What is an example of situational irony in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451?

There is an example of situational irony on the very first page of Fahrenheit 451, when the reader meets the main character, Montag. In this opening paragraph, Montag's duties as a fireman and his enjoyment of the job are described to the reader:

With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head, and his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black.

This situation is ironic because we would expect a fireman to put out fires, not to start them. In the world of Fahrenheit 451, however, firemen are the defenders of censorship and the burners of books. Though ironic to the reader, it is this description which foreshadows the conflict that Montag will experience as he comes to realise that this is a repressive system which does not make him truly happy. 

To escape this repression, however, there will be a second example of situational irony: Montag will have to burn his boss, Captain Beatty, as he fights against the book-burning which exists in his world.

For more examples of irony, please see the reference link provided. 

Why didn't Emily accept that her father was dead for three days?

Miss Emily's refusal to accept the fact of her father's death is a miniature version of her failure to accept the changing world of the South. Her family's wealth and prestige was lost in the Civil War, as was the culture of the antebellum South. As the years go on and things change more and more, Emily stays, aggressively, the same. 

An additional interpretation to Emily's reaction could be that she was in a state of shock after her father died. Certainly many people would struggle with the passing of their parents but Emily in particular has good reason to have problems after her father died. He was a controlling man, who worked to keep her isolated from the rest of the town. After all, when the narrator discusses the town's reaction to her father's death and her response to it, they say,

"We did not say she was crazy then. We believed she had to do that. We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will."

Her father, who the townspeople picture in a tableau standing behind Miss Emily with a horsewhip in hand, has had so much control over her life, and kept her from so much happiness by denying her a husband and family and place in the life of the town. The narrator is describing a sort of Stockholm Syndrome, where Emily clings to an abusive father because she doesn't know what else to do. 

How does the pier-glass relate to Della in "The Gift of the Magi"?

The pier glass, a long, narrow mirror designed to fit between two windows, offers Della a solution to her dilemma of what she can give her beloved husband for Christmas.

When Della looks in this pier glass, agilely moving so that she develops the full image of herself in the narrow mirror, she notices in each single, narrow image her luxurious hair. She realized that this beautiful hair is worth money because at the turn of the twentieth century, the setting of this story, women with lovely hair could sell it for hairpieces for wealthy women.

Della's beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her.

On an impulse, Della dons her old brown hat and her jacket and hurries lest she change her mind. Arriving at a shop with the sign "Madame Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds," she asks if Mme. Sofronie will buy her hair. Lifting Della's hair and examining it, the woman offers her twenty dollars. Now, with this money, Della can buy her husband a gift worthy of him. Had she not looked in the pier glass, Della may not have thought of selling her hair.

How is nature presented in 'To Autumn' by John Keats?

The poem observes the natural world in autumn by delineating a number of sights, sounds, and pastimes that place humans beings squarely in the season's midst. There is also a theme of nature's providing a bounty of food and drink for human consumption. The description of fruits on the trees and vines is related to descriptions of reaping, winnowing (grain) or pressing cider from apples: all activities are related to the production of food or drink. In this way, the poem celebrates the abundant gifts of nature, and the deep and vital connection humans have to the natural world; as the poem suggests, without these foods provided at harvest time, we would experience hunger and thirst. But the poem also hints at the sensual pleasures of these activities, and the ways in which autumn (and more specifically, nature in autumn) engages all of our senses, particularly with sounds and songs (as with the third stanza, referring to the "songs of spring" and the sounds of birds, lambs and insects). In crafting lines that immerse the reader into this complex realm of sensual pleasure, the poet creates many visual and aural points of reference that could possibly inform the reader's future thoughts of autumn, every year when it returns, making this observance an ingrained part of one's life experience, underscoring the centrality of nature to human existence.

How might Sameness do away with sunshine in The Giver?

The concept of Sameness only has a few references in the book that describe how it works. When Jonas receives his first memory of sliding down a snowy hill on a sled, he asks the Giver afterwards why there is no more snow. The answer is that when the community decided to live under Sameness, they had to give up certain things in exchange for others. For example, they gave up snow in order to elongate agricultural periods. With Sameness, whatever a community wants to do away with is given away to the Receiver of Memory to hold onto. As a result, the people do not remember it, nor do they perceive it.

The second memory that Jonas receives is of sunshine.

"He could feel it through his clothed parts, too: a pleasant, all-over sensation; and when he licked his lips this time, the air was hot and heavy. . . He was simply alone someplace, out of doors, lying down, and the warmth came from far above. It was not as exciting as the ride through the snowy air; but it was pleasurable and comforting" (84-85).

Jonas perceives the word sunshine without any help from the Giver, as well as the word sky. This would suggest that Jonas has no knowledge of what the sun or the sky is; but, it doesn't say what he does know instead. For instance, do they live in a bubble or under some type of dome? If there are agricultural periods, and there is no sun, how do they grow their food? These questions are never answered within the text. All we know is that Jonas does not perceive the sun because he cannot feel it or see it; nor can he store memories of it. 

What is known is that everything that was given up is stored by memory inside the Receiver of Memory. In order to save the people from feeling any unnecessary discomfort or pain, all memories are transferred to him. Hence, memories of sunshine exist only in the Receiver. It is possible that once all memories of sunshine are stored with the Receiver, people simply do not notice it anymore. If there is no memory of sunshine, then the sun might also not have any effect on them. Or, if there is no memory of sunshine, does it therefore cease existing? 

What the community is left with, really, is a two-dimensional, black and white world. Without sun, there is no reflection of light; with no reflection of light, there is no perception of color; and without color, nothing can be differentiated from one to another. If there is no differentiation, there is no preferences and no available choices--only Sameness. 

Who are the people Carl Sandburg is describing in the poem "Psalm of Those Who Go Forth Before Daylight?"

A psalm is a sacred song or prayer, originally intended to be accompanied by music (usually a harp). In the case of this poem, this psalm is a song/poem of praise. One of Carl Sandburg's favorite themes was working class people. So, this poem is a song of praise about them and the difficult work that they do.

He focuses on the physical aspects of the work they do in order to praise their determination and work ethic. The policeman chooses his shoes "slow and careful" and the teamster chooses his gloves with the same care and thought. He says "they live on their feet and hands." The policeman is on his feet all day. The teamster works with his hands all day. Sandburg is focusing on this simple fact to praise the hard work. 

The milkman never argues because he does all of his work while everyone is still asleep. It is a lonely job but, as they say, someone has to do it. Sandburg repeats "he never argues" to underscore how lonely the job must be. 

The mill and the steel workers must endure the burns and filth of the cinders. They are "brothers" in this way because they suffer the same way in their respective jobs. 

Do you think Ezinma really buried the iyi-uwa under the orange tree—or was it just a coincidence that the medicine man found a stone wrapped in...

One of the wonderful aspects of Things Fall Apart is that when it comes to depicting the power of the traditional Igbo gods and customs, Chinua Achebe leaves the effects of spells, curses, and medicine men ambiguous. There are likely “rational” explanations for most of the occurrences that the Igbo attribute to gods or magic; however, Achebe renders these same scenes ambiguous enough that native interpretations seem validated by the author. Ezinma finding her iyi-uwa is one such occurrence. The way Achebe frames the scene, it appears that Ezinma is in fact an ogbanje and she correctly identifies her iyi-uwa. However, I argue that the evidence indicates that Ezinma buried a fake iyi-uwa herself. Ezinma is characterized as a bit mischievous, and she enjoys the attention that she receives when she is looking for her iyi-uwa:

“'But you said it was where they bury children?' asked the medicine man.

'No,' said Ezinma, whose feeling of importance was manifest in her sprightly walk. She sometimes broke into a run and stopped again suddenly. The crowd followed her silently” (81).

Additionally, after having the crowd follow her around for some time, she finally leads the medicine man Okagbue and the crowd to an orange tree next to her father’s obi:

“Ezinma led the way back to the road, looked left and right and turned right. And so they arrived home again.

'Where did you bury your iyi-uwa?' asked Okagbue when Ezinma finally stopped outside her father's obi (82).

Thus, with these two bits of evidence, I contend that it is likely that Ezinma buried a false iyi-uwa and made a game of finding it. This makes more sense to me than the hypothesis that Ezinma is an ogbanje and she magically finds her iyi-uwa.  

Explain political environment of business?

The political environment of business are the political factors that can affect the way in which businesses operate, the businesses that are present, the obstacles that a business may face, and the likelihood of success of different types of businesses.  According to the Business Dictionary the political environment is the government actions which affect the operations of a company or business.  These actions can be present on several different levels including the local, state, regional, national, and international level.  Those who own businesses often pay close attention to these factors to deduce the way in which government actions will affect their business.

The political environment of business is often a significant issue when discussing international businesses.  The political environment of business often affects the choice of foreign market that a company will enter.  This is due to the fact that it can affect the regulations that the business may face, the amount of government interference that a company can expect, the profitability of the choice to enter this market and more.  In addition, the stability of the country's government and economic system are often very important factors.

Can you suggest a few ways to reform democracy?

Democracies often seem to be embroiled in one conflict or another. This impression is at least partly due to the relative freedom of speech, both among private citizens and the media. Problems get a lot of airplay—because they can. In a less permissive state, the media wouldn't discuss such things, and citizens would be wary of doing so themselves, so problems would remain under the surface.

The following are few commonly debated issues in many democracies.

Replace the electoral college with popular vote:

The electoral college is a source of frequent confusion and much frustration among voters. Many voters wish that, instead of granting electoral votes based on state population, elections  could be won by a count of the overall popular vote.

Term limits for members of Congress:

The president can serve only two terms. Representatives and senators can serve over and over again. Some believe this leads to an inability of the legislative branch to overcome its inaction. 

Increase presidential power to get around gridlock:

In recent years there has been little action on many issues because the legislative and executive branches are held by competing parties. Making more actions permissible under executive order would help get more done. However, it would certainly enrage the opposing party. Most constitutionalists don't like this idea, believing it would violate the Constitution. 

Require a balanced budget:

Many feel that the greatest danger to America's future is the growing deficit. Despite this danger, the government has not been able to balance the budget, mostly out of a fear of losing support in their districts. A law would force the government to act in a more fiscally responsible way. The problem is getting the same politicians who won't balance the budget in the first place to vote for a law that would force them to do so. 

What "heroic" task does Collins want to perform?

Fred Collins in “A Mystery of Heroism” finds himself and his other soldiers pinned down by a battle raging around them.  Collins decides he is thirsty and sees a well in the middle of the battlefield.  In order to get some water to quench his thirst, he must weave his way through exploding shells and flying bullets.  He asks permission to go get some water from his commanding officer who says it is foolish but all right for Collins to attempt this dangerous “mission.”  Collins makes it to the well and begins to fill up his canteen.  He sees a bucket and decides to fill it up instead since it will hold more water.  Collin feels “untouchable” and heroic on his journey to the well, but realizes the danger he has put himself in for just a drink of water when he realizes he needs to return to his company.  His feelings of heroism turn to shame as he realizes the foolishness of his mission and that it is not worth risking his life.  As he runs to where the other soldiers are hidden, he passes a wounded officer who begs Collins for a drink of water.  Collins runs past him but returns to give the officer a drink.  When Collins gets back to his other soldiers, they start fighting over the bucket of water, and all the water spills to the ground.

Collin’s “heroic” run for water is ironic because it is not really a brave act; it is really a stupid thing for him to do.  Even though he risks his life to get the water, it isn’t worth it, and it is all in vain. 

Collins true heroic act was when he returns to the wounded officer and gives him a drink amidst the bombing and fighting of the war. 

Should we define minorities in terms of gender as well as race and ethnicity?

I think that the answer to this is a function of our purpose in so defining and also a function of what is meant by "we."  As a general matter, I would say that if our purpose is in protecting minorities from discrimination and if "we" are the law and society, then we should define females as minorities.  I would add the caveat that we are coming to understand that "gender" is a far more complex concept than we knew heretofore. 

The term "minority" is not the best term to use in this discussion, since there are so many instances in which a numerical majority is being discriminated against. For example, in the South, before the Civil War, I would guess there were many places in which African-Americans were the majority of the population. And certainly, there are places where females are in the majority.  In neither example did or does the group's numbers protect against any number of forms of discrimination. 

In the law, the reference is always to "protected class." These are classes of people we have chosen to protect against discrimination, and gender has been a protected class since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as have been race, color, and ethnicity, in the form of ancestry or national origin. 

Now, if our purpose, that is, the purpose of law and society, is to protect people from discrimination on the basis of their gender and the term "minority" is used to signify this, then I think we should continue to use this definition, as we have for over fifty years now.  This is an acknowledgement that males and females can be and are treated differently, in any number of different contexts.  The glass ceiling persists, women are often discriminated against in male-dominated environments, and men are often discriminated against in female-dominated environments.  There is nothing to suggest that these problems have gone away, just as there is nothing to suggest we are living in a post-racial or post-ethnic world. 

Having said all of that, there is a general consensus that "gender" is a social construct, that "sex" is a biological construct, and that neither is as clearly defined as we once thought. We are coming to understand, for instance, that people are sometimes born in a biological state that is completely incompatible with what they feel is should be their sex, or with attributes of both sexes, and that even chromosome testing is not completely definitive. We have people who are male and who live as females and females who live as males. This is not nearly as binary as we once believed. 

Nevertheless, given the purpose of defining gender as "minority" to be to protect people from discrimination on the basis of gender, the complexity of gender and sex should not really matter at all.  The whole point to law and society labeling a group as a minority is to acknowledge that a group is treated as "the other" by society, and that this group is in need of protection. The law and society cannot eradicate prejudice, but we can discourage discrimination by this means. 

Which kind of government did Voltaire prefer?

Voltaire expressed admiration for different kinds of government at different points in his life. In his Philosophical Letters, for example, written after a sojourn in England, he claimed that the English Constitution, with its "harmony between King, Lord, and Commons," was an ideal form of government. Under this system, Voltaire argued, "no one is tyrannised over, and every one is easy." This was partly because the English government featured the division of power that Voltaire's fellow philosophe and contemporary the Baron de Montesquieu so admired, and partly because England lacked the rigid social structure that shackled the middle classes, the peasantry, and the urban workers in France. At other points in his life, however, notably in his time with Frederick II of Prussia, he seems convinced that the best government on the Continent might be that of an enlightened monarch who uses their power for the promotion of Enlightenment ideals. Like almost all of the philosophes, Voltaire was no democrat, and he was actually quite cynical about human nature. What was more important to him than the form of government was the nature of government. For him, government ought to feature religious tolerance, more or less laissez-faire economic policies, and be based on reason and rational principles. Above all, government ought not to be dominated solely by the parasitical nobility and clergy that kept talented men like Voltaire, a member of the French middle class, from fulfilling their potential.

What connection is there between texts and my life?

When you are asked this question in an English or Literature class, it is a technique to help you remember the text by making connections. The usual way I suggest students do this successfully is to write in the margins as you read. The best way to do this is to think about the reading. As you read the text, when something makes you think of something else, it's a great idea to write it in the margins, if you are allowed to write in the text. If not, you can simply use post-its or take notes on a separate piece of paper.

After that, if you need to write an essay explaining how it pertains to your life, you can use those notes to see if any of them have something in common. If they connect in some way, this is a great way to come up with your topic.

Hope that helps!

What is an interpretation of sonnet 133 by William Shakespeare?

In this angry sonnet, the narrator curses the Dark Lady he is in love with because she has also trapped the heart of the young man the narrator is also in love with. The narrator feels enslaved and imprisoned by his feelings for the woman, and also angry and betrayed. He calls her "cruel" and speaks of "torture," "torment" and wounds. He feels she has robbed him of everything by stealing his young man: she has robbed him of herself, the young man and his own sense of self, for what is he without his loves? As he puts it:

Of him, myself, and thee [you] I am forsaken,

A torment thrice threefold thus to be crossed.

In the end, however, the poet cannot break from his lover, no matter how cruel she is, for "I ... am thine [yours], and all that is in me."

While many poems dwell of the beauties and joys of the beloved, this poem reveals love's dark side. The love the poet feels for the woman who is treating him badly is ripping him apart, yet he can't break away from her. 

Why did Faber decide to go to St. Louis in Fahrenheit 451?

Faber wants to go to St. Louis because he knows a printer there who is sympathetic to Montag and Faber’s cause to spread knowledge found in books.  Faber and Montag plan on planting books in other firemen’s houses in hopes that some of Montag’s peers will also be persuaded to quit burning books.  After Montag kills Beatty and is injected by the mechanical hound, he makes it to Faber’s house where he gives Faber the money he needs to get to St. Louis.  Montag then takes some of Faber’s clothes to mask his scent from the mechanical hound and escapes into the woods where he meets up with the hobos who memorize and preserve portions of knowledge for society.  

The printing of and planting of books in the homes of the firemen is a rebellious act by Montag and Faber who hope to spread the knowledge found in books, therefore, changing society’s ignorance and dependence on technology.   The novel ends with the city destroyed by a nuclear weapon, and we never know if Faber makes it to St. Louis.  

What are the code words in Number the Stars by Lois Lowry?

Annemarie overheard her father talking on the telephone to her Uncle Henrik.  She found her father's end of the conversation to be peculiar.  Her father told her uncle that her mother, her, and her sister would be coming to see him.  He also said that they would "be bringing... a carton of cigarettes."  This did not make sense, because cigarettes could no longer be purchased in Copenhagen's shops.  Annemarie had heard her father complaining about this.  He had even resorted to an unpleasant alternative, which consisted of "dried weeds rolled in paper."  Annemarie soon realized that "a carton of cigarettes" was code for Ellen and her family.  

This realization makes other parts of their conversation make sense.  Annemarie's father had told Uncle Henrik that there were many cigarettes in Copenhagen.  He added that people just needed to know where to look for them.  He also told Uncle Henrik that other cigarettes would be coming his way.  Annemarie's father was telling her uncle that there were many Jews hiding in Copenhagen, and that some of them would be seeking help from him.  Uncle Henrik would help them to escape.

A couple times in the book, Uncle Henrik and Annemarie's parents refer to the weather as "being good for fishing."  This is code for whether or not it is safe to help Jews escape in Uncle Henrik's boat.

`||bbv|| = 4sqrt(3), theta = 0^@` Find the component form of `bbv` given its magnitude and the angle it makes with the positive x-axis.

The magnitude of a vector `u = a*i + b*j` , such that:

`|u| = sqrt(a^2+b^2)`

Since the problem provides the magnitude `|v| = 4sqrt3` , yields:

`4sqrt3= sqrt(a^2+b^2)`

The direction angle of the vector can be found using the formula, such that:

`tan theta = b/a`

Since the problem provides the information that the direction angle of the vector v is `theta = 0^o` , yields:

`tan 0^o = b/a => b = 0, a!=0`

Replacing  0 for b in equation `4sqrt3= sqrt(a^2+b^2)` yields:

`4sqrt3= sqrt(a^2+0)=> a = +-4sqrt3`

`b = 0`

Hence, the component form of the vector v can be `<4sqrt3,0>` or `<-4sqrt3,0>.`

What passages in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird show secrecy in Maycomb?

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the best well-kept secrets in Maycomb County is the fact that Dolphus Raymond is actually not a drunkard. Dolphus Raymond is a wealthy landowner in Maycomb but also a social outcast because he lives with and has born children with an African-American woman. He is also believed to be a drunkard because he is frequently seen drinking from straws out of whatever is inside of a brown paper sack he carries. However, when Dill must leave the courtroom because Tom Robinson's unfair treatment has made him sob, Scout and Dill learn the truth about Mr. Raymond.

Mr. Raymond offers Dill a sip from his paper sack, saying it will "quieten [him]," and it turns out to be nothing but Coca-Cola. Scout, then, wants to know why he pretends to be drunk. Mr. Raymond explains that no one in Maycomb is able to understand why he prefers to live with an African-American woman; therefore, he has decided to give the citizens of Maycomb an excuse for his behavior so that they can think to themselves, "He can't help himself, that's why he lives the way he does" (Ch. 20). Though Mr. Raymond agrees with Scout, who asserts his behavior "ain't honest," Mr. Raymond sees his pretense as a means of creating a social bridge between his own desires and those who reject the way he wants to live his life. In pretending to be drunk, he creates a means for the racist people of Maycomb to accept Mr. Raymond regardless of their racism.

A second well-kept secret in Maycomb is the fact that Atticus is actually a sharpshooter. Atticus has allowed his children to think he is incapable of doing anything interesting, even shooting, because of his age. Yet, Miss Maudie and Sheriff Tate know the truth about Atticus's abilities. Atticus demonstrates his abilities the day it becomes necessary to protect the neighborhood from a rabid dog. Since Sheriff Tate sees they only have one shot at killing the dog, he hands his riffle to Atticus, who astounds his children with his abilities. Miss Maudie later explains that Atticus gave up shooting and kept his abilities a secret because he dislikes having an "unfair advantage over most living things" (Ch. 10).

One of the party slogans in George Orwell's 1984 is: "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." Can...

Winston Smith, the protagonist of George Orwell's 1984, is employed at the Ministry of Truth. The function of the ministry is to constantly rewrite all historical documents, including recent newspapers, to make them conform to party dogma and to prevent citizens from having information that might lead them to distrust Big Brother or the Party. 

One of the reasons that it is necessary to control the past is that the Party constantly makes promises it cannot keep. For example, the Party promises specified amounts of rations not just of food but also of luxuries such as chocolate or tobacco. Its failure to provide these could stir the citizens to resentment. If historical records were accurate, they could look back and see that the Party is not making accurate predictions and not keeping its promises. When the party changes the past, if people look up information, they will not see the Truth but a fiction that the Party had always promised what it actually delivered. This makes people more likely to doubt their memories than to doubt the party and serves as a tool of indoctrination.

Orwell specifically intended this practice as a criticism of the Soviet Union's efforts to rewrite history books to indoctrinate its citizens. Thus the meaning of the quote is that controlling information about the past gives power in the present, which enables one to determine how things will go in the future. 

How does Orwell illustrate man's inhumanity to man in Animal Farm? Please include quotes with page numbers. Please give three examples and quotes...

How does Orwell illustrate man's inhumanity to man in Animal Farm? Give three examples and quotes with page numbers to support it.

George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegory displaying the inhumane way that Russian dictators treated their citizens during the Russian Revolution and beyond.  Therefore, we can find examples of man’s inhumanity to man through the animals themselves, with the ruling pigs as main examples.  

Napoleon is the representation of Joseph Stalin, who was dictator of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) between 1929 and 1953.  Although he revolutionized the Soviet economy, he did so through the use of fear tactics, as we see with Napoleon.  After the self-appointed leader chases his main competition, Snowball, off the farm, he forces the animals to be loyal to him by brainwashing many into falsely confessing to dealings with Snowball. Napoleon then orders his guard dogs to rip the animals’ throats out.  “And so the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile of corpses lying at Napoleon’s feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood (p. 93).”  Although the other animals are alarmed, they can do nothing out of terror that they might be next.

Squealer, who represents the Russian media supporting Stalin, enjoys the role of spreading propaganda to trick the animals into accepting their inhumane conditions.  Each time the pigs change a rule or take more food for themselves, Squealer convinces the slaving animals that such a rule never existed or they must have dreamed it.  He guilts them into accepting that their leaders need added nutrition and comforts in order to run the farm and protect all their freedoms.  In the meantime, the pigs are getting fat while the animals die of starvation.  But since they are not as educated and cunning as the pigs, they are willing to believe Squealer’s lies, in spite of the fact that “life nowadays was harsh and bare, that they were often hungry and often cold, and that they were usually working when they were not asleep (p. 115-116). To the pigs, they are not fellow animals, but slave labor.

The ultimate cruelty is Napoleon’s betrayal of his most loyal and hard working citizen, Boxer.  In order to support the farm, the workhorse unquestioningly supports their leader.  He pushes himself to work beyond his own abilities in building the windmill, then rebuilding it after it is destroyed.  With too little rest and a starvation diet, Boxer’s body just gives out.  “There lay Boxer, between the shafts of his cart, his neck stretched out, unable even to raise his head.  His eyes were glazed, his sides matted with sweat.  A thin stream of blood had trickled out of his mouth” (p. 121).  Napoleon tells the animals that the van which comes to pick Boxer up is taking him to an animal hospital, but to the animals' horror, the side of the van reads, “‘Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon.  Dealer in Hides and Bone-Meal’” (p. 123).  Squealer, of course, whips up some more lies to confuse and guilt them into thinking the best of Napoleon, who mysteriously comes up with the money to purchase a case of whiskey for the pigs several days later.  Beaten down and overruled, the animals plod on, accepting the cruel treatment without fully comprehending just how inhumane it really is.

Why is Beneatha going to college?

Beneatha wants to become a medical doctor in the play, A Raisin in the Sun. This is a progressive choice for a black woman in the 1950’s because of the lack of opportunity for blacks to achieve their dreams.  Her desire to become a doctor requires some of the inheritance her father leaves her mother when he dies.  This becomes a conflict with Walter, who wants the money for a liquor store. No one really thinks Beneatha’s dreams are serious or obtainable, except for Mama Younger, who ends up giving Beneatha a portion of the inheritance.  It is at college that Beneatha meets Asagai, a student from Africa who changes her life. Beneatha becomes more self-aware, starts questioning race relations, and becomes a more independent thinker who begins to embrace her African roots.  Even though she has a rich boyfriend, George, who will take care of her, Beneatha wants more.  She even speculates that she will go to Africa with Asagai and practice medicine there.  Beneatha’s character in the play shows the rising awareness of African American woman who are searching for their purpose and identity on the cusp of the Civil Rights Movement.

Can a ray of light go undeviated from a prism?

Yes, it can, but only in very particular situations.

The first possibility. A ray does NOT change its direction on a divide between two matters if it is perpendicular to this divide (boundary). So a ray may keep its direction after the first face of a prism. Usually we call "a prism" in this context an object with non-parallel sides, but formally a cube is also a prism.

The second possibility. Even if a ray is not perpendicular to the divide between two matters, it changes its direction only if the speeds of light in these matters are different. (Or we may say that they have different refractive indices.) If a prism is made of glass and it is in the air, then the indices are different. But if a prism is immersed into some dense transparent liquid, then the speeds may occur equal. For example, water and water ice have close refractive indices.

How does the population of an animal affect the community and the ecosystem. Define population, community and ecosystem.

Individual, population, community and ecosystem are some of the levels of organization within an ecosystem. An individual is an organism of a particular species, say a deer or tiger, etc. A number of individuals of a particular species that live in the same area form a population. A community is composed of populations of various species living in a given geographic region at a given time. An ecosystem is composed of communities (biotic component) and their environment (abiotic component). 

In a given ecosystem, each species is dependent on another species, either as a prey or predator or competitor. Thus, a change in the population of an organism is bound to affect the community and the ecosystem. For example, deer is a competitor of cows (for food), is a prey for wolf (which is a predator) and is a predator of grass (its food). If the population of deer were to decrease, its competitor will have access to more food and population of cows will grow. Deer's predator will find less food and will decrease in number (unless they find another prey). This will cause a shift in community towards more cows, less deer and less wolves. At ecosystem level, this will probably change the population of herbivores and carnivores and also affect the level of grass. 

Thus, a change in the population of one organism will affect the community and the ecosystem.

Hope this helps. 

Describe how the appearance of King Hamlet's ghost affects the whole play?

We know that the ghost claims to be Hamlet's father and that he was killed by his brother Claudius (Hamlet's uncle). The ghost also claims that he will continue to suffer until the crimes that took place are purged away. He is basically stuck in purgatory and wants Hamlet to kill Claudius. Until this happens, he will forever be in purgatory. Hamlet is very suspicious and does not want to murder anyone until he knows the absolute truth.

The appearance of the ghost sets the plot of revenge into motion, and this is how the ghost affects the whole play. The appearance of the ghost in the play also makes the characters begin to question things. Is this ghost real? Is Hamlet going mad? Is this ghost really Hamlet's father? 

How does documentation affect immigrants' rights in the United States?

Documentation is everything. Permanent resident aliens with valid green cards have most of the same rights and privileges as citizens, and naturalized citizens have all of them (except for running for President, for some reason). Permanent residents can work here permanently, use public schools, and apply for services such as Social Security and Medicaid. Naturalized citizens can do all these things as well as even vote and run for office.

Undocumented immigrants, however, can do none of these things. In most states they are ineligible for all government services except for emergency services (though in some states they can use public schools). They can be arrested, detained, and deported, essentially whenever Immigration and Customs Enforcement wants to do so. While most undocumented immigrants try to find work, they cannot legally work for formal employers and so they usually end up working under the table for below minimum wage.

Knowing this, why would anyone not become documented? Because it's simply too difficult. The multiple layers of bureaucracy, high costs, and absurdly long delays (on the order of years or even decades) to obtain permanent residency or citizenship prevent millions of immigrants from obtaining citizenship even though they desperately would like to and should be eligible.

What did Britain see its colonies as a source of?

The British generally saw the colonies as a source of revenue. The idea of mercantilism, the economic theory that guided the colonial relationship, was that, by maintaining a favorable balance of trade with the colonies, the British Empire would profit. Essentially, the colonies functioned as suppliers of raw materials, including cash crops like sugar and tobacco, and consumers of British manufactured goods, ranging from cloth to glass to guns to paint. The colonies also supplied large quantities of naval stores, including tar, pitch, and timber for the construction of ships. In order to maintain this profitable relationship, the British Crown and Parliament established a series of regulations that prohibited the importation of non-British goods into the colonies. These restrictions, however, were seldom enforced with any regularity, a policy called "salutary neglect" after the fact. As long as the colonies remained profitable, it was not in the British interest to spend much in enforcing them. When they began to do so, beginning with the Sugar Act in the wake of the French and Indian War, the colonists protested.

What mood does Jackson create?

Shirley Jackson creates a mixed mood of growing curiosity, growing anticipation, growing apprehension, growing suspicion, growing uncanniness, and growing dread. She begins disarmingly with a description of a peaceful small-town setting.

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.

Somehow the innocuous setting with the words "clear," "sunny," "warmth," etc., arouse a glimmer of suspicion. Another chilling story by Shirley Jackson, "The Possibility of Evil," starts in a similar manner.

Miss Adela Strangeworth stepped daintily along Main Street on her way to the grocery. The sun was shining, the air was fresh and clear after the night’s heavy rain, and everything in Miss Strangeworth’s little town looked washed and bright. Miss Strangeworth took deep breaths, and thought that there was nothing in the world like a fragrant summer day. 

Then we learn about the boys gathering stones. Why should they be doing that? And why should their parents be allowing them to do it on what appears to be a rather formal occasion in the center of town?

Why do the rest of the villagers appear so stiff and nervous. They are not their usual selves. On such an occasion there should be a lot of greetings, jokes and laughter. But it is ominously quiet for an attendance of some three hundred people. The men seem especially subdued. We will realize later that they know the real killing will be mostly up to them. The boys won't be strong enough to throw their stones hard enough to kill. The women may not even try to hit the target. This is a patriarchal thing, as it was in the New Testament when the men were planning to stone a woman to death for being caught in adultery. (The man who was with her at the time was probably let off with a warning.) 

Shirley Jackson very deliberately keeps the purpose of this lottery a mystery until Bill Hutchinson draws the slip of paper with the black spot which indicates that it is his family that will be affected. Immediately his wife Tessie begins protesting.

Tessie Hutchinson shouted to Mr. Summers. "You didn't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair!"

All the other people in this mandatory assembly are relieved. Evidently the "winner" in this lottery is the loser and the losers are all winners--at least for another year. Tessie turns out to be the holder of the slip with the black spot, which indicates that she is the member of the Hutchinson family who has been selected for whatever it is she will receive. She obviously doesn't like it. She keeps protesting, but her friends and neighbors ignore her. She has somehow become an outsider in just a few moments.

It isn't until Tessie gets hit by a rock that the reader finally realizes the meaning of the lottery. Shirley Jackson describes it very well.

Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagers moved in on her. "It isn't fair," she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head. Old Man Warner was saying, "Come on, come on, everyone."

Can this really be happening in small-town America? Probably not. But there are a lot of things happening behind closed doors in small-town America that nobody knows about. 

By starting her story in a small town on a story-book warm, sunny day, and by keeping the sinister purpose of the annual town lottery a secret up to the last, Shirley Jackson builds and builds the darkening mood right up to the very last words. It is as if black clouds are gathering overhead and are gradually obscuring the landscape with their dark shadows.

"It isn't fair, it isn't right," Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.

What are the mnemonics that can be used to explain oxidation and reduction?

Here are two commonly used mnemonics for oxidation and reduction:

LEO the lion says GER

LEO: Lose electrons, oxidation

GER: Gain and electrons, reduction

and

OIL RIG

Oxidation Is Loss (of electrons), Redution Is Gain

Both of these mnemonics are reminders that a species loses electrons when it's oxidized and another species gains electrons when it's reduced. It doesn't seem like a gain should be called reduction, so think of it as loss and gain of negative charge. Electrons are negative. When negative charge is gained there's a reduction in positive charge. Here's an example:

Zn + 2 HCl -> ZnCl2 + H2

In this reaction, Zinc is oxidized because it goes from neutral to a charge of +2 by losing two electrons. The electrons went to the two H+ ions, which were reduced to neutral H2. Oxidation and reduction always occur together as the electrons are transferred from what's oxidized to what's reduced.

Why is the man making this journey?

The first response to this question is that the man is meeting a group of other "boys" at the old camp on Henderson Creek, where he hoped for "the possibility of floating logs from the islands in the Yukon down the river when the ice melted."  This was the man's first winter in the Yukon, so the reader assumes that he, like many men in this era, were looking for work, adventure, or both.  

So the second response to this question is that the man is looking for an adventure.  Note that he goes out on the trail alone, even though more experienced men warned him against it, especially with the weather being so cold; in fact, the dog that accompanies the man even wants to resist going out in that weather.  But the man "was not able to imagine" how the cold would truly affect him.  London makes that point clear in the story when he reiterates:

The trouble with him was that he was not able to imagine. He was quick and ready in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in their meanings. Fifty degrees below zero meant 80 degrees of frost. Such facts told him that it was cold and uncomfortable, and that was all. It did not lead him to consider his weaknesses as a creature affected by temperature. Nor did he think about man’s general weakness, able to live only within narrow limits of heat and cold. From there, it did not lead him to thoughts of heaven and the meaning of a man’s life. 50 degrees below zero meant a bite of frost that hurt and that must be guarded against by the use of mittens, ear coverings, warm moccasins, and thick socks. 50 degrees below zero was to him nothing more than 50 degrees below zero. That it should be more important than that was a thought that never entered his head.

This weakness leads the reader to understand that London is not only commenting on the man's weakness, but the weakness of man in general--that explains why the character is never given a name throughout the story.  Naturally, the lesson to be learned is that Nature does not discriminate; it will take any man's life who is foolish enough to go into the cold without the proper supplies and equipment.

Why does Chopin choose to have Desiree say that Armand "can hear the crying from La Blanche's cabin?"

Chopin's story "Desiree's Baby" is filled with subtlety and ambiguities. The seemingly unimportant detail that Desiree divulges about Armand's location suggests an interesting alternative to the standard interpretation of the story. The most obvious reason that Desiree exclaims "Ah!" when she looks back and forth between her child and La Blanche's child, who is of mixed race, is that she finally recognizes African features in her own child. However, another interpretation is that she recognizes Armand's likeness in both the quadroon boy and her own son. 

Chopin suggests at several points in the story that Armand treats his slaves brutally. Desiree's mother considers how Armand's "rule was a strict one, too, and under it his negroes had forgotten how to be gay." After the baby's birth, Desiree is thrilled that Armand has stopped punishing the slaves. However, when the baby is about three months old, Armand rejects Desiree and the child, and "the very spirit of Satan seemed suddenly to take hold of him in his dealings with the slaves." Desiree is nothing if not naive; that she blithely speaks of Armand being at La Blanche's cabin shows her innocence as much as it suggests Armand's guilt. The reader has reason to wonder, if Desiree doesn't, what possible reason the owner of a large plantation would have to personally visit the cabin of a female slave. That he is there during the weeks of Desiree's recovery from the birth, when she would not be able to give him the attention he was used to, is also telling.

Given Armand's oppression of his slaves, it is certainly possible and even likely that he uses La Blanche and possibly the other women slaves as concubines and that the quadroon boy is one of his illegitimate offspring. Desiree notes that "Armand is the proudest father in the parish" now that he has "a boy  to bear his name." Armand possibly already has one or more sons, but none that can "bear his name" until Desiree's baby.

The reference to Armand being at La Blanche's cabin helps Chopin characterize Desiree as naive and trusting and Armand as despicable, and it also provides ambiguity that allows an alternate interpretation of the way the plot develops.

How do the children feel about the sun and weather in "All Summer in a Day?"

When the sun comes out on Venus every seven years, it is an event that everyone in the story looks forward to seeing.  It constantly rains on Venus, and the citizens view the sun coming out as a major time to celebrate.  The sun only shines every seven years for two hours, however.  The school children are young enough in the story that they have never seen the sun.  Only one child, Margot, was born on Earth and has experienced it. 

The children are jealous of Margot’s experiences, and when they question her about the sun, they don’t believe her descriptions and lock her in a closet in the classroom.  When the sun comes out, they see that Margot is telling the truth, but they forget they locked her in the closet.  When they remember to let her out, it is too late.  The sun has gone away, and Margot is devastated that she has to wait seven more years to enjoy the warmth of the sunshine. 

Overall, the sun’s appearance is an event that children anxiously wait for because they have never seen or felt the sun in their short lives.  You can imagine the excitement seeing the sun would cause since you only see it less than 15 times in your entire lifetime. 

In "Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket," what incident starts the conflict?

Jack Finney includes both external and internal conflict in his short story “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pockets.”

The external conflict is initiated when Tom Benecke, the protagonist, watches as his slip of yellow paper fly out the window. The yellow paper contains work which consumed Tom’s spare time for months. He had a grand plan to achieve wealth and fame as he advanced his employment even if it meant short changing his relationship with his wife. The protagonist watches as the paper lands outside on the ledge of his eleventh story apartment building on Lexington Avenue in New York City. Tom’s efforts to retrieve the paper by balancing on the ledge overhanging the street create great physical challenges.  As he makes his way along the ledge, he faces a series of physical obstacles until the paper is retrieved and he is able to return to his apartment.

The internal conflict arises within Tom as he is balancing on that ledge and faces death. He realizes how skewed his view of life is. His obsession on advancing at work takes his focus off of his lovely wife whom he loves dearly.

Both the internal and external conflicts provide parallel themes in the story.  Tom is physically trying to save himself while balancing on the ledge while having a revelation about finding balance in one’s life.

Is it possible to link the idea of the American Dream with any Puritan writer or with the Puritan era?

Puritanism and Protestant Christianity had great influence on the culture and values of early Americans, so yes, Puritanism affected the idea of the American Dream. Puritans believed strongly in the concept of self-improvement, which to them stemmed from a desire to please God. This of course connects to the idea of the self-made man that is integral to the concept of the American Dream. Puritan values can be traced to the current ideal of American life- they were hardworking, pious, and believed in democracy. However, if one wished to criticize the American Dream, and challenge the idea of America as a meritocracy, he could look to Puritanism as well. Perhaps a darker side to Puritanism was their extension of the idea of predetermination: God punishes the weak, so people of a lower social class are being punished (and deserve their lower status). Echoes of this mindset are evident today, as some allege that those who are at the bottom of the social hierarchy (those for whom the American Dream has failed) are simply not hard workers. So, the Puritannical and American emphasis on hard work can have a darker side.

What is the main conflict in "Thank You M'am" and how is it resolved?

The main conflict in “Thank You, M’am” is Roger’s internal conflict of whether or not to run away.

The initial conflict in the story is a character vs. character conflict between Roger and Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.  Roger tries to steal Mrs. Jones’s purse, and Mrs. Jones not only prevents him, she basically kidnaps him.

Mrs. Jones asks Roger if she was bothering him, and he confirms that she wasn’t.

“But you put yourself in contact with me,” said the woman. “If you think that that contact is not going to last awhile, you got another thought coming. When I get through with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.”

Commenting that someone needs to wash his face, she asks him if he is hungry.  Mrs. Jones realizes that Roger is not a serious hoodlum.  He is a young boy who made a bad choice.  To keep him from making others, she takes him home and feeds him.

Roger is the one who has the conflict now.  He faces an internal conflict, which means character vs. self.  He has to decide what to do about Mrs. Jones.  Should he stay, or should he go?

“Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face,” said the woman, whereupon she turned him loose—at last. Roger looked at the door—looked at the woman—looked at the door—and went to the sink.

The italics demonstrate Roger’s struggle to decide whether to stay or go.  In the end, he stays.  He continues to wonder what to do, but Mrs. Jones shows him empathy and explains to him how she understands his situation, and once was young herself and wanted things she could not have.  Mrs. Jones shows him kindness, and he returns the favor.  Not only does he not run, he even asks her if she needs anything.

How is the human attempt to control a theme in this chapter? How is the sureness of uncertainty a theme?

You must be taking about Chapter Four: the Potato! The subtitle of this chapter, "Control," addresses the attempts by humans to utilize the potential of potatoes as a food crop by modifying them via genetic engineering. These methods can produce potatoes which are resistant to common pests, and thus make them more resilient and prolific, as well as more profitable.

But there is an historical lesson discussed in this chapter as well: Pollan explores the legacy of the Irish potato famine, which, ironically, was not caused because too few potatoes were grown, but because the ones that did grow were infected with blight, and caused illness and death in those who ate them. The lack of diversity in Ireland's agriculture was one of the factors that caused this to occur: the overwhelming dependency upon potatoes as a source of food led to widespread hunger and even starvation. By controlling the structure of agriculture to make it focused upon this one important crop, farmers created a precarious situation that led to disaster. But control is also inherent in the desire to create new strains of potatoes that wouldn't be vulnerable in this way.

Botanists used this event as a starting point to find ways to make the potato a more successful food crop, and to study other cultures where there was a lack of diversity in agriculture. The idea of a "sureness of uncertainty" refers, perhaps, to Pollan's finding the genetic modification of potatoes to be a "solution" that may be causing its own problems. Even if certain pests or diseases are banished, are we inviting a whole new set of problems by genetically modifying plants?

In this chapter, Pollan also explores the idea of control via the concept of human nature's desire to have Apollonian order; while nature prefers a sort of Dionysian chaos. So even as humans attempt to impose order, chaos may still be able to reign.

Naturally occuring element Z consists of Z-24 (mass=23.99), Z-25 (mass=24.99), and Z-26 (mass=25.98). If the natural abundance of Z-25 is 10.0% and...

Since Z-25 makes up 10% of the element Z in nature the remaining 90% must be the sum of other two isotopes, Z-24 and Z-26. We know that the percent abundance of X-24 is 7.174 times that of Z-26, so we can find the abundance of both isotopes as follows:

Let Z-24 = x and Z-26 = 0.90-X 

x/(0.90-x) = 7.174

x = (7.174)(0.90-x)

8.174x = 6.454

x = 0.7897

Z-24 is the lightest isotope:

abundance of Z-24 = 0.7897 = 78.97%

The abundance of Z-26 is 0.1103 = 11.03%

The given masses of the isotopes aren't needed to solve this problem. However, you could use them to find the average mass of element Z in nature since you now know the relative amounts of each isotope. The average mass is the sum of the mass of each isotope multiplied by its percent abundance. 

To what extent is Ernest Hemingway’s novel “The Old Man and the Sea” a conflict between man and himself, more than man and nature?

One could easily argue that the novel is about man against himself because Santiago faces great internal conflict.

He is an old, weak, and not a very strong man (at least by the looks of him!). He has also not caught a fish in 84 days. That is almost 3 months and a very long time when that is your livelihood. Imagine going to work for three months straight and being told you weren't good enough at your job to actually be paid. But he perseveres in spite of this challenge, and he decides to set out farther than usual. This is a risk, but one he feels he must take in order to reap the potential rewards that he needs to prove himself. He needs to prove himself not just to others, but also to himself.

As Santiago struggles with the marlin, and then with all of the other sea creatures out to take the marlin from him, he pulls on an internal strength he may not have known he still had. He finds mental and physical strength that is beyond what anyone would have expected from him. 

In winning the battle, so to speak, with the marlin and actually living to tell about it, he has proven he is still strong and capable. That he loses the marlin is unimportant because in battling the marlin and the other fish and sharks, he has actually also battled his own weaker, less capable self. He regains confidence: "You were born to be a fisherman as the fish was born to be a fish."

What is a similar theme between Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery and The Secret Garden by F.H. Burnett?

There are several similar themes that Anne of Green Gables and The Secret Garden share.  They both explore the themes of family in similar ways.  Both Anne from Anne of Green Gables and Mary of The Secret Garden are orphans who move to a new home.  Anne is adopted by siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, while Mary ("a disagreeable little girl... [who is] lonely") moves to England to live with an uncle who she has never met.  Both girls struggle to feel at home with their new families.  Their adjustments do not come easy.  Marilla is slow to accept Anne and Mary is apprehensive about her absent uncle and contrary cousin.  Both girls come to love their new homes and families and find happiness.

Friendship is also explored.  Anne and Mary are both friendless when they arrive at their new homes.  Anne meets Diana, who becomes her "bosom friend--an intimate friend... a really kindred spirit to whom [she] can confide [her] inmost soul."  Mary becomes close friends with Dickon, and also with her cousin.  

Nature is also a theme throughout both novels.  The Secret Garden centers around the walled garden that the children discover.  Anne of Green Gables is filled with Anne's observations and appreciation of nature throughout all the seasons.

What does Macbeth complain is acting to "shake us nightly"?

Macbeth is telling his wife in Act III, Scene 2 that he is having "terrible dreams" which "shake us nightly." By "us," Macbeth is referring to himself in the manner of monarchs. His wife is unhappy, also. The Macbeths have achieved what they hoped to achieve, but they are not satisfied, mainly because of the witches' prophesy that Banquo would be "not so happy but much happier" than Macbeth because he would be the sire of a whole dynasty of Scottish kings. Macbeth has already made plans to have Banquo and his son Fleance ambushed near the castle on their way to the banquet, but he doesn't tell his wife about that, partly because he is not completely sure the ambush will be successful, and partly because the audience already knows about the ambush and it would be redundant to go over it again.

Lady Macbeth's unhappiness seems to mirror her husband's. She tells herself before his arrival:

Nought's had, all's spent,
Where our desire is got without content.
’Tis safer to be that which we destroy
Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.

This is like saying we have wasted all our money if we buy something expensive and then find we don't like it. She seems to be suggesting that it is better to be dead than unhappy with what we have acquired through killing someone else. Her husband echoes the same ideas when he tells her:

We have scotch'd the snake, not kill'd it.
She'll close and be herself, whilst our poor malice
Remains in danger of her former tooth.
But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer,
Ere we will eat our meal in fear and sleep
In the affliction of these terrible dreams
That shake us nightly. Better be with the dead,
Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace,
Than on the torture of the mind to lie
In restless ecstasy. Duncan is in his grave;
After life's fitful fever he sleeps well;
Treason has done his worst: nor steel, nor poison,
Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing,
Can touch him further (Act III, Scene 2).

Act III, Scene 2 seems intended to establish Macbeth's strong motivation to dispose of Banquo. His wife's concern about Banquo mainly augments her husband's and gives him someone with whom he can discuss his feelings. The first two acts of the play led up to the assassination of King Duncan. Now the play must proceed with a new motivation, which will lead Macbeth into deeper waters. He is on his way to becoming a tyrant, and it is his tyranny much more than his regicide that will lead to his downfall. The English king will send an army of some ten thousand men to Scotland to overthrow Macbeth because his misrule of his country is creating serious problems for England. The English king is more concerned about restoring tranquility in both countries than restoring Malcolm to the Scottish throne as the rightful heir.

How does Daniel treat Rosh in the beginning of the book, and how does that change toward the end of the book?

At the beginning of The Bronze Bow, Daniel is very loyal toward Rosh and treats him as his hero. When he tells Joel about Rosh, he says he is a good man and the bravest man in the world. Daniel obeys Rosh's commands when he orders him to take care of Samson and when he assigns him to steal from the miser. He respectfully asks Rosh if he can go to Capernaum to try to recruit Joel to their cause. Chapter 8 states that Daniel "worshiped and feared Rosh." When Rosh gruffly orders Daniel to fix his favorite dagger, Daniel obeys, and when he moves to the village, he creates a band of men to be Rosh's army there. 

However, in chapter 17, Rosh has been making raids on the homes of the villagers, stealing from fellow Jews like a mere bandit. Although Daniel wants to remain loyal to Rosh, he sees that the people are turning against him. In chapter 18, Joel is captured by Romans while performing undercover work for Rosh. Daniel goes to Rosh to ask him to rescue Joel, and Rosh refuses. At that point, Daniel disagrees with and argues with Rosh outright. Finally he says, "I am not one of your men. Not any longer." He leaves the mountain and Rosh forever at that point.

Why can metal utensils get too hot to touch when you are cooking with them?

Metal cooking utensils get too hot to touch because metals have a low heat capacity and are good conductors of heat. Heat capacity is the amount of heat a given mass of a substance must absorb to raise its temperature a given amount.  Metals experience a large increase in temperature when absorbing a relatively small amount of heat. 

Metals are good conductors of heat because of the characteristics of metallic bonding. Conduction is the transfer of heat between atoms or molecules in contact with each other. As particles heat up they vibrate at a faster rate and transfer vibrational motion to nearby particles. The atoms of metals are closely packed in the solid state and have freely moving valence electrons. Heat is transferred throughout the substance by the moving electrons as well as by vibration of adjacent atoms.

This problem is solved with handles on utensils that are made of materials that have high heat capacities and are poor conductors of heat. These materials don't experience as much of a temperature change when absorbing heat and the heat absorbed isn't transferred throughout the material.

Analyze the importance of history in education studies.

I would argue that history ought to be an important aspect of any course of study. But some specific reasons can be given for the importance of history to a curriculum in education studies. 

First, the study of history promotes critical thinking, and requires students to exercise metacognition, or thinking about how they learn. Many of the most important aspects of the study of history, including reading primary sources, evaluating different points of view on historical events, and especially evaluating the arguments of modern historians require the exercise of skills that people ought to be fostering in their students. 

Second, the study of history can help provide perspective on students themselves. Having taught in rural school districts in the South for many years, I learned that the legacies of slavery and Jim Crow are literally everywhere, and that they affected my students in ways I could only have recognized through the study of history. In this way, history fosters empathy--one of the most important skills an educator can have.

Finally, I would suggest that educators themselves ought to be aware of the importance of education, and this can only be gained through a study of history. Universal education is a fairly new phenomenon in historical terms, and again, using my own career as an example, the study of history made me aware of the options our work creates for students. Less than a century ago, children in the places I've taught would have had one of two futures to look forward to--farm or textile mill. Education creates opportunity, and educators need to know this.

What is one inference cited in Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart"?

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a story about a madman who kills an older gentleman. The relationship between the two men is unknown because the narrator does not describe it explicitly. As far as the relationship is concerned, the narrator only says the following:

I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire.

First, the narrator admits that he loves the old man who he wants to kill. Then he seems to suggest that the two have a history together because enough time has passed for problems with the relationship to occur, but there haven't been any. Also, since the two men live in the same house together, it can be inferred that they are related in some way. One might infer that the narrator is the son or grandson of the old man. Again, there is not clear evidence to suggest otherwise, so the reader can only infer as to the status of the relationship between the two men.

In Romeo and Juliet Act III, Scene 3, what does "There is no world without Verona walls" mean?

In Act III, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is hiding in Friar Lawrence's cell because of the tragic events in Scene 1 in which he killed Tybalt in revenge for the killing of Mercutio. When the friar informs Romeo that he has been banished from Verona for his part in the violence he immediately becomes passionate in his refusal to consider the decree. He has recently been married to Juliet and claims that the outside world holds nothing for him if he cannot be with her. Furthermore, everything he knows and loves is in Verona. To be banished from the city is therefore worse than death. He cries to Friar Lawrence:

There is no world without Verona walls
But purgatory, torture, hell itself.
Hence “banishèd” is “banished from the world,”
And world’s exile is death.

Romeo refers to banishment as being like purgatory, a place in between life and the afterworld, torture or even hell. He carries on for quite a while about his fate in exile until the friar reminds him that he could have been put to death, as was the Prince's original declaration. Friar Lawrence eventually persuades Romeo to accept the law, go and see Juliet, and then leave for Mantua. He further encourages Romeo to look on the bright side of things and claims that once tempers have quieted Romeo may return to Verona and be reunited with Juliet:

Go, get thee to thy love, as was decreed.
Ascend her chamber. Hence and comfort her.
But look thou stay not till the watch be set,
For then thou canst not pass to Mantua,
Where thou shalt live till we can find a time
To blaze your marriage, reconcile your friends,
Beg pardon of the Prince, and call thee back
With twenty hundred thousand times more joy
Than thou went’st forth in lamentation.

 

What is the conflict in the story "Rashmon" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa?

The story explores the internal conflict taking place in the mind of a servant who has just been rendered jobless. He is certainly an honest man, and is mulling over the alternatives available to him to earn his living from next day onward. He contemplates while he's standing under the decrepit structure of Rashmon, which “was the largest gate in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan.”

Soon, he is convinced that he’s left with only two options – either he continues to be an honest man, and subsequently, starves to death, or he becomes a thief. It seems that he tries to persuade himself to take to robbery, but he is unable to come up with a proper and strong justification for doing so.

“But doubts returned many times. Though determined that he had no choice, he was still unable to muster enough courage to justify the conclusion that he must become a thief.”

The significance of the servant’s dilemma can’t be fully understood without considering the background of the story. Akutagawa’s story is set against the backdrop of the twelfth century Kyoto city which is in a state of utter ruin and decay. Natural calamities like earthquakes, tornadoes and fires have caused massive devastation and terrible famine in the city.

The story is about not only the physical decay but also the moral and spiritual degradation.  It explores the meaning and significance of faith and moral values against the most extreme and dire circumstances. The devastation has been so severe and overwhelming that survival by any means has become the biggest priority in man’s life.

We hear about people selling the Buddhist images and objects as firewood. The old woman is plucking hair off the head of a woman’s corpse. She’ll prepare a wig and sell it and, thus, earn something to survive.

The servant’s encounter with this old woman resolves the conflict in his mind. He finds the justification for why he should become a thief. We witness the transformation in him. He's now a man with no scruples. He says to her,

“Then it's right if I rob you. I'd starve if I didn't."

With his sword he tears the old woman's “yellow clothes” and runs away with them.

The part of the body that integrates the information it receives from all over the body in order to make decisions is called the ________.

The central nervous system or CNS receives the sensory information from all parts of the body, integrates it and responds accordingly. The central nervous system consists of two main organs: the spinal cord and brain. The spinal cord is responsible for bringing the sensory information from various parts of the body to the brain and relaying the motor information from the brain to various parts of the body. The brain integrates the sensory inputs from the body and makes decisions and passes them on to the body. Conscious and subconscious actions are all controlled by this system, such as thinking, sleeping, eating, running, etc. The central nervous system is critical to our survival and hence is protected by bones. The spinal cord resides in vertebrae and the brain is protected by the cranium.

Hope this helps.  

How are Annie and Helen similar? How are they different?

Both Annie and Helen are vision impaired, though Helen is completely blind, while Annie is still partially able to see. Their limitations have been overcome by their own stubbornness, and Annie is teaching Helen not only to communicate but to be strong.

Their backgrounds are very different. Annie was born to poor immigrants. Her mother died when Annie was young, and her father left them when he could not take care of them. Annie grew up in an asylum, while Helen had a comfortable home with good food and both loving parents.

Both are intelligent. Annie sought out an education despite the limitations she was surrounded by in her environment. She learned quickly, becoming the valedictorian of her graduating class. Once Helen overcame the barriers to understanding the connection between Teacher’s finger spelling and meaning, Helen learned quickly, eventually graduating with honors from Radcliffe College.

Why was the Colosseum elected as one of the "New Wonders of the World"?

In 2007, the New7Wonders Foundation released a list of the "New Seven Wonders of the World," as voted upon by Internet and telephone users (the New7Wonders Foundation enlisted a panel of experts to choose a list of 21 sites which people could vote on). The Roman Colosseum was among those seven historical sites chosen as a "New Wonder of the World."

While it is impossible to know for sure why each of the people who voted for the Colosseum did so, it is likely that they recognized what a marvel of architecture the Colosseum truly is. The design of all modern sports stadiums is, in some way or another, derived from the architecture of the Colosseum; there is even a stadium—the Los Angeles Memorial Colosseum—based even more directly on the Roman one.

Moreover, the Colosseum is viewed as an iconic location due to the elaborate gladiatorial games which were conducted there. For this reason, numerous movies and video games feature the Colosseum as a location or backdrop.

Is female agency inherently dangerous in A Doll's House?

You are asking if female agency is "inherently dangerous" in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, but I would question who exactly finds Nora Helmer's actions seditious? Nora does in fact challenge the gender norms of the time, and in doing so she disrupts the standards of marriage in the Nineteenth Century. According to gender norms at the time, Nora is meant to be more of a reflection of her husband's wealth and status; she is supposed to be a proverbial Angel in the House, there to impart normative values to her children and serve as a doting refuge for her husband. She is not supposed to exhibit agency. So if we look at the play according to societal standards of the time, Nora's insistence on forging her own path is dangerous. But is it inherently dangerous? I question that. She only poses a threat to the moralistic values women were (and, in some cases, still are) forced to follow.

In Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 27-30 of Macbeth, what does Duncan plan to do? Why is he doing this? Given Duncan's earlier statement, what does this...

Duncan plans to promote Macbeth to Thane of Cawdor because he considers him a hero.

Previously, Macbeth’s heroic actions were described.  The Thane of Cawdor was a traitor, and Macbeth defeated him at great personal risk in a dangerous and bloody battle.  For these actions, Macbeth is considered an honorable man and a hero.  Duncan wants to promote him and help guide his future so that he can move ever higher in the noble court.

Welcome hither! 
I have begun to plant thee, and will labour 
To make thee full of growing. Noble Banquo, 
That hast no less deserved, nor must be known 
No less to have done so, let me enfold thee 
And hold thee to my heart. (Act 1, Scene 4)

This fits with Duncan’s earlier statement that he has been too slow in elevating Macbeth.

O worthiest cousin! 
The sin of my ingratitude even now 
Was heavy on me: thou art so far before 
That swiftest wing of recompense is slow 
To overtake thee. (Act 1, Scene)

Duncan's words reveal that he is an honest and good king who is trying to do the right thing, but that he is also quite dense.  He fails to see Macbeth's true nature.  This will cost him dearly.  Macbeth is much more unstable than he realizes.

Duncan has no idea what the witches told Macbeth.  He assumes that he will be thrilled to hear of his promotion to Thane of Cawdor.  Macbeth is, but not for the reasons Duncan believes.  Macbeth takes this first promotion as proof that he will soon be king.  If one prophecy came true, won't the others?  When Duncan disappoints him by naming Malcolm as his successor instead, Duncan sets events in action that will bring about his doom.

Macbeth is immediately upset that Malcolm was chosen over him.  He comments in an aside that his heart desires more, and he hopes no one else can see how ambitious he is.  He will act on his desire and the feeling that he was overstepped soon, by killing Duncan and framing his sons.

What is the kinetic energy of a 30 gram bullet that is traveling at 200 m/s?

Step 1: Identify the formula needed to solve this problem.

The formula for kinetic energy (KE) is:  

KE = 1/2m`~v^2`

m = mass

v = velocity

Step 2: Make a list of the values given in the question.

mass (m) = 30 g

velocity (v) = 200 m/s

Step 3: Make sure all of the given values have the correct unit.

Kinetic energy (KE) is measured in Joules (J). One Joule is the same as 1 `~Kg•m^2/s^2` . Since the mass unit included in the unit for kinetic energy is kilograms (Kg), we need to convert our given mass from grams to kilograms (Kg). We can use the conversion factor 1 Kg = 1000 g to convert between grams and kilograms.

(30 g)(1Kg/1000 g) = 0.03 Kg

Step 4: Plug the given values into the formula and calculate.

KE = `~1/2(0.03)(200)^2` = 600 J