Why is chapter 17 of Bud Not Buddy so important?

It is amazing to me that chapter 17 can be described as important.  It is an important chapter, but it always shocks me how important it can be with how very little stuff actually happens in the chapter.  The story starts off with Bud cleaning tables and mopping floors.  He turns it into a sort of game in order for the work to not be monotonous.  The members slowly file in and begin to play their instruments in an informal jam session.  They are all impressed with Bud's hard work, and Bud is equally impressed by their playing.  That's it.  That's the entire chapter. 

But lack of action doesn't mean a text can't be pivotal.  Chapter 17 is important because it marks a change in attitudes for Bud and Herman. Until chapter 17, Bud has never really experienced music before.  He's so mesmerized by it that he can't find the words to express himself.  The chapter is important because it transforms many of Bud's preconceived notions about music and Herman. Additionally, the chapter transforms how the band views Bud.  

Why is Slim in Of Mice and Men interested but also jealous of George and Lennie traveling together? And how is this a microcosm of the rest of...

Slim has worked on this particular farm for a long time and he's seen transient workers come and go. For him, the average worker shows up, gets his bed, works for a month, gets paid and leaves. Slim is therefore interested in finding out about George and Lennie because them traveling together has never been seen before. For example, Slim says, "Funny how you an' him string along together" (39). There is no textual evidence, though, to suggest that Slim is jealous of them. The only thing that comes close to that is when George says that the workers who travel alone don't have any fun and "they get mean. They get wantin' to fight all the time" (41). Slim responds affirmatively by saying, "They get so they don't want to talk to nobody" (41). This conversation brings up the fact that loneliness is a major part of the bindle life, and George and Lennie do have companionship which helps keep that at bay.

Loneliness is a microcosm for the rest of America at this time because of the effects of the Great Depression. Jobs were so scarce that people had to migrate around to find work. Of Mice and Men addresses the poverty, loneliness and hard life that millions lead at this time. Men probably traveled from job to job alone because of how dangerous life was at that time, too. While traveling by foot, they could have been robbed or killed by desperate people at any time. Many young teens at the time were forced out of their homes because their parents couldn't afford them, so they hopped trains and looked for work all over the country. Many of those kids got run over by the trains or robbed and beat up. It was a very dangerous and desperate time in America.

What is the most significant part in the text where Rousseau comments on Nature or the Nature of Being?

Rousseau talks of man’s state of nature (nature of being) in the first and second sections of the first part of his discourse. The second part delves more into inequality by tying the state of nature and man’s activities.

According to Rousseau man is fundamentally an animal like any other, differing only with regard to perfectibility. Man, being exposed to nature, is able to learn and develop rational thinking, which guides man's activities. However, in the preceding state of nature, man is unaware of the concept of good and evil because of the diminished level of reasoning or rational thinking. In this regard, Rousseau invokes caution against Hobbes’s conclusion that man in a state of nature (and with the inability to perceive the concept of goodness) is thus “naturally bad”. He supports Mandeville’s assertion that man was accorded pity in order to reinforce morality and the ability to reason. This led to the conclusion by Rousseau that man is driven by pity and the need for mutual preservation in the quest to establish the nature of being.

It is therefore certain that pity is a natural sentiment, which, by moderating in every individual the activity of self-love, contributes to the mutual preservation of the whole species. It is this pity which hurries us without reflection to the assistance of those we see in distress; it is this pity which, in a state of nature, stands for laws, for manners, for virtue, with this advantage, that no one is tempted to disobey her sweet and gentle voice: it is this pity which will always hinder a robust savage from plundering a feeble child, or infirm old man, of the subsistence they have acquired with pain and difficulty, if he has but the least prospect of providing for himself by any other means: it is this pity which, instead of that sublime maxim of argumentative justice, Do to others as you would have others do to you, inspires all men with that other maxim of natural goodness a great deal less perfect, but perhaps more useful, Consult your own happiness with as little prejudice as you can to that of others. (Section II Part I)

What does Jem teach Dill to do in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Jem taught Dill to swim.

Dill is a summer neighbor.  He comes to Maycomb every summer to stay with his Aunt Rachel.  He is best friends with Jem and Scout, and they are inseparable all summer.  Even though Jem is older and Scout is a girl, it doesn’t really matter. 

There are times, however, when Jem and Dill go off by themselves and Scout is not included.  She does not really think of herself as a girl, so she is hurt when they leave her out.  One example is when Jem teaches Dill to swim.

Jem had discovered with angry amazement that nobody had ever bothered to teach Dill how to swim, a skill Jem considered necessary as walking. They had spent two afternoons at the creek, they said they were going in naked and I couldn’t come … (Ch. 24)

When Dill comes to Maycomb, the summer has officially started for Jem and Scout.  They spend the summer playacting and trying to get Boo Radley to come out until the summer of the trial.  Dill was supposed to stay home, but he came because his mother is remarried.  Dill ran away from home because his mother and stepfather ignored him.

He had taken thirteen dollars from his mother’s purse, caught the nine o’clock from Meridian and got off at Maycomb Junction. He had walked ten or eleven of the fourteen miles to Maycomb, off the highway in the scrub bushes lest the authorities be seeking him, and had ridden the remainder of the way clinging to the backboard of a cotton wagon. (Ch. 14)

This is an example of how badly Dill needs to be in Maycomb.  Maycomb and the Finches mean everything to him.  It is more than his second home.  The Finches are his family, because he has a lonely home life.  No one even ever taught him to swim.  Dill needs Scout and Jem as much as they need him.

In the story "Raymond's Run," why does Squeaky think that running races helps her to be herself?

In Toni Cade Bambara’s short story “Raymond’s Run,” Squeaky’s identity is based on her success as a runner. It is the constant in her life. The work she puts into her running success makes her proud, unlike some of the girls who pretend that things come easy or by luck. Wherever she goes, Squeaky practices her breathing and high stepping in order to be a better runner. Squeaky knows that even if she studies for hours, she will have difficulty in school. However, if she practices her running skills she will be the winner. Her feelings are apparent when she describes the May Day activities.

I am not a strawberry. I do not dance on my toes. I run.

That is what I am all about.   

It is only after Raymond runs stride for stride with her in the May Day race, and Gretchen challenges her skills, that she realizes she can be more than a runner. After the race, Squeaky realizes she can be a friend to other girls, and a mentor to Raymond.

Most of the things I got good ideas but what would a cell wall and the chloroplast represent as in a school and why??

The cell wall provides the division between cells and structural support. In terms of a school, the walls of the building are very similar. Walls divide adjacent classrooms and provide structural support for the roof.

The chloroplast is a little more difficult to relate to a school. Chloroplasts are intracellular organelles where photosynthesis occurs in plant cells. Photosynthesis is the conversion of sunlight into sugar, which the cell then consumes for fuel. Perhaps the lunchroom is a good analogy? In the lunchroom, cooks convert raw ingredients into lunches which the students then consume. This food is the fuel their bodies need to function. You could also use the boiler room as an analogy. In the boiler room energy (in the form of gas) is used to produce steam which then warms the building. The main thing to remember is that the chloroplast is the site of energy conversion.

What happens to potential energy when a ball is tossed into the air?

Potential energy is a form of energy that is related to an object's position. It can be mathematically expressed as:

P.E. = mgh

Where P.E. is the potential energy, m is mass of the object, h is its height and g is the acceleration due to gravity. 

Thus, the higher the position (or higher the height), the higher an object's potential energy will be.

When we toss a ball into the air, its height increases and thus, its potential energy increases as well. This increase in potential energy is at the expense of kinetic energy that was supplied by tossing it up. As the ball rises, it loses velocity and ultimately comes to a velocity of 0 m/s. This is the location of maximum potential energy. After this instant, the ball falls back towards the earth and loses height, thus losing potential energy (all of which converts back to kinetic energy and/or is lost to air resistance). 

Thus, when a ball is tossed up, its potential energy increases, reaches a maximum height and then starts decreasing as the ball falls back to the ground.

Hope this helps. 

What are the effects of medical marijuana?

While a bit vague, the effects of medical marijuana on the body are the same as those of regular marijuana. These effects are caused by a chemical compound known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or more simply THC. THC belongs to a class of compounds known as cannabinoids. The human body can also naturally produce its own cannabinoids that are different, but chemically closely related, to THC. These cannabinoids act on specific receptors, known as cannabinoid receptors, located in the brain and throughout the body. Another cannabinoid, cannabidiol, also known as CBD,  is also found in marijuana and can activate cannabinoid receptors, without producing the same "high" feeling as THC.

Activation of these receptors leads to a number of effects in the body and mind. Short term effects of both regular and medical marijuana generally include, change in the persons mood, changes in the persons sense of time, often times making them feel as if time is passing more slowly, altered senses, and an increased appetite. Accompanying these effects are, in most users, feelings of happiness and relaxation.  

In the body, activation of these receptors, by cannabinoids found in marijuana, can be used to help in a number of treatments for various diseases. One such thing these compounds can do is increase appetite, and also decrease nausea, in patients undergoing radiation chemotherapy. This helps the patient to ease their suffering, and allows them to be able to eat more successfully while undergoing treatment. Studies in mice have also shown that activation of cannabinoid receptors may be able to help slow the progression of cancer tumor cells, and possibly increase the ability of chemotherapy to kill cancer cells, although further studies need to be conducted to evaluate this claim. Activation of cannabinoids can also lead to a state of relaxation. Because of this, medical marijuana can also be used as a treatment for disorders that involve controlling such things as inflammation and pain in the body. Hope this helps!

In the story "The Ransom of Red Chief" what is the point of view? How do you know?

The point of view in "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry is first person narration.  The specific person that is narrating the story is Sam.  The reader is only privy to his thoughts and only knows what happens because Sam is the person witnessing it and describing it.  The reader does not know what is going on in Bill's mind unless Bill says it out loud.  The same is true of little Johnny Dorset.  The reader has no idea what he is thinking until he talks.  

Some textual clues about the story being written in the first person is the use of the word "I."  Sam describes things he does by using "I," "me," and "myself."  When Sam refers to he and Bill together, the words "us" and "we" indicate more first person narration.  The opening paragraph of the story is a good paragraph to use as an example.  

It looked like a good thing: but wait till I tell you. We were down South, in Alabama—Bill Driscoll and myself—when this kidnapping idea struck us. It was, as Bill afterward expressed it, “during a moment of temporary mental apparition”; but we didn’t find that out till later

How does the media (in particular social media and television) influence food choices? What statistics reflect this?

Media affects children's food choices in many ways.  Children receive marketing messages through television, radio, games, toys, movies, and household goods, like promotional store items. Children even receive marketing messages at school. 

According to the American Psychological Association, television advertising and other forms of food marketing greatly impact childhood obesity. The more a child watches television, the more calories they consume. For every one hour of television watching, children consume an extra 48.7 calories. Moreover, food ads make up 50% of all adds on children's shows. Food ads also appear on educational TV in schools. The Channel One program has 2 out of 12 minutes of advertisements. Food ads also affect children on social media. Over 6 billion food ads were on Facebook in 2012. 

Public health groups often target the fast food industry's marketing to children. In 2012, fast food restaurants spent over $4.6 billion in advertising. However, there have been strides in improving the healthy nature of foods marketed to children, including providing healthier options in fast food meals. 

What point might Shakespeare have been trying to make through Helena's character in A Midsummer Night's Dream?

Helena is a girl smitten by love for a man who has rejected her. Helena is the vehicle through which all of the feminine feelings of rejection move. She epitomizes many different levels of one who is naïve to the games of love, and then suffers the consequences of being rejected. She becomes confused, and rather than let Demetrius go, she decides to continue to chase after him. Lysander even witnesses to Theseus how much Helena loves Demetrius after he showed loving affection and encouraged her:

"Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head,

Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena,

And won her soul; and she, sweet lady, dotes,

Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry,

Upon this spotted and inconstant man" (I.i.108-112).

The repetition of the word "dotes" drives home the intensity of Helena's love for Demetrius. Thus, Helena embarrassingly tries many tactics to get Demetrius to come back to her. She follows him even when he explicitly tells her that he's not interested or in love with her anymore. Helena's response is as follows:

"I am your spaniel, and, Demetrius,

The more you beat me, I will fawn on you.

Use me but as your spaniel: spurn me, strike me,

Neglect me, lose me: only give me leave,

Unworthy as I am, to follow you" (II.i.207-211).

Helena characterizes so much of a woman's destroyed heart. Her self-esteem wanes so much that she only sees her self-worth equal to a dog's. She deserves better, but she can't see that because she interprets the pain of rejection as her unworthiness to be treated well. This represents so much of what women go through when rejected, and Shakespeare must have known that; however, he does exaggerate the situation for comedy's sake, too. Just when Helena gets used to being treated horribly, the tables are turned and both Lysander and Demetrius suddenly love her. As a result, Helena logically does not believe their declarations of love and says the following:

"Can you not hate me, as I know you do,

But you must join in souls to mock me too?" (III.ii.149-150).

Shakespeare must use Helena as a way to mock women's frail hearts in love, but also to show them that they do not need to travel so low, either. By laughing at Helena's weaknesses, women can also identify within themselves if they ever start to act like her. Then they can quickly realize their weakness and become stronger.

Why is the narrator in prison?

In Edgar Allan Poe's story "The Pit and the Pendulum," many details are left unexplained. The narrator, who is never named, is being held by the Spanish Inquisition. The trial and sentencing described in the first paragraph includes "inquisitorial voices" and "black-robed judges," and the narrator mentions the Inquisition in twelfth paragraph.

The Spanish Inquisition operated from 1478 to 1834 in Spain. Its primary purpose was to test the validity of the faith of Jews and Muslims who had ostensibly converted to Catholicism. At the peak of the Inquisition, a grand inquisitor was assisted by a council of five members, so those may be the judges referred to in the story. The reason a person was condemned by the Inquisition was religious heresy--practicing a religion at odds with Catholicism. It is possible any enemy of the Church could also come under the purview of the inquisitor. The fact that the narrator was not immediately burned at the stake in conjunction with the auto-da-fe, a pageant in which heretics were turned over to the secular authorities to be executed, might suggest that he was not a run-of-the-mill heretic but had done something more onerous to the Inquisition, causing him to be held over for a more brutal and psychologically agonizing type of death. 

Poe must have believed the reason for the character's imprisonment was a moot point. No crime, after all, could deserve the type of unwarranted torture that the narrator is subjected to. Not naming the character or his crime means that any reader can more easily put himself or herself in the place of the man who endures these horrors.

How does the spinal cord help in the function of the central nervous system?

The central nervous system or CNS controls various functions of our body. These include, but are not limited to, motion, metabolism, sleep, and sensory perceptions. The CNS is composed of two parts: the brain and the spinal cord. The brain is similar to the central processing unit of a computer (just much more powerful than a computer). The brain receives various sensory inputs from different body parts, processes them, analyzes them and instructs the particular body organ on what to do. The spinal cord connects the brain and the rest of the body. Our spinal cord is contains bundles of nerve fibers and depending on their information transfer direction, they are classified as ascending tracts and descending tracts. The former transfers information from various body parts to the brain, while the latter transfers information from our brain to the various parts of the body. Thus, the spinal cord enables information transfer between the rest of the body and the brain and along with the brain makes up the central nervous system.

Hope this helps. 

Why should Mrs. Mallard be regarded as a complex and dynamic character?

A complex character in literature can be described as one who has traits that come from both nature and their life experience, and Mrs. Mallard does have both. For example, the narrator describes her as "young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength." To say that Louise Mallard possesses strength is to point out a trait that seems natural to her; it isn't necessarily a learned trait. However, that she might feel somewhat repressed, or that she represses some of her own feelings or ideas, is a learned trait, something that Louise would have internalized as a result of her own life experience.

Later, when she comes down the steps, "she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory." Again, such a statement describes a combination of qualities: on the one hand, Louise performs this action "unwittingly," meaning that it is unintended or unplanned (her life experience would have taught her that she ought not to appear to rejoice in the death of her husband). On the other hand, it seems as though her joy is a natural feeling for her to have in this moment; it is natural. Therefore, Louise Mallard could be considered a complex character because of her mix of traits that come both from nature and experience.

What are three ways the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson shows empowerment?

One way the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson shows empowerment is through Melinda's dependence on herself, rather than others. Through the first section of the book, the "First Marking Period," she remains quiet about what others are doing to her even when it gets her in trouble, but she does begin to excel in art, finding empowerment in expressing herself through various mediums, rather than using other people.

During the second marking period, Melinda begins to stay after school to work on homework and try to get her own grades up. She continues to find a passion in her art, which her parents start to recognize. She also discovers that she is great at basketball, especially foul shots.

In the third marking period,  Melinda starts to struggle with her art and loses her only friend, Heather. She must finally find empowerment through coming to terms with what has happened to her, and the reader hears about the sexual assault.

In the last section of the book, the fourth marking period, Melinda takes control of her studies, doing an extra credit project on the suffragettes. Melinda decides, after this project, that she was actually raped and that it was not her fault, and that she should not be punished for it. She makes friends with Ivy, revisits the site of the assault, and writes the rapist's name on a bathroom stall, where dozens of other girls write that he has attacked them as well. Andy tries to attack her again, but she fights him off with her art project and a shard of glass. Others hear and go get help. Finally, the secret is out about Andy, and people no longer hate Melinda. She tells her art teacher, the first adult, and the book ends with the reader thinking that maybe something will finally be done.

In summary, the empowerment in this book is first self-dependence, then discovering inner talents, then learning to be honest with herself and the world.

How does power bring corruption in Macbeth?

Power brings corruption in two ways in Shakespeare's Macbeth. The first way that power brings corruption is through temptation.  Macbeth starts the play with plenty of power.  He is already a thane, and he is awarded a second thane title for his heroic deeds in battle.  The temptation of power begins to corrupt Macbeth early on though.  The witches told Macbeth that he would be more than just a thane.  They told him that he would be king.  

All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!

The problem is that Duncan is king and announces that his son will be king after him.  The witches' prophecy corrupts Macbeth, because he wants the power of the throne, but the only way that he can attain the throne is through evil deeds.  

My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,
Shakes so my single state of man that function
Is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is
But what is not.

The second way that power corrupts Macbeth is after he has attained the throne. Macbeth has all of the power in the kingdom, but he is afraid of everybody that might lay a claim to the throne.  In order to combat that threat, Macbeth starts having everybody killed.  He's completely blinded by his power.  

Why do Roger's actions change in "Thank You, M'am"?

Roger decides to stay with Mrs. Jones because she takes an interest in him.

Although we do not know much about Roger, we can infer that he does not have a very good home life.  There is no one home at 11 o’clock at night to either feed him or wash his face.  He decides to try purse-snatching because he wants some blue suede shoes.

Mrs. Jones seems to alter the course of Roger’s life.  He is likely not an experienced purse snatcher when he tries to grab her handbag.  Instead of being frightened and giving him the purse, she grabs him and takes him home.  Mrs. Jones feels sorry for Roger, and decides to use the experience to teach Roger some life lessons.

“Um-hum! And your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?”

“No’m,” said the boy.

“Then it will get washed this evening,” said the large woman starting up the street, dragging the frightened boy behind her.

Mrs. Jones wants Roger to understand that he is at a turning point in his life.  He does not have to face a life of crime.  If Roger decides to become a purse snatcher, it will not help him get what he wants.  Mrs. Jones wants Roger to appreciate that life is difficult, but that he can still make a choice.

The first choice Roger has to make is whether or not to stay.  This is a struggle for him.  If he leaves and runs away, he can go back into the woodwork.  However, if he stays he may learn something about himself and about life.  Roger decides to stay.

The woman was sitting on the day-bed. After a while she said, “I were young once and I wanted things I could not get.”

There was another long pause. The boy’s mouth opened. Then he frowned, but not knowing he frowned.

Mrs. Jones also tells Roger that if he wanted the money, he would have been better off asking for it.  But for Roger, the shoes are symbolic.  He feels as if he has no one.  Wherever his family is, they are not there to look after him.  Roger’s purse-snatching attempt was a cry for help, and Mrs. Jones recognized that.

We do not know for sure that Roger changed, but the “contact” with Mrs. Jones seems to have altered the course he was on.  Roger first does not flee, and then asks Mrs. Jones if she needs anything.  Although the two part company, Roger has had an interaction that will give him pause before he finds himself on the street again in the middle of the night. 

In The Outsiders, after being reunited, what does Ponyboy realize about Darry?

From the beginning of the book, Ponyboy talks about how much Darry doesn’t like him. He tells Cherry, he tells Soda, he tells Dally, he tells anyone who will listen. The night of the murder, he is sure of it because Darry finally hits him. This causes him to “run away” which then leads to Johnny killing Bob.

When Pony finally sees Darry again at the hospital after the fire, he realizes that Darry loves him desperately. When Pony sees that Darry is crying, he remembers that Darry didn’t even cry at their parents’ funeral so he knows how scared he was and how deeply Darry cares about him. This is the realization that hits him and immediately wipes out all his doubts about whether or not Darry cared about him.

`u = 4i - j, v = i - j` Find `u*v`.

You need to evaluate the product of the vectors `u = u_x*i + u_y*j, v = v_x*i + v_y*j,` such that:

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

`u*v = (4)*(1) + (-1)*(-1)`

`u*v = 4 + 1`

`u*v = 5`

Hence, evaluating the product of the vectors` u = u_x*i + u_y*j, v = v_x*i + v_y*j,u = <4,-1>, v = <1,-1>,` yields `u*v = 5.`

What hallucination is Macbeth describing in Act 2, Scene 1? and why?

Shakespeare seems to have taken considerable pains to preserve some audience sympathy for his protagonist, since this is supposed to be Macbeth's tragedy. The playwright tries to shift some of the blame for Macbeth's terrible crime of murdering the loving, trusting, generous, fatherly King Duncan onto Lady Macbeth, the Three Witches, "Fate," and Macbeth's apparent mental disorder. Shakespeare has Macbeth imagine that a floating dagger is leading him towards Duncan's bedchamber. The audience cannot see such a dagger and therefore assumes that poor Macbeth is not in his right mind. Otherwise he could not bring himself to kill the King. 

Macbeth talks to the imaginary dagger because otherwise the audience would not understand what was supposedly happening. The hallucination itself is not tangible. It exists only in Macbeth's mind. So he has to inform the audience of what is going on in his mind.

Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision,sensible
To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?
I see thee yet, in form as palpable
As this which now I draw.
Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going,
And such an instrument I was to use.

In addition to using Macbeth's hallucination in an attempt to further palliate Macbeth's guilt, the soliloquy tells the audience where Macbeth is going and what he is going to do. We never see the actual murder committed--and this too may be because it would make Macbeth lose whatever audience sympathy he still retains--but we see what happens immediately before and immediately after that event. We can imagine what happens in between. Macbeth is still in a hallucinatory state when he appears in his own bedchamber holding the two daggers he took from the grooms. Therefore we know he was not in his right mind when he killed the King. He might plead not guilty by reason of temporary insanity. We can at least appreciate the fact that Macbeth displays and expresses extreme remorse for what he has done. Shakespeare maintains a shred of sympathy for his hero up until the time Macbeth has his soldiers slaughter Macduff's wife and little boy while others obviously are engaged in slaughtering everybody else in Macduff's castle. 

In Chapter 7 of the novel The Outsiders, what does Ponyboy mean when he says that Randy looks old?

In Chapter 7, Ponyboy and Two-Bit go to the Tasty Freeze to buy some Cokes. Randy Adderson pulls up in a blue Mustang and asks to speak with Ponyboy. Randy tells Ponyboy that he won't be attending the rumble, and then proceeds to describe how Bob's home life lead to Bob's reckless behavior. Randy says that the reason he is choosing not to fight is because he doesn't think it will it make any difference to change the current situation between the Greasers and Socs. Randy tells Ponyboy that he is contemplating running away. Ponyboy remembers what Cherry said about things being rough all over, and tells Randy that he would help him if he could. Randy says, "No, you wouldn't. I'm a Soc. You get a little money and the whole world hates you" (Hinton 117). Ponyboy says, "No...you hate the whole world" (Hinton 117). Ponyboy mentions that Randy stares at him, and Pony says that Randy looked like he could have been ten years older than he was.

Ponyboy says that Randy looks older because he realizes that Randy is under a lot of stress and is going through a difficult time. Typically, adults deal with serious situations and suffer from stress. Although Randy is still a young man, he is dealing with adult hardships, which is why Ponyboy says he looks much older than he really is.

In "To Build a Fire," why does the man still chew tobacco even after ice forms on his chin?

There are a variety of reasons for this, most of them subtle, and not necessarily crucial to understanding the story or main character, but it's an informative piece of imagery nonetheless.

First, tobacco contains nicotine, which is addictive. During the time period at which the story takes place, tobacco use was widespread and socially acceptable, and so it should come as no surprise that the man might be addicted to it.

Second, the man is in the middle of the wilderness, and keeping up a tidy appearance is the least of his concerns. He has no practical reason to expend effort cleaning his beard or moistening his lips enough to spit out the tobacco juice, nor to deny himself the enjoyment he gets from chewing it just to avoid the messy accumulation of ice.

Third, the nicotine in the tobacco acts simultaneously as a stimulant and a relaxant. This isn't a casual hike for the man, and he needs his full attention focused on traversing the icy ground safely. He also needs to conserve his energy and proceed methodically, so the tobacco, or more specifically the nicotine, may help him achieve a more zen-like state that makes the task easier.

Finally, he may simply chew tobacco to stave off boredom. Chewing gives him something to do that might take his mind off the monotonous physical and mental task of hiking. 

As a side note, London devotes considerable attention to the distasteful appearance that the icy spittle gives the man, and this may have simply been intended as a means for us to imagine how unsavory and haggard his appearance is, and to think of him as existing in a less civilized state.

Why is The Playboy of the Western World considered a modern play ?

J.M. Synge's The Playboy of the Western World is often considered a modern play because of it's representation of the rural Irish peasantry. Rather than depicting the rural Irish population as idealized and noble figures (as was popular at the time), Synge showed them as complex and flawed. Synge's peasants are at times bigoted and violent people (they idealize a man who "killed his father," after all), although they also show a real flair for colorful, poetic language and narration. As such, Synge doesn't paint rural Irish life in idealized tones, but instead tries to show it as a complex, flawed, multifaceted experience. 

Though the play might seem tame now, Synge's depiction of Ireland's rural population caused an uproar in his day. The idealization of the Irish peasantry was an important component of the Irish nationalist movement, as Irish writers and patriots tried to use a heroic past and virtuous traditions to prove that the Irish had no need of English rule. While this tendency was noble in theory (it was, after all, part of an attempt to win freedom after long years of English rule), it also tended to blindly idealize the Irish peasantry in unrealistic ways. Synge's refusal to do so was highly rebellious, and indeed could be seen as a dangerously subversive attack on nationalist ideals. All in all, the urge to deconstruct the foundations of traditions is often a hallmark of modern literature, and so Synge's deconstruction of the idealized Irish peasantry is one of the main reasons Playboy is considered a modern play. 

Did imperialism ultimately leave a more positive impact on the world as we know it today?

This question is of course a matter of opinion, and the answer may well depend on one's perspective. Certainly, some who would argue that imperialism had significant positive results might point to several results, including the eradication of some diseases by Western initiatives, the introduction of some Western ideas and technologies, and perhaps even that some colonial peoples, usually favored elites, flourished and became quite wealthy under European rule. 

But ultimately, I would argue that the effects of imperialism were hardly a net positive for former colonies. Many colonies were gained and maintained through warfare and violence as indigenous peoples resisted European rule. European imperialists tended to create divisions where none had previously existed by favoring one group over another for positions in local government and other privileges. This created animosities that persisted well into the post-colonial period, sometimes with disastrous consequences (like the Rwandan genocide). 

Imperialism also typically involved the expropriation of wealth, usually in the form of natural resources, from people around the world. Lands were put to growing cash crops, forests were cleared, mines were worked, all for the profit of the imperialist power (or often private businesses granted rights within the colonies). This arrangement also persists into modern times in many countries around the world. Imperialism also tended to involve attempts to impose Western culture on peoples around the world, to the detriment of native culture. Finally, imperialist powers often redrew the maps of Asia and Africa in ways that did not really reflect the ethnic realities on the ground. So people with longstanding grievances with each other were crammed within artificially-imposed borders even when colonies gained independence. Throughout Africa and the Middle East, this has led to violence and civil war. So overall, I would suggest (along with the majority of academic historians) that whatever positive outcomes may have resulted from imperialism, it ultimately had a negative effect on the peoples caught up in it.

Why did Germany divide after World War I and who controlled the country?

I believe you are referring to the division of Germany after World War II. Germany was split into four zones after World War II. The Allies believed a united Germany was too dangerous. Within a span of 20-25 years, Germany was involved in the start of two world wars. They Allies didn’t want to take the chance that Germany could head down the path of war again. Thus, they split Germany into four zones. One zone was controlled by the United States. France controlled the second zone. Great Britain controlled the third zone, and the Soviet Union controlled the fourth zone.

Eventually, France, Great Britain, and the United States merged their zones into the country called West Germany. The Allies believed the Soviet Union was trying to undermine Germany’s economy so they could spread communism to all of Germany. We didn’t want communism to spread to the Allied zones, so they were merged. The Soviet Union then formed the country of East Germany.

What are some quotes from The Crucible about loyalty and honesty?

The relationship between John Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth, has been damaged by his past infidelity with Abigail Williams. Elizabeth is somewhat suspicious of him still, and even John perceives his dishonesty and disloyalty to her as the major flaw in his character. The following conversation occurs during Act 2, when Elizabeth learns that John was alone with Abigail in town:

ELIZABETH: John, you are not open with me.  You saw her with a crowd you said. Now you--.

PROCTOR: I'll plead my honesty no more, Elizabeth. [....] No more! I should have roared you down when first you told me your suspicion.  But I wilted, and, like a Christian, I confessed.  Confessed! Some dream I had must have mistaken you for God that day. But you're not, you're not, and let you remember it! Let you look sometimes for the goodness in me, and judge me not.

ELIZABETH: I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you. 

Elizabeth claims that John's perception of himself for his disloyalty to her is what keeps him feeling guilty, not her judgment of him for it. Ultimately, in many ways, it is he who suffers more greatly from his disloyalty and dishonesty because he must live with the guilt of having hurt her.

In Act 3, we can also see the way honesty is attached to reputation when it concerns John's relationship with Abigail.  The very fact that he is willing to tarnish his reputation by confessing to an adulterous affair with her is enough evidence for Danforth to believe in the truth of what he says.  

Further, John is willing to stake his entire testimony about his affair with Abigail (and thus her ulterior motives for her accusations) on his wife's reputation as an honest woman.  He says, "In her life, sir, she have never lied. There are them that cannot sing, and them that cannot weep -- my wife cannot lie." Danforth confirms that Elizabeth fired Abigail because she knew the girl was having an affair with John.  However, Elizabeth -- out of loyalty to her husband -- lies to Danforth, stating that her husband is not an adulterer. She sacrifices her honesty out of loyalty to the man she loves, and to save him from the way this information would blacken his reputation. "She only thought to save my name!" John cries, before Elizabeth is led away.

At this point, Reverend Hale can remain silent no longer. He says, "Excellency, it is a natural lie to tell; I beg you, stop now before another is condemned! I may shut my conscience to it no more -- private vengeance is working through this testimony! From the beginning this man has struck me true." He defends the Proctors because he believes they are, in the end, truthful and good people.  However, Elizabeth's one lie has essentially condemned them both beyond repair for Danforth.

In the end, in Act 4, Hale returns to Salem "to do the Devil's work," he says. "I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves" and confess to witchcraft in order to save their own lives. Everyone originally assumed that the girls were telling the truth, and so that makes anyone who contradicts them a liar. Now, Hale believes that throwing away one's life is more important than the sin of lying in God's eyes.

Ultimately, John disagrees with him. It is John's final act of honesty that redeems him in his own eyes. After tearing up his written confession, unwilling to condemn his friends and tell Hale's lie, he says, "You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor." His ultimate choice to be honest, though it costs him his life, allows him to reclaim his sense of honor as a man. Elizabeth gets the final word, suggesting her agreement that this is the most important thing he can have; more important, even, than his life: "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!"

What does "Legion" mean in the Bible?

Generally, the word "legion" refers to a large number of something, or, more specifically, a formation in the Roman military. However, "Legion" takes on another meaning in the Bible.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record a story in which Jesus frees a man from demonic possession. As Mark narrates, Jesus ordered the demon to emerge from the man and reveal its name. The demons--for the man was actually possessed by a multitude of demons--replied: “My name is Legion, for we are many" (Mark 5:9, English Standard Version). The demons recognize that Jesus has power over them, but, interestingly, they beg him to not cast them into the abyss. Rather, they request he allow them to enter a flock of nearby pigs. Jesus consents, and the demons enter the pigs, who promptly run off a cliff, into a lake, and drown.

`bbu = , bbv = ` Find (a) `bbu + bbv`, (b) `bbu - bbv`, and (c) `2bbu - 3bbv`.

For vectors given in a component form linear combinations are also performed by components.

`u= lt-5,3gt,` `v= lt0,0gt,` therefore

(a) `u+v = lt-5+0,3+0gt = lt-5,3gt,`

(b) `u-v = lt-5-0,3-0gt = lt-5,3gt,`

(c) `2u-3v = lt2*(-5)+(-3)*0,2*3+(-3)*0gt = lt-10,6gt.`

Why does Atticus say Bob Ewell bears a grudge in To Kill a Mockingbird? Who does Ewell see as his enemies?

Atticus says Bob Ewell’s pride was hurt at the trial and he had to take it out on someone. 

Bob Ewell is embarrassed when he finds his daughter with Tom Robinson. To save face, he accuses Tom Robinson of rape, knowing Robinson will be convicted because no one will ever accept a black man’s word against a white man’s. Bob Ewell does not care about how this affects Tom Robinson and his family. Tom Robinson was near his daughter. The racist Bob Ewell would be horrified to see that. 

Atticus humiliates Bob Ewell at the trial by exposing his family situation and proving Bob beat Mayella. Atticus also clearly shows the Ewells are lying about the rape. Tom's conviction does not placate Bob Ewell. That is why he spits in Atticus’s face. Nonetheless, Atticus tells his son,

Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does (Chapter 23).

Bob Ewell considers anyone involved on the defense side of the trial an enemy. This includes Atticus, of course, because he made a fool of him. It also includes anyone Bob would have thought looked down on him. That would be just about the entire town of Maycomb, but specifically anyone involved in the trial. 

Tom Robinson was an enemy, of course. That is why Ewell celebrated his death. 

Maycomb had lost no time in getting Mr. Ewell’s views on Tom’s demise and passing them along through that English Channel of gossip, Miss Stephanie Crawford. Miss Stephanie told Aunt Alexandra in Jem’s presence. . . that Mr. Ewell said it made one down and about two more to go (Chapter 25). 

When Bob Ewell was fired from the WPA for laziness, he “openly accused Atticus of getting his job” (Chapter 27). Ewell’s other enemies are Judge Taylor and Helen Robinson. One night, Judge Taylor thought he saw a prowler. Link Deas, who gave Helen Robinson a job, notices she walks the long way to work. He asks her about this and finds out Mr. Ewell harasses her as she walks by his property. Link Deas tells Ewell off for this. That probably added Link Deas to the enemy list. 

Atticus explains why Bob Ewell was being such a nuisance:

It might be because he knows in his heart that very few people in Maycomb really believed his and Mayella’s yarns. He thought he’d be a hero, but all he got for his pain was. . . was, okay, we’ll convict this Negro but get back to your dump. He’s had his fling with about everybody now, so he ought to be satisfied (Chapter 27).

Atticus was wrong. Bob Ewell saved his worst enemy for last. When he tries to attack Atticus’s children, however, Boo Radley sees him. Boo kills Bob Ewell and saves Jem and Scout.

What is the irony in Isaac Asimov's short story "The Machine That Won the War"?

Isaac Asimov's science fiction short story, "The Machine That Won the War" is about a future time when the Earth has just concluded a long war with an alien race called the Denebians. The war is won by Earth and everyone believes the "Multivac" computer was responsible for victory except Swift, Henderson and Jablonsky, who are talking during the course of the story.

The irony is that, despite the modern computer technology in the hands of the Earth men, the actual reason the war ended successfully was simple "intuition" and luck in the decisions made by the three men. The Mulitivac is essentially useless. Henderson, the programmer, feeds the machine the data he thinks is important. Jablonsky further interprets this data and uses "intuition" in waging the war. 

In the final example of man's total luck in winning the war, Swift says he actually flipped a coin to make the important decisions that ultimately provided victory. So, even though Earth had the best technology (the Denebians had nothing as sophisticated as Mulitvac) the reason for the final triumph was all about man's intuition and luck.

The decline of paganism and the rise of Christianity was significant in Beowulf. What did this shift mean and why was it significant?

When Beowulf was transcribed by English monks in the Anglo-Saxon Dark Ages, England was in the process of transitioning from a pagan island of warrior clans to a Christian nation. The process took hundreds of years. We see the presence of both paganism and Christianity in the epic poem.

The first Christian-like reference occurs on the very first page of the prologue when, relating the birth of one of Hrothgar's ancestors, Beo, we read,

And he gave them more than his glory,

Conceived a son for the Danes, a new leader

Allowed them by the grace of God.

The mention of the monotheistic God points to a Christian influence.

After the monster Grendel has terrorized Herot, Hrothgar's people apparently begin lose whatever Christian faith they may have:

And sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods,

Made heathen vows, hoping for Hell's

Support, the Devil's guidance in driving

Their affliction off. That was their way,

And the heathen's only hope, Hell

always in their hearts, knowing neither God

Nor His passing as He walks through our world,

the Lord of Heaven and Earth . . .

Note that the narrator associates heathenism with “Hell” and the “Devil.”

There are many more references to “God” in the poem, and even an allusion to the Bible's Cain and Abel story, which the narrator uses to explain the origins of Grendel's race of monsters.

What we don't know for sure is whether or not the original oral version of the story contained these religious references or whether they were added by the Christian monks who first recorded the story in English monasteries in order to promote the growth and acceptance of Christianity in the slowly unifying island nation.

What did Della need the money for in "The Gift of the Magi"?

Della needed the money to buy her husband Jim a Christmas Present.

Della and Jim are like many young couples: deeply in love, but completely broke. Throughout the year Della scrapes by, but on Christmas she wants to give Jim something special and he wants the same for her. On this memorable Christmas, they each get each other a very unique present.

Della desperately needs money for the present. She has done her best to save as much as possible all year long.

ONE DOLLAR AND eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. 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 wants to use the Christmas present to demonstrate to her husband how much she loves him. She does not want to get him just anything. She wants to get him something special.

Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling—something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.

Della does not mind making a sacrifice in order to get something nice for her husband. She sells her hair and makes twenty dollars. With that, she buys a special watch band for her husband’s favorite watch. She knows that the watch is his most prized possession.

Ironically, Jim is thinking the same way as Della. He wants this Christmas to be memorable for her. He buys her a gift for her most prized possession: He gets her a set of combs for her hair. As you can see, they know each other well. Unfortunately, neither realizes the sacrifice the other is willing to make to show how much they love each other.

Is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas based on a true story?

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a 2006 novel which takes place in Germany during World War II, is classed as historical fiction. This means that while the setting of author John Boyne's novel was a real historical place and time, the novel's plot was not based on true events or historical figures.

As Jewish Rabbi Benjamin Blech explained in his review of the book, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas could never have happened in real life. Shmuel, the nine year-old Jewish concentration camp prisoner whom Bruno, the main character, befriends would never have survived in Auschwitz, because the Nazi prison camp guards immediately executed anyone who was not able to work. Likewise, Blech argues it is impossible that even a nine year-old such as Bruno would have been ignorant to the realities of what was taking place within a concentration camp.

Talk about how mercantilism is important and what it did.

Mercantilism is an economic philosophy which encourages nations to seek a favorable trade balance (export more than they import) and thus increase their supply of gold and silver. Mercantilist nations enact protectionist policies, such as placing tariffs on imports; this makes the price of domestic products more competitive, and keeps money in the national economy. Mercantilism also encourages colonialism. Nations which have colonies can import natural resources from their colonies and export finished products back to them, thus creating a closed-circuit economy.

Mercantilism was very popular in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. This philosophy spurred the Europeans toward colonialism in the New World and the East. Moreover, England in particular enacted mercantilist policies on her American colonies. As Winston Churchill explains in The Great Republic, the British government restricted inter-colonial trade, placed tariffs on non-British imports, and heavily regulated colonial manufacturing. These policies ensured that England always had a favorable balance of trade with her colonies and thus had a continual influx of monetary wealth into her economy. The Americans greatly resented these policies, which they felt relegated them to second-class British citizens. Thus, mercantilism served as one of the driving forces between the American independence movement in the late 18th century.

Whose testimony is most convincing in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

During the trial featured in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson presents the most convincing testimony by far.

One reason why Robinson's testimony is the most convincing is because the Ewells' testimony is full of holes. We can particularly see many holes in Mayella's testimony. One inconsistency concerns her statement that her father stood over her "hollerin' who done it, who done it?'" (Ch. 18). This contradicts her father's own testimony, who said he watched Robinson assault his daughter through the window. If Ewell had actually witnessed Robinson in the act of the offense, he wouldn't have had cause to ask his daughter who had abused her. The greatest hole in the Ewells' testimony stems from the fact that Mayella was bruised in her right eye by someone facing her. Even Sheriff Heck Tate testifies that her right eye was bruised, but only a left-handed man could have accomplished such an injury, whereas Tom Robinson is crippled in his left arm and hand. During Mayella's testimony, when Atticus asks her if she'd like to change her testimony to say Robinson hit her in her "left eye with his right fist," which would completely contradict prior testimonies, Mayella says the following ridiculous and illogical statement:

I ducked and it--it glanced, that's what it did. I ducked and it glanced off. (Ch. 18)

In contrast to the Ewells' testimonies, which are full of holes due to their lies, Robinson's testimony is very straightforward and even exposes Bob Ewell as having said to his daughter, "[Y]ou goddamn whore, I'll kill ya," which very vividly paints Ewell as the culprit who is guilty of abuse, not Robinson (Ch. 19).

In "The Monkey's Paw" give examples of Herbert White's attitude towards the paw.

Herbert White's attitude towards the paw is purely sarcastic.  He does not believe that the paw is anything special.  He actually pokes fun at the idea that the paw can do anything magical. This attitude comes out very clearly when he says:

 ‘God, we’re going to be rich and famous and happy! Wish that you were an emperor, father, to begin with. Then mother won’t order you around.’

After these words, he tells his father to ask for something practical, two hundred pounds to pay off the mortgage. Here is what he says:

‘If you could finish paying for the house you’d be quite happy, wouldn’t you?’ Herbert said. ‘Wish for two hundred pounds, then. That’ll just do it.’

In view of these words, it might seem that Herbert is less sarcastic, but he is not.  He jokes with his father one more time before he goes off to bed. He says that his father will never see the money. 

‘You’ll probably find the money in a big bag in the middle of your bed,’ Herbert joked as he said goodnight to them.

In light of these quotes, it is clear that Herbert does not believe at all in the paw.  He dismisses the paw. 

Does Timothy really think Phillip will get his eyesight back? Explain your answer with textual evidence.

No. Timothy probably believes that Phillip's loss of vision is permanent, but the kind old man is hesitant to tell Phillip that, knowing it would upset him deeply. Let's find some textual evidence for this.

First, notice in Chapter 7, when Phillip realizes that Timothy is holding something back from him. They've just made it from their raft onto the island, and Phillip had asked Timothy whether schooners would come by the island to rescue them. Instead of saying yes or no, Timothy says that there are fish nearby, and people who fish will follow the fish. It's his kind way of avoiding the hurtful truth that they will probably not be rescued soon. Phillip considers this carefully, paying attention to the tone of Timothy's voice, and realizes that he's hiding the truth. In another discussion later in the chapter, Phillip realizes this:

"I was beginning to learn that [Timothy] had a way of being honest while still being dishonest."

What he means is that Timothy doesn't lie, but at the same time, he leaves the truth unstated and therefore allows Phillip to hold onto false hope. Timothy even strives to focus on the positive things in general--like when he reminds Phillip that his hands aren't blind as they're making the sleeping mats.

Now that we've established Timothy's way of avoiding painful truths, let's look at how they deal with the issue of Phillip's loss of vision.

In Chapter 10, Phillip asks Timothy to tell him again the story of Timothy's friend who lost his sight, then regained it. At that point, Timothy seems to lie and tell Phillip that his friend took several months to get his sight back. Angered, Phillip reminds Timothy that earlier, the story was that it only took a few days for the friend to recover. And then Timothy changes the subject, taking Phillip's mind off the matter. This kind of evasion seems to indicate that Timothy has no true faith in the notion that Phillip might see again.

Why does Gary Paulsen have a search airplane pass over but not find Brian?

The plane flying over Brian creates suspense.

When Brian’s plane crash lands in the Canadian wilderness, he is on his own.  The pilot is dead, he is not sure if the mayday signal was received, and he has no way to communicate with anyone.

Brian knows that search planes will be sent out to look for him as soon as anyone realizes that he did not reach his destination and especially if they realize the plane crashed.

They would look for him, look for the plane. His father and mother would be frantic. They would tear the world apart to find him. Brian had seen searches on the news, seen movies about lost planes.  When a plane went down they mounted extensive searches and almost always they found the plane within a day or two. (Ch. 5)

Brian makes preparations for the search planes.  He wants to get a signal fire going as soon as possible so that they can find him.  He is sure that if he gets a fire going, the plane will see the smoke and he will be rescued.  He doesn’t know how far off course the plane flew.

However, Brian is there for long enough that he eventually forgets to think about the searchers.  He realizes that he has been there for days with no rescue.  He is worried about forgetting. 

When Brian finally sees a plane, it doesn’t find him.

Gone. He stood on the bluff over the lake, his face cooking in the roaring bonfire, watching the clouds of ash and smoke going into the sky and thought—no, more than thought—he knew then that he would not get out of this place. Not now, not ever. (Ch. 12)

Brian loses track of the plane, and he is devastated.  The plane left him behind, and he is not sure when another one will find him.  Eventually, Brian does get found.  However, this missed attempt greatly increases the suspense.  What kind of story would it be if the plane goes down and then a search plane finds Brian right away?  That would not be much of a story.  A memorable story has to see Brian struggle a bit first.

In 1984, does Julia truly love Winston?

This is an interesting question. 1984 is told from Winston's point of view so that we never really get inside Julia's head. How do we even know what love means to her? What we know is that she is a down-to-earth, pragmatic person who wants to have a good time. She doesn't care about politics and doesn't share Winston's passionate interest in history. So it would be easy for to her to see her affair with Winston as just another in a long line of casual flings that perk up her life. We would also be suspicious of her love if we heard about it secondhand from Winston: after it, it would be what he most wanted to believe--and Julia would have an interest in having him believe it as well.

Yet the novel offers evidence that Julia is indeed in love with Winston. First, when the two of them go to O'Brien's apartment to talk about rebelling, O'Brien asks them a series of questions about what they are willing to do to overthrow the state. They easily say yes to a list of questions that include murder and throwing acid in a child's face. However, when it comes to being torn apart from Winston, Julia's response suddenly changes:

‘You are prepared, the two of you, to separate and never see one another again?’

‘No!’ broke in Julia.

The vehemence of her refusal to be separated from Winston suggests that she really is in love with him. At the end of the book, another strong hint emerges that Julia was once in love with Winston. She alludes to her torture when they run into each other and says that when faced with her ultimate fear she wanted to betray Winston:

You WANT it to happen to the other person. You don’t give a damn what they suffer. All you care about is yourself.’

‘All you care about is yourself,’ he echoed.

‘And after that, you don’t feel the same towards the other person any longer.’

‘No,’ he said, ‘you don’t feel the same.’

Her words, "you don't feel the same" indicate that she was once in love, but after her betrayal of Winston, a deep shock to her, she can't be anymore. The Party has broken that most intimate of bonds, the love they shared, and that has helped to destroy them both. 

In the book Monster, who said "I can see me at that moment, just when Mr. Nesbitt knew he was going to die, walking down the street trying to make...

Steve Harmon says this quote, writing in the journal he keeps while in jail waiting for his trial to finish. One big reason why the quote is important is because it provides another piece of evidence that Steve was likely involved in the convenience store robbery that led to Mr. Nesbitt's death – the death that he is on trial for. Remember, the novel – framed as Steve's screenplay – is partly a way for Steve to hide (from the world and from himself) the facts of his bad decision to join in the robbery. At another point in the story, during one of the scenes with James King, Steve chooses to fade the camera out right when King asks him if he's willing to be a lookout for the robbery. He does this before the on-screen Steve can reply. This quote shows him doing the same sort of thing in his mind, immediately after the robbery went wrong. He is trying to fade out of the scene in his real life, imagining that it is all over, or maybe even that it never happened. 

What are some quotes that Curley directed towards Lennie in the book Of Mice and Men?

Curley is portrayed as an insecure hothead, who feels the need to prove himself. So, when someone like Lennie comes onto the ranch, Curley targets him.  Immediately, he gives a threatening stance with his fist clenched when he sees George and Lennie, and when Lennie does not speak, Curley threatens him with these words:

Curley lashed his body around. “By Christ, he’s gotta talk when he’s spoke to...Well, nex’ time you answer when you’re spoke to.”

At another time, Curley storms into the ranch to look for his wife.  The men do not like his accusatory tone. They confront him, especially Slim, whom everyone respects, and Curley backs down. However, Curley notices that Lennie is laughing.  When this happens, Curley cannot take it. He says:

Then Curley’s rage exploded. “Come on, ya big bastard. Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me. I’ll show ya who’s yella.”


After these words, Curley begins to swing at him, until Lennie fights back and breaks his hand.  Curley got what was coming to him. 

How does the authority of Capulet affect Juliet and lead to her death in Romeo and Juliet?

In Act I of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Lord Capulet is portrayed as a benevolent father who wants what is right for his only daughter. When Count Paris asks to marry Juliet, Capulet tells him his daughter is too young. He says,

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

Unfortunately Capulet is prone to change his mind and a few lines later he tells Paris that he will agree if Paris can win Juliet's love:

But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart;
My will to her consent is but a part.
And, she agreed, within her scope of choice
Lies my consent and fair according voice.

For her part Juliet wants to please her father and when asked about marrying Paris she says she will not do anything unless her parents give permission. She is the dutiful daughter who understands the hierarchy of the family prevalent in Renaissance Italy.

Later, however, Capulet becomes authoritarian when Juliet refuses to marry Paris after Tybalt is killed. Capulet believes a marriage will help soothe the grief the family is feeling. In a case of dramatic irony, he knows nothing of Juliet's marriage to Romeo. Still, he shows a dark side when he chastises his daughter for her refusal. He threatens to disown her if she won't agree to the marriage;

Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch!
I tell thee what: get thee to church o’ Thursday,
Or never after look me in the face.
Speak not; reply not; do not answer me.

Capulet's abrupt decision to suddenly order Juliet to marry Paris could be interpreted as the beginning of the end for the young girl. After the nurse tells her to forget Romeo and marry Paris, she is distraught and can only turn to the Friar for advice. His plot for Juliet to take a sleeping potion and fake her death leads directly to the double suicide in the play's last scene.

The continuance of the feud, partly Capulet's fault, the inability of his daughter to speak to him in confidence and Capulet's last threatening speech to his daughter directly lead to Juliet's death.

I need an overview of the genesis and development of the Harlem Renaissance.

The Harlem Renaissance was a movement in African-American culture and the arts that happened in the period between the first and second world wars, roughly from 1919 to 1935. It is named after Harlem, an area in the northern part of Manhattan Island (one of the five boroughs of New York City) running across the entire width of the island from the Hudson River to the East River between approximately 96th and 156th Streets. Although the area was historically settled by the Dutch, it became predominately African-American as a result of two major migrations, the first beginning in 1905 and the second continuing during the Great Migration, a massive exodus of African-Americans from the South where racial prejudice limited their opportunities.

Several factors influenced the cultural ferment that became the Harlem Renaissance. First, Harlem was a center of movements arguing for full racial equality for African-Americans and for respect for the dignity of African-American culture. This provided the groundwork for the development of distinctly African-American art forms. Second, migrants from the deep South brought to Harlem African American folklore and musical traditions such as blues, jazz, and spirituals. Third, as African American writers and musicians and artists congregated in Harlem, they supported and influenced each other. Increasing, Harlem clubs and theaters became venues which supported and promoted African-American work, in close proximity to the concentrated wealth of of Manhattan, which supplied many white customers and patrons for the work of African-American creators. 

In music, Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Duke Ellington performed in Harlem and gave rise to the "jazz age." Anthologies of African-American work and magazines gave impetus to the careers of Countée Cullen, Langston Hughes, Du Bois, Zora Neal Hurston, and Jean Toomer, creating a virtuous cycle of increasing visibility and demand.

Could the events in The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 take place today?

The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963, a novel by Christopher Paul Curtis takes place at a time when Birmingham, Alabama was very violent. In the novel, the Watson family leaves their home in Flint, Michigan, and visits their grandmother in Birmingham, Alabama. Their goal is to leave their older son, Byron, in Birmingham so that he can improve his behavior. However, while they are in Birmingham, they witness the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. This was a real event that sadly killed four African-American girls. 

These events could likely not take place today, nor would anyone want them to. In 1963, the Civil Rights Movement launched a campaign to desegregate Birmingham, considered then to be one of the most segregated cities in the U.S. The movement used sit-ins, boycotts, and marches in an attempt to desegregate the city, and movement leaders recruited high school, college, and younger students to march in the campaign. Many African-American children were subjected to violence, as they were arrested and attacked with fire hoses and dogs. Images from this campaign were broadcast around the world and helped turn public opinion against segregation. All of these events form the backdrop of the part of The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 that takes place in the south, and they explain why the Watsons are on edge while they are in Birmingham and why they return with Byron and their other children to Michigan. 

How is the mystery solved at the end of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle?

In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery novel The Hound of the Baskervilles, Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson have been asked to look into the death of the late Sir Charles Baskerville. The facts of Sir Charles' death appear to be quite plain-- he died of a fright-induced heart attack when confronted by a demon hound. At least, that is the version of the story most people are prepared to suspect. Even Dr. Mortimer, who brings this case to Holmes and Watson, feels that the only possible explanation of Sir Charles' death is supernatural. Holmes does not think so and begins to develop suspicions otherwise. In order to better investigate and try to prevent the death of Sir Henry--the inheritor of Baskerville Hall-- Holmes and Watson make a visit to the Estate. Watson stays behind while Holmes returns to London to carry on other business, with the request that Watson send regular reports to him of any happenings on the Estate.

I think that Mr. Holmes has solved the case by the time he heads back to London, leaving Dr. Watson in Devonshire. It's not like him to abandon the scene of a crime without having solved his case. This is one of those particular instances where Holmes has solved the case quite early on but needs to let events play out in order to prove himself to be right to others and to appropriately catch the criminal in the act. Though Holmes has already solved the case, he allows the events to play out and steps in at just the right moment.

Holmes tells Sir Henry that he ought to go about his business as usual, expecting that this will draw out the spectral hound and whoever is in charge of it. After a visit at the Stapleton house, Sir Henry is walking home alone in the dark. Holmes, Watson, and their fellow Inspector Lestrade are hiding on the moor to watch over Sir Henry when suddenly-- there it is! A great, glowing, apparently spectral dog runs up and attacks Henry but is shot dead by Holmes. When they investigate the dog's body, they find that it is simply Stapleton's very large dog covered with phosphorous powder. As it turns out, Stapleton was an estranged cousin of Sir Henry and was trying to frighten (or flat-out kill) all of those in line ahead of him to inherit the estate. Holmes had figured this out long prior but it was necessary to let events play out and catch Stapleton red-handed.

Why is Delhi frequently affected by earthquakes?

Delhi is the capital of India and has experienced frequent earthquakes, especially in recent times (following the Nepal earthquake in 2015). One of the reasons is the proximity of Delhi to the Himalayas. These mountains are a result of the Indian plate pushing the Eurasian plate. This tectonic movement causes earthquakes. India is divided into 4 seismic zones and Delhi lies in zone IV (regions highly vulnerable to earthquakes). 

Delhi also lies over three fault lines and is in the vicinity of other major fault lines. These geologic features (fault lines) are associated with seismic activity and their presence near Delhi makes it vulnerable to major earthquakes. 

Given the city's high population density, amount of tall buildings, and general poor construction practices, a major earthquake in Delhi could potentially result in the loss of millions of lives.

Hope this helps.  

What are the character traits of Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet ?

Tybalt, of course, is Juliet's cousin, which makes him the sworn enemy of Romeo, a Montague who is about his age. Tybalt is hot-headed and fiercely protective of his honor and that of the Capulet clan. He is constantly looking for a fight. We first see evidence of this in Scene I, when he enters the fray that is already occurring between some of his kinsmen and two Montagues. When Benvolio, a Montague, tells Tybalt that he is only trying to keep the peace, Tybalt sneers:

What, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.
Have at thee, coward!

This quote summarizes Tybalt's personality fairly well. Later, when he recognizes a masked Romeo at Capulet's ball, he wants to kill him, and is only restrained by Capulet himself. His anger and quick-tempered nature are his undoing when he is killed by Romeo after fighting and killing Mercutio (with whom he protests that he has no quarrel) in the streets. Tybalt is the embodiment of the long-standing hatred and violence that existed between the two feuding houses.

What are the similes Vonnegut uses when he describes George Bergeron's thoughts?

In Kurt Vonnegut's short story, "Harrison Bergeron", the author uses a number of similes to describe George Bergeron's thoughts. First of all, a simile is a comparison of two things using the words 'like' or 'as'. In the beginning of the story, Vonnegut introduces George and his wife Hazel through their individual handicaps. George has a radio in his ear that transmits a sharp noise to scatter his thoughts. When this occurs in the story, the description reads: 

"His thoughts fled in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm." 

This is one simile because it draws a connection between George's thoughts and bandits. 

There are also similes used to describe the types of sounds George hears through the radio that make him lose his train of thought. For example, one sound is described as being: 

"...like somebody hitting a milk bottle with a ball peen hammer." 

Source: 

Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut 

What stereotypes does the narrator have of the blind ?

The narrator of the short story admits right away that he is uncomfortable with the idea of having the blind man in his house and says that he gets all his information about blind people from movies and the media. He says,

"In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to." 

When he meets the blind man, the narrator notes that he doesn't wear dark glasses, which the narrator had thought was a requirement. He mentions that the blind man's eyes creep him out and he wishes he did wear dark glasses. He is also surprised to see that the blind man smokes, which he thought was unusual as the blind cannot see the smoke they exhale. 

At one point in the story, the narrator recounts his wife's history of friendship with the blind man. The tone with which he describes the blind man touching his wife's face to imagine how she looked on their last day working together and the way he describes his feelings listening to one of the tapes the blind man and his wife exchanged and hearing his own name come out of this stranger's mouth suggests that he is uncomfortable with and threatened by the relationship his wife has with the blind man and that this is the reason for his apprehension. 

As the narrator hears more about the blind man's wife dying, however, he is less hostile and more pitying. Still, though, he exhibits stereotypes about how the blind are lacking:

"Image [...] a woman who could go on day after day and never receive the smallest compliment from her beloved. A woman whose husband could never read the expression on her face, be it misery of something better."

Though he is at least compassionate now, the narrator still understands the blind man by what he is lacking, ignoring any possibility of the joy he and his wife might have taken from one another and summing their relationship up as "pathetic."

It isn't until the end of the night, when the narrator decides to make the effort to describe, then help draw a cathedral with the blind man that he begins to see the blind man as an individual person rather than a stereotype. 

Who are some of the female characters in the short story collection Krik? Krak!

The short story collection Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat is a collection of nine short stories, most of which are told by a female narrator or follow female main characters.

Here, I'll break down each female character by short story:

"Children of the Sea" - an unnamed female narrator in love with the unnamed male narrator; Célianne, a pregnant teenager.

"Nineteen Thirty-Seven" - Josephine, a young woman who cannot talk when she visits her mother in prison; Manman, Josephine's mother who is imprisoned for being a witch; Jacqueline, a woman who becomes a surrogate mother for Josephine by performing some of the same rituals Manman used to.

"A Wall of Fire Rising" - Lili, a wife who must work to provide for her son because her husband has difficulty doing so.

"Night Women" - an unnamed female narrator, single mother, and prostitute.

"Between the Pool and the Gardenias" - Marie, the daughter of Josephine from "Nineteen Thirty-Seven."

"The Missing Peace" - Lamort, a teenage girl who frequently takes foreigners to the local cemetery; Lamort's grandmother, constantly judges Lamort; Emilie Gallant, an American journalist searching for her own mother.

"Seeing Things Simply" - Princesse, a young student who poses nude for Catherine; Catherine, the foreign painter who paints Princesse.

"New York Day Women" - Suzette, a Haitian woman who works in Downtown New York; Suzette's mother, an immigrant from Haiti who wants Suzette to be more like her and less like the women in New York.

"Caroline's Wedding" - Grace, an immigrant from Haiti who struggles with being neither fully American nor Haitian; Caroline, Grace's sister about to get married; Ma, Grace and Caroline's mother.

Who was the "ghost dog" and why is he called that?

The “ghost dog” is a beast that is talked about by the Yeehat Indians. They talk about him as being a ghost because they only see glimpses of him and no one is totally certain that he exists.

After Buck’s disappearance into the wild, they talk about a change in the appearance of the timber wolves they see. It appears that Buck had been breeding with the wolves, as they started to be seen “with splashes of brown on head and muzzle, and with a rift of white centering down the chest.”

They talked about a wolf who would lead the pack and who lived in a place where streams of yellow flowed “from rotted moose-hide sacks,” clearly the place where John Thornton was killed. This special wolf is bigger than the other wolves and is even suspected of killing lost hunters who wander into the valley where Thornton was killed.