What is one major theme developed by Shakespeare in the play Romeo and Juliet? In my assignment, I need to do the following: Use evidence from...

One of the interesting themes in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is that of fate versus free will. This theme is encountered in the Prologue, which describes the story of the play as follows:

Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, ...

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;

This descriptions of the two lovers as "star-crossed" suggests that their fates have been determined in advance by the stars or predestined. In your essay, you might look at the degree to which the events seem willed by the characters versus the degree to which they are shaped by fate.

The first types of evidence you could look at to support the notion of fate determining the course of the play are the random coincidences that drive the plot. You might consider how Romeo meets Juliet and whether that was, in fact, probable. You could also look at other key moments such as the letter going astray and the timing of Juliet's betrothal to Paris.

On the side of free will, you could look at the choices made by the lovers and their associates and think about whether their fates would have been different if the lovers, Friar Laurence, or the Nurse had made different choices. 

Is there a "constant" element to serial killings?

As your question implies, serial killers in our society are assumed to exhibit some set of characteristics that might make them more readily identifiable than those in the general population--in other words, if we identify the characteristics most often associated with anti-social and, more to the point, murderous behavior, we may be able to find and stop serial killers early in their careers to prevent horrific and innocent deaths.  Law enforcement agencies, with the help of sociologists, psychologists, medical doctors and cultural anthropologists have developed various models to help define potential serial killers, and yet, human dynamics--that it, exceptions to the rule--complicate the process in many analyses of serial killers--in part because white male serial killers exhibit different attributes from white female killers and non-caucasian serial killers are different still.  For the sake of consistency, I will focus this discussion on the largest group of serial killers which, because of its numbers, has been studied more thoroughly than others, the white male serial killer.

A very common myth associated with serial killers is that, on the whole, they all suffer some form of serious mental illness.  As one study has noted, however, 

While there appears to be no mental illness, they definitely transgress the accepted mores of society, have personality disorders and distorted visions of the world around them.  They are commonly seen as suffering psychotic and eventually sociopathic behavior. . . . (https://www.academia.edu/2578330/Profiling_Serial_Killers_A_stratified_look_at_common_characteristics_spread_across_taxonomy_race_and_gender)

Psychotic and sociopathic behavior, of course, is part of a normally adjusted person, of course, but it does not reach the level of mental illness as that is usually defined and is usually idiopathic--that is, it affects the person, not the outside world.

Setting aside human dynamics for a moment, white male serial killers have several traits that may lead them to the ultimate expression of inhuman behavior, but these traits are not universally present: in an analysis of six of the most infamous serial killers--from Sam Berkowitz (the "Son of Sam") to Theodore Robert Cowell ("Ted Bundy"), with an average age of 28)--(i)four were known to torture animals; (ii) five to have had no father figure in their early lives or to have been abandoned by father or mother; (iii) five of six either had had IQs or had education beyond high school; (and iv) four of six had some history of substance abuse).  Although it is difficult to extrapolate from these facts that serial killers are always negatively affected by one or more of these attributes in their lives, it is difficult not to conclude that the desire to torture animals, which is the ultimate exercise of power over the helpless, or a history of abandonment, which leads to a different kind of helplessness, can lead to both psychosis and/or sociopathic behavior.

Why does Roderigo hate Othello?

Roderigo hates Othello because he has won Desdemona away from him.

In fact, Roderigo has even paid Iago to help him in his pursuit of this woman he loves. In Act I, Scene 1, Roderigo learns from Iago that Desdemona has run away from her home to be with Othello, and he is enraged because Iago has failed him, especially after he has paid him handsomely to assist him in winning Desdemona's love.

....I take it much unkindly
That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse
As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this. (1.1.1-3)

This initial act of treachery by Iago introduces the duplicity of Iago. But, despite this treachery of Iago, the foolish Roderigo is easily enlisted in Iago's plan of revenge against Othello as Iago then assures the gullible Roderigo that he hates Othello, and they should both go to the home of Desdemona's father, Brabantio in order to inform him that Desdemona has left home. Roderigo goes along with Iago perhaps in order to have some satisfaction in enraging Desdemona's father against Othello. Sadly, however, he remains Iago's dupe and is later murdered by this villain.

In Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, how is Jaggers' office described, and how does it reflect his character?

The office of Mr. Jaggers is not far from Newgate Prison, just inside the city limits of London in a very unhealthy section. On a "gloomy street" Pip locates the office of Mr. Jaggers and inquires if the gentleman is in. The clerk opens the door to "a most dismal place," the office of Jaggers. 

The office is small and lighted only by a skylight above. There were not that many papers on his desk, as Pip has expected; however, there are other odd objects such as 

...as an old rusty pistol, a sword in a scabbard, several strange-looking boxes and packages, and two dreadful casts on a shelf, of faces peculiarly swollen, and twitchy about the nose.

The two "dreadful casts" are death masks made when men were hanged. Further, Pip describes Jaggers' office chair as "deadly black" horsehair with "rows of brass nails around it like a coffin." The room is small; consequently, the clients of Jaggers have rubbed against the wall opposite the chair and desk, leaving marks from oily shoulders. All about is dust and grit; it is on the swollen faces, the shelves, and the other things in the room.

This room seems befitting of Mr. Jaggers because he speaks of circumstances in final and dismal tones, and he dismisses people with the swiftness of a hangman. There is a Jewish man who beseeches Jaggers on behalf of his brother, but Jaggers shoves the man aside and moves on; there is another man who tells Jaggers that he has found a character witness for someone he cares about, but Jaggers dismisses this man when he sees that he is a drunkard. He is very blunt with Pip himself; when Jaggers asks how much money he needs right now, and by showing him a handful of cards from tradesmen, he tells Pip with the names of the tradesmen, he can keep track of what Pip is doing.

"I shall by this means be able to check your bills, and to pull you up if I find you outrunning the constable. Of course you'll go wrong somehow, but that's no fault of mine.”

His last words cast a sentence upon Pip, and they dismiss him much as Jaggers has dismissed others. Thus, the stiff-backed chair, nailed like a coffin seems symbolic of the "final sentences" he places upon his clients.

What are the differences and similarities between democracy and monarchy?

Historically, there are not many similarities between democracy, which is rule by the consent of the people, and monarchy, which is rule by a hereditary ruler. In a democracy, the people make basic political decisions, either directly or more often by electing representatives. In a monarchy, at least theoretically, the monarch makes political decisions. But in modern terms, many monarchies, such as those of Great Britain, Norway, and the Netherlands, are actually democratic in nature. In these systems, the monarch has very little actual authority in practice. Actual power is held by representative assemblies and prime ministers, all of whom are chosen, at least indirectly, by the people. Monarchs are really figureheads. So theoretically, there are really no similarities between monarchies and democracies, but in practice the actual systems vary. The monarchy of the United Kingdom has more in common with the democratic government of the United States than it does with Saudi Arabia, another monarchy.

Please provide a summary of Chapters 1-6 of the book Affluenza. Discuss two symptoms of affluenza that you have experienced and provide a chapter...

Chapters 1-6 of Affluenza by John de Graaf, David Wann, and Thomas H. Naylor are in the section called "The Symptoms." Chapter 1, "Feverish Expectations," deals with the explosive consumerism that has affected the United States since the end of World War II in 1945. The authors cite fear as one of the factors that motivates Americans to buy far more than they need. In Chapter 2, "All Stuffed Up," the authors discuss the immense amount of material goods Americans possess. The excess material goods Americans own leads to hoarding and to traffic that clogs our highways and airports.

Chapter 3, "Stressed to Kill," documents that Americans have become more stressed rather than more leisurely in an attempt to compile consumer goods. Chapter 4, "Family Fractures," discusses how materialism has invaded family life, as families compete to make sure their children engage in more activities and compile better resumes to get into college to make more money. Chapter 5, "Community Chills," talks about how the drive to compile goods has interfered with the growth of community life and has led to Americans isolating themselves. Chapter 6, "Heart Failure," is about how Americans yearn for meaning in what has become a largely meaningless consumerist culture.

On page 63 of Affluenza, in Chapter 6, the authors discuss the work of Michael Lerner, a writer and rabbi, who found that middle-class Americans want to contribute to the common good but feel that they do not have the opportunity to do so. The reader may also agree with this sentiment. There are several symptoms of "affluenza" the reader may also relate to, such as the tendency of Americans to isolate themselves watching TV or playing video games at home rather than choosing to relate to community organizations (page 53). On page 43, the authors discuss the over scheduling of American child, as their parents try to make them competitive in college admissions so that they can eventually earn more money. This type of over scheduling is another feature of American life that many readers might have experienced. 

What are cliffhangers in The Devil's Arithmetic?

A cliffhanger is an ending that creates further suspense.  In the case of The Devil’s Arithmetic, there are quite a few cliffhangers at the ends of chapters. 

The first real cliffhanger is at the end of chapter three when Hannah opens the door and, instead of seeing the hall, sees a field with a strange figure singing about death.  No explanation is given until we get to the next chapter. 

The next cliffhanger is at the end of chapter eight when the Nazis pull up to the synagogue with large trucks and demand the Jewish people file inside to be relocated.  This is a scary scene (and a stark contrast to the wedding that was supposed to be taking place).  If the reader is familiar with the Holocaust, the reader knows what kind of place the Jews are going: a concentration camp.  Again, the suspense rises.

A further cliffhanger is at the end of chapter sixteen, which is a story about the earth “swallowing” the black heart of the Nazi beast.  The suspense rises here because it makes the reader wonder how this can possibly happen with all of the hopelessness and helplessness that surrounds the Jewish people in the concentration camps.

The final cliffhanger is the most important one at the end of chapter eighteen.  Hannah takes off Rivka’s scarf and declares the following:

Run for your life, Rivka ... for your future ... run ... and remember.

Hannah then walks bravely into the gas chamber in Rivka’s place.  The tension rises for a final time here as the reader realizes Hannah/Chaya is walking to her death.  The reader then wonders what will happen to the modern-day Hannah.

Give two examples of exaggeration as a comic device in paragraphs 5 and 6 in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."

Mark Twain's use of exaggeration is great in this story, and it is one of the aspects that makes it so humorous. For instance, in paragraph 5, Twain is describing the bull pup, Andrew Jackson, a fighting dog who has one strategy in every fight—to grab hold of his opponents' hind legs and hold until the other dog gives up. Twain uses exaggeration when describing the dog; for instance, the text says, "But as soon as money was up on him, he was a different dog—his underjaw'd begin to stick out like the fo'castle of a steamboat, and his teeth would uncover, and shine savage like the furnaces." Here, the dog is being given human characteristics, understanding that when money was being placed on him for a bet, he knew when to change strategies. Also, the description of his jaw, how it sticks out "like the fo'castle of a steamboat," not only showcases Twain's love of the Mississippi River and steamboats, but it's an exaggeration of how the dog looks menacing.

In paragraph 6, Twain moves to describe other animals that Jim Smiley used in betting, but most notably is the jumping frog for which this story is titled. Twain describes when Smiley found his frog: "He ketched a frog one day, and took him home, and said he cal'klated to edercate him; and so he never done nothing for three months but set in his back yard and learn that frog to jump." First, a frog would already know how to jump, so there is exaggeration in the idea of teaching a frog, or "educating" him as the story claims. In addition, the description of the frog jumping is so exaggerated that it makes the reader smile to imagine it: "you'd see that frog whirling in the air like a doughnut—see him turn one summerset, or may be a couple, if he got a good start, and come down flat-footed and all right, like a cat." All in all, Twain's descriptions and exaggerations make this an humorous story.

How does the short story, "The Sniper," relate to other texts?

Liam O'Flaherty's short story "The Sniper" is essentially anti-war. It portrays a sniper alone on a rooftop during the Irish Civil War. Although he is successful in killing his enemies, the horrors of war eventually get to him as demonstrated in this paragraph:

The sniper looked at his enemy falling and he shuddered. The lust of battle died in him. He became bitten by remorse. The sweat stood out in beads on his forehead. Weakened by his wound and the long summer day of fasting and watching on the roof, he revolted from the sight of the shattered mass of his dead enemy. His teeth chattered, he began to gibber to himself, cursing the war, cursing himself, cursing everybody.

Ever since there have been wars writers have condemned them. In ancient Greece the playwright Aristophanes wrote Lysistrata, a comedy about women who try to end war. Modern warfare has had no shortage of critical writers. Some of Ernest Hemingway's greatest works deal with war and the toll it takes on soldiers. As in "The Sniper," Hemingway describes the grim elements of war in his short sketches between short stories in his book In Our Time. In chapter six he paints a picture of a wounded man:

Nick sat against the wall of the church where they had dragged him to be clear of machine-gun fire in the street. Both legs stuck out awkwardly. He had been hit in the spine. His fact was sweaty and dirty.

Like O'Flaherty, Hemingway uses an objective, newspaper account style when he writes about war. He uses short, direct sentences and intense realism. His best accounts of war are probably in his novels A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Another anti-war book written around the same time is Erich Maria Remarque's masterpiece All Quiet on the Western Front. The book goes into great detail to portray the mental and physical toll a war can take on men. It is about German soldiers in World War I and the harsh conditions they endured during the interminable war in the European trenches. 

What is negative character trait for Diana in the book Lyddie?

Diana shows poor judgement when she gets pregnant with a married man.

Diana is a saintly presence.  She is endlessly patient and supportive of the other factory girls.  She has worked at the factory for fifteen years, and she acts as teacher and mother to new girls.  Lyddie finds her to be a source of support and friendship.

When Lyddie gets a new girl to train, Brigid, she has trouble at first.  Lyddie likes to focus on herself and takes pride in being fast and efficient.  Having a trainee just annoys her and she feels like the girl slows her down.  Diana comes to the rescue and is calm and caring to the girl when Lyddie can’t be.

When Brigid has trouble with a knot, Lyddie shouts at her, irritated that she has not learned how to do it herself yet.  Diana steps in to help them.

The girl burst into tears again, and before Lyddie could decide what to do with her, Diana was there, slapping off the loom. Burning with shame, Lyddie glanced over as Diana, without a quiver of impatience, helped the girl retrieve the broken ends and tie a weaver's knot. (Ch. 14)

Diana looks out for the girls in bigger ways too.  She is part of an organization lobbying for a ten-hour workday.  Lyddie doesn’t like this, because girls can get in trouble for signing the group’s petitions.  The factory considers them trouble makers.  Diana is more interested in everyone’s safety.  She takes up collections when people get hurt or sick.

When Lyddie finally decides to sign one of Diana’s petitions, she learns that the saintly Diana has a secret.  She has gotten pregnant, and the man is married.  He is Diana’s friend the doctor.

"He‐he's not free to marry. There's a wife ... in Concord. She wouldn't come to live here in a factory town. Though her father is one of the owners." Diana's laugh was short and harsh. (Ch. 19)

Diana has to quit her factory job before she begins to show, because she doesn’t want to bring dishonor to the movement.  She is such an important part of it that the factory would use her to discredit it.  Diana is strong and independent.  She finds a job as a housekeeper right away, and plans to raise her baby by herself.

Diana is a genuinely nice person, but having a baby out of wedlock was considered very immoral.  She also had an affair with a married man, which is definitely inappropriate.  This does not mean that Diana is a bad person, but she definitely exercised flawed judgement.

`bbv = 3(cos(60^@) bbi + sin(60^@) bbj)` Find the magnitude and direction angle of the vector `bbv`.

The magnitude of a vector `v=v_x*i + v_y*j` is given by the following formula, such that:

`|v| = sqrt(v_x^2+v_y^2)`

`|v| = sqrt(9cos^2 60^o + 9sin^2 60^o)`

`|v| = sqrt(9(cos^2 60^o + sin^2 60^o))`

`|v| = sqrt(9*1)`

`|v| = 3`

You may evaluate the direction angle of the vector v, such that:

`tan alpha = (v_y)/(v_x)`

`tan alpha = (3 sin 60^o)/(3 cos 60^o)`

`tan alpha = tan 60^o => alpha = 60^o`

Hence, evaluating the magnitude and the direction angle of the vector v, yields `|v| = 3` and  `alpha = 60^o.`

According to Kipling, what was the "White Man's Burden"?

The "White Man's Burden" was a paternalistic attitude taken by British imperialists towards indigenous people from Asia and Africa.  Kipling, an ardent British imperialist, thought that the British way of life was best.  He saw industrialism as the height of progress and British manners as the ideal way to act.  He wanted America, which before 1898 had mainly stayed on the North American continent, to expand its reach overseas in order to carry on this "civilizing task."  In the poem "The White Man's Burden," Kipling shows the native people in these undeveloped countries as little children who need a country like Britain (or America) to show them the right way to live.  Just like little children, they may rebel and fight the colonists, but Kipling said that it was British duty to make these people learn Western ways.  America would use this poem in order to partially justify their imperialism before WWI.  

What is the impact now because of The Trail of Tears?

The Trail of Tears still has an impact on us today. In the 1830s, many tribes were forced to relocate to the area west of the Mississippi River as part of the Indian Removal Act. The Trail of Tears describes the very difficult move many Native American tribes were forced to make. Many Native Americans died as a result of the relocation. While the Trail of Tears is often used in reference to the Cherokee tribe, it describes the movement and its effects on many Native American tribes.

One current impact from the Trail of Tears is a distrust of the government by many Native American people. The Cherokee people won a Supreme Court ruling that allowed them to stay in Georgia. However, President Andrew Jackson refused to enforce this decision. Eventually, the Cherokee were forced to relocate. Because of this situation along with many other instances of poor treatment and deception, the Native Americans have very little trust in the federal government. Native American policies have changed often, and, in most cases, the needs of the Native Americans weren’t considered.

Another current impact is that the size of Native American tribes is smaller because there was so much death associated with the Trail of Tears. Many Native Americans died as they were being moved to the West. When they got to the West, the also died from diseases for which they had no immunities. There were many battles with the United States Army, which led to more death. Because there was so much death related to the Trail of Tears and the events after it, the size of the various tribes is lower than what it would have been if all this death hadn’t occurred.

The effects of the Trail of Tears still have an impact on Native Americans to the present day. This also impacts the rest of the country to some degree.

How does the Ceremony of Twelve start in The Giver?

The Ceremony of Twelve starts with an introduction explaining how it is different than most community functions because it acknowledges differences.

Sameness is incredibly important to Jonas’s community.  Every aspect of their society is designed to get everyone to think and act the same.  The people are even genetically designed to look the same.  They have the same skin, eye, and hair color for the most part.

Everyone in the community progresses in age at the same rate.  All children born in a year “age” on the same day.  They are not born on the same day, but they share a common birthday in December.  The ceremonies in December advance them socially into the next age group.  Each ceremony involves a gift of some kind, anything from a name to a bicycle or a haircut.

Even in a community like this, people have to have different roles.  The community closely watches children as they near the age of twelve to determine their personality traits, their intelligence, and their predispositions to certain occupations. 

The ceremony begins with a speech given by the Chief Elder.

The speech was much the same each year: recollection of the time of childhood and the period of preparation, the coming responsibilities of adult life, the profound importance of Assignment, the seriousness of training to come. (Ch. 7)

The Chief Elder points out that this is the one time a year when differences are acknowledged.  This is because each person is called out and their history described, and then their assignment is announced. 

Before the individual speeches are given, the Chief Elder describes the group as a whole, pointing out its makeup by singling out personalities without naming the people yet.

She began to describe this year's group and its variety of personalities, though she singled no one out by name. She mentioned that there was one who had singular skills at caretaking, another who loved newchildren, one with unusual scientific aptitude, and a fourth for whom physical labor was an obvious pleasure. (Ch. 7)

The Chief Elder describes each child one by one and then gives the person the assignment.  She ends each individual speech by thanking the new Twelve for his or her childhood.  Jonas’s parents tell him that most people do not find their assignment a surprise, but Jonas has no specific skills that make him stand out, or so he thinks, so he does not know what his will be.

On the last page of 1984, Winston says, ”But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over...

The society in George Orwell's 1984 is an anti-individualistic society. People engage in group-think rather than forming their own thoughts and opinions, because self-expression is illegal. Throughout the novel, protagonist Winston Smith revolts against this society and its oppressive rules. He purchases a diary and begins recording his secret thoughts--which are not Party-approved--therein. He begins conducting an illicit affair with Julia, a fellow Party member. He even begins actively working to overthrow the Party. However, the Party catches Winston and tortures him until he betrays Julia. Through this act, Winston's self-preservation overcomes his desire for self-expression. He has conquered his individuality and submitted once again to Party group-think. He loves Big Brother, because he no longer has an individual will; his will has become part of societal group-mind. 

What are some other causes for the outbreak of World War II?

There were many causes for the outbreak of World War II. Germany was unhappy with the Versailles Treaty. They felt the Versailles Treaty treated them unfairly. Germany didn’t feel it should have to accept responsibility for World War I. Germany also didn’t think the $33 billion in reparations payment was reasonable. Hitler used the Versailles Treaty as a way to develop German nationalism to get revenge for that treaty.

 Another cause of World War II was that the Allies ignored violations of the Versailles Treaty and the aggressive actions of Germany, Japan, and Italy. When Germany moved its military into the Rhineland, no action was taken to stop this from occurring. When Germany invaded Austria, nothing was done about it. When Japan invaded China, the Allies looked the other way. When Italy invaded Ethiopia, again, little was done. Ignoring these aggressive actions encouraged these countries to continue to be aggressive.

 When the Great Britain and France agreed to the Munich Pact, they believed they had saved the world from war. However, when Hitler later broke that agreement, the Allies said any additional taking of land would lead to war. When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, World War II began. One week prior to the invasion of Poland, Germany signed a non-aggression pact with Russia. This would free Germany from having to fight a two-front war. This allowed Germany to invade Poland, even though they knew it would start a war.

 For the United States, the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor brought us into World War II. We had no choice but to declare war on Japan after the attack at Pearl Harbor.

Is it realistic that the Capulets and Montagues will end their long standing feud after Romeo and Juliet's death?

It is definitely realistic to believe that the long standing feud between the Montagues and Capulets will finally end after the events of Act V, Scene 3. In a very short period of time the families go through several tragedies, including the loss of a wife, a son, a friend, a daughter, a cousin and a potential son-in-law. There are three main reasons why the feud will end.

Above all, sheer grief will hold Lord Montague and Lord Capulet to their truce which is spoken in the final lines of the play. Lord Capulet has lost his daughter who was his only living offspring. Although he speaks to her harshly after she refuses to marry Count Paris, the audience has evidence to believe that he truly loved her. In the opening Act, he tells Paris that he will only consent to the marriage if Juliet falls in love with the Count. In Scene 2 he says,

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.

Capulet reinforces the idea that he adores his daughter after she is discovered to be supposedly dead in Act IV, Scene 5. Capulet grieves:

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

Lord Montague also experiences tremendous grief as he loses not only his son, but also his wife. He obviously loved his son. He is distraught over Romeo's depression in Act I as he asks Benvolio to discover what is causing Romeo's condition. In the end, his wife dies from despair over Romeo's banishment. In Act V, Scene 3 he says,

Alas, my liege, my wife is dead tonight.
Grief of my son’s exile hath stopped her breath.
What further woe conspires against mine age?

Another reason the feud will end is that the major personalities that stoked the fire of the conflict are now dead, and those that want peace are still alive. Tybalt consistently challenged the Montagues in the street. In the opening scene he calls Benvolio a coward and threatens him:

What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?
Turn thee, Benvolio; look upon thy death.

Benvolio, the peace maker, remains to help enforce the peace between the families. He attempted to thwart street violence twice in the play. In Act I he asks Tybalt to help him dissuade the servants from brawling:

I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword,
Or manage it to part these men with me.

And later, in Act III, Scene 1, he pleads with Mercutio to get off the streets to avoid violence. He says,

I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire.
The day is hot, the Capels are abroad,
And if we meet we shall not ’scape a brawl,
For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.

The volatile Mercutio also dies, along with his arrogance and quick temper. If he had remained calm in Act III, Scene 1, Romeo and Juliet might still be alive. His haughty nature helped sustain the feud.

The fact that Lord Capulet survives also bodes well for the sustainability of the peace. A few times in the play he expresses his regret over the feud. When he is talking with Paris in Act I, Scene 2, he suggests that if it were up to him and Lord Montague, the feud would be over:

But Montague is bound as well as I,
In penalty alike, and ’tis not hard, I think,
For men so old as we to keep the peace.

Later, he also speaks well of Romeo when Tybalt discovers the Montague at the party in Act I, Scene 5. He says of Romeo,

Content thee, gentle coz. Let him alone.
He bears him like a portly gentleman,
And, to say truth, Verona brags of him
To be a virtuous and well-governed youth.

A final reason the peace will succeed is the power of the Prince. He expresses the idea that he has not enforced the law well enough. Moreover, two of his relatives, Mercutio and Count Paris, have lost their lives in the dispute. In Act V, Scene 3 he shames Capulet and Montague and suggests that the tragedy needs to end. He says,

Where be these enemies?—Capulet, Montague,
See what a scourge is laid upon your hate,
That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love,
And I, for winking at your discords too,
Have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished.

In William Blake's "The Tyger," how has the poet described the tyger?

William Blake's poem “The Tyger” was an early work from the British Romantic era. Blake included the poem, along with some original illustrations (he was an artist, too), in a poetry collection called Songs of Innocence.

As a Romantic poet, Blake often writes about mystery and the supernatural. His description of the Tyger reflects this. The first stanza of the poem reads:

Tyger, Tyger burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye,

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

After reading these brief but powerful lines, we already know a lot about this Tyger. He is no ordinary “tiger,” as the “burning bright” reference reveals. What kind of tiger would burn brightly? Later in the poem we will find out that this Tyger's eyes were made by an immortal creator from fire.

The term symmetry refers to the Tyger's physical or spiritual being, depending on how we think of it. Is the Tyger physically real? Or is he an immortal being of some kind, such as the angel that eventually became Satan? Either way, we know he is scary and formidable, because he is described as “fearful,” even in the presence of an “immortal hand or eye.”

Later in the poem Blake will make a reference to the rebellious angels' revolt in heaven. The implication is that this Tyger was one of them, and probably the leader, Lucifer.

How do Buddy and his friend feel about the people they live with ?

Buddy never names the people, presumably family members, that they live with. He refers to them at one point as "those who know best," and he also says at one point that they have control over Buddy and his friend and often make them cry. In other words, these may be people be family he lives with, but they are certainly not family he is emotionally close to.

In a couple of scenes we can see how these people react with little kindness to his friend, at least. When she allows Buddy to drink a little bit of the remaining whiskey left over from the fruitcakes, they scold her because he is only a child. It is obvious she didn't mean any harm, no real harm was done, and that their handling of it was much more harsh than it needed to be.

Overall, the people that Buddy and his friend live with appear to be the ones in control of the house, the adults, and have very little emotional connection to Buddy and his friend. This leads to the sad ending where they send him off to military school, not really understanding the consequences it will have for Buddy and his friend.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what would Mr. Avery's opinion on the Tom Robinson trial be?

Mr. Dick Avery is an interesting, colorful character whose main purpose is to perhaps give us another view of the older generation in Maycomb. Mr. Avery rents a room from Mrs. Dubose and lives down the street from the Finches.  He sits on the porch of Mrs. Dubose’s house each night sneezing and whittling toothpicks.  He has also been seen peeing off the porch (with an exceptional arc to the pee) by Scout and Jem.  Scout and Jem always look out for Mr. Avery because they want to see what crazy thing he will do next.  When the snow comes to Maycomb, Mr. Avery blames Scout and Jem for being bad kids for the sudden, unusual weather.  In retaliation, Jem and Scout build a big, rotund snowman that looks like Mr. Avery. Atticus makes Jem disguise it so it isn’t so obvious that Jem has crafted an effigy of Mr. Avery with the snowman.

Because Mr. Avery seems to be an unfriendly, grumpy old man, I think he would have old southern values much like the ones Mrs. Dubose shows when she makes disparaging remarks to Scout and Jem about the trial. He probably doesn’t agree with Atticus defending Tom Robinson and may be why he harasses the kids for the bad weather that came to Maycomb.  He doesn’t seem to have much motivation to do anything but sit around and make inappropriate comments and partake in uncouth behavior.  I think we can probably count on Mr. Avery having old-fashioned, racist attitudes and beliefs about the Tom Robinson trial because of the way he treats Scout and Jem.  I also don't think Mrs. Dubose would have a tenant who exhibited progressive, liberal views on race as well.  

Why does Ponyboy have to be so depressed in The Outsiders?

Technically, Ponyboy does not have to be depressed at all, but he is because he lost two friends and is under a lot of stress. Ponyboy and Johnny get along well and grow close when they are hiding out in the abandoned church together. They share similar interests and bond over The Grapes of Wrath and watching sunsets. Ponyboy feels a real connection with Johnny, and when Johnny dies, Ponyboy is deeply depressed. Dally loses his mind when Johnny dies and immediately robs a grocery store. When Dally is gunned down by the police, the entire greaser gang is in shock. Ponyboy seems to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder because he becomes callous, unfocused, and violent. Ponyboy tries to imagine that Johnny is still alive and attempts to suppress his painful feelings. He loses interests in school and begins to fail classes. Ponyboy has not only lost his two friends, but suffers from a concussion, and is stressed out about the possibility of being taken out of his home. These tragic, stressful events have caused Ponyboy to become deeply depressed.

I need a quote to support my idea that the reason for the colonists declaring independence was unfair laws

To support your quote about unfair laws leading to the colonists wanting independence, it would be a good idea to look at the Declaration of Rights and Grievances. This document was drafted by John Dickenson of Pennsylvania and presented at Congress on October 14 1774.

Here's a good quote to use from the fourth paragraph of this document:

"All which statutes are impolitic, unjust, and cruel, as well as unconstitutional, and most dangerous and destructive of American rights"

This quote refers directly to the Intolerable Acts which Britain passed in the wake of the Boston Tea Party. Dickenson is very aware that Britain only passed these Acts to punish the colonists, especially in Massachusetts, and that is why he believes they are so unfair and cruel and go against the rights of Americans, as British subjects. As a result, Dickenson makes an important point (in paragraph 13 & 14) that the colonists should only be subject to English Common Law, like other English subjects are: 

"Resolved, N. C. D. 5. That the respective colonies are entitled to the common law of England, and more especially to the great and inestimable privilege of being tried by their peers of the vicinage, according to the course of that law.

Resolved, 6. That they are entituled to the benefit of such of the English statutes as existed at the time of their colonization; and which they have, by experience, respectively found to be applicable to their several local and other circumstances."

You can read the full Declaration using the reference link provided. 

Why should Juliet be pardoned from the events leading up to her death? I have to prove that Juliet is not guilty. For example, one of my reasons...

It could certainly be argued that Juliet is not at fault for her eventual death. After all, she is only 13 years old and is deeply in love with an older man. She does act on impulse but she is steered toward her ultimate demise by the people around her. 

First, Romeo should have known better. He rushes into the relationship even though he lacks the maturity to make proper decisions. He probably should have consulted his parents before marrying Juliet. He also should have held his temper during Act III, Scene 1 when Mercutio is killed. He must have known that going after Tybalt, who was Juliet's cousin, could lead to tragedy. He also might have shown more patience when Balthasar delivers the message about Juliet's death. If he hadn't been so headstrong about committing suicide the Friar would have eventually gotten him the message about Juliet faking her death.

Second, Juliet's father changed his mind about Count Paris at a most inopportune moment. Previously, Lord Capulet told Paris to "win" Juliet's love. When Tybalt is killed Capulet backtracks on his earlier suggestions to Paris and promises his daughter to the Count. This presents a terrible dilemma for Juliet as she has to decide between betraying Romeo or defying her father. When she refuses to marry Paris, her father threatens to disown her, her mother spurns her and the Nurse advises her to forget Romeo and marry Paris. She has no one to turn to but Friar Lawrence.

Third, the Friar goes way too far in enabling Romeo and Juliet to act on their impetuous love affair. Although he thinks the marriage will end the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, which it does, it also costs the lives of  two young people he obviously loved. Even though he advises Romeo to "love moderately" and to take things slowly, he agrees with every whim on Romeo's mind. He even confesses to guilt in the double suicide. In Act V, Scene 3, he says,

I am the greatest, able to do least,
Yet most suspected, as the time and place
Doth make against me, of this direful murder.
And here I stand, both to impeach and purge
Myself condemnèd and myself excused.

Finally, the biggest culprit in the death of Juliet is the feud between the two families which has been going forever. It is stoked by the personalities who live at the time of Romeo and Juliet, specifically Tybalt and Mercutio. In the end, she was only doing what her heart told her to do. She didn't want to live without "her Romeo."

What were the root causes of the Terror in France?

The root cause of the Terror was the fact that Revolutionary France was in the midst of a war for its survival in the summer of 1793. This state of emergency led to the creation of the Committee of Public Safety, which, under the control of first Georges Danton and then Maximilien Robespierre, governed France with dictatorial powers for more than a year. With France's existence threatened by counterrevolutionary armies and a massive revolt in the countryside, the Committee set out to preserve the Revolution by eliminating those deemed to be its domestic enemies. Thus the Terror was begun, and it did not stop until it had consumed over 15,000 victims in Paris and the surrounding regions alone. It only ended with the execution of Robespierre himself, a classic example of how revolutions have a way of consuming their own. But the motives for the Terror cannot be understood apart from their context--a crisis brought on by war and revolution.

What does Macbeth do that was not in his and Lady Macbeth's plan in Act 2 of Macbeth?

Macbeth takes the daggers with him instead of leaving them with the bodies.

Macbeth wants desperately to be king. It was an ambition sparked by the three witches, who told him of a prophesy that said he would become king. When the king’s son was named his heir instead, Macbeth was upset. He decided to take matters into his own hands and kill Duncan to take the throne. 

Macbeth wrote a letter to his wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her what the witches said. She was thrilled, but she never felt he could pull it off. As far as she was concerned, Macbeth was too full of “the milk of human kindness” to successfully carry out the plan. She would have to push him along.

Lady Macbeth developed a plan to kill Duncan and frame his guards. His sons would then flee, assuming they were next.  Macbeth has second thoughts, however, and worries that they might get caught. He has recently come down with a bout of morality and started to question the plan.

When Macbeth asks Lady Macbeth if the plan will fail, she scoffs at him and tells him to be a man.

MACBETH

If we should fail?

LADY MACBETH

We fail!
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail. (Act 1, Scene 7)

She outlines a very specific plan for him to follow, feeling that if she does not tell him exactly what to do he will mess it up. She tells him to wait until Duncan falls asleep, after which she will drug his guards. Then he can sneak up and kill Duncan. Part of the plan is to leave the daggers with the guards to incriminate them. Macbeth gets so flustered that he forgets that step. 

Why did you bring these daggers from the place?
They must lie there: go carry them; and smear
The sleepy grooms with blood. (Act 2, Scene 2)

No matter. They just tell everyone they found the bodies and Macbeth stabbed the men out of rage. Both of them do a superb bit of acting. Macbeth pretends to be overcome with grief, and Lady Macbeth faints from fear. Malcolm, Donalbain, and Macduff all buy their act completely. Why wouldn’t they? Macbeth is supposed to be a brave and noble lord and well above suspicion. Who would murder the king in his own house?

Why does Lyddie not sign the petition?

That's a very interesting section of the book.  Deep down, Lyddie wants to sign the petition and even knows that she should sign the petition.  The petition is requesting better working conditions for the girls in the mills.  It's not a ridiculous request either.  The working conditions are horrible.  It's loud enough to cause hearing damage, there's fibers in the air that cause lung problems, tuberculosis is a concern, and the machines are capable of causing bodily harm to the workers.  

She had thought a single stagecoach struggling to hold back the horses on a downhill run was unbearably noisy.  A single stagecoach! A factory was a hundred stagecoaches all inside one's skull, banging their wheels against the bone. 

The petition is seeking to fix some of those issues.  

Lyddie doesn't sign the petition, because she is afraid of the consequences of that action.  By signing the petition, she would publicly be associating with it and those workers.  She runs the risk of being fired from her current job and blacklisted from the other mills.  Lyddie cannot let that happen.  She desperately needs the paycheck in order to pay back the debt that her family owes.  

Lyddie does eventually decide to sign the petition but only after she is injured while working.  Unfortunately, she is too late.  The petition had already been sent off.  

Is it true that the conclusion paragraph of an essay is not critical?

You should base the structure of an essay on its purpose, and some essays do not have conclusion paragraphs.

First of all, there are many different kinds of essays. You probably have written a lot of essays for school, and possibly for different classes. People write essays for newspapers and magazines as well. The essay is a very popular literary genre. Many professional essays vary significantly in structure from the typical five-paragraph essay.

The five paragraph essay has been a school staple for generations. This essay typically begins with an introduction paragraph supported by three body paragraphs, and ends with a conclusion paragraph. This is still a good general rule of thumb. The introduction gives you a place to include your thesis, which is where you focus your essay, and the conclusion gives you a chance to review your arguments.

The most common case in which you will not always have a conclusion is in on-demand writing. This is the type of writing used on standardized tests such as the Advanced Placement test. In this case, many teachers suggest dispensing with the introduction and conclusion process, because there is not much time and the essay graders would rather you get to your arguments and focus on them.

For this type of essay, it is best to begin with a thesis and then jump right into your points. You should first make sure that your thesis is clear and specific, and fully addresses the prompt (the essay question). Then use the next paragraphs to support your thesis. Be sure to use a lot of evidence to support your points, whatever you are writing about. In this case, you often do not have time to summarize your case in a conclusion, and summarizing is not considered as important as getting your arguments across.

A good rule of thumb in a multi-essay, on-demand writing situation is to write the thesis and support for all of your essays first. Then go back and proofread. If you have time, you can add a conclusion after you have done this. You will have made sure that you accomplished your task first.

`(3w*v)u` Use the vectors `u = `, and `v = `, and `w = lt3, -1gt` to find the indicated quantity. State whether the result is a vector or a scalar.

`3w*v` is the dot product of two vectors, i.e. a scalar. `(3w*v)*u` is the product of this scalar and a vector, so it is a vector.

`3w*v= (3*lt3,-1gt)*lt-4,2gt = lt9,-3gt*lt-4,2gt = 9*(-4)+(-3)*2=-42.`

And `(3w*v)*u=(-42)*lt3,3gt = lt-126,-126gt.`

This is the answer.

What are the reasons for the murder of Julius Caesar?

The root cause of Caesar's assassination was his seizure of dictatorial powers in Rome and his declaration that he was 'dictator perpetuo', sometimes mistranslated as 'dictator for life'. The Romans who assassinated him did not like this for many reasons. Dictator was a title that was only to be given in emergency circumstances and only for six month terms, not for indefinite periods. This went against Rome's traditions in the same way a president artificially extending their term would be unconstitutional today. The Romans also had great animosity toward kings, having centuries prior overthrown their own. While Caesar had tried to disavow claims to kingship, his new position seemed uncomfortably close to that of a monarch.

These violations of Roman tradition and law resulted in a diminishment of senatorial power, Rome's ruling body, engendering resentment amongst Rome's senators. Caesar's other reforms, aimed at preventing the kind of state breakdown and civil strife of the 1st century BCE, also had the effect of weakening the oligarchic power of the senate further. This resentment was compounded by the various titles and honors Caesar had awarded to himself as well as the pre-existing bitterness among Roman elites who had sided against Caesar during the civil war.

What conflicts does Eliezer experience with God in Night?

'Night' started with Elie being a staunch adherent of his religion and a strong believer in God. However, his views changed due to the terrible experience under German Nazis.

Elie witnessed the hanging of a young boy (pipel) and exclaimed that God was also dead “hanging from the gallows”. The young boy died a slow painful death as the rest of the prisoners watched. The boy’s weight was insufficient to cause instant death by hanging.

Behind me, I heard the same man asking:

"For God's sake, where is God?"

And from within me, I heard a voice answer:

"Where He is? This is where—hanging here from this gallows …"

Elie was unable to participate in observing the practices of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. He had a conflict with his religion and God. Elie did not understand how the people would still bless God’s name regardless of the torment they were going through. He accused God of allowing thousands of children to burn in the crematoria, and the creation of the different concentration camps.

Blessed be God's name?

Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled.

Because He caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves? Because He kept six crematoria working day and night, including Sabbath and the Holy Days? Because in His great might, He had created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, and so many other factories of death? How could I say to Him: Blessed be Thou, Almighty, Master of the Universe...,

Elie had stopped believing in God. However, he remembered that Eliahu’s son may have tried to abandon his father during the run from Buna. Elie was forced to pray that he would not do the same to his father. Elie did not want to abandon his father, and he tried his best to be with him until the end.

And in spite of myself, a prayer formed inside me, a prayer to this God in whom I no longer believed.

"Oh God, Master of the Universe, give me the strength never to do what Rabbi Eliahu's son has done."

How does Jem describe the social hierarchy in Maycomb in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Jem tells Scout that there are “four kinds of folks” in Maycomb based on class and race. 

The trial’s outcome came as a bit of a shock to Jem.  He was expecting a verdict of “not guilty,” because he believed that Atticus proved Tom Robinson innocent.  When Aunt Alexandra tells Scout that Walter Cunningham is “trash,” Scout is offended.  Jem tells her he understands. 

“… I’ve got it all figured out, now. I’ve thought about it a lot lately and I’ve got it figured out. There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes.” (Ch. 23)

To Jem, this social hierarchy is based on who can look down on whom.  The Cunninhams may not have much, but they are better than the Ewells. All the Ewells have is being able to look down on people like the Robinsons, who because of the color of their skin are considered inferior in Maycomb.

Scout is puzzled by the concept that the Finches are superior.  It is important to Aunt Alexandra.  It is not important to Atticus, but he tried to explain it to Scout and Jem to appease her.  She asks why the Cunninhams are not “Old Family” then.  Jem tells her they don’t count. 

“Background doesn’t mean Old Family,” said Jem. “I think it’s how long your family’s been readin‘ and writin’. Scout, I’ve studied this real hard and that’s the only reason I can think of. Somewhere along when the Finches were in Egypt one of ‘em must have learned a hieroglyphic or two and he taught his boy.” (Ch. 23)

The fact that the Finches are from an important family is meaningful to them because, as Jem says, it is all they have.   They do not have a fortune to go with the family name.  They may be respected, but all they have is respect.  They no longer have the power and money to go with the name.

Who are the five people who helped Bud throughout the book?

Many people help Bud on his way to try and find the man he believes is his father.

Bugs, another orphan from the home, hears that Bud is on the run and finds him at the library. Bugs helps Bud to learn about how to ride the trains so that he can get to where he thinks his father may be.

Deza Malone lives at Hooverville, a town of cardboard shacks. She helps teach Bud how the community of homeless people operates. She teaches him about things like how to clean up the dishes after the shared meal.

Lefty Lewis finds Bud walking along the road and convinces Bud to let him help him. He helps insure that Bud gets a meal, a good night's sleep and to the man that Bud is sure is his father.

Miss Grace Thomas is the singer in Mr. Calloway's band. She takes Bud in when Mr. Calloway is not sure about him and provides him with comfort, safety and a maternal influence.

Steady Eddie is just one of the band members who is kind to Bud and takes him in as one of their own. He gives Bud advice and starts him on the road to being a musician by giving him a recorder. He also gives Bud a saxophone.

Discuss how young Nicholas outwits his aunt and thus evades her attempts to confine him in a dry, boring, and unimaginative existence in the short...

In "The Lumber Room," Nicholas outwits his aunt in a number of ways. When the story begins, he antagonizes her by causing her to doubt the superiority of her adult judgment.

Accordingly, he proclaims that there is a frog in his basin of bread-and-milk during breakfast. Nicholas vehemently defends his knowledge of the frog's existence because he specifically put the frog into the basin himself. Thus, he is almost smug when he is given a useless lecture about telling lies and talking nonsense. After all, he is a 'skilled tactician' with an uncanny knowledge of adult sensibilities: he always denies his nemesis the satisfaction of being right, thus keeping her off balance emotionally:

...the older, wiser, and better people had been proved to be profoundly in error in matters about which they had expressed the utmost assurance.

When Nicholas' aunt announces that he will be not be part of the youthful contingent to Jagborough Beach because of his 'disgraceful conduct at the breakfast table,' he is nonchalant. Nicholas irritates his aunt and denies her the pleasure of feeling self-righteous by refusing to display the prerequisite tears of a disappointed child. Instead, he resorts to cheerful banter about the copious tears his girl-cousin shed before the expedition left. Apparently, she had scraped her knee painfully against the step of the carriage.

Nicholas also happily announces that Bobby won't enjoy himself either; his boots are too tight. When his aunt expresses indignation that she was never informed of Bobby's predicament, Nicholas lets loose another incriminating statement:

"He told you twice, but you weren't listening. You often don't listen when we tell you important things."

Because his words are true, Nicholas' aunt cannot argue with her young charge. Thus, Nicholas is often able to blindside her because he knows how to employ the use of facts to destabilize her at crucial moments.

Nicholas also knows how to distract his aunt from his true intentions by tailoring his expressions to suit her expectations. When his aunt thinks that he will try to find a way into the gooseberry garden, she guards the doors to the garden assiduously. After all, didn't Nicholas display 'an expression of considerable obstinacy' when she forbade him to enter the garden? Unknown to her, Nicholas has already concluded that his nemesis is 'a woman of few ideas, with immense powers of concentration.'

With his aunt thus distracted, Nicholas manages to retrieve the key to the coveted lumber room. He already knows how to turn the lock that leads into the lumber room, having practiced this skill a few days before. It is evident that he has left nothing to chance. In the lumber room, he is able to fuel his desire for the forbidden by indulging in the appreciation of 'unimagined treasures.' Spying a rich tapestry with a hunting scene, he allows his rich imagination to craft delicious possibilities in a story of adventure and danger.

Nicholas is only jolted from his magical interlude when he hears his aunt scream his name. Alas, the poor woman still thinks that her young nemesis has found his way into the gooseberry garden! Nicholas smiles with the knowledge of someone who knows that he has managed to outwit an apparently superior enemy.

The last scene of the short story is perhaps the most humorous. Nicholas' aunt has managed to fall into the water-tank and cannot get out. She orders Nicholas to fetch a ladder, but he slyly tells her that he has been ordered to stay out of the gooseberry garden. Then, he submits that he is really talking to the Devil, as his aunt would never order him to disobey.

At this time, Nicholas' aunt has been reduced to begging for Nicholas' help. However, the wily, young boy is unrepentant and unashamedly asks for strawberry jam as payment for his help. When his angry aunt pretends to play along, Nicholas executes his coup de grace. He loudly proclaims that he is indeed talking to the Devil, for only he and the Devil would know that there were really four jars of jam in the store cupboard. Nicholas slyly implies that his aunt would never lie to him, so he can't be talking to her. By a master-stroke, Nicholas manages to embarrass his aunt and to indulge in a bit of cynical entertainment at her expense.

In the end, Nicholas' aunt is rescued by a kitchen maid. Not only has Nicholas managed to enjoy his afternoon despite his aunt's efforts, he has also managed to outwit her and evade her attempts to confine him in a dry, boring, and unimaginative existence.

Tea that evening was partaken of in a fearsome silence.

The aunt maintained the frozen muteness of one who has suffered undignified and unmerited detention in a rain-water tank for thirty-five minutes.

What is the difference between data and information?

Data and information are interrelated terms, yet are different from each other. Data refers to qualitative or quantitative values of a given parameter. It is the raw data or raw content. It is typically in an unprocessed form. Data after processing and analysis is known as information. An example is the attendance of students in a course (or grade or level) over a period of time. If we just collect the attendance, it will form data. When we tabulate it and analyze it and present it in a more meaningful form, such as statistics or graphs; it becomes information. We can derive some information such as average attendance, peak attendance, etc., from the data.

Information is used to make decisions and plan processes. For example, we can plan a motivational session if the attendance is really low or take some corrective actions, etc.

Hope this helps. 

Does NAFTA mean I do not pay duties and customs when importing leather goods from Mexico?

The short answer is yes; due to NAFTA, you probably do not have to pay any duties on importing leather from Mexico to the US.

The long answer is surprisingly complicated; while in theory NAFTA eliminated all import duties from Mexico to the US in order to open trade between the two nations, in practice it had a long phase-in period and a number of exceptions carved out for various types of products in various situations. I don't see anything about leather specifically, but like any international law NAFTA is very complicated. In particular, if Mexico is not actually the country of origin you may still have to pay duties.

If you intend to conduct large-scale business importing goods from Mexico, you would be wise to consult a lawyer about the specific regulations and duties (if any) on the goods you intend to import. But if you only have a few items to import and no intention of selling them, you can likely get immediate release from customs to bring those items with you.

I have to memorize a speech. Is there a fast way I can memorize my speech?

Memorization is a skill that is developed by practice. Although some people may have naturally good memories, others develop their ability to memorize materials by do so regularly; the more you practice any skill, the more adept you become. If you have little practice in memorization, it will take more time for you to memorize a text than it would take someone who was more practiced in the skill.

When you are working on memorizing the speech, eliminate all distractions. Turn your phone, music, computer, and television off and work from a hard copy of the speech.

There are two main components to successful memorization. The first is reading the speech aloud multiple times. You remember far more of what you say than what you read.

The second technique involves breaking down the task of memorizing. Read the first sentence of the speech aloud several times. Next, without looking at your text, say the first sentence aloud from memory several times. Check the written version of the speech to make sure you have memorized the sentence correctly. Next memorize the second sentence using a similar process. Then repeat the first and second sentences together several times until you are secure in your knowledge of both of them. Then add in a third sentence and repeat the process until you have learned the entire speech. 

What are the relationships between literary theory and literary criticism?

Literary Criticism and Literary Theory are phrases that have been used interchangeably. But there is a technical difference between the two. Literary Criticism refers to the evaluation of a work. The term "criticism" suggests that the critic is making judgments about how "good" the literary text is. If a novel adheres to the critic's standards in terms of form, content, etc., he/she will judge it to be a good work of literature. Literary Theory is more about how the reader understands literature. The theorist might be interested in the text's function, the historical background of the author, or the hidden meanings in the text. A Feminist theorist will have a different approach than a theorist with a New Critical lens. Theory allows the reader and/or theorist to investigate and evaluate literature from many different angles. 

This is where the two (theory and criticism) overlap. For example, if a theorist investigates a novel and determines that it is much more nuanced, with more hidden meanings and clever satiric comments about societal roles, then that theorist might judge the novel to be a more ingenious work than was previously supposed. In this case, the reader can use theory to better understand the work and be in a better position to criticize or judge the work. 

Because theory has become so prevalent in literary studies, theoretical concerns often accompany a critical evaluation. And in that sense, one is doing theory and criticism and the two are necessarily linked. In order to be a good critic, I may need to understand different theoretical interpretations of the literary work. For this reason, many modern critics use theory in evaluating a literary work, and you will find that the terms "criticism" and "theory" are often used interchangeably. 

What's a good summary of Beyond God the Father?

Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women's Liberation is a theological work by feminist philosopher Mary Daly. First published in 1973 and revised in 1993, Beyond God the Father argues that society should stop using misogynistic terms (He, Father, etc.) to refer to the ultimate being. She believes this is necessary because referring to God as a male-being implicitly elevates the value of men above women. As she previously wrote: "If God is male, then male is God."

Thus Daly believes that a necessary step in the women's liberation movement is to refer to God--not as a noun--but as a verb: a transcendent "be-ing" rather than a man. Failing to remove misogynistic terminology from religion would render women incapable of ever gaining full religious equality. By extension, women should participate in the power of "be-ing;" they should liberate words and terms from their patriarchal pasts and re-appropriating them to create a new, non-patriarchal system of society.

How do Tom Simpson and Piney Woods bring out the best in other characters?

Tom and Piney bring out the best in three of the outcasts, because Piney and Tom are innocent and completely clueless.  Tom believes that Oakhurst is a good man, because Oakhurst gave back to Tom all of the money that he lost while betting against Oakhurst.  Tom also doesn't know that Mother Shipton and Duchess are prostitutes.  In fact, he thinks that Oakhurst and Duchess are married.  

Basically, Tom and Piney initially think the best of each of the outcasts, and Tom and Piney treat them as such.  It has probably been a long time since anybody looked at Duchess and Mother Shipton without disdain or as a sexual object.  Because Tom and Piney are seeing the best in the group, the group does not want to disappoint those initial impressions; therefore, the three outcasts have the very best brought out of them, because they like being seen like that again. 

What are similarities and differences between Paris' and Romeo's passion for Juliet?

A similarity between Romeo's and Paris's feelings for Juliet is that they both desire her.  Another is that both men are willing to commit their lives to Juliet through the vows of marriage.  Both men are also unwilling to wait until Juliet "ripens."  Romeo insists on marrying her right away, as does Paris.  

I don't believe that either man loves Juliet.  I said that they both desire her.  I've always thought that Romeo is more in love with the idea of being in love than anything else.  He bounces really quickly from being in love with Rosaline to being in love with Juliet.  She is his current "flavor of the week."  I don't think Paris is in love with her either.  I think Paris sees Juliet as a piece of property that will add to his status and influence.  

I think a difference in their passions is the intensity of their desire for Juliet.  Romeo is much more passionate about being around Juliet.  He pursues her and craves to spend time with her.  I don't ever get that feeling from Paris.  

Why did Virginia wish to retain the empty casket of jewels in "The Canterville Ghost"?

The pure Virginia helps the Ghost die and go to his final resting place in peace. In return, he gives her a casket of valuable Canterville family jewels. Virginia, being an American brought up on sturdy Republican principles, has, her father explains, no interest in the costly "trinkets" or "vain gauds," as Mr. Otis describes the jewels. However, she would like to keep the empty casket as a remembrance of the Ghost. As Mr. Otis puts it: 

Perhaps I should mention that Virginia is very anxious that you should allow her to retain the box, as a memento of your unfortunate but misguided ancestor.

However, her father is surprised that Viriginia would even want the casket, calling it medieval and blaming her interest on it in having been born in the London suburbs rather than the United States. 

The current Lord Canterville insists, however, that Virginia keep both the casket and the jewels, which in the end, she does. 

How should I write a sonnet about Friar Lawrence from Romeo and Juliet?

To begin, we must first understand the poetic conventions of the sonnet.

A sonnet is a verse poem that has 14 lines, 10 syllables per line, and adheres to the following rhyme scheme:

ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

This means that the poem consists of 3 quatrains (three sections with 4 lines) where every other line in each quatrain rhymes. Finally, the sonnet ends with a rhyming couplet.

Elizabethan sonnets are written in iambic pentameter, which refers to the metrical "feet" of the poem. In this case, an iamb is comprised of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Pentameter (consider the root of the word: Penta meaning five) means that there are 5 iambs per line, for a total of 10 syllables.

So now that we understand what type of poem we are composing, we must consider Friar Lawrence as a character. He is an important figure, without whom the play would not have unfolded as it did. Early in the play, he counsels Romeo not to be too hasty:

"These violent delights have violent ends. Which in their triumph die, like fire and gunpowder, which as they kiss, consume." (2.6.9-11).

But in spite of that, he decides to marry Romeo and Juliet in secret in the hopes that it will end the feud. He also gives Juliet the means to feign death, and in that way, is a primary reason for the play's tragic end.

Shakespeare is very clever in the way he writes his characters, and gives Friar Lawrence speeches in the style of sermon and sententiae (moral sayings or maxims). This is something to consider when composing your sonnet: he is a man of God; how might a man of God speak?

Furthermore, you must consider the recurring themes in the Friar's dialogue. He spends a lot of time talking about plants, and indeed it is those plants from which he distills the poison that will make Juliet seem dead.

Within the infant rind of this small flower

Poison hath residence and medicine power.

For this, being smelt, with that part cheers each part;

Being tasted, stays all senses with the heart.

Two such opposèd kings encamp them still,

In man as well as herbs—grace and rude will. (II.iii.23-28)

Think about how he functions in the play: as a man who foreshadows the tragedy, and is also a part of it; as someone with wonderfully good intentions, who ultimately has a hand in something terrible; as a kind man who only wants to help, but ends up making things worse. He's a very compelling character, and is certainly worth the 14 lines.

In the book Lord Of the Flies, what made the loudest noise in the jungle?

There are two places in the text where a noise is described as the “loudest.” The first is when the boys kill a pig and decide that they ought to leave a part of it for the beast. Jack decides that they ought to sharpen a stick at both ends and stick the head of the pig on it for the beast. As this is happening, the forest is quiet and the “loudest noise was the buzzing of the flies over the spilled guts.” This is likely meant to indicate the importance of the dead pig and the savagery their kill had exposed.

The second place where a noise is described as the “loudest” is only a short time later when Piggy and Ralph approach Jack’s party on the beach. The large fire is roaring and “the crackle of the fire was the loudest noise over the droning of the reef.”

Shortly thereafter, the storm comes and the noise of it is combined with the chant of the boys as they kill Simon. This noise is described as “unendurable” so it too is a significant one.

Why was this cartoon published?

The two men fighting in the background are supposed to represent Japan and China in the Sino-Japanese War, which started in 1937.  This war was a continuation of another Japanese incursion into China in which Japan took Manchuria in 1931.  The League of Nations protested that one and Japan allegedly left Manchuria, but in reality established a puppet state there.  Japan launched another attack against Shanghai under the false pretense that China attacked first.  Japan's attack into China in 1937 was a violation of League of Nations policy and a violation of the Open Door policy which America helped broker in 1900.  The League of Nations' members were primarily European nations who did not want to engage in a war in Asia and were too worried about Hitler who had just militarized the Rhineland in 1936 and Mussolini who just invaded Ethiopia the same year.  The men in the top hats represent the League of Nations' officials who hope that Uncle Sam (the United States) will step in and broker a peace between China and Japan so that the fight does not leave the room and become a major war.  Uncle Sam appears to be rumpled and not up to the task in this cartoon.  

What are the three methods countries use to defend against earthquake damage?

One method used by the United States is to plan infrastructure in locations that have lower earthquake risks and/or appropriate soil. This method is achieved through USGS produced earthquake risk maps, which can then serve as a delimiting factor for land use planning by politicians (and city planners). When selective land use planning reaches its limitation highways that cut across earthquake prone areas have also been retrofitted with cable supporters (that reinforce the joints between road segments), hinge restraints (that reinforce the connection between the roads and the columns), steel casing around the columns, a layer of grout between the concrete column and steel casing, widening the footing underneath the columns and deepening the pilings further into the soil.

Another method that is used in Japan are building regulations which give skyscrapers the pliability to sway with the earthquake instead of collapsing from rigidity. This architectural (or technological) method is implemented through two techniques. The first incorporates shock absorbers into the foundation of the building, where the second technique partially segments the top portion of the building from a base structure. Other components for building earthquake resistant structures also include cross-bracing (steal beams that cut across to connect the walls) and shear walls (steel bars inside of concrete walls). 

A method used in China is earthquake monitoring and warning systems. The most pervasive monitoring systems is by (digital) seismological observations, which are regionally collected and then transmitted to the national level via satellite.  Computer detection of tremors on the land (as well as the ocean and the ocean-bed) then provide a small timeframe (as in a few seconds or minutes at most) for sending warning and/or implementing evacuation responses. 

What was William Wordsworth's nationality?

William Wordsworth was English. He was born, educated, and lived almost his entire life in England. As a child, he read such great English writers as Spenser, Shakespeare and Milton. Later, after he became famous, Oxford awarded him an honorary degree, and he was named Poet Laureate of England.

Wordsworth did spend some time in France as a young man, where he fathered a child and was much taken with the ideals of the French Revolution. But while the talk of equality, liberty and brotherhood may have influenced his style of poetry, especially in encouraging him to write in the language of the common person and about the common person, he was an English poet through and through, and later in life, a political conservative.

He moved in early adulthood to the north of England and lived in the Lake Country, a beautiful and isolated area filled with hills and water features, where he moved because, by living frugally with his sister Dorothy, he could survive on a small income and devote himself to poetry. He became so identified  with the area that he is known as one the English Lake poets. His poetry is intimately associated with this particular natural English landscape as well as such distinctly English sites as the ruins of Tinturn Abbey. He is a writer, like Shakespeare or Jane Austen, who would be considered an emblem of his country. Once you learn about him, it becomes difficult to forget he is English.

Many historians argue that without French aid the colonists could never have won their independence. How did France help the colonists in the...

The kingdoms of France and England were enemies for centuries before the colonists pressed for independence from England. The French were bitter about their recent loss to England in the Seven Year's War. While not feeling any particular sense of commitment to the colonists, the French could not resist the opportunity to stick it to the Brits.

The French secretly sent money, munitions, tents and uniforms early in the Revolution. Benjamin Franklin was instrumental in this relationship. As a representative of the colonies, Franklin, spent a lot of time in France persuading King Louis XIV to commit fully to the American cause.

After the colonial victory at Saratoga, the French signed formal agreements that established a true alliance between the two parties. The French sent military experts to train the colonial soldiers. French units fought alongside the Colonial Army in battle. The naval support supplied by the French was of greatest significance as the colonists were underequipped in that area.

The alliance guaranteed that neither the French nor the colonists would sign peace agreements with Britain until independence was guaranteed. This was important because the British at different times in the conflict seemed willing to offer compromises to the colonists.

According to James Madison, what is the difference between democracy and republic?

James Madison discusses the difference between pure democracy and representative democracy in Federalist Paper 10.  He discusses how the impact of political factions is different in the two government types.  Madison warns that people with common interests or agendas could form a coalition and if that coalition can form a majority, they can suppress the interests of the minority. As an example, imagine if the lower classes would form an alliance in which they demanded their economic interests be heard.  In a direct democracy, they could control most decisions because of the sheer volume of votes.  This would potentially harm commercial and economic development.  Madison felt that the impact of factions or political parties could be offset by establishing a form of representative government.  In a republic where the population would be larger, Madison believed that factions would remain local and would not spread to all parts of the nation.  Madison believed it was impossible to stop the formation of parties, but their influence on liberty could be stymied in a republic.

What dramatic monologue do you find in Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening?"

Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is an example of dramatic monologue. When a poem is written in this manner is also called a persona poem. Robert Frost does not identify the speaker in the poem, but it has been assumed that it is Frost himself.

The poem is told by a single narrator who is speaking to a general audience. The poem does not contain any dialogue; the narrator simply speaks his thoughts about the situation of stopping in the snow filled woods. He muses about how his horse must feel, describes the night, but never truly gives the reader an indication of why he stopped at that place or moment in time. This allows the reader to speculate on the reasons why the narrator took these actions, and what lies ahead of him as he moves on in his journey.

How much water is formed?

First, let's write the balanced equation for the formation of water from hydrogen and oxygen.

2H[2]+O[2]->2 H[2]O

This equation indicates that two parts of H2 and one part of O2 are needed to form every two parts of H2O.

For simplicity, let's also label the columns in the table from left to right as A through G. 

In column A, zero oxygen is present, thus no water can form.

In B, we begin with 5 parts of H2 and end with 3, indicating that 2 parts were consumed in the reaction along with 1 part of oxygen. We can see from the balanced equation that two H2 and one O2 combined to yield two parts of water.

In C, we begin with 4 parts of H2 and 2 parts of O2. Neither reactant is present in excess (this means both were fully consumed in the reaction). This is twice the material as in B, thus 4 parts of water formed.

In D, we begin with 3 parts of H2 and O2, and have 1.5 parts of O2 left over, indicating 3 parts of water formed.

In E, we begin with 2 of H2 and 4 of O2. At the end, 3 of O2 remain. This indicates that 1 part O2 was consumed, along with the 2 parts H2, yielding 2 parts water.

In F, we begin with 1 part H2 and 5 parts O2. At the end, 4.5 parts of O2 remain, indicating 0.5 parts O2 were consumed, along with the 1 part H2, resulting in 1 part H2O.

In column G, zero hydrogen is present, thus no water can form.

If you were a lawyer and Lennie were your client, how would you make your case for his innocence in the killing of Curley's wife?

In Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Lennie kills Curley's wife in chapter five. Even the best of lawyers would have a difficult time defending Lennie's behavior, but certainly the man's mental condition would be used in his defense. The death is most certainly accidental, since we know that Lennie often doesn't know his own strength. It takes several men to restrain him after he crushes Curley's hand in chapter three. He kills his puppy at the beginning of chapter five and he is positively deadly to any other small animal he gets his hands on. George realizes that the death of Curley's wife, no matter how inadvertent, is the last straw. He is probably right in putting Lennie down, just as Carlson had put down Candy's dog. In the 1930s, Lennie would have been chained up, thrown in a cell and treated harshly. He would not have understood his treatment.

A good lawyer would most certainly try to plead insanity. He would argue that Lennie was mentally challenged and wasn't in control of his actions. The lawyer might use psychologists to diagnose Lennie with a mental disease. Doctors could administer a test (such as the "irresistible impulse" test) which would prove that Lennie suffered from a mental disorder preventing him from appreciating the criminality of his act.

This defense may work because the reader knows that Lennie has a problem. He can only remember things that George tells him. He is obsessed with petting soft things. He also suffers from hallucinations like the ones in chapter six when he is berated for his conduct by an imaginary rabbit and his Aunt Clara, summoned from the dead. The delusions never focus on what he actually did wrong, but on how George will react. Although this defense could very well succeed, Lennie would probably still be locked up. At the time of the story, it would not have been a pleasant experience for Lennie as mental hospitals were often primitive and brutal.

How should I do a small skit about the Treaty of Versailles?

If you are going to do a small skit about the Treaty of Versailles, there are several ideas that I believe you should include. You will want to have several characters in your skit. These would include President Wilson of the United States, David Lloyd George of Great Britain, Georges Clemenceau of France, and Vittorio Orlando of Italy. These leaders compromised the Big Four. You might want to include Adolf Hitler and Henry Cabot Lodge as characters also.

As you write your skit, you would want to show the main ideas behind Wilson’s peace proposal called the Fourteen Points. You would highlight the main concepts such as no secret treaties, the right to self-determination, and the creation of the League of Nations. You also would want to show how the other members of Big Four scoffed at these ideas. You should show them demanding a treaty that really punished Germany.

You should focus on the main points of the Versailles Treaty. This would include the high reparations the Germans had to pay to the Allies, the loss of land by Germany, the weakening of Germany’s military, the requiring of Germany to accept the guilt for World War I, and the creation of the League of Nations.

I would include a scene about the debate over the Versailles Treaty in the United States, and its rejection by the U.S. Senate. You might include some of the conversations Henry Cabot Lodge may have had with President Wilson where he insisted on making some changes in the treaty, and Wilson’s refusal to makes these changes.

Finally, you might conclude with a scene with Adolf Hitler using the terms of the treaty to rally support for Germany to get revenge on the Allies. You could show how he used this treaty and other factors such as the Great Depression in Germany to get power and to eventually start rebuilding Germany’s military. This would show that the Versailles Treaty had some impact on the start of World War II.

Good luck in writing your skit and creating the scenes to show what the Versailles Treaty did, how the provisions were developed, and what the effects of the treaty had in the world.

Why did Bud's mom die in Bud, Not Buddy?

The book doesn't really say why or how Bud's mother died. What we do know is this:

1)Bud was six and Bud's mother was twenty-six when she died.

2)Bud's mother was sick for six days before she died. According to Bud, she didn't suffer.

I said, "I was six years old when it happened, sir. "I don't know why, she was too sick to go to work for six days in a row, then one morning I went into her room and she was dead. But she didn't suffer or nothing, it happened real quick, she didn't even have time to close her eyes, she didn't look like it hurt or nothing."

3)Bud moved to the orphanage when he was six years old, after his mother died.

So, all we can infer from the book is that Bud's mother died from an illness that killed her quickly. What that illness or sickness was, the book never says.

What do the Masqueraders represent in "The Masque of the Red Death"?

In the story "The Masque of Red Death", the masqueraders are the people who were closest to Prince Prospero. They were the people who followed him and did as he wished, courtiers. That is precisely whom they represent, nobles and aristocrats.

The fact that they represent the upper class is very telling. When you think of the masks that they wear, oblivious and careless about the situation going on in the outside, it makes us think of everyone who has blindly followed a leader, or a cause, without really thinking about it. 

Notice how they obey every whim of Prince Prospero. They do not even get to pick their own costumes. If Prospero wants them to look beautiful, or disgusting, or frightening, it was not up to them; they had to submit to whatever their ruler asked. 

it was his own guiding taste which had given character to the masqueraders. Be sure they were grotesque.

Their attitudes are equally telling of what they represent. They characterize them as aloof individuals, and as people who are too preoccupied with the mundane and the superficial to care about what really needs to be taken care of. Like the first line reads, Prince Prospero's own tastes guided them. In fact, he guided them completely. Blindly, they followed. They did not care what was the outcome. They were too busy with the shallowness of it all. 

There were much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm--[...] There were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments. There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. There were much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the _bizarre_, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust.

Therefore, the masqueraders represent the calloused, unsympathetic upper class leaders of the world. They embody carelessness, shallowness, and an overall blindness of what really matters.