In "A Modest Proposal," how will the narrator's plan impact the abortion and murder rate of children? Explain.

The narrator argues that his plan for the poor to raise and fatten their babies to be sold as food for the tables of the rich will have the positive impact of lowering both the abortion rate and the murder rate of children. Once the poor know they can make a profit on their babies, they will lose interest in aborting them. Likewise, they will be unlikely to commit infanticide on what the narrator calls "their bastard children" when they recognize that these babies will fetch money on the open market. Further, the narrator argues that the parents will take much better care of their babies once they realize what a valuable commodity they are.

Clearly, Swift is being ironic in having his narrator praise the possibility of lowered abortion and murder rates when, at the end of the year, these babies will be killed anyway as a food source. 

What are two characteristics of Jing-mei in "Two Kinds"?

The story's title refers to a statement Jing-mei's mother makes about the two kinds of daughters that exist in the world: those who are obedient and those who "follow their own mind." Jing-mei makes the choice to be the second kind of daughter, and she defies her mother's commands to practice piano. Previously she had failed to become the prodigy her mother wanted her to be. She had deceived her mother into thinking she was working at piano lessons, but at the talent show, she displayed her sloppy playing, causing embarrassment for herself and her mother. After that failure, Jing-mei feels her will getting stronger. She concludes, "I didn't have to do what my mother said anymore. I wasn't her slave."

However, the willfulness that Jing-mei's mother perceives in her is not the only thing that is awakening in her daughter. Jing-mei is more and more craving authenticity, the right to be who she is. Her mother doesn't realize how hurtful her aspirations for her daughter are; Jing-mei takes them as a rejection of herself, at one point lashing out with the words, "Why don't you like me the way I am?" Later, when her mother tries to physically force her to play piano, she sobs, "You want me to be someone that I'm not!" 

Summarizing their relationship as Jing-mei grew older, Jing-mei states, "I failed her so many times, each time asserting my own will." She explains that even though her mother believed her daughter could be anything she wanted to be, "I could only be me." Thus the two characteristics of Jing-mei that put her at odds with her mother were her willfulness and her desire for authenticity--being true to herself. 

How were the Industrial Revolution and European imperialism connected during the nineteenth century?

The Industrial Revolution and European imperialism were connected in several ways. One was that the Industrial Revolution created a demand for raw materials, including oil, rubber, timber, and iron, to name a few. Europeans sought cheap sources of these raw materials, and looked to colonies as a means of securing a steady supply. Another way was that the Industrial Revolution created what many saw at the time as a need for captive, secure markets. Many economists warned of the dangers of overproduction, which would be the inevitable result, they thought, of increasing efficiency in industry. Overproduction, it was argued, would lead to economic depression (as many thought it had during both the 1870s and 1890s). Securing markets for surplus European manufactured goods (China was especially inviting) was thus a major motive for imperialism. Finally, industrialization created the technology, especially weapons, that gave Europeans such a decided advantage over peoples around the world. In short, it made it possible for Europeans to colonize distant lands. It might also be argued that the Industrial Revolution gave some Europeans an ideological motive for imperialism. They interpreted their technological power as evidence of moral and even racial superiority, both of which justified conquest and colonization.

Who won the battle of the Spanish Armada and why?

In 1588, a famous naval battle took place between the Spanish Armada and the English navy. Spain and England had been in conflict in the late 1500s. England was interfering with Spain’s trade and had supported people, such as the people of the Netherlands, fighting against Spain. Thus, the Spanish set out to fight and to defeat England.

The English used various tactics to defeat the Spanish Armada. The English navy relentlessly attacked the Spanish fleet as it tried to prepare to enter the English Channel. The British, whose ships were better equipped and faster than the Spanish fleet, also sent some unmanned ships, which were ablaze, toward the Spanish fleet. The Spanish panicked, broke their formation, and were then attacked by the British fleet. The British fleet defeated the Spanish Armada. The Spanish fleet decided to sail around the British Isles, going North around Scotland, back to Spain. However, bad weather and a shortage of necessary materials destroyed a good portion of the Spanish fleet.

In the defeat of the Spanish Armada, Spain lost over half of its fleet and many of its military personnel. This victory by Britain established Britain as a very powerful country.

Critically analyze the uniqueness of Sylvia Plath in the poems "Mirror" and "Morning Song."

In the poems "Mirror" and "Morning Song," the most obvious sign of Sylvia Plath's uniqueness is found in her nearly uncomfortable level of honesty in portraying the inner life of a woman. "Mirror" was first published in the posthumous collection entitled Crossing the Water (1971) and a note in the front-matter indicates that it was likely written in 1960 or 1961. “Morning Song” was also published posthumously in Plath’s most famous poetry collection, Ariel, in 1965. 

“Mirror” is a first-person-voiced poem that describes what the mirror “sees” day in and day out without using very emotional terms. The mirror describes itself as “not cruel, only truthful,” and although the tone is one of fact-reporting without judgment, the mirror’s description of the woman who owns it warrants sympathy. The fact that the mirror offers none makes it seem cruel. Even though personification is a common literary tool, there is something about Plath’s creation of distance between the mirror’s observations and the mirror’s self-perception that is downright eerie. Plath also uses the personification of the mirror to subtly suggest some level of judgment (outside or societal, perhaps) cast upon women as they get older, or don’t “age well." The woman observing herself in the mirror is clearly distraught as she gets older. 

“Morning Song” is honestly the most unique poem I have ever encountered about childbirth and nursing a newborn and all of the emotions that go along with that. Plath’s expressions toward (presumably) her daughter Frieda are somewhat hostile, which is not how people expect a new mother to feel about her baby. She claims, “I’m no more your mother / Than the cloud that distills a mirror. . .” and describes herself as “cow-heavy and floral / In my Victorian nightgown.” These lines are admissions that many new mothers can probably relate to, but rarely dare to put words to. The fact that Plath was brave enough to do so in a time when talking about these things was only just becoming acceptable is extremely unique.

How do we use the speed of light in the real world?

There are a number of uses of speed of light in our daily life. The SI unit of distance measurement, meter, is defined by using the speed of light. A meter is the distance travelled by light in 1/c seconds, where C is the speed of light. We use distance measurement several times a day (like the distance of a vehicle from us, during driving, etc.). Another application of speed of light is in lasers, which travel at the same speed as light and are used in our daily life. Another application of speed of light is during driving, especially at night. The light of oncoming vehicles gives us an idea of their distance from us and is also used to figure out turns in the road. 

Hope this helps.

What does Robert Frost want to convey through the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening?"

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" can be read as an allegory. Frost devotes the first three stanzas of the poem to describe the woods he comes across while he was on his way to accomplish some important task. But it's only in the final stanza, he reveals the main theme of the poem. 

He halts for the serenity and bewitching beauty of the place holds him spellbound. He lingers there for a while pleasing himself with the peaceful joy the woods offer him in that “snowy evening.”

The snow has covered the entire place. The soft snow hangs over the trees and the lake has frozen completely. The only sound that can be heard in that uninhabited place is that of the horse’s “harness bells” and “the sweep / Of easy wind and downy flake.”

The pristine and idyllic beauty of the woods casts a spell on him making him reluctant to move on. But soon he recalls he has “promises to keep.” He ought not to linger there pleasing himself rather continue with his journey. He’s still “miles to go.”

So, we see he faces a dilemma. On the one hand he wants to prolong his stay in the woods and revel in the delight that he hasn’t found anywhere else, while on the other hand, he knows he must leave instantly to fulfill his duty.

What the poet wants to convey is, perhaps, the fact that life often comes up with attractive enticements once we have made up our mind to stop not until our goal is achieved. It makes our journey even more arduous and challenging.

The poet, too, is offered a similar enticement in the form of the beautiful woods. There’s nobody to question him or order him to leave the place. But he wouldn’t indulge in self-gratification. He would forsake this pleasure to keep his promises.