What do hair ribbons symbolize in The Giver?

In Ch. 6 we learn that Lily hates her hair ribbons and we also learn that she will only have to wear them for another year. Lily is a 7 in Ch. 6, but will soon be an 8. At 9 she will no longer have to wear the hair ribbons, which little girls wear. By not having to wear them anymore, we can assume that the community views the age of 9 as one where...

In Ch. 6 we learn that Lily hates her hair ribbons and we also learn that she will only have to wear them for another year. Lily is a 7 in Ch. 6, but will soon be an 8. At 9 she will no longer have to wear the hair ribbons, which little girls wear. By not having to wear them anymore, we can assume that the community views the age of 9 as one where young girls begin to move from childhood to adulthood.

We also know that all 10's , boys and girls, have their hair cut short. "Girls lose their braids." We often think of pig tails as a little girl hair-do, and in the community of The Giver they are no different. Hair ribbons are simply there to decorate the pig tales. Think of them like a bow or a headband. Older girls and women do not wear those same hair accessories.

Hydrogen shows properties similar to both alkali metals and halogens, then why is it placed in first group?

While hydrogen has properties similar to alkali metals and properties similar to halogens, owing to its unique characteristics, hydrogen is considered neither an alkali metal nor a halogen. It is placed in group I solely because of its electronic configuration with one electron (electron configuration is the arrangement of electrons in orbital shells). It has 1 proton (the most common isotopic form) thus an atomic number of 1 (the number of protons equals the atomic...

While hydrogen has properties similar to alkali metals and properties similar to halogens, owing to its unique characteristics, hydrogen is considered neither an alkali metal nor a halogen. It is placed in group I solely because of its electronic configuration with one electron (electron configuration is the arrangement of electrons in orbital shells). It has 1 proton (the most common isotopic form) thus an atomic number of 1 (the number of protons equals the atomic number). The periodic table arranges elements according to their atomic number and electronic configuration, which are the two factors explaining the reason for the position of hydrogen at the top of group I: atomic number and electronic configuration.

Hydrogen shares some properties of alkali metals and halogen, yet it is neither. Similar to alkali metals, hydrogen has 1 electron in its outermost shell and can form compounds with non-metals (such as HCl, etc.). However, it has non-metallic character, is a gas (while alkali metals are solid) and cannot lose its valence electron. Hydrogen is also similar to halogens, since it forms diatomic molecules (H2, same as halogens- Cl2, etc.), needs one more electron to completely fill its outermost shell, etc. However, it is not entirely a halogen either. 

According to press commentary, the presidential election of 2000 was decided in the so-called Battle of Florida. How accurate is this...

I think that referring to the 2000 Presidential Election in the United States as "the battle for Florida" is accurate.  However, further analysis reveals that campaign strategy was very important in determining the results of the election.

Indeed, the 2000 Presidential Election in the United States hinged on the electoral votes in the state of Florida.  Without the state of Florida, the electoral count for Governor Bush was 246 and for Vice President Gore was 255.  Both candidates were short of the needed 270 electoral votes to win the Presidency.   With its 25 electoral votes, the state of Florida did in fact decide the Presidential election. 

However, when we expand the analysis, we see that campaign strategy played a very important role in determining the Presidential Election.  Governor Bush and his advisors envisioned an electoral map that was fundamentally different than previously seen.  Their electoral strategy focused on ensuring that the political message would be that Governor Bush was more "in touch" with the experiences of the "average American." This was seen in how the campaign ensured that Governor Bush often met with voters in "unscripted settings," and emphasized bringing back "dignity and honor."  The Bush Campaign sought to link Vice President Gore with an "out of touch administration."  As a result, the campaign focused on capturing states with small electoral vote counts, getting their message out to these previously neglected areas.  Such a strategy was contrary to conventional wisdom.  

States such as Missouri, Virginia, and Colorado became the central focus of the Bush campaign. States like Kentucky and the Vice- President's home state of Tennessee occupied central importance to their strategy to the 270 votes.  This flew in the face of conventional strategy which emphasized that "big states," or states with large electoral votes, such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Illinois, were essential to winning the Presidency.

The strategy to redraw the political map was critical in ensuring the Governor's victory.  In reconfiguring the electoral map, the Bush team recognized that they needed to win just a few "big states."  The Bush campaign focused on Ohio, Texas, which was the governor's home state, and Florida, whose governor was Jeb Bush, the brother of the Republican nominee.  It was a shrewd strategy, and one that caught the Gore campaign by surprise.  The Vice President's team did not place strong emphasis in winning a state like Tennessee, while Governor Bush's did. The result was that the Vice President lost his home state by less than four percent. Had Vice President Gore won his home state of Tennessee, that swing of 11 electoral votes would have secured the election for the Vice- President.  Thus, while Florida was decisive, electoral strategy played a very important role in the Presidential Election of 2000.

In the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, how effective is his organization?

I am going to assume that you mean Jon Krakauer's narration of the novel.  

I think his narrative organization is functionally effective.  While the story does seem to narrate in a haphazard manner, the narration of Chris McCandless's time spent wandering is, for the most part, in chronological order.  

The main exception to the chronological story telling is found in Chapter 1.  McCandless is already in the Alaskan interior, and he is riding...

I am going to assume that you mean Jon Krakauer's narration of the novel.  

I think his narrative organization is functionally effective.  While the story does seem to narrate in a haphazard manner, the narration of Chris McCandless's time spent wandering is, for the most part, in chronological order.  

The main exception to the chronological story telling is found in Chapter 1.  McCandless is already in the Alaskan interior, and he is riding with Jim Gallien.  Jim is the last person to see Chris alive.  I appreciated Krakauer's attempts at walking his readers through an organized interpretation of what he believes Chris did during the time before his death.

What I found particularly jarring in the text was the constant interruptions to talk about other people that Krakauer believes are similar in spirit to Chris.  I grew to appreciate the similarities that were being drawn, but I never enjoyed being pulled away from what Chris was doing.  Perhaps Krakauer did that on purpose to help build tension?  

While annoying to me, Krakauer's interruptions never felt out of place.  The comparisons always fit well with what Chris was doing.  So in terms of pure organization, I think Krakauer did a fine job.  But that doesn't mean I have to like the way that Krakauer organized it either.  

How does DDT affect animals?

DDT stands for dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane. DDT is an insecticide/pesticide previously used on crops. DDT was also used during World War II in order to control malaria by controlling the mosquito population.

DDT has an adverse impact on many organisms such as crayfish, fish, shrimp, and other marine animals. The effect of eggshell thinning has the largest impact on birds. The thinning of the bird’s eggs causes the eggs to crack before the young birds have a change to mature inside the egg and hatch fully developed. Thus, the thinning of the bird’s shells decreases the bird’s reproduction rate and population. Examples of birds that have been affected by this include the brown eagle, bald eagle, and osprey.

DDT affects humans as well. In humans, DDT is considered an endocrine disruptor and carcinogen.

Identify and discuss three ways the Cold War impacted American society.

The Cold War was a battle of supremacy between the capitalist and democratic U.S. against a communist and authoritarian Soviet Union/Russia. The two countries engaged in propaganda in an attempt to bolster their world dominance and spread their policies to other countries.

The Cold War had both negative and positive effects on the American society. One of the major negative impacts of the war was the increasing level of suspicionamong members of the American...

The Cold War was a battle of supremacy between the capitalist and democratic U.S. against a communist and authoritarian Soviet Union/Russia. The two countries engaged in propaganda in an attempt to bolster their world dominance and spread their policies to other countries.

The Cold War had both negative and positive effects on the American society. One of the major negative impacts of the war was the increasing level of suspicion among members of the American society. Leaders sought to settle personal differences by accusing each other of supporting communism. The same trend took effect among the citizens, which eventually led to unnecessary suffering of a significant number of the population. For instance, the Better America League of southern California documented approximately 2 million individuals suspected of supporting communism. These people were fired from their jobs and had their civil rights arbitrarily curtailed.

The Cold War also pointed to the conflicting American values, where on one hand they were fighting communism because of its oppressive nature while at the same time perpetuating the worst forms of discrimination against blacks and other minority groups. As a positive impact of the Cold War on the American society, the nation’s leadership and the people were forced to evaluate their social values and ensure they were applied consistently within the society.

The Cold War resulted in the strengthening of America’s free market capitalism. This led to the growth of consumerism among the American society with an aim of sustaining and improving the country’s economy. This would in turn enable the nation to proceed with the spread and support of its foreign policy internationally.

To what extent do you consider Okonkwo's downfall to have been brought about by his own pride and fears?

While Okonkwo does end up taking his own life, the question of his personal responsibility for this particular fate is a complex and interesting one.

Achebe’s protagonist certainly possesses some character flaws that lead to a variety of setbacks and punishments and drive his son away, but to answer the question of Okonkwo’s responsibility for his downfall, we have to look at the specific nature of that downfall.

To inform an answer to this question, we might pause to consider what may have happened to Okonkwo if the British had never come to Umuofia and the Igbo region. His chances of losing Nwoye seem vastly increased when the Christians come offering an alternative life for the boy. And Okonkwo's ultimate act of murder seems to be almost entirely generated by the circumstances created by the British arrival (as missionaries and as government/municipal agents, too).

If we can find some reason to think that Okonkwo’s fate would have been different if the British never came, then we need to qualify any responsibility we place on Okonkwo individually for his downfall. In other words, if Okonkwo’s downfall is partially the result of a British occupation, Okonkwo’s downfall is not solely of his own making.

Again, Okonkwo has flaws. He is incapable of showing any emotion but fear. Internally he is deeply afraid of showing weakness lest he appear to be weak like his father, Unoka. Okonkwo is also quick to anger. All of these traits eventuate into transgressions as Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna (when he does not need to), breaks the peace of the Week of Peace, and drives his son Nwoye away from the family.

In this last example we have perhaps the best rationale for arguing that Okonkwo is responsible for his downfall, because the loss of Nwoye is part of the general loss of cultural integrity that Okonkwo (violently) resists and that essentially defines his doom.

Were Okonkwo a different man, he could have nurtured Nwoye at least enough to keep him in the family. But, having driven his son away, protagonist Okonkwo speeds on the dissolution of his community. It is this very dissolution that he wants to fight against.

Okonkwo nearly recognizes this notion after his last encounter with Nwoye, gazing into the fire and brooding on what has come to pass.

“Suppose when he died all his male children decided to follow Nwoye’s steps and abandon their ancestors? Okonkwo felt a cold shudder run through him at the terrible prospect, like the prospect of annihilation.”

The beginnings of this annihilation can be attributed in no small part to Okonkwo's emotional limitations and his insistence on shaping Nwoye into a certain kind of man.

Nwoye is driven away, in large part, because Okonkwo’s “whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness,” and so he could not be kind or gentle or forgiving with a son who needed exactly these things.

Yet, without the significant presence of the British and the alternative life they offered to Okonkwo’s son, there seems good reason to presume that Okonkwo’s fate could have been different.

His fear and his pride do certainly contribute to the breaking apart of his family unit. His unyielding nature causes him to contribute to the dissolution of his community identity and community integrity in this way.

In the end, though, we also have to wonder if his pride and fear were entirely unfounded and absolutely negative and therefore should be seen only as weaknesses in his character. They are weaknesses, in some contexts and instances, but they are strengths in others. If the British effectively created a context where these traits became weaknesses, should we blame Okonkwo solely for his downfall?

`A = 120^@, a = b = 25` Use the law of sines to solve (if possible) the triangle. If two solutions exist, find both. Round your answer to...

The given in the triangle are A=120^o, a=25 and b=25.

To solve using Sine Law, let's use the formula:

`(sinA)/a=sinB/b`

Plug-in the values  of the sides a and b. Also, plug-in the value of angle A.

`sin(120^o)/25=(sinB)/25`

Then, simplify the equation. To simplify, cancel the denominators.

`sin(120^o)/25*25=(sinB)/25*25`

`sin (120^o)=sinB`

`120^o=B`

Now two angles of the triangle are known, which are `A=120^o` and `B=120^o` .

Take note that the sum of three angles of the triangle...

The given in the triangle are A=120^o, a=25 and b=25.

To solve using Sine Law, let's use the formula:

`(sinA)/a=sinB/b`

Plug-in the values  of the sides a and b. Also, plug-in the value of angle A.

`sin(120^o)/25=(sinB)/25`

Then, simplify the equation. To simplify, cancel the denominators.

`sin(120^o)/25*25=(sinB)/25*25`

`sin (120^o)=sinB`

`120^o=B`

Now two angles of the triangle are known, which are `A=120^o` and `B=120^o` .

Take note that the sum of three angles of the triangle is `180^o` .

`A+B+C= 180^o`

However, the sum of these two angles A and B is:

`A+B=120^o +120^o=240^o`

which is larger than `180^o` .

Therefore, it is not possible to form a triangle with the given measures `A=120^o` , `a=25` and `b=25` .

In The Great Gatsby, what excuse does Myrtle use to see Tom?

In Chapter 2, when Myrtle agrees to see Tom, Nick asks him if George (Myrtle's husband) ever objects to Myrtle going out. Tom explains that Myrtle tells George she is going to visit her sister in New York. Evidently, this is her excuse each time she goes to be with Tom. Tom arrogantly claims that George has no idea about the affair. "He's so dumb he doesn't know he's alive." 

George will eventually discover that...

In Chapter 2, when Myrtle agrees to see Tom, Nick asks him if George (Myrtle's husband) ever objects to Myrtle going out. Tom explains that Myrtle tells George she is going to visit her sister in New York. Evidently, this is her excuse each time she goes to be with Tom. Tom arrogantly claims that George has no idea about the affair. "He's so dumb he doesn't know he's alive." 

George will eventually discover that Myrtle has something going on, and perhaps he had suspicions of this early on. He always appears despondent and tired. In Chapter 7, when Daisy, Gatsby, Nick, Tom, and Jordan go into the city, the latter three stop at George's garage. Nick observes and reveals that George has come to this discovery that his wife is perhaps having an affair. George even claims that he will be taking Myrtle out west. He evidently wants to get away from his depressing garage in the Valley of Ashes, and more importantly wants to get Myrtle away from the man she's been seeing. By this point, George still doesn't know who it is. In fact, he will never know that it is Tom. By the end, he concludes that it is someone else. 

What words or images contibute to the feelings of sadness and longing in the story, "The Scarlet Ibis?"

James Hurst uses words and images throughout his short story “The Scarlet Ibis” to contribute the feelings of sadness and longing. In his opening line, “It was in the clove of seasons, summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree,” he sets the tone for impending doom by describing the death of summer and the bleeding tree. The color red is used throughout the story...

James Hurst uses words and images throughout his short story “The Scarlet Ibis” to contribute the feelings of sadness and longing. In his opening line, “It was in the clove of seasons, summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree,” he sets the tone for impending doom by describing the death of summer and the bleeding tree. The color red is used throughout the story to signify passion, and death.The tree where the rare Scarlet Ibis alights is called the bleeding tree.

The birth of a child is usually a joyous time but sadness surrounds Doodle’s birth. Due to his condition, he is described as being red and born in a caul. No one in the family, except his aunt, gives him much chance to survive and they do not even name the baby. Many feel that it is bad luck when a child is born surrounded by a caul.

In an early scene, Hurst describes how the father has a coffin made for the baby, and later Brother makes Doodle touch the coffin that was meant for him. The boys spend time in Old Mother Swamp which is a place that Doodle finds so beautiful that it brings him to tears. The death of the rare Scarlet Ibis in the bleeding tree after a hurricane causes more sadness and is a foreshadowing of what is to come. Brother pushing Doodle to his physical limits shows how he longs to have a “normal” brother. This longing leads to the ultimate sadness of Doodle’s death under the bleeding tree.

Were there any meals or communions in this book?

This is a very interesting question about Nella Larsen's book Passing mostly because of the wording "meals or communions."  Were there any "meals or communions"?  Yes.  Are they significant?  At least one of them is, and I will talk about this one particular meal/communion in detail. 

Probably the most important meal/communion in Nella Larsen's book Passing is Irene's memory of having "tea" with Clare.  This meal/communion or "tea time" was actually in Chicago (not Harlem)...

This is a very interesting question about Nella Larsen's book Passing mostly because of the wording "meals or communions."  Were there any "meals or communions"?  Yes.  Are they significant?  At least one of them is, and I will talk about this one particular meal/communion in detail. 

Probably the most important meal/communion in Nella Larsen's book Passing is Irene's memory of having "tea" with Clare.  This meal/communion or "tea time" was actually in Chicago (not Harlem) when Irene and a friend of hers were invited to eat at Clare's home with her racist husband.  What is interesting is that Clare's husband has no idea that his wife is actually black (due to her white skin).  In Irene's memory, we hear Irene's disgust at this meal/communion, in that Irene and her friend are trapped in Clare's home listening to huge racist speeches by Clare's husband.  The irony is that all three women (despite their olive skin) are black.  The reason why this scene is important is that Irene now recognizes that, after the Chicago episode, Clare wants to "use" Irene to enter society in Harlem. 

In conclusion, I must admit that you could mean "communion" in a more spiritual sense of a church service communion and, in that sense, this "meal" is not found in the book.  There is also another specific lack of communion that is most important:  the lack of communion between the white and black races in 1920s America and, specifically, in Harlem.

In 1984, how does O'Brien exhibit doublethink throughout Winston's ordeal?

Winston's torture and "reintegration" at the hands of O'Brien in the depths of Miniluv is the most harrowing passage in 1984. This is not just because of the physical torment that Winston experiences, but also because of the chilling way in which O'Brien demonstrates the power of the Party, power which transcends ideology. He demonstrates the principle of doublethink by first getting Winston to say that Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia,...

Winston's torture and "reintegration" at the hands of O'Brien in the depths of Miniluv is the most harrowing passage in 1984. This is not just because of the physical torment that Winston experiences, but also because of the chilling way in which O'Brien demonstrates the power of the Party, power which transcends ideology. He demonstrates the principle of doublethink by first getting Winston to say that Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia, though Winston previously believed that it had been at war with Eurasia. He tells Winston that he has "created a legend about three men [Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford] who had been condemned to death for treachery" (257). He tells him that these men never existed, and the piece of paper that Winston saw indicating their innocence was also a fabrication. He even gets Winston to say that he is holding up five fingers, although his thumb is clearly concealed. When Winston asks him if Big Brother exists in the same way he (Winston) exists, O'Brien curtly tells Winston that he does not exist. Later, he even asserts that the earth did not exist before the Party, because the Party invents reality:

When we navigate the ocean, or when we predict an eclipse, we often find it convenient to assume that the earth goes round the sun and that the stars are millions upon millions of kilometers away. But what of it? Do you suppose it is beyond us to produce a dual system of astronomy? The stars can be near or distant, according as we need them. Do you suppose our mathematicians are unequal to that? Have you forgotten doublethink (266)?

Even before he is taken to Room 101, he has begun to embrace the self-contradictory ideas O'Brien has presented him with. He writes that two and two make five in a journal and that freedom is slavery. He comes to the conclusion that "[a]ll happenings are in the mind," the most important precondition for doublethink. Winston earlier wrote in his diary that freedom consisted of the ability to say that "two plus two equals four." The opposite of this freedom is doublethink, as O'Brien clearly demonstrates during Winston's ordeal.

What happens to Burris Ewell on the first day of school?

Burris Ewell is sent home by Miss Caroline on the first day of school because of a "cootie" in his hair.  Miss Caroline is a new teacher, and she is unaccustomed to Maycomb and the different people who live there.  She notices something crawling in the hair of one of her pupils, Burris Ewell:

"It's alive!" she screamed.

The male population of the class rushed as one to her assistance...

Miss Caroline pointed a shaking...

Burris Ewell is sent home by Miss Caroline on the first day of school because of a "cootie" in his hair.  Miss Caroline is a new teacher, and she is unaccustomed to Maycomb and the different people who live there.  She notices something crawling in the hair of one of her pupils, Burris Ewell:

"It's alive!" she screamed.

The male population of the class rushed as one to her assistance...

Miss Caroline pointed a shaking finger not at the floor nor at a desk, but to a hulking individual unknown to [Scout]...

Miss Caroline said desperately, "I was just walking by when it crawled out of his hair… just crawled out of his hair-"

Little Chuck grinned broadly. "There ain't no need to fear a cootie, ma'am.  Ain't you ever seen one?  Now don't you be afraid, you just go back to your desk and teach us some more" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 3).

Miss Caroline is greatly disturbed by what she sees in her student's hair.  She speaks to Burris about the matter.  She suggests that he leave immediately and wash his hair with lye soap and kerosene.  Burris informs his teacher that he has already "done [his] time for this year."  Another student tells Miss Caroline that Burris always comes to the first day of school and does not return until the following year.  Burris announces that he has done this for three years.  To Miss Caroline, this fact is shocking.  To the other students, this is normal for a member of the Ewell family.

Burris is ready to leave school, but Miss Caroline tells him to return to his seat.  He refuses, and Miss Caroline relents.  She tells him to leave, which Burris does with a snort.  Before he exits the room, Burris speaks rudely to Miss Caroline, even calling her a "slut."  His words make her cry and he leaves.

How are Mr. Nuttel and Vera similar and how are they different?

Mr. Framton Nuttel visits the Sappletons with letters of introduction from his sister. He has a "nervous condition," but he is respectful even though he is also anxious and gullible. Mrs. Sappleton's fifteen-year-old niece Vera, on the other hand, is confident, social and clever. Vera also has no problem playing practical jokes on poor, defenseless strangers with nervous conditions. It would seem as if these two characters have absolutely nothing in common. The only thing that...

Mr. Framton Nuttel visits the Sappletons with letters of introduction from his sister. He has a "nervous condition," but he is respectful even though he is also anxious and gullible. Mrs. Sappleton's fifteen-year-old niece Vera, on the other hand, is confident, social and clever. Vera also has no problem playing practical jokes on poor, defenseless strangers with nervous conditions. It would seem as if these two characters have absolutely nothing in common. The only thing that both Nuttel and Vera would have in common might be as follows:

"Framton, who labored under the tolerably widespread delusion that total strangers and chance acquaintances are hungry for the least detail of one's ailments and infirmities. . ."

In a way, Vera is also under the delusion that strangers or acquaintances would be interested in knowing about one's family tragedies, or interested in being the victims of a practical joke. Both Nuttel and Vera abruptly break social rules of protocol. Nuttel breaks the rule of not discussing one's personal illnesses in public, and Vera breaks a rule by playing a mean joke on a guest who is completely at the mercy of his hostess.

In the short story, "Charles", by Shirley Jackson, what can a reader infer from the main character's actions and interactions with others?

In the short story, "Charles" by Shirley Jackson, a number of things can be inferred from the character's actions and interactions with others, such as that with each story Laurie tells about Charles, the mother and father should have been questioning how they raised their own child. 

At the beginning, the mother is reluctant to see her boy Laurie go off to school, just like many mothers who wonder what effect school will have on...

In the short story, "Charles" by Shirley Jackson, a number of things can be inferred from the character's actions and interactions with others, such as that with each story Laurie tells about Charles, the mother and father should have been questioning how they raised their own child. 

At the beginning, the mother is reluctant to see her boy Laurie go off to school, just like many mothers who wonder what effect school will have on their children.  Laurie comes home every day with stories of what 'Charles' has done that day, from throwing things at other children, arguing with the teacher, refusing to do what the teacher wants, to even hitting other children. 

With each of these stories, his parents should begin to wonder about their own child. These stories all sound like the invention of a child having trouble in school. Yet the parents simply accept the explanations he offers.  No one questions him about his own behavior. 

One inference you can draw from the smart-mouth questions Laurie asks like, "Isn't anybody here?" after slamming the door, and from his greeting to his father, "Hi, Pop, y'old dust mop," is that Laurie's behavior indicates a boy who has been unquestioningly allowed to do as he pleases in his early life at home. 

When the parents talk to Laurie when he comes home late from school with the explanation that all of the class stayed to watch Charles be punished, alarm bells should have been ringing for them as no school allows such a thing. Yet again, the parents blindly and unquestioningly accept the explanation.

From this blind acceptance we can infer that these are loving but unaware parents. When they find out at the end of the story that there is no Charles in the kindergarten, that Laurie is the one having all the trouble adjusting, the parents as well as the reader are surprised. 

I believe that Shirley Jackson wants us to infer that the parents of this world might need to be more questioning and aware of their children's behaviors, might need to observe more closely, might need to make children responsible from a young age, and most of all, must be involved in evaluating how their children are growing up.  If parents simply allow their children to grow up without guidance, as illustrated by Charles, the world will be in trouble. 

What is Aunt Alexandra's major theory concerning human behavior?

Aunt Alexandra believes that the longer a family has been living on a piece of land, the finer it was. Scout thinks that Aunt Alexandra may be onto something with her theory, and gives a short explanation of how Maycomb was founded. Since Maycomb's primary reason for existence was government, the majority of the population were professionals. Maycomb was located inland, and the town remained small for hundreds of years. The same families who first...

Aunt Alexandra believes that the longer a family has been living on a piece of land, the finer it was. Scout thinks that Aunt Alexandra may be onto something with her theory, and gives a short explanation of how Maycomb was founded. Since Maycomb's primary reason for existence was government, the majority of the population were professionals. Maycomb was located inland, and the town remained small for hundreds of years. The same families who first travelled to Maycomb stayed and married within the town, creating a "quiet stream" of family resemblance. (Lee 175)

Aunt Alexandra also believes that each family has a "streak," which is another name for a noticeable character trait passed down through heredity. Aunt Alexandra understood the caste system of Maycomb perfectly, and could identify a person through their predictable family behaviors. Scout says that Aunt Alexandra has an obsession with heredity and is disappointed because Atticus has neglected to teach his children about the Finch family history.

Describe the development of the modern periodic table.

Lavoisier, Newlands, Mendeleev, and Moseley are contributors of today’s modern periodic table. Brief explanations on each of the scientists’ contributions are provided below:

1. Lavoisier wrote the fist list of elements. His list consisted of 33 elements. He made two broad categories – metals and nonmetals. Some of Lavoisier’s elements were later found to be mixtures or compounds.


2. In 1864, John Newlands took the 60 known elements of his time and arranged them by atomic weights...

Lavoisier, Newlands, Mendeleev, and Moseley are contributors of today’s modern periodic table. Brief explanations on each of the scientists’ contributions are provided below:

1. Lavoisier wrote the fist list of elements. His list consisted of 33 elements. He made two broad categories – metals and nonmetals. Some of Lavoisier’s elements were later found to be mixtures or compounds.


2. In 1864, John Newlands took the 60 known elements of his time and arranged them by atomic weights and similarities. Thus, he was a forerunner of the concept of periods. Newlands created the ‘Law of Octaves’.
   


3. Mendeleev also based his periodic table on atomic weights. He placed elements that had similar properties underneath each other on his periodic table. He was the first to leave room for elements that were not yet discovered. In 1869, Mendeleev created the periodic law. Mendeleev’s periodic law stated that elemental properties vary with their atomic weights.


4. In 1913, Moseley identified the atomic number of each known element. He modified Mendeleev’s periodic law to state that elemental properties vary with atomic number.

Today’s periodic table is ordered by atomic number. Periods are horizontal rows. Main-sequence elements within the same period have the same number of electron shells. The columns of the modern periodic table are called groups or families. The main-sequence of elements within a periodic group have the same number of valance electrons. The number of an element’s valance electrons determines that element’s reactivity. Therefore, elements within the same periodic group have similar properties. Periodic trends result from today’s arrangement of the elements within the modern periodic table.

What was the impact of Fascism and Nazism on the world?

German Nazism and Italian fascism led to a world war, much loss of life, racism taken to genocidal levels and the destruction of European Jewish culture in Central Europe—not to mention the death of six million Jews. Both Germany and Italy experimented in creating backward-looking and hierarchical societies based on the supposed superiority of Aryans over other "racial" groups and the supposed superiority of men over women. They also created ultra-nationalist governments that rejected international...

German Nazism and Italian fascism led to a world war, much loss of life, racism taken to genocidal levels and the destruction of European Jewish culture in Central Europe—not to mention the death of six million Jews. Both Germany and Italy experimented in creating backward-looking and hierarchical societies based on the supposed superiority of Aryans over other "racial" groups and the supposed superiority of men over women. They also created ultra-nationalist governments that rejected international cooperative institutes such as the League of Nations and saw warfare as "purifying" the "blood" of a people. These ideologies, based on "strength," also saw extreme vengeance against perceived enemies as justified. These governments instituted totalitarian regimes that attempted to control every aspect of the lives of their people. 

But the larger legacy of both Nazism and fascism was to completely discredit these ideologies for many decades. After the war, people were utterly horrified at what these nationalistic, militaristic, vengeful and racist ideologies had wrought: death, destruction and genocide. The war's aftermath led to a high level of soul searching and introspection. Italy and Germany had not been alone in their anti-Semitism, and following World War II, Western nations created Israel and abandoned the racially-based immigration quotas that had made it impossible for many Jews to escape the Nazi regime. The West also became more committed to creating international institutions, such as the United Nations, which were meant to support humanitarian gestures and democratic institutions. 

How did Romeo and Juliet communicate with each other in Romeo and Juliet? Please provide quotes and citations.

Romeo and Juliet communicate primarily through Juliet's nurse when they are apart.  On the night when they first meet, after Romeo has scaled the walls into the garden beneath Juliet's balcony, they speak for a while, and Juliet eventually says that she will send someone to Romeo the next day, someone who will deliver a message to her: "If that thy bent of love be honorable, / Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow, /...

Romeo and Juliet communicate primarily through Juliet's nurse when they are apart.  On the night when they first meet, after Romeo has scaled the walls into the garden beneath Juliet's balcony, they speak for a while, and Juliet eventually says that she will send someone to Romeo the next day, someone who will deliver a message to her: "If that thy bent of love be honorable, / Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow, / By one that I'll procure to come to thee [...]" (2.2.150-152).  In other words, if Romeo wants to marry her, he should send a message about when and where the ceremony will be performed. 

Sure enough, the next day, after Romeo has spoken with Friar Lawrence, the nurse finds Romeo.  He advises her to tell Juliet to come up with some reason that she needs to go to confession that afternoon, and he will be waiting there to marry her (2.4.183-186). 

Later, when Romeo is hiding at the friar's cell after having killed Tybalt, Juliet sends her nurse to him again.  Speaking to Romeo, the nurse says, "My lord, I'll tell my lady you will come [....].  Here, sir, a ring she bid me give you, sir" (3.3.171-173).  Therefore, the nurse is really the main mode of communication by which the young lovers communicate.

Why does fire have a great impact on the boys' lives in Lord of the Flies?

One of the ways that fire has a great impact is in governing so much of what happens in the plot of the story. Once they light a big fire atop the mountain they are excited by the prospect and get carried away. Their carelessness leads to the death of the boy with the birthmark.

Ralph sees this signal fire as being vital and wants them to maintain it at all times. When a ship...

One of the ways that fire has a great impact is in governing so much of what happens in the plot of the story. Once they light a big fire atop the mountain they are excited by the prospect and get carried away. Their carelessness leads to the death of the boy with the birthmark.

Ralph sees this signal fire as being vital and wants them to maintain it at all times. When a ship goes past and Jack's hunters have let the fire die in order to go kill a pig, he is irate and the gulf between him and Jack begins to widen. Later on the fire becomes a point of conflict as the hunters need Piggy's specs in order to light a fire so they raid the camp on the beach to get them.

The last big fire is lit by the boys as an attempt to flush Ralph out so they can kill him. he smoke of the conflagration is what brings the naval officer to the island to rescue them.

In the short story The First Seven Years, where is Max going as he trudges through the snowdrifts past Feld's shop? About what does Feld speak...

In the story, Max is on his way to class as he trudges through the snowdrifts past Feld's shop. Feld admires Max greatly because of Max's commitment to his college education. As the father of a grown daughter, Feld has often lamented his daughter's reluctance to attend college.

So, when Max appears in Feld's shop to inquire about repairing his old shoes, Feld seizes the opportunity to bring a cherished plan to action. He reasons...

In the story, Max is on his way to class as he trudges through the snowdrifts past Feld's shop. Feld admires Max greatly because of Max's commitment to his college education. As the father of a grown daughter, Feld has often lamented his daughter's reluctance to attend college.

So, when Max appears in Feld's shop to inquire about repairing his old shoes, Feld seizes the opportunity to bring a cherished plan to action. He reasons to himself that his daughter, Miriam, might as well marry an educated man even if she will not go to college herself. He thinks that such a marriage would mean a better life for Miriam than the one she currently has. So, after discussing the business of Max's old shoes, Feld ushers Max into the hall for a private word. As Feld's assistant, Sobel, pounds away, Feld broaches the subject of Max dating Miriam. Max is initially surprised at the older man's request but soon asks to see a picture of Miriam. Upon seeing her picture, he pronounces that Miriam looks 'all right,' not exactly a very enthusiastic response.

However, Feld is ecstatic that Max has consented to meet Miriam; he gives Max their telephone number and advises Max to call when Miriam gets home from work at six o'clock. Elated at his success, Feld even charges Max a dollar fifty for a job which usually costs two dollars and twenty-five cents. However, as the story continues, we soon see that Feld does not bargain for his young assistant's real feelings towards his daughter.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what are some quotes about the camellia flower that Jem breaks in chapter 11?

Mrs. Dubose--who Scout describes earlier in the book as "just plain hell"--insults Atticus as Jem and Scout are passing one day, saying, "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" (117). They buy a couple of toys in town then walk back by her house, and her porch is empty. Jem--not Scout--loses his mind, snatching Scout's new baton and using it to dismember every camellia in Mrs. Dubose's yard. When Atticus...

Mrs. Dubose--who Scout describes earlier in the book as "just plain hell"--insults Atticus as Jem and Scout are passing one day, saying, "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" (117). They buy a couple of toys in town then walk back by her house, and her porch is empty. Jem--not Scout--loses his mind, snatching Scout's new baton and using it to dismember every camellia in Mrs. Dubose's yard. When Atticus comes home, he's holding the broken baton and a handful of camellia buds. 

When confronted, Jem admits he did it but tells Atticus why. Atticus responds that behaving this way toward a sick woman is inexcusable, and orders him to go apologize to Mrs. Dubose. Jem returns having apologized ("but I didn't mean it"), and explains that he'll have to work every Saturday to help her garden recover, and will have to read to her every Saturday for two hours for a month. Atticus requires that he do it. 

After the ordeal is over, Mrs. Dubose dies one month later, whereupon she has Jessie (her maid) prepare a box for Jem. It contained a perfect camellia, a snow-on-the-mountain. Jem initially throws it to the ground and screams, "Old hell-devil! Why won't she just leave me alone?" (128). Atticus then explains that Mrs. Dubose, who used the Saturday readings to distract her from her morphine withdrawals, which she was determined to break her addiction to before she died, was "a great lady"--despite the awful things she said about Atticus. Atticus wanted Jem to understand what true courage was: It wasn't "a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. ...Mrs. Dubose was the bravest person [Atticus] ever knew" (128). 

When Scout goes to bed, Jem is fingering the flower's petals, deep in thought. 

Incidentally, white camellias are symbolic both of purity and of death--both appropriate connections in this passage. 

Please give a brief explanation of the theme of Once Upon A Time.

A theme always contains the main emphasis and intent of the story. In Once Upon A Time by Nadine Gordimer, the theme essentially relates to fear and how this fear pervades, in this case, the life of the family, destroying their so-called "happily ever after." The family traps itself inside the home always increasing security so that "the people of another color" cannot destroy the illusion that the family is trying to hold onto. 

Gordimer...

A theme always contains the main emphasis and intent of the story. In Once Upon A Time by Nadine Gordimer, the theme essentially relates to fear and how this fear pervades, in this case, the life of the family, destroying their so-called "happily ever after." The family traps itself inside the home always increasing security so that "the people of another color" cannot destroy the illusion that the family is trying to hold onto. 

Gordimer reveals that the changing political landscape of South Africa at the time of publication in 1989 worries many people who cannot see a resolution. Fear of the unknown is readily felt and the tragic outcome for this family suggests that the major conflict of man against man becomes one of man against himself. Themes of fear and the anticipated loss of freedom allow Gordimer to serve her warning. In the opening to the story, Gordimer even admits her fear of the unknown. However, she is able to rationalize it and dispel her fear but not so the family, indicating that many South Africans will be similarly affected and instead of embracing the unknown future, they will try to perpetuate the current untenable situation. This theme of fear may paralyze many people and Gordimer is warning that what many think is the comfortable and safe alternative is more deadly than ever. 

Why is the HIV virus considered a retrovirus?

The HIV virus is one of the most debilitating and deadly virus's known to man. Its ability to compromise the important CD4+t cells in the human immune system leads to the onset of aids as once enough CD4+ t cells die. This leaves the body vulnerable to many infections, which ultimately lead to the infected persons death. HIV is spread through sexual or blood contact. It is known as a retrovirus because of the way...

The HIV virus is one of the most debilitating and deadly virus's known to man. Its ability to compromise the important CD4+t cells in the human immune system leads to the onset of aids as once enough CD4+ t cells die. This leaves the body vulnerable to many infections, which ultimately lead to the infected persons death. HIV is spread through sexual or blood contact. It is known as a retrovirus because of the way it places its DNA into healthy CD4+ t cells. The HIV virus is in the form of RNA when it enters the cell. It then must convert its RNA into DNA so that the infected cell can use its own machinery to generate more HIV virus. Specifically, HIV uses an enzyme known as a reverse transcriptase for this process. The use of this enzyme is what leads HIV to be classified as a retrovirus, as reverse transcriptase takes the HIV RNA and converts it to DNA that is then placed directly into the cells original DNA. This leads to the creation of more viruses, spreading the infection. Hope this helps!    

Why didn't Tom simply open the window instead of breaking it?

Tom and his wife lived in an old apartment building in Manhattan. The windows in most of these buildings were what were called double-pane windows. They had counterweights inside the wall which were intended to make them easy to open and close. There was a cord and a pulley and a lead weight. The cords in those days before nylon were made of cotton. Over the years the cords would deteriorate and eventually break. Furthermore, the window sashes would get painted and repainted and repainted so many times that the windows might get completely stuck or else would be harder and harder to slide up and down in their tracks. 

He couldn't open the window. It had been pulled not completely closed, but its lower edge was below the level of the outside sill; there was no room to get his fingers underneath it. Between the upper sash and the lower was a gap not wide enough--reaching up, he tried--to get his fingers into; he couldn't push it open. The upper window panel, he knew from long experience, was impossible to move, frozen tight with dried paint.

The only way Tom would open his window was from the inside. He had to hit it with the heels of both palms in order to un-jam it. His wife couldn't open the windows at all. This is what happens in old buildings. The landlord doesn't want to spend money on repairs and the tenants are afraid to complain because the landlord might raise the rent. Eventually, the land under the building becomes more valuable than the building itself, and the owner is only biding time until he has the existing building torn down and replaced with a modern structure, which could contain apartments, condos, transient hotel rooms, or office suites. In the meantime many landlords "milk" the buildings by charging the maximum rent and doing the bare minimum of repairs. Deterioration is seen everywhere, including in the carpeting in the hallways.

When Tom was on the outside looking in, he couldn't hit the upper part of the window with his palms because there was no place to hit it on the outside, only on the inside. That explains why he had to break the glass. 

In J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, what causes Holden to almost “neck” with Jane?

Chapter 11 is where Holden discusses Jane Gallagher the most. He talks about what a great figure she has and how good looking she is, but his mother doesn't think that Jane is pretty. He likes her even if his mother doesn't think she is cute, though.

The situation surrounding "the only time old Jane and I ever got close to necking" deals with Jane's step-father (78). Holden and Jane are sitting out on her...

Chapter 11 is where Holden discusses Jane Gallagher the most. He talks about what a great figure she has and how good looking she is, but his mother doesn't think that Jane is pretty. He likes her even if his mother doesn't think she is cute, though.

The situation surrounding "the only time old Jane and I ever got close to necking" deals with Jane's step-father (78). Holden and Jane are sitting out on her screened-in porch playing checkers. Mr. Cudahy, the step-dad, comes out and asks Jane where the cigarettes are, and she doesn't answer him. Jane never discloses what the issue is with her step-dad, but Holden asks her if he ever "got wise" with her. Jane starts to cry and Holden jumps to the rescue by sitting next to her and kissing her all over her face. It's ironic, though. Here he is asking if her step-dad has tried anything physical with her, and in her despair, Holden tries to comfort/get physical with her! 

". . . the next thing I knew, I was kissing her all over--anywhere--her eyes, her nose, her forehead, her eyebrows and all, her ears--her whole face except her mouth and all. She sort of wouldn't let me get to her mouth" (79).

Since Jane just sits there and takes his kisses and won't let him kiss her on the mouth, Holden declares it "close to necking." 

What value does Foucault give to dreams and the unconscious?

In "The History of Sexuality" Foucault critiques Freudian views of the unconscious, attempting to remove the central focus of the study of the unconscious away from sexuality as its core. Foucault instead wanted to examine the unconscious as a way to both explore the inner landscape of the human psyche, and at the same time use it as a means of  learning resistance to the baser impulses driving the human animal.

Foucault could see in...

In "The History of Sexuality" Foucault critiques Freudian views of the unconscious, attempting to remove the central focus of the study of the unconscious away from sexuality as its core. Foucault instead wanted to examine the unconscious as a way to both explore the inner landscape of the human psyche, and at the same time use it as a means of  learning resistance to the baser impulses driving the human animal.

Foucault could see in Freud's work that the exploration of the unconscious was a critical key in unlocking the innate healing powers of the human subconscious. A modern contemporary of Foucault, Malcolm Gladwell, in his book, "Blink," examines the use of dreams and the always active subconscious, in realizing Eureka moments - in other words, charting the possibilities of the power of the unconscious to better our lives, to achieve what we might never achieve without access to our deepest selves.

Foucault ultimately and wisely rejected Freud's centralized focus on sexuality as the driving force of the subconscious, opening its possibilities to the wider spectrum of the wholeness of human existence.

In "Because I could not stop for death" how does the speaker feel about herself, others, and the subject? What is the author's attitude? How does...

In this poem, there are some indications about how the speaker, a woman who is taking a carriage ride with Death and Immortality, feels about herself, others, and the subject of dying. First, although she doesn't fight the experience, she is not confident in this journey and she does not feel prepared. We see this in the fact that she "could not stop for Death," but more powerfully when she describes her inappropriate dress. She...

In this poem, there are some indications about how the speaker, a woman who is taking a carriage ride with Death and Immortality, feels about herself, others, and the subject of dying. First, although she doesn't fight the experience, she is not confident in this journey and she does not feel prepared. We see this in the fact that she "could not stop for Death," but more powerfully when she describes her inappropriate dress. She is wearing only "Gossamer" and "Tulle," extremely lightweight fabrics, and she feels the deepening "Chill" as they approach the graveyard.

The only other "people" that are mentioned directly in the poem are Death and Immortality, personifications of these abstract concepts. She finds Death, the driver of the carriage, to be kind and civil, making it easier for her to go with him. Of her earthly relationships we have only one slight clue. When passing the schoolyard, she describes how the children "strove at recess in the ring." This makes recess time sound like a boxing match, indicating that her life may have contained more interpersonal conflict than she liked.

How does she feel about dying? She feels unprepared, as mentioned, but also resigned and perhaps perplexed. She says she had "put away my labor and my leisure," without bemoaning that fact, so she finds it easy to comply with the summons of death. The last stanza shows she has still not quite gotten used to Eternity, for she compares it to what time used to feel like. So although she doesn't share any deep negative emotions about the experience of death, neither does she seem happy or excited. Her reserved emotion about a topic that usually engenders great fear, regret, and sorrow makes this poem both ironic and haunting.

Your other questions about how the author feels about the speaker, subject, and reader and what the author's attitude is cannot be answered from the text of this poem. Authors often write poems in the voice of a persona, a fictional person who they choose to take on the character of when writing a specific poem. It is incorrect to assume from the text of a poem that we know what the author herself feels about anything. Emily Dickinson wrote 1789 poems. They contain a wide variety of viewpoints even on a single topic. You could try to construct her beliefs about death from this poem, but she wrote probably hundreds of poems that touch on death, and many would have different perspectives than this poem has. To answer questions about what an author herself believed about certain subjects, you would need to refer to other works written by the author, either letters or autobiography. Emily Dickinson was a mysterious person in that she did not go out into the world very much but lived most of her life at home. No one knew she was writing this much poetry until she had passed away. It is best when studying an Emily Dickinson poem to not read too much about the author herself into the poem but to take it as a free-standing work of art and interpret it only within its own context. 

What are 5 reasons why Winnie didn't drink the water?

Wow.  Five reasons might be a bit tough.  

One reason I think that she didn't drink the water is that Winnie never truly believed it would work.  Even by the end of the novel, Winnie's internal monologue hints at her slight disbelief that the spring water actually grants eternal life.  Her reticence to drink the water makes sense, because she never actually sees any proof from the Tucks that they are immortals.   

A...

Wow.  Five reasons might be a bit tough.  

One reason I think that she didn't drink the water is that Winnie never truly believed it would work.  Even by the end of the novel, Winnie's internal monologue hints at her slight disbelief that the spring water actually grants eternal life.  Her reticence to drink the water makes sense, because she never actually sees any proof from the Tucks that they are immortals.   

A second reason is that she doesn't have the bottle of spring water any more.  She poured it over the toad.  

A third reason could be because the wood and spring were bulldozed over at some point in Winnie's later life.  

A fourth reason is likely because of Tucks' talk with her.  He told her how much he misses being a part of the natural living and dying cycle of the world.  He misses being able to change with the world around him.  

A fifth reason could be that Winnie gets caught up in living her regular, natural life after the Tucks leave.  The epilogue says that Winnie got married and had children.  Winnie simply could have decided that she loved her current life and people in it more than the chance to live forever with Jesse.  

What does nick learn about Jordan Baker after he has spent some time with her in The Great Gatsby?

After he has been going around with Jordan Baker, who is a golf champion and plays in tournaments, Nick learns that she cheated in her first big tournament.

As Gatsby's neighbor, Nick has been extended an invitation to one of the large and lingering galas on the "blue lawns" of Gatsby's property where tents have been erected and tables set up to hold the lavish foods. While he is there, he encounters Jordan Baker again,...

After he has been going around with Jordan Baker, who is a golf champion and plays in tournaments, Nick learns that she cheated in her first big tournament.

As Gatsby's neighbor, Nick has been extended an invitation to one of the large and lingering galas on the "blue lawns" of Gatsby's property where tents have been erected and tables set up to hold the lavish foods. While he is there, he encounters Jordan Baker again, and he visits with her. After this meeting, Nick

...lost sight of Jordan Baker, and then in midsummer I found her again.

He narrates that he was not in love with her, but he was flattered to be with her because of her fame as a golf champion, whose name everyone knew. Later, Nick notices that Jordan always wears a "bored, haughty face"; such a face always hides something, he observes. That something is an incident which Nick himself recalls--Jordan had moved her ball from a "bad lie," a difficult position, in the semi-final round of a tournament. Indeed, there was almost a real scandal, but for some unknown reasons, the caddy retracted his statement, and the other witness said he might have been mistaken (Chapter 3). Further, Nick describes Jordan as "incurably dishonest," but it was something in a woman that he does not "blame deeply. I was casually sorry and then I forgot."

Later on after becoming emotionally involved with her, but disillusioned with the East Egg group, Nick wishes to return to the Midwest and disassociate himself from the East. Nick has learned that Jordan Baker is a "bad driver," meaning that she is mendacious, incurably dishonest, and he breaks off his relationship with her.

What are 3 quotes from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird that prove Tom Robinson is innocent?

Atticus Finch, Robinson's lawyer, does a beautiful job discrediting Bob and Mayella Ewell's testimonies on the witness stand. Bob is the first witness who says that he caught Tom raping his daughter, but there are two things a father would have done at that point in time. First, he would have noticed exactly what sores, bruises, or cuts were on Mayella, and then he would have called a doctor to check her out. Bob did...

Atticus Finch, Robinson's lawyer, does a beautiful job discrediting Bob and Mayella Ewell's testimonies on the witness stand. Bob is the first witness who says that he caught Tom raping his daughter, but there are two things a father would have done at that point in time. First, he would have noticed exactly what sores, bruises, or cuts were on Mayella, and then he would have called a doctor to check her out. Bob did neither of these two things, which calls into question the validity of the accusations. Atticus wears Bob down and commits him to certain "facts" of the case that could not have been inflicted on Mayella by a one-armed man. Bob says that the perpetrator's hand marks were all the way around his daughter's neck and that her right eye was bruised. To begin with, Tom could not have placed two hands around the girl's neck; and secondly, a right-armed man would have punched her right eye, not her left one. To prove that Mr. Ewell could have punched his daughter, Atticus had him sign his name in front of the whole courtroom. Without prompting him, Bob signs his name with his left hand. Scout understands what her father did by concluding the following:

"Atticus was trying to show, it seemed to me, that Mr. Ewell could have beaten up Mayella. That much I could follow. If her right eye was blacked and she was beaten mostly on the right side of the face, it would tend to show that a left-handed person did it" (178).

Then second thing that the prosecuting attorney did not have was any medical evidence that rape had actually occurred. Atticus argues as follows:

"The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence to the effect that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place. It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses who evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross-examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant. The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is" (203).

The final thing that proves that Tom Robinson is not guilty is the fact that Mayella Ewell is the guilty one. She is guilty of crossing the line socially and to avoid being held responsible for her actions, she blames an innocent man. Atticus explains it with the following:

"She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man. Not an old Uncle, but a strong young Negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards" (204).

A lot of the evidence to prove Tom guilty does not exist. The charges are there to protect Mayella from what really happened. Therefore, the lack of medical and forensic evidence proves Tom is innocent.

What are the major themes of Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides?

Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides is a sort of prequel to Homer's Iliad. It describes an important event immediately preceding the Trojan War. The ships waiting to leave for Troy are becalmed at Aulis and the oracle, Calchas, explains that Agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia, to the goddess Artemis to obtain favorable winds. 

The first theme in the play is heroism. Although Agamemnon and Menelaus are, in theory, "heroes" of the Trojan War,...

Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides is a sort of prequel to Homer's Iliad. It describes an important event immediately preceding the Trojan War. The ships waiting to leave for Troy are becalmed at Aulis and the oracle, Calchas, explains that Agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia, to the goddess Artemis to obtain favorable winds. 

The first theme in the play is heroism. Although Agamemnon and Menelaus are, in theory, "heroes" of the Trojan War, the true heroism in the play is displayed by Iphigenia, a young girl who is lied to and betrayed by her father, but nonetheless bravely offers to sacrifice herself for the greater good. Achilles, in his offer to defend Iphigenia also displays great nobility of character, but Iphigenia says:

“Death will be my wedding, children and glory.”

The second theme has to do with war. The play was written during the Peloponnesian Wars, which Euripides opposed. The major message of the play is that wars kill the innocent for the sake of the desire for glory and conquest. As Helen went willingly with Paris (with the blessing of the goddess Aphrodite), there was really no justification for the war other than the wounded ego of Menelaus. By showing the very opening of the war as an exercise in unjust slaughter of a innocent young girl, Euripides emphasizes that all wars other than those of self defense are morally unjustifiable. 

The final theme is family and gender. Both the cause of the war and the sacrifice of Iphigenia involve family issues, but with the needs of the patriarchs trumping all other aspects of family life. Thus patriarchy and war are associated in the play.

Why does Tom love Daisy and not Myrtle?

Tom loves Daisy and not Myrtle because Daisy belongs to the same social class as him. While she might not come from as much money, as Nick makes sure the audience knows that Tom is filthy wealthy (he always mentions the polo ponies), she runs in the same social circle. To the wealthy, at least according to Nick, where one comes from matters more than the money one has. For example, Gatsby, regardless of how...

Tom loves Daisy and not Myrtle because Daisy belongs to the same social class as him. While she might not come from as much money, as Nick makes sure the audience knows that Tom is filthy wealthy (he always mentions the polo ponies), she runs in the same social circle. To the wealthy, at least according to Nick, where one comes from matters more than the money one has. For example, Gatsby, regardless of how much money he had, could never have Daisy, as evidenced by her rejection of the parties held at Gatsby's home.

To Tom, Myrtle was just his living sex toy he liked flaunting around town. When taking Nick to meet Myrtle, Tom shows no shame and tells Nick (emphasis mine), "I want you to meet my girl." While this might just seem a throw-away statement, Tom's actions later in the night, when he "broke her nose with his open hand," show a complete disregard for Myrtle as a person. In addition, it seems as if after this event that Tom does not really see Myrtle, his "girl," again.

Meanwhile Daisy, whom Tom shares similar moral standards with considering they come from the same social class, does not really seem to care what happens to Gatsby, a man she seems in complete love with. Like Tom, Daisy completely discarded Gatsby after she ran Myrtle over.

I bring up Daisy in response to your question in order to emphasize why Tom loves her, but not Myrtle. They share the same moral values: carelessness resulting from being American aristocrats. Nick summarizes the values of Tom and Daisy this way:

"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mass they had made..."

After Tom smashes Myrtle's nose and literally lets others clean up her mess, he retreats back into his marriage with Daisy, who does the same when George Wilson kills Gatsby.

What does Tagore imply by “narrow domestic walls” in his poem “Where the mind is without fear?”

India was still a colony under the British Empire when Tagore wrote this poem. It can be read as a list of prayers expressing the Nobel laureate’s vision of free India.

Among many other wishes, he prays to the Almighty to awaken his countrymen in a world that “has not been broken up into fragments / By narrow domestic walls.”

“Domestic walls” is a complex symbol that can be interpreted in a number of ways. India has always accommodated diverse cultures, languages and kingdoms in its vast territory. It’s a land of diversities. The poet doesn't want these differences to divide his countrymen as separate individuals, or into clustered communities or groups.

The "domestic walls" could stand for the prominent regional differences caused primarily because of the varying topographical features.

It might represent walls created by different religions. Besides the major religions of Hinduism and Islam, other religions including Buddhism, Jainism and Christianity had had huge followers in India. The poet feared the possibility of religious fanatics antagonizing one community against the others.

Besides, “domestic walls” may also refer to the barriers caused by the hundreds of regional languages spoken across the country. Not only this, the culture and tradition, too, varied with distance.

Though, as an Indian, Tagore was proud of his country for being so diverse, accommodative and tolerant, he was afraid, at the same time, that these differences might antagonize one group against the other and the dream of a free and united India might not be possible.

So, he prays to the almighty to awaken his countrymen to a country that “has not been broken up into fragments / By narrow domestic walls”

It must be noted that Tagore never uses the word "India" anywhere in this poem. So, this poem can also be interpreted as the wish of a sage who hopes to see the whole world get united as one unified body. The "domestic walls," thus, could mean the physical boundaries or borders by drawing which men has sliced the earth that God had created as a single entity.

What is the significance of Montag seeing his reflection in Clarisse's eyes?

Montag is on his way home from work, a job that he loves because it allows him to burn and revel in the destruction that fire allows him to create. He is wearing his fireman's uniform, with sigil, and runs into Clarisse for the first time on his way home. In a completely unromantic way, Montag is struck by her eyes and by her direct and guileless manner. She introduces herself and mentions that he...

Montag is on his way home from work, a job that he loves because it allows him to burn and revel in the destruction that fire allows him to create. He is wearing his fireman's uniform, with sigil, and runs into Clarisse for the first time on his way home. In a completely unromantic way, Montag is struck by her eyes and by her direct and guileless manner. She introduces herself and mentions that he doesn't inspire fear in her, letting the reader know that many people in this society are fearful of firemen. 

He saw himself in her eyes, suspended in two shining drops of bright water, himself dark and tiny, in fine detail, the lines about his mouth, everything there, as if her eyes were two miraculous bits of violet amber that might capture and hold him intact. (5)

Montag is momentarily mesmerized by her eyes and it takes him back to his childhood, crystallizing a memory about when technology failed and he used a candle to light his home. Montag's image reflected in Clarisse's eyes signifies how Montag is just a man. He sees a tiny version of himself and he, ever so briefly, connects with Clarisse. In this new society, personal connections are rare and are generally not encouraged. Montag's relationship with his wife, Mildred, juxtaposes itself with this new connection, highlighting their fragmented marriage. 

Which birds are identified by name in Whirligig by Fleischman?

Birds are a recurring image throughout Paul Fleischman's novel Whirligig. The identification of birds is a personal goal Brent sets for himself. He laments that he does not know the names of birds, constellations, shells, and other natural objects in the places he lives. Brent's lack of knowledge of the natural world is a byproduct of how frequently he has moved in his life. 

In some instances, birds are mentioned in a generic way with no...

Birds are a recurring image throughout Paul Fleischman's novel Whirligig. The identification of birds is a personal goal Brent sets for himself. He laments that he does not know the names of birds, constellations, shells, and other natural objects in the places he lives. Brent's lack of knowledge of the natural world is a byproduct of how frequently he has moved in his life. 

In some instances, birds are mentioned in a generic way with no reference to the exact type of bird. There are several instances in which Brent notices the sound of birds around him. In isolated instances, Fleischman chooses to reveal the bird's exact species. 

There are two occurrences of birds being named by species in Whirligig:

• In the chapter "Miami, Florida," the shearwater bird is central to the development of the sub-story of Flaco and the marching band whirligig. Flaco sees the shearwater bird and wishes to be free and untethered like the ocean bird.

• Later, in the chapter titled, "Apprentices," Brent learns the birds diving into the surf are terns. This fact, taught to Brent by a young boy, allows Brent to add to his knowledge of birds.

Appreciate, through genetic crosses, that science is linked to nature.

It would be hard to imagine a more accurate analogy.  The mechanisms that occur in nature in and of themselves involve science in one of it's purest forms, genetics.  A species must be able to reproduce to ensure it's lineage, otherwise extinction is inevitable.  Genetic crossings is one mechanism in place to observe the bond between science and nature.  From Mendel's observations of purebred characteristics and experimentation of crossing those characteristics we see a small,...

It would be hard to imagine a more accurate analogy.  The mechanisms that occur in nature in and of themselves involve science in one of it's purest forms, genetics.  A species must be able to reproduce to ensure it's lineage, otherwise extinction is inevitable.  Genetic crossings is one mechanism in place to observe the bond between science and nature.  From Mendel's observations of purebred characteristics and experimentation of crossing those characteristics we see a small, controlled scientific experimentation of what occurs naturally on a grander scale.  All the examples of traits we observe in nature are the results of the breeding of this trait versus that trait.  The final count is off the charts, in terms of total trait accountability.  There is an old saying, "Don't fool with Mother Nature."  Another way of interpreting that old saying would be Mother Nature has been doing what she has been doing for a very long time.  Some traits that were produced were good for the organisms that inherited them, while others were not.  The ones that were not were summarily dismissed from the great progression of life.

On what night does A Christmas Carol take place?

Dickens' A Christmas Carol appropriately takes place on the night of Christmas Eve / morning of Christmas Day.  The story begins on Christmas Eve, as Scrooge is forcing his worker, Bob Cratchit, to work on the holiday; Scrooge, meanwhile, is seated at a desk, counting his money.  

Staging the story at this time helps Dickens to fully illustrate the difference in spirit between the Christmas season (kicked into high gear by Christmas Eve) and...

Dickens' A Christmas Carol appropriately takes place on the night of Christmas Eve / morning of Christmas Day.  The story begins on Christmas Eve, as Scrooge is forcing his worker, Bob Cratchit, to work on the holiday; Scrooge, meanwhile, is seated at a desk, counting his money.  

Staging the story at this time helps Dickens to fully illustrate the difference in spirit between the Christmas season (kicked into high gear by Christmas Eve) and Scrooge's own, "Bah! Humbug," attitude.  In his refusal of nephew Fred's invitation, we see how Scrooge seems removed from the convivial feel of the holiday.

When Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning, he is grateful that the holiday has not passed, and that he has the opportunity to engage in generous acts.  Thus, he is able to embody the Christmas spirit, and does so from that point forward.

What does Steinbeck suggest the relationship of wealth and destruction is?

It is not that money is the “root of all evil,” but the love of money. In Kino’s case, it is what that money can bring to his life to change it for the better. In Chapter 1, it is clear that Kino is content with his lot in life. He has a wife, a child, a home, and a means for making a living for them all. It is only when he discovers the...

It is not that money is the “root of all evil,” but the love of money. In Kino’s case, it is what that money can bring to his life to change it for the better. In Chapter 1, it is clear that Kino is content with his lot in life. He has a wife, a child, a home, and a means for making a living for them all. It is only when he discovers the pearl that he begins to dream bigger dreams of material prosperity (relatively speaking). He wants an education for his son, a wedding for his wife, and perhaps a rifle for himself. To him, this means a great advance in his station in life.

The underlying theme is that money itself cannot buy happiness. In fact, more often it brings sadness, discontentment, even death. The “siren call” of the wealth that the pearl represents finally disappears when Kino and Juana throw back the pearl into the sea from whence it came.

How does the narrator treat his brother in the short story, "The Scarlet Ibis?"

The narrator's treatment of his brother in the short story, "The Scarlet Ibis" is harsh essentially. He says that his brother Doodle was, “…from the outset, a disappointment." He even says that his brother was crazy in a way, albeit a “nice crazy.” The older brother, at first, does not like having a younger brother who is an invalid. His thought process in this is that he makes plans to kill his brother to rid...

The narrator's treatment of his brother in the short story, "The Scarlet Ibis" is harsh essentially. He says that his brother Doodle was, “…from the outset, a disappointment." He even says that his brother was crazy in a way, albeit a “nice crazy.” The older brother, at first, does not like having a younger brother who is an invalid. His thought process in this is that he makes plans to kill his brother to rid the family of the burden of caring for him.

He does learn to accept Doodle somewhat, but he and the rest of the family don’t give Doodle the respect he deserves. This is exemplified by the fact that they quit listening to Doodle because he talks incessantly. Again, this highlights the fact that they see the boy as a drain on their respective lives, the older brother more so.

The family doctor has given instructions on how to care for Doodle in his everyday life. However, the brother ignores these instructions whenever he takes Doodle out and is alone with him. The older brother does have some good qualities, he is not evil and incessantly mean to Doodle, but he does admit that he was mean to him sometimes. He does take Doodle to see the beauty of Old Woman Swamp, so he does try to give his younger brother some good experiences.

His harshness towards Doodle is shown when he takes Doodle to see the coffin the family was going to bury Doodle in, in his early days when his parent’s thought he wasn’t going to live. The brother is cruel in showing Doodle this coffin and even makes him touch it. In addition, the brother did not like having a brother who couldn’t walk as Doodle couldn’t walk at age five. He teaches Doodle to walk after much trial and error, but he does this for himself to relieve his embarrassment of being seen in public with a crippled brother. He isn’t really doing this for Doodle’s benefit. This shows the brother’s selfishness and vanity.

The heart-rending ending of this story also highlights the brother’s harsh treatment of Doodle. He runs from Doodle who follows him, as they want to get home ahead of a bad storm. He doesn’t walk slowly to let Doodle catch up to him. Doodle dies because of his physical infirmities – the running to catch up to his brother (and Doodle’s fear) is too much for him and he collapses and dies. The brother resents that Doodle is not like normal healthy young boys. Therefore, he says that, “I ran as fast as I could, leaving him far behind with a wall of rain dividing us.” He abandoned his brother and this harsh treatment had tragic consequences. He was not his brother’s keeper.

Which characters' actions are significant in "The Monkey's Paw?" Why?

This is a great request.  Many characters act in significant ways. 

First, Sergeant Major Morris acts in a significant way.  In fact, it is very difficult to determine whether he is a good or evil character.  He not only tells the tale of the monkey's paw, but he also allows Mr. White to take it, knowing what it could do and has done in the past.   So, we can say that Morris's action of...

This is a great request.  Many characters act in significant ways. 

First, Sergeant Major Morris acts in a significant way.  In fact, it is very difficult to determine whether he is a good or evil character.  He not only tells the tale of the monkey's paw, but he also allows Mr. White to take it, knowing what it could do and has done in the past.   So, we can say that Morris's action of allowing Mr. White to have the paw is a significant act. 

Second, Mr. White also performs a noteworthy act.  He takes the paw and makes a wish.  In fact, he makes three wishes.  This sets in motion the tragedy of the story - the death of Herbert, the possible revivification of Herbert, and his final going away.  Unwittingly, Mr. White proves that one should not tamper with fate.  

These two characters drive the story.  Without them, nothing would take place. 

Select a philosophy of life you find interesting, and connect its philosophical approach to concepts of health, illness, disability, quality of...

One particular philosophical system that is relevant to how one thinks about issues of health care, illness, quality of life, and death is Stoicism. An important piece of reading for understanding this point of view are the Discourses and Encheiridion of Epictetus.

A starting point for Stoic philosophy is dividing events into those under your control and those that you cannot control. While many external factors, including your genetic predispositions and random events can affect...

One particular philosophical system that is relevant to how one thinks about issues of health care, illness, quality of life, and death is Stoicism. An important piece of reading for understanding this point of view are the Discourses and Encheiridion of Epictetus.

A starting point for Stoic philosophy is dividing events into those under your control and those that you cannot control. While many external factors, including your genetic predispositions and random events can affect the course of your life and you cannot control external events, what is under your control is your emotional reaction to those events. For example, you cannot choose to be immortal or to remain young and healthy forever, as all people eventually age and die, but you can choose your emotional reaction to these truths. For the Stoics, one achieves happiness by only attempting to control those things within one's power and not getting upset about things out of one's control.

On health issues, this leads to the choice of moderation. The Stoics would consider smoking or drunk driving things one can control or avoid. On the other hand, as death is unavoidable, spending hours skimming the internet for every possible health fad which might prolong your life by a few minutes would seem silly to the Stoics, at it is disturbing your emotional tranquility in order to prevent something outside your control, namely human mortality.

Stoics were one of the few ancient philosophical systems that believed suicide to be a morally valid choice under certain circumstances, and would have favored physician assisted suicide, hospice care, and palliative care rather than prolongation of life in all possible circumstances.

For additional queries, please create a separate question.

How did the three presidents of 1920s reflect the general mood of many Americans?

The three presidents of the 1920s, Presidents Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover, reflected the mood of the American people. After the Progressive Era and World War I, the American people were tired of dealing with problems both internally and externally. We had been focusing on problems within our society with the Progressive Movement since the early 1900s, and we were dealing with world issues, especially with World War I, also since the early 1900s. By 1920,...

The three presidents of the 1920s, Presidents Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover, reflected the mood of the American people. After the Progressive Era and World War I, the American people were tired of dealing with problems both internally and externally. We had been focusing on problems within our society with the Progressive Movement since the early 1900s, and we were dealing with world issues, especially with World War I, also since the early 1900s. By 1920, Americans wanted to stop worrying about internal and external issues. They wanted to focus on living a normal life, having a good time, and enjoying prosperity.

 When Warren Harding campaigned on a slogan of a return to normalcy, Americans loved the concept. Harding wanted to focus on the United States. He wanted the economy to grow and businesses to prosper. While he was president, the economy did grow and prosperity increased.

The trend continued under President Coolidge. President Coolidge reflected the phrase “The business of America is business” with his policies and actions. He believed in laissez-faire, or hands off, approach to the economy. Under his administration, the government had little involvement in economic matters. The economy really grew during this time as the country became more prosperous.

President Hoover got elected to the presidency with policies similar to President Coolidge. President Hoover expected the economy to continue to grow. He also expected Americans to be prosperous. When the economy collapsed with the stock market crash in 1929, President Hoover took little action. His laissez-faire attitude was very evident. President Hoover believed things would work themselves out without much government involvement.

The actions of each president during this decade reflected the mood of the American people. This mood was to let business do its thing and keep the government out of business activities. At the same time, our people wanted to enjoy life and not worry about dealing with many internal or external problems.

How do setting and atmosphere in How to Date a Brown Girl, Black Girl, White Girl, or Halfie by Junot Diaz impact the reader? How does setting and...

Yunior is a poor Dominican immigrant sharing dating strategies with the reader. He lives in an inexpensive apartment in a mostly hispanic part of the city.

The reader can tell that Yunior is in some way ashamed of his family's living area, because he mentions hiding the government cheese (a sign of poverty) and hiding the bucket full of used toilet paper under the sink. Clearly, he is afraid girls might judge him.

These stresses...

Yunior is a poor Dominican immigrant sharing dating strategies with the reader. He lives in an inexpensive apartment in a mostly hispanic part of the city.

The reader can tell that Yunior is in some way ashamed of his family's living area, because he mentions hiding the government cheese (a sign of poverty) and hiding the bucket full of used toilet paper under the sink. Clearly, he is afraid girls might judge him.

These stresses about the apartment combine with Yunior's hints of racial anxiety, such as his suggestion to run fingers through your hair as if you were white, or to accept a white girl's false implication that you are Spanish.

Both of these issues show how having a girl in his living area can cause a great deal of anxiety for Yunior about his own identity. Sadly, he appears to believe that his poverty or his color in some way make him less worthy. Or, alternatively, he believes that these girls would perceive these things as negative.

This fear of judgment forces the reader consider the source of Yunior's attitude. Is there a larger social mindset that has created his opinions of his own home and identity?

What are some reliable sources that can be used to back up statements in a research paper dealing with identity stereotypes and racism? Books and...

Great topic. I can help give you a great source on identity stereotypes.  I have been teaching gender stereotypes in my media class for about ten years now.  I feel that the best current source for information on and examples of gender stereotyping is "The Representation Project."  I'll post the link below. 

The site has a lot of great stats and infographics.  The project's two big endeavors have been two award winning documentaries.  The first...

Great topic. I can help give you a great source on identity stereotypes.  I have been teaching gender stereotypes in my media class for about ten years now.  I feel that the best current source for information on and examples of gender stereotyping is "The Representation Project."  I'll post the link below. 

The site has a lot of great stats and infographics.  The project's two big endeavors have been two award winning documentaries.  The first was the MissRepresentation film.  It focused squarely on female gender stereotypes, sexual objectification of women, and the consequences of both.  This past year, the Representation Project released the same kind of documentary about men and boys.  It is called The Mask You Live In.  It focuses on how the media typically sends boys and men the message that they have to be hyper masculine, violent, and emotionless voids.  

Adding on to my previous post, I can recommend a fairly solid website that focuses on racial, ethnic, and gender stereotyping in the media.  The website organization is "The Critical Media Project."  What's good about this site is that it doesn't focus only on a single type of stereotyping.  It has information and related links about gender stereotyping, racial stereotyping, and ethnic stereotyping.  It's a credible resource as well, because it is associated with the University of Southern California.  

In the eighth line of the poem "Love is not all," Edna St. Vincent Millay says, "Even as I speak" What is the relevance of this clause? Does it add...

Written in the sonnet form, the poem’s main theme is to bring home how important love is in one’s life. Interestingly, Edna St. Vincent Millay deals with this ever popular theme in quite an unconventional manner. She opens the sonnet with the ironic statement - “Love is not all.”

Until line six, Millay defines love in terms of what it is not or what it can’t do or achieve. This is a special literary device named...

Written in the sonnet form, the poem’s main theme is to bring home how important love is in one’s life. Interestingly, Edna St. Vincent Millay deals with this ever popular theme in quite an unconventional manner. She opens the sonnet with the ironic statement - “Love is not all.”

Until line six, Millay defines love in terms of what it is not or what it can’t do or achieve. This is a special literary device named litotes, that employs an ironical understatement in negative in order to further affirm the positive side of something. 

The poet says love can’t fulfill the needs essential to sustain life. For instance, love can’t satisfy appetite for food or quench thirst for water; nor can it cure diseases or save the life of a drowning man. Nevertheless, it’s vital. She says,

Yet many a man is making friends with death
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone

There are a lot of people that embrace death because they haven’t found love in their lives. They may posses every fundamental thing they need to survive, yet "for lack of love" they choose death over life.

The clause “Even as I speak” emphasizes the point that at every moment somebody is choosing death because they haven’t found love. Millay wants to make sure when a reader goes through this line, he or she must realize that at that very moment too, somebody is exchanging death for life as they have failed to find the warmth of love.

In this way the poet wants to emphasize that though love may not meet the basic requirements, it’s still indispensable part of life. Thus, using the clause "Even as I speak," Millay underscores the essential character of love, without which life may be unimaginable. 

How is courage portrayed in Chaucer's "The Knight's Tale"?

In "The Knight's Tale," the Knight primarily portrays courage on the battlefield, and he focuses on the deeds of noble warriors vying for the love of a single woman. Indeed, the climax of the story involves an organized battle between two former friends, Arcite and Palamon, who are fighting to win Emily's love. Both warriors conduct themselves honorably on the battlefield and abide by the code of chivalry. As such, we can see that, according...

In "The Knight's Tale," the Knight primarily portrays courage on the battlefield, and he focuses on the deeds of noble warriors vying for the love of a single woman. Indeed, the climax of the story involves an organized battle between two former friends, Arcite and Palamon, who are fighting to win Emily's love. Both warriors conduct themselves honorably on the battlefield and abide by the code of chivalry. As such, we can see that, according to the Knight, courage is a quality that is best suited for warfare. That said, the Knight's portrayal of courage in warfare never involves ruthlessness or cruelty. Instead, all of his warriors conduct themselves with nobility and dignity and choose to fight for noble causes (such as Emily's love). As such, though the Knight defines courage as a quality best suited for warfare, he also portrays it as a quality that is only exhibited in "civilized" warfare. This distinction is in keeping with the Knight's dignified and courteous personality. 

Which antebellum-era writer and intellectual described the Mexican war as a "dose of arsenic" to the American body politic?

Ralph Waldo Emerson described the Mexican War, and the acquisition of formerly Mexican territory, in this way. Of course, he turned out to be correct--the debate over the expansion of slavery into the territories formerly controlled by Mexico unleashed political forces that ultimately tore the country apart. So this quote is often cited as an example of Emerson's prescience. But interestingly, as historian George Herring has observed, Emerson wasn't really referring to the issue of...

Ralph Waldo Emerson described the Mexican War, and the acquisition of formerly Mexican territory, in this way. Of course, he turned out to be correct--the debate over the expansion of slavery into the territories formerly controlled by Mexico unleashed political forces that ultimately tore the country apart. So this quote is often cited as an example of Emerson's prescience. But interestingly, as historian George Herring has observed, Emerson wasn't really referring to the issue of slavery. Rather, he viewed the Mexican people as unable to function within American (by which he meant white) democratic society. Emerson, like many intellectuals of his time, tended to conflate race and culture, and he believed that the Mexican people, who he identified with Roman Catholicism and despotism (also conflated in the minds of many Americans) would undermine American democracy. This, of course, is astonishingly ironic from a historical perspective, but it was a powerful argument against Manifest Destiny (and one which would later be made against imperialism). When Emerson said "Mexico will poison us," he meant the Mexican people themselves, not the political debate over slavery that actually ensued.