What do each of the main figures in the cartoon represent ? What are they doing ?

The political cartoon, "Interrupting the Ceremony," appeared in the Chicago Tribune and is a critique on Woodrow Wilson's desire to have the United States enter the League of Nations. The League of Nations is depicted as the justice of the peace or preacher. He is attempting to wed Uncle Sam and a bride named "foreign entanglement." He is finishing the ceremony with the mandated "speak now or forever hold your peace."

The groom is good...

The political cartoon, "Interrupting the Ceremony," appeared in the Chicago Tribune and is a critique on Woodrow Wilson's desire to have the United States enter the League of Nations. The League of Nations is depicted as the justice of the peace or preacher. He is attempting to wed Uncle Sam and a bride named "foreign entanglement." He is finishing the ceremony with the mandated "speak now or forever hold your peace."

The groom is good ole' Uncle Sam. He always represents the United States in political cartoons. His reluctance to marry foreign entanglements is depicted by a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead and the look of misery portrayed in his frown. The bride is foreign entanglements. "Foreign entanglements" is the idea that by entering the League of Nations, the United States would be constantly embroiled in the affairs and conflicts of other states. She seems to be perfectly content with this union.

The most important actor in this cartoon is the old grandfather bursting through the church window. He is symbolised as the U.S. Senate, who by Constitutional right, would have to bless this union. As indicated by his jumping through glass with the U.S. Constitution in hand, the Senate obviously has serious objections. History tells us that the Senate arrived in a nick of time to stop this marriage.

I need help finding quotes for the theme of isolation in the book Frankenstein, but the 2nd edition, not the 1818 edition.

Isolation is a profound and dominant theme in the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. In her second publication of Frankenstein in 1831, there are numerous quotes about isolation for both Victor and the creature. For example:

Victor discusses his time in solitude making the creature.

“In a solitary chamber, or rather cell, at the top of the house, and separated from all the other apartments by a gallery and staircase, I kept my workshop of...

Isolation is a profound and dominant theme in the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. In her second publication of Frankenstein in 1831, there are numerous quotes about isolation for both Victor and the creature. For example:

Victor discusses his time in solitude making the creature.

“In a solitary chamber, or rather cell, at the top of the house, and separated from all the other apartments by a gallery and staircase, I kept my workshop of filthy creation.”

Furthermore, Victor reveals that he had been neglecting communicating with his loved ones.

"And the same feelings which made me neglect the scenes around me caused me also to forget those friends who were so many miles absent, and whom I had not seen for so long a time."

Not only did Victor feel isolated, but the creature echoed these feelings as well.

“If such lovely creatures were miserable, it was less strange that I, an imperfect and solitary being, should be wretched.”

The creature also illustrated this point while talking with De Lacey.

"I am an unfortunate and deserted creature, I look around and I have no relation or friend upon earth. These amiable people to whom I go have never seen me and know little of me. I am full of fears, for if I fail there, I am an outcast in the world forever."

These are a few example of the many quotes about isolation found in the 1831 edition of Frankenstein. Although there are numerous others, these illustrate the profound isolation that both characters felt and continued to feel throughout the novel. 

How does Lyddie react to being fired? What does she do to protect Brigid?

Lyddie is so taken aback by the interview when Mr. Marsden brings her before the company agent that she is speechless. Mr. Marsden accuses her of "moral turpitude," and she does not know what "turpitude" means. She is too embarrassed, of course, to ask them. The agent takes her silence as an admission of guilt, and before she knows it, she has been given her final pay with no honorable discharge, so she will be...

Lyddie is so taken aback by the interview when Mr. Marsden brings her before the company agent that she is speechless. Mr. Marsden accuses her of "moral turpitude," and she does not know what "turpitude" means. She is too embarrassed, of course, to ask them. The agent takes her silence as an admission of guilt, and before she knows it, she has been given her final pay with no honorable discharge, so she will be unable to get work at any other factory in town.

Feeling disgraced and defeated, she goes back to her room and packs her things. She explains to an incredulous Mrs. Bedlow that she has been let go, but not why. She then goes to the bank to withdraw her money and then to the bookstore, where she purchases a copy of Oliver Twist for Brigid and a dictionary. She is incensed when she learns that "turpitude" means having a "vile or shameful character." Back in her room, she quickly pens two letters.

She then stops to see Brigid at her home. She tells her that she has written to Mr. Marsden to say that if he ever bothers Brigid again, Lyddie will tell his wife "exactly what happened in the weaving room." She gives the second letter to Brigid, telling her to mail it to Mrs. Marsden if Mr. Marsden ever makes unwanted advances toward her again. After giving Brigid the book and saying good-bye, she accosts Mr. Marsden as he leaves the factory. She tells him she is not guilty of moral turpitude and then hands him the letter, telling him what it says. After that, she takes a stage to Boston to visit Diana.

What was the ship that was burned down in Chapter 11 of Gary D. Schmidt's novel Trouble, and why was it burned down?

In Chapter 11, the nature of the ship and why it was burned remain a mystery. One might assume it was a merchant ship, but far too much weaponry was found on the ship for it to have been a merchant ship, including five cutlasses, which are short swords used by sailors, two cannons, and muskets. In addition, clasps and heavy chains were found along the hull, the sort of chains used on...

In Chapter 11, the nature of the ship and why it was burned remain a mystery. One might assume it was a merchant ship, but far too much weaponry was found on the ship for it to have been a merchant ship, including five cutlasses, which are short swords used by sailors, two cannons, and muskets. In addition, clasps and heavy chains were found along the hull, the sort of chains used on slave ships. Yet, a slave ship would not be heavily laden with weaponry. It is also clear that the ship was run aground and intentionally burned, but no one can see the reason why.

It is not until Chapter 20 that the mystery is resolved. The ship had been captained with Henry's ancestor, Captain Thomas Smith, the same ancestor responsible for the Smith family fortune. The ship, called the Seaflower, had been used in battle during King Philip's War (1675-1676), an unsuccessful effort of the Native Americans to drive English settlers out of New England. Captain Smith had then used the Seaflower to dispense with 180 Native Americans captured and enslaved during the war. Captain Smith had been unsuccessful selling the Native American slaves in the Caribbean and West Africa, so he sold them in Morocco. When he returned, he burned his ship.

As Thaddeus Baxter explains to Henry in Millinocket, Maine, no one knows exactly why Captain Smith burned his ship, but one can speculate he was so overwhelmed with guilt over his actions that he burned his ship and lived the rest of his life as a recluse. Another possibility is that he burned it because it was wrecked.

How can we write an equation for a line that does not go pass the y-axis ? What would the "b" in the equation be ?

The slope intercept form of a line is given as :

y = mx + b

where, m is the slope of the line and b is the y-intercept (value of y when x = 0, or when line crosses the y-axis). 

If a line does not intersect y-axis, then it is parallel to y-axis or perpendicular to the x-axis. In this case, at every point of the line, the y-coordinate will be equal to...

The slope intercept form of a line is given as :

y = mx + b

where, m is the slope of the line and b is the y-intercept (value of y when x = 0, or when line crosses the y-axis). 

If a line does not intersect y-axis, then it is parallel to y-axis or perpendicular to the x-axis. In this case, at every point of the line, the y-coordinate will be equal to 0. 

Hence, for a line that does not intersect the y-axis, the value of y-intercept (b) would always be 0. 

Similarly, the slope of the line will be undefined, since the slope is given as (y2-y1)/(x2-x1) or, (y2-y1)/0.

In fact, the slope-intercept form of the line equation does not work for this particular case: case of a vertical line.

Hope this helps. 

How does the Mississippi River act as a "spine" in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

In Mark Twain's novel, Huckleberry Finn's adventures are more like vignettes than chapters; the flow of a single story is difficult to pin down, and some readers find this confusing and frustrating. The best analogy for Twain's style with this novel is to think of it like a TV show in which each episode features the same cast and many of the same themes, but the setting or conflicts might change: Scrubs, Law and Order...

In Mark Twain's novel, Huckleberry Finn's adventures are more like vignettes than chapters; the flow of a single story is difficult to pin down, and some readers find this confusing and frustrating. The best analogy for Twain's style with this novel is to think of it like a TV show in which each episode features the same cast and many of the same themes, but the setting or conflicts might change: Scrubs, Law and Order SVU, 30 Rock, The Office, Master of None. These are all TV shows whose episodes slowly build characters and themes rather than an overarching plot, which happens in shows like Jane the Virgin, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Leftovers. 

However, over the course of the novel, there is one connective setting that ties each vignette (or episode, if you will) to the next and develops the main characters (Huck and Jim): The Mississippi River. Acting as a proverbial spine, each vignette branches from the River, which itself features much of the character and thematic development of the protagonists. Without the River, the story would have no rational means of connecting each story with the next - no backbone. 

How are Lennie and George different from other people on the farm?

Lennie and George share a firm and lasting friendship and this state of companionship sets them apart from the other men on the ranch. 

The job of being a ranch hand entails a considerable amount of movement for many of the men, forcing them to travel to find work. In addition to a rather solitary sensibility that functions almost as a (masculine) code of values, the prevailing conditions of farm work during the Great Depression in California presented in the book serve to isolate individuals from one another.

There is a notable lack of friendship -- lasting or otherwise -- among the men on the ranch. Slim is admired, but holds himself somewhat aloof. Candy is very nice and friendly, yet until George and Lennie arrived he seems to have had no actual friendships on the ranch.

Added to the isolation produced by migratory patterns and a stoic social code, there are also class and race differences that keep people divided. Curley has no friends in part because he tries to maintain a class-based distance between himself as a representative of ownership and men who labor on the ranch.

George and Lennie defy the odds and maintain a remarkable friendship. The fact of this friendship makes the pair different from the others on the ranch.  

"If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody give a damn. But not us.”

Lennie broke in. “But not us! An’ why? Because…because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” He laughed delightedly. “Go on now, George!”

The stability of this friendship may be partly responsible for helping George and Lennie forge a shared dream as well wherein they will have a stake in their own labor by taking ownership of a small farm of their own. 

George and Lennie are conscious of their special status as men with a social network, however meager it may appear to the reader. Others are equally aware of this difference in the pair and this awareness is noted throughout the novel by the boss, Candy, Slim and others. 

More than any other elements of their characters, it is the friendship shared by George and Lennie that makes them different from the others on the ranch.