What literary devices are used in Chapter 3 of Frankenstein?

Victor discusses what it felt like to think so intensely on the same subject for an extended period of time.  He says that in "the midst of this darkness a sudden light broke in upon [him] -- a light so brilliant and wondrous, yet so simply, that [he] became dizzy with the immensity of the prospect which it illustrated [...]."  Light has often been connected to knowledge in the novel, and thus it functions as a symbol.  Victor describes an intellectual breakthrough as though it were a light pouring over him.  Importantly, though, light can be both life-giving as well as dangerous, just as knowledge can be.

The motif of knowledge returns again in the chapter when Victor tells Captain Walton to "Learn from [him] [...] how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world [...]."  A motif is a recurring symbol that is often connected to theme.  Certainly one theme of this novel is that knowledge can be both a positive force as well as a destructive one.  The light motif is furthered by Victor's assertion that, with his knowledge, he will "pour a torrent of light into [their] dark world."  He believes that he will be able to render humans invulnerable to disease with his discoveries. 

Victor also employs a metaphor when he says that his "eyes swim with the remembrance" of what he thought at the time.  His eyes, of course, don't really swim, but he is describing the tears produced by remembering how naive he was, back before he created a monster (literally).  There are so many tears now, that he compares the quantity of water to a deep pool or a flood.  In other words, he feels great remorse in this moment.

As he worked on his experiment, Victor says that his "eyes were insensible to the charms of nature."  This is an example of metonymy; he does not mean that he literally could not see nature's beauty but that he couldn't recognize it or its value.  Metonymy is the use of a detail associated with something for the thing itself.  In this case, his eyes and his physical sight stand in for his mind, his figurative ability to see truth, or to see what's important.

Victor also uses allusions when he refers to the histories of various countries in the world (Greece, America, Peru, etc.) and the ethical failures of people who failed to realize that we should not apply ourselves to pursuits that "[have] a tendency to weaken [our] affections, and to destroy [our] taste for [...] simple pleasures [...]."

What do the youngest Cratchits want Martha to do just after she arrives?

Martha, the oldest Cratchit daughter, arrives home late after a long morning of work.  Her mother encourages Martha to sit by the fire to warm herself while the rest of the family finishes their Christmas dinner preparations.  The two youngest Cratchit children instead want Martha to hide from their father and Tiny Tim, who are about to arrive home from church.  They see him approaching the house from the window.  Martha agrees and quickly hides behind a closet door.  When Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit arrive inside, his wife informs him that Martha is not coming.  Bob is clearly disappointed at this news.  Martha cannot stand to disappoint her father, so she ends the joke early and emerges from her hiding spot.  She runs to hug her father.

In the book "Lyddie" what is one theme in each chapter?

The way that I read your question is that it is asking for a single theme that is present in each of the book's chapters.  Normally, I might say that is not possible with a book, but it is possible to do with Lyddie.  The reason for that is because each chapter of the book is focused on Lyddie and her actions.  The theme that I would go with is determination or inner strength.  Beginning in chapter one, Lyddie proves to the reader that she is a very brave, resourceful, and determined young lady.  While her family is cowering from the bear intrusion, Lyddie finds the inner resolve to save her family.  That inner strength carries her on through the winter while caring for the family farm.  It carries her on through her awful time at the tavern, and it for sure is why she excels at her work in the mills.  Lyddie simply doesn't know how to quit, and that is shown in each chapter of the book. 

Did William Shakespeare write his works himself?

There are some existing theories that William Shakespeare did not write some of the plays and sonnets that have historically been attributed to him. Most of these are not generally accepted by Shakespeare scholars or historians of the Elizabethan/Jacobean era, but they still exist, and the topic remains one that receives serious inquiry by some researchers. (In other words, it is not exactly a "conspiracy theory" on par with a faked lunar landing). Some theories have posited famous figures like Francis Bacon as the "real" author of Shakespeare's works, while others point to lesser-known, or even unknown authorship. Still others question the authorship of only a handful of Shakespeare's body of work. To be clear, though, most people who study Shakespeare and his world--that is to say, most professional scholars agree that William Shakespeare, who was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, and who worked mostly in London as an actor and a playwright, wrote all of the plays that have been traditionally attributed to him. So in the absence of compelling evidence, Shakespeare's authorship remains largely undisputed by scholars. In any case, his works are studied more for their content than for anything interesting about their author's life.

What differences can be inferred between the narrator and Doodle in "The Scarlet Ibis"?

James Hurst's short story "The Scarlet Ibis" is about two brothers growing up in coastal North Carolina in the first part of the 20th century. The story is told from the first person point of view of the older brother, who is never named. His younger brother is Doodle, a name the narrator gave him when he was still a toddler.

The most obvious difference between the two boys is that the narrator is able-bodied. He is a healthy young boy who lives to run, swim, and box. Doodle was born with major physical issues. For a while when he was a baby, almost everyone thought he would soon die. This difference drives a wedge between the two as the narrator is frustrated and embarrassed by having a disabled brother.

Another difference is that Doodle seems to appreciate the simple beauty of the world more than his brother. He also has a very keen imagination. He loves to sit by "Old Woman Swamp" and either make "honeysuckle wreaths" or tell fantasy stories. When the narrator first takes Doodle to the swamp, Doodle is overcome by the beauty of nature and cries. He says,

“It’s so pretty,” he said. “So pretty, pretty, pretty.”

Doodle weaves vivid stories about imaginary characters. The characters in Doodle's stories all fly wherever they want to go and one character has a pet peacock. These dreams represent Doodle's vision for overcoming his disabilities. Likewise, he is fascinated by the scarlet ibis that is blown off course and lands in one of the family's trees. Doodle admires the bird's fragile beauty, and when it dies, he insists on burying it.

The narrator, on the other hand, is obsessed with the physical aspects of life. From the very beginning he wants a brother who will be an athletic companion in tests of endurance and strength:

I thought myself pretty smart at many things, like holding my breath, running, jumping, or climbing the vines in Old Woman Swamp, and I wanted more than anything else someone to race to Horsehead Landing, someone to box with, and someone to perch with in the top fork of the great pine behind the barn, where across the fields and swamps you could see the sea. I wanted a brother. 

Because of this, he pushes Doodle to be the playmate he always wanted. He initially teaches him to walk, but that isn't enough and he devises a rigorous training schedule for Doodle. Doodle, however, cannot live up to his brother's expectations and, when he fails, the narrator abandons him in a rainstorm.

In the end, the reader may assume that the narrator feels great remorse for the way he treated Doodle and that he was unable to realize the fragile elegance of the boy.

In A Doll's House why doesn't Nora forgive Torvald?

Nora refuses to forgive Torvald for several reasons. Chief among these reasons is the fact that throughout the play, Torvald shows himself to be an uncaring, insensitive man who is ultimately only concerned with his own well being. He berates and belittles her, considering her dishonest and inept among other disparaging traits. He treats her like property, and more of a reflection of his own status than a sentient human being. When he realizes his mistake at the end, he wholly expects her to embrace him with open arms. What he does not count on is Nora's desire for autonomy.

This leads to another reason why she does not forgive him: she wishes to find herself, to strive toward independence. And she can only truly do this by leaving behind a marriage that is built on deceit and disrespect. She cannot forgive Torvald for his shortcomings, and so she wisely moves on from the relationship.

In the book Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, why is the silver tea set important to Lady Seymour?

The silver tea set is likely important to Lady Seymour for a couple of reasons.  First, it is silver, so it is valuable.  She is a member of the upper class, and a silver tea set allows her to host guests in style.  

That is not likely the main reason for its value to Lady Seymour though.  She is wealthy, so she can afford another one.  When her house burns down, Lady Seymour and Isabel try to rescue a trunk full of stuff from the house.  The silver tea set is in the trunk, and Lady Seymour frantically cries out to Isabel that it contains her "valuables."  Unfortunately, the trunk is simply too heavy to be lifted out of the house by the two women.  Lady Seymour is forced to open the trunk and choose which items to take.  In the trunk is the tea set, a small portrait of her late husband, some small wooden boxes, and letters.  Lady Seymour chooses to save the letters, the boxes, and the portrait.  She does not choose to save the tea set.  

I believe the tea set is valuable to Lady Seymour for sentimental reasons.  It's in the trunk that contains a portrait of her husband and likely letters that he wrote to her.  I believe the tea set reminds Lady Seymour of her husband, and that is why it is valuable to her.  

Why did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor? Did it have some strategic value?

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The United States and Japan were having some issues leading up to this attack.

Japan was expanding its control in Asia and in the Pacific. They had moved into China and had conquered several islands in the Pacific Ocean. The United States was displeased with this. We stopped selling Japan oil and scrap metal in 1940. We froze their assets in our banks in 1941.

Japan believed that if they could launch a surprise attack on us at Pearl Harbor, that they could destroy much of our navy and air force that were patrolling the Pacific. They also knew they could inflict damage on our army. If they were successful, Japan believed they would be able to control more land in Asia and in the Pacific.

Thus, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was strategic. They believed a victory over us at Pearl Harbor would allow them to control much land in the Pacific and in Asia.

Why has the book To Kill a Mockingbird had such a profound impact on this world?

To Kill a Mockingbird regularly appears in reading curriculums and on 'must-read' book lists because it deals with universal themes of integrity, fairness, courage, friendship, and forgiveness. 

It is also an accurate portrayal of the South at that time, when African Americans faced blatant racism. The story can be compared to the trial of "The Scottsboro Six," six young African American men who were convicted of raping two white women. Though there was no tangible evidence and the women seemed to be lying, the men were found guilty simply because the women were white.

Atticus Finch reminds us of what it is to do what is right even when your friends and neighbors turn against you because of it. He defends Tom Robinson with the same dedication and skill he would offer a white client, even though he knows the jury will find Tom guilty simply because he is African American and Mayella is white.

The book also teaches tolerance. Scout learns how to look at things from another person's point of view. This ability will grow into empathy as she matures and is certainly a valuable life lesson for anyone: treat others with respect and compassion.

Obviously other works address these themes as well. Part of the great appeal of this novel is Scout's narration. We see Scout's world of childhood games and innocent misunderstandings so common to many of us. She, Jem, and Dill are likable characters, and we watch them grow in knowledge and maturity throughout the novel. The Scout who viewed Boo Radley as a scary crazy man at the start of the story is very different from the Scout who took Mr. Arthur's hand in the final pages of the book.

To Kill a Mockingbird gains its appeal from themes which resonate with many people, characters who are realistic and appealing, a plot which draws the reader into the story, and an unflinching portrayal of a sad time in American history.

What is your overall impression of the children and their games throughout the story? Explain

My overall impression of the children in Anita Desai's "Games at Twilight" is that they are portrayed very realistically.  In the beginning of the story, the children are going stir crazy, because they have been cooped up inside all day.  That sounds exactly like my three children.  They bug the mom so much, that she simply lets them outside in order to get some free space away from them.  

. . . they wailed so horrendously that she actually let down the bolt of the front door so that they burst out like seeds from a crackling, overripe pod into the veranda, with such wild, maniacal yells that she retreated to her bath and the shower of talcum powder and the fresh sari that were to help her face the summer evening.

The children next decide to play hide and seek.  All of my kids are under the age of eight, and they love that game.  So once again, I feel the children are portrayed realistically.  They can't decide who is going to be it, and Mira steps in and starts to boss everybody around.  

The motherly Mira intervened. She pulled the boys roughly apart. . .  "Make a circle, make a circle!'' she shouted, firmly pulling and pushing till a kind of vague circle was formed. "Now clap!'' she roared, . . . 

Again, that's common to any group of kids.  There is always the alpha leader.  

Once Raghu is picked, he starts proclaiming that it wasn't fair and somebody cheated.  

He started to protest, to cry "You cheated—Mira cheated—Anu cheated——'' but it was too late, the others had all already streaked away.

Yep, check the realistic box one more time.  Even at the end of the story, the children are still portrayed as realistic, because they have forgotten about Ravi.  He was out of sight for so long that he simply went out of mind.  That's a great parenting tactic, if you don't want your kids to whine about having something.  Get it out of sight, and soon it will be out of mind.  I think Desai did a great job at portraying the children.  

In Brave New World, what point is Huxley trying to make on Bernard and Lenina's different views on sex? Why may sex be at the heart of the...

Both Bernard and Lenina have been conditioned to reject monogamous relationships and "have" whomever they want, whenever they want. In fact, if a man and a woman see too much of each other, it is considered unhealthy and they must be reconditioned. Bernard, along with his friend Helmholtz, wonder what it would be like to get to know someone better, rather than simply jumping in to bed all of the time. As a result, Bernard wants to get to know Lenina better, but she is strongly conditioned towards maintaining only casual relationships with many different men. By placing these two characters together, Huxley explores what would happen if two completely different philosophies on sex intermingled. It is also a way to bring up the serious discussion about what relationships are for and what they should mean to the participants.

The lesson that is learned from Bernard and Lenina dating is that one must sacrifice his beliefs for the other in order for it to work. For example, Lenina thinks that Bernard is weird for not taking soma and wanting to be alone with her. She would rather be in a crowd socializing, dancing, or playing games. In these situations, Bernard would rather go for a walk and talk with Lenina. She asks him, "Talk about what?" (104) because she doesn't understand emotional intimacy or what he's driving at.

In the end, Bernard ends up doing what Lenina wants to do in order to make it through the night. Bernard tries to explain that he's not satisfied with being an adult during the day and acting like a child at night. She says she doesn't understand what he means and he says, "I know you don't. And that's why we went to bed together yesterday--like infants--instead of being adults and waiting" (110).

This profound statement from Bernard identifies the problem with casual sex being at the heart of human nature. It's as if Huxley is saying that intellectual adults can use their wisdom to make better choices about sex, rather than acting like kids all the time and merely following their natural impulses. Bernard knows that treating sex like a game will not result in true, emotionally intimate relationships; and consequences like pregnancy and abortions would be less of a problem.

What does the oxymoron "serious vanity" mean?

An oxymoron is a use of figurative language in which seemingly opposite terms appear together. Romeo uses “serious vanity” to show his inner turmoil at his love for Rosaline. In this sense, “vanity” means “foolishness,” which is the opposite of being serious. He is deeply in love, though he knows that such passion is foolish, for it takes such control over all his emotions. He mentions also, his “heavy lightness.” His heart is swept away, but this weighs on him in that he is bound to it. He can do nothing but dance through his life. It is a compulsion to be lighthearted. It is a serious business being foolish. As we know, this “serious vanity” is short-lived, for soon he will see Juliet. He will have an equal “serious vanity” for her, which will form the plot of the play. The challenge for the reader is to take Romeo as seriously as Juliet finally convinces herself to do.

In the novel Bud, Not Buddy, Kim and Scott appear to have typical sibling rivalry. How do we know this?

In Chapter 11, Bud spends the night at Mrs. Sleet's house and joins the family for breakfast the next morning. When he sits down to eat, Bud is introduced to Mrs. Sleet's children, Kim and Scott. Kim and Scott share a typical sibling rivalry and get on each other's nerves throughout the meal. When Lefty Lewis and Mrs. Sleet leave for the kitchen, Scott asks Bud a series of questions as to why he ran away. Kim tells her brother that he talks too much. Her minor insult directed towards her brother is typical of sibling rivalries. Kim makes a deal with Bud that she will sing a made-up song, and Bud will have to answer truthfully any question she asks. Kim is trying to impress Bud by singing a short song, and her brother simply shakes his head at her to acknowledge that she is acting silly. Kim asks Bud a personal question about how his mother died, and Scott kicks her leg under the table because she is being rude. Kim says that she hopes her mother never dies, and Scott calls her stupid for thinking that. Kim threatens to tell their mother that Scott called her stupid, and Scott responds by saying he'll tell their mother Kim is hiding a pancake in her dress. Their minor insults and threats are typical of a sibling rivalry.

Work out 18 as a percentage of 24.

Hello!

One percent of something is, by definition, a one-hundredth of this "something".

In this problem, the whole "something" is `24,` and one percent of `24` is `24/100,` or `0.24.`

How much percents of `24` are inside `18`? To answer this question, we divide `18` by one such percent: `18/((24/100)).`

Compute it: `18/((24/100)) = (18*100)/24`  (100 goes to the numerator).` `

Reduce by 6, `(18*100)/24=(3*100)/4,`

then reduce by 4: `(3*100)/4=3*25=75.`

This is the answer: 18 is 75% of 24.

How are women "dangerous" in Of Mice and Men?

John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men, women are "dangerous" because they distract men from their purposes and act as temptresses who cause conflict.

It is interesting that in Steinbeck's narrative there is only one female, other than the mention of the girl in Weed who was the reason for George and Lennie's having to leave a job and "the working girls" in town, who George says take men's money from them. This single female has no name, only the genitive of her husband: "Curley's wife." Trouble brews around her before she is even seen as her jealous husband has "ants in his pants" because he is worried about what she does when he is not with her.

For Steinbeck, in the fraternity of men, a communion which would allow them to have strength and unity, women are Eves, temptresses who disrupt this fraternity. The first time Curley's wife appears. She stands in the doorway of the bunkhouse, leaning against the doorway so that her body is thrown forward in a provocative pose. When Lennie watches her in fascination, she "smiled archly and twitched her body." After she leaves, George scolds Lennie, telling him to stay away from Curley's wife because she is "jail bait."

Further in the narrative, when George is away in town with the other men, Lennie wanders into the barn to find his puppy, but he also meets Crooks, the black stable mate. Then, old Candy comes in, also. When Candy mentions the plans that George, Lennie, and he have for a place of their own, Crooks, who has been so marginalized that he is made to live in the barn, asks if he could join in with them. Afterwards, there is a sense of camaraderie and fraternity is established among them. However, they are soon interrupted by Curley's wife, who even notices the strength men have together:

"Funny thing," she said. "If I catch any one man, and he's alone, I get along fine with him. But just let two of the guys get together an' you won't talk. Just nothing but mad." She dropped her fingers and put her hands on her hips. "You're all scared of each other, that's what. Ever'one of you's scared the rest is goin' to get something on you."

When Crooks tries to get her to leave, she refuses. Then, Candy starts talking, telling her about the plans he and others have, ending by saying they are not worried about being fired because they have their own land "and it's ours, an' we c'n go to it." Hearing this, Curley's wife laughs and ridicules their idea, saying she knows their type and they never save any money. In another effort to be rid of her, Candy tells her that Curley will not like his wife in the barn with such bindle stiffs as he, Lennie, and Crooks. Curley's wife turns on them, especially Crooks, whom she threatens with having "strung up on a tree." But, she leaves and goes to another part of the barn. Unfortunately, Lennie comes upon her and she talks with him, then she lets him pet her hair. But, when the Herculean Lennie holds it too tightly, she complains. Frightened, Lennie tries to keep her from screaming and inadvertently breaks her neck.

With the death of Curley's wife, comes the death of the dream of Lennie and George. Candy stands over her, hating her for having destroyed their plans for a little farm of their own. He curses her:

"You God damn tramp," he said viciously. "You done it, di'n't you? I s'pose you're you're glad. ever'body knowed you'd mess things up. You wasn't no good. You ain't no good now, you lousy tart....I could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys."

After this, Lennie has to hide and George feels he must shoot Lennie to prevent him from being shot or hanged. Their dream is ruined because of this dangerous woman.

Light travels into a camera lens and creates a small upside down image on the inside of the camera. Which of the following best describes why the...

The answer is choice 1: Light is refracted by the lens.

Refraction is the bending of the light which happens when the light enters a medium with the different electromagnetic properties than the original medium of propagation. For example, in the glass, light propagates more slowly than in the air, and the ray of light will change direction when it enters glass. It will also change direction again when it emerges from the glass into air.

The camera lens described in the problem is the converging lens. The converging lens is made in a way so that the rays of light falling on one side of the lens will bend towards the central axis of the lens, or converge. The rays of light coming from far away are considered parallel to the central axis of the lens and they will converge to a point on the other side called a focal point of the lens. Since the light rays falling on the object change their direction due to refraction when they come out of the lens, the image is different in size and orientation than the object.

What does the coral mean to the Party in 1984?

In 1984, Winston finds a piece of coral encased in glass in an old junk shop. It's a paperweight, and to him, it represents the time before the Party came into power, a time Winston dimly remembers from his childhood. Winston treasures this tiny reminder of the old days, even though he recognizes that the old days were not so great.

To the Party, however, the coral represents everything it wants to stamp out. The Party wants people to believe that life was horrible before the Party took over. It wants to control the past. Thus, the fact that Winston owns this trinket is a thought crime. It means his every idea is not controlled by the Party. Even if he had done nothing else, buying this coral--even desiring this coral--shows to the Party that Winston is a criminal who deserves arrest. 

What is a 3-5 sentence summary on Chapters 1-3 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Chapters 1-3 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird are critical, as they provide important exposition for the rest of the novel. An example of a potential short summary of the first three chapters can be found below: 

In the first three chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee introduces the Finch family, describing their lineage and relationship to Maycomb. Lee describes Maycomb as a small and sleepy town, and introduces us to her main characters: Atticus, Scout, and Jem Finch, their servant Calupurnia, and Scout and Jem's friend, Dill. Scout, Jem, and Dill play many childhood games, culminating in a series of dares involving Boo Radley, a local recluse widely feared by children. Then, Scout starts school and is discouraged by the backwards education system and confused by social differences between herself and the poorer students, especially the Ewells and Cunninghams. The third chapter ends with Atticus promising to continue to read to Scout if she promises to continue attending school.

As you can see, a summary is a quick and concise explanation of major events in a given text. Summarizing is an important tool for analysis, as it allows you to ensure that you fully understand the material you've read. Try summarizing these chapters yourself to make sure you understand the critical opening of Lee's magnificent novel.  

Describe two changes that occur in Things Fall Apart as a result of the arrival of Europeans.

In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the two major changes to Umuofia brought about by Western influence include the introduction of Christianity and white settlers bringing Eurocentric models of government. These two changes forever alter the region.

When Christianity first enters the regions, the men of Umuofia disregard its potential influence:

"The missionaries had come to Umuofia. They had built their church there, won a handful of converts and were already sending evangelists to the surrounding towns and villages. That was a source of great sorrow to the leaders of the clan; but many of them believed that the strange faith and the white man's god would not last" (143).

However, the Western religion slowly but surely gains traction and begins to influence the region. Moreover, the Christian faith served as an entry point for Western settlers, who soon change the way that debates in the region are settled by introducing European court systems. They change the judiciary system of the region by incorporating European models and disregarding the customs of the area. Additionally, the District Commissioner becomes an influential force, supplanting the elders of Umuofia. Achebe portrays the court as a patronizing institution, an institution that treats the natives as children, or else sub-human. The District Commissioner contends:

"We have brought a peaceful administration to you and your people so that you may be happy. If any man ill-treats you we shall come to your rescue. But we will not allow you to ill-treat others....That must not happen in the dominion of our queen, the most powerful ruler in the world" (194).

For me, European religion and government are the two major changes that are brought over by Western settlers. 

How can you talk about powerful thoughts and feelings portrayed by a poet without going into too much detail and writing too much? How can I write...

The poem "Digging" by Seamus Heaney is a relatively easy poem to talk about.

Two things are happening—first, the poet is at his desk, writing, pen in hand. He hears his father working outside the window, digging the the garden, among the flowerbeds. This brings him to a memory of his father working, digging potatoes. Then a second memory follows, of his grandfather working, how hard a worker he was, how he could stop for a minute to drink a bottle of milk, then immediately return to his work.

The poet then says that though he can deeply appreciate the work both his father and grandfather did, he himself can't do that same work.

"I’ve no spade to follow men like them."

But he can write.

"Between my finger and my thumb

The squat pen rests.

I’ll dig with it."

Each person has their own special gift, something they do well in their work. This is the main theme of the poem. "Digging" isn't a poem which is very hard to understand or needs to be overly analyzed. It speaks in plain terms of human lives, the purpose, dignity and value they have.

William Shakespeare's Hamlet is a Renaissance hero (par excellence). Explain by making references to the play.

A Renaissance hero was one whose audience was Christian and thus had Christian morals and expectations of their heroes. They were not necessarily of noble birth, although Hamlet was, being prince of Denmark. Also, in comparison to classical tragic heroes, who had a fatal flaw and followed a rather linear path toward their death or comeuppance, Renaissance heroes were of more mixed moral stature and their demise was more complex. 

Hamlet himself is a Christian and helps create his own complex path by passing up the opportunity to kill Claudius while he's praying. He believes that if he kills Claudius while he is praying, Claudius will die absolved of his sins and thus Hamlet himself won't have the revenge he seeks, since the Ghost of his father has told him that he himself died in his sins and is thus: 

Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,
And for the day confined to fast in fires,
Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature
Are burnt and purged away.

Hamlet wants the same punishment for his father's murderer (which is notably unChristian of him). He also is unsure of the ghost's accusations, and thus is determined to find out for himself whether Claudius did indeed murder his father while he slept--hence the play wherein the same act is performed, so Hamlet can watch Claudius' reaction. 

He cannot make up his mind what to do--his indecision is one of the main themes of the play--thus leaving room for a tangled plot. Hamlet finally decides he must kill Claudius, as the ghost has commanded, but in the process he accidentally kills Polonius (who was eavesdropping in the curtains), causing Laertes (his son) to seek revenge; his fiancee, Ophelia, goes mad and drowns; his mother drinks the poisoned wine he'd arranged for Claudius to drink and dies, and Hamlet finally stabs Claudius, and accidentally kills Laertes (because Laertes has poisoned his own sword, and the swords were swapped in the duel). Hamlet dies from the poisoned sword himself (and drinking what's left of the poisoned wine, to make sure). He leaves a path of bloodshed behind himself because he chose to not kill Claudius when the death would have been clean. 

What plan do Athena and Telemachus devise to overcome the suitors in the Odyssey?

Athena advised Telemachus to first make his case before the assembly of Achaean heroes and ask the suitors to leave. The goddess also stated that if Penelope, Telemachus’s mother was bent on getting married again, he should send her back to her father’s place. Athena further asked Telemachus to pay a visit to some of his father’s colleagues, so he may obtain information that would help in determining Odysseus’s whereabouts.

The goddess asked him to take with him 20 men aboard a ship. He was to first visit Nestor in Pylos and later Menelaus in Sparta. The information he would receive from these two men would help him establish if his father is dead or alive. Athena suggested that if he learned his father was still alive, he should go back home and persevere another 12 months with the suitors, because his father would be back to fight them off. However, in case he learned of his father’s death, he should head back home, perform the funeral rites for his father and arrange for his mother to be married again. After the ceremony and the rites have been performed, the goddess instructed him to kill all the suitors.

if you hear that your father is alive and on his way home, you can put up with the waste these suitors will make for yet another twelve months. If on the other hand you hear of his death, come home at once, celebrate his funeral rites with all due pomp, build a barrow to his memory, and make your mother marry again. Then, having done all this, think it well over in your mind how, by fair means or foul, you may kill these suitors in your own house.

What is Chapter 15 about in the book Flight to Canada by Ishmael Reed?

Chapter 15 is about the meeting of Quickskill and Carpenter and the later meeting of Quickskill and Quaw Quaw. He and Carpenter talk about Carpenter's upcoming flight to Toronto, Canada, where Quickskill expects to join him soon. He and Quaw Quaw talk about who she does "frontier" dances for and about whether slavery is "a state of mind, metaphysical." She and Quickskill reignite their old love affair whenever they can. The chapter fades to the sounds coming over the television set of a new play being performed at the Ford Theatre, with Lincoln and Mary Todd in attendance.

Chapter 15 opens with Carpenter greeting Quickskill at the party being thrown. Carpenter talks excitedly about his upcoming trip to Toronto, Canada, where he has a reservation at the King Edward Hotel, a "Gracious Tradition," where he will order a room service breakfast with three breakfast meats: "bacon, sausage, ham."

Quickskill promises Carpenter that he will join him in Canada as soon as he gets his check from the magazine paying for his latest poem, "Flight to Canada." Carpenter asks Quicksilver to read a poem he wrote and to introduce him to "one of them big-time editors." Quickskill puts him off. Carpenter responds graciously with "There's plenty of time."

Quickskill muses about the air of condescension "those free slaves" (Carpenter) take toward fugitive slaves (Quickskill). He contemplates how "slavemasters in Louisiana often freed their sons by African women." Some of these freed sons joined the anti-slavery lecture tour, telling tales supposedly their own but borrowed from "real sufferers."

Quickskill brought "some Paul Lawrence Dunbar cuisine" to the pot-luck party featuring slave food. The party guests were dancing in animated styles, with "local Native American poets" drinking Coke. Quickskill notices the "Abolitionist principal of the Free High School" where "some of the slave children" students had become "surly and unmanageable," thinking of themselves as the people of the "future," as a result of her indoctrination.

Princess QuawQuaw Tralaralara enters. She is a "frontier dancer," a Native American with a "desperado" personality and an ability with native dances, who backs up poets' poetry readings with Native American dance. Quaw Quaw recognizes Quickskill. She walks toward him with "hips moving like those of a woman who swims fifty laps a day"; they rekindle their old love affair.

Quickskill takes a tour of the slave castle, where his ancestors had been chained and "rotted." The tour cost a penny. He got separated form the group and found himself upstairs, entering a room where he finds Quaw Quaw on a spacious bed, reading poetry. They rekindle their love affair, which they do a lot, but turn cool to each other when they have "an argument about the Kansas-Nebraska Act." She says that "slavery was a state of mind, metaphysical. He told her to shut" up.

Quaw Quaw defends herself and attacks Quickskill by saying, "You're just not broad enough, Quickskill. You're...you're too...too ethnic. You should be more universal." Quickskill responds, "How can I be universal with a steel collar around my neck and my hands cuffed all the time and my feet bound? I can't be universal bound." He talks with praise about "Abe the Illinois Ape" and about how he's "standing up to them" and that the "South can't continue Camelot."

Watching Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd at the Ford Theatre, Lincoln waving back to the cheering audience, Quaw Quaw breaks in by calling Lincoln that "hick," then talking about how her "professors at Columbia talk about him" and his "Corn belt accent" and stovepipe hat. She wants to go back to her Columbia professors and join in their tea parties. Quickskill insults her professors' poems for sounding like "a summer home on Long Island, about three o'clock in the morning." Quaw denounces all his "race talk all the time."

Quickskill returns to the idea of the fall of Camelot: "Camelot. Camelot West, Camelot East, Camelot South," and denounces Quaw Quaw's pirate husband for his treatment of a swami from India. They sink back on the sofa in another embrace as "Tom Taylor's new play was about to begin" over the television; she had been "between him and the television set." Some of Tom Taylor's uninspired play forms the background ambience:

ASA: There was no soft soap.
DE B: Soft soap!
AUG: Soft soap!
VER: Soft soap!
Mrs. M: Soft soap!
FLO: Soft soap!
GEO (on sofa): Soft soap!
DUN: Throft Thoap?
ASA: Yes, soft soap. ... I'm everlastingly dry.

What does Deza tell Bud about the family sitting away from the rest of the group?

In Chapter 8, Bud and Bugs arrive at a Hooverville where they meet a group of people who graciously feed them. After the boys are done eating, they gather everyone's dirty dishes and clean them at the creek. Bud does the dishes with a girl named Deza Malone a little further up the creek from Bugs. After Bud kisses Deza and they finish doing the dishes, they begin to walk back to the main fire. On the walk back, they pass a family of white people sitting by a small fire. They notice that they have a sick baby and their clothes are in terrible condition. The family is so poor that they are eating dandelion soup. Bud asks Deza why they are sitting off alone. Deza says that they've been invited to sit at the main fire. Some people even offered them food and blankets, but the man said, "Thank you very much, but we're white people. We ain't in need of a handout." (Curtis 77) The man's refusal to accept help from African Americans displays his prejudiced beliefs. Despite being in the same pitiful situation as the other families, the white family declines help because they are racist.

Who were the SS in Night?

The SS, in general during World War Two and more specifically in Night, were a military arm of the Nazi party.  The initials "SS" stood for Schutzstaffel.  "Schutz" translates in English to "protection" and "staffel" translates to squadron; put together, this name translates to the "protection squadron."  

There were several arms of the SS, one of which was charged with overseeing the concentration camp system -- from the creation of, and policing of, ghettos to the transport of prisoners to concentration camps and then to the guarding of the camps themselves.  

After the war was over, many former SS soldiers were convicted of crimes against humanity.  The Nuremberg trials, a famous post-war tribunal, found that the SS had committed numerous criminal acts during the Nazi regime.

How does Mark Twain use humor in his writing?

Mark Twain utilizes humor in several ways in his works.

Characters: Twain creates unforgettable and hilarious characters. Tom Sawyer is especially prominent as a clever and funny creation. His train of thought, crazy ideas, cruel pranks, childish logic, imagination, acting ability, and wit cause the reader to laugh aloud time and time again.

Dialogue: Mark Twain is a master of dialogue. Not only are Twain’s characters funny in and of themselves, but also the way they interact with each other causes smiles more often than not—their pointless arguments, clever insults, and plots against one another are often hilarious. As well as using dialogue, Twain utilizes the unique dialects and colloquialisms of the areas around the Mississippi River for his characters, not only giving them the authenticity only someone growing up in the region could, but also using that unique way of speaking to humorous advantage, twisting the accents, superstitions, and phrases into passages so packed with hilarity, the reader has to read them over again to experience the full effect.

Events: Twain often tosses his characters into ridiculous situations. For instance, after running away from home and realizing his family thinks him dead, Tom Sawyer finds he has the opportunity to attend his own funeral. Being the person he is, he takes this opportunity and runs with it, providing quite the entertainment for the reader. And this is only a small event in the life of Tom Sawyer. It seems that character can find himself in a funny pickle easier than not.

Words: Mark Twain describes funny characters, paints funny dialogues, and tells of funny events—and he does all this in a funny way with the words he chooses. Twain doesn’t just tell things blandly. He has a knack for writing in a witty and memorable fashion that leaves the reader laughing at more than just the elements of the story itself. It is the way his stories are told that sets him apart as a clever author.

If you want to laugh as well as think deeply about sensitive and important issues, Mark Twain is your man. His humor and way of depicting life in the 1800s are unforgettable and wonderfully funny.

Some simple examples of Twain's sense of humor can be found here.

Do you think that the use of electronics gets in the way of family bonding? How many hours do you spend on your phone on a daily basis? Do you...

Yes, I think media consumption times get in the way of family bonding.  I teach a unit in my media class about this very same topic.  The minutes per day of media consumption has been steadily rising over the past decade.  There are dozens of studies that have the data to back that statement up.  I've linked one below.  Regardless of the source, daily media consumption totals are consistently over 10 hours per day for a typical American teen.  That's more hours than time spent in school.  That's more hours than time spent sleeping.  I guarantee it's more hours than time spent interacting with family members.  If people are spending more time consuming media in a predominantly isolated fashion, they are not spending time bonding with family members in an interactive, social situation.  

As for how much time you spend on your phone on a daily basis, you will have to track that on your own.  According the survey data that I provided, the average is almost three hours per day.  

Do I think children lack knowledge because of the frequent use of electronics.  Yes and no.  Yes, I'm sure that some knowledge is being lost.  But that lost knowledge is being replaced with other information.  People's brains are not turned off when consuming electronic media.  They are still learning, but it might not be what they should be learning at that time. 

How does Dickens use literary devices in "The Signal-Man"?

In "The Signal-Man," Dickens uses a number of literary devices to emphasise his key themes and to build suspense as the story develops. 

To illustrate this, look at how Dickens uses point of view. From the title, we might expect the story to be told from the signalman's perspective. But, in fact, the story is told from the perspective of a male visitor. Everything we learn about the signalman, we learn from this visitor's point of view. By doing this, Dickens transforms the signalman into a mysterious character, therefore building suspense as the story develops.

Similarly, Dickens uses language to heighten the signalman's sense of mystery. Imagery transforms his environment, the signal box, into a mysterious and other-worldly sort of place. This is created with words like "trench," "dungeon" and "gloomy." In this "oozier" and "wetter" place, the narrator feels as though he has left the "natural world," and this is very effective in creating a sense of mystery. 

In addition, Dickens uses foreshadowing to create suspense in the story. One of the best examples of this comes on the first page when the narrator says:

Just then there came a vague vibration in the earth and air, quickly changing into a violent pulsation, and an oncoming rush that caused me to start back, as though it had force to draw me down.

This may appear like nothing more than a description of a passing train but its position in the text suggests that something important and momentous is about to happen. As we later learn, this first meeting between the narrator and the signalman is indeed significant: it represents the beginning of the signalman's demise. 

In what way does the setting, decribed in lines 1-21, suggest or foreshadow later events?

The opening lines of "The Monkey's Paw" evoke the picture of a happy, cosy little family living in an isolated new housing development surrounded by barren acres. The weather is very bad--which in fiction often foreshadows trouble. Mr. White gives a vivid description of the exterior setting in an outburst of temper after he loses a game of chess to his son Herbert.

"That's the worst of living so far out," bawled Mr. White, with sudden and unlooked-for violence; "of all the beastly, slushy, out-of-the-way places to live in, this is the worst. Pathway's a bog, and the road's a torrent. I don't know what people are thinking about. I suppose because only two houses in the road are let, they think it doesn't matter."

In the last part of the story there will be someone knocking at the front door. It could be Herbert returned from  the dead in response to Mr. White's enforced second wish. On the other hand, it could be pure coincidence: it could be some stranger who is lost in these dark, forbidding surroundings and is trying to get directions. The fact that there are "only two houses," one of which belongs to the Whites, makes it seem unlikely that it would be a stranger in need of assistance and much more likely that it is indeed Herbert. Furthermore the condition of the pathway and the road make it seem unlikely that a normal human being would be out there in that weather at that time of night. Early in Part II, Mr. White had repeated to Herbert what he had been told by Sergeant-Major Morris:

"Morris said the things happened so naturally," said' his father, "that you might if you so wished attribute it to coincidence."

If "things happened so naturally," how could the dead and mangled Herbert be standing out there knocking at the door? What could be natural about that?

So the reader cannot be sure whether he will see a horrible monster or a harmless stranger if Mrs. White gets the door open? And after Mr. White makes his third wish, the reader will never know.

The cosiness of the little isolated home described in the opening lines of the story serve will serve as a contrast to the coldness, darkness, and emptiness of the house after the Whites' only son is dead and buried. As the story opens, Mr. White and his son are playing chess. Mrs. White is described as:

the white-haired old lady knitting placidly by the fire.

The fireplace is mentioned frequently throughout Part I. It suggests brightness, warmth, comfort, and coziness--all the things that will be lost to the old couple when their lighthearted, witty son is killed in a factory accident. Part III opens with a description of the same house after the Whites return from burying Herbert.

In the huge new cemetery, some two miles distant, the old people buried their dead, and came back to a house steeped in shadow and silence.

The house will seem dark, cold, and cheerless for the rest of the story.The opening lines of Part I are intended to emphasize the probability that it will be Herbert out there knocking louder and louder after Mr. White makes his second wish. These opening lines are also intended to prepare the reader for the radical change that will take place in the lives of the two old people after they lose their son. The despondency and emptiness felt especially by Herbert's devoted mother are what motivate her to force her husband to make his second wish. 

"Wish!" she cried, in a strong voice.

"It is foolish and wicked," he faltered.

"Wish!" repeated his wife.

He raised his hand. "I wish my son alive again."

Under pressure, he does not think of wishing his son to be the same Herbert he was before. Instead, he realizes too late that he may have been resurrecting a monster.

Why is Parris angry with his niece, Abigail?

Parris is angry at Abigail because she is beginning to exhibit a pattern of behavior that makes her seem very suspicious. First, he's heard rumors that her name is no good in the village; she was dismissed from service seven months ago, and no one has tried to hire her since. Moreover, the woman she used to work for is rumored to be staying home from church because "she will not sit so close to something soiled." This is problematic because, for the people in Salem, reputation is everything.

Further, the night before, Parris found Abigail, his daughter, and other girls from the town "dancing like heathen in the forest" while his Barbadian slave, Tituba, chanted over the fire. He worries that she has "trafficked with spirits" and invited the Devil into Salem. Moreover, Betty is now very strangely ill, as is another girl in the town, and so he fears whatever might have caused her condition. Finally, he seems mostly angry with Abigail because she could be endangering his position in the town. He says that he has "many enemies," and that they will find out if there is anything questionable happening in his house and "ruin" him with it.  

Described in Chapter Two, what are some of the ways that the Hazara community is oppressed?

In Chapter Two, Khaled Hosseini clearly delineates the oppression of the Hazara community with sensitivity; the social stigma that attaches to Hassan and Amir's accidental discovery of the Hazara people's history tells us volumes about Hazara suffering.

In the chapter, Amir relates how Hassan has always been made fun of by people in their little community. Hassan's shame is compounded for two reasons: his mother was known for her infidelity to his father, and his own Hazara features plainly announce his lowly heritage. Other children in the neighborhood frequently address Hassan as a flat-nosed 'Babalu' or Boogeyman. In one of his mother's old history books, Amir learns that the Hazaras are also known as 'mice-eating, flat-nosed, load-carrying donkeys.'

The truth is that, Amir's people, the Pashtuns, have always oppressed the Hazaras. Because Hazaras are Shia Muslims and Pashtuns are Sunni Muslims, the enmity between the two communities continues to this day. When the Hazaras tried to defeat the Pashtuns in the 19th century, the Pashtuns had reacted mercilessly. The will of the Hazara people was crushed through pogroms (organized slaughter/massacre), the destruction of Hazara land and property and the sale of Hazara women into servitude. To make matters worse for Hassan, his mother, Sanaubar, had joined with the larger Pashtun community in ridiculing both Hassan and his father, Ali.

This is obviously a firsthand account of a visit by the author to McCandless's parents. Why did he visit them?

Author John Krakauer went to visit the parents of Chris McCandless for the same reason he went to visit and interview other people who had had interactions with Chris. Krakauer needed their input in order to better understand Chris and his motivations. By interviewing Chris McCandless's parents, Krakauer was hoping to get a better understanding of why Chris left his family in the first place. Chris didn't simply leave his family's home and continue to keep in touch. Chris left and dropped all contact with his parents, with no explanation. Krakauer needed to hear their thoughts about whether or not Chris was acting strangely or any other information that might allow Krakauer to write Chris's story more convincingly. Without any kind of insight into what Chris was like as a young child and just prior to leaving on his grand adventure, Krakauer's account would be nothing more than a boring police file that presents nothing but facts. By interviewing the various people who had had contact with Chris, Krakauer could tell a story about a real person with hopes and dreams.

How does conduction takes place in solids, liquids, and gases?

Conduction is the transfer of heat energy that occurs between two objects that are touching. Thus, conduction occurs between the particles of solids, liquids, and gases that collide into one another.

During conduction, heat will always transfer from the hotter to the colder object. Temperature is a reflection of the average kinetic energy of the particles of a substance. During conduction, the warmer and faster particles collide into cooler and slower particles. When this occurs, energy is moved from the warmer particles that have more energy to the cooler particles that have less energy. This process continues until the system has reached equilibrium and both objects are the same temperature.

Because the particles of solids are closest to one another and can easily bump into one another, conduction occurs the fastest in solids. Similarly, because the particles of gases are the farthest from one another, conduction is the slowest in solids.

What is the tone of "How it Feels to Be Colored Me" with supporting textual evidence?

The overall tone that Hurston develops in "How It Feels to Be Colored Me" is lively, triumphant, and self-assured.  Throughout the essay, Hurston discusses the development of her identity, largely as a person of color, and although she expresses times when she feels hardship, she comes out strong.  For example, Hurston says that she thinks discrimination is ridiculous because it robs other people of the opportunity of her company:

Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It's beyond me.

Hurston uses the rhetorical question and a note of sarcasm to criticize others for discrimination.  She knows that she is a remarkable individual, and she will not allow herself to be made to feel in any way inferior.  So, throughout the essay, Hurston's use of figurative language and rhetorical techniques pose her as a strong person thereby developing a lively, triumphant, and self-assured tone.

In The Outsiders, what made Johnny feel so terrible?

There are several moments throughout the novel where Johnny is feeling terrible about a situation, event, or comment directed towards him. In Chapter 6, Dally comes to visit the boys at the abandoned church and takes them out to eat at Dairy Queen. Johnny makes the comment that they are going to turn themselves in. He says that it isn't fair to Ponyboy's brothers that he is gone. Johnny mentions that they must be worried sick about Pony. Johnny then asks Dally if his parents asked about him. Dally snaps and says that they didn't. Pony mentions that Johnny is taken back and doesn't say anything. Johnny stares at the dashboard in bewilderment because he feels terrible about the fact that his parents do not care about him.

Another scene in the novel that depicts Johnny feeling terrible takes place in Chapter 8 while Johnny is lying in his hospital bed. Ponyboy attempts to cheer Johnny up by telling him that he'll be okay. Johnny laments to Ponyboy about how scared he is. Johnny tells Ponyboy that he doesn't want to die because there are so many things he has yet to experience. Johnny feels terrible about his condition and believes that he is going to die soon.

How does the Puritan experience in The Crucible resurface in the modern world?

The modern "witch hunt" that prompted Arthur Miller to write The Crucible were the investigations conducted by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee in the 1950s and 60s.  Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that there were some "two hundred card-carrying Communists" in the U.S. and that they posed a serious threat to national security.  Just like the witch trials, then, the enemy was invisible (and was perceived as posing a very real threat to life).  One could not tell the difference between an enemy and a friend just by looking at them; therefore, everyone becomes suspect.  In Salem, witchcraft was thought to be an invisible crime, known only to the witch and her victim; therefore, the testimony of the victim was typically all that was necessary for a conviction.  It was easy to accuse someone in both situations because it comes down to one person's word against another's. 

Further, those who were questioned by the HUAC and confessed to having Communist ties or sympathies were required to "name names" of others with similar involvement; their testimony was only seen as valid if they could do so.  In the Salem Witch Trials, confessions were only seen as valid if those confessing could name the names of other witches they saw with the Devil. 

Each "witch hunt" led to the ruination of lives and livelihoods (though no one was executed as a result of Communist ties), and created a widespread hysteria that caused people to suspect or even turn on their friends and neighbors.  Further, the responsible parties were never really held responsible for the panic they caused. 

What does the inside of the Sweet Pea restaurant look like?

The confusion of Bud's announcement that Mr. Calloway is his father leaves the band members somewhat shocked. The band decides to take Bud to breakfast at the Sweet Pea restaurant so that everyone can collect their thoughts before speaking about Bud's situation again.

The band's destination is actually a makeshift restaurant at someone's home that consists of folding tables and chairs. Ten folding card tables with chairs are placed around the room. The home smells of enticing home cooked meals and such foods are in abundance on the tables.

The band sits casually around the room and appears to have been at the restaurant on other occasions. A reserved sign marks the table of Mr. Calloway. The band members move from table to table talking, laughing, and eating.

`u = , v = ` Find the projection of u onto v. Then write u as the sum of the two orthogonal vectors, one of which is `proj_v u`.

You need to evaluate the projection of vector u onto vector v using the formula, such that:

`proj_v (u) = ((u*v)/(|v|^2))*v`

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

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

`u*v = (-3)*(-4)+ (-2)* (-1)`

`u*v = 12+2`

`u*v = 14`

You need to evaluate the magnitude of the vector v, such that:

`|v| = sqrt((-4)^2+(-1)^2) => |v|^2 = 17`

`proj_v (u) = (14/17)*v => proj_v (u) = (14/17)*<-4,-1>`

`proj_v (u) = <-56/17,-14/17> `

Hence, evaluating the projection of vector u onto vector v yields `proj_v (u) = <-56/17,-14/17> .`

What relationship is my mother's mother's sister's daughter's daughter to me?

Let's work through this question step by step. 

The initial question is 'What relationship is my mother's mother's sister's daughter's daughter to me?'

Your mother's mother is your grandmother. So you can rewrite the question as 'What relationship is my grandmother's sister's daughter's daughter to me?'

Your grandmother's sister is your grand-aunt. Now the question is 'What relationship is my grand-aunt's daughter's daughter to me?'

Your grand-aunt's daughter is your mother's first cousin, which is your first cousin once removed. Now the question is 'What relationship is the daughter of my first cousin once removed to me?'

The daughter of a first cousin once removed is your second cousin. 

Cousin relationships can be tricky to define. Just remember that first cousins share grandparents, second cousins share great-grandparents, third cousins share great-great-grandparents and so on. 

The 'once removed', 'twice removed', etc. is the number of generations between the cousins. So your mother's first cousin is your first cousin once removed (one generation above you). Similarly your first cousin's child is a first cousin once removed (one generation below you).

In what way is the outbreak of the French Revolution of 1789 a continuation of a struggle which dates back to the early seventeenth century?

In the seventeenth century, feudal monarchies developed into national monarchies in Europe. This change in power structure led eventually to conflict as the rising middle class, especially, desired empowerment for all its services.

A feudal monarchy is a form of government in which power is shared between the nobles and the monarch, whereas a national monarchy is government in which all aspects of leadership, governmental and religious, are controlled. In seventeenth century France, the nobility controlled the government, but a rising middle class of merchants began to attain influence and status in the major cities, especially in Paris. However, since power was legitimized only by heredity, the middle class could lay no claim to power. Nevertheless, the king's alliance with the middle class--merchants, manufacturers, and professionals--which offered him talent and resources, permitted him to build a power structure independent of the feudal system, thus creating a national monarchy. 

Gradually, the bourgeoisie (middle class) began to desire political equality as they gained status, but they had no claim because in the culture of France, power was inherited. They, therefore, organized with the peasants, many of whom owned land and desired to rid themselves of the last vestiges of feudalism, to acquire a status of power that could exert some control on the government. This oppression of the Third Estate, the middle class, is how the Revolution culminated, contended Madame de Stael, who participated in the intellectual and political life of her times. She writes that the Revolution,

...culminated a long struggle for liberty by the real France, the bourgeoisie or Third Estate, against the nobility and the clergy.

How does Scrooge change in A Christmas Carol?

At the very beginning of the story Ebenezer Scrooge is a selfish and greedy man who cares for only his money. He has no friends and he pushes away the only family he has left, his nephew, Fred. He does not seem to care about anyone and is described as being a very cold man.

"External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. Foul weather didn’t know where to have him" (Stave One).

This means he is so cold, in terms of his emotions, that he literally cannot warm to anything. In other words, he is cold-blooded.

By the end of the story he has changed completely. He has seen the error of his ways. He understand how much people are willing to care for him if he will only care back. He understands how alone he is and if he were to die no one would really care- some people might even be relieved. He truly understands all he has done wrong and wants to make it right. So, he goes about becoming a better person by showing those around him how much he cares.

"He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them" (Stave Five).

The Sugar, Stamp, Townshend Acts, Writs of Assistance, Tea Act and Intolerable Act were all actions taken by British Parliament. What was the main...

The main reason why the American colonists protested and opposed all of the actions of the British Parliament that you mention is because the colonists wanted to have autonomy.  All of these actions showed that the British Parliament could do more or less what it wanted to the colonists.  Therefore, the colonists opposed them.

The actions you mention are diverse. There are taxes on trade, like the Sugar Act.  There are taxes on goods used only domestically, like the Stamp Act.  There are things like the Writs of Assistance that made it easier for British officials to enforce laws that the colonists did not like.  What this means is that the Americans would have had different specific reasons for disliking each individual action of Parliament.

However, we can identify one major thing that all of these have in common and that would have angered the colonists.  What all of these actions have in common is that they represent British domination of the Americans.  Each of these actions shows that the Parliament was able to pass and enforce laws that affected the colonists without the colonists’ approval.  When a government can pass laws without the approval of the governed, the people have little autonomy and little power.  This is what bothered the colonists.  They wanted to have the power to govern themselves.  All of the Parliament’s actions showed that the colonists lacked this power and that Parliament was in no hurry to give it to them.  This angered the colonists, leading them to oppose and protest the measures.

What are the major neoclassicist themes in an Essay on Criticism by Alexander Pope?

An Essay on Criticism by Alexander Pope encapsulates the Neoclassical literary theories of eighteenth-century England, a period sometimes referred to as "Augustan" for the way writers self-consciously imitated the classical writers of Rome during the period of Augustus, especially Horace.

The first typically Neoclassical theme is the reverence for the great writers of the past. Rather than valorizing originality or eccentricity, Pope advocates synthesizing meticulous craftsmanship with universal and rationally discoverable intellectual and human truths. He sees human nature and the natural world as part of a vast, ordered cosmos with a divine creator and sees all great art as echoing that universal divine order. What makes the ancient poets great for Pope, and defines the impetus behind the Neoclassical emulation of them, is precisely their universality. Poet phrases this eloquently in the lines:

But when t’ examine ev’ry part he came,

Nature and Homer were, he found, the same. ...

Learn hence for ancient rules a just esteem;

To copy Nature is to copy them.

Next, Pope admires balance and symmetry in all aspects of poetry, with the poetic form suited to the subject matter and the language clear and natural, as opposed to technical and contorted, as he thought the case with the Metaphysical poets. 

Another major Neoclassical element in the poem is its satiric genre. Satire was the mode par excellence of Augustan poetry, using wit to deflate the pretensions of what the Augustans saw as radical innovations and grandiose posturing. 

Please help me to understand what this quote from Tocqueville means. "The sovereignty of the people and the liberty of the press may therefore...

Let us start by taking this bit by bit and explaining each bit.

“The sovereignty of the people” means the power of the people to rule.  A sovereign is the person that is the highest authority in a country.  If the people are sovereign, they are the highest authority.

The phrase “and the liberty of the press may therefore be regarded as correlative” refers back to the sovereignty of the people.  Things that correlate are found together.  It means that the sovereignty of the people and a free press must necessarily go together. 

The passage continues with “just as the censorship of the press and the universal suffrage are two things which are irreconcilably opposed.”  Suffrage is the right to vote.  Universal suffrage means that everyone has the right to vote, although in Tocqueville’s time, this meant that all white men had the right to vote.  So, he is saying that censorship and allowing all white men to vote are necessarily opposed to one another.  This is why he goes on to say, “and which cannot long be retained among the institutions of the same people.”  He is saying that you cannot have both censorship and universal suffrage together for long in the same country.

So, what Tocqueville is saying here is that free press and political democracy go hand in hand.  In order to have a true democracy in which the people rule, you have to have a free press.  You cannot have censorship of the press along with a true democracy in which all people (or all white men) are allowed to vote and in which the people are truly sovereign.

What three factors describe the movement of surface water in streams and in rivers?

A number of factors affect the movement of surface water in water bodies such as rivers and streams. These include wind, channel characteristics, discharge, type of obstructions, etc. Wind creates flow currents that move water. We can see the effect of wind on still water in the form of ripples, etc. A number of channel characteristics including bed slope, shape, roughness, etc. affect the flow and subsequently the surface water. Higher bed slope or more channel gradient causes steep drops and faster velocities, as compared to gentler slopes. Higher velocities will cause erosion of the bed and banks, while slow velocities will cause sedimentation of suspended particles. Higher channel roughness reduces the flow velocity. Any obstruction in the path of the water (such as vegetation, sedimentation, etc.) will cause the flow to slow down or be split into streams. 

Hope this helps. 

How does personification help set the mood in the beginning of chapter ten of Hatchet?

At the beginning of chapter 10 of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet, the writer uses personification to illustrate the importance of the new-found fire in Brian's life. The fire gives Brian great joy:

"It was precious to him... the happy crackle of the dry wood as it burned"

It also creates a new demand on his time, and for the next day the problem constantly demands his attention:

"...he could never leave it. He went to the trees and brought in as many dead limbs as he could chop off and carry... and broke them in small pieces and fed the fire."

The personification of the fire serves to highlight Brian's loneliness. Although Brian's thoughts seem to indicate the fire needs constant care, most readers know that a campfire can be left unattended for some time without any harm being done; in fact, the fire burns down to embers during the night and Brian is able to rekindle it. It's more likely that Brian is the one who needs constant companionship and attending.

Similarly, the personification of the fire shows how fragile and vulnerable Brian believes himself to be. He guards and feeds the fire at every opportunity, simply because he cannot do the same for himself.

What is the dramatic purpose of Portia's statement, "Yourself, renowned prince, then stood as fair / As any comer I have look'd on yet / For my...

Portia speaks this statement to the Prince of Morocco. He has just told her, “Mislike me not for my complexion,” explaining that he is worthy and attractive in spite of his dark skin color. In fact, he is proud of it, and would only change it to impress Portia. Her reply has a number of meanings. She thinks that he is “as fair / As any comer I have look'd on yet,” meaning she admires him as much as any suitor she’s met so far. “Fair” also signifies beauty and a light color, suggesting he is as handsome as her other suitors.

However, Portia is both honest and disingenuous in this statement. She only recently disparaged Morocco for his race, stating that she would not want to marry him “if he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil.” Before that, she criticized every single admirer except Bassanio. In the sense that she dislikes all of her potential husbands, she does consider Morocco to be equal to them—equally disdained.

Why are the characters Joel and Malthace important to the story?

Joel and Malthace act as foils to Daniel, and they each play an important role in the plot. First, the actions and words of Joel and Malthace present a contrast to Daniel's actions and words, making them foils for Daniel. Joel and Malthace are about Daniel's age, and they also want to see Judea liberated from Roman rule. However, they are not consumed by hatred for Rome as Daniel is. They show that one can fight "for God's victory" without holding on to hate.

Joel is important to the plot in several ways. It is because Daniel goes to see Joel to try to recruit him for Rosh's band that Daniel ends up getting wounded by the Roman soldier and seeking refuge at the home of Hezron. There he and his two new friends make the vow to fight for God's victory, and the twins are the ones who expose him to the scripture regarding the "bow of bronze." Later, Joel gets captured while performing a spying operation for Rosh, and Daniel feels responsible for him. This leads to Daniel's confrontation with Rosh, allowing Daniel to see the man he thought would be the deliverer as the selfish bandit that he is. Daniel tries to rescue Joel from the Romans. That effort is pivotal in Daniel's life because it shows him how difficult overcoming Rome actually is and it helps him realize the pain and destruction that his own search for revenge can bring upon others.

Malthace is important to Daniel's character development because she is the romantic interest for him and because she represents the normal life that Daniel could have if he would be willing to give up his hatred of the Romans. Malthace draws out Leah's personality, and Malthace is the one who summons Jesus at the end to come to heal Leah.

Joel and Malthace are important characters because of the way they influence Daniel's character development and because of the ways that they create forward movement of the plot.

What are three reasons that demonstrate why Charlie's life wasn't better after the surgery?

In "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes, it could be argued that Charlie's life was not a better one after his surgery. As he became more and more intelligent, Charlie realized, for example, that the people he thought were his friends from work really were not. They used and abused him. They made fun of him and did some pretty terrible things to him. However, before he gained intelligence, he really thought they were his friends. He loved them and he laughed along with them. As an intelligent man, he lost that. Once he saw who his co-workers really were, he no longer had them as his friends.

Charlie also quickly left everyone behind with his newfound intelligence. He got to the point where it was almost impossible to communicate with anyone including the doctors who performed the surgery.

And finally, he fell in love with Miss Kinnian but quickly surpassed her intelligence, so that they both knew their love would never work. 

Though Charlie got to experience a life he never would have had, he lost at least as much as he gained.