What positive and negative influences did the Industrial Revolution have on employment?

The Industrial Revolution arose during the 18th century in England due to shifts in technology and had both positive and negative effects on the lives of workers.

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing took place on a small scale. There might be a local blacksmith who would make metal items necessary for farming but families were also likely to make their own cloth for clothing. A miller would process grains for a village so that families could turn their own wheat into flour.

During the late 18th century, all this began to change. For example, looms became larger, which made it possible to create cloth factories. Technology created automatic processes for weaving patterns in cloth which meant that weavers could work faster without having to focus on maintaining the pattern themselves. Instead of weaving their own cloth, housewives bought factory-made cloth.

With the rise of factories, employment opportunities increased. No longer did a person have to be in a long apprenticeship prior to being able to make a living; factory jobs did not require nearly as much training. Thus, it became easier to work for money and jobs were plentiful.

The problem is that these jobs were often exploitive. Steam power, on which factories in the 19th century ran, was dangerous. A boiler could explode and kill hundreds of people in short order; disasters happened to working people in the past, but because of the scale of factories, more people could die quickly if an accident happened.

It was expensive to create a factory and industrialists were eager to see profits. As a result, they kept wages down and work hours long. It was cheaper to hire children from poor families, so these youngsters were denied an education and, instead, worked long hours. Sarah Cleghorn wrote a famous poem about this situation:

The golf links lie so near the mill

That almost every day

The laboring children can look out

And see the men at play.

Thus, while the industrial revolution made jobs more accessible to people, the quality of life for those who worked in the factories suffered due to long hours of work in poor and dangerous conditions.  

Why does Telemachus doubt that it is indeed his father, Odysseus, who he sees enter the swineherd’s hut?

The reunion between Odysseus and Telemachus is very moving. Odysseus, still in disguise as a beggar, meets Telemachus in the swineherd's hut. Athena tells Odysseus it is time for him to remove his disguise and reveal his true nature to his son, so she waves her golden wand and returns him to normal. Odysseus tells Telemachus that he is his father, but Telemachus cannot believe him. After so many years of waiting for his father to return, Telemachus believes that one of the gods must be playing a trick on him. He exclaims:

You are not my father, but some god is flattering me with vain hopes that I may grieve the more hereafter; no mortal man could of himself contrive to do as you have been doing, and make yourself old and young at a moment's notice, unless a god were with him. A second ago you were old and all in rags, and now you are like some god come down from heaven.

However, Odysseus reassures his son that it is indeed he. Thus reassured, Telemachus embraces his father in a very touching scene.

Nevertheless, the reunion between Odysseus and Telemachus is also ironic. As the royal family, the king and prince should have reunited in the palace, surrounded by great pomp and splendor. However, this king and prince reunited in a servant's hut!

Is it true that direct current changes direction, flowing back and forth at regular intervals?

There are two types of electrical current: direct current (also known as DC) and alternating current (also known AC). Direct current is unidirectional. That is, it flows in only one direction and hence does not change directions. We commonly use direct current in battery operated equipment such as flash lights, watches, mobile phones, etc. 

Alternating current or AC is the current that changes directions back and forth at regular intervals. In fact, it changes directions 60 times per second in electrical supplies in the US. That is why the frequency of AC in the US is 60 Hz. For many regions of the world, the frequency of AC is 50 Hz (or 50 cycles per second). Most of our household products work on AC. AC is also useful because of low transmission losses, as compared to DC.

Hope this helps. 

How does Benvolio's name match his temperament?

Benvolio is good and even-tempered. He is aptly named by Shakespeare because the prefix of his name, "ben," is a Latin root meaning good. It is also the prefix for such words as benefit (to gain good results), benevolent (kindhearted) and benign (not harmful). Twice during the play he tries to do the right thing and avoid violence.

In Act I, Scene 1, he attempts to dissuade the servants of the Montagues and Capulets from fighting in the streets of Verona. When challenged by Tybalt he calls for restraint:

I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword,
Or manage it to part these men with me.

In Act III, Scene 1, he also is the voice of reason when he and Mercutio are in the street. He is afraid the Capulets will come along and they will fight. He knows that Mercutio is quick-tempered and that if they meet Tybalt there will be trouble. He says,

I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire.
The day is hot, the Capels are abroad,
And if we meet we shall not ’scape a brawl,
For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.

His words foreshadow the impending fight which winds up taking the lives of both Mercutio and Tybalt. During that same scene he does the right thing by telling the Prince the truth about the conflict and that Romeo was only engaging Tybalt after Mercutio was killed. His words lead the Prince to banish Romeo rather than put him to death.

What is it about Montresor that makes him an especially effective enemy to Fortunato? Give an example from another book, film, or TV show in which...

Montresor is an especially effective enemy of Fortunato because he has made Fortunato and everyone who knows these two men believe that they are the best of friends. Montresor is cunning, and it is his cunning that enables him to make Fortunato believe he is his good friend. Therefore, Fortunato trusts him, and when Fortunato disappears, nobody will ever suspect Montresor of foul play because they are sure that he and Fortunato were very good friends.

The one character is classic literature who resembles Montresor in this respect is Iago in Shakespeare's Othello. Iago has Othello convinced that Iago is honest and that he is Othello's friend. Even after Othello has killed Desdemona as a result of Iago's villainous machinations, he speaks highly of Iago, who has completely deceived him.

EMILIA:
O mistress, villainy hath made mocks with love!
My husband say that she was false!

OTHELLO:
He, woman;
I say thy husband. Dost understand the word?
My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago.

A more modern instance of Montresor's type of villainy can be seen in the excellent 1998 movie The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey. Truman Burbank discovers that he has been on an internationally popular television show ever since he was a baby, and that the woman he is supposedly married to is a professional actress working for the producers of "The Truman Show." The show relies for its income on advertising inserted in the scripted drama in what is called "product placement." Truman also discovers that the man who has been his best friend since childhood is also a professional actor who works for the show and has only been pretending to be his friend for all these years. This "friend" is as cunning and insidious as Montresor. In fact, everyone in the show is a professional actor except for Truman himself, who has been kept in ignorance all his life while being photographed from countless concealed video cameras in the totally artificial town where he grew up.

What are two explanations for why some RNA molecules are cut and spliced?

The main reason some RNA is cut and spliced is to remove duplicate or inactive sections after the mRNA (messenger RNA) is transcribed from DNA. DNA contains the instructions for making proteins. When it is transcribed by mRNA, the mRNA contains areas that are not needed in order to make the resulting proteins. These unnecessary segments are called introns. They are removed, leaving the entrons, which are the segments that are then read and translated into the protein. The mechanism by which the cutting and splicing occurs is through a spliceosome. The first link below contains an animation of this process.

The second reason mRNA is cut and spliced is that it makes it possible for one segment of DNA to code for several different proteins, depending on what is kept as part of the mRNA, and what is eliminated.

Which chemical is used to produce anti-iron properties in copper ?

I think you must be mistaken with your phrase "anti-iron."  I have never heard of this phrase before.  A quick search around the internet shows absolutely no credible mention of the phrase "anti-iron."  I think you might be talking about antimicrobial uses of copper metal.  There have been numerous studies over the years of the antimicrobial effects of copper metal.  There does not need to be any chemical added to copper to make it antimicrobial.  Pure, clean copper metal does appear to kill many strains of disease causing bacteria completely on its own.  In fact, the FDA has allowed for some copper metal products to be advertised as antimicrobial agents for disinfectant type uses.  Hospitals can use copper doorknobs and bed railings to help prevent the spread of disease.  Other disinfectant uses include having copper shopping cart handles and computer keyboards.

What effect is achieved by having both Antony and Octavius speak well of Brutus at his death in Julius Caesar?

The venerating of Brutus serves to foreshadow trouble between Antony and Octavius, who are both trying to bring about peace and gain more power for themselves.

When you are the victor, you can afford to be eloquent.  Antony and Octavius both had reasons for posthumously pardoning Brutus.  They want an end to the civil war, highlighting the fact that they are the ones in charge.  The best way to bring about peace quickly is to take Brutus’s soldiers into their own armies.  To do this smoothly, they want to acknowledge what Brutus was fighting for.

Antony begins by saying that Brutus was “the noblest Roman of them all” (Act 5, Scene 5).  He goes on to explain that Brutus did what he did not out of ambition or anger, but because he genuinely believed it was good for Rome.

All the conspirators save only he
Did that they did in envy of great Caesar;
He only, in a general honest thought
And common good to all, made one of them. (Act 5, Scene 5)

Fine sentiments of course.  He is saying that Brutus died an honorable death, and therefore his soldiers can maintain their honor.  Antony wants those soldiers to like him.  He has been maintaining a precarious rule with Octavius and Lepidus, but would rather be the sole ruler of Rome.

Octavius feels the same way.  As much as Antony is loved by Roman soldiers, he cannot match Octavius for cunning and guile.  Octavius acknowledges Antony’s words, and goes one step further.

According to his virtue let us use him,
With all respect and rites of burial.
Within my tent his bones to-night shall lie,
Most like a soldier, order'd honourably. (Act 5, Scene 5)

You have to remember that Brutus was responsible for killing Octavius’s “father,” Julius Caesar.  He has every right to want revenge.  Still, by being gracious and taking charge of the body, he is saying that he harbors no ill will.  (Of course, rumor has it that he actually detached Brutus’s head and tried to send it back to Rome.  Clearly there was ill will.)

Note also that Octavius has already absorbed all of Brutus’s soldiers into his own army, when he said “All that served Brutus, I will entertain them.”  He is making a play to make himself stronger, so that he can eventually oust Antony and be the sole ruler of Rome.  It takes some time, but he does it.

This scene perfectly describes the politics of Rome.  We fought a war, now we are all on the same side.  It also foreshadows the trouble between Antony and Octavius.  The two are hardly best friends, and share power only grudgingly.  Each is biding his time until he can oust the other.  This will not be Rome's last civil war.

Why did Elie Wiesel become an atheist?

Eliezer Wiesel was born on September 30, 1928, and died on July 2, 2016. Wiesel is remembered as one of the most influential literary and social figures of the 20th century for his writings and public speaking on The Holocaust. In 1944, Wiesel and his family were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where his parents and siblings were killed. Wiesel has written about his experiences leading up to and during his time in the concentration camps in his memoir, Night. In this book, he recounts that he began to struggle with his understanding of God. How could God, any God, especially a kind and loving one, allow such atrocities to happen? There is nothing godly in what happened under the Nazi regime. In fact, many of Wiesel's writings are highly critical of God or the idea of God as understood in the Jewish and Abrahamic traditions. 

Though Wiesel became highly critical of God and struggled with his own relationship with God, he never said he had outright renounced God. I do not think Wiesel ever identified as an atheist or implied that he was one. In fact, despite his criticisms of God and the cruelties he lived through, Wiesel continued to believe in God. Often asked about whether or why he believed in God, Wiesel expressed some ambiguity but said that he did not give up on God for the same reasons he did not give up on humanity.

With that in mind, it seems Wiesel did falter in his faith or relationship with God during and after his time in concentration camps, but he never fully renounced the Jewish faith.

How did Daniel's mother die in The Bronze Bow?

Daniel’s mother died of grief and from contracting an illness after the crucifixion and subsequent death of her husband. Exposure to the cold weather when mourning her husband may have caused the terrible illness, perhaps pneumonia, that led to her death. She stayed at the site of the crucifixion for a few days until her death.

Daniel’s uncle failed to pay his taxes, and his punishment was to work in the quarries. However, Daniel’s father tried to intervene. Together with his friends, he attempted to free the uncle as the prisoners headed for the quarries. The rescue mission was botched, and they were all arrested. The punishment for the act was crucifixion. Daniel and his sister were thus orphaned at a tender age. They were taken in by their aging grandmother.

The struggle for equality, both social and racial, is a major theme in modern Western history. Discuss the evolution of Western society away from a...

Although radical income inequalities still exist in the west, there have been many changes in both laws and attitudes leading to greater class and economic equality. Much of the power of the hereditary nobility was limited in the French Revolution and by the Reform bills in Britain before the twentieth century. 

Since 1945, most western countries have passed legislation making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race. In the United States, a landmark was the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended such practices as separate schools, bus seats, and drinking fountains for white and black people. Women have slowly gained equal rights, including the right to vote, over the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries. Many western countries have legalized gay marriage in the past decade and otherwise passed measures to prevent discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and similar legislation in other countries provides greater equality for the disabled.

This being said, the Gini coefficient, a measure of economic inequality, after a brief decline, has been rising for the past decade, and may suggest that despite legal protections for minorities and the elimination of many privileges of a hereditary nobility, western societies may not be significantly more equal now than they were in previous centuries. 

What is the theme of the novel Fahrenheit 451?

The novel has more than one theme, but a major theme is that books, because they contain complex language and ideas, can empower people to become fully human. In the dystopic world of this novel, firemen have become people who raid homes and burn books, which the state has outlawed. Instead of reading, individuals are encouraged to watch mindless drivel and propaganda on giant television screens. This flattens, dulls and empties life. For example, fireman Montag's wife tries to commit suicide by taking a bottle of pills. She doesn't remember the incident, but it reveals the barrenness of her television-addicted existence. Montag himself becomes interested in books after encounters with a perceptive young neighbor, Clarisse, awaken him from his stupor of mindless living.

Another theme of the book is risk-taking: books symbolize risk and Montag can only become fully human as he embraces the world of books and leaves his old, safe life behind.

What is the literal meaning of the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost?

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost is a poem consisting of four quatrains written from the point of view of a first-person narrator. 

In the first stanza, the narrator is standing at the fork in a road through the woods. The area is the countryside in New England and the forest has dense overgrowth, suggesting it is virgin forest. The phrase "yellow wood" suggests that it is fall, when in New England the leaves of birches turn yellow. 

The narrator looks at the two roads, and notes that one is slightly less traveled, as evidenced by its being covered in grass. He decides to take the less-traveled road.

He notes in the third stanza that no one has traveled on either road recently because the fallen leaves are yellow rather than turning black as they do after people step on them. 

In the fourth stanza he imagines how he will think back on this decision in the future, saying:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

What are examples of parallelism found in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird? What are the page numbers?

Parallelism is a literary device in which a writer or speaker creates sentences made up of parts that are grammatically the same or at least similar in terms of "construction, sound, meaning or meter" (Literary Devices, "Parallelism"). Parallelism is especially created through repetition. The Literary Devices dictionary gives us the example, "Alice ran into the room, into the garden, and into our hearts." Here, the repetition of prepositional phrases beginning with "into" creates parallel structure. In To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee frequently uses parallelism to establish tone and develop themes

One example of parallelism can be found in the first chapter. In her narration, Scout describes Maycomb and its society during the Great Depression. One thing she notes is that days seemed to be longer because "people moved slowly" as they "ambled across the square." She particularly uses parallelism in the following description:

There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County.

Here, beginning multiple phrases with a negative, such as "no," "nowhere," and "nothing," creates repetition, thereby also creating parallelism. Through the parallelism, Scout depicts the financial distress the town is in while also depicting the generally relaxed attitude of the town's citizens. The townspeople are not in a panicked frenzy as one might expect them to be during such a devastating time period; instead, they feel relaxed and a sense of optimism that helps set the tone of the rest of the novel.

A second example of parallelism can be found in Chapter 23, soon after the trial. Aunt Alexandra offends Scout by denying her permission to play with Walter Cunningham and calling him "trash." In an effort to appease Scout, Jem tries to explain their aunt's point of view by explaining what he has come to understand about the different types of people in the world:

I've thought about it a lot lately and I've got it all figured out. There's four kinds of folks in the world. There's the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there's the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes. (Ch. 23)

Here, in each clause of the sentence, Jem's repetition of the contraction "there's" plus his repetition of the phrase "kind like" creates parallelism. Though Scout disagrees with his conclusions, his analysis of different people underscores a major theme in the book--differences in education levels creates differences in people that leads to prejudiced hatred.

As different published editions of the book will have different page numbers, only approximations can be given. The above passages are found in approximately the middle of the very first chapter and on approximately the second-to-last page of Chapter 23.

In "The Tell-Tale Heart," what ritual had the narrator performed for seven successive nights?

The narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart" lives with an older man, a man he claims to love, a man who "had never wronged [him]."  It is possible that this man is the narrator's father, but we never find out for sure.  The narrator, however, is particularly disturbed by one of the old man's eyes.  "It resembled that of a vulture -- a pale blue eye, with a film over it," and when the old man looks at the narrator, the younger man's "blood ran cold."  Since the narrator describes the eye as having "a film over it," it seems likely that the old man suffers from cataracts in that eye, an ailment associated with old age.  Further, because the narrator compares the eye to a vulture's, and vultures are associated with death, it is possible that the old man's eye serves as a reminder of the narrator's own mortality -- an apparently unwelcome thought.  Thus, he determined to kill the old man in order to never have to see that terrible eye (and so be reminded of his own inevitable death) again.

In order to accomplish this goal, 

every night, about midnight, [the narrator] turned the latch of [the old man's] door and opened it -- oh, so gently! And then, when [he] had made an opening sufficient for [his] head, [he] put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then [he] thrust in [his] head.

The narrator claims that it took a full hour just to insert his head into the room, and he moved very slowly so as not to wake the old man.  Midnight is also often associated with death, because it is the death of day, so it seems particularly appropriate that the narrator would begin at this time each night.  Once his head is in, he opens the lantern "cautiously -- oh, so cautiously [... so] that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye."  However, each night "for seven long nights," the eye was closed and so the narrator could not kill the old man.

On the eighth night, the sound of the lantern clicking as the narrator's finger slips wakes the old man.  After waiting an excruciatingly long time, the narrator opens his lantern, its light falling "full upon the vulture eye" so that he sees the "hideous veil [...] that chilled the very marrow in [his] bones," and he commits the murder.

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, why does the creature kill Henry Clerval?

Interesting question! In the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein’s creature kills Clerval. Although Clerval never personally hurts or injures the creature before this incident (even though he does call the creature a “Hideous monster”), the creature believes that he must seek revenge against Victor’s for his wrongdoings. As a result, Clerval experiences the creature’s wrath.

In the story, Clerval is an innocent young man who is a close friend of Victor's. As a result, the creature murders Clerval to seek revenge for the pain that Victor causes the creature (such as the pain from being created and rejected by Victor). As the creature states:

“Frankenstein! you belong then to my enemy—to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim.”

Thus, once the creature discovers that young Clerval is related to his creator (they're friends), the creature murders Clerval. Although the creature does not initially plan on committing this murder, his desire for revenge incites this crime.

In "The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving, what would be a good general statement about Tom Walker?

A good general statement about Tom would probably refer to his personality and demeanor, but a better statement would evaluate this as well as his role in the plot and his contribution to the story's message (as this is a clearly moralistic tale and Tom's nature is integral to that moral).

General things we can surmise about Tom is that he is miserly, lacking in taste, wholly consumed by greed, and basically an awful person. The one redeeming trait he was granted in the course of the story was his refusal to participate in slavery. 

The central morals of the story are similar or identical to those that appear in other Faustian tales; corruption and evil bring short-term rewards in exchange for eternal damnation. The main difference regarding Tom is that he is entirely unconcerned with knowledge, self-improvement or the betterment of the physical world, causes for which a Faustian bargain might make his situation more complex and morally interesting. Instead, this story is basically a revenge story; Tom is depicted as "getting what's coming to him." From this, we could make general statements about Tom like "you can judge a book by its cover," "financial success is no substitute for low character" or "the sinful will be punished in good time."

Regarding Tom himself, we could say that his corruption was in fact complete before his deal with Old Scratch; the disappearance of his wife and his gain of the treasure simply allowed him to bring the full depths of his depravity to their greatest articulation.

Briefly describe the historical significance of the Dobbin House in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

The Dobbin House in Gettysburg was created in the same year as America declared its independence and is in a Pennsylvania town that is important to American history.  Alexander Dobbin, an early pioneer of Gettysburg built a farm and school on the property after securing 300 acres of land in the 1770's. The Dobbin House still remains in Gettysburg as the oldest building in town. This historical site was important in the 19th Century as a station along the Underground Railroad to hide escaped slaves seeking passage north.  The structure also was utilized as a hospital for soldiers that were wounded in the fateful Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War.  Since most of the house and its contents have been preserved, the building is a very good resource for understanding life in 18th and 19th Century America.

In "The Most Dangerous Game", what is the verbal irony in the title?

Richard Connel's short story "The Most Dangerous Game" is about a deadly hunt on a remote island between two men. Sanger Rainsford, a big game hunter from America, is the protagonist and General Zaroff, a Cossack military officer, the antagonist. Rainsford meets Zaroff when he accidentally falls off his yacht while passing Zaroff's island.

The title uses verbal irony to describe what happens in the story. Verbal irony is when a writer says one thing, but really means something different. Initially, the reader may think Connel's title refers to a real game that for some reason has become perilous.

In fact, the title has a double meaning. On one hand, it does portray a game (defined as something played) which has turned deadly. Zaroff reveals to Rainsford that, because he's grown bored with hunting animals, he now hunts men on his remote island and suggests Rainsford join him. When Rainsford refuses, the General sets his guest loose on the island and proceeds to hunt him down. Zaroff describes the "game":

"You'll find this game worth playing," the general said enthusiastically. "Your brain against mine. Your woodcraft against mine. Your strength and stamina against mine. Outdoor chess! And the stake is not without value, eh?" 

On the other hand, game can also be defined as an animal that is being hunted. In this case, Rainsford becomes the game. He is ultimately dangerous because he not only kills Zaroff's servant, his best dog, but in the end, the general himself when they duel in Zaroff's bedroom in the finale of the story.

What is a gust front?

A gust front, also known as an outflow boundary, is created when air that has been cooled by a thunderstorm sinks rapidly. When this air gets to the ground it spreads out, creating the gust front that moves through an area ahead of a thunderstorm.

As precipitation falls, it can evaporate in the relatively dry air of the lower atmosphere. As this happens, the air cools and becomes more dense. This cool, dense air sinks toward the ground as part of the downdraft and creates the gust front once it hits the ground and begins spreading out. Because of this, the gust front separates the warm, humid air that is feeding the thunderstorm in the updraft with the cool, dry air that is in the downdraft of the thunderstorm. 

Shelf clouds and roll clouds can form along gust fronts, and the winds generated can be very intense and damaging. If the winds are especially damaging, it is known as a downburst.

How would you compare and contrast the Wife of Bath with the old woman in Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath's Tale"?

There are many comparisons that can be made between the Wife of Bath and the old woman in her tale, and the most important one is that both characters are seeking to establish female sovereignty in a misogynistic world. For example, in her lengthy prologue before the tale, the Wife of Bath expounds on the need for women to gain more independence, especially in their relationships with men, and she uses extensive descriptions of her many marriages to back up her arguments. Likewise, the old woman in the tale argues that women want sovereignty in their romantic relationships, and she ultimately gains said sovereignty by asserting her authority within her marriage to the knight.

Despite the many similarities between the Wife and the old woman, there are a few differences. For instance, the old woman regains her youth by the end of the tale, while the Wife (who yearns to attain the lost beauty of her younger days) remains advanced in years. This disparity highlights an important characteristic of the Wife: by including an aged character who regains her youth in her tale, the Wife reveals how important youth is to her. As such, while the Wife is clearly progressive in many ways, she still seems to abide by the misogynistic belief that women are only powerful/beautiful if they are young.   

Towards the end of the operation Nick's father puts something into the basin. What do you think it could have been?

The thing that Nick's father puts in the basin is the placenta. The placenta is an organ that feeds the baby in the womb, and is usually delivered after the baby is born. The fact that Hemingway doesn't say what it is that goes in the basin says a lot about he storytelling style. Although told from a third person point of view, much of what happens in the story is seen through Nick's eyes. Nick, of course, does not understand everything that is going on; he wants to help his father, and be brave, but really he is not fully prepared for the scene he witnesses at the Indian camp. Because the reader understands things the way Nick does, much of the significance of what happens is left unsaid, and our job as readers is to figure it out. The "something" Nick's father puts into the basin is only one of many mysteries Nick and the reader can try to solve.

Why does Kino's wife always wake before him in Chapter One of The Pearl?

Juana wakes before Kino because it is her duty to take care of the household. 

Juana is a good wife and a good mother.  She takes these responsibilities seriously.  The tribe’s division of labor is very old-fashioned.  It is Juana’s job to get breakfast ready and take care of the baby.  Thus it makes sense that she will wake before Kino. 

Juana's eyes were open too. Kino could never remember seeing them closed when he awakened. Her dark eyes made little reflected stars. She was looking at him as she was always looking at him when he awakened. (Ch. 1) 

Kino values this in her.  He considers her a good mother because she goes through the morning routine, quietly, day in and day out.  Kino is the man of the house, so he does not share the responsibilities with her.  He doesn’t tend to the baby or get breakfast.  That is women’s work. 

Behind him Juana's fire leaped into flame and threw spears of light through the chinks of the brush-house wall and threw a wavering square of light out the door. A late moth blustered in to find the fire. The Song of the Family came now from behind Kino. (Ch. 1) 

To Kino, these little domestic moments are an expression of love.  He loves Juana, and Juana shows her love by taking care of them.  He loves this about her.  He appreciates that he can depend on her every single day. 

Juana is a strong woman.  We see this later in her actions and words.  She is the one who treats the scorpion bite, and who leads her husband’s decisions in what to do about the pearl.  To Juana, taking care of her family means more than making breakfast.  It means looking out for them and protecting them no matter what.

Discuss why legal disputes cannot be resolved by simply referring to relevant laws. Provide at least two reasons.

Legal disputes cannot be resolved simply by looking at relevant laws because the two sides in the dispute will not agree with one another on various important issues.  For example, they will not necessarily agree on which laws are relevant, how they apply, or the facts of the case.

In our legal system, there are myriad numbers of laws and of cases that have been litigated regarding those laws. Lawyers will look through all of these laws and cases, trying to find laws or precedents that will work in their favor. They will, of course, not agree as to which laws or precedents really apply to the situation at hand. They will both have arguments that are more or less logical and plausible, and they will not be able to agree on whose arguments are better.

In addition, the way a case is resolved (whose favor it goes in) depends a great deal on the facts of the case. The two sides in the case will not always agree on what the facts are, let alone how those facts are relevant in the case at hand.  Since the two sides will often be unable to agree on these things, there is no way that their dispute can be resolved simply by looking at the relevant law.

Legal disputes are not simple issues of fact that can be solved by computers or without argument.  They are complex issues where words have to be interpreted and people have to try to think of ways to connect various laws and precedents to their own particular cases.  Therefore, they cannot be resolved simply by looking at relevant laws.

What is the tough, outer skeleton of an insect called?

The hard outer shell of an insect is called an exoskeleton. This is the opposite of the endoskeleton that is found in chordates.

The hardness of an insect’s exoskeleton results from a type of carbohydrate called chitin, which is also found in the cell walls of fungi. According to NC State University, the exoskeleton serves several purposes, which are identified below.

• The primary purpose of an insect’s exoskeleton is protection. The insect’s organs are found inside the exoskeleton. These organs are soft and need to protected from external pressures and pathogens.


• The muscles of an insect attach to the exoskeleton. Thus, the exoskeleton serves as the surface on which these muscles can pull and contract.


• The exoskeleton of an insect prevents desiccation.


• The exoskeleton of an insect serves as a “sensory interface with the environment”.

Why does Slim have the respect of the men on the ranch in Of Mice and Men?

Slim has the respect of the other workers on the ranch because he is very skilled, wise, thoughtful, sympathetic, and, above all, fair. 

Slim is both large and tall. He is a "jerkline skinner" who is capable of driving as many as twenty mules with only a "single line to the leaders" (he has such skill handling the mules that he does not need as many reins as others do). He is so capable that all the men admire him. He is impressive because of his size as well. Unlike many people, he listens conscientiously to others and actually hears more than is said; also, with his "God-like" eyes he sees beyond the surfaces of things. Further, he is placed above the other men because he

...moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen. He was ...prince of the ranch...His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love.

In Chapter 4, Slim is the only one in whom George feels comfortable enough to confide; furthermore, Slim commiserates with George regarding his care for Lennie. Slim understands that George must be patient with Lennie and allow for his handicaps, as well as be vigilant in keeping Lennie out of trouble. In the final chapter, it is Slim who consoles George, telling him, "You hadda, George. I swear, you hadda," and he walks George back with him up the trail.

It is also Slim who is sympathetic to old Candy. After Carlson suggests putting the dog out of his misery, Slim studies the old dog "with his calm eyes." he tells Candy that he can have one of the puppies born to his dog. Then, he explains calmly to Candy that his old dog is "no good to himself," meaning that the dog is in pain from being crippled by arthritis. "I wisht somebody'd shoot me if I got old an' a cripple," he sympathetically explains to Candy as the old man looks helplessly at him because "Slim's opinions were law."

Slim is always fair with everyone; he does not flirt with Curley's wife, yet he is nice to her. He maintains a certain standing among the men at all times as he is judicious and kind. Because he treats everyone equally and is skillful, wise, and kind, Slim is well respected by all.

First, what are the different ways characters react to Atticus taking the Tom Robinson case? Second, based on these reactions, do you think Atticus...

In Chapter 15, Heck Tate tells Atticus that he is uneasy about Tom being moved to the Maycomb jail. An entire group of men go to Atticus's home to express their uneasiness. There is no indication that they object to Atticus defending Tom. But they are worried about reactions from other people in town. 

Atticus meets with another group of men at church and they discuss the same concerns. These people that Atticus talks to are only worried about the backlash from the more racist elements in town. It's not that they disapprove of the principle. Jem and Scout are also concerned when they see how many other people are worried. When Atticus goes "out" (to watch over the jail that Tom is in), Jem is so worried that he follows him. Scout and Dill go with him and the children essentially break up a mob that had come to get Tom Robinson. Mr. Underwood is also concerned for Atticus and Tom, so he guards Atticus that same night. 

This all occurs in Chapter 15. Of course, there are some people who aren't worried about Tom, Atticus, or the children at all. This is the group/mob who come to the jail for Tom. They clearly disapprove of Atticus taking the case, but their main gripe is with Tom and his alleged crime. 

Of course, Bob Ewell takes offence to anything and anyone involved in the case. Atticus notes that there is nothing really significant to fear with Bob. But in the end, Bob does attack the children, so you could argue that Atticus did risk too much. However, if he had refused the case, he would have been setting the wrong example. Atticus could not have foreseen that Bob would stoop so low as to attack the children. And there is proof that he has given careful thought about how Bob might retaliate, long after the trial. In Chapter 23, Atticus explains why he did not retaliate to Bob spitting on him: 

Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there. You understand? 

Atticus thought that Bob might come to get him and that was worth the risk. There is no textual indication that Atticus felt his children were ever in any danger from Bob. (But the fact that Bob beat his own kids is significant. So, there is no clear answer here as to whether Atticus risks too much in regards to Bob's retaliation. One thing is clear. In the grand scheme of things, Atticus did the right thing by representing Tom. Doing the right thing, for Atticus, was worth the risk.) 

What is the shape of DNA?

DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid molecules have a double-helical structure. In other words, a DNA molecule is a double helix. A DNA molecule consists of two linear strands which are complementary to each other. Each of these strands consists of a large number of nucleotides, which serve as the monomers for these strands. The nucleotides contain a nitrogenous base, a sugar and one or more phosphate groups. There are 4 different nitrogenous bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine. Adenine (A) binds only with thymine (T) and cytosine (C) binds only with guanine (G). This base pairing is what connects these complementary strands together and provides the double helical structure to a DNA molecule. 

The discovery of the double helical structure of DNA was made by Francis Crick and James Watson, with help from Rosalind Franklin. 

Hope this helps. 

Why were some people not satisfied with the guillotine?

The guillotine was introduced as a more humane execution method compared to axes and swords, which sometimes resulted in botched procedures. Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin suggested the development of the equipment and supervised its initial construction. The execution device was named after the doctor, albeit over his objections.

The guillotine was used during the revolution to execute individuals deemed to be opposing the revolution. King Louis XVI and his wife met their deaths at the guillotine much to the disapproval of several monarchs and leaders in Europe.

During its initial use, a section of the public was not satisfied with the equipment. They complained that the device was too quick, and it over simplified the event. They preferred extended suffering of the victim compared to the quick death offered by the machine. Later, the guillotine was widely accepted and became a form of entertainment for the people.

Do the Nazis conduct a wide search in order to find Bruno in Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

After Bruno takes Shmuel's hand in friendship and unwittingly walks directly into the gas chamber with his best friend, Bruno completely disappears.  Bruno disappears because he has been killed, along with many other Jewish people, in the gas chamber at the Auschwitz concentration camp.  Obviously, the complete disappearance of a German boy, especially one that is the son of a Nazi Commandant, would create grave concern.  Many Nazis are immediately ordered to search for Bruno.  We can see evidence of this directly from the text:

Several days later, after the soldiers had searched every part of the house and gone into all the local towns and villages with a picture of the little boy, one of them discovered the pile of clothes and the pair of boots that Bruno had left near the fence.  

In this quotation, the reader should notice that the soldiers are placed directly on a search for Bruno.  The search begins at Bruno's home near Auschwitz.  The search gets wider when it extends to all of the surrounding small towns.  In fact, the family continues searching (even by looking in their old home in Berlin) after Bruno's clothes are found.  

In the story "Raymond's Run," what is it about the narrator's language that makes her come alive in our imagination?

Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker comes to life in “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara as the first person narrator in the story. Hazel, who is known in her Brooklyn neighbor as Squeaky, pours out her feelings and emotions through the language she uses. She narrates the story using the imperfect, neighborhood language she hears spoken as opposed to using “school language.” She gets her point across as she describes herself and her life in the neighborhood. The reader gets to know the tough, little girl whose main passion is running, as she describes herself with colorful language.

I’m ready to fight, cause like I said I don’t feature a whole lot of chit-chat, I much prefer to just knock you down right from the jump and save everybody lotta precious time.

She also provides moments of profound thought and brings the reader into all facets of her life. Squeaky is a girl who “wears her heart on her sleeve.” The reader is drawn to her honesty, and at the end of the story, her change of heart about being selfish to being selfless.

What was one of the first things Jefferson did when he became President?

When Jefferson became President, he did several things. One of the first things he did was stop the delivery of the commissions to those who hadn’t yet received their commissions from the Midnight Appointments. John Adams had appointed many people to the federal judiciary just before his term ended. Some of these appointees didn’t have their paperwork or commissions completed before Thomas Jefferson became President. Since Jefferson was a Democratic-Republican and many of the appointees were Federalists, Jefferson ordered his Secretary of State, James Madison, to not deliver those commissions that hadn’t been finished before he took office. This action led to the famous Marbury v Madison court case.

Other actions that Jefferson took were to try to reverse some unpopular laws passed by the Federalists. The controversial Alien and Sedition Acts were ended. Taxes were reduced, including the unpopular Whiskey Tax. Jefferson wanted a smaller federal government. By cutting taxes, it allowed the government to have fewer federal workers. Jefferson completed many actions in the beginning of his presidency.

What is Miss Strangeworth's reputation in town?

Miss Strangeworth is a female Jekyll and Hyde. She is generally considered a conservative, respectable woman and a distinguished citizen because of her old family name. She is respected, but not especially well liked. We see indications that some of the townspeople may treat her deferentially, but regard her as a pest and a busybody. Perhaps some of them even sense intuitively that she is not as nice as she appears. 

Mr. Lewis, the grocer, does not like this woman because she is a nuisance. She buys everything in small quantities to give her an excuse for coming back frequently. She has nothing to do with her time, and her grocery shopping is a big event in her day. She believes she is a very important person in this little town and wants to be treated accordingly. She orders one chop, a box of strawberries, a can of cat food, and one tomato. This suggests that she will have to come back tomorrow for another chop, another can of cat food, and perhaps another tomato. There are half a dozen people in the store, but she takes precedence and makes Mr. Lewis wait while she thinks about what else she might need. She buys a quarter of a pound of tea at a time and expects Lewis to remember that she always buys her tea on Tuesdays.

Miss Strangeworth looked at him curiously and then said,”It’s Tuesday, Mr. Lewis. You forgot to remind me.”

“Did I? Sorry.”

“Imagine your forgetting that I always buy my tea on Tuesday,” Miss Strangeworth said gently. “A quarter pound of tea, please, Mr. Lewis.”

Her interaction with the grocer is important because it shows that he is a bit afraid of this sweet little old lady. He knows she could cause him trouble if he got on her bad side. She is a force to be reckoned with. Why doesn't she buy a pound of tea at a time? Why doesn't she buy a half-dozen cans of cat food? She likes being waited on, and she likes having something to do. She likes getting around in her town and chatting with people, always keeping an eye out for the possibility of evil. She has already poisoned Mr. Lewis's life by sending him one of her anonymous letters suggesting that his grandson may be robbing the cash register.

When Miss Strangeworth goes to mail her poison-pen letters at the post office, the behavior of the young people she encounters tells a lot about what they think of her.

There was always a group of young people around the post office…. Most of the children stood back respectfully as Miss Strangeworth passed, silenced briefly in her presence, and some of the older children greeted her, saying soberly, “Hello, Miss Strangeworth.”

When she accidentally drops the letter to Don Crane on the floor at the post office, Dave Harris tells his girlfriend Linda Stewart he will hand-carry it to the Cranes' home, suggesting tht there might be a check in it. Linda's response shows her dislike. 

“Catch old lady Strangeworth sending anybody a cheque,” Linda said. “Throw it in the post office. Why do anyone a favour?”

So Miss Strangeworth is respected, feared a little, but not really liked by anyone. She has a dark side, like Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll, which she keeps hidden from the world until she accidentally drops her poison-pen letter to Don Crane on the post-office floor.

What was the young Kathleen's clearest memory about saying goodbye to her soldier?

Most of Kathleen's memories about her soldier fiancé were vague. She could not even remember his face. Even when she looked at his photograph, which had been ruined by an acid mark, "under no conditions could she remember his face." As time passed, Kathleen remembered less and less about her former fiancé, who "was reported missing, [and] presumed killed."

One memory did stand out to Kathleen. On the night that she said good-bye to her soldier, she reached out her hand toward him. He took her hand and pressed it, "without very much kindness, and painfully, onto one of the breast buttons of his uniform." He pressed her hand so hard against his sharp buttons that they cut her skin. Even after he had gone, "that cut of the button on the palm of her hand was... what she was to carry away." She wore the scar from that cut even twenty-five years later. It was a reminder of that mysterious and sinister man. Even though much time had passed, Kathleen "remembered with such dreadful acuteness that the twenty-five years since then dissolved like smoke and she instinctively looked for the weal left by the button on the palm of her hand."

Most of the details about Kathleen and the soldier were vague in the story. The most vivid description was of Kathleen's hand being cut on the soldier's buttons.

How did events in Fitzgerald's life help to shape "Babylon Revisted"?

There are several parallels in the narrative of "Babylon Revisited" and F. Scott Fitzgerald's life. In fact, "Babylon Revisited" is an intensely personal story.

• Like Charlie and Helen, Fitzgerald and Zelda lived in Paris as expatriates in the 1920s. He and his wife had friends who were expatriates, as well, and they frequented the spots on the Left Bank. Charlie reflects on his life then, a life much like that of the Fitzgeralds and the Hemingways:

"We were a sort of royalty, almost infallible, with a sort of magic around us."

• Like Charlie, Fitzgerald was an alcoholic and lived a dissolute life in Paris. When Charlie returns, he is curious to see Paris at night "with clearer and more judicious eyes than those of other days."


• Both Helen and Charlie and Fitzgerald and Zelda have just one daughter.


• Both Charlie and Fitzgerald suffered the corrosive effects of a decadent lifestyle. 


• Both Charlie's and Fitzgerald's wives went out of their lives: Charlie loses Helen after she contracts pneumonia; later, she dies of a heart attack. Fitzgerald lost his wife Zelda to schizophrenia. 


• Both Charlie and Fitzgerald have undergone financial troubles. Charlie lost his money during the crash of 1929, while Fitzgerald wrote short stories for magazines in order earn enough to maintain the high life style which Zelda wanted.


• Both Charlie and Fitzgerald are haunted by their earlier happiness and affluence. Charlie enters the Ritz bar as this was a place once frequented by him and his old friends. He has wealth, but he wants to reclaim his daughter Honoria.

During what stage of meiosis do homologous chromosomes separate?

The separation of homologous chromosomes occurs during anaphase I of meiosis. This process is sometimes referred to as disjunction. During anaphase I of meiosis, the microtubules that extend from centrioles at the poles of the cell pull the chromosomes apart, as depicted here.  

Meiosis is a form of cellular division. During meiosis, a single diploid parent cell is divided into four haploid gametes. Gametes are sex cells, such as sperm or eggs.  A diploid parent cell contains the full number of chromosomes that is unique to a species. A haploid gamete contains only half of that genetic material. Meiosis is able to divide the genetic material by half because the genetic material of the parent cell is replicated only one time but then divided two times.

Do you regard Montresor as a reliable or unreliable narrator?

I regard the narrator, Montresor, as unreliable because he very much wants his auditor to think his crime is somehow justified. He seems to be speaking to a member of the clergy, and he is probably on his deathbed making his last confession. He initially claims that his audience "so well know[s] the nature of [his] soul," and, in the last lines, he says that it has been "half of a century" since he committed this crime, so he is clearly now an old man. After keeping his secret for so long, why would he now tell unless he urgently needs to clear his conscience?  

Montresor begins the story with an overstatement when he says, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge." It is unlikely that Fortunato had injured Montresor a "thousand" times, but it is notable that Montresor feels that he had. He seems to be trying to build his case, so to speak, against Fortunato so that the murder seems more defensible. Thus, Montresor has strong motive to influence his audience, a priest, to agree with him that Fortunato was a bad person and so, in some way, deserved what he got. Montresor's motives to inflate Fortunato's bad qualities render him unreliable.

Why does Atticus say that Jem's behavior is inexcusable?

Mrs. Dubose is an elderly lady who lives on the same street as the Finch family.  Whenever Jem and Scout walk by, she calls out rude comments to them.  Atticus has taught his children to be polite and respectful, so they do not respond to her in rudeness.

One day, Mrs. Dubose calls out especially rude things.  She uses a racial slur to describe their father's defense of Tom Robinson.  Jem becomes enraged.  He marches off, and then grabs Scout's baton.  He goes back to Mrs. Dubose's house and hacks off the tops of her beloved camellia bushes with the baton.  When Atticus gets home from work, he confronts Jem:

Two geological ages later, we heard the soles of Atticus’s shoes scrape the front steps.  The screen door slammed, there was a pause—Atticus was at the hat rack in the hall—and we heard him call, Jem!"  His voice was like the winter wind.

Atticus switched on the ceiling light in the livingroom and found us there, frozen still.  He carried my baton in one hand; its filthy yellow tassel trailed on the rug.  He held out his other hand; it contained fat camellia buds (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 11).

Atticus asks his son if he did it, and Jem confesses.  He tells his father why he is angry.  He understands his son's anger, but tells him that "to do something like this to a sick old lady is inexcusable."  Atticus suggests that Jem apologize to Mrs. Dubose, which he does.  Jem tells his father that he is truly not sorry, and Atticus is disappointed in him.

Compare and contrast between Mr. Rochester and St. John from Jane Eyre.

St. John Rivers and Mr. Rochester have some things in common despite the fact that they are very different characters.  

Edward Rochester is a wealthy man, who owns Thornfield Hall and a great deal of land.  He has no living parents or siblings.  Mr. Rochester is an older man with dark features, who "is nearly forty."  Mr. Rochester loves Jane deeply and passionately and regards her as his equal.  He is attentive to her, and he is vocal about his affection for her.  He is not an overly religious man.  On the contrary, St. John is not a wealthy man.  He does have siblings.  He has two sisters, Mary and Diana.  He is a younger man.  St. John pities Jane, but does not truly love her.  He wants to marry her for practical reasons.  He thinks that she will make an excellent missionary's wife.  St. John proposes, and Jane admits to herself that "he will never love [her]; but he shall approve" of her.  St. John is deeply religious, and he plans to become a missionary.  

Mr. Rochester's character is often associated with fire.  He and Jane often speak beside a roaring fire.  Jane saves him when he room is lit on fire.  Later, his own house burns down and he is blinded during the fire.  He shows himself to be a passionate person and shows warmth to Jane.  St. John is often associated with cold.  The weather is cold when Jane befriends St. John.  St. John is a cold person, and does not show warmth to Jane.

Both Mr. Rochester and St. John want to marry Jane.  Mr. Rochester is turned down by Jane after she finds out about his insane wife.  St. John is also turned down by Jane when she rejects his marriage proposal, telling him that she sees her relationship with him as more of a sisterly one.  Both men try to convince her to change her mind.

In Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, did Portia do the right thing by giving Bassanio a hint so that he may choose the right casket?

The real question actually is, does Portia give Bassanio a hint? When she meets him, Portia unequivocally states:

I could teach you
How to choose right, but I am then forsworn;
So will I never be:

Her father's will expressly stated, as she told Nerissa earlier:

... I may
neither choose whom I would nor refuse whom I
dislike; so is the will of a living daughter curbed
by the will of a dead father.

Obviously, Portia had to take vow a to never break any of its conditions. She therefore tells Bassanio that she will never break a vow and be 'forsworn,' which means she would then be disowned. Her father's estate will therefore be denied from her. Portia is obviously a decent and respectful person and sets a very high moral standard. To emphasize the depth of her conviction, she states further:

 ... you'll make me wish a sin,
That I had been forsworn

She is saying that should Bassanio choose the wrong casket and 'miss' her she would have wished a sin, which would be to help Bassanio and she would then have been disowned. Except for her moral conviction in this instance, there is also the possibility that she will lose everything.

There is a suggestion though, that the introductory words to the song sung by Portia's minstrels are supposed to give Bassanio a clue:

Tell me where is fancy bred,
Or in the heart, or in the head?

The words, 'bred' and 'head' obviously rhyme with 'lead.' There is no indication from Bassanio though, that he had taken heed of this purported 'clue.' His entire monologue focuses on the contrast between appearance and reality. He speaks about how deceptive things are and that which seems genuine is most often fake or that we find value in something which is actually worthless. It is for this reason that he chooses neither the gold or the silver casket, for they may represent something which they are not whereas lead is just that - lead. It is unpretentious and real.

Furthermore, there is no evidence in the text that Portia had given her minstrels any instructions to assist Bassanio. It might just be coincidental that the song commences with these rhyming words. Shakespeare might have just created the rhyme to add some drama and create a conundrum. If Portia should have given Bassanio a hint, she would have broken a vow and the terms of her father's will. She would have been disowned. 

Describe what happens in mime of the lost traveler?

The mime of the lost traveler chronicles a foreign photographer's expedition to Ilujinle and his short stay in the village. Lakunle plays the role of the traveler who is driving through the bush when his car suddenly stalls. Unable to fix his broken vehicle, the foreigner takes his helmet, camera, and flask with him and begins hiking through the jungle. While he is hiking, the traveler rests his head on a tree, only to have a slithering snake scare him. He runs to get away from the snake and takes a swig of whiskey to calm his nerves when he is at a safe distance. Then, a monkey drops down onto his path and a lion roars from the jungle. The traveler fears for his life and begins to chug his whiskey. He becomes intoxicated and swats at flies as he curses the jungle. Soon after, the foreigner hears the voice of a female and thinks that he is suffering from sun-stroke. When he finishes his whiskey he randomly throws his flask in the direction of the sound. He hears a splash and the sound of someone screaming. The traveler decides to walk quietly to see who is making the noises as he peers through the brush. He begins taking numerous pictures and plants his foot carelessly, and falls into a pool of water. Sidi appears on stage wearing nothing but a small piece of cloth. The traveler is soaked, but still has his camera, and soon, an angry group of villagers arrive to take him to the 'Odan' tree. Baroka appears and shows sympathy to the lost traveler despite the villager's wrath. The Bale gives him new clothes and orders a feast in his honor. The villagers of Ilujinle give him copious amounts of alcohol and he takes numerous photographs of the party and Sidi. The lost traveler eventually becomes sick from the alcohol and rushes off the stage with his hand to his mouth, ending the mime scene.

I'm doing a soundtrack project for The Great Gatsby and I need a song that relates to Myrtle Wilson on the theme of wealth.

Could I suggest the song "Gold Digger" by Kanye West, featuring Jamie Foxx?  (However, I also suggest finding an edited version of the song that does not include offensive language.)  Obviously, Myrtle benefits financially from her relationship with Tom Buchanan just as the titular "gold digger" in this song.  The introduction says, "She take my money [...] / Yeah she's a triflin' friend indeed./ Oh, she's a gold digger, way over town / That digs on me."  Such a description fits Myrtle Wilson to a T: she takes Tom's money (for her dog, an apartment, clothing, liquor), and she is "triflin'" as she would likely not care so much about him were it not for his money and situation.  Further, she is literally from "over [a] town" since she's from the Valley of Ashes, and she definitely "digs on" Tom. 

Further, similarly to the woman in the song's hook, Myrtle "ain't messing with no broke" men because she is only interested in being with someone who can take her away from her sad-sack husband and his dusty auto garage.  It is money she's after, not love or companionship, and this makes Tom pretty perfect because he can offer her money and nothing else. 

There are several lines in the verses as well that you could relate to Myrtle's hunger for wealth and appreciation for material goods.

An ant walks up a wall to its nest 50 centimeters away. It takes the ant 2 minutes to reach its nest as it walks an indirect path, travelling a...

The ant travels a path that is 1m in length to cover a direct distance of 50cm from start to finish, and the ant takes 2minutes to complete the trip. We are asked to find the ant's average speed.

The formula for average speed is distance traveled divided by time traveled. So the average speed is 1m/2min or 1/2m per minute. (This is 30m per hour or .030km/hr)

The average speed is 1/2m per minute.

Note that the ant's velocity is different. Velocity is the change in position (displacement) divided by the time. Here we would have 50cm/2min or 25cm per min. This is 15m per hour or .015km/hr. Velocity is a vector quantity (having both direction and magnitude) while speed is a scalar quantity.

What are the three personality traits of Henriette in Maupassant's story "Moonlight"?

Henriette Letore is a very young married woman who is full of romantic notions and dreams, not unlike Madame Mathilde Loisel in Guy de Maupassant's famous story "The Necklace." Henriette is married to a man who does not appreciate her romantic notions. In other respects he is a good husband and she likes him, although she wishes he could be more emotionally responsive. She is like many of the heroines in Maupassant's stories in wishing for more love, passion, and excitement in her life. She expresses these feelings to her sister Madame Julie Roubere, to whom she is making a confidential confession.

"Was I never to feel on my lips those kisses so deep, delicious, and intoxicating which lovers exchange on nights that seem to have been made by God for tenderness?"

One night while she and her husband are traveling in Switzerland, she goes for a walk by herself and meets a young man whom she and her husband have met in the course of their travels. Henriette has never been unfaithful to her husband before, but because of the influence of the moonlight and the beautiful Swiss landscape, she confesses that she succumbed to her feelings and began a love affair with the man who seemed to be the lover of her dreams.

Now she feels guilty and frightened. It appears that she has continued the affair with this young man since her returned to Paris. She is tormented by her feelings of guilt and her strong desire to prolong her liaison with the man she considers her real soulmate. The emotions aroused by her recent experiences are so strong that they have actually turned locks of her hair white, even though she is only twenty-four years old.

Henriette Letore's three main personality traits are her strong desire for love, her vulnerability to the influences of nature, and her conflicting conservative moral principles. She will have to learn to be deceitful if she continues her illicit affair when her husband returns from their estate in Calvados. This may be the beginning of a series of affairs in which she will find herself involved over the coming years. Her sister tells her:

"You see, sister, very often it is not a man that we love, but love itself."

This sounds very much like the often-quoted lines by Lord Byron:

In her first passion woman loves her lover;
In all the others, all she loves is love.

Byron was paraphrasing an epigram by Francois Duc de la Rochefoucauld.

In their first passion women love their lovers, in the others they love love.

Explain if the country had a right to grow from coast to coast ?

The concept of Manifest Destiny refers to our desire to expand from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. We had a right to expand across our continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

It is normal for a country to want to grow. As our population grew, we needed more land on which to live. We also needed to make sure the needs of our people were met. For example, the farmers in the West around 1800 needed to get their goods to the marketplace. When Spain and France restricted our use of the Mississippi River, we needed to try to get the land that would allow us to use the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans. It was natural for us to agree to make the Louisiana Purchase.

Other opportunities allowed us to grow. Texas wanted to join our country as a state. Many Americans lived in Texas, so this would be a natural fit for us. We also had claimed the Oregon Territory along with Great Britain. It made sense to agree to divide this land with Great Britain so we could have part of that territory. While our methods of getting the southwestern part of the United States might be questioned, it was normal for a growing country to seek new opportunities for expansion and for growth. The war with Mexico gave us an opportunity to get this land.

Thus, we did have a right to expand from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It was something that was natural for us to want to do.

What is the best way to describe Clay Lee's relationship with her father in Almost Innocent?

This is an interesting question in that Clay-Lee is actually not the protagonist of the novel; her mother, Constance, is.  In my opinion, the relation between the two could be best described as the relation between two people who are "almost innocent" equals and are, almost, of the same maturity level.

It is commonly known within the novel that Rand (as well as his wife, Constance) are both childish.  In fact, when explaining the name Mishka (name of the dog, the sailboat, and the still-born child), Rand says something interesting.

[Mishka reminded Constance of what is] rich and simple and impossible to find again of her life before she married me.

Rand continually confides in Clay-Lee throughout the novel.  Most importantly, Clay-Lee knows that Constance blamed Rand for the death of the baby.  Of course, it is Clay-Lee who ignores her mother's cries of suffering during the birth, which is the real reason why both Constance and the baby die.  Because Clay-Lee repents of this sin, she is considered "almost innocent."

There is even more about the father/daughter relationship in the epilogue.  Clay-Lee is now a woman and watches, helpless, as Rand drinks alcohol to his death.  As his equal, Clay-Lee, even as a grown woman, protects her dad from the real truth:  the child that died wasn't really Rand's; it was the child of Uncle Baby Brother.

What is ironic about Miss Gates's explanation for why Hitler is able to treat Jews so poorly in Germany in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Miss Gates says that Hitler can round up Jews because Germany is a dictatorship, but Americans don’t believe in prejudice.

In a demonstration of hypocrisy, people of Maycomb often pity the disenfranchised around the world, while paying no attention to the conditions of the poor African Americans in their community.  Scout’s class has a discussion on current events that includes Cecil’s description of Adolf Hitler’s abuses in Germany.  He is not really old enough to understand what is happening, but he is disturbed by what he does understand.

“Nome, Miss Gates, it says here—well anyway, old Adolf Hitler has been after the Jews and he’s puttin‘ ’em in prisons and he’s taking away all their property and he won’t let any of ‘em out of the country and he’s washin’ all the feebleminded and—” (Ch. 26) 

Cecil informs the class that Hitler has begun rounding up all of the Jews, and one of their classmates asks Miss Gates, “How can he do that?”  She tells them that Hitler is “the government,” and that’s why he can do it.

She tells the class that Germany is a dictatorship, and not a democracy like America.  America is better, she says, because Americans are not prejudiced.

“Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced. Prejudice,” she enunciated carefully. “There are no better people in the world than the Jews, and why Hitler doesn’t think so is a mystery to me.” (Ch. 26)

The irony is that the town demonstrated that it is prejudiced with the Tom Robinson case.  A black man was accused by a white woman, and the town went crazy because Atticus was appointed to defend him.  Then during the trial, the prosecution was based on Robinson's race, while Atticus tried to prove that Tom was innocent and there was no evidence that the crime he was accused of ever occurred. 

The white jury convicted Tom Robinson simply because he was black.  There was no other reason to convict him.  Maycomb demonstrates prejudice against blacks constantly, despite Miss Gates’s proclamation that Americans are not prejudiced like the fascists in Germany.  Scout may have only been in third grade, but she recognized irony and hypocrisy when she heard it.

How does Juliet's character help illuminate the work as a whole?

Juliet symbolizes everything having to do with light. For Romeo at the beginning of the play, he is in the dark clutches of loneliness and depression for having recently lost his first love Rosaline. At Lord Capulet's party he sees Juliet for the first time and says, "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!" (I.v.44). Juliet, like a torch, leads Romeo out of the darkness into the light of love. Then, it is the light in her window by the darkness of night that Romeo is guided through the estate's gardens. To Romeo, this is not just a light, but the sun, which symbolizes the most powerful light and energy that the world knows.

"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun" (II.ii.2-3).

Then, Romeo compares himself to the moon and asks her for help out of the darkness of his grief, as follows:

"Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,

Who is already sick and pale with grief" (II.ii.4-5).

Romeo continues to compare images that are filled with light to Juliet, such as, "The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars" (II.ii.19).

For other characters, and the play as a whole, everything happy depends on Juliet. For example, Friar Lawrence believes that the marriage between Romeo and Juliet could help to end the conflict between the two families. Paris wants to brighten his life by marrying her. Her father wishes to stop her tears, as well as his family's grief over Tybalt's death, by marrying her to Paris. All of these other characters hope to find a brighter life through Juliet marrying someone.

Juliet, herself, also brings brightness and hope to the play because of her youthful and happy spirit. She is the one who makes Romeo an honest man by proposing marriage first. This shows that she is pure and pious and wants to do what is right before God, even though she doesn't want to marry her father's choice for a husband. She also brings a youthful hope for a better world as her love for Romeo also shines through troubled times:

"Come, night; come, Romeo; come, thou day in night;

For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night.

Whiter than new snow on a raven's back.

Come, gentle night, come, loving, black-brow'd night,

Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die,

Take him and cut him out in little stars,

And he will make the face of heaven so fine

That all the world will be in love with night

And pay no worship to the garish sun" (III.ii.17-25).

The struggle between darkness and light conflict and battle throughout the play as Juliet represents day and Romeo represents night; and the light of the stars will forever claim the "star-cross'd lovers" just as the Chorus announces and proclaims in the Prologue.

What was the Dust Bowl?

The "Dust Bowl" was the name given to the southern Plains in the United States during the terrible ecological disaster that struck the area in the 1930s. Basically, the region had been overfarmed for decades, particularly in the early twentieth century, when grain prices reached historically high levels. When an extended severe drought struck the region, it caused the loosened topsoils to dry up. This made farming almost impossible. Compounding this disaster were massive dust storms kicked up by high winds that blocked out the sunlight, caused respiratory illnesses (especially among the children and elderly) and buried cars, livestock, and even houses under piles of choking, powdery dirt. The region became basically uninhabitable for many people. Of course, this catastrophe only compounded the devastating effects of the Great Depression, which struck the farming sector perhaps harder than anywhere else. Millions of residents of the southern Plains, nicknamed "Okies," made their way to the West Coast and other locations, where they took low-paying jobs in order to eke out a living. 

What is the theme of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens?

There are many themes in A Christmas Carol. One of these is the disparity between the rich and the poor. We see this clearly in the first stave when Scrooge refuses to donate any money to the poor. Further evidence of this inequality is provided through the setting of Joe's shop, the place where Scrooge's stolen goods are taken to be sold. Through this theme, Dickens emphasizes the need for charity and unity in a world which is strongly divided on the grounds of wealth and which, tragically, leads many to a life of criminality.

Consider, also, the theme of regret, which is present in the second stave when Scrooge revisits his past. Scrooge's sense of regret is most evident when he sees Belle, his former fiancée, and his reaction suggests the pain of losing her is almost unbearable:

"No more!'' cried Scrooge. "No more. I don't wish to see it. Show me no more!''

In presenting this theme, then, Dickens urges his readers to make the most of every opportunity so that regret may never haunt them.

For more themes, please see the reference link provided.

What were the causes and effects of the Spanish-American War?

There were several causes and effects of the Spanish-American War. By the 1890s, the United States wanted to become a world power. Since other countries already took most of the land for colonization, we most likely would have to go to war to get land. Cuba, controlled by Spain, presented an opportunity for us to do this.

American newspapers picked up reports that the Spanish were treating the Cubans poorly. The newspapers reported on this treatment and then over-exaggerated the reports. Since most Americans got their news from the newspapers, they had no way to verify the reports. Americans generally trusted the newspapers to report on events accurately. When Americans read about the alleged mistreatment of the Cubans, they were unhappy with the Spanish.

Another event leading toward the war was when a letter written by the Spanish ambassador to the United States was intercepted and given to one of the newspaper companies. This letter was very critical of President McKinley. This outraged our people. Anti-Spanish feelings were rising because of these two events.

When the U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havana harbor, Americans were outraged. They immediately blamed Spain and demanded we go to war. As a result of these events, we went to war against Spain.

As a result of the Spanish-American War, the United States became a world power. We now controlled colonies beyond our borders. We got control of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam as a result of this war. From this point on, we were considered as a world power. Our goal of expanding Manifest Destiny worldwide had been achieved. We now would have to deal with the benefits and the problems of being an imperial power.

The Spanish-American War had a significant impact on the United States. It led us into world power status.

What does the "business" part of the missionary circle consist of in To Kill a Mockingbird?

The greatest insight given into Aunt Alexandra's missionary circles is found in chapter 24. Scout helps Calpurnia in the kitchen while the "business" part takes place. Aunt Alexandra told her that it would bore her, but that she could join them for refreshments afterwards. The Methodist women invited to the business part consist of Mrs. Merriweather, Mill Gates, and Miss Farrow; but when it is time for refreshments, the neighborhood ladies are invited. That means that Miss Rachel, Miss Maudie, and Miss Stephanie Crawford are invited in at that time as well. Just as the refreshments are being passed around, talk seems to turn back to what the first group of women had discussed during the missionary segment. For example, Mrs. Merriweather discusses her missionary work with J. Grimes Everett and helping the Mrunas become better Christians. Then they start to discuss Helen Robinson, as follows:

"Well, I always say forgive and forget, forgive and forget. Thing that church ought to do is help her lead a Christian life for those children from here on out. Some of the men ought to go out there and tell that preacher to encourage her" (231).

It would seem that the "business" part of the circle is about making other people more Christian--or more like what they feel is Christian. Not only that, but the missionary circle discusses the black community who work for whites as maids and field hands. Mrs. Merriweather tells everyone how she told her maid, Sophie, to stop acting depressed because of the Tom Robinson case. She told her that Jesus never complained, so she shouldn't either. In order to keep her job, Sophie agreed and put on a happy face for her employer.

Mrs. Merriweather probably should not have let her opinions and activities with her missionary efforts spill over into the refreshment part of the tea party. Nevertheless, she divulges that the women from the Methodist church, which includes Aun Alexandra, must discuss making the black community more subservient by telling them to be better Christians. They must think that they are actually "saving" them, but in reality, they discuss how to keep the blacks as submissive workers while they maintain their self-righteous attitudes and "higher class" status. 

What does this quote mean from the play The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail: "A man’s conviction is stronger than a flame or a bullet or a rock."...

Henry's quote about a person's conviction in The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail can relate to modern times.

Thoreau is talking to Bailey, his cellmate, about why it is essential for individuals to act in accordance to their beliefs.  When Thoreau speaks of "fire inside," he is talking about the convictions that people hold. He is trying to convince Bailey that the ideals in which people believe can be extremely powerful.  They can inspire people more than a "flame or bullet or a rock." Thoreau suggests that ideas last longer than these objects.  Fires can be extinguished while bullets die out, and rocks fall back to earth.  Yet, ideas never die.  They represent something "uncommon."  While Bailey does not fully understand what Henry is saying, he knows that Henry is inspired and passionate about his beliefs.

Thoreau's feelings about the power of ideas can relate to current times. Protests are one such example where "the fire inside" is powerfully compelling.  For example, this "fire" can be seen in the Black Lives Matter movement.  The insistence on equality in American society represents the power of "the fire inside."  Around the world, when the Arab Spring took place, the power of liberal, democratic change was a "fire" that was not only potent, but contagious when so many people in different nations insisted upon change. When teachers in Detroit, Michigan, refused to go to work in protest of deplorable conditions in schools, it shows the "fire" of beliefs.  These situations help to relate Thoreau's ideas about people's beliefs being "uncommon" and they show "the fire inside" in current times.

Where does the Finch family go every Christmas in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Every year the Finch family goes to the old family ancestral home at Finch’s Landing.  Finch’s Landing has been in the family since their ancestor, Simon Finch settled in Alabama.  He was a fur trader and eventually a slave owner who built a plantation there. Aunt Alexandra and her son, Francis, still live there, and Atticus’s brother, Jack, meets them for the holidays. 

The Christmas celebration Harper Lee writes about is not a happy occasion for the Finch family.  Atticus has just accepted the task of defending Tom Robinson, and Aunt Alexandra is not happy about it.  When Francis calls Atticus a “nigger-lover” (something he heard from his own mother and Atticus’s sister), Scout gets into a fight with Francis.  This episode shows how deeply racism runs in Maycomb and the South when even family members are calling each other derogatory names.

Why is King Lear still popular today? I currently have: Human feelings are timeless The core events/values are still relevant (family,...

King Lear remains popular today for reasons you've noted, but I will offer another one: appearances versus reality. Lear's flaw is his inability to discern who is telling him the truth and who is lying to him. He trusts the flattering words of his two older daughters, who use them to gain power over him, and he flies into fury and disowns the one daughter who tells the truth, because she refuses to exaggerate her love. Haven't all of us, at one time or another, preferred to believe what we want to believe is true, rather than the unvarnished truth? Don't we all, at least once in awhile, want to believe the person who mirrors back an exalted picture of ourselves? This play remains popular because it continues to act as a warning to be careful not to believe everything you hear (as the Fool says). This is especially important, perhaps, in an election year, when people high and low need to be cautious about what to believe.

How many total alleles do females have for the gene for: Hemophilia_______? Color blindness_________? How many total alleles do...

The two traits in the question--hemophilia and colorblindness are both called sex-linked recessive traits. They are linked to the X chromosome. Females are XX because they have two X chromosomes, while males are XY and only have one X chromosome.

Because of this, females will have two genes for traits located on the X chromosome, but males will only have one gene because they only have one X chromosome.

Males are said to be hemizygous for traits on the X chromosome. All males receive their X chromosome from their mother and a Y chromosome from their father. The allele for colorblindness or hemophilia can only be found on the X chromosome. Therefore, if a male inherits a gene like colorblindness or hemophilia, it was passed from mother to son.

We can represent the allele for colorblindness or hemophilia as an X-  and the allele for the normal trait as a plain X.

Female genotypes can be XX, X- X,  or X- X-   

If she is XX, neither of her genes contains the mutant phenotype and she is homozygous normal. If she is X-X, she has one normal and one mutant gene and she is a heterozygous female carrier. This is because the normal X gene is dominant to mutant X- gene.  But,  if she has the genotype  X-X-,  she has two mutant alleles and would have the disease.

For males, there are only two possible genotypes: XY or X-Y

The XY male will be normal but the X-Y male has the mutant gene on his X chromosome and will express this as the disease hemophilia or colorblindness.

Therefore, for the traits of hemophilia or colorblindness,  females will have two genes.  Males will only have one gene.

What are two examples of Huck outsmarting Pap from Chapters 6-7 in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

Huck outsmarts Pap when he saws a hole in the wall and when he uses pig’s blood to fake his death.

Huck started planning his escape when he got tired of his father beating him.  He developed an elaborate plan because they were alone in a cabin and there wasn’t even a window large enough for him to get out.

I got under the table and raised the blanket, and went to work to saw a section of the big bottom log out—big enough to let me through. … I got rid of the signs of my work, and dropped the blanket and hid my saw, and pretty soon pap come in. (Ch. 6)

When Pap returns, he is drunk and gets drunker.  He wakes up with nightmares that there are snakes crawling over him and the chases Huck around with a knife calling him the Angel of Death.  After he falls asleep, Huck takes the shotgun and sits up all night watching him.

Huck finds a drift-canoe in the river and hides it so that his father won’t find it.  Huck then uses a pig to fake his death.

I took the axe and smashed in the door. I beat it and hacked it considerable a-doing it. I fetched the pig in, and took him back nearly to the table and hacked into his throat with the axe, and laid him down on the ground to bleed… (Ch. 7)

The trick works.  Huck is able to get away, and heads down the river.  He meets up with Jim, the escaped slave.  Both Huck and Jim are running away from terrible situations.  Huck is not sure at first whether he wants to be friendly with Jim, because it is against the law to assist a fugitive slave.  However, after a while he comes to the conclusion that if helping Jim is wrong, then he doesn’t want to be right.

What was the outcome of the Trail of Tears?

The outcome of the Trail of Tears was that the Native Americans were essentially removed from the Southeast and relocated to what was then Indian Territory across the Mississippi.  They were not able to keep all of Indian Territory in the long run as whites moved out across the continent.  Regardless of what happened with Indian Territory, the Trail of Tears resulted in the removal of Native Americans from the Southeast.  During this removal, thousands of Indians died due to harsh conditions along the way.

As white settlers spread out across the Southeast, they came to covet lands that the Native Americans owned.  The Native Americans of the Southeast had become relatively settled and “civilized” and were, in fact, known as the “Five Civilized Tribes.”  Even though these tribes had become sedentary and had adopted many European ways, the white settlers still wanted them off the land. They wanted to appropriate the land for themselves.  Therefore, they pushed the government to move the Indians out of the Southeast.  The government eventually did this, forcing the tribes to move to what is now Oklahoma.  Thousands died along the way, giving rise to the name “Trail of Tears.”

The outcome of this event was that the Native Americans were removed from the South and white settlers (and their black slaves) had the land all to themselves.