How would you describe George from Jerome's Three Men in a Boat?

George works in a bank – although his friend J., the narrator, claims that “George goes to sleep at a bank from ten to four each day, except Saturdays, when they wake him up and put him outside at two” (Chapter II). In spite of his supposed tendency to take naps at a moment’s notice, he seems to be the most organized of the traveling friends. He can take charge of situations whenever the others remain indecisive. This skill is seen in Chapters II through IV, when the three are deciding where to go on vacation and what to pack for the trip. He can sometimes get confused, as evidenced when his watch once stopped, and when he and Harris had to put up the canvas tarp. But these instances are rare. George has aspirations of playing the banjo, but his practicing is not going well. He can step up and cook Irish stew for the group, however. (See Chapter XIV.) In this effort he’s a bit more talented than his colleagues. He has a good sense of humor and a lively sense of curiosity. He would generally be a good crew member for a boat trip.

How do you summarize Siobhan Dowd's The London Eye Mystery?

To write a summary of a book, we start by identifying the title, author, and main characters. We then explain the most important details of the story, which are the conflict, rising action, climax, and resolution.

The most important character in any story is the protagonist, which is the main character who grows and changes as a result of overcoming the conflict. The conflict in a story is the battle the protagonist struggles against. In Siobhan Dowd's The London Eye Mystery, the protagonist and narrator is Ted Spark, who works with his sister Kat to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim when he disappeared. Ted and Kat battle against a society that doesn't believe children are able to solve a crime and fail to take them seriously, especially Ted, who has Asperger syndrome. Ted and Kat particularly struggle against Detective Inspector Pearce, who fails to take their observations and theories seriously.

The term rising action refers to all events that lead to the story's climax, which is the turning point in the story, the moment when the story starts leading to the resolution. All the clues the children find count as rising action. The climax occurs the moment Ted and Kat realize that Salim actually had almost made it all the way back to the Sparks' home that day, but he got distracted by the Barracks, a very tall building in the Sparks' neighborhood about to be demolished. Salim loves tall buildings and couldn't help but want to explore and see the view from the top story. Ted further realizes that Salim got accidentally locked in the building when Ted and Kat's father, who is in charge of the demolition, locked up for the night.

Naturally, the resolution occurs when Salim is found, and Salim agrees to move to New York City with his mother though he had not wanted to at the start of the story.

What is the organizational structure of the story "There Will Come Soft Rains"?

For approximately the first two-thirds of Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains," the story is organized chronologically, as the "voice-clock" sings out the time of day. At seven, it is time to get up, and at eight it is time to go to school. Despite the fact no humans appear, the automated house goes through its routine. It makes breakfast, cleans, waters the lawn and sets up for the afternoon card games. This organization helps build suspense as the reader wonders why no people are there to hear the house's messages or eat the prepared food. For its part, the house goes on completely normally as if nothing were amiss, as it tells the time and stays on its schedule.

It's at ten o'clock that the reader is alerted as to why no humans are around. The text tells us that the house is the only one left standing in a "city of rubble and ashes." At ten-fifteen, the reader discovers the burnt shadows of the parents and children on an outside wall (the same kinds of shadows that were seen in Hiroshima in 1945). Obviously, the city has been the target of a nuclear attack.

The reader may assume that this mechanized routine might go on forever since the house takes no notice of its absent inhabitants. It even chooses a poem to be read aloud when no selection is given. This reading of Sara Teasdale's "There Will Come Soft Rains" begins an organizational change in the story. The poem is about a world with no people which seems to get along perfectly fine without the human element. Unfortunately, the serene itinerary of the house is interrupted at this point.

Bradbury writes, "At ten o'clock the house began to die." A fire breaks out as a tree limb crashes through a kitchen window, igniting cleaning chemicals and setting that part of the house ablaze. The singing out of the time of day ceases as the house goes into action to avert disaster. The organization in the final two-thirds of the story abandons the chronological theme. The house has bigger problems as it does everything within its means to fight the fire. It eventually loses the battle and most of the house is reduced to ashes. One wall remains and, as if to show its robotic resilience, a voice is heard reciting the date over and over.

According to the prologue of A Man for All Seasons, who or what is the Common Man?

The Common Man serves a similar role to the classical Greek Chorus in Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons, in that through his observations, the audience's reactions are influenced and they begin to understand the tensions between characters and the scarcity of a man of More's outstanding character. From the very first lines, we come to understand the character of the Common Man--self-deprecating, self-aware, and common.

It is perverse! To start a play with Kings and Cardinals in speaking costumes and intellectuals with embroidered mouths, with me.
If a King, or a Cardinal had done the Prologue, he'd have the right materials. And an intellectual would have shown enough majestic meanings, colourful propositions, and closely woven liturgical stuff to dress the House of Lords! But this!

He goes on to point out the simplicity of his dress and question how much a man's outward appearance has to do with who he is at heart; the upper class may look good and right, but is that who they are? He may look simple and disheveled, but is his appearance a fair representation of who he is?

He goes on to assume the guise of a steward who makes asides about the action, directing the audience's impressions of the characters on stage, a function he serves throughout the play.

He says that "The Sixteenth Century is the Century of the Common Man," and as such, the Common Man acts out numerous roles in the play to establish his universal nature--a steward, a boatman, etc. In each role, he demonstrates a commonality of character, a baseness that is one of the themes of the play--that man is generally immoral. The Common Man is a foil for More's moral behavior.

What is the story "If I Forget Thee, O Earth..." about?

The story "If I forget thee, O earth…" is about the grimmest and scariest consequence imaginable in the aftermath of a possible nuclear war on the earth. Published in 1951, the story reflects the fear and anxieties prevalent at the time. After the Second World War, the world had rapidly been polarizing into two groups ~ the U.S. and its allies and the U.S.S.R. and its allies.

The massive destruction wrought by the twin nuclear bombing in the cities of Japan was still fresh in people's memory. During the Cold War, the U.S., the U.S.S.R. and their allies began to produce nuclear warhead at an unprecedented scale, demonstrating their might and superiority.

The third world war seemed imminent. If it happens it would be a nuclear war. What would be its consequences caught the popular imagination of artists, thinkers and philosophers across the world.

This story is an author’s response to this popular imagination regarding the possibility of a massive nuclear war.

The author Arthur C. Clarke imagines the earth to be an uninhabitable planet. The nuclear war has devastated all forms of life on the planet. The earth is still burning with the poisonous radiation. He paints a ghastly image of the earth when seen from the moon:  

"…the portion of the disk (the earth) that should have been in darkness was gleaming faintly with an evil phosphorescence: and he remembered. He was looking upon the funeral pyre of a world—upon the radioactive aftermath…"

The few survivors have built-up a temporary living facility on the lunar surface. They will have to wait there for centuries before they can reclaim the earth. It would happen only when,

“The winds and the rains would scour the poisons from the burning lands and carry them to the sea, and in the depths of the sea they would waste their venom until they could harm no living things.”

Thus the story can be read as a warning to the nations involved in the nuclear arms race. It’s an artist’s urge to the strong and the powerful to create a friendly atmosphere giving away their hostilities.

What are some quotes that portray Tom's innocence in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

Throughout the novel, Tom Robinson is portrayed as an innocent individual who becomes a victim of racial injustice. There are several quotes throughout the novel that portray his innocence. While Tom is on the witness stand, he is questioned about whether he was paid for helping Mayella Ewell. Tom says, "No suh, not after she offered me a nickel the first time. I was glad to do it, Mr. Ewell didn't seem to help her none, and neither did the chillun, and I knowed she didn't have no nickels to spare." (Lee 256) Tom shows sympathy for Mayella, and selflessly offers her assistance without any pay. Tom was also poor, but found the time to help out another person who was struggling.

When Atticus asks Tom Robinson if he resisted her advances, Tom says, "Mr. Finch, I tried. I tried to 'thout bein' ugly to her. I didn't wanta be ugly, I didn't wanta push her or nothin'." (Lee 260) In this scene, Tom displays his manners and polite disposition despite Mayella's inappropriate advances. Tom knew he was in a precarious situation, but still showed concern for Mayella's well-being before choosing to run out of the house.

After Atticus finishes questioning Tom Robinson, Mr. Link Deas shouts from the crowd, "I just want the whole lot of you to know one thing right now. That boy's worked for me eight years an' I ain't had a speck o'trouble outa him. Not a speck." (Lee 261) Mr. Link Deas' statement about Tom's character portrays Tom as an innocent man. Tom was a caring, selfless individual, who was respected throughout his community. His employer's testimony depicts Tom as a moral, hard working individual. These several comments portray Tom Robinson as an innocent individual who became a victim of prejudice.

What were the goals of the British at the beginning of the war?And which one would John Paul Jones have impacted?

At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the British had set some goals. One goal was to blockade the colonial coastline. The British wanted to use their navy, which was a big strength for them militarily, to prevent supplies from entering and leaving the colonies. The British hoped that by cutting off the trade of the colonists that they would weaken the colonists and force them to surrender. John Paul Jones was involved in fighting the British navy. He had some success against the British navy, but, overall, the colonial navy was not a factor in this war.

The primary land goal of Great Britain at the start of the Revolutionary War was to cut the New England colonies off from the rest of the colonies. The British planned to have the three armies arrive near Albany, New York. General Howe led one army, but he went south to Philadelphia instead of north to Albany. Thus, he never arrived in Albany. General Burgoyne would lead another army out of Canada, and Lieutenant General St. Leger’s army would meet his army there. However, St. Leger’s army was defeated, so only General Burgoyne arrived at Albany. He was greatly outnumbered and lost at the Battle of Saratoga.

The British were successful at sea but not on land in the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Eventually, the British moved the fighting to the south and the frontier later in the war as the whole empire had to be defended. In the beginning of the war, the focus was on gaining control of New England and controlling the waterways.

What is the tone in "The Egg" by Sherwood Anderson?

The tone of a piece of literature is the author’s attitude toward the subject of the story. In “The Egg” by Sherwood Anderson, the narrator describes a childhood memory of his parents and their pursuit of the American Dream. The tone of the story is dark and sad. The narrator even describes himself as “a gloomy man inclined to see the darker side of life.” Sherwood Anderson uses the life cycle of a chicken in the story to symbolize our journeys in life and how dangers and disappointment are everywhere. The narrator reveals his parents’ struggles and how chasing the American Dream eventually broke his father’s spirit. The author presents this piece of literature as a cautionary tale against chasing your dreams.

What can you infer about Hurston's character in Lines 4-25?

In the second paragraph, Hurston tells us that she was among the more "venturesome" who would come out on the porch to watch Northerners pass through her village of Eatonville. While others in the community "peered cautiously from behind the curtains," she came out on the front porch. She was not only curious, but bold:

"The front porch might seem a daring place for the rest of the town, but it was a gallery seat for me."

Given the period, it would have made sense for black people to be wary of white strangers passing through town. Therefore, the front porch—a leisurely spot—becomes "a daring place." For a child, however, who does not yet know that she is "colored," it becomes the space from which she can watch white passersby. It is her "gallery seat." 

Notice, too, that in this passage from the third paragraph, Hurston points out that she is making a spectacle of the white strangers when, typically, it was the other way around:

"Not only did I enjoy the show, but I didn't mind the actors knowing that I liked it."

Again, because she is a child, she has the freedom to get a little familiar without risking her life. She can express her amusement at the strangers and not be regarded as insolent. She is so comfortable and open with these strangers that she offers to "go a piece of the way" with them to their destination—an offer that her family cannot allow, of course.

In other words, young Zora is free to speak to whomever and to do whatever she pleases because she does not yet know that she is "colored." These passages reveal less about who Hurston was as a child than they reveal about childhood itself.

Why is Reverend Hale summoned to Salem village in The Crucible?

Reverend Hale has been summoned to Salem to investigate the accusations of witchcraft.

In this play, Puritans take witchcraft very seriously.  They believe in it, or at least most of them do, and they fear it.  Reverend Hale is the person to call if you suspect there are witches in your midst!  Salem's preacher, Reverend Parris, sends for him when he realizes that he is out of his league.

Parris, his eyes going wide: No - no. There be no unnatural cause here. Tell him I have sent for Reverend Hale of Beverly, and Mr. Hale will surely confirm that.  Let him look to medicine and put out all thought of unnatural causes here. There be none. (Act 1)

Reverend Hale will supposedly investigate and determine if there is witchcraft afoot.  He is from Beverly, and “has much experience in all demonic-arts.”  This includes finding a witch in Beverly.  You can tell by the description of him that he really loves witch-hunting.

Mr. Hale is nearing forty, a tight-skinned, eager-eyed intel-lectual. This is a beloved errand for him; on being called here to ascertain witchcraft he felt the pride of the specialist whose unique knowledge has at last been publicly called for. (Act 1)

Reverend Hale thinks that the Devil is “wily.”  Proctor tells Hale that he has heard Hale is a sensible man, and he hopes that he will talk some sense into people.  Hale tries to do the right thing, but Salem is swept into hysteria.  It is hard to separate the truth from the fiction.  Hale does his best to determine if there is something really there, but ends up succumbing to the general consensus.

Being an expert on witchcraft, Hale is out of his element in Salem.  There are accusations abound from people who seem credible.  Unlike the one witch in Beverly, Salem is crawling with supposed witches.

What is a summary of The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks?

The Guardian, by Nicholas Sparks, is a romantic thriller featuring 29-year-old widow Julie Barenson. Four years prior, Julie's young husband Jim died of cancer. Before his death, he wrote her a letter promising to always protect her and encouraging her to find someone new who would make her happy. Julie's protection came in the form of a Great Dane puppy Jim had arranged to be delivered to her the Christmas Day after he had passed away. Julie felt grateful for the dog, named Singer, because she knew that Jim understood the dog would become part of the family Julie never really had, other than Jim, and help her move on. Singer certainly did help her move forward with her life, and now that four years have passed, she no longer feels the "searing ache" she used to when she thought of her husband soon after his death (p. 1). She also feels ready to try and find someone new to make her happy.

Julie begins dating Richard Franklin, whom she finds interesting and enjoys the amount of attention he devotes to her, especially his surprise visits to her beauty salon where she works as a hairdresser. However, she begins feeling smothered by his attention, and Singer growls in Richards' presence. Meanwhile, Mike Harris, Julie's late husband's best friend, who has had a crush on Julie for years, finally gets the nerve to ask her out. When Julie begins dating Mike, she tells Richard she is no longer interested. Soon, the reader learns just how obsessed Richard is with Julie and that Richard's childhood has helped him develop into a very dangerous person.

Richard begins stalking Julie, and a police investigation uncovers that Richard Franklin is actually the identity of a missing man. Richard's identity had been stolen by Robert Bonham, who had also been missing since the disappearance of Robert's own wife. Robert had murdered both his wife and Richard and assumed Richard's identity.

As Richard's stalking continues, Mike and Julie run for their lives, but Richard is able to find their hideout. In the end, Singer, on the brink of death after having been poisoned by Richard, finds enough strength to attack Richard and defend Julie long enough for the police to arrive.

Although a skilled actor, it is only when Hamlet inadvertently examines a player’s performance that he gains much insight to the intricate...

In Act 3, scene 2, Hamlet begins the scene by explaining to the players how they should act. This speech has become a standard among classical actor training programs, as it is often read as an encoded message to actors on how they should perform Shakespeare's words. Hamlet describes how actors should pronounce the words "trippingly" and the emotions with a "temperance." However, the scene slowly grows more subversive as it continues. As Hamlet sees the players perform, he notes how Gertrude grows more uncomfortable. Hamlet takes this uncomfortable reaction to mean she is guilty, as he believes that this play, "The Mousetrap," would only bother someone with an unclean conscience. 

These insights are important, as Hamlet is discussing meta-theatrical elements and the way performances can reveal truths in audience members. While Hamlet is stating this about his mother, it can be read as Shakespeare stating this regarding the audience of Hamlet. In this scene, Hamlet, the character, teaches an audience how they should view a piece of work. He does this by discussing actor training, as in the beginning of the scene, but also by discussing the nature of audience reaction, as in the latter portion of the scene. 

In the story "The Yellow Wallpaper", in what ways is John to blame for his wife's descent into madness?

The unnamed narrator's husband John is to blame for his wife's breakdown because he has repressed his wife, and he lacks any understanding of her feelings.

John has accepted the medical theories of Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell and deprived her of any human contact or contact with nature, he has subjugated her to his will and caused her to become even more depressed that she has been after the birth of their child, and he has stifled every artistic urge or emotional stimulation she has had that would be therapeutic and lift her spirits. 

That her husband does not give serious consideration to her feelings is indicated in the narrator's early remarks. For instance, she comments,

John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in a man. John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith...and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not be felt and put down in figures....
You see he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do?

John thinks the narrator's condition is merely "temporary nervous depression--a slight hysterical tendency...." The narrator then asks, "What is one to do?" She is told not to "work," but she disagrees with this idea; she would like to walk in the garden, to write. Isolated in a room with a strict "prescription for each hour in the day," the narrator becomes repulsed by the wallpaper in her room and writes that it is

...one of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin.
It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough constantly to irritate and provoke study....
The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smoldering unclean yellow....
There comes John, and I must put this away--he hates to have me write a word.

Clearly, then, the wife is further disturbed by this room in which she is isolated; furthermore, her oppressive husband exacerbates her condition by forcing her to remain there alone where she is severely depressed with no stimulation. With only the horrible affect of the hideous yellow wallpaper and its disturbing a-symmetrical pattern, the repressed woman stares at it and becomes obsessed with its hideousness. She eventually loses her sanity, feeling that she must release a woman behind this paper. 

When was Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet written?

Romeo and Juliet was written in 1594 and first published in 1597.

The play Romeo and Juliet is one of the most famous that Shakespeare wrote.  Most people know the story of the two lovers from feuding families whose secret marriage led to their deaths.  On any given day around the world it is being performed.  It was written between Titus Adronicus, a tragedy, and Love’s Labour’s Lost, a comedy.  When Romeo and Juliet was being written, The Taming of the Shrew, also a comedy, was being published and likely performed.  Due to the way that Shakespeare wrote and performed plays in those days, Romeo and Juliet was probably performed and edited several times between 1594 and 1597 with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, Shakespeare’s acting company, at The Theatre in Shoreditch.  It was published in the First Quarto.

How does Tennyson show how the emotions of the Lady of Shalott change throughout the ballad?

In the beginning of the ballad, the Lady of Shalott seems contented enough, even though she knows she works under a curse. Since she cannot look out the window to view the world, she has arranged a mirror that reflects the world beyond her tower. "Little other care hath she" implies that she is not distressed by her state; she sings, uses gay colors, and "delights" to work the scenes of the outside world into her weaving, showing that she even has a degree of happiness and satisfaction with her lot. 

However, when "two young lovers lately wed" are reflected in her mirror, a deep dissatisfaction rises in her, and she voices it, saying, "I'm half sick of shadows." "Half sick" is certainly an understatement, suggesting she has become angry and desperate. The vision and voice of Sir Lancelot provide the motivation for her to risk everything for a chance at life. We're not told what she feels or thinks when "she left her web, she left her loom," but her determined "three paces through the room" indicate that she has resolved to rebel against her fate. 

She floats down to Camelot with a "glassy" expression, like a "seer in a trance." This indicates she is resigned to her death. She does not wail or act out because of her coming doom, suggesting that she may feel she has made a worthwhile exchange. Though she doesn't want to die, certainly, she seems to be at peace, for she resumes her song until "singing in her song she died." The song was "mournful, holy," showing that she was sad to leave this world, but no bitterness, anger, or thoughts of revenge tainted the beauty of her melody. The fact that Lancelot deemed her face to be "lovely" implies again that her end was peaceful and that she did not regret her decision to pursue freedom, even though it cost her everything. 

Do you think journalists should be allowed to break some laws to expose wrongdoing?

This is, of course, a matter of personal opinion.  My own view is that journalists should be able to break a few laws, but only ones that are relatively minor and which are aimed at preserving people’s privacy.

There is no doubt in my mind that we should not allow journalists to break important laws.  A journalist should not, for example, be allowed to break into the offices of a government agency or a big business in order to try to find evidence of wrongdoing.  That sort of crime is too serious to allow journalists to get away with simply because they say that they are trying to serve the public interest.

However, it may be okay to let journalists break a few laws that have to do with protecting people’s privacy.  For example, let us say that there is a state where it is illegal to videotape someone without their consent.  Journalists should not be forced to obey this law.  If a journalist needs to secretly videotape someone so they can catch that person taking a bribe, they should be able to do so.  The public’s need to prevent wrongdoing overrides, in my mind, the right to privacy of the person committing the crime.  Of course, we would need to severely punish journalists who used secret video or audio tapes to embarrass people rather than to expose important wrongdoing. 

In my view, then, there should be a few laws that journalists are allowed to break in pursuing an important story that would expose wrongdoing.  However, these laws must be relatively minor and unimportant.

How is Phillip courageous in The Cay by Theodore Taylor?

Phillip is courageous in The Cay by Theodore Taylor several times. First of all, he showed courage when the ship he and his mother were on was torpedoed. It took a lot of courage for a boy to do what he had to do at that moment. Many children would panic under the same circumstances. Many adults would too. 

Once he and Timothy reached their cay, at first Phillip acted like a spoiled brat and used his new blindness as an excuse, but when he realized Timothy was trying to teach him how to survive, he changed. Phillip had been afraid to climb a tree to get coconuts, but one day he decided that he was going to do it. It definitely took courage for him to climb without the benefit of sight!

Phillip showed the most courage after Timothy died, and he was left alone. He had to do everything for himself. Timothy had warned him about the danger of the pond where he could find langosta (small lobster), and Phillip had not tried to catch any before Timothy's death, but when he no longer had Timothy there to do it for him, Phillip was able to catch them himself.  He survived all alone until he was finally rescued, and that takes a lot of courage!

What forms of characterization are used in the short story "The Necklace"?

In his short story, "The Necklace," Guy de Maupassant uses direct characterization when describing the main character Madame Loisel and we should also consider her to be a dynamic character because she changes during the course of the story. There are only two other characters in the story, her husband and Madame Forestier. Both could be considered flat or static characters because we know little about their personalities and they don't change.

Direct characterization is when the author tells us exactly what the character is like. We learn in the very first sentence that Madame Loisel is "pretty and charming," she was "unhappy," and she "grieved incessantly." The source of her unhappiness is that she wishes to be rich and lead the life of a wealthy woman. 

After losing the necklace and being forced into debt and poverty Madame Loisel undergoes a change. She goes from being "pretty and charming" to being "clad like a peasant woman." The text says,

Mme. Loisel appeared an old woman, now. She became heavy, rough, harsh, like one of the poor. Her hair untended, her skirts askew, her hands red, her voice shrill, she even slopped water on her floors and scrubbed them herself. 

Not only does her material life change drastically but we are also told that her personality is changed. Instead of the daydreaming, petulant young woman we meet in the opening lines she transforms to a determined woman who lives up to her responsibilities. The text says,

Mme. Loisel experienced the horrible life the needy live. She played her part, however, with sudden heroism. That frightful debt had to be paid. She would pay it.

The reader can't help but feel sorry for her at the end when it is revealed that the necklace was really a fake.

What causes the door to appear in The Hobbit? Should the dwarves have predicted this event? Why didn't they?

In The Hobbit, there are moon-letters on the map Thorin received from Gandalf, and those moon-letters are translated by Elrond when the company arrives in Rivendell: "Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole." Just as Elrond's translation said, the door opened when a thrush (a type of bird) was knocking on the wall with a snail's shell and the last ray of light on Durin's Day shone on the wall; when the light hit the stone, a small piece cracked off, revealing the key-hole.

So, yes, the dwarves should have known exactly when the door would open because Elrond told them the map's instructions, but they were so excited about finally reaching Erebor and getting into the mountain that they forgot about what Elrond told them.

Where can I find evidence of theme in Chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

There is a lot happening in Chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird. This is the chapter that highlights the end of Scout's first year in school, the return of Dill for the summer, and the first couple of gifts found in the knothole in the Radley tree. The children also start acting out the Radleys' scissor-stabbing story and get caught by Atticus. Based on these events, some themes could be friendship or childhood imagination, but two that have specific passages associated with them would be the beauty of summer and the neighbor, Boo Radley.

First of all, summer is Scout's favorite season. Summer is when life seems to happen for Scout--when she can run free, socialize, and just have fun being a kid. The following passage couples beautiful imagery with the whimsical musings of a young girl:

"Summer was on the way; Jem and I awaited it with impatience. Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the back porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the tree-house; summer was everything good to eat; it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape; but most of all, summer was Dill" (34).

The above passage presents themes such as Jem and Scout's sibling relationship, traditions during summertime, and the fact that summer is directly connected to Dill. In fact, a good title for a theme here could be "summer was Dill."

Another theme centers around Boo Radley, of course. Not only are the kids feeding their superstitious mentality by playing out the Radley family stories; they have received gum and two old Indian-head pennies from the knothole in the big Radley tree. Scout feels guilty for playing out the Radley stories over and over again, so she seems a bit relieved when Atticus catches them. Scout explains why she does not want to play the stories again:

"Atticus's arrival was the second reason I wanted to quit the game. The first reason happened the day I rolled into the Radley front yard. Through all the head-shaking, quelling nausea and Jem-yelling, I had heard another sound, so low I could not have heard it from the sidewalk. Someone inside the house was laughing" (41).

This passage seems to be the beginning of a syllogism that helps Scout piece together the puzzle that is Boo Radley. First, if Mr. Nathan Radley goes to town each morning, and Scout heard someone laughing from inside the house, then Boo must be left alone in the house. Then, if Scout heard someone laugh that day, and it wasn't maniacal or angry, Boo must enjoy watching the children play. Finally, if there is a person in the Radley house who enjoys watching the children play, and gifts start showing up in the knothole of the Radley's tree, then the gifts must be from that person--none other than Boo Radley. A theme for all of this could be entitled "The Mystery Which Is Boo Radley" or something of the sort.

The kids are starting to cross a line from believing the neighborhood legend is the boogie man, to understanding that there is a human being in the house who may want to be friendly and kind to them. Another good theme associated with Boo Radley might be "nothing is as it seems," or "don't judge a house by its shut-in."

I am going to have a debate on the topic of if should we open new universities. I am having difficulty finding reasons for this. What can be some...

Based on your question, I am assuming you want reasons for both sides of the question. There are reasons why new universities should be established. Some of the students that attend college today are very different than the students who traditionally attended college in the past. More students are attending college while working full time. They are looking at a degree that isn’t necessarily one that requires a full liberal arts education. More colleges are forming designed to attract these students who are looking at a degree in a given, specialized area. The population who may attend these universities is often a limited, targeted population. These universities can meet the needs of these students often in a better, more efficient fashion than a traditional four-year public or private university. Students with other full-time responsibilities such as work or family should have the opportunity to get a college degree.

There are reasons why there shouldn’t be more universities created. Many newer, smaller universities have formed targeting students who want a degree in a limited field. Some people have raised concerns about the rigor of these universities, and the rigor of the courses they offer. They also are concerned about the qualifications of the instructors teaching the courses. Some people question if the admission policies of these universities are stringent enough. Some people feel a degree from some of these universities isn’t as valid as a degree from a traditional four-year public or private university.

Now that you have some background information on the topic, good luck in developing points to use in your debate.

What challenges does Jackson face in trying to get the $999 dollars in "What You Pawn I Will Redeem"?

In "What You Pawn I Will Redeem," Jackson is challenged by his own character traits and flaws when trying to earn the $999 that it will cost to buy his grandmother's regalia from the pawnbroker. For example, at one point along his journey, Jackson wins $100 from a lottery ticket, but instead of pocketing all his winnings, he gives $20 to Mary, the clerk who sold him the ticket, because he says that it's an Indian custom to share the proceeds of winnings. Jackson's good heart sets him back in terms of the money, and his flaws also contribute to setting him back: after he wins the lottery money, he goes to a bar and ends up buying rounds of drinks for himself and others. In addition, on other occasions during the journey, Jackson falls into the grips of his alcoholism and ends up losing money. These are some of the challenges that Jackson faces as he tries to earn the $999.

What was the polis in greek civilization?

A polis (plural poleis) was an ancient Greek city-state. Greek poleis, which included Athens, Sparta, and Corinth--to name a few--were independent cities ruled by the local citizens  rather than a foreign power or national government. Poleis had several identifying characteristics; here are a few:

• independence and self-governance


• walls


• an Agora (a centralized meeting-place)


• an Acropolis (a citadel)


• temples


• theaters


• citizenship

Eventually, a polis might grow so large that it would establish colonies. Thus, the original polis would come to be referred to as a "mother-polis" or metropolis.

Over time, the word polis began to refer to the entire body of a city's citizens; thus the polis referred not just to the geography and government of Athens but also to the entire body of Athenians.

The word polis has a number of English derivatives. A few include: politics, police, and policy.

What Is the value of the number 2.25? How can this number be written as a fraction or mixed number

Hello!

This number is written in a decimal form, which is based on the number `10.` The leftmost digit `2` means just `2.` The next digit, `2` also, has `10` times less "weight" and means `2/10.` The next number, `5,` is at the one hundredth's place and means `5/100.`

The number is the sum of these values, i.e.

`2.25=2+2/10+5/100.`

To add `2/10` and `5/100,` express `2/10` as `20/100` (multiply both numerator and denominator by `10`).

So `2/10+5/100=20/100+5/100=25/100.` This fraction may be reduced by `25` and is equal to `1/4.` And we got that the number `2.25` is the same as `2` and `1/4.`

It may also be written as an (improper) fraction. Because `2 =8/4,` `2+1/4=9/4.`

How does the setting of The Giver affect the conflict?

The conflict of the story is when Jonas learns that his community is killing babies.

The internal and external conflict are dependent on the dystopian setting.

Jonas’s community is supposedly perfect.  They have put a lot of effort into ensuring that.  In order to maintain this perfection, the community employs what is known as Sameness. Sameness means that everything about the community is tightly controlled.

Anything that might upset someone or make things difficult to do is prevented.  This includes population control, and even control of the environment.

"Climate Control. Snow made growing food difficult, limited the agricultural periods. And unpredictable weather made transportation almost impossible at times. It wasn't a practical thing, so it became obsolete when we went to Sameness.

"And hills, too," he added. "They made conveyance of goods unwieldy. Trucks; buses. Slowed them down. So--" (Ch. 11)

The idea is to make sure no one is ever uncomfortable.  This is why the community has rules of language that are so strict.  There are rules for everything in the community.  Breaking a rule three times, or breaking one serious rule, results in release.

Jonas does not know what release really means until the incident with the newborn twin.  Twins are not allowed in the community because they might make someone uncomfortable.  Identical twins are not allowed.

The Giver's face took on a solemn look. "I wish they wouldn't do that," he said quietly, almost to himself.

"Well, they can't have two identical people around! Think how confusing it would be!" Jonas chuckled. (Ch. 19)

It is at this point that the story reaches its climax, or turning point.  Jonas has been slowly learning just how wrong the community is to do away with concepts like love and family.  Now he understands that a travesty occurs regularly in the community.  Innocent babies are killed to keep people from feeling uncomfortable.

Jonas’s internal conflict is the struggle that he faces to reconcile the understanding of what his community does with the perfect world he thought he lived in.  The external conflict is Jonas versus his community, when he decides he has to do something about the horrors of his community.

Why did George find very few people in the streets as he rushed out to work in the morning?

The narrator tells us this story in Chapter XI of Three Men in Boat. George is reminded of a time when his watch stopped overnight, and he didn’t know what time it was when he woke up the next morning. The hands on his watch read “quarter-past eight,” and George believed he would be late to get to work at nine o’clock. It was a foggy night, but George was convinced it was morning. He was surprised that no one else in the house was awake for breakfast. Then he walked out onto the dark and gloomy street, and no one was there, either. His watch began to work again. But it said that it was close to nine o’clock; and when a nearby clock struck three, it turned out to be three o’clock in the morning. George went back home and found that he could not go back to bed and could not really start eating breakfast. Instead he just sat in a corner and waited until his landlady got up to begin the day with their usual routine.

How does Equiano's narrative compare to the following thesis: "According to Inikori, it is the relationship between the Atlantic Slave Trade,...

If you have read Olaudah Equiano's (a.k.a., Gustavus Vassa) narrative, you know that he and his sister (who were later separated) were kidnapped by fellow Africans from their family home, in what is now Eastern Nigeria, driven to the western coast, and transported to Barbados.

According to historian Alan Taylor, "the West Indies became the great magnet for transatlantic migration," and Barbados was especially popular because of its landscape, climate, location, and its plentiful population of pigs which served as the meat supply for mariners. Also, the native Carib population was virtually non-existent by the 1600s, making it possible for the English to set up without resistance.

Early settlers failed to cultivate sugar, focusing instead on tobacco. When that crop proved to be unprofitable, they tried sugar again. However, sugar cultivation was expensive, requiring "costly equipment, precise timing, [and] technical knowledge." Fortunately for them, wealthy Dutch traders were able to help. In Amsterdam, the Dutch had developed the best sugar refineries in all of Europe, and they had learned the secrets of sugar cultivation from the Portuguese. 

However, sugar cultivation was dangerous and monotonous work. Cut sugar cane spoiled quickly if it was not processed. Moreover, "harvesting, milling, and boiling required close synchronization and quick work." A large work force would be needed -- particularly a work force that could labor on in tropical conditions. By the 1650s, political leaders in England began to question the righteousness of inflicting "plantation servitude upon white men," even those who had prisoners. White men who performed the labor also had great difficulty handling the climate; and some succumbed to disease. These circumstances led to the Atlantic Slave Trade.

It is important to note that Africans were not much hardier, initially. Planters brought 130,000 Africans into Barbados between 1640 and 1700, but only 50,000 survived until 1700. Some died on the voyage to the New World; others succumbed to tropical diseases, the brutality of the work regimen, inadequate diet, and cruelty. 

Enough slaves remained, however, to make the planters very wealthy. In 1668-69, sugar crops from the West Indies sold for about 180,000 pounds after paying 18,000 pounds in taxes. Chesapeake tobacco planters, on the other hand, paid far more in taxes. Sugar planters became wealthy because they could keep much of what they earned. Such wealth would have allowed planters to purchase land in England or elsewhere; to invest in new businesses and industries; and to help establish new institutions at home and in the New World.

Equiano was not deemed "saleable" at a slave market in Barbados (thankfully, for him and for us, as he may have died on the island). So, he was shipped north to Virginia, which was the base of the tobacco trade. He arrives in Virginia in the 1750s. By this time, European demand for tobacco had improved, causing the price to go up. Also, the tax burden had been diminished, allowing tobacco planters to become wealthy.

Virginia planters, because they were generally better educated than their peers, built a reputation for being "gentlemanly." They built great brick mansions, dressed handsomely, and associated with members of the upper-class in both the New and Old Worlds. 

This presumed sophistication is alluded to in Chapter Three of the narrative. Equiano is summoned into the room where his master is napping. There, he is to fan "the gentleman" while he sleeps. While doing so, Equiano indulges himself in looking around the room, "which to [him] appeared very fine and curious." He notices a watch that hung on the chimney. He observes a picture (a portrait, it seems), "which appeared constantly to look at me." Equiano is miserable in this house, where he has no one to talk to (the same passage mentions a slave woman, cooking in the kitchen, while an iron muzzle covers her face). He is thankful to be purchased by a naval captain and taken to England. He arrives in the spring of 1757, at the age of 12.

By the 1750s, England is in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. The textile mills of London were supplied with cotton from the colonies, soon to become the United States. After the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, cotton cultivation would expand westward into what are now Alabama, Mississippi, and eastern Texas. Sugar, as well as cotton, would be cultivated in Louisiana. 

While in England, Olaudah Equiano took up with British abolitionists, including the co-founder of Sierra Leone, Granville Sharpe, to end the slave trade. The trade was abolished with the Slave Trade Act of 1807, which was enacted ten years after Equiano's death. The United States ended the importation of slaves in the same year. England would abolish slavery altogether in 1833. Nevertheless, both America and England continued to profit from the perpetuation of slavery in the American South until the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. 

Without the existence of slavery in the West Indies and the United States, the textile industry would not have been nearly as profitable as it was. The profits from industries that employed slaves funded a number of other endeavors, including the construction of American universities. Brown University and the University of Virginia are significant examples. 

Though slavery ended in the New World, the demand for cheap labor did not. Historian Sven Beckert, in his book, "Empire of Cotton: A Global History," argued that the end of slavery in America, coupled with the persistent need to exploit labor for industrial gains, likely inspired European colonialism in Africa, Asia, and Oceania.

How would the novel To Kill a Mockingbird be different if the Finch house was not located on the main street?

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird would be drastically different if the Finches did not live on the main street of Maycomb. Many of the memorable moments and important scenes take place in proximity to the Finches' home and include their neighbors, which are also important characters throughout the novel. Miss Rachel Haverford is Dill Harris' aunt who lives next door to the Finches. If the Finches' home was not located next to Miss Rachel's home, Scout and Jem might not have met their fascinating, imaginative friend. The memorable character, Miss Maudie, who lives across the street from the Finches, might not have interacted with Scout had she not been her neighbor. Maudie provides insight into the true nature of Boo Radley and describes other characters throughout the community. If the Finches did not live on the main road, Jem and Scout would never have walked passed Mrs. Dubose's front yard to be insulted, and Jem would have never destroyed her camellia bush. The significant lesson in true courage would have never taken place had they not interacted with their neighbor, Mrs. Dubose. When Tim Johnson walked down the main road, Jem would not have seen him, and the children would still think Atticus is talentless and boring. Most significantly, if the Finches were to live off of the main road, the children would not have known who Boo Radley was, and the entire plot would be altered. It is important to remember that Jem and Scout are only children. Children can only travel within a proximity of their home, which makes the location of Finches' residence significant and their neighbors important characters. Most of Scout and Jem's experiences take place in their yard, on their neighbors' porches, or a little ways down the road.

In the short story, "Through the Tunnel," what do the boys represent?

The older boys, to Jerry, seem like "men," and they represent his desire to grow up.  "To be with them, of them, was a craving that filled his whole body."  They swim and dive so freely and confidently in the "wild bay."  They need no supervision, unlike Jerry, who only just got his mother's permission to leave her for a few hours.  He wants to be accepted by them because, to be accepted would mean that he is like them: that he, too, is almost a man.  "He felt he was accepted" as they dived off the promontory, and so he was happy. 

However, once they begin to swim through a tunnel in the rock, Jerry can no longer remain with them.  They are capable of doing something that he cannot do, going somewhere he cannot follow, and so he desperately tries to get their attention.  "[I]n a panic of failure," he clowned around "splashing and kicking in the water like a foolish dog," and "They swam back to the shore without a look at him."  They know that he is not like them; they can tell that he is younger and foreign.  And when he begins to act so childishly, they leave him without a second thought.  Their rejection feels like a confirmation to Jerry that he is not the same as them, and so he "crie[s] himself out."

In Act II, Scene I, why does Mama ignore Walter when she comes home? What does this show about their relationship?

When Mama enters in Act II, Scene I, she actually interrupts an intimate moment between Ruth and Walter as they ponder the problems in their relationships over a loving kiss.

Immediately following her entrance, Walter questions her about her whereabouts, and she ignores him, commenting on the stairs instead, “My—them steps is longer than they used to be. Whew!” (533) She then asks Ruth how she is feeling, supposedly directed at her pregnancy. When Walter asks Mama again where she has been, she doesn’t answer the question. Instead, she asks about Travis’ whereabouts. When she does respond to Walter, it’s more of a subtle hint instead of a direct answer. She says, “I went downtown to tend to some business that I had to tend to” (534). Walter continues his line of questioning, but Mama chides him and says, “You know better than to question me like a child, Brother” (534).

Once Travis arrives home, Ruth sends him to his room as a punishment for coming home late, but Mama insists on talking to him. She shares the news that she bought him a house with his late grandfather’s money. This brings immense joy to Mama, Ruth, and Travis; however, Walter is less than pleased.

Through Mama ignoring Walter, we gain insight to their relationship and Mama’s insecurities. It is obvious that the insurance money is creating somewhat of a divide or barrier in their relationships since fulfilling one of their dreams means leaving the other person’s dream unfulfilled. It wouldn’t be possible for them to buy both a home and liquor store; therefore, someone’s dream must be sacrificed, and both Mama and Walter are clinging to their dreams, unwilling to budge.

On the other hand, this moment of ignoring Walter’s line of questioning - even momentarily - may show that she isn’t 100% certain that she did the right thing and that she may be afraid of disappointing her son. However, whatever uncertainty or doubt she may have had disappeared as soon as she mentioned Big Walter to Travis.

**Please note that the page numbers are coming from a textbook in which the play appears. Actual page numbers may differ; however, all quotes are from the end of Act II, Scene I.**

How does the American political process demonstrate the challenges of democracy?

I take it that you are asking how the US political process shows how it is challenging to have democracy more than it shows how it is good or beneficial to have democracy.  If so, I would say that our political process shows this because it shows how hard it is to get the majority of the people to do what is good for the whole country in the long term, rather than what is good for their own specific interests or what is good in the short term.

One way we can see this is in our ideas about Social Security and Medicare.  Clearly, we need to do something because these programs will not stay solvent for long if we keep on as we are.  However, there are too many people who do not want the programs changed because they are afraid of how the changes will affect them, personally.  They fear that they will lose benefits or have more of their income taxed.  Therefore, they are unwilling to support reforms that are needed so that the whole country can have these programs in the long term.

Another way in which we can see this is in our attitudes towards tax breaks and subsidies.  Almost everyone agrees that we give out too many of these breaks and subsidies that are unnecessary.  A prime example of this is how much we give in farm subsidies to farmers who really do not need to be subsidized.  However, people in farm states are not willing to give up their subsidies, thus making it hard for us to reduce our excessive government spending.  People, in this case, are putting their local interests ahead of the interests of the country.

Democracy relies on people acting in the long-term best interests of their entire country.  However, it is very difficult to get people to actually act in this way.  The fact that we have so many problems like this is evidence that our system shows how challenging it is to have democracy.

I need to write an argumentative essay on whether the government is ever justified in withholding information from its citizens. I need help with...

Your thesis statement makes an arguable claim that offers a unique way of thinking about the topic. First, identify the problem, which is the controversy over the government withholding information from its citizens.

Second, state your claim. One way to present a thesis that is thoughtful and nuanced is to use an "Although" statement. You might say "Although citizens have the right to know about the activities of their elected government, certain situations require that the government withhold information for the sake of national security."

Third, explain exactly what you mean by "national security" and identify specific situations in which withholding information would be justified. Explain why the cost of releasing information would outweigh the benefits. For example, are there situations in which releasing information to citizens would also allow terrorists to access that information, which would put citizens in danger?

Fourth, consider counter arguments and respond to them. For example, should the government withhold information in order to prevent citizens from protesting, which could lead to a revolution? At what point does government protection become government oppression?

In Romeo and Juliet, who thinks that "young men's love lies not in their hearts,but in their eyes"?

Friar Lawrence says that young men’s love lies in their eyes, not their hearts.

Friar Lawrence is a mentor to Romeo.  He has many poignant things to say to him, because Romeo seems to love very vividly.  He goes from loving Rosaline and pining for her to loving Juliet, almost overnight.  Friar Lawrence believes that it is not true love, but lust. 

Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here!
Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear,
So soon forsaken? young men's love then lies
Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes. (Act 2, Scene 3)

Basically, he is saying that if a young man sees a pretty girl, he is in love!  How else could Romeo be sure he loved Rosaline one day, and then sure he loved Juliet the next?  Romeo argues that Rosaline did not love him back, or allow him to love her at least, so it is different with Juliet.  This time, he is really in love! 

ROMEO

I pray thee, chide not; she whom I love now
Doth grace for grace and love for love allow;
The other did not so. (Act 2, Scene 3)

According to Romeo, everything is okay because Juliet shares his affection.  They are in love, and this girl will never break his heart like the last one did!  He is sure of it, even though he has only known her for a few hours.

Friar Lawrence is ready to support this newfound love if it is real. In fact, Romeo and Juliet do get secretly married with his help.  Then he helps Juliet fake her death with a special potion when Romeo is banished for killing Tybalt.  He tries to get a message to Romeo, but the messenger fails, so Romeo does not ever find out that Juliet is not really dead.  Friar Lawrence is knee-deep in the whole thing.  He would have been better off staying out of it.

Explain how Steinbeck explores a person's responsibility to another person through the characters of George and Lennie.

"It ain't so funny, him an' me goin' aroun' together," George said at last. "Him and me was both born in Auburn. I knowed his Aunt Clara. She took him when he was a baby and raised him up. When his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just come along with me out workin'."

While many of the men on the ranch where George and Lennie go to work think it's odd that the two men travel together, George explains it simply:  He knew Lennie's aunt; she passed away, so now he takes care of Lennie.  And to George, that's that.  George understands Lennie isn't capable of taking care of himself:

"If you don' want me I can go off in the hills an' find a cave. I can go away any time."

"No—look! I was jus' foolin', Lennie. 'Cause I want you to stay with me."

Lennie is physically strong yet mentally weak; while George is, at least to some degree, his opposite.  They are, in Freud's terms, id and superego of the same person--Lennie is all instincts and drives, while George is all judgment and morality.  And to George, he simply has a moral obligation to watch out for Lennie.  Steinbeck portrays this idea so unquestioningly in these two characters that when others question why George would bother with Lennie, they themselves seem to be the ones doing some morally obscene thing.  Why would a decent human being NOT care for another who can not care for him/herself? 

In the "Miami, Florida" chapter of Whirligig by Paul Fleischman, what is the character's main conflict? How does the character come across one of...

We don’t know the real name of the main character in this chapter. He’s originally from Puerto Rico, and people call him Flaco because he is skinny. He feels the frustrations and stresses of his personal life. He has to provide for his wife and young son; and yet, he’s just lost his job. He’s already lost a daughter, who died of a health problem when she was only one year old. His wife is taking care of other people’s children, and the house is noisy. Flaco goes for a drive across Florida to clear his head, from Miami to Tampa. There he sees Brent’s whirligig of marching band characters. He thinks about the tendency of people to gather into groups, into families. If they get along, they make good music. Flaco goes back home, a bit more satisfied. He later gets a job as a street sweeper and feels better about his situation.

`u = 2i - 3j, v = i - 2j` Find the angle theta between the vectors.

You need to use the formula of dot product to find the angle between two vectors, `u = u_x*i + u_y*j, v = v_x*i + v_y*j` , such that:

`u*v = |u|*|v|*cos(theta)`

The angle between the vectors u and v is theta.

`cos theta = (u*v)/(|u|*|v|)`

First, you need to evaluate the product of the vectors u and v, such that:

`u*v = u_x*v_x + u_y*v_y`

`u*v = 2*1 + (-3)*(-2)`

`u*v = 8`

You need to evaluate the magnitudes |u| and |v|, such that:

`|u|= sqrt(u_x^2 + u_y^2) => |u|= sqrt(2^2 + (-3)^2) =>|u|= sqrt 13 `

`|v|= sqrt(v_x^2 + v_y^2) => |v|= sqrt(1^2 + (-2)^2) => |v|= sqrt 5`

`cos theta = (8)/(sqrt(13*5)) => cos theta = (8)/(sqrt 65)`

Hence, the cosine of the angle between the vectors u and v is `cos theta = (8)/(sqrt 65)` , so, `theta ~~ 7º 15' 8.089".`

How did the narrator in "The Black Cat" try to justify his sin?

As an unreliable narrator, the narrator of "The Black Cat" sets up his entire story to try to excuse his actions, despite the ruse of trying to "unburden his soul" before his execution. The sin of killing the first black cat, Pluto, is justified by the narrator's sad slide into alcoholism. He claims that his: 

"General temperament and character—through the instrumentality of the Fiend Intemperance— had (I blush to confess it) experienced a radical alteration for the worse."

Here the narrator shirks responsibility. Alcoholism is a thing that happened to him, a villain that attacked him, not a choice he made. When he cuts out Pluto's eye, his "original soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from [his] body." When he actually kills the cat, he goes on a whole philosophical speech on the destructive nature of mankind, saying,

"Perverseness is one of the primitive impulses of the human heart—one of the indivisible primary faculties, or sentiments, which give direction to the character of Man."

Through all of this confession, the narrator has not fully taken responsibility for his actions, but rather blamed alcohol, the supernatural, and human fallibility for the death of Pluto.

When it comes to the murder and burial of his wife, the narrator says little to justify it, which shouldn't be surprising as he started beating her before he started beating Pluto when the alcoholic rage started. He merely talks about the fear and hatred of his second cat boiling him into a frenzy, during which he attacked it with an ax. When his wife tried to stop him, he couldn't help but kill her instead.

Clearly, the story's narrator is either insane or completely unwilling to take responsibility for his choices.

I am curious about what writers influenced Joseph Mitchell. I am writing a report about Mitchell and would like to connect his style of writing to...

Joseph Mitchell (July 27, 1908 – May 24, 1996) began his career as a journalist working for such newspapers as the New York Herald Tribune. This meant that much of his style was influenced by the newsroom, causing his writing to be vivid and concise, and tending to cluster important points towards the beginning of a story.

In 1938, Mitchell gained a permanent position at The New Yorker, a magazine that had a strong house style, in part the creation of its storied editor, Harold Ross. Mitchell would have been influenced by other New Yorker writers such as E. B. White, who shared a characteristic style of strongly descriptive long form non-fiction. 

In his journalistic assignments, Mitchell covered Harlem, and thus would have known and been influenced by the Harlem Renaissance. He also admired James Joyce's Ulysses for its portrayal of the panoply of urban life. 

For your project, I suspect the most interesting context in which to write about him is as part of the tradition surrounding the New Yorker. 

Why did DuBois believe that economic and political progress for African Americans were inextricably linked? Why did Washington think the two could...

Dubois believed that white Americans would never allow black Americans into higher paying, higher status professional careers like medicine, the law and academia, or even careers involving skilled labor. He believed this because in the South, these fields were explicitly closed to African Americans, who needed special permits or licenses in order to enter those fields. One could only obtain such documents from local government officials, who adamantly opposed allowing blacks into these professions. Moreover, almost all universities in the north and south excluded African Americans, either by explicit policy or practice. These schools were the gateways into most professions, so being denied entry to those schools was tantamount to being denied a career in the law, medicine or academia.

As a result, Dubois felt that the only way for African Americans to gain true economic parity with whites was by taking up prominent roles in professions such as medicine, law, academia and government. Dubois understand that the majority of white Americans would not allow this to happen by choice; African Americans would have to gain entrance to these fields by getting laws passed that would ban discrimination in these fields. 

Carver, on the other hand, believed that African Americans could become integral parts of the American economy by taking jobs that required simple, technical skills, and that by slowly working their way into the fabric of the American economy. By doing so, Carver believed that African Americans could prove their worth and eventually convince white Americans to let them participate in the political process. Carver worried that if Blacks pushed for political power too soon, on top of economic freedoms, this would create a backlash, and perhaps result in African Americans getting neither.

For Carver, who was a natural-born inventor and entrepreneur, the notion of securing economic stability before venturing into the political realm, reflected his own particular experience. For Dubois, who helped to found all-Black colleges to help African Americans enter professional careers, the idea that black Americans could wait patiently and hope that good behavior would result in political enfranchisement, was absurd. Dubois understood that African Americans had to fight not only for the vote, but also run for and win elected office, to change how they were treated, and to gain equality under the law. For him, waiting and hoping for white Americans to “do the right thing” was not an option.

How do I properly use apostrophes?

The most common uses of an apostrophe are to denote possession, as "Jim owns a house" would become "Jim's house," and in the merging of words known as contractions that are used for purposes of brevity and to reflect realistic dialogue. An example of the latter use of apostrophes would be "isn't" rather than "is not," or "aren't" in place of "are not." Contractions are generally not used in formal essays, but are, as noted, acceptable in more informal writing, as in speeches and when an author is depicting dialogues between characters.

Apostrophes used to denote possession in the case of plural nouns are placed after the "s," as in "veterans' parade," or, when referring to a family that possesses an object, "the Johnsons' car," which would be distinguished from a car owned by one member of that family: "Johnson's car." If there is one area in which the rule regarding apostrophes is a little muddled, however, it is in the case of proper nouns that end in the letter "s." A name that ends in "s," for instance, may or may not have the apostrophe separating an additional "s" to denote possession. For example, "Paris" (as in the city in France) might be written "Paris' weather," or, alternatively, could be written "Paris's weather." Many editors choose the former over the latter.

These, then, are the main uses of apostrophes. Possession and contractions are the principal applications of this particular punctuation mark.

How do typical teenagers in Fahrenheit 451 amuse themselves?

To answer this question, we can refer to one of the conversations Montag has with Clarisse shortly before her death.

In the conversation, Montag asks Clarisse why she doesn't attend school; Clarisse answers that she has been classified as anti-social and that she doesn't feel as if she fits into an environment where students are expected to absorb information without benefit of discourse. She complains to Montag that most students are so bogged down with copious amounts of seemingly useless information that it is all they can do to survive their school days.

In their free time, the young people focus on letting off steam rather than on indulging in constructive hobbies. For example, Clarisse relates that most of her fellow students either go to bed after a long day at school, go to the Fun Park to pick on strangers, break windows in the Window Smasher booth, or wreck cars with a wrecking ball at the Car Wrecker venue. She says that other peers often play a dangerous game of 'chicken' by racing their cars and seeing how close they can come to lamp-posts before self-correcting.

Clarisse says that she is different from her peers. She confides in Montag that she is fearful of young people her age because too many young people die at each other's hands. Also, since many of them drive irresponsibly, quite a few die in car wrecks. She herself prefers to ride the subway trains and to watch people as they come and go. Sometimes, she even enjoys riding the jet cars at the Fun Park. Although she also likes to listen in on other people's conversations at soda fountains, she is disappointed that most of them engage in very shallow conversation. The discussion ends with Clarisse complaining that all the museums carry nothing but abstract art; she relates her uncle's words about it being very different in the past. Because of her uncle's wisdom, Montag comments that he must have been a very remarkable man. Clarisse agrees with Montag, and they soon part ways.

How did Duncan die?

Duncan is murdered by Macbeth. Macbeth had his ambition piqued by his encounter with the witches, and his wife is relentless in urging him to carry out the killing. The murder occurs between the first and second scenes in Act II. Macbeth sneaks into Duncan's chamber and stabs him to death in his sleep. Later, Lady Macbeth goes back into the room and smears the king's attendants, passed out from a night of drinking, with blood, also pausing to place daggers nearby to make it appear that they committed the killing. When Macduff discovers the king the next morning, and reports what he has found to Macbeth and the other thanes, Macbeth kills the guards, claiming to be so angry that he could not control himself. The murder of the king is the most important event in the play. It sets everything else in motion, and eventually leads to Macbeth's death at the hands of Macduff. 

What are some reasons why John Proctor is both a good man and a bad man?

John Proctor can easily be seen as both a good and bad man by different characters throughout The Crucible. 

Most obvious is the fact that John had an affair with Abigail Williams, a much younger girl that worked in his home. 

Another way in which John may seem like a bad person is when considering his Christian habits. As a Puritan, he was expected to be dedicated and disciplined when it came to his religion. However, Hale discovers and questions the fact that he doesn't attend church every Sunday, that only two of his three sons are baptized, and that he cannot recite all ten of the Commandments. 

On the other hand, John Proctor's good qualities outweigh his bad. He is a law-abiding citizen that works hard on his farm. He loyally chooses his marriage over an affair with a Salem girl. He pushes forward to help save the wives of his friends even after he finds out that his own wife is safe for at least a year due to a pregnancy. In the end, he ultimately gives his life for those who have chosen to be honest and pure in the midst of the corruption and chaos. He refuses to give their names when asked if he saw them with the devil. In that case, the judges refuse to allow him to save himself. 

If nothing else, John chooses to leave the world with at least his name since he knows he has nothing else left. He ends up being a modest, selfless, honest Christian.

What is the contrast Scout draws between the court where Tom was tried and the "secret courts of men's hearts" in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Chapter 25 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout reads an editorial written by Mr. B. B. Underwood that helps her better understand the injustice of Tom Robinson's trial.

Being young, at first, Scout has difficulty understanding Mr. Underwood's editorial. At first, Scout believes that Mr. Underwood is only arguing it is a "sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping," a sin that he likens to "hunters and children" senselessly killing songbirds. Being young, Scout is puzzled as to why Mr. Underwood calls Robinson's death a "senseless killing." In Scout's view, Robinson had been given "due process of law" simply because he was given a trial. His trial was fair because her father had "fought for him all the way." She further views Robinson's trial as fair because he was "convicted by twelve good men and true"; therefore, Robinson was also killed for just causes. However, Mr. Underwood's editorial serves as a real eyeopener to the actual inherent unfairness of Robinson's trial.

After reading Mr. Underwood's editorial, Scout soon comes to understand that, due to racial prejudices, Robinson had been believed to be guilty the moment Mayella Ewell accused him. Since he was believed to be guilty, unlike others tried in the US, Robinson did not benefit from the presumption of innocence, an ancient legal tenet that presumes one charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Since Robinson did not benefit from the presumption of innocence due to racial prejudices, his trial can automatically be seen as unfair. Scout explains her revelation about the unfairness of Robinson's trial in the following comment:

Then Mr. Underwood's meaning became clear: Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed. (Ch. 25)

Hence, though a legal trial can be considered "fair" in the sense that it is overseen by a judge, includes a defense attorney, and involves the unanimous judgement of a 12-man jury, a legal trial contrasts significantly with the "courts of men's hearts." In the "courts of men's hearts," people are judged to be guilty based solely on racial prejudice, regardless of contrary evidence. Through reading Mr. Underwood's editorial, Scout was finally able to see that Robinson's trial, though held in a courtroom, was really a trial held in "men's hearts" and therefore unfair.

How did the vision of Manifest Destiny relate America's philosophical past with its foreign policy in the 1840s?

The philosophical underpinnings behind the notion of Manifest Destiny date back to the first Puritan settlers, such as John Winthrop, and his group’s explicit desire to build “a new Jerusalem,” or a “Shining City on a Hill.” The notion that America and its Puritan founders had a moral right and obligation to invent a better, purer world informed the notion of what came to be known as “American Exceptionalism,” which is really an extension of Manifest Destiny. Both terms imply that by its very nature, and because of its founding and ideals, the United States has a moral destiny to rule the western hemisphere and to project its power and values across the continent, by force if necessary.

Thomas Jefferson expanded on this notion when he envisioned a vast agricultural economy stretching from sea to sea. Jefferson's decision to go ahead with the Lousiana Purchase as president was a big first step in actualizing that dream. Subsequent presidents, particularly Andrew Jackson and James Polk, used the argument of inherent moral superiority and Manifest Destiny to justify their brutal treatment of Native Americans, which included policies of extermination, forced migration and ethnic cleansing. Polk was a major proponent of territorial expansion both as a military leader and as a president.

Although America’s westward expansion was rationalized and cloaked in terms of moral superiority, it was ironically fueled in large part by the rapacious appetite of Southern plantation owners and later, by ruthless industrialists, who believed it was their right and destiny to exploit the land and its untapped resources. By the 1840s, the term “Manifest Destiny” had started to be coopted by mining and railroad companies, which enjoyed the political and financial support of the federal government, and could rely on the United States Army to protect its business interests not only from Native Americans who had lived on the land, but also from laborers who had the temerity to demand better pay or safer conditions.

Finally, in 1846, President Polk led America to war against Mexico, using Manifest Destiny as a rallying cry in a war that netted the United States the territories that would become Arizona, California and New Mexico. 

In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," what's the epiphany of the protagonist?

One might say that Paul, the boy protagonist of "The Rocking-horse Winner" never has a real epiphany, not one that allows him to rip the veil away from his identification with his mother's need for money so that he can understand that she will never be satisfied. He never learns that his ever more violent rocking on his rocking-horse to discover the winner of upcoming races is an exercise in futility.

The "epiphany" he has in his childish way is that he is "lucky." Luck has been important all through the story: the mother attributes the family's lack of money to live well and in style to bad luck, particularly her husband's bad luck and her own in marrying him. Paul learns from his mother that luck brings money and so luck becomes his quest. At the end of the story, after he wins 80,000 pounds betting on the Derby, his ironic epiphany is that he is lucky. But the effort of winning kills him, so he is not so lucky after all.

What gesture does Sampson make toward Abram in Romeo and Juliet?

In the opening scene of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet two servants from the House of Capulet are walking through the streets of Verona. They are suggesting different ways to insult their Montague opponents and cause a fight. One insult involves raping the Montague women and another involves a derogatory hand gesture. For a reason Shakespeare never reveals, the Montagues and Capulets are embroiled in a bitter feud. The feud would have been fought by, not only the family members themselves, but also by their servants.

When the servants of Montague come into view, Sampson "bites his thumb" at the Montague servant Abram, which is an insulting gesture. It could be likened to the modern gesture involving one's middle finger. Sampson says, 

Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at
them, which is disgrace to them if they bear it.

Of course, the insult works and the men end up fighting. During the scene, the audience is introduced to two principal characters, Benvolio, who tries to stop the fight, and Tybalt, who helps instigate the eventual brawl. The scene provides exposition as it introduces the audience to the "rancor" between the two families.

In "To Build a Fire," does the man gain knowledge at the end of the story?

Evidence that the man does indeed gain knowledge at the end of “To Build a Fire” can be seen in his last words: “You were right, old hoss; you were right.”  The man is addressing “the old-timer of Sulphur Creek,” a veteran of the Yukon who had given the youngsters a wealth of information on survival back in the fall, before any of the newbies had any idea what seventy-five degrees below zero truly meant.  

The main character in “To Build a Fire” is a straightforward man, content to understand the fact and existence of things, and not to waste any time with the “why” of things.  He takes everything at face value and concerns himself little with anticipation or consequences.  Thus, at the beginning of the story, “Fifty degrees below zero was to him just precisely fifty degrees below zero. That there should be anything more to it than that was a thought that never entered his head.”  Because of this tendency to observe but not analyze, the man does not put himself into context or identify his weaknesses when faced with the power of nature, the power of cold.

The man is therefore cocky and overconfident, applauding himself when he has made a fire in such cold temperatures and survived thus far alone, even when the old-timer had advised no man to travel alone at fifty below.  Before his fire is obliterated by falling snow, he remains short-sighted and proud.

So when he concedes at the end of the story that the old-timer spoke from wisdom, and that he himself should have shown more humility before nature, he is showing that he at last understands the power of the natural forces around him, and that he has made a grave mistake with his lack of forethought. He has learned that humans are not made for such harsh conditions, and that survival in such an environment requires teamwork, research, and careful planning to make up for lack of instinct. Unfortunately for him, this lesson was learned too late.

How did Miss Maudie feel about her house burning down in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Contrary to what you might expect, Miss Maudie seems relatively unfazed when her house burns down. In fact, she seems almost glad that it collapses in a fiery inferno. This unconventional reaction shows that Miss Maudie is different from the average Maycomb citizen, thus setting her up to be an important ally later on in the novel. 

When Scout asks Miss Maudie if she's mourning her recently burned-down house, the Finch's neighbor surprises her by replying, "I hated that old cow barn. Thought of settin' fire to it a hundred times myself" (77). This is obviously an unusual reaction, but it shows how little Miss Maudie cares for the things that other, so-called "normal" people care for. Rather than seeing her house as a financial asset or as a symbol of her social status, she merely saw it as a nuisance, as one more burden to shoulder. Given her independent attitude, it's no surprise that Miss Maudie becomes an important ally when the Finch children struggle to navigate the prejudices of Maycomb's citizens during the Tom Robinson trial.

What message does "The Minister's Black Veil" convey?

"The Minister's Black Veil" conveys the idea that we are all sinful by nature, and yet we hide our sinful natures from one another in an attempt to portray ourselves as sinless.  In this way, we erect a figurative veil between ourselves and everyone else so that they may not see our sinfulness.  We even attempt to hide our sinfulness from God, to no avail.  Further, our insistence on hoarding our secret sins and hiding them from the world seriously injures our relationships because it means that we can never truly know or be known, fully, by anyone else.  Even the most loving partners exist with this veil between them.

When Mr. Hooper's fiancee, Elizabeth, confronts him with the rumors which are circulating about why he wears the veil, he says, 

"If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough [...] and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?"

With this question, Mr. Hooper admits that he has the weight of secret sin on his soul and that he knows every other human being to bear this weight as well, including Elizabeth.  Even on his deathbed, when others tremble at his unwillingness to remove the veil, he says,

"Tremble also at each other!  [....] When the friend shows his inmost heart to his friend; the lover to his best beloved; when man does not vainly shrink from the eye of his Creator, loathsomely treasuring up the secret of his sin; then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath which I have lived, and die!  I look around me, and, lo! on every visage a Black Veil!"

With these lines, Mr. Hooper has been more open about the meaning of the black veil than he ever has been, publicly, before.  (He did reveal a great deal to Elizabeth alone.)  He insists that he is not a monster because he has worn this veil, and it is ironic that he has been shunned because of this physical symbol that means nothing on its own but only acquires meaning because of what it represents.  The veil is meant to symbolize the sinful monstrosity in each of us, our capacity for dissembling, and our desire to hide our true natures from each other and from God.  He sees a figuratively black veil on each face because every person does this; every person tries to hide their true natures.  

I need a thesis statement for an argumentative essay on the poem "Musée des Beaux Arts." I want to talk about suffering and the thought of not...

Auden wrote the poem "Musée des Beaux Arts" in 1938, after Hitler's rise to power in Germany and annexation of Austria. Hitler's campaign against Jews, homosexuals, and the Romani people may have been personally worrisome to Auden, who was himself gay.

Although the poem does not overtly talk about Hitler, there is a parallel theme in that, just as in the painting people go about their daily lives ignoring both momentous events and great suffering, so too were people in Europe and Britain ignoring the threat of Hitler. This theme is exemplified by the way the farmer is turned away from Icarus and focused on plowing. Auden describes the scene in Brueghel as follows:

... the ploughman may

Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,

But for him it was not an important failure;

Thus for a thesis, you could state, "Just as the farmer in the painting is so focused on his plowing that he does not pay attention to Icarus, so too were people in Europe so focused on their daily lives that they ignored the rise of Hitler."

What is Max thinking as Gwen takes Kevin home?

The short answer to your question is that Max thinks Gwen is scared of him because of his size. However, this incident requires a bit more explanation. Kevin is in Max’s basement (which Max called his “down under”) after Max helps Kevin retrieve his flying toy from the tree. The two are starting to become friends. As Kevin goes into details about the story of King Arthur, the two boys hear Kevin’s mom (who Kevin calls “Fair Gwen”) calling him. When Gwen catches sight of Max, she grabs Kevin and “almost runs home” with him. This saddens Max, making him think he is not good enough for Kevin. Max assumes that Gwen has noticed Max’s large size (as opposed to Kevin’s tiny stature). Max wrongly assumes Gwen does not want Max playing with Kevin for this reason. Max retreats into his “down under,” saying that the space is “cool and empty. You don’t have to think about anything. You’re not even there.” Gwen immediately calls Max’s Gram in order to apologize to Max, to say she is “delighted” Max and Kevin are friends, and to invite Max to dinner. The real reason why Gwen is a bit frightened by Max is that he looks like his dad (Kenny “Killer” Kane). Gwen used to be good friends with Max’s mom, but admits at the dinner that Max’s dad “made it difficult for [Max’s mom] to have friends.”

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what is the significance of the statement, "but sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle...

In Chapter 5, Miss Maudie is having a conversation with Scout regarding Boo Radley's past and family background. Miss Maudie explains to Scout that Mr. Radley was a very strict individual, and was a "foot-washing Baptist" (Lee 59). Maudie tells Scout that "foot-washing Baptists" believe that women are a sin by nature and that anything that people take pleasure in is considered a sin. Maudie also tells Scout that Mr. Radley took the Bible literally. She attempts to use the following analogy to explain to Scout that people can use the Bible to support their negative beliefs by saying, "but sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of---oh, of your father" (Lee 60). Scout is too young and naive to understand Maudie's analogy. Maudie is trying to convey that fact that some people misinterpret the Bible and use the scriptures to support their intolerant and ignorant beliefs. In Mr. Radley's case, he interpreted the Bible literally to keep Boo Radley inside of the house and away from the public. His decision to shelter his son negatively affected Boo Radley's life, similar to the way alcohol can negatively affect a person's well-being.

What parts of the story demonstrate the theme of appearance versus reality?

An appearance versus reality theme is one of the more common themes in literature. It challenges the reader to consider the characteristics of the text just as a good versus evil theme would. The appearance versus reality theme in Charles manifests in the character of Laurie, a kindergarten student and his parent's perception of him. In the story, Laurie bounds off to kindergarten in a very confident manner the very first day. His mother muses that her little toddler son is gone forever and marvels at this confident character he has become. He returns home day after day with stories of "Charles", a disruptive, rude student in class. Laurie's parents grow concerned about the influence Charles may have over Laurie, continuing to believe that Charles is a real child and that Laurie might be influenced to be ill behaved because of him until the day that they go to a parent meeting, speak to the teacher and realize that there is no Charles in all of kindergarten. For Laurie's mother and father, the apparent disruptive force at school was Charles until that moment when the teacher revealed that in reality, there was no Charles. The reader is left to assume that Laurie is in fact Charles.

It might also be said that the theme can be seen in Laurie's creation of the character Charles. A reader might believe that as a kindergarten age child, Laurie might not be able to separate reality from fiction and wonder if he truly believes that the character Charles is separate from him.

What is a good thesis statement for the book Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson?

If you are asking for a thesis statement, I am assuming you are going to be writing an essay.  I am going to make some suggestions for thesis statements that you could then develop into interesting essay topics.  I hope this is what you need and is helpful!

1.  Treasure Island is a bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story in which the protagonist goes on a journey filled with obstacles in order to reach a new level of maturity.  With this thesis statement, you could research the characteristics of a bildungsroman and discuss how Jim fulfills each one.  I am including a link below.

2.  Despite being the obvious antagonist of the novel, Long John Silver teaches Jim as much about leadership as Captain Smollett.  With this topic, you could compare and contrast the leadership styles of the two men and what each one teaches Jim.  I don't see Long John Silver as simply a bad guy, and I don't think Jim does either!

I hope that you find one of these topics interesting enough to work with.  Investigate the links below, and always feel free to post another question.

How can I compare psychology today with existentialism? What are the strengths and limitations of its approach?

Existentialism is a branch of philosophy that places an emphasis on individual existence, and prioitizes freedom of choice. According to existentialism, people define their meaning in life, and seek to make rational decisions in spite of an irrational universe. This is to say that individual people are to make their own meaning; there is no “true” meaning at the core of human existence. Additionally, existentialism holds that existence itself is the ultimate reality, rather than consciousness.

Existentialism was developed mostly over the course of the late 19th and early 20th centuries by a host of philosophers, but especially Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre. The writers Fyodor Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka, and Albert Camus also influenced its development.

As far as the decline of existentialism is concerned, it might be more accurate to say that many of the major tenets of the philosophy have been accepted into mainstream thought, rendering moot the need to label such perspectives as “existentialist” or anything at all.

Existential psychology is an offshoot of the philosophical movement that holds that individual struggle or suffering is the result of a person’s refusal to accept the inherent meaninglessness of existence. Further, existential psychology posits that although every individual is ultimately alone, we desire a connection to other people and to occupy a meaningful place in their lives, which leads to intense anxiety. The solution to this anxiety is personal responsibility and the understanding that validation must come from within.

How can computer chips be made smaller? Why is the idea impractical?

There are basically three ways to make computer chips smaller. One is to make transistors smaller, another is to make chips with fewer transistors and a third possibility is to use software to make chips more efficient. 

Placing fewer transistors on chips allows for smaller chips. This is practical for some applications but impractical for others. Fewer transistors makes chips slower but not every application requires a huge amount of processing power. As we move to an "internet of things", there will be many devices which require very little processing power and for which issues such as power consumption and size may actually be more important than raw number crunching ability. 

One can fit more transistors on a chip, but that starts running into several physical limitations, including quantum tunneling and problems of heat build-up. The size of atoms becomes a hard limit for transistor size. 

Finally, chips can be designed to be smaller and more efficient if they are optimized for specific applications. This won't work for general purpose chips used in cell phones or PCs, but could have applications for chips used for other applications such as facial recognition or data centers. The problem with special-purpose chips is that they will have a lower sales volume than general purpose ones, increasing their price. 

What is the main idea of Jane Eyre? And why was this story written?

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte's beloved novel, is the story of the eponymous Jane Eyre and her struggles and successes in nineteenth-century rural England. We meet Jane as a young girl and watch her navigate through the harshness of Lowood to the passions of Thornfield Hall to Moor House and back to Rochester in Ferndean again. While the brunt of the plot seems to revolve around Jane's love for Rochester and their struggle to develop a relationship, beyond the love story, there lies the true point of Bronte's novel: the journey to self-actualization of Jane Eyre. She must learn to be seen as a woman of full intellect and power and must learn to see herself as such. This is a story of independence and struggle and ultimate success in finding such independence.

While no one knows specifically why Charlotte Bronte wrote her novel, she seems to have wanted to voice her frustration about the inequality she saw between men and women. Choosing to publish under the gender neutral name of Currer Bell, and having a female character traverse and ultimately find her identity and independence, Bronte appears to have wanted to show the world that women could have the same intellect, the same passions as men.

How did Hop Frog come to be in the court in the first place?

According to the narrator, Hop-Frog was kidnapped and brought to the king's court. He came "from some barbarous region," and  he and another girl named Trippetta, described as "dwarvish," were:

forcibly carried off from their respective homes in adjoining provinces, and sent as presents to the king, by one of his ever-victorious generals.

Of course, they were intended to amuse the king, which they did. But they live what must be described as a miserable existence, having no other purpose than to amuse the king, who laughs at their infirmities. When the King insults Trippetta by pushing her and throwing a goblet of wine in her face, Hop-Frog determines to get revenge, which he achieves by persuading the King and his courtiers to dress up as "ourang-outans", chained like beasts, before setting them on fire. Hop-Frog, kidnapped from his family and subjected to constant indignity and ridicule to amuse the king, gains his revenge in the end. 

What part of a cell helps animals to produce energy?

The major organelle in an animal cell that helps generate energy, in the form of ATP, is the mitochondrion (plural Mitochondria). This interesting organelle is unique in that it carries its own DNA, and is only inherited from the mother, but not the father, of an animal. The process through which mitochondria generate ATP is a three-step process. First, food molecules must be broken down by enzymes into simpler sugars either in the intestines, or in specific organelles of the cell known as lysosomes. The second step of this energy process, known as glycolysis, occurs inside the cell, but outside the mitochondria. In this step, glucose, a simple sugar, is broken down to generate a net gain of 2 ATP molecules. It is these small amounts of ATP, generated outside the cell, that provide the energy to begin the third step of energy generation. This third step consists of two parts known as the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport chain, respectively. Both of these processes occur inside the cells mitochondria and consist of a complex set of reactions. The final step of the electron transport chain, involving oxidation, is where the vast majority of the cells energy, or ATP, is generated. This oxidative step is the reason why animals need oxygen to survive, and is required in order to generate sufficient energy to sustain cellular function and life. Interestingly, This process is able to recover almost half of all the theoretically possible energy that can be generated, making it a very efficient system. Hope this helps!  

How does Shakespeare show that Lord Capulet has changed over the course of the play?

When we first meet Lord Capulet he is discussing with Count Paris the potential marriage between his daughter Juliet and the Count. Paris is very interested in marrying Juliet. While it would be a good match because they are both from the upper class of Verona society, Capulet is hesitant because his daughter is still very young and she is his only living offspring. Capulet says in Act I, Scene 2,

My child is yet a stranger in the world.
She hath not seen the change of fourteen years.
Let two more summers wither in their pride
Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.

Paris reminds Capulet that even younger girls are already married and have borne children. Capulet is well aware of this and it is precisely why he thinks Juliet is not ready. Capulet has many excellent qualities in the beginning of the play. He wants what is best for his daughter.

Although Capulet is ready to fight in the opening scene during the street brawl caused by Tybalt, he is not inclined to fight at his party. When Tybalt discovers Romeo and wants to fight, Capulet urges restraint and even compliments Romeo. He says in Act I, Scene 5:

Content thee, gentle coz. Let him alone.
He bears him like a portly gentleman,
And, to say truth, Verona brags of him
To be a virtuous and well-governed youth.
I would not for the wealth of all this town
Here in my house do him disparagement.
Therefore be patient. Take no note of him.

Once again Capulet shows redeeming qualities in his patience and praise of the son of his mortal enemy.

Unfortunately, Capulet loses patience later in the play. He changes his mind about Juliet marrying and, in the wake of Tybalt's death, arranges the marriage between Juliet and Paris. He thinks it a good idea to bring a "day of joy" to make up for the loss the family feels. When Juliet is obviously against the idea he loses his temper in Act III, Scene 6:

How, how, how, how? Chopped logic? What is this?
“Proud,” and “I thank you,” and “I thank you not,”
And yet “not proud”? Mistress minion you,
Thank me no thankings, nor proud me no prouds,
But fettle your fine joints ’gainst Thursday next
To go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church,
Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither.
Out, you green-sickness carrion! Out, you baggage!
You tallow face!

Rather than show patience, Capulet insults his daughter. He has drastically changed his mind. A few days ago she was too young, but now she must marry Paris or face being disowned. This change in Capulet's personality may be more a vehicle of Shakespeare's plot than a true condemnation of Juliet's father. Shakespeare needed the plot twist to set up Juliet's fake death and the eventual double suicide.

Upon finding Juliet supposedly dead in Act IV, Scene 5 he expresses his profound grief:

Despised, distressèd, hated, martyred, killed!
Uncomfortable time, why cam’st thou now
To murder, murder our solemnity?
O child! O child! My soul and not my child!
Dead art thou! Alack, my child is dead,
And with my child my joys are burièd.

In the end, we have sympathy for Capulet and the role he plays in the death of his only daughter. The feud he and Montague engaged in led to final tragedy.