Name each of the following compounds.

The first compound shown is named 3,3-dimethyl-pentanol.

The root word used is pentane, which is a 5-carbon alkane, because the longest carbon chain is five carbons in length. The suffix -ol is added because the -OH group makes the compound an alcohol. The two -CH3 groups are called methyl groups. They're on the third carbon because the carbons are numbered starting from the end closest to the -OH group. The prefix 3,3-dimethyl tells us that there are two methyl groups on carbon 3. If the -OH group isn't on the first carbon an infix number must be included in front of the suffix -ol, for example 3,3-dimethyl-pentan-1-ol.

The second compound shown is named propanone.

The -one ending describes the ketone functional group, which is the oxygen double bonded to a carbon, and the root word propane describes a three-carbon alkane. The common name for this compound is acetone.

The third compound shown is named ethoxypentane.

The oxygen that's single bonded to two carbons forms an ether group. Ethers have the form R-O-R. The smaller R-group is named first, followed by oxy, then the larger R-group name. The name of this ketone comes from the root word ethane for a 2-carbon alkane and pentane for a five-carbon alkane.

The fourth compound shown is named butylamine.

The -NH2 group is the amine functional group and the -C4H9 is a butyl group. When the amine group is on the first carbon it's not necessary to include an infix number, which describes the location of the functional group. If the infix is included the name is butan-1-amine.  An alternative but usually less preferred way of naming alkyl amines is by using the prefix amino-, whereby this compound would be called amino-butane.

Why does Scout quiz Atticus about his visit to the Radley house in To Kill a Mockingbird? How much does Atticus tell her?

In Chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Mrs. Radley, Boo’s mother, dies. Atticus goes to pay his respects to the family since they are his neighbors.  Scout and Jem can’t wait to hear all about his visit because they are still obsessed with Boo Radley and the rumors that surround his life. Scout and Jem immediately assume that Boo somehow caused his mother’s death, but Atticus tells them that she died of natural causes.  This is disappointing for the children who yearn for another juicy tidbit about the mysterious Boo Radley.  Scout also asks Atticus if he saw Mr. Arthur (Boo).  Atticus tells Scout that he didn’t.  Again, it's another disappoint for Scout and Jem who want so desperately to meet and know Boo Radley.  As usual, Atticus is pretty closed-mouth about the Radley family in order to protect their privacy and to discourage any more antics from Scout and Jem who are trying to see Boo.

How are sphinxes and pyramids similar?

The Great Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza form the Giza Necropolis, or the Giza pyramid complex, which is located not too far from the city center of Cairo. The Giza Necropolis consists of multiple pyramid complexes, each belonging to a different pharaoh from the fourth Dynasty (one of the ruling families). The Great Pyramid of Giza is the complex that belongs to the pharaoh Khufu, who ruled Egypt in the 26th century BCE as part of the fourth Dynasty. The second biggest pyramid belongs to Khufu's son Khafre. The other pyramids belong to Khafre's successor, Menkaure, and the queen Khentkaus I, who was possibly the daughter of Menkaure. 

The Sphinx has the most in common with the pyramid of Khafre because it is thought that Khafre's face is the one the Sphinx wears. The pyramids were made of large stone blocks, as was the Great Sphinx. One big difference, however, is that the pyramids were tombs whereas the Sphinx is a statue.

What are the basic functions of lipids? Include examples.

Lipids are extremely common in the body, and their use in biology tends to fall in several main categories: making up cell and organelle membranes, serving as a high density energy source, and operating as a class of signaling molecules. 

Lipid molecules, because of their hydrophobic nature, spontaneously self-assemble when exposed to water in order to minimize their exposed surface area. Simple lipids like oils tend to form spheres called micelles; you have probably seen these blobs form when cooking or washing dishes.  A more complex lipid type, called phospholipids, have both a hydrophobic region and a hydrophilic region. Such phospholipids can form bilayer membranes. Cells use these bilayer membranes as something like a skin, a barrier against the outside world. They also make up the membranes of organelles inside the cell, like the mitochondria, the nuclear membrane, the endoplasmic reticulum, and so on. Other classes of lipids, such as cholesterol, can be used to reinforce cellular membranes.

Lipids, particularly a class called triglycerides, are also a high density energy source in the body. Per unit of mass, fat contains over twice the net energy as sugars like glucose, so they make for an efficient storage medium. The downside of using fat for energy storage is that it metabolizes slower than sugar. The fastest, strongest muscles of your body, including your brain, run primarily on sugar because it metabolizes quickly, while slower muscles that require endurance run on fats.

Finally, certain types of lipids can be used as signaling molecules in the body. Particularly, this involves the class of steroid hormones. Because cell membranes are composed of phospholipids with a hydrophobic region, other hydrophobic molecules like steroids can pass right through them by diffusion. For instance, the hormone testosterone moves directly through cell membranes without having to be transported and so can have a direct effect on cellular functions within the cytoplasm of the cell.

What are 4 key events that take place on the Dark Planet in A Wrinkle in Time?

The climax of the story happens on the dark planet of Camazotz, where Meg and Charles Wallace's father is imprisoned. If I had to identify the most important four, it would be these:

1) Charles Wallace attempts to fight The Man with the Red Eyes and fails. He becomes hypnotized by the Man and acts coldly and dismissively towards the others. 

2) Charles Wallace and the Man take Calvin and Meg to see Meg and Charles' father, who has been locked up in a dark room. Using Mrs. Who's spectacles, Meg helps him escape.

3) Charles, still hypnotized, despite Calvin's attempt at shaking him out of it by reciting lines from The Tempest, insists that they all see IT. IT turns out to be huge brain, which tries to pull them into its pulsating rhythm. Meg is slipping when Mr. Murry tessers with her and Calvin in tow. 

Interlude! Off of Camazotz, Meg is furious with her father for leaving Charles behind. Everyone is recovering, because Mr. Murry is not super at tessering. Meg realizes that only she can save Charles and returns to Camazotz on her own.

4) Back on the dark planet, Meg confronts her little brother, having discovered the gift she has that IT does not: love. She declares her love for her little brother and they tesser back to their home on Earth. 

In the first two paragraphs, what evidence shows that others perceive Mrs. Mallard as weak and fragile?

The first two paragraphs of Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" make it clear that Josephine and Richard perceive their sister and friend as weak and fragile. First of all, it is apparently well-known that Louise has heart trouble; thus the others make it a point to be careful about what they say and do around her.  

Josephine, then, must break the news of Louise's husband's death carefully, "...in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing" instead of in a more forthright manner. Richard, too, takes the extra time to double-check the list of passengers in the trainwreck before he hurries to give the news to Louise. He "had hastened to forestall any less careful, less tender friend in bearing the sad message" because he was afraid that the shock of the news might affect her heart.

Ironically, Louise is not as upset as they think she is. However, her heart is still weak, and suddenly finding out her husband is alive make Richard and Josephine's fears come true.

In chemistry we did an analysis of a mixture of Na2CO3 and NaOH using double indicators and a standard HCl solution. Can you explain this to me?

This type of reaction is called a titration reaction and can be used to determine the concentrations of the components of a solution. In your reaction, your unknown solution was a mixture of Na2CO3 and NaOH. You titrated with HCl. Phenolphthalein and methyl orange were your indicators.

When you added the HCl (in the burette that you used) to your flask containing your mixture, the acid reacted with the bases in solution. It reacted with the strongest base first (-OH from NaOH). This was not detected by either of your indicators.  

NaOH + HCl --> NaCl + H2O

The next reaction was between the HCl and the Na2CO3:

Na2CO3 + HCl --> NaHCO3 + NaCl

This reaction involved half neutralization of Na2CO3 and you observed it as the pink color disappeared from the solution in the flask. It occurred as the pH reached 8.3. We will call the volume of HCl added to reach this point V1.

You probably then added a few drops of methyl orange to your flask and continued titrating HCl. The next reaction (around a pH of 4) was:

NaHCO3 + HCl --> NaCl + H20 + CO2

Notice that the remaining carbonate was neutralized by the completion of this step. The color of your solution turned red as this reaction came to completion. We will call the total volume of HCl added to reach this point V2.

So we have 2 volumes at this point, V1 and V2. V1 was the volume of HCl added to neutralize all of the NaOH and half of the carbonate (CO3). V2 was the volume of HCl added to neutralize all of the NaOH and all of the carbonate.  

To calculate how much of the HCl was just used only to neutralize only half of the carbonate, you subtract V1 from V2 (V2-V1). This is doubled...2(V2-V1) to get the volume of HCl to neutralize all of the carbonate in the solution.

The equation NaVa=NbVb can be used to find the concentrations of our mixture components (Na2CO3 and NaOH). N is the normality of the component.

To find the concentration of Na2CO3:

-assume that 25 mL of Na2CO3/NaOH was initially added to the flask. This may be different for the experiment that you performed.

-assume that the normality of your HCl was 0.99. This may be different for the experiment that you performed.

-assume that the volume of HCl added to make the pink color disappear was 19.5 mL. This may be different for the experiment that you performed.

-assume that the volume of HCl to make the red color appear after adding methyl orange was 25 mL. This may be different for the experiment that you performed.

.99*(2(V2-V1))=NNa2CO3*25mL

.99*2(5.5mL)=NNa2CO3*25mL

.99*11=NNa2CO3*25mL

10.89=NNa2CO3*25mL

NNa2CO3=0.4356

Because a 1M solution of Na2CO3 = 2N (remember the 2 steps needed to neutralize it), 1N Na2CO3=53g/L (1mol=106g).

So, if the assumptions were correct, 0.4356*53 g/L or a 23.09g/L solution of Na2CO3 was added initially to the flask.

Keep the same assumptions to determine the concentration of the NaOH also in the flask.  

To calculate the volume of HCl needed to neutralize the NaOH only you would have to subtract the volume needed to neutralize all carbonate (see above) from V2 (again, see above). This volume is equal to:  V2-(2(V2-V1)) or V2-2V2+2V1. In this case (given the assumptions made above), the volume would be equal to 14mL.

Again, NaVa=NbVb.

0.99*14mL=NNaOH*25mL

13.86mL=NNaOH*25mL

NNaOH=0.5544

1 M NaOH = 1 N NaOH (dissociates in 1 step) and 1mol NaOH=40g

0.5544*40g/L = 22.18 g/L NaOH added to the flask.

The link below is to an image showing the titration curve. Remember that you cannot clearly see the point on the curve where NaOH is neutralized, but it comes before the point (at a higher pH) where phenolphthalein is indicated on the graph.

Why does a cell make a copy of its DNA before mitosis occurs?

During mitosis, a cell divides into two identical cells referred to as daughter cells. In order for both cells to be fully functional and to be able to mature, they each need a complete set of DNA. To prevent the mutations and errors in the DNA, the process has to be extremely accurate. Usually the error rate for copying DNA is around 1-3 errors for every billion base pairs. To get this extremely exact method of copying, there are many checks that happen within the process. The DNA helix unwinds and the strands separate to allow the enzymes used in replication to do their work. If the DNA strand is found to be broken or damaged, the entire process stops until it is repaired. 

This process has to occur before mitosis because once mitosis starts, the cell is already preparing to divide. Soon after it begins, microtubules are forming in order to separate the newly replicated chromosomes. The DNA replication process not only has to be completed before this point, but the DNA has to be wound back up and the two copies of the same chromosome (now connected at a point in the chromosome) have to get in position so that they can be pulled apart, each destined for its new cell.

How does Harper Lee advance the theme of imprisonment and crossing of boundaries in To Kill a Mockingbird?

While many might prefer to answer this question through the lens of the Tom Robinson trial, I'd actually like to approach it from the perspective of the strange history and local legends surrounding Boo Radley.

Examining the notions of imprisonment and crossed boundaries within the context of Boo's character, it becomes apparent that imprisonment, both physical and metaphorical, is the consequence for the crossing of boundaries (you can also think of this as violating taboos or other standards of social conduct) in Maycomb County. Boo Radley is a middle-aged recluse who has effectively lived under house arrest since he was a teenager. He was originally imprisoned after he helped a local gang pull off a relatively harmless prank (14), but several local legends have embellished the reasoning for his reclusiveness. Stephanie Crawford, for instance, tells Jem that Boo attacked his father with a pair of scissors and was subsequently locked up in the basement of the local courthouse before being brought back home for good (15). Considering Boo to be crazy, Jem assumes that Boo is chained to the bed, a wild idea that Atticus refutes (16).

In examining Boo Radley's case, it becomes apparent that, for whatever reason, Boo doesn't quite fit in the established Maycomb social structure. Whether or not the character is actually crazy is left up to the reader to decide, but Harper Lee does make one fairly overt suggestion: crossing any kind of social boundary in Maycomb, even if one merely engages in a foolish but insubstantial teenage prank, is grounds for imprisonment and exile. Furthermore, the sinister threads of gossip are likely to increase the efficacy of imprisonment, forcing the prisoner further away from human community through collective social shunning. As such, many parallels can be drawn between Boo Radley and Tim Robinson, though one is black and the other is white. Both men are considered the "other" in Maycomb terms, and both of these opinions are erroneously derived through prejudice. Be that as it may, both men experience imprisonment as a result of this otherness. 

In "The Poet at Seven," there is an eye rhyme at the end with the words "come" and "home." How can I tie the words to the poem?

An "eye rhyme" occurs when two words look like they should rhyme because of the way they are spelled, but they don't actually rhyme when they are pronounced. In this poem, the words "come," which ends line 13, and "home," which ends line 14, are eye rhymes. "Come" has a short /u/ sound when spoken, while "home" has a long /o/ sound. The effect of this eye rhyme is significant, especially since all the other rhymes in the poem are strong, actual rhymes; this is the only eye rhyme in the poem. Using an eye rhyme rather than a true rhyme, especially at the very end of the poem, creates a wavering uncertainty in the poem rather than a strong conclusion. The uncertainty in the rhyme reflects the uncertain mood of the boy in the poem. He has left his own yard to hide in the "foul weeds" of the vacant lot, but he really wants someone to find him, even if it means his mother or father will "whip him down the street, but gently." The little boy is experimenting with independence and being naughty, but he really wants his parents to rein him in, which will show him how much he is loved and wanted by them. Using the eye rhyme plays into the wavering thoughts that are in the seven-year-old's mind.

What passages show willingness to want to do a certain act in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird?

To be willing to do something is not necessarily synonymous with wanting to do something. Instead, to be willing can be defined as being "prepared to do something, or having no reason to not want to do it" (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English). In other words, one can know something is the right thing to do and be ready to do it without wholeheartedly emotionally desiring to do it. The importance of willingness is certainly a dominant theme all throughout Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.

One key example of willingness is seen in Atticus's attitude towards his role of defending Tom Robinson. While Atticus knows defending Robinson is the morally correct thing to do and is ready to fulfill his duty, he cannot fully desire the responsibility of defending Robinson because he knows just how much hardship it will cause him and his children; he especially fears what his children will go through. We see Atticus expressing both his resistance and his willingness in his discussion about the case with his brother Jack in Chapter 9.

Atticus expresses his resistance to fulfilling the task of defending Robinson by stating to his brother that he had "hoped to get through life without a case of this kind," meaning a case doomed to failure due to the racial bias of the jury, despite the fact the case should have never been brought to trial due to lack of evidence. Atticus further explains that he is obligated to defend Robinson, regardless of his sense of doom, partially because "Judge Taylor pointed at [Atticus] and said, 'You're It'" (Ch. 9). Jack expresses he understands just how much of a sacrifice Atticus is making, how much of a burden Atticus is shouldering, by putting his all into Robinson's defense case when Jack makes an allusion to the biblical Jesus by asking Atticus, "Let this cup pass from you, eh?" (Ch. 9). Atticus's agreement with his brother's statement further shows us just how much Atticus dreads the task he is undertaking, even if he is also completely ready to fulfill the task.

Atticus also expresses his complete willingness, his complete readiness, to fulfill the task when he rhetorically asks his brother, "But do you think I could face my children otherwise?" (Ch. 9). Atticus knows he has a strong sense of dignity and would not be able to hold his head up or continue to raise his children if he does not fulfill what he sees as his moral responsibilities. He sees defending Robinson to be his moral responsibility because he knows Robinson is unjustly being brought to trial with absolutely zero concrete evidence proving that the crime Robinson is being accused of actually took place.

Hence, Atticus is very willing, as in ready, to put his all into defending Robinson even though he dreads the consequences.

Could I have a few notes on the first chapter of the book "Lyddie"?

Lyddie is a wonderful book.  I think you will like it a lot, and I definitely recommend sticking with it through more than only chapter 1.  

A lot happens in chapter 1.  The reader is introduced to Lyddie and her family.  Lyddie is a 13 year old girl and the oldest of four children.  Her younger brother is named Charlie, and the two youngest siblings are both girls.  The chapter begins with Lyddie doing some cooking, because mom is not quite right after her husband left (sounds kind of like Katniss and The Hunger Games).  While Lyddie is cooking, a bear enters the house in search of food.  It's Lyddie's quick thinking and actions that save the family.  

Unfortunately, Lyddie's mom sees the entire thing as a sign from the devil.  She makes the decision to move into her sister's house.  She takes the two youngest children with her, because Charlie and Lyddie refuse to leave the farm.  They believe their father will return.  Lyddie and Charlie manage the house and farm quite well during the winter, but receive bad news from mom in the spring.  She has sold the farm to pay off family debts.  Charlie and Lyddie are to move out and come be with mom immediately. 

Is this a monologue, aside or soliloquy? "Ancient damnation! O most wicked fiend!" Why?

Shakespeare's characters often deliver three different types of dramatic speeches. A soliloquy is a lengthy speech in which a character alone on stage tells the audience what he or she is thinking. One of the best soliloquies in Romeo and Juliet is Juliet's speech during Act IV, Scene 3, before she drinks the Friar's potion. A monologue is similar to a soliloquy in its length but it is addressed to other characters in the play and not exclusively to the audience. Mercutio's "Queen Mab" speech in Act I, Scene 4 is an excellent example of a monologue. An aside is a brief remark (unlike the much longer soliloquy) by a character revealing thoughts or feelings to the audience unheard by other characters. Romeo uses an aside at the end of Act I, Scene 4 when he expresses his fear about the future.

Juliet's speech to close Act III, Scene 5, which begins "Ancient damnation!", is best defined as an aside. The Nurse has just left the room after advising Juliet to forget Romeo and heed her father's wishes in marrying Count Paris. The girl is alone on stage revealing her thoughts to the audience. It is not long enough to be considered a soliloquy and serves only to alert the audience to the girl's changing feelings for the nurse and that she will now seek "counsel" from Friar Lawrence. 

How do Jem and Scout grow up differently in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird? What are some specific examples?

During the trial in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout expresses some views that align with the racist views she is exposed to by her society. In contrast, during the trial, Jem shows he has not been affected by society's racist views but rather, due to his optimistic view of social justice, Jem naively believes his father will win the case. The outcome of the trial crushes Jem, whereas it doesn't crush Scout. The result is that Scout matures to openly reject all racist and prejudiced views, including prejudices against Arthur (Boo) Radley, whereas, in contrast, Jem clams up about such views and even grows violent.

Scout inadvertently displays she has been influenced by society's racist views when talking with Dill after he must leave the courtroom because he has broken down sobbing during Tom Robinson's cross-examination by the prosecuting attorney, Mr. Gilmer. When Dill explains he was crying because he found Mr. Gilmer's antagonist treatment of Robinson to be sickening, Scout displays society's typical racist view when she responds, "Well, Dill, after all he's just a Negro" (Ch. 19). Yet, after the trial, Scout displays a complete transformation when she becomes very offended by the hypocritical views of her third-grade teacher, Miss Gates. During class, Miss Gates tirades against Hitler's treatment of the Jews. Yet, Scout vividly recalls hearing Miss Gates say to Miss Stephanie Crawford, while exiting the courtroom after the trial, "[I]t's time somebody taught 'em a lesson, they were gettin' way above themselves" (Ch. 26). In other words, Scout recalls hearing Miss Gates express pleasure at Robinson having lost his trial, despite all evidence proving his innocence, because Miss Gates felt Robinson's loss put all African Americans in their proper place of subordination. What's more, Scout is so upset by this hypocritical behavior that she goes to talk to her brother about it, whereas before, when she was younger, she probably would not have noticed such hypocritical behavior. Scout's transformational response shows that, as a result of the trial, she has matured to the point that, like Atticus, she is willing to speak out against racism and social injustice.

In contrast, during the trial, Jem shows he has not been influenced by society's racism as he makes comments such as, "[W]e've won it ... Don't see how any jury could convict on what he heard--" (Ch. 21). Therefore, when he hears the jury's guilty verdict, his naive innocence is shattered, resulting in him shedding tears, unlike Scout, whose eyes remain dry. Also, unlike Scout, Jem bottles up his feelings, and when provoked to face his feelings, he bursts out in a violent rage. Scout inadvertently provokes him to face his feelings when she goes to talk to him about Miss Gates's hypocrisy. Jem's response is to shake Scout by the shoulders and shout at her, "I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me? You hear me?" (Ch. 26). Atticus explains to Scout that Jem thinks he is trying to forget about something, but he is actually "storing it away for a while" until he can sort out his feelings. Regardless, as a result of witnessing the trial, Jem matures to become hardened, unable to deal with his feelings, and even violent, whereas Scout matures to become more aware of the injustice around her and able to speak out about it, showing us that they both grew up very differently.

Why does Perrie Aronnax seem obsessed with the nationality of everyone he meets?

Jules Verne’s classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is set in the late 19th century, during the time of the rise of nations as political entities. Professor Aronnax seems to be a true patriot of his own nation, France, and he seems determined to rank others with respect to how their nationalities compare to his own. Also, Aronnax is a scientist through and through, and he attempts to classify and understand everything he encounters and everyone he meets. The recognition of nationality, especially given the time period, is the most prominent way for him to classify and understand other people.

Stepping outside of Aronnax’s character, the reader should also consider that Verne may have wanted his readers to understand something that Aronnax seems incapable of accepting—that Captain Nemo cannot be classified as belonging to any nation because he is sovereign to himself. Thus, when Aronnax is perplexed by not being able to place Nemo’s nation of origin, we may interpret this as Verne’s way of showing us that Nemo is a man apart, an enigma that both terrifies and fascinates Aronnax because the object of his study cannot be easily classified into the nationalistic paradigm of his age.

How to calculate monthly return on Shiller's "Long Interest Rate GS10" (1871-2016)? I hope someone out there can help with some formulas and excel...

Your intuition is correct; the monthly return is essentially what you'd get each month if every month you cashed out and then bought back in. In fact, most people consider the yield-to-maturity a better measure of return than monthly return, but you said you wanted monthly return, so here goes.

For example, if the price for the same asset went up from $50 to $100 in the first month, that would be a 100% monthly return. Then if it went back down to $75, that would be a -25% monthly return. (Notice that if you use percentages, you can't simply average monthly returns to get the overall return. In this case the overall return is 50%, or 22% per month. If you used log points, you could average them---this is why in my humble opinion returns should be measured in log (logarithm) points.)

The key here is to understand what the yield-to-maturity actually means.

Yield to maturity is the discount rate at which the sum of all future cash flows from the bond is equal to the price of the bond.

For instance, suppose we have a zero-coupon bond that pays $100 at maturity, which is 12 months from now. Initially it's priced at $90; this means that we have a discount rate such that $90 today is exactly as good as $100 in 12 months. Thus our annual discount rate is 10%---this is our yield to maturity. Now in the following month suppose the price rises to $91. This now means our discount rate must be such that $91 today is worth $100 in 11 months. Our yield to maturity must therefore be 1 - (91/100)^(11/12) = 8.3%.

Since you're given the yield-to-maturity and you want the price, you have to do this backwards, solving for the current price P where P_0 is the nominal value of the payment at maturity ($100 in my example) and n is the number of months remaining until maturity:

YTM = 1 - (P/P_0)^(n/12)

(1 - YTM)^(12/n) = P/P_0

You may not know P_0, but that's okay; just make one up, because you're actually interested in the relative return. You'll be dividing out P_0 anyway.

I've been assuming a zero-coupon bond. If there are coupon payments, you have a much trickier problem, because you also discount the future coupon payments:

P = sum C_0 + C_1 / (1+YTM)^(1/12) + C_2 / (1+YTM)^(2/12) + ... + P_0 / (1+YTM)^(n/12)

If there were 80 E. coli bacteria in the sausage roll at 10am and bacteria divide into 2 every 20 minutes, how many bacteria were in the sausage...

We are told that the initial E. coli population was 80 bacteria (at 10am) and the population doubles every 20 minutes. We are asked to find out how many bacteria are present at 2pm. 

Four hours have passed between 10am and 2pm. This is equal to 12 twenty minute periods. (1 hr = 3 twenty minute periods). Thus, the bacterial population has doubled 12 times over the course of the four hours.

To calculate the size of the population when the roll was eaten, we multiply the starting population by the number 2 raised to the number of periods, as follows:

`Pf=(Po)*2^(12)=80*2^(12)=327680`

Where Pf is the final population and Po is the starting population. In conclusion, 327,680 E. coli bacteria were present in the roll at the time it was eaten.

In the poem "To the doctor who treated the raped baby and who felt such despair," the word "and" is repeated at the beginning of seven different...

This question refers to a poem by Finuala Dowling, a contemporary award-winning South African poet and writer.  Understanding her time and place helps put the poem in the right context for analysis.  This poem describes a scene that could be happening today.

Your question about the repetition of the word 'and' highlights a very powerful literary technique.  Whenever a poet repeats a word, particularly a seemingly mundane word like 'and,' we have to consider the rationale. 

Looking carefully at the structure of this poem, we can see that there is very little punctuation, but there is some.  The entire poem consists of three sentences.  The first sentence comprises the first 21 lines of the poem; the second sentence is the next three lines; and the final sentence is the final single line.  There is a frenetic quality about the first, overly long sentence.  If you wrote something like this yourself, outside of the context of a poem, you would likely be criticized and would be encouraged to chop it into shorter sentences.  But by keeping the single very long sentence of independent clauses joined by "and... and... and... and," Dowling makes the reader feel the anxiety and also highlights how much the doctor is doing.  The doctor staunched the blood AND administered an opiate AND called for more blood AND stitched the wound, etc.  When you read this poem aloud, those "and"s take a place of prominence and emphasize the doctor's actions.  Finally, eventually, the first sentence comes to a close and ends with a period.  The next sentence then begins with "And."  Normally, it would be considered grammatically incorrect to start a sentence with a conjunction.  In this case, however, the pause of the period gives the reader a rest, just as the family in the poem can finally rest once the surgery is over.  The "And" this time connects the thoughts, but the punctuation creates a sense of relief.  The absence of an "and" in the final line completely separates it from the first part of the poem, and the reader gets the sense that the family can now really get some rest and some sleep.

This ending is reminiscent of the closing of Robert Frost's "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening."  The two poems are very different in style and theme, but the final two lines of "Stopping By Woods" present a similar feeling with, "And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep."  Many essays have been written about the repetition in those two lines.

Some critics say Eliot was making a general statement about the modern human condition in the 20th century. What might he be saying generally about...

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” indeed represents the challenge of modernity to human connection and relationships through its portrayal of its middle-aged protagonist. Like the protagonist of Matthew Arnold's "Stanzas from the Grande Chartreuse", Prufrock is "wandering between two worlds, one dead,/ The other powerless to be born."

Eliot began writing the poem in 1910 and it was first published in 1915. As Prufrock is middle-aged, this means that Prufrock is not a fully "modern" man, but rather a product of the Victorian era (Victoria reigned from 1 May 1876 – 22 January 1901) who now is embedded in the modern world but does not quite belong to it.

Prufrock is a member of the upper middle classes, who dresses conservatively and follows social conventions. He comes from an era when a man of his class, before proposing marriage would make an appointment with the prospective bride's father to formally ask permission to address his daughter. The father, before the appointment, would normally consult his daughter. By the time the suitor actually proposed, he already knew the answer. Although Victorian customs may now seem stifling to us, what they provided was certainty and structure, whether in terms of social hierarchies or intimate relationships. Although we do not know if Prufrock's question is a proposal, a proposition, or something else, we do get a sense of his discomfort at asking an important question without knowing the answer beforehand.

In the period after the death of Queen Victoria, social and sexual relationships became freer, with less fixed conventions or certainties. Prufrock, a character of the Victorian era caught up in the shifting modern world is beset with uncertainty, as one can see in the lines:

And indeed there will be time

To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?” ...

In a minute there is time

For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

Although Prufrock speaks in the past tense, saying "for I have known them all already", the future of the modern world, of his place in it, and of his relationships to its denizens remain terrifyingly uncertain, and Prufrock is a meticulous, but not courageous, man, who is constantly second-guessing himself. 

The women in his social circle seem to him to be going through motions which appear similar to those he understood from the conventions of his youth, but he is afraid not only that he does not understand what lies underneath these actions, but is also afraid that his very discomfort and unfamiliarity with the new modern world make him appear absurd in the eyes of younger women. 

At the end of the poem, we see Prufrock come to accept an identity, acknowledging that he is growing old and that the "mermaids" will not sing to him. 

Why did Russia withdraw from World War I?

Russia withdrew from World War I because the Bolsheviks, who had promised the Russian people "peace, land, and bread," came to power after overthrowing the provisional government. This provisional government, headed by moderates, had seized power from Tsar Nicholas, forcing him to abdicate in March of 1917. But the provisional government failed to remove Russia from the war, angering many, especially workers in Petrograd, the imperial capital. Led by Vladimir Lenin, the radical Bolsheviks launched a revolution in late 1917 that overthrew the provisional government, giving power to revolutionary committees known as soviets, and withdrawing Russia from the war. With a civil war between the Bolsheviks and a coalition of their enemies raging, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk formalized Russia's exit from the war in 1918. The treaty was later negated by Germany's surrender later in that year, but the Russians, whose civil war dragged out until 1921, did not participate directly in the peace process that followed.

What is the problem or conflict in Sonnet 130?

The "problem" in Sonnet 130 is that Shakespeare is attempting to write an over-the-top sonnet full of elevated language about a woman who is clearly only ordinary looking -- or perhaps even ugly.  This is evident in his references to her breasts being "dun" (brown or gray) as opposed to white, her breath that "reeks", and her pale cheeks.

In reality, Shakespeare uses this sonnet as a parody of the typical over-inflated love sonnet.  By writing the sonnet about an ugly woman, he draws attention to the types of descriptions that we are used to seeing in poems of this particular genre.  In the end, however, Shakespeare does conclude by assuring the reader that he loves this woman.  Perhaps this is likewise a commentary on love during his time as well; that a woman need not be perfect (like the subject of most sonnets) in order for a man to love her.

What is the setting of The Giver, in a paragraph form?

Setting in any story is its time and place. There are few clues to the time in which The Giver takes place, and not really all that many details that allow us to visualize a setting. Somehow, though, this does not seem to detract at all from the story, since our own imaginations can fill in what is not described. 

I would guess that this story takes place in a contemporary time or the future.  There are elements that suggest that it is a relatively modern time, for example, the sophistication of the drugs, the fact that there is physical rehabilitation for those who have been injured, a fairly modern concept, what appears to be artificial insemination of some sort, and the fact that at least one person was selected to be an engineer.  What suggests it might be the future is how the Elders rule the society, as though in reaction to some cataclysmic event, for example, a plague or a war, some event that sent them running to set up rules to protect themselves from something dreadful out there in Elsewhere, almost a post-Apocalyptic kind of situation. Most dystopian novels are set in the future, and this is unquestionably a dystopian novel.

We know that this place is bounded on at least one side by a river, since it is across the river from the community that pilots land their planes with whatever supplies are needed.  We also know that the terrain is flat because Jonas has no experience of a hill until he receives a dream about sledding from the Giver.  There is some sort of climate control.  Jonas' experiences of sun, wind, and snow are experiences he has not had except for through the memories of The Giver. There are no animals, either, as we learn when Jonas explains to Lily that her comfort object, an elephant, used to actually exist, which he learned only from the Giver's memories.  So, this is a flat, featureless, sterile place, with no animals and whatever might be considered perfect weather all the time. The setting itself seems to reflect the Sameness of the people. 

How could decreasing the sales tax percentage from 6% to 5.5% in FL actually increase the total dollar amount of sales taxes generated in the state?

The answer to this has to do with the concept of price elasticity of demand.  Basically, if the tax is lowered, people might increase their buying so much that the tax revenues actually go up.

The law of demand tells us that, when prices go down, people buy more of a given good or service.  We do not know, however, exactly how much more people will buy for any given drop in the price.  This is where price elasticity of demand comes into play.  If demand for goods is very elastic, a small drop in price will cause people to buy a much larger quantity of goods and services.

If demand for goods and services is very elastic in Florida, this decrease in sales tax could actually result in higher revenues. When sales tax decreases, prices, in effect, decrease as well.  If demand is elastic enough, people will buy so much more that total sales tax revenues rise.

Let us look at an example of how this is possible:

Let us say that people buy $1,000 worth of goods and services from a given store each day.  With the sales tax at 6%, the government gets $60 in tax revenue.  Now the sales tax drops to 5.5%.  If people now buy $1300 worth of goods and services each day, the government takes in $71.50 in sales tax.  Thus, if demand is elastic enough, dropping the sales tax can increase revenue.  However, demand may not be sufficiently elastic so this is not guaranteed to work.

Anaylze the poem "Lifeguard" by Claudia Emerson in detail.

“Lifeguard” By Claudia Emerson is a nine stanza poem written using the literary device known as enjambment. It does not include a specific rhyming pattern. Each stanza consists of two lines, the second of which runs into the next stanza as an incomplete thought.

The author describes a young lifeguard’s actions as she watches a middle-aged woman’s ritual of swimming laps at the local Y. The woman is the only person in the pool and the monotony of her actions lull the lifeguard to sleep. Due to the literary style, the reader must carry each thought from stanza to stanza in much the same way as the woman repeatedly swims each lap.  The meter and visual aesthetics of the poem emphasize the repetitive nature of the laps as the form repeats in each stanza. The woman swims her laps one after another without stopping in-between. The poem mimics this in style and form.

Describe the function of government under the Articles of Confederation.

The function of the national government under the Articles of Confederation was very limited. The Articles were described as a "firm league of friendship" rather than a strong central government, and its framers deliberately reserved most of the powers of government to the states. The national government was empowered to mediate between states, establish a national currency, and carry out diplomatic relations (treaties, declarations of war, and so on) with foreign nations. Beyond this, the government, which consisted entirely of a Congress, claimed the power to regulate the process under which new territories would be settled, governed, and admitted, which it did under the Land Ordinance and the Northwest Ordinance. But the government was far more notable for what it could not do than for what it could. It could not tax, regulate commerce, or coerce the state governments in any way. Most of the powers we associate with the federal government were denied to the government under the Articles. These deficiencies led to the Philadelphia Convention in 1787 and the eventual ratification of the Constitution.

What is the theme of The Hunger Games?

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is about the power of defiance. In a world where suffering is seen as entertainment (reminiscent of gladiatorial times), the poor are the victims of the wealthy. The government is corrupt beyond repair, and only through beating the system can Katniss change it. As seen in the later books, she eventually does change it, though at a great cost. Many could see the novel as a cautionary tale for the United States, as there are parallels between the country and Panem.

With classic dystopian tropes, The Hunger Games showcases overpowering technology versus naturalists (Katniss is a bow hunter), an evil government versus the needs of the people (only one of the districts reaps the benefits of the whole), and materialism versus love (Katniss cares for her family, where the Capitol cares only for power and wealth).

To represent this, Collins often uses fire and the mockingjay as symbols of defiance. The mockingjay is literally a failed attempt by the Capitol to spy on rebellious districts, just as Katniss, the "girl on fire," is a failed attempt to control the lower class. Literally, fire, the mockingjay, and Katniss become public symbols of defiance in the novel, as well as literary tools to demonstrate rebellion against the odds.

What quotes and details from To Kill a Mockingbird relate to The Great Depression and the stock market crash of 1929?

In chapter 2, Scout remembers that she asked Atticus once if they were poor. He says that they are, but Jem asks if they are as poor as the Cunninghams. Atticus responds by saying, "Not exactly. The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them hardest" (21). The crash that he is talking about is the Stock Market Crash of 1929, which then resulted in the Great Depression. Atticus takes the time to teach his children that when farmers are poor, then professional people are also poor. Since most of Maycomb County's population consists of farmers, this creates quite a predicament for everyone. This is the same economic predicament that most of the United States suffered for a good part of ten years after the crash.

The second time that there is an allusion to the Great Depression is on the morning after the Tom Robinson trial in chapter 22. Tom's father, friends, and community show their appreciation to Atticus for defending Tom in the trial by giving him all kinds of food. Due to the great amount that Atticus finds on his kitchen table and on the back porch that morning, he becomes emotional and says the following:

"Tell them I'm very grateful . . . Tell them--tell them they must never do this again. Times are too hard" (213).

The "times" to which Atticus refers is the Great Depression. Not only that, but the black community, being on the bottom of the social and economic caste system, don't have much for themselves as it is. Atticus feels poorly taking so much food from good, hard-working people during the country's greatest economic crisis.

Where is Laura in The Glass Menagerie?

I'm assuming you are asking this question literally. Laura and the other characters of the play are in St. Louis, Missouri. She shares a home with her brother, Tom, and her mother, Amanda. She is extremely shy and self-conscious, and so she spends the majority of her time inside. I believe this is what you meant by the question.

I should also note, however, that the entire play is also a memory. Knowing this, everything takes place in Tom's mind from a certain perspective. In the final moments of the play, Tom says goodbye to his family, including Laura, but he also notes that in a sense Laura follows him wherever he goes. It is unclear what becomes of her after he leaves on his travels.

Was slavery thought of as a moral issue or an economic reality in A Necessary Evil?

A Necessary Evil was written by Garry Wills, a professor and popular author, in response to the 1994 congressional election. Although he himself is Roman Catholic, and early in his career wrote for many conservative magazines, he saw the Republican Party's "Contract With America", written by Newt Gingrich and Richard Armey, as a triumph of the right wing anti-government faction in the Republican Party, a faction he considered as grounding its policies on a mistaken interpretation of United States history.

Slavery is not a major focus of his book, as his primary concern is arguing that government, rather than being a "necessary evil" is a "necessary good." Although his main focus is on the Revolutionary War, the Constitution, and other early developments, he does address the Civil War mainly in terms of how secessionists in the Civil War contributed to the evolution of the anti-government ideology that still dominates much of Southern politics. In this way, he is really thinking about slavery more in terms of how it functioned as the starting point for debates over states' rights than in either moral or economic terms.

In general, though, slavery had been a part of so many societies for so many thousands of years of recorded history, that I suspect people in many parts of the world in the early modern period simply accepted it as a common cultural tradition. However, as the abolition movement grew, it brought into focus that there was a moral component, and as people began to think about that, many began to consider slavery morally wrong.

The theories of Charles Darwin, which emphasized the common ancestry of all people, contributed in many ways to the revulsion against slavery.

In the poem "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey," do you think the speaker regrets his loss of youth? Please explain within the context...

William Wordsworth's "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey," is a classic example of Wordsworthian Romanticism. It's also a long and complex poem, so it's perfectly fine to be confused by the subject matter. The most important thing to know about the poem is that it deals with memories of the past, wrestles with nostalgia, and tries to discern the benefits of experienced maturity over passionate youth. 

First, some context for the poem: the poem focuses on the speaker's return to a place of great natural beauty that he frequented when he was young. We learn that he has been away for quite some time, presumably living and working in an urban environment, and memories of his bucolic childhood have sustained him throughout this process. Naturally, this leads us to wonder if the speaker regrets his loss of youth. In order to answer this question, it's worth looking at a long quotation from the body of the poem:

                                            For nature then

(The coarser pleasures of my boyish days

And their glad animal movements all gone by)

To me was all in all.—I cannot paint

What then I was. The sounding cataract

Haunted me like a passion: the tall rock,

The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood,

Their colours and their forms, were then to me

An appetite; a feeling and a love,

That had no need of a remoter charm,

By thought supplied, not any interest

Unborrowed from the eye.—That time is past,

And all its aching joys are now no more,

And all its dizzy raptures. Not for this

Faint I, nor mourn nor murmur; other gifts

Have followed; for such loss, I would believe,

Abundant recompense. (76-92)

These lines are central to the poem. In them, the speaker certainly glorifies his youth, reveling in the passion with which he engaged with nature. However, it's important to recognize that the narrator does not "faint" for the loss of his youth; indeed, "other gifts/ Have followed" and so there has been "abundant recompense" for the things that have been lost. 

Basically, the narrator says that, while he misses his youth, he has gained many beneficial things through the acquisition of age and maturity. As such, it would be inaccurate to say that the narrator "regrets" his loss of youth; it would be better to say that he looks back on his younger days with nostalgia, and uses them to better appreciate what he has accomplished in the time since leaving Tintern Abbey. 

What are the five main points of Hannah Crafts' novel The Bondwoman's Narrative?

When we discuss literature and speak about “main points,” we are speaking about themes.  There are quite a few themes in this novel.  The main points of the story are found in the themes of slavery, escape, freedom, mental illness, and loyalty.

Each of these main points is an important part of the discussion of theme.  Quite simply, Hannah is a slave.  Hannah’s unhappiness in her lot in life is apparent as she deals with her mistress who sinks deeper and deeper into insanity.  In regards to the theme of escape, it is interesting that both Hannah and her mistress both desire to escape to the North.  As someone in the bonds of slavery, the pull is even greater for Hannah.  In regards to freedom, Hannah is very interested in the freedom to read (which she is unable to do as a slave); however, when life becomes unbearable, Hannah desires freedom from her actual slave bonds as well.  Even though it is more of a minor theme, mental illness can be discussed through the character of Hannah’s mistress.  Hannah’s mistress is incredibly weak both emotionally and physically.  In fact, she is too weak to make it all the way North.  All of these things lead to the mistress character entering deeper and deeper into insanity.  Finally, we need to discuss the main theme of loyalty here.  As a slave, Hannah is amazingly loyal to her white masters.  Hannah is rarely critical of the worst of them (such as the horrible Mrs. Wheeler) and obeys their every command.  Further, she offers to be a slave (again) to Mrs. Henry, who helps her regain her strength.   

Thus, the main character of Hannah is incredibly important when speaking about the author’s main points.  Through Hannah, the reader learns much about both slavery and freedom.  In short, we could combine all of the main points into one statement:  slavery and mental illness are to be avoided while escape, freedom and loyalty are to be coveted.

Who is the 3rd person present at the scene? Why is he reluctant to agree to Shylock's terms?

I think that the scene in question is scene 3 from act 1.  The three men present are Shylock, Antonio, and Bassanio.  Bassanio is the third man present. 

Bassanio needs money to woo Portia.  He asks Antonio to give him a loan, which Antonio is willing to do but unable.  All of his assets are currently tied up in a shipping expedition.  Bassanio goes to Shylock for the loan, but Shylock is unwilling to give the loan unless Antonio co-signs.  Normally, Shylock charges interest, but this time he is willing to forego that stipulation . . . for a catch.  The catch is that if Antonio can not pay back the money, Shylock gets to take a pound of Antonio's flesh.  

Bassanio, despite his deep desire to woo Portia with the money, is not willing to risk Antonio's safety to Shylock.  Bassanio tells Antonio to not go through with the deal.  

You shall not seal to such a bond for me:
I'll rather dwell in my necessity.

Shylock is known for his greed and all around nastiness.  Bassanio doesn't want to risk Antonio's safety by making a weird deal with Shylock. 

Are there university courses for video editing? Is it a real job? What high school courses would I need?

Hi! It's exciting that you've found a strong interest you wish to pursue: having a passion and vision is a great way to go through your education. I'll work through your questions in the order you asked them.

First, most colleges and universities offer some sort of film curriculum in the form of film history, film writing/editing, or film directing classes. These courses are usually to be found in the Film Studies/Media Studies departments of colleges or universities. Sometimes, schools will provide helpful space and equipment to enable you to learn more and work with professional-grade tools. While many schools offer film courses, there are certain institutions that are particularly well-known for their film programs. The University of California - Los Angeles, for example, offers many courses in editing, directing, and other aspects. University of Southern California, New York University, American University (Washington, D.C.) and UC Berkeley are other examples of good schools if you're interested in film editing. That being said, there are many universities across the country where you can take film editing and film studies classes. Just search the name of the university/college and "media studies" "film studies" or "communication" and you'll usually be able to pull up a course catalog. Here's an example course list from SFSU.

So, you can definitely take film editing classes in college! And you'll be glad to hear that video editing is indeed a "real job." Especially in our digital age, there are many ways to find a career in video editing. People hire video editors to edit anything from feature films to advertisements to music videos. However, this work is often freelance, meaning you'll work on short-term contracts with post-production studios or corporate employers. This means it might be a bit less stable than a so-called "traditional" career.

Now, what high school courses might you need to become a film editor? If your school has classes in film making or editing, great! However, this is often too specialized for high schools. I would recommend pursuing your interest extracurricularly, if possible. Join or form a film club where you watch and create films. See if your school or a local community center has filming and editing equipment you can check out. It sounds like you already edit YouTube videos on your own time: keep up with that! Essentially, there's no strict course of study in high school to prepare you for a career in film editing. My main advice is to seek out the film classes that do exist, and practice on your own time as much as you can.

Good luck and happy editing!

Is the relationship between Katniss and Peeta real in the first book of The Hunger Games series?

Interesting question! In the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the relationship between Katniss and Peeta develops in an unusual way. Throughout the book, different viewpoints are shown about the authenticity of Katniss and Peeta’s relationship. In some scenarios, the relationship seems less real, while other moments reveal a different perspective.

Foremost, there are several instances in the book where their relationship appears insincere. For example, after Peeta’s declaration of love to Caesar, the audience seems deeply moved. However, Katniss responds by thinking, “I know better [than to believe his feelings].” Consequently, this aspect of their relationship appears fake to Katniss.

However, other components of their relationship appear more real. For example, Katniss feels a deep gratitude and debt to Peeta for sharing bread with her after the loss of her father. As Katniss’ thoughts reveal:

“To this day, I can never shake the connection between this boy, Peeta Mellark, and the bread that gave me hope, and the dandelion that reminded me that I was not doomed . . . I feel like I owe him something.”

As the book continues, the authenticity of the relationship becomes even more complex. Katniss begins to struggle with remembering that the relationship is simply part of her survival plan. Her confusion furthers when she realizes that Peeta’s feelings of love are genuine. Subsequently, Peeta asks Katniss if the whole relationship was merely a “strategy” to her. Katniss replies by stating that “Not all of it” was part of a plan. She continues to think that:

“I want to tell him that he’s not being fair. That we were strangers. That I did what it took to stay alive, to keep us both alive in the arena . . . That if I do have feelings for him, it doesn’t matter because I’ll never be able to afford the kind of love that leads to a family, to children.”

Furthermore, she illustrates that:

“I also want to tell him how much I already miss him. But that wouldn’t be fair on my part.”

Thus, although the relationship initially appears inauthentic, the events inspire a change (especially with Katniss). Her feelings toward Peeta become more complex and she seems to exhibit genuine emotions towards him. However, her own fears prevent her from sharing these feelings and pursuing a deeper relationship.

What are the conflict and solution of Every Day by David Levithan?

The conflict and solution (or resolution) of Every Day involve very specific parts of the plot. Sometimes the conflict is known as the inciting incident, while other times it is mentioned as one character pitted against something else. In this case, the conflict is most definitely the character of A vs. their situation. A is a "spirit" destined to inhabit one body per day. In regards to the plot's conflict or inciting incident, this becomes the true problem when A inhabits the body of teenage Justin and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon. A spends the rest of the plot trying to figure out how to be with Rhiannon every day. The solution (or the resolution to the plot) is that, due to A's situation, they cannot be with Rhiannon and realize this is actually the best thing for Rhiannon. At the end of the story, the reader finds A taking their new body (Katie) on a trip so they can disappear.

In the short story,"Harrison Bergeron," did Harrison's rebellion accomplish anything?

At the end of the story, Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, shoots Harrison and the ballerina because of their rebellion against the system of equality in the society. Harrison’s mother and father are watching the scene unravel on their television at home. George Bergeron gets up to get a beer at the point where Harrison strips off his handicaps and soars to the ceiling, light as air, with the ballerina.  Hazel witnesses the death of her son, but by the time George comes back with his beer, she has already forgotten what just happened.

The citizens of this society are handicapped to suppress their individual talents and abilities; therefore, they live a life designed by the government to make everyone equal.  Harrison’s noble gesture of rebellion has no effect on the lives of his parents so we can assume there is no effect on the rest of the society as well.

Where can I find the quote in The Catcher in the Rye about how Holden's mother was affected by Allie's death?

There are two direct quotations that mention his mother's condition regarding Allie's death, and one that implies it.

In chapter 15, after Holden makes his date with Sally Hayes, he talks about how irresponsible he is with money.  He then launches into the topic of his father's wealth, and how he's "always investing money in Broadway shows," and that this "drives his mother crazy." At this point, he reveals that his mother "hasn't felt too healthy since [his] brother Allie died. She's very nervous."

Then, in chapter 20, after getting drunk and visiting the Central Park lagoon, Holden fears that he's going to catch "pneumonia and die," and this inspires him to say, "I felt sorry as hell for my mother and father. Especially my mother, because she still isn't over my brother Allie yet."

He goes on to explain that his parents go to the cemetery "quite frequently" to "stick a bunch of flowers on old Allie's grave," further indicating that his mother is still grieving over his younger brother's death.

What are the similarities between the main plot and the subplot in "King Lear"?

In both the main plot and the subplot of King Lear, both main characters are old men with powerful positions in the world. Both of them make the same mistake in trusting the wrong child and disowning the child who really loves them. In the case of King Lear, it is Cordelia who is rejected, and in the case of Gloucester it is Edgar. There is a certain bitter truth in this, because good people are not always conspicuously good, whereas greedy, selfish, dishonest people typically make a show of being just what they are not. We ought to be able to read it in their eyes, but we can't always do so. Iago in Othello is a good example. Good people do not have to pretend to be good, but bad people do have to pretend to be good because they do not dare to show their real selves. Francois de la Rochefoucauld, who said so many witty things, has said that "Hypocrisy is the tribute that vice gives to virtue."

Both Lear and Gloucester end up utterly destitute. They could not have fallen farther from their former exalted positions. Gloucester is even blind. Lear has gone mad. They are dirty, starving, and freezing. They symbolize the older generation which inevitably gets picked clean and pushed out by the generation behind it, the one they themselves have created and nurtured. Both the plot and subplot are intended to symbolize how each generation creates its own destruction and how each generation becomes thoroughly disillusioned and sick of life. Lear has daughters, Gloucester has sons. This is to accent the underlying truth that the process of displacement is universal. In fact, there has to be males and females to prolong the process. It has been going on among us Homo sapiens for something like seven thousand generations, and it is always the same old story. Each new generation has to find a place for itself--and it can only do that by displacing the generation ahead of it. When Gloucester thinks he is jumping off a cliff, that is symbolic. Each generation is symbolically pushed off a cliff to make room for the generation behind it.

Old age is full of bitter regrets.

What makes old age hard to bear is not the failing of one’s faculties, mental and physical, but the burden of one’s memories.
--Somerset Maugham

Lear's regrets over disowning Cordelia symbolize all the regrets of old age. When they meet again near Dover, he tells her:

You do me wrong to take me out o' the grave:
Thou art a soul in bliss; but I am bound
Upon a wheel of fire, that mine own tears
Do scald like molten lead.      IV.7

The same symbolism applies to Gloucester's regrets over the way he persecuted his son Edgar, the one son who truly loved him.

O dear son Edgar,
The food of thy abused father's wrath!
Might I but live to see thee in my touch,
I'ld say I had eyes again!      IV,1      

King Lear is really not about the tragedies of two men but about the universal tragedy of old age. Both men die and are not the least bit sorry to leave this stage of universal suffering. Both are utterly disillusioned. Lear thought he was loved and lovable. Gloucester thought he was a fine fellow to have created such a good-looking son out of wedlock.

Why does the crowd appear at the jailhouse in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In chapter 15 of To Kill a Mockingbird, we see that Sheriff Tate has come to warn Atticus that Tom Robinson my be in danger. Jem and Scout are worried about their father, though the children are still innocent at this point. Scout hears her father talking to the group of men who had come to warn Atticus. Mr. Link Deas is asking why Atticus would take on this case, and Atticus gives him the most honest answer he can.

"Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told." Atticus's voice was even. "And you know what the truth is."

Bob Ewell, Walter Cunnigham and some of the other men from town, are forming a group to go to the jail. Bob Ewell's daughter, Mayella, is the one who has accused Tom of the crime. Bob wants revenge, although he is the one who is guilty. 

In Maycomb, black people were considered the lowest of the low on the social ladder, and if a white person accused a black person of a crime, that black person was going to found guilty. The group of men who come to the jail want to take justice into their own hands. They are at the jailhouse to do harm to Tom. Atticus is quite aware of how these men think. He goes to the jail, knowing what he might have to face. 

"A long extension cord ran between the bars of a second-floor window and down the side of the building. In the light from its bare buld, Atticus was sitting propped against the front door. He was sitting in one of his office chairs, and he was reading, oblivious of the nightbugs dancing over his head."

Atticus did not want Jem and Scout there, but when they run over to him, he soon realizes that Scout is the one who saves them all. Scout with all of her innocence, is the one who breaks up the group. By being kind and showing a genuine interest in the people there, Scout shows the men that this is not the best way to deal with the situation. This chapter begins to show us the real danger that Atticus, Tom, Jem and Scout are going to have to face very soon.

In The Giver what are some similarities compared to our society? Explain the similarities.

This is such an interesting question!  There certainly are some similarities between the society in The Giver and our society.  In both societies, people live mostly in family units, with two parents heading the unit.  Families eat dinner together and talk about their day, which I hope is not a dying custom in our society.  Both parents work, and the children have school and after school activities.  Children seem to find their friendships in school and the after school activities, just as they do in our society.  They play ball and ride bicycles, just as our children do.  Parents seem to be the people responsible for feeding and clothing the children and keeping them safe, as it is in our society, too.  The elderly are cared for (until they are released), which I hope we continue to do in our society, perhaps better than we do now.  Children, as everywhere, occasionally break the rules and get into mischief.  And like our society, the community has a hierarchy, leaders, and the community has rules for which there are consequences if they are broken.  

Is it true or false that the tone of a short story is never established until the end of the story?

The tone of a short story is established from the very beginning. 

A short story’s tone is the author’s attitude toward the subject. Although the tone may change, it is less likely to change in a short story because of the shorter nature of the text. It is not true that the tone is not established until the end, because every paragraph and phrase establishes the tone.

Consider, for example, the opening lines of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic story “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

True! —nervous —very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses —not destroyed —not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily —how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

This paragraph sets the tone for the entire story. We are in for a lot of this kind of language. The story describes the ravings of a madman. He is going to explain why he killed his roommate, all the while trying to convince us that he is not crazy. The tone is frenzied, desperate, and incoherent.

Another example is Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.” Although we are only granted small details of what is happening as the story moves along, the writer is very careful to establish from the beginning a no-nonsense tone as she describes a day in the life of the village.

The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o'clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 26th. 

The calm, matter-of-fact tone actually continues throughout the story, even as people are being stoned to death. Only through the protests and begging of the victim do we get any indication that something is wrong. Otherwise, it could be any village gathering anywhere in the world.

What are the chief features of Modernism?

Modernism is such slippery word. In everyday use we consider it to mean things of our contemporary era. In literature, Modernism is a particular movement and aesthetic of the 19th and 20th centuries. It is characterized by realism, cynicism, subjectivity, multiple perspectives, and the power of subconscious forces. Following the tragedies of the world wars, the accepted ideas of art and life came into question. Artists strived to abandon convention and recreate new ways of doing things. This emerged in the form of everything from Picasso's cubism to the allusion-filled poetry of T.S Elliot. 

Modernism rests on the ideas of thinkers such as Freud, Marx, and the scientists of quantum mechanics. Rather than viewing the world as certain, controlled, and universal, modernists present a world that is subjective, involuntary, and fragmented by the forces of perspective. This can take many forms, but the key idea is leaving behind the conventional world of the early 1900s Century in favor of a life view that is more complex and less certain.

Find the present value of the decreasing annuity necessary to fund the withdrawals. $ 1530 per quarter for 25 years, if the annuity earns 6% per...

To solve, apply the formula of present value of annuity.

`PV= (PMT[1-(1+r/n)^(-nt)])/(r/n)`

where

PV is the present value

PMT is the periodic payment

r is the rate

n is the number of deposits/withdrawals in a year, and

t is the number of years.

Since $1530 per quarter is to be withdrawn for 25 years, then PMT=1530, n=4 and t=25. And the given rate is s r=6%.

Plugging them to the formula yields:

`PV=(1530*[1-(1+0.06/4)^(-4*25)])/(0.06/4)`

`PV = (1530(1-1.015^(-100)))/0.015`

`PV = 78985.79661`

Rounding off to nearest hundredths, it becomes 78985.80.

Therefore, the present value is $78985.80 .

Questions on plant growth and optimization of growing conditions.

The optimal growth can be determined by comparing plant height per unit acid added. For example, for 20 ml acid added, plant grew by 18.5 cm; that is, plant grew at 0.925 cm/ml of acid. Similar number for other acid additions are:

20 ml        0.925 cm/ml

30 ml        0.69 cm/ml

40 ml        1.13 cm/ml

50 ml        1.246 cm/ml

60 ml        0.177 cm/ml

Thus, 50 ml is the most optimal acid addition.

Interpolation can help us determine the approximate plant growth at 35 ml acid addition.

Plant grew 20.7 cm and 45.2 cm for 30 ml and 40 ml acid addition. That is, for each ml acid addition, plant grew by 2.45 cm (= (45.2-20.7)/10). Thus, for 35 ml acid addition, plant will grow to approximately, 32.95 cm (= 20.7 + 5 x 2.45), or approximately 33 cm.

If the plant height is 59 cm, then the acid addition is between 40 and 50 ml (from the table). One way to solve it is by interpolation. Between 40 ml and 50 ml acid addition, each ml acid addition caused 1.71 cm (= (62.3-45.2)/10) of plant growth. 

Thus, 59 = 45.2 + Vx1.71

solving this we get, V = 8.07 ml

that is, the amount of acid added was, 40 + 8.07 = 48.07 ml or about 48 ml.

Thus, (about) 48 ml of acid caused 59 cm of plant growth.

Hope this helps. 

I need to know which obstacles John Adams faced as President for an essay due by March 18, 2016.

John Adams faced several obstacles while he was President. One of the obstacles he faced was dealing with France. France was seizing our ships, and when President Adams sent representatives to France to discuss this issue, the French refused to meet with our representatives for several weeks. When they did indicate they were willing to meet, the French insisted that we pay them a bribe in order to talk. Americans were outraged and wanted us to go to war against France. President Adams knew this wasn’t good for the United States, and he instead worked out an agreement when both countries agreed not to seize each other’s ships. This move, while good for the country, hurt President Adams politically.

Another obstacle President Adams faced was that there was a political party opposing him. While President Washington didn’t really have to deal with political parties, there were two political parties in the election of 1796. John Adams was a Federalist. The other party was the Democratic-Republican Party. The Democratic-Republicans were criticizing the Federalists. Thus, the Federalists passed two laws that tried to silence the Democratic-Republicans. The Sedition Act made any false or critical speech about the government illegal. The Alien Act increased the length of time it took for an immigrant to become a citizen. Since immigrants seemed to be more supportive of Democratic-Republican Party, this law would hurt them because it would take longer for immigrants to become citizens and to be able to vote. Virginia and Kentucky declared these laws illegal. However, before these laws could be tested in court, the laws were ended after the election of 1800 that was won by the Democratic-Republicans.

While John Adams was President, he faced several obstacles. Both of these obstacles were factors in his defeat in the election of 1800 when he tried to get reelected as President.

Can you compare and contrast Plato’s (427-347) and Aristotle’s (384-322 BC) theories of society?

A discussion of the theories of society of Plato and Aristotle actually has two components, analysis of how they thought real societies actually operated and how they thought an ideal society should operate. In both cases, they take as a starting point the societies of classical Greece; neither were particularly interested in the societies of "barbarians" (the Greek term for foreigners). 

Aristotle divided societies into democracies, oligarchies, and monarchies (either led by hereditary kings or tyrants). He generally accepted social stratification as inevitable, believing that women were naturally inferior and that many people (especially those who were not ethnic Greeks) were "natural slaves". He saw the arts as educating and regulating the emotions and thus having an important role in civic society. His social ideals were just, moderate, and rational. His focus was on maximizing "eudaimonia" (happiness as opposed to momentary pleasure).

Plato was more of an idealist than Aristotle, less concerned with how societies are than how they should be. His main concern was that a society ought to create circumstances which allowed each individual soul to strive towards the divine. He saw education as extremely important. Because of his emphasis on the soul rather than on external circumstances, Plato believed in gender equality; for him, a noble soul might appear in the body of a woman or slave or barbarian, and so his school, the Academy, as well as his ideal society, judged people based entirely on their merits of character and intellect. He generally disapproved of the arts. He disliked democracy because he felt that it selected people for positions on grounds which had nothing to do with ability.  

What does the narrator mean by "one's cheeks burned with silent imputation of parsimony" in "The Gift of the Magi"?

The entire sentence in question in O. Henry's story is:

Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. 

Della's cheeks are the ones burning. She feels embarrassed to be quibbling over a penny or two here or there, and the vendors she deals with make her feel like a miser and cheapskate with their silent acquiescence to her hard bargaining. Della doesn't want to alienate the shopkeepers, but she is trying desperately to accumulate enough money to buy her husband Jim a nice Christmas present at the end of the year. In spite of "bulldozing" the various shopkeepers, she only manages to accumulate one dollar and eighty-seven cents by Christmas Eve.

"Parsimony" is the key word here. It implies meanness of spirit, stinginess, selfishness, and greed. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines "parsimony" as "the quality of being very unwilling to spend money." Since Della had only a maximum of twelve dollars a week after paying the rent, she would have had to be extremely parsimonious. This would obviously be painful for her because she is a generous woman by nature. She spends all her money on a platinum watch-fob for her husband. This is the same kind of watch-fob a millionaire might buy. It is ironic that the shopkeepers were silently accusing her of parsimony when she was really so loving and generous.

How does Shakespeare use magic and supernatural elements in play The Tempest?

In Shakespeare's play, The Tempest, magic is performed by Prospero and by his fairy servant Ariel throughout the play. Sometimes it is unclear who actually performs the magic, but since the magic performed by Ariel is directed by Prospero, we know he is the source of the magic that takes place during the play. The tempest itself that causes the shipwreck was Prospero's doing, and the various people from the ship are separated into their groupings according to Prospero's magic. Prospero puts a spell on Miranda and Ferdinand to make them fall in love. Ariel causes the King to fall asleep and wakes him up just as Sebastian and Antonio are about to murder him. Ariel harasses Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano with strange noises and lures them to various parts of the island. Prospero also spreads a magical banquet before King Alonso and his party, but Ariel, in the guise of a harpy, makes it disappear. To celebrate the engagement of Ferdinand and Miranda, Prospero and the spirits present a magical wedding masque (play) for them. Finally, at the climax of the play, Prospero creates a magic circle and draws his brother, Antonio; the King, Alonso; and the rest of their party inside it where they are confronted with their sins and given a chance to repent. At the end of the play, Ariel is set free after he promises to do one last act of magic: to make sure the entire party has smooth sailing back to Milan. Prospero decides to give up magic as he returns to his role as Duke of Milan.

What is the role of Atticus in the children's relationship to Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird?

The children are fascinated with Boo Radley, but Atticus tells him to leave them alone.

The entire town of Maycomb seems obsessed with Boo Radley.  He is a recluse who has not left his house since he was a teenager.  He has kind of a checkered past, but he is basically harmless and Atticus knows it.  He tells his children to leave it alone when they ask about Boo.

He said Atticus never talked much about the Radleys: when Jem would question him Atticus’s only answer was for him to mind his own business and let the Radleys mind theirs, they had a right to; but when it happened Jem said Atticus shook his head and said, “Mm, mm, mm.” (Ch. 1)

When Dill comes to Maycomb, he is passionately curious about Boo Radley.  He decides that Boo Radley is just misunderstood, and wants to make him come out.  The children always enjoyed acting out stories in the yard, and Boo Radley becomes a favorite.  Atticus does not approve.  He feels that the Radleys have faced enough trouble, and forbids his children from re-enacting their story on the lawn.

The children do not forget about Boo Radley.  They do not tell Atticus about the gifts he leaves for them in the tree, but they do ask him if Nathan told them the truth about the tree being sick when he cemented the knot hole.  Atticus is again evasive, not wanting his children to be near the Radley place.

Dill gets the idea of leaving a note for Boo, and they try to get it to him. Dill holds a bell to warn them if Atticus comes by, and Jem does not succeed in leaving the note.  He shows it to Atticus, who asks why the children are so intent on getting him to come out.

Dill said, “We thought he might enjoy us…” and dried up when Atticus looked at him.

“Son,” he said to Jem, “I’m going to tell you something and tell you one time: stop tormenting that man. That goes for the other two of you.” (Ch. 5)

Atticus tells them that Boo and the Radleys deserve their privacy.  This does not stop them.  They want to get a peek at Boo.  They try doing it at night when they won’t be seen.  Unfortunately, Jem loses his pants.  He tells Atticus that he was playing strip poker, and sneaks out to get them later.  He finds that Boo sewed them up so he would not get in trouble.

The transition in their relationship with Boo Radley and Atticus’s part in it happens when Scout finds a blanket on her shoulders during the fire at Miss Maudie’s house.  Jem immediately spills everything to Atticus, worried that he will tell Nathan Radley about the blanket and get Boo in trouble.  Atticus understands.

It was obvious that he had not followed a word Jem said, for all Atticus said was, “You’re right.  We’d better keep this and the blanket to ourselves. Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up.” (Ch. 8)

Atticus does tell Jem not to let the incident with the blanket inspire him to “further glory.”  He wants the children to leave Boo alone.  In the end, it is Boo who saves them, from Bob Ewell.  Scout is very polite to him.  Atticus responds by thanking Boo for his children.

What do meteorologist use to measure the climate of a area?

Meteorologists use several instruments to measure climate conditions in a particular area.  The thermometer is used to measure the temperature, from the highest high to the lowest low, so as to produce a range.  A barometer is used to measure the air pressure, again from high to low.  An anemometer is used to indicate both wind direction and wind speed.  A rain guage is used to collect precipitation, not only rain, but snow, sleet, and even hail.  Rain gauges measure precipitation in inches of rainfall per year.  A psychrometer is an instrument used to measure the amount of relative humidity in the area.  Relative humidity is a comparison of how much water vapor is in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor it can hold at a given temperature.  All these instruments make various measurements which can then be used to assign the area in question a specific type of climate.

In The Outsiders, Two-Bit Matthews is involved in some significant events. Can you give me three significant events he is involved in?

One of the first significant events that Two-bit is involved in is saving Ponyboy from the Socs when he was walking home from the movies alone. This helps to establish Two-bit as a guy that is really looking out for the other greasers and always cracking jokes.

Two-bit is also there when Dally and Pony meet Marcia and Cherry. After they leave the drive-in and are headed back to Two-bit's car to give them a ride home, Bob and Randy show up and take the girls home instead. He acknowledges the gulf between the Socs and the Greasers when he says he must have been crazy to ask for Marcia's number in the first place. He leaves to go get drunk and Johnny and Pony are left alone when Bob and Randy come back.

He is also in the hospital when Johnny's mother shows up to try and see him. After hearing her whining about how they ought to get to see him, he tells her "No wonder [Johnny] hates your guts." As Ponyboy often said, Two-bit sees right to the heart of things and isn't afraid to tell it like it is.

Consider Sylvia's grandmother. Define her relationship with Sylvia. How is her relationship with her son relevant to her relationship with Sylvia?

The relationship between Sylvia and her grandmother is a good one.  Mrs. Tilley seems to possess a better understanding of Sylvia and what makes her happy than Sylvia's mother did.  Sylvia's mother, it seems, had told Mrs. Tilley that she was "'Afraid of folks'" when Mrs. Tilley made the "unlikely choice" of Sylvia from her daughter's houseful of children.  However, Sylvia had "tried to grow for eight years in [the] crowded manufacturing town," and only seemed to come "alive" when she moved to the farm.  Mrs. Tilley clearly saw something in Sylvia that no one else had, and her choice was a great one.

It seems that Mrs. Tilley didn't have as much time with her son, Dan, as she would have liked.  She tells the stranger, "'Dan an' his father didn't hitch, -- but [her husband] never held up his head ag'in after Dan had dared him an' gone off.'"  Therefore, we can understand that Mr. Tilley and his son, Dan, didn't get along very well, and, at some point, things came to a head and Dan left home, never to return.  Now, however, Mrs. Tilley gets to have a second chance at a relationship with someone who "'the wild creatur's counts [as] one o'themselves'" since "'Sylvia takes after him.'"