What happens when Nagaina and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi get in a fight?

Nagaina, the female cobra, has indicated her desire to kill all the humans, which will cause Rikk-Tikk-Tavi, the mongoose, to leave, ensuring that she will be queen of the garden. While Rikki is off destroying her eggs, she moves onto the veranda and is poised to strike Teddy. Rikki lures her away with the last of her eggs. Rikki then begins to fight her, jumping around her in a circle, causing her to strike out at him repeatedly. Each time she hits her head on the matting of the veranda. She then takes her egg in her mouth and, "like a whiplash," speeds across the path to the garden. Then, with the egg in her mouth, Nagaina vanishes down the rat hole where she has been living. Rikki, in an action even most adult mongooses would not try, follows her into her lair. The birds outside cannot see what is happening; they assume the worst. But eventually Rikki emerges, covered with dirt, saying, "It is all over. ... The widow will never come out again." Rikki then lies down on the grass and goes to sleep, "for he had done a hard day's work."

What is a figure of speech in the poem "A Poison Tree" by William Blake?

The poem uses a metaphor to compare anger to a tree.

A figure of speech is the use of language that is not literal.  In the case of this poem, the entire poem is figurative.  The poem compares a tree to a person’s feelings.  The poem uses metaphor, which is a comparison between two things. The tree becomes a metaphorical representation of the anger.

The poem describes the speaker’s wrath.  When he does not tell anyone that he is angry, the anger just festers like a growing tree. 

And I waterd it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears: 

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles. (Stanza 2)

The metaphor the speaker uses is to say that he watered his anger and his anger grew.  He watered it with his tears, meaning that as he cried and fretted about whatever it was that made him angry, the anger grew and grew. The speaker did not literally plant anger, and it is not literally growing. That is why we call it a figure of speech.

And it grew both day and night. 

Till it bore an apple bright. 

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine.  (Stanza 3)

Something that is figurative can still be represented by something literal.  For example, the speaker can plant a tree, and compare it to his anger.  He could be using the tree to lure his enemy in, so that he can kill him with poisoned fruit.  More likely he is acting on his anger.

The poem is a metaphor for what happens when we let our anger fester instead of dealing with it.  We get angrier and angrier until we act on our anger, and possibly even kill the person who is making us angry.  Anger is a poison, and it can lead to destruction both of the angry person and the object of his anger.

Why did Julius Caesar go to Britain? What was his legacy there?

People in antiquity had long known of Britain, which was connected to the Mediterranean, principally through the tin trade. This trade was significant to the various Celts in Gaul whom Caesar had been fighting in the Gallic wars and the ongoing conflict had disrupted trade from the island. Caesar wrote that because of the close cultural and economic connection Gallic Celts had to those in Britain they called on them for aid.  This brought the Celtic Britains into Caesar's view and led to his two expeditions to the island. While Caesar won some victories there and affected local politics, siding with Mandubracius and ensuring his succession for instance, this did not leave much of a legacy on the island. His time in Britain was brief and his army never strayed far from the coast.  Perhaps the most important legacy was the information he brought back to Rome from the 'edge of the world' that was 1st century BCE Britain. His geographical, ethnographic and other observations, while based on very limited experience, were interesting to Roman audiences and perhaps planted the seeds for Roman conquest during the following century.

`a_3 = 94, a_6 = 85` Find a formula for a_n for the arithmetic sequence.

We have to find the first term `a_1` and the common difference `d,` then the general formula will be  `a_n=a_1+(n-1)d.`

The difference between `a_6` and `a_3` is equal to 3 common differences, i.e.

`d=(a_6-a_3)/3=(85-94)/3=-9/3=-3.`

The first term is 2 common differences less than 3-rd, so

`a_1=a_3-2d=94+2*3=100.`

So the answer is: `a_n=100-(n-1)*3.`

In "The Cask of Amontillado," what diction is essential to the story?

In "The Cask of Amontillado," the narrator Montresor's well-developed vocabulary and formal diction helps to give us clues about his intelligence, likely one of the sources of his immense pride, as well as his cunning. After his enemy, Fortunato, insults him, he "vowed revenge." He says,

At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitively settled—but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved, precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redressed.

This passage clearly exhibits Montresor's elevated diction.  He could say, more conversationally, that he had definitely decided that it was time for revenge and that this revenge would have to take place without the possibility of his own guilt being discovered. If he is punished for the revenge, then it doesn't really count as revenge. Instead, he uses words like "precluded," "impunity," "retribution," and "unredressed": atypical words for the average Joe. We know that it was some insult that served as the last straw for Montresor, and because he seems so intelligent, it was perhaps an insult to his intelligence that finally pushed him over the edge. Such an insult would wound his pride and likely compel him to take action. Further, the level of intellect indicated by such language usage gives us a peek into Montresor's mind: he is clearly meticulous and attentive to detail, qualities he will need to pull off and get away with the perfect crime. Anyone with such a well-developed and precise vocabulary would have to be. Thus, his diction helps to foreshadow his eventual success in this endeavor.

In what ways is the title of the poem "To the doctor who treated the raped baby and who felt such despair" unusual? Is it effective in relation to...

The title of this poem is unusual because of its subject matter. We all know that sexual crimes are among the worst crimes that can be perpetrated on any human being, but our sensibilities are further aroused when a defenseless infant is subjected to such horrific abuse. The title is both shocking and poignant.

The title is also unusual because the poet, Finuala Dowling, is addressing her poem to an anonymous doctor; this leaves us with several questions that are not answered by the content of the poem. We are led to ponder the intentions of the poet in choosing the title and content of her poem:

1) Who is this doctor? Is Dowling writing about a fictional or real medical emergency? By implication, is the rape fiction or did it really happen?

2) Is the doctor successful in saving the life of the infant?

3) Is tending to a brutalized infant a common experience in this doctor's line of work?

The word "despair" in the title highlights the doctor's efforts in saving the baby's life. It also describes the doctor's emotional state in reference to the operation; her sense of helplessness is evident in her anguished cry for providential intervention.

and when finally you stood exhausted at the end of her cot
and asked, “Where is God?”

So, yes, the title of the poem is effective because it draws the reader's attention to the doctor's humanity and to the execrable crime against an innocent and defenseless baby. Above all else, the title challenges us to ponder the contradictions of life as we read the poem itself.

Show some evidence to support this quote that Atticus says: “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our...

Atticus expresses his opinion that not all men are created equal.  He notes that some people are intelligent, while others are not.  Some people have talents that other people lack.  Some are rich and some are poor, he notes.  Despite his opinions on these matters, he sees the court system as an institution that grants equality to all.  He calls the court system a leveler:

"But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal—there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president.  That institution, gentlemen, is a court.  It can be the Supreme Court of the United States or the humblest J.P. court in the land, or this honorable court which you serve.  Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 20).

Atticus hopes that by pointing this out, the jury will feel the personal conviction to consider the evidence in Tom's case without bias.  He wishes them to look at the evidence, and not let their notions about race cloud their judgement.  Some of the evidence shows Tom's physical inability to commit the actions he is accused of doing, such as hitting Mayella with his crippled hand.  Atticus wants the jury to not look at the case as a white woman's word against that of a black man, but as two people telling two different stories.

What works did Tertullian write?

Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, or Tertullian was born ca. 155 AD and died ca. 240 AD. According to Eusebius of Caesarea he was raised in Carthage and may have had advanced rhetorical and legal training. He was an ordained Christian priest and wrote more than 35 attested works on Christian apologetics and theology, including many controversial works in opposition to Gnosticism and other positions he considered heretical. He generally was an advocate of an ascetic school of Christianity.

Perhaps the most well known quotation from Tertullian is found in Chapter 7 of De praescriptione haereticorum (On the prescription of heretics):

What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church? what between heretics and Christians? Our instruction comes from "the porch of Solomon," ...  Away with all attempts to produce a mottled Christianity of Stoic, Platonic, and dialectic composition! We want no curious disputation after possessing Christ Jesus... With our faith, we desire no further belief.

This responds to an ongoing dispute in the early church about the role of pagan education and learning in the Christian community. Some (like the later writer Augustine) argued that pagan learning was like the gold the Jews took on their exodus from Egypt and could be put to good use by Christians, while others (including Tertullian) argued that revelation alone contained all a Christian needed to know.

English translations of several of Tertullian's works can be found online at The Tertullian Project.

Some of the major authentic works of Tertullian include:

• De Poenitentia (Of Repentance)


• De Baptismo (Of Baptism)


• Ad Martyras (To the Martyrs)


• Adversus Judaeos (Reply to the Jews)


• De Praescriptione Haereticorum (Prescription against Heretics),


• Apologeticus pro Christianis (Apology for the Christians)


• De Pallio (Of the Ascetic Mantle)


• Adversus Valentinianus (Against the Valentinians)


• De Idololatria (Of Idolatry)


• Adversus Marcionem


• De Carne Christi (Of the Flesh of Christ)


• De Resurrectione Carnis (Of the Resurrection of Flesh)


• Adversus Praxean (Against Praxeas)

In The Old Man and the Sea, the young fishermen make fun of Santiago, but he is not angry with them. What does this reveal about him? Why do you...

Age and experience dictates much of the behavior of both the young fishermen in this story and the old fishermen.

The young fishermen are making fun of Santiago because they see his 84-day streak without a fish as proof that he is past his prime and no longer any good at what he does. They are too young and inexperienced to realize he may just be having a dry spell, but that does not make him a bad fisherman or in need of retiring.

For his part, Santiago does not get mad at them because he has the wisdom to understand where they are coming from, and he also knows better than to agree with them. He is far more experienced than they are and he probably knows all too well that fishing can be a feast or famine endeavor, meaning that sometimes you have more than enough and other times you nearly starve. Because of this, a dry spell to the younger fishermen might mean something different than to Santiago and the older fishermen, who understand that a dry spell will pass.

In Slaughterhouse-Five what detail about the hog barn shows how intense the firestorm that engulfed Dresden must have been?

There are a few different aspects of the hog barn post-firestorm that show the fire must have been extremely intense. 

"It's [the hog barn's] walls still stood, but its windows and roof were gone, and there was nothing inside but ashes and dollops of melted glass."

The fact that the windows and roof have been destroyed is one indicator of the firestorm's devastation. As well, the lack of anything substantial being left in the hog barn also illustrates the fire's destructive power.

However, the most telling description present is that the windows were not just plainly destroyed, but were heated to the point of melting and becoming those "dollops" inside the hog barn. The melting point of glass is somewhere between 1400-1600°C (2552-2912°F), an obviously extraordinary temperature. The firestorm was so exceptionally intense that it emulated a glass forge--a human invention intended for the explicit purpose of heating things to unnaturally hot temperatures. 

Rubber is classified under organic or inorganic compound? Reason?

By definition in chemistry, an organic compound is one that contains carbon; entire courses are called Organic Chemistry. They deal solely with substances that contain carbon. Natural rubber is indeed classified as an organic compound. It is formed from sap obtained from rubber trees which grow in tropical or sub-tropical environments. It is a polymer of isoprene. Isoprene is made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms. A polymer is a long strand of repeating sub-units.  When the sub-units of isoprene combine in a long chain to form natural rubber the structure ends up coiled, which is what gives rubber its elastic qualities. The second link I have posted below shows the basic structure of isoprene with its single and double bonds between the carbon and hydrogen atoms. It also explains in detail how the units of isoprene link up with others by changing a double bond into a single bond, allowing the link with the next isoprene unit.

In addition to the above, in some instances students are referring not to the presence of carbon (which is the requirement in chemistry for declaring a substance "organic"), but to the source of the materials. "Organic", in common usage, tends to mean something that is found in nature as opposed to those substances formulated artificially. Naturally occurring rubber is formed from tree sap. These days, however, most of the rubber used is either fully or partially formed in a lab/factory. Examples of artificial rubbers are neoprene, Thiokol, BUNA-N and BUNA-S. These rubbers, since they are synthetically derived without carbon compounds, are classified as inorganic compounds. Details of their production and uses can be found in the links after this post.

How was the arms race an important cause of World War I?

There were many factors that led to the start of World War I. One of those factors was militarism, the building up the military. King Wilhelm II of Germany wanted to have a strong military. As a result, he began to build up Germany’s army and navy.

Germany was interested in gaining colonies. Since there were few colonies available, other European countries feared Germany would use its military to attack them in order to take their colonies. This led these countries to build up their army and navy to provide more protection in case of attack. As other events unfolded in Europe prior to the start of World War I, the presence of larger and improved militaries in many European countries provided some comfort that each country could hold its own if a war did occur. With countries having their military power in place, there was less hesitancy to declare war.

What does Guy Montag learn in Fahrenheit 451?

Montag learns a number of lessons throughout Fahrenheit 451. Most striking, perhaps, is the lesson that appearances can be deceptive. For Montag, this lesson becomes apparent from the beginning of the novel, when he realizes his wife, Mildred, is desperately unhappy (as shown by her overdose attempt) and that their marriage is wholly superficial.

This lesson is further reinforced by Montag's relationship with Clarisse McClellan. On the surface, Clarisse is a social outsider; she is kept under surveillance by the authorities and is regarded with suspicion for her free-thinking and non-conformity. Through his conversations with Clarisse, Montag realizes she represents freedom and true happiness and that censorship and book-burning are the real social evils. This realization prompts Montag to rethink the direction of his life and take the first step on the path to rebellion. 

In chapter 5, how does Shelley present Victor's disappointment with his creation, and how does Shelley present his desire to and obsession with...

In Chapter V, Shelley largely presents Victor's disappointment with his creation through his newly-developed revulsion to science.  Though he was once obsessed with the acquisition of scientific knowledge, he now abhors anything having to do with scientific pursuit.  He says, 

Ever since the fatal night, the end of my labours, and the beginning of my misfortunes, I had conceived a violent antipathy even to the name of natural philosophy.  When I was otherwise quite restored to health, the sight of a chemical instrument would renew all the agony of my nervous symptoms.

Victor had become extremely ill after the "birth" of his creation, and his best friend, Henry Clerval, nursed him back to health.  Even now, however, the subject of science is intensely painful for him.  Professor Waldman compliments Victor on his progress, and this, too, makes Victor very uncomfortable.  His inability to bear the sight of chemical instruments or accept praise for his work in this field conveys just how much he hates anything to do with his experiment.  After all, it nearly killed him.

In the months that follow, Victor's health -- both physical and mental -- improve dramatically as a result of Henry's influence.  Henry is imaginative and has no interest in science.  Victor credits Henry with restoring him to life, a life he claims was almost taken by his obsession with his creation:

Study had before secluded me from the intercourse of my fellow-creatures, and rendered me unsocial; but Clerval called forth the better feelings of my heart; he again taught me to love the aspect of nature, and the cheerful faces of children [....].  A selfish pursuit had cramped and narrowed me, until [Henry's] gentleness and affection warmed and opened my senses; I became the same happy creature who, a few years ago, loving and beloved by all, had no sorrow or care.

We can see Victor's disappointment with his creation by his response once he is free of it.  He recognizes that he was miserable while working on it, that this work isolated and alienated him from his family and friends, from nature, from all the things that make his life worth living.  His disappointment with the creature, in this chapter, has much more to do with the effects of his obsessive work rather than anything about the creature himself.  And, in true Victor fashion, he is incredibly self-centered, thinking only of how his experiment nearly ruined him, neglecting to spare a thought for the creature which had vanished from his apartments just a chapter before.

In this chapter, Shelley doesn't directly present readers with confirmation of Victor's obsession with ridding the world of his creation.  What she shows us, instead, is just how happy Victor is when he believes himself to be free of it.  In the final line of the chapter, Victor says that, at this time, "[His] own spirits were high, and [he] bounded along with feelings of unbridled joy and hilarity."  He has been able to forget his creature, and his life is restored to its former felicity.  We can assume, then, that any reminder of that science -- most especially, coming face to face with the creature himself -- will drive Victor immediately into the depression and horror he felt immediately after his creature was complete.  Of course he would want to rid the world of his creation at that point because the creature would be a constant reminder of Victor's own shortcomings and lack of forethought.

Is news spreading quickly a positive or negative quality in The Pearl?

The drawback to the gossip is that the family is in danger because everyone wants the pearl.

When we are told that a town is like a colonial animal, this is both a good and bad thing. People all know each other’s troubles, so they can assist as needed. They also know each other’s triumphs. The town gossip mill often means that as soon as something happens, everyone will know it. The gossip is kind of like the Twitter feed of yesteryear.

Before Kino and Juana and the other fishers had come to Kino's brush house, the nerves of the town were pulsing and vibrating with the news - Kino had found the Pearl of the World. Before panting little boys could strangle out the words, their mothers knew it. (Ch. 3)

The disadvantage of this is that everyone knows when Kino has the pearl. The pearl is very valuable. Some people are just happy for Kino and his family, and others are just jealous. However, there is the danger that someone will try to steal the pearl. This is what happened to Kino.

The news stirred up something infinitely black and evil in the town; the black distillate was like the scorpion, or like hunger in the smell of food, or like loneliness when love is withheld. The poison sacs of the town began to manufacture venom, and the town swelled and puffed with the pressure of it. (Ch. 3)

Kino and Juana are unaware of the danger that they face until the pearl is almost stolen. Then Kino realizes that the entire family is at risk. He has to kill to protect the family. The pearl-buyers tried to tell him that his pearl was not valuable because it was so big, but in actuality it is still worth a lot. They were just trying to trick him.

How does Santiago change from the beginning of story to the end of story?

In some ways, Santiago does not change.  

But ever since he had been a child, he had wanted to know the world, and this was much more important to him than knowing God and learning about man's sins.

That quote is from early in the story.  It occurs right before Santiago tells his father that he wants to travel the world.  Santiago is full of wonder and curiosity about all kinds of things.  He's a seeker of new experiences.  That doesn't change by the end of the story.  

What does change is that bit about him not wanting to know God.  As the story progresses, Santiago learns to become one with the Soul of the World.  Ultimately, he learns to communicate with the wind, the sun, and the Hand That Wrote All.  That sounds a lot like knowing God to me.  

Another way that he changed was in his self-confidence.  For the first part of the story, Santiago is very similar to the sheep that he tends.  Sure, he goes off to seek treasure, but he's never confident in his own abilities.  That causes him real problems with people, and he gets taken advantage of quite frequently.  That's why he debates about returning home.  There was less trouble there.  But by the end of the story, he is no longer sheep-like.  He is a man that makes his own decisions based on his knowledge and ability to commune with the Soul of the World.  

How does Mr. Lorry comfort Lucie on her wedding day in A Tale of Two Cities?

On her wedding day, Mr. Lorry consoles Lucie, who is worried about leaving her fragile father, by assuring her that Dr. Manette will be closely looked after by him and Miss Pross.

In Book the Second, Chapter XVIII, "Nine Days," it is Lucie Manette and Charles Darnay's wedding day. While this is a joyous occasion, as she prepares to leave on her honeymoon, Lucie is anxious about her delicate father, who has endured eighteen years in the Bastille. But, Mr. Lorry comforts her with these words, 

"You leave your good father, my dear, in hands as earnest and as loving as your own; he shall be taken every conceivable care of....And, when, ...he comes to join you and your beloved husband...you shall say that we have sent him to you in the best health and in the happiest frame."

Ironically, however, Mr. Lorry has no idea of the trauma and relapse which Dr. Manette will soon suffer when Charles Darnay talks with him. For, in accordance with his promise made to Dr. Manette, Darnay has agreed to reveal his real name on his wedding day, only after having been successful in wooing Lucie. On this day Dr. Manette will learn what he has feared to hear earlier simply because he must.

What makes the government system in The Hunger Games so bad?

Panem's governmental system in The Hunger Games is bad for a multitude of reasons. There is, of course, the obvious reason: the Hunger Games in and of themselves. This is perhaps the biggest reason. It takes two children from each of the twelve districts every year to make them fight and kill each other until there is only one left standing. The winner of the Games is not even left in peace after that—they have to be mentors for all the following Tributes of their district, reliving their trauma every year. They are also put to use outside of the world of the Games. Finnick, for example, was made into a prostitute for President Snow. Or even worse, winners are forced to fight in another Games, such as the Third Quarter Quell in Catching Fire.

Although the Games are certainly the most obvious reason, there are others: the gluttony it promotes by creating a liquid that is meant to make you throw up after eating a lot just so you can eat more. The ridiculously extravagant lifestyle of the citizens of the Capitol helps keep them focused more on fashion than politics, so the government can do pretty much whatever it wants. It is also a dictatorship—the title "President" is just to keep things sounding nice. President Snow holds complete control over everything, and he enforces his tyrannical rule with the use of propaganda, his Peacekeepers (who keep the peace using violence and fear tactics), and also capital punishment.

The government keeps the majority of its wealth and technology centered within the Capitol. It spreads out a little to the first few districts, but districts like 11 and 12 are impoverished, barely making ends meet. Not to mention that the government authorized the total and complete destruction of District 13.

Overall, the government of Panem is a truly terrible regime, controlled by a tyrant with absolute power who has no qualms about killing countless people in order to spread fear.

What is the setting of the poem "The Road Not Taken"? That is, where is the poet and what time of the year is it?

The poet is walking in a forest, and the time of year is Autumn.

Since the poem was published in 1916 only shortly after Frost left England where he would often take walks with his close friend, Edward Thomas, the forest is probably near Gloucestershire, where Frost owned a cottage. However, since he had already returned to New England at the time of the publication of his poem, Frost could have just as easily used a New Hampshire forest as his setting. The time of the poem is probably between 1912 and 1915 while he was a close with the indecisive and troubled Thomas. For, Frost himself declared that the poem was composed with Thomas in mind. With the description of a "yellow wood," the time of the year would be the fall. 

While a description of the indecisiveness of Edward Thomas may be the objective of the poem, there have been many metaphoric interpretations of this popular verse, especially one that involves faltering at an important time of one's life. This interpretation may still return to Thomas who chose to go to war rather than accompany Frost to New Hampshire. So, just as the speaker of the poem hesitates--

And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Thomas faltered in his friendship, the most important of either man's life, and remained in England, enlisting as a soldier.

"Desiree's Baby" is a very moving story that shows us the horror of racism, but is it scientifically accurate?

Yes, the story of "Desiree's Baby" is scientifically accurate.  The story was written by Kate Chopin.  It was a story about a baby who had a mixed race background.  The technical term for children who are the offspring of interracial marriages is mixcegenation.  The story is set in Louisiana before the onset of the Civil War, a time when mixed race marriages were not socially acceptable.

Desiree and her husband, Armand, both were thought to be of French Creole heritage.  When they have a child, it is found that the child's skin color does not resemble either parent's skin color, but is closer to that of a "quadroon," a person who is one-quarter African.  For this to occur, either Desiree or Armand must have African ancestry themselves.  It is assumed by Armand that Desiree is the guilty party.  It is revealed toward the end of the story, however, in a letter from his mother to his father, it is Armand who has African ancestry.

In The Giver, what bond did Jonas share with Gabriel?

Jonas and Gabriel both have the Capacity to See Beyond.

Gabriel is the newchild that Jonas’s father brings home.  In Jonas’s community, newchildren are usually raised by nurturers until the age of One.  They remain in an institutionalized setting until assigned to family units.  Jonas’s father is concerned about Gabriel, however.  The newchild is clearly special.  He brings him home for extra nurturing.

Lily is the one who notices, and points out, that Gabriel is different.  The same thing that makes him different also makes Jonas different.  They both have pale-colored eyes.

"Oh, look!" Lily squealed in delight. "Isn't he cute? Look how tiny he is! And he has funny eyes like yours, Jonas!" Jonas glared at her. He didn't like it that she had mentioned his eyes. (Ch. 3)

In Jonas’s community, everyone looks alike.  The pale eyes set Jonas apart, so he does not like her drawing attention to them.  However, the reference to the eyes foreshadows a deeper connection that Gabe and Jonas have.  Both of them are related genetically to The Giver.  Jonas and Gabe are actually real brothers.

Jonas feels a connection to the newchild right away.  He is unsettled by the deep look Gabe seems to have because of those pale eyes.  As Gabe continues to stay with them, he asks his father to put Gabe in his room.  His fretting often keeps others away, but Jonas does not mind it.

When Gabe is in Jonas’s room, Jonas accidentally transmits a memory to him.  Until this time, Jonas did not realize that he could transmit memories to others or that Gabe was special like him.  It draws the two of them even closer together. When Jonas asks his parents if they love him and they respond by laughing, Jonas confides in Gabe that “there could be love.”

Gabriel's breathing was even and deep. Jonas liked having him there, though he felt guilty about the secret. Each night he gave memories to Gabriel: memories of boat rides and picnics in the sun; memories of soft rainfall against windowpanes; memories of dancing barefoot on a damp lawn. (Ch. 16)

Jonas loves Gabe like a brother, and he is horrified when he learns that Gabe is scheduled to be released.  Even Jonas’s father voted to release him, this toddler that had been living in his house like a son for so long.  Jonas decides that he needs to run, and run with Gabe.  He takes the baby and leaves, knowing he can never come back.  The escape is riskier with Gabe, but Jonas would never think of leaving him to his fate.

What immediate effect did the Bill of Rights have in the time period it was written?

The Bill of Rights was an important document in our history that had an immediate impact on our country. There was a great deal of concern on the part of some states to ratify the proposed Constitution. They were afraid the federal government would have too much power. Because of this concern, some states indicated they wouldn’t ratify the proposed Constitution. Thus, one immediate impact of the Bill of Rights was that it reduced fears on the part of some states so they could ratify the Constitution. The promise of adding a Bill of Rights allowed for states to vote to ratify the Constitution.

The addition of the Bill of Rights also reduced the concerns some people had about the government abusing or violating their rights. People were worried that the Constitution didn’t specifically guarantee individual freedoms. Thus, without a Bill of Rights, they argued that the rights of the citizens could be abused, violated, or reduced. With the addition of the Bill of Rights, people felt more confident that their basic freedoms would be protected by the Constitution. Rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to bear arms were now protected. This helped to ease the people’s concerns about their rights.

Thus, in the short term, the Bill of Rights helped allow for ratification of the Constitution as well as ease the people’s fears about losing their rights.

You lift a 450 newton bag of rice 1.2 metres and carry it a distance of 10 metres to the kitchen. How much work is done?

Hello!

The physical work, by the definition, is the product of the force, the displacement AND the cosine of the angle between them. Recall that both force and displacement are vector quantities. In other words, we can say that the work is the dot product of the force and the displacement.

The definition above is applicable only for a movement with a constant force and a constant angle between a force and a displacement. For several such movements the works are added.

In our problem there are two such movements: up and forward. During the first part the displacement is directed upwards, during the second -- horizontally. The force is the reaction one, it is the same in magnitude as the weight and is directed upwards.

So at the second part no work is done because the angle is 90° and its cosine is zero. At the first part the angle is 0 and its cosine is 1, so the work is

450N*1.2m*1=540J. This is the answer.

Montresor tells us "A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make...

In Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado" the narrator, Montresor, vows revenge against Fortunato for some undefined insult. Montresor says,

At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled --but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.

Montresor has made up his mind to put into effect a very diabolical plot where he will lure Fortunato into the underground vaults of his estate and kill the man by entombing him in the wall of the catacomb.

Montresor says that in order to be truly "avenged" he must not only kill his victim but also get away with the deed ("A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser"). Another prerequisite for true vengeance in Montresor's mind is that Fortunato must know exactly what is happening to him and who his murderer is (It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who he has done the wrong).

In the end, Montresor's plan works to perfection. Fortunato knows exactly what has happened and who is responsible. Montresor also gets away with the crime as indicated in the next to last line of the story when, referring to the bones, Montresor says, "For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them."

Why is it important to ask questions and not make assumptions?

One of the themes of Twelve Angry Men, particularly the 1957 motion picture version, is that a person seeking to find the truth of a matter must not make assumptions, but must take a fresh perspective by asking questions. Most of the jurors make multiple assumptions. Juror 8 is the one who distinguishes himself by questioning some assumptions the other jurors hold.

At the beginning, most of the jurors are under the assumption that the prosecuting attorney and the defense attorney were consummate professionals and had provided clear cut evidence in the case, leaving no stone unturned. This turns out to be a false assumption, for the jurors are able to make many discoveries that were not brought up during the trial. All the men except Juror 8 assume the truth about the knife found at the scene, that it had a unique design. Juror 8 asked himself whether that was true; he went out the previous night and was able to purchase an identical knife just blocks from where the defendant lived.

Most of the jurors begin deliberations by assuming the two primary witnesses in the case gave accurate testimony. By asking questions, Juror 8 was able to cast doubt upon the stories told by the old man and the "eyewitness." All the jurors, even Juror 8, assume that the entry wound was consistent with the murder weapon because they were told that in the trial. Only when Juror 5 remembers seeing knife fights in his youth does he demonstrate that the wound could not have been made by a person who routinely used a switchblade. The drama shows that by asking questions and shedding their assumptions, the men were able to get a clearer picture of the truth. In this case, it was important enough to keep an innocent boy from the electric chair, but asking questions and avoiding assumptions is important any time one wants to bring clarity to a situation. It is the way to move out stalled thinking toward a positive solution.

How was the Treaty of Versailles different from all the previous treaties?

The Treaty of Versailles was different from previous peace treaties. One way it was different was that it created an organization to keep the peace. As a result, the League of Nations was established. This organization was designed to allow countries to bring their disputes to the League of Nations for a peaceful resolution of the issue or issues. If a peaceful resolution couldn’t be reached, the League of Nations could require its member nations to support actions to help a member country of the League of Nations if needed.

Another difference was that this treaty was negotiated only by the victorious nations. None of the Central Powers were at the negotiating table as the terms were being discussed. Only the leaders of the “Big Four” were present at the negotiating table. These leaders were from the United States, Great Britain, France, and Italy.

This leads us to another difference with the Versailles Treaty. There was such anger at the treaty. Germany, in particular, believed it had been misled. Germany was expecting a treaty that wouldn’t have been so harsh. This helped motivate Germany to get revenge less than 25 years after World War I had ended. Thus, the Versailles Treaty was one of the causes of a future war, in this case, World War II.

Who is the poet speaking to in the poem "If"?

In Rudyard Kipling’s piece of didactic poetry “If,” he is speaking to his only son, John. In the poem, he addresses his son as “you,” while he provides instruction on becoming a man of virtue. He teaches his son how to act in a variety of situations, and how to treat people from all walks of life. In addition, he provides his son with guidance on being comfortable with one’s self in spite of the misgivings of others. He cautions his son not to revert to the misguided actions of others, but to be true to his beliefs and attributes.

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

Although the poem is addressed to his son, John, who died in World War I, Kipling’s poem is looked upon as providing a universal message on how to be a virtuous, mature human being.

 If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,  

    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

    If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,  

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,  

    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

Please draw the Lewis structure for CClFBrI and its resonance structures. (Would help if you can break this problem down by counting the valence...

Carbon is located exactly halfway to completing the octet rule for the outer energy level for elements on the periodic table.  It has four electrons it will share in combinations with other elements.  The compound you have listed is an organic compound composed of carbon and the four main members of group seventeen, the halogen family.  The members of the halogen family, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine all have seven electrons in their outer energy shell.  They need one electron donated or shared by another element to complete their octet rule.  Bromochlorofluoroiodomethane is the resulting compound formed by the four halogens, with carbon as the center of the tetrahedral atom arrangement.

                                           ..

                                         : F :

                                     ..    ..     ..

                                  : Br:  C  : Cl :

                                     ..    ..     ..

                                         : I :

                                           ..

This is a Lewis dot-structure showing the carbon in the center of the atomic arrangement.  Resonance structures for the compound would be illustrated  by rotating the arrangement of halogens around the carbon atom, such as:

                                          ..

                                        : I :

                                   ..     ..    ..

                                 : Br : C : Cl :

                                   ..     ..    ..

                                        : F :

                                          ..

or

                                           ..

                                         : I :

                                      ..   ..    ..

                                   : Cl : C : Br :

                                      ..   ..    ..

                                         : F :

                                           ..

Why does Nora purposely earn Ds for Stephen in Andrew Clements' The Report Card? What are three facts Nora says about herself? How old was Nora...

In Andrew Clements' The Report Card, Nora intentionally earns Ds on her fifth-grade report card as a plan to boost Stephen's self-esteem.

Nora has always admired her best friend Stephen because, even though he is an average learner, he is also a very hard worker, as well as a kind and caring person. By fourth grade, she begins noticing he is dreading school and working less hard, all because he earned low scores during the Connecticut Mastery Testing, tests that determined placement in fifth grade. Stephen had felt so pressured by his parents and himself to do well that, instead of doing well on the tests, he did very poorly. More importantly, he began seeing himself as "one of the dumb kids," which Nora knew was untrue (p. 24).

Nora, a secret genius, understands that grades are not a true reflection of how smart or dumb a person is:

Bad test grades do not mean you are dumb, and I am not in trouble. (p. 49)

Since Nora knows this to be true, she intentionally earned bad grades as part of her plan to prove it to him and to raise his self-esteem.

Which of the following is a dependent, controlled or independent variable? metal, vinegar, plastic bowls and spoons, time, and...

The question does not specify what the various ingredients are used for and it would be difficult to answer without that information. I am assuming you are trying to generate the patina on steel or iron by using vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. This method can be used to produce a tarnished look or antique look on objects. In this process, we first etch the surface with vinegar and then apply hydrogen peroxide (And some sale) to obtain the desired tarnished look. 

Let us understand what different types of variables are. The variables that are varied are the independent variables and we study their effect on dependent variables. Controlled variables do not change during the experiment. In this case, we can vary the amounts of hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and time and study their effects on metal surface or metal itself. The plastic bowls and spoons are only used for adding the liquids and placing metal in. Based on our definition, here is the classification of variables:

Controlled variables: plastic bowls and spoons

Dependent variables: metal (or metal surface, to be more precise)

Independent variables: vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and time

Hope this helps. 

You have a copper cube that has a mass of 10 grams. If copper has a density of 8.96 `g/(cm^3),` what is the length of one side of the cube?

Hello!

By the definition, (average) density `rho` of a body is its mass `m` over its volume `V,`  `pho=m/V.`  For all objects made from the same homogeneous material this quantity is the same. It therefore considered as the density of this material (copper, as in our case).

Density and mass are given. Volume of a cube with the side of a length `d` is `V=d^3.` So  `rho=m/V=m/d^3`  and  `d^3=m/rho,`   thus  `d=root(3)(m/rho).`

In numbers it is `root(3)( (10g)/(8.96 (g)/(cm^3))) approx`  1.037 cm. This is the answer.

The Weird Sisters state in Act 1, Scene 1, of Macbeth, "fair is foul and foul is fair." In what ways is Macbeth both fair and foul?

In many ways, Macbeth begins the play relatively "fair" and ends the play quite "foul."  The Weird Sisters discuss him in Act 1, Scene 1, but the very next time his name is spoken is in reference to his "brave[ry]" because Macbeth

Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel,Which smoked with bloody execution,Like Valor's minion, carved out his passageTill he faced [Macdonwald]; Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,Till he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops, And fixed his head upon our battlements.  (1.2.19-25)

This is quite an image: Macbeth resolutely hacking through men, carving a path for himself through their bodies, meeting his enemy, slicing Macdonwald from his belly to his chin, and then plunging a spike through his head to serve as a warning to others.  Duncan, the king, describes Macbeth as "valiant" and quickly decides to honor him with a new title by way of reward: Thane of Cawdor. 

Further, Lady Macbeth, when she receives Macbeth's letter, describes his nature as "full o' th' milk of human kindness" (1.5.17).  She doesn't exactly mean it as a compliment, but readers can understand that Macbeth, prior to and just at the start of the play, was a pretty decent guy.

By the end of the play, however, Macbeth has committed regicide, ordered the killings of Macduff's innocent wife and children while he was away, ordered the killings of Banquo and his son, Fleance, and run the country into the ground.  To Malcolm, Macduff says that

Each new mornNew widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrowsStrike heaven on the face, that it resoundsAs if it felt with Scotland, and yelled outLike a syllable of dolor.  (4.3.5-9)

Macbeth has, in his greed and dishonor, ruined the country he sacrificed so much -- his self-respect and immortal soul -- to rule.  Macduff says that there is so much sadness in the land that those sorrows hit heaven in the face and cause heaven to cry out as though it sympathized with Scotland.  Even the Weird Sisters now refer to Macbeth as "something wicked" (4.1.45).  He may begin the play pretty "fair," but he certainly ends it utterly "foul."

What is the main idea of Robert Frost's poem "Birches"?

Robert Frost's "Birches" begins with a speaker's observation of birch trees in a wood and his recollection of boyhood games focusing on the swinging of birch limbs. However, the poem is more than a mere sentimental reminiscence of childhood. Indeed, the main point of the poem becomes the desire to escape from one's current experience, only to return to reality and begin anew.

One of the key lines in the poem occurs near the end, when the speaker admits, "I'd like to get away from earth awhile" (48). Here, we see that the childhood game of swinging from a birch tree has become a symbol for leaving or escaping one's current state. The speaker does not wish to escape from life or reality entirely; rather, he'd like to, just like a "swinger of birches" (59), get some distance from the experience he knows, but then return to it with a fresh perspective and renewed energy. Thus, we could surmise that the main idea of the poem focuses on renewal, revitalization, and new beginnings, all of which are symbolized by childhood games played on birch trees. 

Why is Lieutenant Kotner forced to leave the Auschwitz camp in the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

Lieutenant Kotner had befriended Gretel and Bruno’s mother during their stay at Auschwitz.  Consequently, he was invited to dinner with the family.  During dinner, Bruno complains about the lessons he is receiving from Herr Liszt. 

“All he wants us to do is study history and geography…. And I’m starting to hate history and geography.” (pg 143)

Lieutenant Kotner tells Bruno that when he was a boy, he enjoyed history.  However, then he makes a critical mistake and says,

“And although my father was a professor of literature at the university, I preferred the social sciences to the arts.” (pg 144)

Bruno’s mother asks if his father is still a teacher, and the lieutenant responds that he does not keep in contact with his father. 

“He left Germany some years ago.  Nineteen thirty-eight, I think it was.  I haven’t seen him since.” (pg 145)

Bruno’s father asks where Kurt’s father is now.  Kurt now knows that the Commandant is not happy with this news.

“I believe he is currently in Switzerland…. The last I heard he was teaching at a university in Berne.” (pg 146)

This piece of information bothers the Commandant.  The man, who was only in his forties, left just as the war was beginning, and he chose not to return to Germany to fight or support the Nazi cause.

“And what reason did he give, might I ask, …. For leaving Germany at the moment of her greatest glory and her most vital need, when it is incumbent upon all of us to play our part in the national revival?” (pg 146)

He asked if Kurt’s father was ill or had some physical problem that caused him to leave Germany at that particular time.  Lieutenant Kotler tried to bypass the question by stating that he did not know his father’s reasons.  Bruno’s father asked if maybe his father had “disagreements” with the governmental policies of the Germans. 

“One hears tales of men like this from time to time.  Curious fellows, I imagine. Disturbed, some of them.  Traitors, other.  Cowards too.  Of course you have informed your superiors of your father’s views, Lieutenant Kotler?” (pg 147)

It is then that the Commandant changes the subject because he feels that the conversation is inappropriate for the dinner table.  However, the damage has been done.  Not only does Lieutenant Kotler have a father who appears to have left the country rather than support it, but the lieutenant has not reported this to his superiors.  This was a major breach in military protocol, and so he was removed from his position at Auschwitz.

What were the greatest threats to rural life in the eighteenth century?

Some of this depends on the country you are discussing. In England, the Enclosure (sometimes spelled Inclosure) Acts significantly reduced the common land available to the peasants for grazing animals or growing crops. In Scotland, the Highland Clearances displaced small farmers to make way for large scale grazing operations.

The greatest factor affecting rural life and leading to depopulation of many rural areas was the Industrial Revolution. Starting slightly earlier in Britain than the rest of Europe, it represented a vast creation of wealth outside the agricultural sector. Many of the poor flocked to the cities in search of new jobs in the factories.

In part an outgrowth of the Industrial Revolution, the British Agricultural Revolution meant improved efficiency in farming, which had two effects. First, it especially improved the output and desirability of large estates, leading to consolidation. Second, it reduced the need for labor, adding a push factor to the pattern of urban migration motivated by the availability of urban jobs.

The combination of geographical mobility and the increasing growth of Protestantism also destabilized the parish system which had been the major organizing structure for poor relief and keeping records of births, marriages, and deaths in the immediate past. 

Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, is described as “lazy and improvident” in Things Fall Apart. What are the two pastimes that give him pleasure?

In Chapter One, we are told that Unoka enjoyed drinking palm-wine and playing on his flute.

Although Unoka was often in debt when he lived, he often used whatever money he had to purchase gourds of palm wine to make merry with his neighbors. Unoka was a man who believed in enjoying life to the fullest. To that end, he savored the best food and drink his money could buy when he was alive.

He also loved good music, and his happiest moments were spent playing his flute with the village musicians after the yearly harvest. He relished being hired by other villages to play with his egwugwu band and to teach others his tunes. The dry season often saw the end of the rains and the emergence of glorious, sunny days. The first kites would appear then, and children would sing 'songs of welcome' to them. Unoka saw the changing of the seasons as a way to enjoy making more of the music he loved.

Is there dramatic irony in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven?"

There are, indeed, examples of dramatic irony in Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven, although the situational irony in Poe's famous poem is, to this educator, more pronounced. Situational irony refers to instances within a work of literature in which the opposite of what one expects to happen is what does happen. In The Raven, there is no well-defined outcome; the narrator/protagonist is befuddled and emotionally-drained. Readers of The Raven anticipate some resolution to the mystery of the large black bird that has invaded the sanctuary in which the lovelorn narrator sits, alone and despondent. Poe, however, does not offer any such sense of resolution, ending, as the poem does, with the narrator resigned to his diminished mental state and the raven continuing to sit atop the bust of Pallas. That, to this educator, is situational irony. An example of dramatic irony, however, definitely exists.

Perhaps the best example of dramatic irony in The Raven involves the bust of Pallas on which the bird is perched throughout the poem. Pallas is a figure from ancient Greek mythology. He is a Titan, or giant -- among the most powerful of the gods. His stature, however, does not protect him from the wrath of a woman, in this case, the goddess Athena, who kills and flays him. That Poe's narrator is presented as an emotionally-ruined man, sitting forlornly alone in his study in which sits a bust of this particular figure from mythology, is no coincidence. Poe was clearly using that legend to reinforce the notion of his narrator as having been driven to despondency by a woman, Lenore.

The Raven offers far more pronounced instances of situational irony -- the mere fact of a bird being the interloper in the narrator's chamber rather than a human is in itself an example of situational irony -- but Poe did include dramatic irony in his poem as well.

How did nineteenth-century advocates of Marxism, conservatism, and liberalism view human nature and define the purpose of the state?

First, one should note that "liberal" and "conservative" positions meant something quite different in the 19th century than they now mean.

Liberals who were members of the Whig party tended to be drawn from the middle classes and the wealthy manufacturing families rather than either the poor or the nobility. They tended to believe in individual freedom and in reducing the role of the state. They were strong advocates of freedom of religion. They also opposed any laws regulating commerce or labor. They had a generally optimistic view of human nature, often expressing itself in a belief in the natural tendency of markets to create wealth (Adam Smith's "invisible hand").

Conservatives or Tories tended to distrust human nature and see the need for a strong state to protect the poor and restrain the rich and powerful. They supported the notion of an established church in England and were less concerned about freedom than about justice and order. 

Marxists saw the state in its nineteenth-century form as an instrument of bourgeois oppression of the masses. Although Marxists believed in a strong centralized state, they thought it should be controlled by and benefit the laboring classes rather than the rich. Marxists saw class and economic situation as in many ways determining human nature. 

In A Christmas Carol, did Marley have a lot of friends?

When the ghost of Jacob Marley visits Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve, it is clear that, like Ebenezer, Marley did not have friends.  While Ebenezer praises Marley as being a good man of business, Marley counters that the fate of his fellow citizens should have been the "business" he made his life about.  As Marley did not help nor care about others, he is doomed to walk the afterlife burdened with chains made from money purses and the other detritus of his former life.  In reaching out to Scrooge, and in presenting Scrooge with the three ghosts, Marley is, in fact, trying to help Scrooge and trying to keep Scrooge from ending up the same way.  Marley has seen the error of his heartless ways too late, and is trying to keep Scrooge from the same fate.

How does Steinbeck use racism against Crooks in Of Mice and Men?

Crooks is a black man on the ranch among white men. For this reason, he is in a difficult place.  He feels alienated more than the other men, who also experience alienation.  

One of the main points of the novella is that the life of migrant workers is lonely. There is no idea of community and friendship, even among men who work and live together on the farm.  This is why Slim is surprised to see that Lennie and George are actually friends.  Slim says:

Slim looked through George and beyond him. “Ain’t many guys travel around together,” he mused. “I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.”

This is the context of the novella.  All of this is far worse for Crooks.  He is completely alone.  At one point, Crooks says that no one ever visited his place.  Moreover, he stays away from the other men.  The pain that Crooks feels comes out in his conversation with Lennie. He says:

"You go on get outa my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room."

“Why ain’t you wanted?” Lennie asked.

“’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me.”

In short, Steinbeck paints a picture of near perfect alienation when it comes to Crooks, the lone black man on the ranch. He has it worse than the others. 

How does Prospero use magic to exact his revenge?

In The Tempest by William Shakespeare, we encounter Prospero living on an island with his daughter Miranda and two quasi-supernatural creatures, Caliban and Ariel. Prospero explains that he is actually the rightful Duke of Milan, but that his dukedom was usurped by his brother Antonio with the help of Alonso, King of Naples. Not only does Prospero have knowledge of magic, but he has compelled Ariel to be his servant.

Alonso and Antonio are voyaging together with Alonso's son Ferdinand and members of their court near the island where Prospero was shipwrecked. Prospero instructs Ariel to conjure up a giant storm to bring the ship to the island, preserving the ship and mariners intact, but casting the others into the sea and dispersing them around the island. When Prospero has his enemies in his power, he uses illusions to play upon their emotions, but eventually relents, agrees to the marriage of Ferdinand and Miranda, claims his dukedom, and renounces his magic. 

Is Nevermore is the real name of the raven?

When the raven comes into the narrator's room in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," the man asks it what its name is, not expecting an answer. The raven croaks, "Nevermore." The narrator discounts the idea that this could be the bird's name. He asserts its "answer little meaning—little relevancy bore." The narrator is confident that no human being has ever been blessed with seeing a bird named Nevermore perched on a sculpture in his room. However, this does not mean that no human being has ever before seen a raven elsewhere with the name of Nevermore. The man goes on to try to imagine how the bird learned its one word that was "its only stock and store." He believes the bird's master may have had so much ill fortune that he was always crying "Nevermore!" and the bird picked it up. However, it could be the case that its master named it Nevermore and called it by its name repeatedly until the bird learned to say the word. So, although the poem's narrator does not believe the bird is really named Nevermore, there is no way to know whether it is or isn't since we haven't been given the bird's backstory.

What are good and bad things about Jonas' family?

This is such a good question!  We tend to think that everything in The Giver is bad, but that is a hasty judgement.  Jonas' family is good because it provides him with a stable home environment. But it is bad because it follows all the Rules to promote Sameness and does not provide Jonas with love.

The family provides Jonas with two parents and a sibling, which gives him stability at home.  There are familial routines, which are good for children.  For example, the family always has dinner together and a sharing of feelings at the end of the meal.   The children are thus encouraged to express themselves in some ways, which is also good.  There is no drama at home, and since drama is so very bad for children, this is a positive aspect of Jonas' home life. The parents never argue, and it is always fairly harmonious.  The parents also seem to take the time to promote some empathy in their children, as they do in the scene in which they help Lily to understand the point of view of a visitor from another community.  Considering all that is so wrong with the community, this kind of stable upbringing is nevertheless important for children.

On the other hand, Jonas' parents go along with the community program completely, never questioning the rules, even to the point of Releasing an innocent infant whose problem is simply being the smaller of twins. It is difficult to know whether or not to blame them for their conformity, since they, like everyone else, seem to take medication that represses their emotions, but their extreme conformity is not a good thing, since they are raising children to not question anything.

Probably the worst and saddest attribute of Jonas' family is the lack of love.  When Jonas learns about love for the first time, from the Giver, he goes home and asks his parents if they love him.  The best his parents can give him is to say that they enjoy him and take pride in his accomplishments. They are amused at his use of the word "love," which they characterize as "a very generalized word, so meaningless it's become almost obsolete" (127), and later in the conversation tell him it is "inappropriate" (127) to use this word. Now that Jonas has experienced the emotion of love, from the Giver's memories, he understands that this is missing in his life.

All in all, the parents are probably doing the best they can within the limitations of the community.  They are providing Jonas and Lily with stability. But they are raising children who will be conformist rule-followers.  And they are raising children without love.   

In the story ''A Retrieved Reformation,'' The way Jimmy speaks is as a very cautious man. Give two examples from the story to support this...

O. Henry uses Jimmy Valentine's dialogue to characterize him. Among his other traits, Jimmy is a very cautious man. There are several examples of dialogue early in the story which support this statement. When Jimmy is summoned to the warden's office to receive his pardon, the warden tries to give him a lecture.

“Now, Valentine,” said the warden, “you'll go out in the morning. Brace up, and make a man of yourself. You're not a bad fellow at heart. Stop cracking safes, and live straight.”

“Me?” said Jimmy, in surprise. “Why, I never cracked a safe in my life.”

Naturally this makes the warden recall that Jimmy has been serving ten months of a four-year sentence for cracking a safe in Springfield. 

“Of course not. Let's see, now. How was it you happened to get sent up on that Springfield job? 

“Me?” said Jimmy, still blankly virtuous. “Why, warden, I never was in Springfield in my life!”

This dialogue not only serves as characterization, but it provides exposition and also shows that Jimmy is a likeable fellow. The warden likes him and is trying to give him some good advice. Although Jimmy seems impervious to such advice, it may have a delayed effect on him when he falls in love at first sight with Annabel Adams and decides to reform. 

After Jimmy is released he goes to the building where he keeps a room on the second floor. Mike Dolan, the owner, runs a cafe on the lower floor, and he seems to cater to the underworld. When Jimmy comes back down with his suitcase full of burglar tools, Mike shows that he knows a lot about Jimmy's line of work.

“Got anything on?” asked Mike Dolan, genially.

“Me?” said Jimmy, in a puzzled tone. “I don't understand. I'm representing the New York Amalgamated Short Snap Biscuit Cracker and Frazzled Wheat Company.”

The meetings with the warden and with Mike Dolan show Jimmy that he is getting too famous as the best safecracker in the business. Mike Dolan must talk about him with his underworld cronies, so Jimmy's exploits must be common knowledge all over the region. This is what prompts the cautious young man to move to Elmore, Arkansas, where Fate decrees that he should fall in love and decide to go straight. Unfortunately, he has also attracted the attention of his old nemesis Ben Price, and the detective traces him to Elmore with the intention of arresting him for the three bank jobs he pulled immediately after being released from prison.

How does Dickens use the Cratchits in A Christmas Carol?

Dickens uses the Cratchits in two primary ways within the text.  The first is to establish that having money is not a prerequisite for being happy.  While the Cratchits have little food for a Christmas feast, must wear ill-fitting hand-me-down clothing, and must work in demanding jobs, they are still able to maintain their love for each other and their general happiness.  This calls Ebenezer Scrooge's value system into question, as Scrooge values money above all else.

The Cratchits also put a face to the nameless poor.  Earlier in Stave One, when Ebenezer is asked to donate money to the poor, he refuses, saying that he supports only "prisons" and "workhouses."  It is clear from his response that he does not have a clear idea of the plight of London's poor people, and that he is largely unsympathetic.  Showing the Cratchits permits Dickens to highlight what the tribulations of the poor looked like in practical terms.  This, in turn, causes Scrooge to fully understand the situation of poverty at the time, and changes the way he views his role in the situation.

In The Watsons Go to Birmingham, Momma makes the children wear many clothes to school in the winter—true or false?

This is true. Momma makes the children wear many layers of clothes in winter because she is from Alabama and is still shocked by the cold winters in Flint, Michigan, where she is raising her family. Mrs. Watson is so concerned about the cold that she buys each of the children two pairs of warm, fur-lined gloves each winter, even though the family doesn't have much money. 

Joey, the youngest Watson sibling, complains about the many layers of clothes that Momma makes her wear, so Byron tells her a story to make her wear them without whining. He tells her that Momma is trying to protect her from dying in the cold and that the garbage trucks that come around early in the morning hours are actually being used to pick up dead, frozen people. After hearing this, Joey is terrified and wears Momma's many layers without issue.

What things does the shepherd promise to give his beloved? What do these promises tell you about the shepherd and his love for the woman?

The shepherd is promising an impossibly perfect natural world to his beloved. He is desperate to have her, so he paints a utopian picture of the world she and he might share together. He supposes that he can win her affection with such an idyllic description of their potential future. 

Within these various locations in nature, the shepherd promises "pleasures," and this suggests sexual overtones. He is promising grand locales, but that sexual theme is there as well, so he is also promising sexual pleasure. Note that he asks her to be his "Love" and not his wife. This supports the notion that his desires are sexual and romantic.

He doesn't just promise a bed of roses. He promises many beds. He is overdoing it again but he is desperate to have her. The "bed" is sexually suggestive and the roses symbolize love and romance. 

He even promises her dresses, silver plates, and an ivory table. His fellow shepherds (swains) will sing for her every morning. All of these promises are products of his imagination. He has conjured these images and promises in an attempt to seduce his beloved. The dramatic lengths he goes to in conjuring these elaborate scenes shows how much he wants to be with her.

What are the advantages of planting legumes with other crops?

Legumes are plants such as beans, peanuts, peas and lentils. In addition to being good sources of nutrition they have the ability to "fix" nitrogen. This means the plants, and the bacteria that live symbiotically in their roots, can change nitrogen from a form animals and plants cannot use into one that they can. Nitrogen is vital for life;it forms parts of our DNA and proteins. Our atmosphere is largely nitrogen, but it is in a form, N2 (nitrogen gas), that living things can't utilize. Nitrogen "fixing" means it is chemically changed into NH3 (ammonia), which living things can use. When legumes are planted with other crops that do not have this ability, it can help thse crops by supplying nitrogen in a usable form. In practice, this ability of legumes to fix nitrogen is more likely to be used as a system of crop rotation, rather than planting crops close enough to each other for this advantage. Fertilizers to supply nitrogen (and other nutrients) are generally used on commercial crops, but using crop rotation, so that legumes alternate with other crops, usually reduces the amount of fertilizer needed.

In the play Trifles, where are Mrs Hale and Mrs Peters while Mr Hale explains to the county attorney how the murder was discovered? How does their...

The play Trifles starts out in the kitchen of the Wright residence, where the entire party has gathered to try to make sense of what has just taken place. The man of the house, a farmer named John Wright, had just been killed in his sleep, presumably, by his wife, Minnie. Minnie is being held in custody. Meanwhile, witness John Hale, his wife, Sheriff Peters and his wife, and the county attorney, are there looking for clues to the case. 

The setting where the case is looked over is described in a very telling manner:

The kitchen in the now abandoned farmhouse of John Wright, a gloomy kitchen, and left without having been put in order--unwashed pans under the sink, a loaf of bread outside the bread-box, a dish-towel on the table--other signs of incompleted work.

From what we can gather, there is a lot of activity that takes place in the kitchen. It has pots and pans everywhere. People eat there every day. The dishes are also done there. This place seems to be the hover point of the household. Yet, in the case of the Wrights, this very high-traffic area is abandoned and left in chaos. The description is indicative of a similarly chaotic everyday dynamic taking place in there. 

After introducing us to the kitchen area, in comes the Sheriff, Hale, and the country attorney entering from the rear. They all go straight to the stove, for it is cold outside. The wives follow. While the men stick together, and warm up to one another even before going to the stove, the women remain behind, near the door. 

This is telling of the huge division between the two parties.

According to Beverly Smith in her article "Women's Work--Trifles? The Skill and Insights of Playwright Susan Glaspell" published in the International Journal of Women's Studies (March 1982, p. 172-184) this particular part of the scene is very telling

While the men always seem to work in packs, deal with each other in familiar terms, and protect one another, the women stay behind, merely observing. In fact, the women do not acknowledge one another, at first. They just stand silently in the back.

Then, as the men start making sarcastic comments about Minnie Wright's disordered kitchen, and her potential lack of housekeeping skills, the women surprisingly stand next to one another, still silent, and still not quite communicating...yet.

Granted, it will be seen that the women will have the same ability to protect one another and watch each other's backs, however, they do not do it as visibly as males do. It is a question of social behavior, more so than psychology alone. 

Once the two women get to speak, they continue to address one another by their formal, married titles "Mrs. Hale" and "Mrs. Peters". As such, they do not only deductively conclude what actually took place in the house, but they are now doing their best to ensure that the details of the crime--the cues that are all over the house and the men aren't able to discern--never reach the men.  

Still, it is very telling that, within the parameters of formality and social distance, the women are capable of sharing much more insight, and more honest and truthful information, than the men will ever be capable of sharing. 

Who represents evil in A Christmas Carol?

While Dickens does not directly refer to anybody as being evil in A Christmas Carol, we can, as readers, find this attribute in a number of characters.

Take, for example, Old Joe. He is a fence for stolen goods who appears in Stave Four of the story. His shop is situated in a part of London which reeks of "crime...filth...and misery." Here, in his "den of infamous resort," Old Joe enables the market in stolen goods to thrive. Dickens' characterization of Old Joe and the descriptive language of his shop demonstrates his disdain for such people. Dickens clearly believes that people like Old Joe make no contribution to society and, in fact, are responsible for so many of the social evils which plagued Victorian England.

We cannot talk about evil without discussing Scrooge himself. In Stave One, Scrooge is portrayed as a mean and cold-hearted person who cares more for money than for the people around him. He even spurns his nephew, Fred, by refusing to accept his dinner invitation for Christmas Day. There is nobody in A Christmas Carol more heartless and bitter than Scrooge, but we must not forget that Scrooge is reformed through his visits from the ghosts. As such, Dickens has an important message for his readers: that good will always conquer evil.

What does Macbeth say he and Banquo will talk about later in private in Macbeth?

Macbeth tells Banquo that they will discuss the prophecies later.

When Macbeth meets the three witches for the first time, he is not alone. He is accompanied by his friend and fellow noble, Banquo. Banquo is immediately suspicious about the whole thing. He would rather Macbeth just forget he ever heard the prophecies. One applies to Banquo too. He is told that his sons will be king.

Macbeth does not let it go. When he was told that he would become Thane of Cawdor and king, he became very interested. When King Duncan appointed his son Malcolm as his successor, Macbeth was irritated. He had a spot of ambition and wanted the position for himself. He told no one, though, except his wife, Lady Macbeth. He wrote her a letter.

Macbeth invites Duncan to his house, and the other nobles are there too. Banquo is up late at night talking to his son when Macbeth comes to him. Banquo is surprised to see him, wondering why he is not in bed. Banquo comments that he has been thinking about the prophecies.

BANQUO

All's well.
I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters:
To you they have show'd some truth.

MACBETH

I think not of them:
Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve,
We would spend it in some words upon that business,
If you would grant the time. (Act 2, Scene 1)

When Macbeth says that he has not thought about the witches, he is lying through his teeth. He has been thinking about them almost constantly. He wants to kill Duncan and take his place on the throne. His wife wants this too. Yet Banquo is an impediment to the plan because he was there, and heard the “weird sisters” make their prediction. Macbeth has to make Banquo think he does not care, so that he will not be suspicious when Duncan ends up dead.

It doesn’t work. Banquo knows immediately that something is up when Duncan dies. He knows Macbeth too well to think it is a coincidence. Banquo ponders the situation. 

Thou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all,
As the weird women promised, and, I fear,
Thou play'dst most foully for't: yet it was said
It should not stand in thy posterity,
But that myself should be the root and father
Of many kings. (Act 3, Scene 1)

He is speaking to Macbeth, in a soliloquy (in other words, Macbeth is not really there). This is known as apostrophe, a literary term for speaking to someone who is not actually present. Banquo believes that Macbeth killed Duncan to become king. He considers how this prophecy might affect himself. Since the witches suggested that his sons would be king, Banquo worries that he and his son Fleance are in danger.

Banquo was right. Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. Fleance escapes, but Banquo is killed. He was the greatest danger to Macbeth, since he knew about the prophecies. Once you have done one murder, the rest get easier! Macbeth is nowhere near done killing.

Describe the garden in which the children are playing hide and seek.

There isn't a lot of textual description regarding the garden in "Games at Twilight."  The main focus of the "nature" description is about the weather.  It is hot.  Really hot.  

Their faces were red and bloated with the effort, but their mother would not open the door, everything was still curtained and shuttered in a way that stifled the children, made them feel that their lungs were stuffed with cotton wool and their noses with dust and if they didn’t burst out into the light and see the sun and feel the air, they would choke.

Regardless of the heat, the children desperately want to be let outside in order to play. That's when the reader gets a brief description of the garden.  Between the veranda and the garden is a big white wall.  Hanging on the wall is a very colorful plant called a bougainvillea.  It's a pinkish purple flowering vine.  Big, sharp thorns too.  The garden itself is described as being colorful, but that is not due to the variety of flowers and plants.  The color comes from the stones and walkways that guide a visitor through the garden area.  

The garden outside was like a tray made of beaten brass, flattened out on the red gravel and the stony soil in all shades of metal—aluminum, tin, copper, and brass.

There are a few plants.  The text mentions some small shrubs and bushes.  There is a brief mention of a patch of grass in the garden, but it also emphasizes the dryness and the heat of the climate.  

 . . . stood for a moment in the center of the yellow lawn,   

All in all, it doesn't sound like a great, beautiful garden to play hide and seek in, but it doesn't matter.  The kids are desperate to do something other than sit inside in a hot, stagnant room.  

Is there any direct characterization in "A Retrieved Reformation"?

Direct characterization is the explicit description of a character’s personality by the author.  Indirect characterization reveals detail of a character’s personality without explicitly describing him or her.  Instead, we learn about a character through his or her actions, dress, thoughts, and other characters’ responses and thoughts about him or her.  In “A Retrieved Reformation,” we learn about Jimmy Valentine and Ben Price solely through their actions, that is, through indirect rather than direct characterization.

For example, we know that Jimmy Valentine is clever, that he is a safecracker, and that he is a liar.  O. Henry tells us none of this directly, but we learn it through Valentine’s actions and others’ reactions to him.  Ben Price knows that only Valentine could be capable of the safecracking ventures committed after his release, which gives us an idea as to Jimmy’s skill.  Also, his actions after his release are a direct contrast to the assertions he makes to the prison officer:  “Me?”  he asks, as if the officer has falsely accused him of a crime, “I never broke open a safe in my life….I was never in Springfield in my life.”  This allows the reader to see that he is a liar, and that he is indeed a criminal.  In addition, after he changes his way of life and becomes engaged to Annabelle Adams, we learn about his happy, friendly personality through the thoughts of the people of the town.  Everyone likes him, his shoe shop is successful, his new family is proud of him – these are the only indications we get of his behavior, through the reactions of others.

As for Ben Price, we know that he is a determined and competent detective, but that he is also an honest, merciful, and forgiving man.  O. Henry writes at one point that “People with safes full of money were glad to hear that Ben Price was at work trying to catch Mr. Valentine.”  This indicates that Ben Price is good at his job, because he can put fearful people at ease.  Here we have peoples’ reactions to Mr. Price as an indication of his personality, rather than a direct description saying that Price is the best in the business.  At the end of the story, we have this exchange between Valentine and Price, Price having just witnessed Valentine crack open a safe to save a young girl trapped in the bank vault:

“Hello, Ben!” said Jimmy, still with his strange smile. “You’re here at last, are you? Let’s go. I don’t care, now.” And then Ben Price acted rather strangely. “I guess you’re wrong about this, Mr. Spencer,” he said. “I don’t believe I know you, do I?” And Ben Price turned and walked slowly down the street.

Two indirect characterizations are at work here:  we see through Jimmy’s actions that he is a changed man, willing to take responsibility for his actions and face the consequences of his criminal acts.  We also see that Price is merciful through his actions, letting Valentine go free as Ralph Spencer after seeing the extent of Valentine’s reformation.

Where does equality and communism apply in Animal Farm?

The irony of this question is that there isn't communism or equality in Animal Farm. 

At the beginning of the book, Old Major, spoke of Animalism.  In the way he expounded it, there was equality or something akin to communism. For example, there was no class distinctions among the animals. Pigs were not better than horses, and horses were not better than dogs. This corresponds in some ways to Marx’s vision of communism where the proletariat are equal with everyone else (bourgeoisie).

In addition, within Animalism, the animals no longer work for capitalistic humans, like Mr. Jones.  To be more technical the animals own the means of production and the outcome of it. And the land belongs to the all the animals. 

The ideas of Animalism are great, but as the story progresses, the lust for power makes it unable to work.  Napoleon becomes a tyrant.

How would you describe the style of narration in Langston Hughes' "Thank You, M'am"?

Langston Hughes’ 1958 short story is written from the point of view of a third-person narrator. The story begins with a rather objective narration style that could be described as a “fly on the wall” technique. The narrator tells the story in almost a journalistic or documentary style; the report is seemingly fact-based and free of opinion statements.

This narration technique has several effects. If the story had been narrated by the teen boy Roger, the reader would have a clearer idea of his motives. Instead, the reader must infer aspects of his character from details provided in the text about Roger’s appearance and actions. For example, Roger’s thin and dirty appearance and the fact that he is out alone late at night imply that he may be neglected and likely living in poverty. Similarly, if the story had been written from the point of view of Mrs. Jones, the reader may feel greater sympathy for her and better understand her motives in helping Roger. The objective narration style means we learn about Mrs. Jones through her words and actions. She feeds Roger dinner and share with him that she too has made mistakes and has regrets. Later in the story as Mrs. Jones is preparing their meal, the narration shifts slightly to a third person limited point of view, revealing Roger's thoughts: “He did not want to be mistrusted now.” This shift gives the reader an insight that Mrs. Jones’ kindness may be affecting Roger for the better.

The third-person narration creates a somewhat removed, objective effect, which adds realism and allows the reader to determine the characters’ motives. This technique relates to a theme of the story: you can’t really understand others until you know their circumstances.

In "A Rose for Emily," what contrast does the narrator draw between the changing reality around Miss Emily and her refusal or inability to...

In Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," there are several instances in which Emily Grierson's behavior stands in contrast to the changing world around her. The narrator gives us many examples of how Miss Emily keeps to tradition and remains unchanged in her behavior by the passage of time. The three most prominent instances are her response to the attempt by the town government to collect property taxes from her when she was an old woman, her reaction to her father's death when she was a young woman, and, most significantly, her desire to keep Homer Barron with her even in his death.

The first major example that the narrator gives us of Miss Emily's refusal to change with the world around her is the incident of her unpaid property taxes. This incident occurs when Miss Emily is an old woman. Her behavior in response to a delegation from the town government shows the reader that she does not acknowledge change as ongoing:

"I have no taxes in Jefferson. Colonel Sartoris explained it to me. Perhaps one of you can gain access to the city records and satisfy yourselves."

"But we have. We are the city authorities, Miss Emily. Didn't you get a notice from the sheriff, signed by him?"

"I received a paper, yes," Miss Emily said. "Perhaps he considers himself the sheriff . . . I have no taxes in Jefferson."

"But there is nothing on the books to show that, you see We must go by the--"

"See Colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson."

"But, Miss Emily--"

"See Colonel Sartoris." (Colonel Sartoris had been dead almost ten years.) "I have no taxes in Jefferson.

Miss Emily does not accept that she might owe taxes or that the circumstances around her have changed; rather, she directs them to see a mayor who has been deceased for a decade.

The next incident that the narrator relays is the account of how Miss Emily reacts to her father’s death. Her behavior again shows that she is unwilling to accept, or even acknowledge, change:

The day after his death all the ladies prepared to call at the house and offer condolence and aid, as is our custom Miss Emily met them at the door, dressed as usual and with no trace of grief on her face. She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days, with the ministers calling on her, and the doctors, trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body. Just as they were about to resort to law and force, she broke down, and they buried her father quickly.

The final and most important example of Miss Emily’s behavior standing in contrast to the changes occurring around her comes with the reveal at the end of the story, namely that Miss Emily has kept Homer Barron’s body in her bedroom after his death:

For a long while we just stood there, looking down at the profound and fleshless grin. The body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace, but now the long sleep that outlasts love, that conquers even the grimace of love, had cuckolded him. What was left of him, rotted beneath what was left of the nightshirt, had become inextricable from the bed in which he lay; and upon him and upon the pillow beside him lay that even coating of the patient and biding dust.

Clues from the story (i.e. the purchase of arsenic, the smell around her house, and Homer Barron’s last known appearance in town all coming at the same time) suggest not only that she has kept Homer Barron’s remains for decades, but that she also may have instigated his death. From this the reader can conclude that Miss Emily acts to resist Homer Barron leaving her in both life and in death, which is the greatest change we know.

These three major incidents all show that Miss Emily’s behavior in the story is at odds with change. They are bolstered by many other minor suggestions by the narrator that Miss Emily represents a fading tradition, and that she refuses to adapt to the world as it moves on around her.