. Dr. Henry Jekyll feels trapped by his own society because he wishes to lead a wild lifestyle that would not be permitted by his social and professional circles. The only way he is able to live the life he likes is to create a new identity and live outside of Jekyll's circles.

In society today there is still pressure to live up to certain standards and a failure to do so can mean society judges one fairly harshly. While our society is not as strict as Victorian England was, there are certainly some real consequences to living the way that Edward Hyde likes. For example, he clearly likes to spend his time with ladies of the night, something that is still illegal and frowned upon today. Edward Hyde is also violent, which is a trait our society looks down upon, especially when that violence is directed at women, as Hyde's is. 

If someone were to give into all of their vices in today's society, like Edward Hyde does, there would still be consequences to pay. They could lose their job, be arrested, lose their circle of friends, and damage their reputation.

What is an example of an anachronism in "Harrison Bergeron"?

An anachronism occurs when a thing appears in a time period other than the one in which it was appropriately used. For example, the use of a telegraph machine in a story set in the future would demonstrate anachronism because telegraphs were developed in the 1800s and are essentially extinct. Harrison Bergeronis set in the year 2081 where everyone is equal due to the use of handicaps and masks that render everyone average. While...

An anachronism occurs when a thing appears in a time period other than the one in which it was appropriately used. For example, the use of a telegraph machine in a story set in the future would demonstrate anachronism because telegraphs were developed in the 1800s and are essentially extinct. Harrison Bergeron is set in the year 2081 where everyone is equal due to the use of handicaps and masks that render everyone average. While Hazel and George are watching TV, their son appears on the screen and announces that he is the new emperor. He peels off his handicaps and begins to dance. Not far into the dance, the Handicapper General appears. It is in this moment that there is an example of an anachronism. She takes out a ten-gauge shotgun and kills Harrison and the woman he is dancing with. This is an anachronism because shotguns would be extremely outdated in 2081, and therefore not fit in with the setting of the story at all. It is possible that they were killed with such an archaic instrument because they were reverting back to the ways of the past, such as not having handicaps and allowing the world to see their true faces. The use of the shotgun shows how primitive Harrison's behavior is and how ridiculous it would be to live in a world without complete equality.

How relevant is Nene's letter to the success of the story "Marriage Is a Private Affair"?

One of the themes of Chinua Achebe's "Marriage Is a Private Affair" is that people living in the modern world should be able to overcome old cultural differences. In this case, it is the cultural taboo of intermarriage between people from different ethnic groups in the African nation of Nigeria. Because Nnaemeka decides to reject his father's wishes that he marry within the tribe, his marriage to Nene, an Ibibio girl from outside the group,...

One of the themes of Chinua Achebe's "Marriage Is a Private Affair" is that people living in the modern world should be able to overcome old cultural differences. In this case, it is the cultural taboo of intermarriage between people from different ethnic groups in the African nation of Nigeria. Because Nnaemeka decides to reject his father's wishes that he marry within the tribe, his marriage to Nene, an Ibibio girl from outside the group, is shunned by not only his father but others from the Ibo ethnic group. After being married eight years and having two sons, Nene writes a letter to Okeke, Nnaemeka's father, telling him that his grandsons have insisted "on being taken to him." She argues that she finds it difficult to reveal to them that he will not see them and that he has disowned his son and renounced the marriage.

At the end of the story, Achebe suggests that the letter will eventually bring the family back together. After reading the letter, rain and lightning hit the village where Okeke lives, symbolic of the storm in his heart. While he attempts to put his grandsons out of his mind, he knows he is "fighting a losing battle." In the final lines, Okeke is afraid that he will never make it up to his son. Even though the conflict is not overtly resolved, the ending is a hopeful indication that the old prejudices can be forgotten and that family is stronger than cultural prohibitions.

What is ironic about Montresor's concern for Fortunate's health in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

What is ironic, or deliberately contrary to what the Fortunato expects, about Montresor's concern for his health is that Montresor's real intent is to cause harm to the man.

Another interesting aspect is that Montresor's verbal irony has not only the intent of deceiving Fortunato that he is worried about his cough, but it also has a subversive motive behind it, as well. For, in addition to feigning concern for Fortunato, Montresor repeats the opposite...

What is ironic, or deliberately contrary to what the Fortunato expects, about Montresor's concern for his health is that Montresor's real intent is to cause harm to the man.

Another interesting aspect is that Montresor's verbal irony has not only the intent of deceiving Fortunato that he is worried about his cough, but it also has a subversive motive behind it, as well. For, in addition to feigning concern for Fortunato, Montresor repeats the opposite of what he means in order to spur Fortunato to move farther and farther into the catacombs more recklessly and irrationally. Evidently, Montresor has discovered what Mark Twain calls "a great law of human action; namely,

...that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. [The Adventures of Tom Sawyer]

Thus, with the ironic concern and urging for them to turn back, Montresor makes "the thing (the Amontillado) difficult to attain," so that Fortunato covets it all the more, and in his cupidity loses his reason to the point that when Montresor fetters him to a wall, Fortunato is "too much astounded to resist." 

How does Steinbeck show the good and bad in Curley's wife in Of Mice and Men?

This is a good question.  It is always important to look at two sides of a person. For Curley's wife's good qualities, we can say that she had dreams.  This is an important point to bear in mind, because in Steinbeck's world, very few people have dreams.  They do not have the courage to have dreams, because dreams are shattered.  In a conversation with Lennie, she says:

“Well, I ain’t told this to nobody before....

This is a good question.  It is always important to look at two sides of a person. For Curley's wife's good qualities, we can say that she had dreams.  This is an important point to bear in mind, because in Steinbeck's world, very few people have dreams.  They do not have the courage to have dreams, because dreams are shattered.  In a conversation with Lennie, she says:

“Well, I ain’t told this to nobody before. Maybe I oughten to. I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.” And because she had confided in him, she moved closer to Lennie and sat beside him. “Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes—all them nice clothes like they wear.

This dream makes her more human.  The reader is drawn in and feels compassion for her. 

When it comes to her bad qualities, there are a few.  First, she knows that she is attractive.  She uses it to flirt with the other men.  This is a bad thing to do, because she is married to the boss's son.  This means that she can get the men in trouble, but she does not care.  Second, in a telling episode, she puts Crooks down.  She even threatens him with death. She says:

“Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung upon a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.”

In short, she knows how to use her power to manipulate men.  

Curley's wife is a complex combination of good and bad.

Why did Sherman Alexie choose the title The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?

Sherman Alexie's work of young-adult fiction, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is about fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit, Jr.'s struggle with his identity as he moves to a new school. The book is based on some of Alexie's own experiences as a young man. Arnold, called Junior by friends and family, grew up on the Spokane Reservation and attends the school there. He is unhappy with the education he receives there, though, because, like...

Sherman Alexie's work of young-adult fiction, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is about fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit, Jr.'s struggle with his identity as he moves to a new school. The book is based on some of Alexie's own experiences as a young man. Arnold, called Junior by friends and family, grew up on the Spokane Reservation and attends the school there. He is unhappy with the education he receives there, though, because, like everything else on The Rez, it is behind the times and falling apart. Junior fears the lack of opportunities available to him on The Rez will trap him there in an underdeveloped limbo for the rest of his life.

To get a better education, Junior decides to attend a school full of white kids several towns away. It's not only difficult for Junior to make the long journey to and from school every day, he also feels like a stranger both at school and at home. At Reardan High, Junior is the only First Nations person, making him feel like an outsider. Other students also make fun of him for his big head and thick glasses. At home, Junior has lost his only friend because he thinks Junior is a traitor for going to a "white school." In a way, Junior feels he is giving up part of his identity as a First Nations person. By splitting his time between the white school and The Rez, and trying to fit in at both, he feels he is effectively a "part-time" Indian.

The "absolutely true diary" portion of the title is appropriate because the novel is presented like a diary, including some of Junior's drawings. The title is also a little funny because this is a work of fiction — therefore, not entirely true — based on Alexie's own life. Although the circumstances and characters of this book are fictional, the struggles Alexie describe are absolutely real for many people today.

Why is this the last christmas that Buddy and his cousin spend together?

In Truman Capote’s short story “A Christmas Memory” Buddy and his friend spend one last Christmas together making and delivering their fruitcakes, cutting down a Christmas tree, and secretly making each other presents of kites. When they were making the fruitcakes, they purchased some moonshine whiskey for soaking the cakes. There was a bit leftover which Buddy and his friend drank. The family became upset with the pair, especially with his friend because it was...

In Truman Capote’s short story “A Christmas Memory” Buddy and his friend spend one last Christmas together making and delivering their fruitcakes, cutting down a Christmas tree, and secretly making each other presents of kites. When they were making the fruitcakes, they purchased some moonshine whiskey for soaking the cakes. There was a bit leftover which Buddy and his friend drank. The family became upset with the pair, especially with his friend because it was inappropriate for a seven-year-old boy to be drinking whiskey. The family celebrated Christmas but soon after, they decide that is time for Buddy to go to military boarding school. He exchanges letters with his friend until she is no longer able. Buddy knows, without being told, that his friend passed on. They were never able to spend another Christmas season together.

In Hamlet, to what standards does Claudius hold Hamlet? Cite at least two pieces of textual evidence to support the answer.

To answer this question the reader need look no further than the first interaction Shakespeare presents between the famous uncle and his even more famous nephew.  In Act one, scene two, Claudius declaims the following:

'Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, 290
To give these mourning duties to your father; 
But you must know, your father lost a father; 
That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound 
In filial obligation for some term 
To do obsequious sorrow. But to persever 295
In obstinate condolement is a course 
Of impious stubbornness. 'Tis unmanly grief;

In a strange way what Claudius is recommending to his nephew is a kind of generic grief, without being so gauche as to descend into particulars.  He’s saying here that all sons have a duty to mourn their dead fathers, no matter how they felt about one another in life.  The son grieves publicly almost as a kind of duty tax for the passing of the man who gave him life.  Claudius approves heartily of this kind of mourning, but he doesn’t want to go anywhere near the specific, particular, and complex relationship his oh-so sensitive nephew had with his brother, the war-hero, who he has so recently murdered.  He knows that if Hamlet can make his grief an abstract thing, the sooner the young man might recover.  And the sooner Hamlet recovers from all this moody, sullen, black-wearing grief, the better for Claudius.  Even if he had not committed fratricide, Claudius would still be desperately trying to get on with the celebrations of his recent marriage, and his ascent to the throne, and find his footing, now that he’s finally been relieved of his big brother’s, Hamlet senior’s, shadow.  The very last thing Claudius feels he needs is some moody boy glooming around the court as a kind of perpetual reminder of how he got the girl (Gertrude) and the throne and all the perks that come with them.  He accuses his nephew of being unmanly in his grief, kind of girlish, and by sexist implication, kind of weak.

Later in this same speech Claudius says:

It shows a will most incorrect to heaven, 
A heart unfortified, a mind impatient, 
An understanding simple and unschool'd; 300
For what we know must be, and is as common 
As any the most vulgar thing to sense, 
Why should we in our peevish opposition 
Take it to heart? Fie! 'tis a fault to heaven, 
A fault against the dead, a fault to nature, 305
To reason most absurd, whose common theme 
Is death of fathers.

He is saying here that Hamlet is essentially being a silly child, a simpleton and sort of  suspiciously atheistic.  Claudius implies that if God has a plan for everyone and everything, then to object so strongly to his father’s passing is a backhanded way of spitting in the eye of God, and on His plan.  This is incredible hypocrisy coming from Claudius since, for him to actually believe that, would imply that it was God’s plan for him to sneak up on his sleeping brother, out in the garden, and pour a corrosive poison into his ear.  The subtext of both these passages is that Hamlet is making a big deal out of nothing since the death of fathers is nothing but a “common theme” to us all.  Essentially insisting, both in word and in tone, that since millions of sons have buried their father before Hamlet, and millions will bury theirs afterwards, that Hamlet’s just being a big old baby by acting as if he’s allowed to grieve his own father’s death in his own particular way.  Because Claudius is a liar, who lives behind a mask, he cannot imagine that his nephew’s deep pain could be sincere.  He has no empathy.