What are some examples of cowardice in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

Bob Ewell, the novel's antagonist, does several things that can be considered cowardly throughout the novel. Throughout the trial of Tom Robinson, Bob Ewell was exposed as an alcoholic liar who assaulted and molested his own daughter. Following the trial, Bob Ewell attempts to enact his revenge on those who "ruined" his reputation. In Chapter 27, Bob Ewell loses his job working for the WPA and openly accuses Atticus of getting him fired. Bob displays cowardice by not taking responsibly for being fired and blames Atticus, who had nothing to do with it. The next person Bob attempts to get back at is Judge Taylor. Bob attempts to sneak into his house but runs away like a coward when he hears Judge Taylor coming downstairs. Instead of approaching Judge Taylor face to face and expressing his grievances, Bob attempts to confront him when he least expects it, which is cowardly. Another example of cowardice throughout the novel is when Bob Ewell attempts to scare Helen Robinson by following her to work and threatening her. Threatening an innocent woman who has recently lost her husband is something only a coward would do. That example pales in comparison to Bob Ewell's most cowardly moment in the novel. In Chapter 28, Bob attempts to kill Jem and Scout when they are walking home alone after the Halloween festival at the school. Attacking defenseless children is by far the most cowardly thing an individual can do.

According to Thomas Cahill, The Gift of the Jews, in what ways did ancient Israel function as both monarchy and theocracy?

Cahill argues that democracy is among the many gifts we owe to the Jews. From the time of Moses until Samuel anointed Saul as monarch, the Israelites were ruled by priests and judges who communed directly with God. Unlike in neighboring countries, the Israelites had no king. Because they lacked a monarch to appoint a priestly class, the people chose the priests and judges. In fact, it was the people who prevailed upon Samuel, who saw the folly in it, to give them a king. 

After Saul became king, Israel moved from being a democratic theocracy, or a state ruled by priests, to a monarchy, a state with a king in charge. As God had warned, monarchy had its problems, among them taxation, but God told Samuel to give the people what they wanted so they could see for themselves what it was like. Monarchy would remain the dominant form of government for a very long time and the old, more democratic ways in Israel would fade.  

As Cahill puts it, "because power adheres to the powerful, confirmation by the people has [had] fallen into disuse." In other words, once you move from theocratic democracy to monarchy, it's hard to go back again.

What was the legacy of England's King George?

King George is most known for losing the American colonies, but his legacy is much more than that single failure. In fact, it was mostly the policy of the parliament and his prime ministers that botched colonial rule in America. While George fervently opposed American independence until the end, it was the policies of others in the government that ultimately lost the colonies. George would rule over England for almost sixty years. He was one of the most cultured of monarchs in England's history with a keen interest in books and fine art. He also founded the now-famous Royal Academy of Arts.  King George was also interested in the sciences and agriculture.  

George was known to read all of the reports from within his government and was deeply involved in the day-to-day politics of England at the time. Many saw this as a threat to the constitutional monarchy, but George did not usurp power at the expense of parliament. He also maintained the supremacy of the Church of England and was known to be a loyal family man and husband.

How does Dickens present the idea of compassion through the presentation of Joe in Great Expectations?

The orphaned Pip's much older brother-in-law Joe, a blacksmith, is the essence of compassion in this novel. From the start, there's no question he will welcome Pip into his home with open arms: "God bless the poor little child ... there's room for him at the forge," Joe says. During Pip's childhood, Joe befriends him and tries to protect him from the abuses of his wife, Pip's bad tempered and difficult sister.

Joe sticks by Pip with kindness and understanding even when Pip is ashamed of him and doesn't to want to be seen with him. Joe's steady goodhearted generosity contrasts sharply with Pip's pretensions and social climbing. Through creating a character as compassionate, grounded and good as Joe, Dickens' critiques the snobbery of the more flawed and human Pip, who wishes to climb to a higher social status in a way Joe never does and never could, because Joe is content in his own skin. 

Joe confounds Jagger by valuing people more than money, another sign of Joe's compassion. Joe is satisfied to remain a blacksmith and willing to love Pip whether or not he has money or status. He loves Pip for being Pip, and it never crosses his mind to use him. He provides a contrast to unhappy characters, such as Miss Havisham, who want to make Pip suffer. 

Even after Pip has disrespected and neglected him, Joe remains faithful and loving, stating the following: "dear old Pip, old chap," said Joe, "you and me was ever friends."

Why did Daniel run away?

Five years before the story begins, Daniel ran away to the mountain to escape from his apprenticeship to Amalek, a blacksmith in the village. Daniel lived with his grandmother, who found herself unable to support Daniel and his sister. When Daniel became old enough, Daniel's grandmother in a sense sold Daniel to be Amalek's apprentice for a specified number of years. Amalek was a cruel master, but that was not the only trauma in Daniel's life. The downward trajectory in Daniel's life began when his father was crucified by the Romans for trying to rescue Daniel's uncle from being enslaved by the Romans for not paying his taxes. After Daniel's father and uncle were both crucified for the attempted escape, Daniel's mother became very ill from grief. She passed away shortly after. Leah, Daniel's sister, became withdrawn and silent after that. Daniel burns with hatred toward the Romans because of how they have destroyed his family. After one particularly brutal beating from Amalek, Daniel ran away from the village to the mountain, where Rosh accepted him into his band. He cannot return to the village because he still owes his service to Amalek.

In An Inspector Calls, what is the significance of inspector Goole ?

Inspector Goole, as his name implies, represents the unnatural or spiritual. The name is a play on the word 'ghoul' which is an evil spirit or a phantom. Furthermore, the word can also refer to a person who has an unnaturally morbid fascination with death or disaster.

The inspector fits both descriptions, since his arrival and departure are both quite surreal because he leaves just as mysteriously as he comes - he literally disappears into thin air. Added to that, he has an uncanny knowledge of all the characters and he shows a fixation with the deceased Eva Smith and repeatedly mentions the circumstances and conditions of her demise. A normal person would not focus so much on the finer detail. The inspector, though, almost seems to relish talking about Eva's death, as illustrated in the following extracts:

Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She'd been taken there this afternoon because she'd swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course.

When I was in the Infirmary looking at what was left of Eva Smith.

That was what I asked myself tonight as I was looking at that dead girl.

A girl died tonight. A pretty lively sort of girl, who never did anybody any harm. But she died in misery and agony - hating life -

Yes, she's dead.

We soon realize that inspector Goole's purpose is to remind the Birlings, as well as Gerald Croft, that they are responsible for other's destiny. They hold the lives of others in their hands and should, therefore, be more responsible. Furthermore, he makes it clear that none of his audience can be absolved:

This girl killed herself - and died a horrible death. But each of you helped to kill her. Remember that. Never forget it.

He wants to make it pertinently obvious that each one had a role to play in the unfortunate girls' suicide. In each instance, each one was culpable in driving her closer to the edge. The inspector wishes that they would all accept what they had done and not forget it. 

Inspector Birling is a symbol for humanity's moral conscience. It is our conscience that makes us judges of our own character. Our integrity is based on the level of responsibility we acknowledge for our role in what happens to others. Inspector Goole came not only to remind his immediate audience but also those of us who watch or read the play. We should be guided by a moral compass that reminds us of the evil of prejudice and arrogance. Since his listeners in this regard were careless, manipulative and abusive because they thought themselves better than Eva Smith, they destroyed her.

This, ultimately, is the lesson that we must all learn: We are responsible for what happens to others if we have the power to manipulate and affect their lives and, we must acknowledge our culpability and our guilt if our actions result in a tragic outcome for those who had become our victims. The inspector came to remind us all of that.  

What two processes in the water cycle increase the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere?

Two main processes are involved in increasing the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. These two processes are known as evaporation, and transpiration.

Evaporation is generally defined as the process by which water turns from a liquid back into a vapor or gas. This occurs due to heat energy from the sun heating up liquid water molecules in bodies of water, such as streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans, causing them to change from a liquid state to a gas, or vapor, state. It is noted that the majority of atmospheric water vapor is generated by this process (around 90%). Involved in this process, is also a process known as sublimation, when water in ice form (i.e. solid form) is converted directly to its gas form (i.e. water vapor), although this occurs rarely and only accounts for a small amount of water vapor in the atmosphere generated by evaporation. 

Alternatively, transpiration, which can generally defined as water vapor given off by plants, via the same mechanism as evaporation from bodies of water, is responsible for also generating a small portion (around 10%) of water vapor in the atmosphere. During this process, water evaporates through pores, located on plants and their leaves.  

Together, these process are collectively known as evapotranspiration, and provide the atmospheric water vapor necessary to drive the water cycle. Hope this helps!

What are some adjectives that describe Dolphus Raymond in "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

A social pariah in Maycomb, Mr. Dolphus Raymond is non-compliant with the social mores of the white community, free-thinking, unbiased, somewhat misanthropic, gentle-natured, kind, observant, sympathetic, and thoughtful.

• non-compliant with society and free-thinking

Breaking unwritten social laws, Mr. Dolphus lives by the county line with "a colored woman and all sorts of mixed chillun," Jem tells Scout.

In Chapter 20, after Jem and Scout walk an emotionally disquieted Dill outside the courthouse, Mr. Dolphus Raymond approaches the children and offers Dill a sip of his bottle hidden in a paper sack. As he does so, he jokingly asks them not to reveal his secretive drinking of only a Coca-Cola, rather than liquor, as the community believes. He explains that he only pretends to be a drunkard since the community's belief that he is an alcoholic gives them reason to tolerate his living the way he does. 

When I come to town, if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond's in the clutches of whiskey--that's why he won't change his ways. He can't help himself....

Mr. Raymond does not believe as many other whites do that the blacks are inferior and there should be no association between the races. He rejects the conventional wisdom and lives his life without bias, staying on the "wrong side of the tracks" and fathering mixed children.

• misanthropic

Mr. Raymond is fairly disgusted with human nature. He tells Dill,

Cry about the simple hell people give other people--without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people, too."

Then, he addresses Scout, informing her that Atticus is not a "run-of-the-mill man," and in a few years she will understand what his remark means. Further, he tells the children to return to the courthouse and they will learn about Maycomb.

• gentle-natured and kind

Certainly, Mr. Raymond's treatment of Dill and the children demonstrates his kind heart. While he mentions the town, he does not specifically censure any one person or other persons.

Quickly, Mr. Raymond observes Dill's discomfiture, and he rushes to aid him by offering his Coca-Cola. In addition, his judgments of the townspeople indicate his powers of observation.

• sympathetic and thoughtful

Mr. Raymond acts with compassion for Dill, consoling him and offering his Coca-cola to the boy. Further, he remarks that Dill will become more accustomed to the cruelty of men for others, and he will not, then, cry as he does this day: "Let him get a little older and he won't get sick and cry."

How are the novels Beloved and Dracula similar and different in their presentation of the supernatural?

While both Dracula and Beloved deal with the supernatural, their approaches to the subject/genre are very different.  With Dracula, Bram Stoker tells a chilling story of an evil entity driven to consume mankind, while Morrison's Beloved presents a ghost that devours because it doesn't know any better. 

Dracula's titular character consumes everything in his path in order to survive.  After luring Jonathan Harker to his castle, he imprisons him and feeds off Harker repeatedly as he prepares to travel to England.  Dracula then leaves Harker behind in the care of thralls and continues to England, feeding upon the crew of the Demeter along the way, using his supernatural powers of strength, concealment, and shape-shifting to remain undiscovered.  By the time the ship reaches shore, there is no living creature left aboard.  He then moves through England, turning Lucy Westenra into a vampire and biting Mina Harker (Jonathan's wife) and attempting to convert her to vampirism as well.  His ultimate plan is to settle in various houses throughout the country to expand his feeding grounds, consuming at will.  He is shown to be a great evil to the world, using his powers to kill and control nearly at will.  When he is finally destroyed, Mina is freed from his grasp, the remaining characters are able to begin the process of healing, and England (and perhaps the world) are saved.

Beloved, on the other hand, also deals with a nearly all-consuming supernatural character in the form of the ghost that shows up to 124 Bluestone Road.  Beloved, the ghost, does consume and draw the life out of those closest to her (Sethe, primarily, and Denver), but unlike Dracula she is not bent on destruction.  Rather, Beloved is in one way the manifestation of a baby killed 18 years before, when pride caused communal bonds to shatter. 

Upon showing up at 124 Bluestone, Beloved behaves in much the same way that a baby would.  She falls asleep regularly, she has trouble controlling her body, and she is always hungry and often short-tempered.  Her existence would not be possible without the influence of the supernatural.  The title character embodies the spirit of a baby trapped in a woman's body.  She isn't driven by malice but rather the fear of being separated from her mother again.  She spends the majority of the book physically monopolizing Sethe's time while supernaturally consuming Sethe's being.  Beloved also succeeds in driving wedges between Sethe and her relationships with Denver and Paul D, until finally Denver is forced to go out into the community to ask for help.  Once the community begins to understand what is happening, they come to 124 to confront the ghost and, through love, forgiveness, and acknowledgement, succeed in driving Beloved out and saving Sethe.

While both novels seemingly deal with greedy, all-consuming entities, it is important to note the reasons for the consumption.  While Dracula's thirst for blood was a symbol for his greed and desire for conquest, Beloved's desire to initially occupy all of Sethe's attention and then all of Sethe's existence is the result of the baby's loss of that attention eighteen years before.  The supernatural is a major part of both of these novels.  Without the presence of the supernatural, the fantastical plots and resolutions could not occur.  However, whereas in Dracula the supernatural is employed as a vehicle with which to consume society, in Beloved the supernatural exists as a means to heal a community.

What is the symbolism of Galloway only having a right hand and serving Serena the way he does?

There are two ways in which Galloway serving Serena can be symbolic in this work. First of all, since Galloway is in possession of only his right hand this gives a new, and rather extreme, meaning to the term "right hand man" as being someone who is there to assist and answer anything needed. Galloway is loyal to Serena for saving him and for continuing to employ him even though he has lost a hand in his accident. He willingly commits any murders for her that she asks. Secondly, in this poem, Serena is left handed. It is both ironic and symbolic that Galloway, who has only a right hand, serves her. One can also read a little more into this in that Serena is left handed and very cold hearted, while Galloway, who uses his right hand only, does her bidding, but actually has a conscience.

Why is poetry used in The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling?

Poetry—or more properly, song—is used in The Jungle Book primarily to let the jungle animals speak for themselves. The prose stories are all narrated from a third-person point of view, but the songs give the perspective of the animals themselves. Some of the songs, such as the “Hunting Song of the Second Pack” and the “Road-Song of the Bandar-Log" give a glimpse into the lives, habits, and customs of different animals, in these cases wolves and monkeys. Here the songs are similar to traditional working or traveling songs in human society, such as those sung by soldiers on march.

Other songs, such as “Mowgli’s Song that He Sang on the Council Rock when He Danced on the Hide of Shere Khan,” retell parts of the story from a character’s point of view. In this song Mowgli brags that he killed and skinned the tiger, Shere Khan, but he also mourns his expulsion from the wolf pack and human society. He expresses his divided mind, his desire to be part of both the jungle and the village, and his uncertainty about the future:

I dance on the hide of Shere Khan, but my heart is very heavy. My mouth is cut and wounded with the stones from the village, but my heart is very light, because I have come back to the jungle. Why?

These two things fight together in me as the snakes fight in the spring. The water comes out of my eyes; yet I laugh while it falls. Why?

I am two Mowglis, but the hide of Shere Khan is under my feet.

In all of these cases, the songs are also examples of characterization. The songs develop the reader’s understanding of the characters by expressing their own viewpoints. The “Hunting Song of the Second Pack” shows that wolves are strong and proud hunters who are loyal to their own and protective of their young. The “Road-Song of the Bandar-Log” depicts the monkeys as frivolous and care-free. “Mowgli’s Song” shows his two natures and his deep confusion over his identity as an animal and a man.

How did the Great Depression help Hitler rise to power?

The Great Depression played a role in Hitler’s rise to power. When Germany experienced the Great Depression, Hitler made many promises to the German people, including some that dealt with reviving Germany’s economy. For example, he promised to employ people if he was elected. Since unemployment was an issue in Germany, this sounded attractive to many Germans. The German people lost confidence in their democratically elected government to solve Germany’s problems. 

The Great Depression also diverted the world’s attention away from foreign affairs. The United States, France, and Great Britain were all dealing with the impact of the worst depression they had ever faced.  The leaders of these countries were more preoccupied with dealing with the Great Depression in their own countries than they were with statements Hitler was making and actions he was taking. When Hitler came to power, the leaders of these countries also didn’t focus on his rebuilding of Germany’s military and his movement of it into the Rhineland. Dealing with the Great Depression was a huge distraction for the Allied leaders, and Hitler took advantage of this distraction.

The Great Depression played a role in Hitler’s rise to power.

How many points should it take to write a summary?

A summary is a brief account of the main ideas of a work. 

The length of your summary depends upon the work you are summarizing and how many main ideas the piece has.  You want to keep a summary short and not just rewrite the piece but find the main ideas of the piece and then rewrite them being careful not to plagiarize.  A rule of thumb is that each paragraph can have a new main idea depending on if you are summarizing an article, essay, or textbook.  A piece of literature may have less and instead have main ideas suggested by the author’s themes and messages for the whole work.

To effectively summarize, I suggest you do the following:

1.   Read the article underlining or writing down the main ideas presented in it. If it’s non-fiction, follow the one idea per paragraph rule although it may not be structured exactly that way. 


2.   Take that outline and put the main ideas in your own words making sure you include some signal words or phrases like, “The article also states . . . “ or “Another main idea of the article is . . . “


3.   Make sure you include the title of the work and the author at the beginning of your summary. 


4.   Don’t present your own personal opinions since a summary is just a writing that outlines another work’s main ideas.


5.   Make sure you cite your source correctly if asked to include a bibliography.


6.   I tell my students that a summary should be one-fourth to one-third the length of the original work.  Keep your summary short and sweet, but remember to summarize the entire work. You can also combine ideas with the use of sentence variety.

In Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel, what impact does the magazine and its photographs have on Sidi?

When Sidi first hears about her images printed in the magazine she instantly becomes conceited and filled with confidence. One of the village girls tells Sidi that she looks stunning and that her picture takes up two entire pages. Another village girl tells Sidi that the Bale is jealous because Sidi has brought more honor and prestige to the village because of her beauty than Baroka ever has. When Sidi finds out that Baroka's image is only found in a small corner of the magazine she comments, "I am more esteemed than Bale Baroka, the Lion of Ilujinle" (Soyinka 11). Sidi believes that she is the most important and famous person in Ilujinle. She immediately refuses to consider Lakunle for marriage because of her fame and claims that the Bale is no longer relevant. Sidi brags about the hearts that she will break, and when Sadiku petitions her to marry Baroka, Sidi refuses. Sidi becomes narcissistic and arrogant and even begins to insult Baroka. She also refers to herself as "the jewel of Ilujinle." Sidi's new attitude surprises and worries Sadiku. However, Baroka uses Sidi's infatuation with herself to gain her trust and successfully seduce her.

What does the framed picture of the woman in the furs represent, and how does it lend to the story's allegory?

The fact that Gregor clipped the picture of the woman in furs out of a "glossy magazine" really shows us just how alienated from humanity his job as a salesman has made him.  He recognizes the fact that his "grueling job" means that he has to endure the "torture of traveling, worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours, constantly seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get more intimate."  Gregor's job has turned him into someone who has little else in his life except work; he does not even have time for relationships.  The picture of the beautiful woman from the magazine highlights the relationships that he doesn't have; her furs seem to represent even his lack of money despite the fact that he is always working.  She is everything he wants and cannot have because of his job.

This picture, then, lends to the story in that it is a particularly sad symbol of everything of which the worker in a capitalist economy is deprived.  The worker, no matter how hard he works or how much he sacrifices, can never get ahead.  All Gregor does is work, day in and day out, and so when he changes into a bug, his change is really only a physical manifestation of his already-existing mental and social state.  His entire identity is staked on his status as a worker.  If he loses that status, he has nothing left.  The woman in furs shows this.  The fact that Gregor doesn't have a real-life woman to put into his frame highlights his alienation and isolation, the result of his job, and her obvious wealth emphasizes his lack of it, despite the fact that his entire life is consumed by his work.

How can I write a critical appreciation of the poem "When I'm An Old Lady" by Joanne Bailey Baxter?

The poem "When I'm An Old Lady" by Joanne Bailey Baxter is a poem meant to convey to the reader, in a humorous way, the trials and tribulations of being a parent. Joanne Bailey Baxter has written a six-stanza poem of four lines per stanza. Sandwiched in between each stanza is a one-line refrain or chorus to drive home the point that this woman looks forward to living with her kids when she’s aged so she can engage in some “payback” in a way.

She is not vindictive at all; she just wants her adult children to realize that raising them was not a piece of cake, and now they can experience what she went through as they take care of her.

The poem employs rhyme in each stanza. In addition, the tone of the poem is delightfully mischievous as this woman plans ways she’ll “get back” at her kids. She says “I'll not eat my green beans or salads congealed.  I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table…” Her goal is to do all the annoying things to her kids that her children did to her when they were young.

She actually sees the fun in all of this and knows that her children will ultimately see the humor in this as well. In reality, this woman will probably not do all these things, but she may do some of them, in jest, to make her point. It’s obvious that she’s a lively, vibrant person and is embracing forthcoming old age with exuberance and a unique sense of purpose.

What’s funny in this poem, written in clear, everyday, straightforward language, is that her children will probably trumpet the refrain that this woman no doubt did so many times at the end of each tiring day—they will ultimately say:

"She's so sweet when she's sleeping!"

In other words, their respite at the end of the day will come when this aged woman is sleeping peacefully, building energy for the next adventurous day to come, when she can once again, with tongue-in-cheek, engage in some payback!

How was Peyton Farquhar tricked by the scout into attempting to burn down the bridge?

Ambrose Bierce provides most of the background exposition in a flashback in Part II of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." It can be seen in the interchange between Farquhar and the Federal scout disguised as a Confederate soldier that the scout is not really trying very hard to trick the planter into trying to burn down the bridge. Farquhar gets himself into trouble, and the scout just allows him to do it. It should not be assumed that the scout's job was to ride around trying to trick Southern civilians into deciding to commit acts of sabotage against the invading Union army. That doesn't seem sensible. Why should the Union army try to create further trouble for itself when it has enough trouble already? The scout is just a scout. His job is to collect whatever useful information he can, either through observation or through casual conversations with civilians. He is mainly interested in movements of Confederate troops and matters of that sort.

The scout specifically warns Farquhar that attempting sabotage could be very dangerous.

"The Yanks are repairing the railroads," said the man, "and are getting ready for another advance. They have reached the Owl Creek bridge, put it in order and built a stockade on the north bank. The commandant has issued an order, which is posted everywhere, declaring that any civilian caught interfering with the railroad, its bridges, tunnels, or trains will be summarily hanged. I saw the order."

This can hardly be viewed as encouragement to commit sabotage. Farquhar is described as s civilian who tries to serve the Southern cause in any way he can. Furthermore, Owl Creek Bridge is only thirty miles north of Farquhar's plantation. The whole Union army would soon be heading his way, which could mean looting his stores of food and freeing his slaves. He has a strong motivation to delay the Union advance by burning the bridge. He asks the scout what could be done to achieve this end.

The soldier reflected. "I was there a month ago," he replied. "I observed that the flood of last winter had lodged a great quantity of driftwood against the wooden pier at this end of the bridge. It is now dry and would burn like tinder."

The scout is only telling the bare facts and not suggesting anything. There is no more conversation between the two men because Farquhar's wife brings the water she had gone back into the house to fetch. Naturally the scout will inform his superior officers that a man might be attempting to set fire to the driftwood late that night. Farquhar will walk right into a trap, but it is his own fault. He is a romantic. He was trying to perform a deed of spectacular heroism by attempting to burn down a wooden bridge guarded by a whole contingent of Union soldiers. There were many men inspired by the ideal of "gallantry" who found out that war is nothing but vandalism and murder. Farquhar will remain a romantic idealist up to the moment his neck is broken by the noose.

What is the chemical equation that describes the reaction between sodium metal and ethanoic acid?

The first step to balancing this equation is to convert the words into chemical formulas. From your question, we are able to write:

sodium metal and ethanoic acid = Na + CH3COOH

Next, we need to determine the type of reaction and the products formed. Because there is one metal reacting with a compound, we will assume that this is a single replacement reaction. Thus, it can be assumed that the following products are produced.

Na + CH3COOH `->`  H2 + NaCH3COO

During a chemical reaction, the bonds of the reactants are broken. The atoms of the reactants are then rearranged to form new products. According to the law of conservation of matter, matter cannot be created nor destroyed. Therefore, we need to check that chemical equation is balanced by making sure there are equal numbers of each type of atom on either side of the equation.

Na + CH3COOH  `->` H2 + NaCH3COO

Na = 1                   Na = 1  

C = 2                      C = 2

O = 2                     O = 2

H = 4                     H = 5

The hydrogens are not equal on both sides, thus the equation needs to balanced using coefficients. The final, balanced equation is written below.

2Na + 2CH3COOH  `->` H2 + 2NaCH3COO

In what ways do D.H.Lawrence and Simon Armitage explore their emotion in ‘Piano’ and ‘Mother any distance’?

D.H. Lawrence's moving poem "Piano" and Simon Armitage's "Mother Any Distance" share a number of similarities in the respective poets' masterful display of powerful emotions. They have a similar rhyme scheme, conveying their respective images through simple couplets that serve to reinforce the fact that these poems are both presented from a child's perspective. The couplets in the poems have a childish quality and are evocative of nursery rhymes. The form of these poems brilliantly reinforce the content. Moreover, both poems have a melancholic longing for the past; indeed, wistful nostalgia tinges the pieces, and there is a bittersweet quality to the works. The narrators in each poem yearn for a simpler time in which they were safe with maternal figures. The narrators' desire for the past shine through with the works' melancholic tones. 

What are 5 important events that happened in Leper's life in A Separate Peace?

Leper is an introvert and a misfit at Devon school. He's a minor character who symbolizes what happens in the wake of Phineas and Gene's dramatic adventures. As Phineas and Gene are competing with each other about manhood, Leper is out looking at nature, examining butterflies, or cross-country skiing. Sometimes Leper will attempt to participate in sports with the boys, or watch them jump out of the tree into the river, but he always seems to be playing near the boys and not exactly with them. He tends to be overlooked or unnoticed for the most part.

Five important events that happen to Leper are as follows: he witnesses Gene jounce the tree limb that causes Phineas to break his leg; his life's goal changes when he sees the ski patrol film; he enters the army prematurely and before anyone in his class; he suffers a mental breakdown and goes AWOL; and finally, he does not betray Gene at the mock trial about Finny's broken leg.

First, in chapter 4, Leper is the only witness to the incident that causes Phineas to break his leg. Leper had actually announced that he was going to jump out of the tree and "save his face" as Phineas calls it (57), but Gene and Finny scramble up the tree ahead of him due to the argument they were in. The fact that Leper witnesses this event is significant later on in the story as the boys create a mock trial to address it. At the time, though, he is dismissed as usual, which is also significant. Leper is that boy who everyone underestimates and never really becomes friends with.

Next, Leper is enthralled with nature. Since all the senior boys will most likely be drafted into World War II at the end of high school, Leper chooses to go into the army because of the ski patrol film he sees. Gene explains as follows:

". . . a recruiter from the United States ski troops showed a film to the senior class. . . To Leper it revealed what all of us were seeking: a recognizable and friendly face to the war" (124).

Leper falls for this because he probably doesn't think he can fit into the war effort in any other way, and that by skiing or doing something with nature, he will finally be accepted somewhere. Unfortunately, Leper does not understand that he will also have to go to boot camp and do other grunt work before qualifying for something like the ski troop. This causes him to be quite traumatized when he finally realizes the army for what it is—hard work and homesickness.

Once Leper is in the army, he can't stand being next to other men all day, every day. He was always one to be alone and away from the other boys at school; so, when he loses his freedom to wander off from the others, he does it anyway and goes AWOL (absent without leave). Not only that, but he is psychologically traumatized by the whole ordeal. Chapter 10 shows Gene going to Leper's family's home to see what happened. What Leper describes scares Gene:

". . . they turned everything inside out. I couldn't sleep in bed, I had to sleep everywhere else. I couldn't eat in the Mess Hall, I had to eat everywhere else. Everything began to be inside out. And the man next to me at night, coughing himself inside out. That was when things began to change" (150).

Leper then has hallucinations about women's heads on men's bodies, and Gene can't handle listening to his trauma. Leper isn't the shy guy anymore. He doesn't care what he says to people, now, so he tells Gene how much he despises him. He tells Gene he knows there's a "savage" underneath Gene's skin, "like that time you knocked Finny out of the tree" (145).

Leper is finally confident enough (or crazy enough) to openly acknowledge what Gene really did to Finny. This creates more tension because now Leper can gain popularity by telling the other boys at Devon what really happened that day. In the end, Leper doesn't betray Gene, but not because they are "friends." He remains quiet about the situation because he sees how the other boys really see him—as a fool. Leper realizes that no one paid any attention to him before they knew he had witnessed the accident, so why help them discover the truth now? Leper refuses to conform to their mock trial by not testifying. Brinker tries to get Leper to talk by saying, "This is important," but Leper responds as follows:

"So am I. . . I'm important. You've never realized it, but I'm important too. You be the fool. . . you do whatever anyone wants whenever they want it. You be the fool now" (176).

Even though Leper seems to be bitter after his rough year, he has gained the confidence to tell the big man on campus to back off. In addition, he has the guts to stand up for himself in front of the others rather than feeling inferior to them. In a way, Leper needed to go through all of these events to see that he is as important as the other boys, even if he doesn't turn out to be a World War II hero.

In Paul Fleischman's Seedfolks, why does Amir tell the story of the Polish woman who had been in a concentration camp?

Amir tells the story of a Polish woman he met, who did time in a concentration camp, in order to illustrate the point that you should not judge a book by its cover and/or reinforce stereotypes. You actually need to get to know an individual if you want to learn about them, instead of making judgments about them based on where they're from or the color of their skin.
 
Prior to telling the story about the conversation he had with the woman, Amir mentions that Cleveland is a city made up of many Polish immigrants. He says that he was always told that Polish men were steelworkers and Polish women cooked a lot of cabbage. Despite what he heard, though, he mentions that he had never actually met a Pole until he spoke to the woman in the garden. 
 
One day, when the two of them are tending to their seeds, Amir notices that the woman isn't thinning out her row of carrot seedlings despite the fact that they are ready. He asks her why she hasn't done so and she says that the task "reminded her too closely of the concentration camp, where the prisoners were inspected each morning and divided into two lines" (Fleischman).
 
She then explains that her father was an orchestra violinist who spoke out against the Germans which, in turn, got her entire family arrested and imprisoned. This revelation causes Amir to view the woman as an individual human being as opposed to just a Polish woman. 
 
About the interaction, Amir says, "When I heard her words, I realized how useless was all that I'd heard about Poles, how much richness it hid, like the worthless shell around an almond" (Fleischman).
 
He then notes that he still doesn't know if she cooks cabbage and doesn't care to find out.

In the short story, "There Will Come Soft Rains," what evidence suggests that the fire is personified?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to personify something means “to conceive of or represent as a person or as having human qualities or powers.”  In the story, the house is personified throughout the whole story, and when the fire starts, it becomes a battle for survival between the fire and the house.

The way the author does this is through his use of verbs.  He utilizes human actions and attributes them to the fire.

“It (the fire) fed upon Picassos and Matisses...baking off the oily flesh…” (Bradbury 2).

Here, the fire is in a feeding frenzy and baking the contents of the paintings.

“Now the fire lay in beds, stood in windows, changed the colors of drapes” (Bradbury 2).

Now, the fire "lays" in beds, "stands" in windows, and "changes" the color of the drapes. Laying, standing, and changing are all human actions that Bradbury has given to the fire to personify it.

When the blind robots appear and fight the fire by shooting a green chemical at it, 

“The fire backed off, as even an elephant must at the sight of a dead snake" (Bradbury 2).

This shows hesitation on the part of the fire and concern for its survival. However, the final personification comes when the author gives the fire the ability to think, and it outmaneuvers the house. 

“But the fire was clever. It had sent flames outside the house, up through the attic to the pumps there. An explosion! The attic brain which directed the pumps was shattered….” (Bradbury 2).

After destroying the pumps,

"The fire rushed back into every closet and felt of the clothes hung there” (Bradbury 2). 

The fire is rushing and feeling. These are all terms that would be associated with a human being. Finally, the fire, which has systematically killed off the house, 

“….burst the house…. puffing out skirts of spark and smoke” (Bradbury 2).

What is the name of the Jewish place of worship?

The place where Jews worship is called a synagogue.  The synagogue is mentioned several times in Lois Lowry's book Number the Stars.  The first time the synagogue is mentioned is when Annemarie sees Ellen and her family walk to their synagogue "early in the morning."  Annemarie notices they are "dressed in their best clothes," just as she and her family would dress if they were going to church.  

The next time the synagogue is mentioned, it is because of an occurrence that has a major impact on the story's plot.  Papa told Annemarie that when the Rosen family had gone to the synagogue earlier that morning, "the rabbi told his congregation that the Nazis [had] taken the synagogue lists of all the Jews."  This means the German occupiers now know who the Jewish citizens of Copenhagen are and where they live.  The Rosen family is now in danger of being arrested, deported, and taken to a Nazi work camp.  This information causes the Rosen family to go into hiding and later escape to Sweden.

From Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, please provide a few examples on how Jem develops the trait of courage.

Jem's courage is first challenged by Dill Harris regarding the Radley house:

"'You're scared,' Dill said, the first day. 'Ain't scared, just respectful,' Jem said. The next day Dill said, 'You're too scared even to put your big toe in the front yard'"(13).

Little did Jem know that he was going to be challenged to do more than just put his toe in the yard. Eventually Dill eggs him on enough that the following happened:

"Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back past us, not waiting to see if his foray was successful" (15).

The next summer after this first trial of manhood, the kids decide to roll Scout in a tire for fun. They misjudge their aim and she rolls right up to the front porch of the Radley house. Jem screams at Scout to bring back the tire, but she runs out of there without it. Dill reminds Jem that he had touched the house the previous summer, so it shouldn't be hard for him a year later.

"Jem looked at me furiously, could not decline, ran down the sidewalk, treaded water at the gate, then dashed in and retrieved the tire. 'See there?' Jem was scowling triumphantly. 'Nothin' to it'"(38).

Another frightful situation that Jem must use courage to endure is Mrs. Dubose. She is an old woman who is rumored to have a SCA pistol with her at all times--but that's not the half of it. She yells at the children as they pass her home and even calls Atticus some very bad names. Jem flips out and beats up her roses with Scout's baton. The consequence is he has to go over and read to the old woman every day until she says stop. Jem bravely goes over on the first day with Scout.

"'So you brought that dirty little sister of yours, did you?' was her greeting.

Jem said quietly, 'My sister ain't dirty and I ain't scared of you,' although I noticed his knees shaking"(106).

That was certainly a brave thing to say; and luckily, Mrs. Dubose doesn't scold him for it.

Jem's courage is ultimately tested far above and beyond running up to touch a person's house, or dealing with a grumpy old woman, when he stands up for his father in front of a lynch mob. Atticus tells Jem to go home two or three times and Jem doesn't move an inch, as follows:

"Jem shook his head. As Atticus's fists went to his hips, so did Jem's, and as they faced each other I could see little resemblance between them. . . Mutual defiance made them alike.

'Son, I said go home.'

Jem shook his head" (152).

Jem faces more intense situations as the story moves forward. First Jem faces the Radley house, then Mrs. Dubose, and then the lynch mob. By the end, Jem faces a few life-threatening situations. As Jem bravely conquers each challenge, he is ready for the next one and his courage stands ready to help him.

What is some support for the theme of words vs. actions in the novel March, by Geraldine Brooks?

In Brooks' retelling of Little Women from John March's, the father's, point of view, the focus seems to be more on the conflict between the ideal and reality than between thoughts and actions. In this novel, we see March's idealistic ideas of going to war to fight for equality falter as he faces the cruel realities of war and slavery. Despite March's best intentions, his actions seem to backfire and cause even more suffering. A case in point is March's attempt to teach the slave girl Prudence to read, and when he is found out, her mother is whipped, and he is forced to watch as punishment. Another example is when March tries to help Canning and the workers on his plantation against the Confederate soldiers. The results are tragic: Canning is killed, most of the others on the plantation are killed, and March winds up in a Union hospital. These experiences seem to typify the results of March's actions. The world is too cruel and too savage for March's actions to make a difference.

However, you might find some support for your focus in the way John March treats Marmee. Even though he professes belief in equality, he treats his wife as an inferior. One of my favorite scenes is when she stands up to Aunt March and John March when they want to suppress her feminist ideas and abolitionist efforts. She calls her husband a hypocrite for not allowing her to express her opinions. Through Marmee, we see someone whose actions with the underground railroad do result in some good.

The vignettes about Emerson might also be a way of supporting your topic. A prolific writer and renowned speaker, Emerson, in the novel, was hesitant to speak out against slavery. It was Marmee who finally goaded him into publicly condemning the practice. It might be a stretch, but you might use Canning, who maintains that slavery is a practice that is good for the slaves and that it actually teaches slaves to be better people, but who in practice is quite cruel and severely punishes slaves who try to better themselves through education. March is at first taken in by Canning's seemingly noble words of being like a father to his slaves, but soon learns that these words only mask Canning's desire to maintain his power over his slaves. I am including a few links below that might help you find more evidence.

How did the Fifteenth Amendment benefit Ulysses S. Grant in winning the presidency in 1868?

The Fifteenth Amendment, which gave African-American men the right to vote, did not benefit Ulysses S. Grant in the Presidential election of 1868, because it had not yet been passed by Congress. That actually happened in 1869, and the Amendment, having been ratified by the states, went into effect in 1870. Very few black men were allowed to vote anywhere in the United States (including Northern states) in 1868.

However, African-Americans could and did vote in the Presidential election of 1872, when their votes helped secure Grant's reelection by a very comfortable electoral margin, including most states in the South. In the years following this election, however, the fall of Reconstruction in the South would be followed by new methods of disfranchising African-American voters. These methods, which included terror and intimidation as well as literacy tests and poll taxes, were essential to the establishment of a Jim Crow white supremacist society in the South.

How do the emotions of fear and desire keep people working?

The question you pose can be taken several ways. For example, fear and desire can motivate a person in a variety of ways. There is the fear of being replaced if a person doesn’t do his or her job well. This could lead to a loss of income and benefits. Thus, a person has a desire to do well to keep the job he or she has.

Another way fear and desire interact are the fear of not being promoted. Being promoted brings more income, benefits, responsibility, and sometimes prestige. Thus, a person is motivated to do a good job in order to earn a promotion.

Another example of fear and desire interacting is the fear of the unknown. People are afraid to leave their job, either by changing jobs or retiring because there is much uncertainty in both situations. Going to a new job can be risky. A person has to prove to his or her bosses that this person is capable of doing the job. If it doesn’t work out, the person could lose income. A person may be hesitant to retire because of the fear of having less money and possibly fewer benefits. There also may be concerns about having too much free time and less structure to the day. Thus, people want to keep working because of these fears that may exist in their mind. These are some ways fear and desire motivate people to keep working.

What could be a thesis statement for the short story "The Open Window" by Saki?

You might state that Saki created the three main characters to suit the needs of his plot. Then you could devote one paragraph to Vera, one to Framton Nuttel, and one to Mrs. Sappleton. Framton Nuttel is the ideal victim for Vera's practical joke because he is a neurotic and hypochondriac. The fact that he has a nervous disorder is what brings him to this strange household. He has a letter of introduction. Vera is an interesting character. She is obviously very intelligent, which explains why she is bored with the sameness of her environment. She probably resents being used as a substitute hostess, because she doesn't want to grow up to be an empty-headed woman like her aunt. She is stuck at home because she is a girl. She probably spends much of her time reading, since there is little else for her to do. She must indulge in a lot of escapist reading which gives her ideas such as men being sucked into bogs and men being chased by pariah dogs in far-off India. Mrs. Sappleton is not insane, but she has become brainwashed by hearing nothing but male talk about killing birds. She lives for the men in her life. Vera knows exactly what her aunt is going to talk to Framton about and how her attention will be focused on the open window, waiting for the men who dominate her life to return. The characters are suited to the story and to the environment. "The Open Window" is a good example of how a skillful fiction writer like Saki will fashion his characters to fit the needs of his plot. This is a little bit like deconstruction. 

In The Merchant Of Venice, is Antonio's ship really wrecked?

The first we hear of one of Antonio's ships having been wrecked is in Act 3, scene 1 when Salarino reports the rumour going around the Rialto to Salanio upon his enquiry. He tells Salanio in part:

Why, yet it lives there uncheck'd that Antonio hath
a ship of rich lading wrecked on the narrow seas;
the Goodwins, I think they call the place;...

It is clear that Shylock had also heard the rumour for he calls Antonio 'bankrupt,' 'prodigal' and a 'beggar.' He furthermore states that Antonio should look to his bond because it is time for the loan to be repaid and he, Shylock, will claim forfeit and demand a pound of the merchant's flesh.

Tubal later confirms that Antonio had indeed lost a ship. Tubal tells Shylock that he had spoken to some of the sailors who had escaped the wreck. The Jew is happy at the news and sees it as beneficial to him for he can then exact his revenge.

We again read of Antonio's misfortune when Bassanio, who is at Belmont, receives an urgent letter from Antonio informing him about the situation. This time, however, it appears as if Antonio has lost more than just one ship, for Bassanio asks Salarino, the messenger:

But is it true, Salerio?
Have all his ventures fail'd? What, not one hit?
From Tripolis, from Mexico and England,
From Lisbon, Barbary and India?
And not one vessel 'scape the dreadful touch
Of merchant-marring rocks?

Salarino replies:

Not one, my lord.

It seems that Antonio has lost everything. Salarino then explains his friend's terrible dilemma. Shylock has claimed forfeiture since Antonio has missed the due date for the settlement of the bond. The money lender has stubbornly refused to accept any compensation afterwards, insisting on justice. It becomes apparent later, though, that Antonio has accepted his fate and has put himself at the mercy of the court, which is presided over by the duke.

After the trial, in which the decision goes against Shylock due to Portia's intelligent intervention, the parties return to Belmont where all are happy. At one point, Antonio makes the following remark when he addresses Portia:

Sweet lady, you have given me life and living;
For here I read for certain that my ships
Are safely come to road.

The reference to his ships is metaphorical. He is essentially thanking Portia for having saved his life and, therefore, restoring him to full health. It does not mean that his ships have returned safely. Portia has provided him with a lifeline and he can rebuild and restore his mercantile ventures.

In the dialogue between the narrator and the major (lines 113-146), what kind of loss has the major experienced, and how does he respond to his...

The major has just lost his young wife whom he has rather recently married, and he is unable to accept this loss after his injury. The narrator feels "sick for him."

The narrator's initial remark that he and the other wounded soldiers do not go to the war any more indicates their feelings of isolation from the other soldiers, who are fighting. Added to this, their therapy involves the use of new and alien rehabilitation machines, machines of which the men are mistrustful despite the photographs that the doctor provides as evidence of the restorative value of these machines. Certainly, the major has no confidence in the machine which is meant to restore use to his wounded hand even though he has seen a picture of a withered hand like his that became larger after "it had taken a machine course."

One day as the machine works on his withered hand, the narrator practices his Italian, speaking to the major. However, when he says that he would like to be married after he returns to the States, the major argues with the narrator, telling him he is a fool to want to marry. He adds, "A man must not marry."

"Why must not a man marry?"
"....He should place himself in a position to lose. He should find things he cannot lose."

The narrator observes that the major speaks with anger and bitterness, looking straight ahead as he speaks. So, the narrator asks him why the man would necessarily lose in marriage. Petulantly, the major insists that the man will lose and shouts, "Don't argue with me!" He then calls to the attendant to shut off the machine from which he has pulled his hand. Then. the major moves to another therapy room; after a while, he is heard asking the doctor to use the telephone. When he returns he informs the narrator that his young wife has died. "You must forgive me," he adds, apologizing for his earlier behavior.

The narrator "feels sick for him," and he says, "I am so sorry" in a consoling and sympathetic tone. The American feels very badly for the major who was the "greatest fencer in Italy" and can no longer fence; now he suffers the devastating loss of his young wife, whom he has just married recently. 

Can you help me write the conclusion for my essay on Romeo and Juliet? It is about how Romeo's and Juliet's tragic deaths have been blessings in...

In its essence, a conclusion to an essay is a summation of the main points of the thesis, so it should contain the main arguments that the student has made about how the deaths of Romeo and Juliet have served a positive result in Verona.

[Without knowing what the student has written, only generalized points can be made here.] 
First of all, the conclusion to any essay serves two purposes:

1. The conclusion reminds the reader of the main point of the essay. So, the student will want to restate the thesis (This can be done by rewording the thesis statement, but keeping the main point is essential.)


2. The conclusion gives the reader a sense of finality.

The part that gives this finality to the essay is sometimes called the "clincher." There are two types of clinchers: 

1. A reference to the "hook" or the "motivator" that is in the introduction


2. An interesting statement

Perhaps, then, the second type--an interesting statement or observation--may be what the student could write in the conclusion. For example, an observation could be made about the tragic irony of the parents' attempts to prevent their children's interaction, which has brought about their unification--"a glooming peace"--as they end their feud because the future generation is gone.

What was the most significant achievement during the civil rights movement?

There were several significant accomplishments during the civil rights movement. I will explain a few of them and then let you decide which one you think is most important.

Brown v the Board of Education was an important event. This Supreme Court ruling overturned the concept of separate but equal. No longer was it acceptable to have separate schools for blacks and whites as long as they were equal.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was an important event. It prevented segregation in most public places. For example, there could no longer be separate bathrooms, drinking fountains, and seating sections for black and whites.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 allowed the federal government to register voters. It banned the use of literacy tests and polls tax in order to vote. This enabled over 250,000 African-Americans to register to vote.

The Civil Rights Act of 1968 banned housing discrimination. It was now illegal to discriminate when renting apartments or selling houses.

These are four major civil rights actions. Which one do you think is the most important?

What was happening historically at the time T.S. Eliot's poem "Preludes" was published?

T.S. Eliot wrote his masterful poem "Preludes" between 1911 and 1912, when England and the United States were on a rapid path of urbanization and industrialization. The poem, which includes references to "The burnt-out ends of smoky days" and "newspapers from vacant lots" in the first stanza and "The morning comes to consciousness/Of faint stale smells of beer" in the second stanza, is about the spiritualness deadness and emptiness of modern city life.

At the time, England and the United States had undergone a process of industrialization, meaning that technology and mass production governed the way goods were produced and the way people worked. As a result, people flooded from rural to urban areas, such as London and Liverpool in Britain and New York and Chicago in the United States, to work in offices and factories. The planned development of the modern city lagged behind this rapid process of urbanization so that people often lived in crowded and unsanitary conditions. These are conditions and way of life that Eliot portrays in "Preludes."

In addition, while eventually civic and religious associations started to connect urban people, there was a great deal of anonymity at times and disconnection, themes that also appear in Eliot's poems. Eliot associated urban life with a kind of spiritual deadness that is conveyed by his poem, including the "sordid images" and "yellow soles of feet" in the third stanza. The soles of the feet can be associated with the souls of people, which Eliot conveys are deadened and dirty.

Soon after he wrote this poem, Britain would become embroiled in World War I, which broke out in 1914. This war would lead to immense death and destruction in Europe. 

What, according to chapter 6 of The Great Gatsby, is the major rumor about Jay Gatsby's past and present associations?

There isn't one particular rumor that stands out regarding Jay Gatsby. There are actually a number of them, the most persistent being that he was living in a houseboat and secretly traveling up and down the Long Island shore. Most of the gossip revolved around his notoriety—that he was, in some way or another, connected to the criminal underworld. Another rumor which was also making the rounds was that he was attached to what was dubbed an "underground line to Canada"—probably some or other smuggling operation.

These stories obviously interested the tabloids, and one reporter, keen to make a name for himself, responded to one such rumor and approached Gatsby, who dismissed him without providing any detail. Jay, however, did not seem much bothered by the rumors and apparently actually enjoyed them.

When Tom and Daisy attended one of Jay's parties, Tom hinted at what he believed was Jay's involvement with crime:

“Who is this Gatsby anyhow?” demanded Tom suddenly. “Some big bootlegger?”

“Where’d you hear that?” I inquired.

“I didn’t hear it. I imagined it. A lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know.”

Nick came to Jay's defense and Daisy later did the same after Tom suggested that he was going to investigate Jay's activities. She mentioned that he had made his money by starting a chain of drug stores. We learn throughout the novel that Jay definitely had criminal connections, the most obvious being Meyer Wolfsheim, who had, according to Jay, fixed the 1919 World Series.

When Nick later confronts Wolfsheim after Jay's death, he takes much pride in acknowledging that he had been Jay's mentor and had started him in business.

“I raised him up out of nothing, right out of the gutter. I saw right away he was a fine-appearing, gentlemanly young man, and when he told me he was at Oggsford I knew I could use him good. I got him to join up in the American Legion and he used to stand high there. Right off he did some work for a client of mine up to Albany. We were so thick like that in everything.'—he held up two bulbous fingers—'always together.'”

It is, therefore, ironic that Wolfsheim does not want to attend Jay's funeral since he had been the one responsible, in part, for his success. He disassociated himself from Jay, probably fearing that he would be scrutinized if their relationship were discovered.

Further irony lies in the fact that although Jay Gatsby had built up such notoriety, his death is not the result of a criminal act on his part, but of another. He is murdered by the vengeful Mr. Wilson, while the real perpetrator, Daisy Buchanan, escapes without even a blemish to her name.

I need help analyzing the poem "Love and Life" by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester.

The poem "Love and Life" by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1647-1680) consists of three five-line stanzas. The metrical pattern of all three stanzas is:

• Line 1: Iambic tetrameter; A rhyme


• Line 2: Iambic trimeter; B rhyme


• Line 3: Iambic tetrameter; A rhyme


• Line 4: Iambic tetrameter; A rhyme


• Line 5: Iambic trimeter; B rhyme

In other words, the iambic tetrameter lines (1, 3, and 4) rhyme with each other, as do the trimeter lines. 

It is written in the first person, with a male narrator directly addressing a female beloved named Phyllis.

Thematically, it is a "carpe diem" poem. It argues that time is constantly moving forward, with the past disappearing into memory, the present fleeting and the future unknown. Thus Phyllis should not insist on constancy or wedding vows, but instead yield to his overtures in the present, because the present is all one can have; the poem thus concludes:

If I, by miracle, can be

This live-long minute true to thee,

 'Tis all that Heav'n allows.

How does the title of a poem comment on its contents? How do titles work?

The most important thing to remember in analyzing literature of any kind—certainly poetry—is that authors choose their words for a reason. Especially when you're close reading, assume that the author has thought through every single word choice and picked the one that conveys his or her meaning as completely and precisely as possible.

The title might be the most important word choice of all, because it's the first thing the reader sees, so it shapes the way the reader understands the poem. In your analysis, then, the title is a big clue: it tells you what the author wants you to be thinking about as you start reading.

When the title doesn't seem to match the content of the poem, you have to ask yourself why the author wanted you to be thinking about something that isn't obviously relevant. Was the point to make you confused? Does the title add some bit of information that makes you see the poem in a different light? Do the words in the title have multiple meanings?

The most clever titles often seem to have one meaning, but by the end of the poem, you realize they have multiple meanings. Take "Darkness" by Lord Byron (you can read it here). It's a poem about what happens on Earth after the sun goes out. The title's meaning is obvious: when there is no sun, everything is dark. This is a poem about stuff happening in the dark. Duh.

But Byron imagines that, on a dark Earth, humans would begin fighting each other to obtain the few remaining light sources (wood to burn, for example). By the end of the poem (spoiler alert!), every human on the planet is dead. They all killed each other. So, when we circle back to the title, "Darkness," we realize that Byron is also talking about the darkness inside us. It's a commentary on what he sees as one of humanity's deepest, darkest flaws: we are selfish creatures that will do anything to stay alive, even if it means killing each other.

So when I'm analyzing a title, here are the questions I ask. Before I read, I ask: what does the title tell me right away? What does it send me into the poem knowing?

As I read, I ask: what's going on in this poem that relates to the title?

After I read, I ask: Why did the author want me thinking about the specific words in the title? Do the events of the poem make me understand the title in a different way?

And when I'm really stuck, here's what I do: I make up other titles for the poem, and figure out why the author didn't choose to use them. Why didn't Byron name his poem "The Day the Sun Never Rose," or "The Fight for Fire"? I think that focusing on the sun ignores what the humans are doing, and focusing on the fighting obscures his real purpose, which is to ask why everyone is fighting. He wants us seeing that the outer darkness revealed our inner darkness.

Here are a few examples of how I'd use those questions to analyze poem titles. I've tried to include a couple unusual ones.

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"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe (read it here). At first, it seems pretty straightforward. The narrator gets visited by a raven. But why does Poe want me focusing on the raven, not the narrator? Why isn't the poem called "Once Upon a Midnight Dreary" (the setting and first line), or "The Reader" (that's what the narrator is doing at the beginning), or "Nevermore" (what the raven says), or "Lenore" (the narrator's dead lover)?

At the end of the poem, I realize that the big mystery is the bird's nature. The specifics about what it does (like saying "nevermore") aren't nearly as central to the poem as the question of what it is. Is it real? A devil? The spirit of Lenore? A hallucination? The title made me focus, in other words, on the identity of the raven itself, the big mystery, and that led me to wondering about why it came to the narrator and what's going on in his head. It guided me to the questions Poe most wanted me to ask.

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"Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802" by William Wordsworth (read it here). Sounds pretty dull and extremely straightforward. I go into the poem knowing exactly where the poet is and when he's writing. It's not even telling us anything about the poem's contents, so why bother analyzing it? Here's the thing—why doesn't he want to tell me anything about the contents of the poem? Why does it matter that I know where he's sitting or standing as he writes?

The poem is about how beautiful Wordsworth thinks London is. So as I finish and circle back, I'm wondering why he didn't make the title something like "London," or "The Fair City." I realize that the title isn't just record-keeping after all—by putting readers on a bridge in London, he's making us feel like we're in the middle of the city too, surrounded by the same beautiful scene. He wants us to be seeing out of his eyes. If he called the poem "London," we'd start reading feeling like we were looking at the city from outside. It also gives me the sense that the moment was so profound he's saving the date and time the way we might write on a picture in a scrapbook—he'll always remember that September 3, 1802 was the day he saw the most beautiful thing ever.

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"Porphyria's Lover" by Robert Browning (read it here). Right off the bat, I know this is a poem about someone named Porphyria and someone who loves her. Porphyria is a weird name, so I look it up and learn it comes from the Greek word for purple. So why should I be thinking about a purple girl and the (presumably) guy who loves her? In the poem, the lover, who narrates in first person, goes to see Porphyria, and thinks the moment is so perfect that he strangles her with her own hair, then cuddles with her corpse. This is an example of an unusual title, I think, because of the contrast between the title's description of the narrator and what the narrator actually does. Why call him a lover when he murders his girlfriend?? So now I'm focused on trying to figure out why Browning used such an apparently inappropriate word.

Why not call the poem "Yellow Hair," or "Murdered for Love," or "The Perfect Moment," or simply "Porphyria"? Clearly, Browning wants us going into the poem knowing that the narrator loves Porphyria. Is it a straight-up lie, just for shock value? Or is it possible the guy is truly in love with Porphyria? Or is he insane? And if he is in love with her, could he possibly have a decent reason to strangle her? Is Browning trying to tell us something about love itself by juxtaposing it with murder?

Describe the policies that imperial powers used to govern their overseas colonies. What were the goals of imperial administrations, and were they...

Between 1850 and 1914, many countries were expanding their control around the world through the policy of imperialism. These countries had many reasons for following an imperialist policy. Some countries wanted to control land because they believed they should spread their religion, Christianity, to underdeveloped parts of the world. The United States believed it was our destiny or duty to spread our ways to other countries. The imperialistic countries wanted financial gain. They also wanted to be viewed as a strong country and in order for that to occur, they needed military bases.

One policy used by the United States was dollar diplomacy. This policy, mainly applied in Latin America, allowed us access to Latin American countries to keep stability. We had invested our dollars in these countries, and if that investment was threatened by instability or a threat of a change in government in a country, we would intervene to keep order and to protect our investment. This was done, for example, in Nicaragua in 1911.

Other countries followed a policy that was similar to the policy of mercantilism. The basis of this policy was that a colony was established to benefit the imperialist country. Imperial countries got resources from their colonies much cheaper than if they had to buy them from other countries. Then the imperial country would sell their products to their colonies, giving them a guaranteed market. The imperial country gained financially from this arrangement.

Imperial countries also established colonies for military reasons. Many people were influenced by Alfred Mahan’s book, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History: 1660-1783. This book explained how important it was for world power countries to protect their world trade. To do this, they needed to have colonies. These colonies could serve as ports where ships could refuel and resupply. The colonies could also serve as a military base in case of war. Countries wanted these colonies to enhance their power, especially their status as a world power.

The imperial powers had some success with these policies. The United States got Guam and Puerto Rico in 1898 as a result of the Spanish-American War. We still have some control over these places today. The British and other European countries controlled places for many years in Africa and Asia. For a period of time, these countries benefited in many ways from owning these colonies. However, in some places, the long-term success wasn’t so great. Many colonies eventually fought for their independence from the imperial power. While we controlled the Philippines for over 40 years, they weren’t happy when we first took control of the Philippines. We had to put down a rebellion there. Some Latin American countries today view us as a “big brother” because of our constant interference in Latin American countries. One of the causes of World War I was that people in various countries wanted to be ruled by their own people instead of being ruled by people of different ethnic backgrounds. Thus, while there were some successes with these policies, especially in the short term, there were also negatives associated with them in the long run.

What do the hunter and the white heron symbolize in “A White Heron?"

There is definitely a dichotomy or a binary opposition set up here between culture and nature. This opposition is also suggestive of the town and country duality. The White Heron represents nature. The White Heron is in its natural habitat. The hunter is the intruder. While he is polite, his presence and action threaten the purity and sanctity of nature and the world where the White Heron is not threatened. 

This is why it is significant that Sylvia refuses to tell the hunter where the bird is. Initially, she wants to please the hunter. She is also lured by the promise of money. This lure of material wealth and/or possessions is often linked with notions of city (and town) life as opposed to country life which is more often associated with notions of simplicity and nature. In the end, Sylvia proves to be more like the White Heron than the hunter. She sides with nature in this choice between material culture and the natural world. 

She was just thinking how long it seemed since she first came to the farm a year ago, and wondering if everything went on in the noisy town just the same as when she was there, the thought of the great red−faced boy who used to chase and frighten her made her hurry along the path to escape from the shadow of the trees. 

Note that, early in the story, Sylvia "had to hunt" for her cow. The author uses the word "hunt" but when Sylvia "hunts" she is playing a game with the cow, treating the cow like a playmate (like a person). Thus, Sylvia looks at nature's creatures as her equals. The hunter hunts to kill and make a profit. Sylvia has a kinship with nature and the animals that overrides her desire to please the hunter or to make money. She feels like a part of nature: 

She was not often in the woods so late as this, and it made her feel as if she were a part of the gray shadows and the moving leaves. 

In The Devil's Arithmetic, what could Hannah have said to Commandant Breuer when Reuven is sent to his death (instead of saying that his mother died)?

The truth is, there is probably nothing Hannah could have said to the Commandant in order to save little Reuven. Hannah cannot help but feel guilty due to her desperate exclamation.  This makes the reader wonder what Hannah could have done.  Instead of yelling in desperation that Reuven’s mother “is dead,” perhaps Hannah could have said that the commanding officer of their barracks needed particular information about the hospital from Reuven (which is where he just came from).  She could then say that Reuven is crying because he is late in informing that officer.  The reason why I suggest this particular thing is that Nazis (and especially those with the rank of Commandant) are definitely good at obeying their superiors, no matter what.  Anything that seems to disregard the chain of command would be feared.  Hannah would have to make it look like Reuven was being used as some kind of Nazi tool at the hospital in order for Reuven to escape death.  Honestly, though, the chances of someone in Hannah's desperate situation going through that thought process, determining the right thing to say, and having the courage to say it would be a rarity.  Further, even if Hannah was successful, there would be the chance the Commandant would not listen, not care, or take the risk anyway.  The Commandant could also have simply sent Reuven and Hannah to their deaths together.

What purpose might Jane Austen have had in making Mr. Collins such a ridiculous figure in Pride and Prejudice?

There are several possible reasons why Jane Austen might have made Collins such an absurd character. The first is simply that she is a comic writer and enjoys making fun of pompous, self-important people. 

A more important reason is his role in the plot structure of Pride and Prejudice and how he serves to highlight the attitudes towards marriage in the book's social setting. In many ways, Collins is a very good match for one of the Bennett daughters and most people in the period would have urged Elizabeth to accept him for that reason. 

By most basic ethical standards, Collins is a fundamentally decent character. Although he could have sought a more advantageous marriage, he feels some guilt over the entail, and does what is in his power to help the Bennett family by offering to marry one of their daughters. As he states:

 ...as I am, to inherit this estate after the death of your honoured father ..., I could not satisfy myself without resolving to choose a wife from among his daughters, that the loss to them might be as little as possible, when the melancholy event takes place ...

Even though we find his obsequiousness annoying and absurd, he is not an actively evil character such as Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Thus when Elizabeth rejects his proposal, she is upholding an ideal that a good marriage is not, as her friend Charlotte Lucas thinks, merely a practical arrangement, but should be based on mutual respect and affection. Making him an unattractive character makes Elizabeth's choice seem more rational and less unconventional (from a 19th century perspective) than it would have been had Collins been a more tolerable companion for her.

What was the main differences between the Aegean Cultures?

The two earliest Aegean civilizations were the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures. The Minoan civilization was located on the island of Crete. It was an advanced urban civilization that was very strong in the areas of art and architecture. The Minoans had a fairly egalitarian civilization and women were highly regarded. The Minoans relied on trade overseas to drive their economy. There is no strong evidence to suggest the Minoans cared much about military achievement.

The Mycenaeans, on the other hand, were a more stratified civilization that relied heavily on military achievement. The Mycenaeans, from mainland Greece, did not seem to have a culturally advanced civilization like the Minoans. In fact, the Mycenaeans adopted many elements of culture from the island of Crete. The Mycenaeans were a patriarchal society with strict class lines. The two civilizations also spoke different languages.

`bbu = 2bbj, bbv = 3bbi` Find (a) `bbu + bbv`, (b) `bbu - bbv`

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

`u + v = (u_x+v_x)i + (u_y+v_y)j`

`u + v = (0+3)i + (2+0)j`

`u + v =3i + 2j`

Hence, evaluating the sum of the vectors u and v yields `u + v =3i + 2j` .

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

`u - v = (u_x-v_x)i + (u_y-v_y)j`

`u - v = (0-3)i + (2-0)j`

`u - v =-3i + 2j`

Hence, evaluating the sum of the vectors u and v yields `u - v =-3i + 2j.`

How does the fossil record show us that species have changed over time?

By looking at fossils, we can take a look at the history of life. Fossils are the preserved traces of an organism (animals or plants, for example) from the past. When we look at them we are basically looking at the past and at the life forms that inhabited Earth long before us. It is by looking at fossils of different periods of the past that we can see how species have changed over time!

If you look at rocks of more than 1 billion years old, you will only find fossils of single-celled organisms, the simplest forms of life. If you look at rocks of 550 million years old, you'll find fossils of simple multicellular beings.  Here, we can already see some sort of change in the life forms. With rocks of 500 million years old, you get ancient fish, but without jawbones! And when you look at rocks of 400 million years old, you'll find fish with jaws! Not only that, but as you start looking at younger rocks, you'll find more and more fossils of animals that look very similar to the present ones.

So, by looking at the fossil record we can compare the older fossils with the younger fossils, or even with the life forms of the present day. This comparison enables us to see the changes that occurred during the course of time.

How does the mass of a car affect its motion in regard to potential/kinetic energy?

The potential energy of an object is a function of its position and weight. The higher the object is, relative to a reference datum, the higher its potential energy. Potential energy is given as `mgh` , where m is the mass of object, g is acceleration due to gravity and h is the height. 

Similarly, kinetic energy of an object is a function of its mass and velocity and is given as `1/2 mv^2` , where v is the object's velocity. 

Since both the potential and kinetic energy are functions of the mass of the object, a heavier object will have lower velocity for the same kinetic energy. For example, if two cars have the same amount of kinetic energy, the heavier car will have lesser velocity. Similarly, for two cars with the same potential energy, the heavier car would have a lesser height (with respect to a given reference datum).

Hope this helps. 

Why did consumption increase in the 1920s?

Economic theory tells us that consumption is based on supply and demand.  An increase in consumption can be caused by an increase in supply, an increase in demand, or some combination of the two.  In the 1920s in America, both supply and demand rose, causing consumption to rise dramatically.  Let us look at two ways in which increased demand caused this increase and one way in which the increase was caused by increased supply.

One of the things that determine demand is the amount of money that people have.  It stands to reason that people who have more money will buy more things.  During the 1920s, the economy boomed.  More people had jobs, making more money than ever before.  This meant that Americans had more money to spend and demand increased.

A second thing that determines demand is consumer tastes.  People want many things that they do not really need.  For example, we really do not need to have enough clothes to wear a different outfit every day for two weeks in a row, but we typically do have that many clothes.  This is partly because our tastes tell us that we should vary our wardrobe.  We do not really need makeup or jewelry, but our tastes tell us that we should have them.  During the 1920s, advertising became much more prevalent and more effective.  Before this time, advertising was more matter-of-fact, telling people what goods were available for what prices.  In the 1920s, companies started to advertise in ways that were meant to make people really want their products.  Advertising convinced people that they needed things that they had gotten along without before.  This caused an increase in demand as people wanted to use their new wealth to buy things that advertising convinced them they needed.

People also buy more things when prices drop.  One major reason why prices drop is because producers get better at making their goods.  When a producer gets better at making goods, they can make more goods using a given amount of inputs.  This reduces the price of the goods.  In the 1920s, companies innovated.  This allowed them to make goods more efficiently.  For example, Henry Ford figured out how to use assembly line practices to make cars more quickly.  This caused the price of cars to drop and allowed many more people to buy them.  This happened to many other goods.  As prices dropped, people were willing and able to buy more goods.  This, too, helped increase consumption.

Thus, we can say that consumption increased in the 1920s because people had more money, because advertising convinced them that they wanted more things, and because improved production techniques reduced the prices of consumer goods.

Does radiation affect plant growth?

Radiation is energy that travels through and is transferred by waves. Non-ionizing radiation and ionizing radiation are two types of radiations. Non-ionizing radiation has less energy and, therefore, is not as harmful to living cells. Ionizing radiation has higher energy and is, therefore, more harmful to living cells. Ionizing radiation can break chemical bonds. If the energy of ionizing radiation is high enough, it can destroy the nucleus of atoms, which can have a direct impact on an organism’s DNA.

Below is a list of how radiation can affect plants specifically:

·         Changes in chromosomal and DNA structure, causing mutations such as inverted or deleted nucleotide sequences

·         Decreased plant growth

·         Decreased seed germination

·         Reduced reproduction rate

·         Abnormalities in the offspring of parent plants that are exposed to the radiation

·         Decreased life span

What does the term "fagot" mean in the novel Johnny Tremain?

The book Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes was published in 1943. Due to the fact that it is a historical fiction novel and that it was published over seventy years ago, there is language contained in it that is rarely used in modern speech. An example of this is the word "fagot," which means "a bundle of sticks, twigs, or branches bound together and used as fuel." 

The word "fagot" is used several times in the novel. One of those times is when the word is used as a simile. A character is described as throwing "up his bony arms," but they "went down down like a bunch of fagots." Later in the story, "Cilla had built up a little fire of fagots to heat water." In this instance, the term is used literally to describe a bundle of twigs, which are used to create a fire. Another time in the story, two characters, who are twins, gather fagots as a chore. This is another example of the word being used literally to describe kindling.

Where do Iyengars and Naidus belong in the caste hierarchy?

Iyengar (or Ayyengar) people are a group in the Brahmin caste of Tamil origin. The Brahmin caste is the highest ranking caste in the system, so Iyengar people are very high in this system. The Brahmin cast originated as a sect of society whose primary function was as priests or people who worked in temples

The Naidu group is part of the Kapu caste. Kapu is described as a forward caste, which means that they are not discriminated against by the Indian government or excluded from education and work. 

The Kapu caste is part of Shudra, which originated as a caste that serves the other three original caste groups. Shudra is the lowest ranking caste that is not considered "untouchable." The original caste system was divided into four groups and the untouchables, who are outsiders in society. 

Today, the caste system is much more complex, and it is difficult to accurately describe the interactions that determine today's caste status. In general, we can say that Iyengars are from the top of society, and Shudra are from the bottom, but above the lowest, the untouchables.

What are some repeating words, phrases, or character actions in the "Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe?

I'll pick words and phrases that are repeated throughout "The Tell-Tale Heart."  The narrator, very early on in the story, tries to establish his sanity.  In fact, the narrator reminds the reader throughout the story that he is not crazy.  The words "mad" and "madness" are used a total of seven times throughout the text.  For example, from the opening paragraph:

I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad?

How is he not crazy?  The man just admitted to being able to hear stuff from heaven and hell.  That sounds crazy to me.  He continues to attempt to prove his sanity by telling the reader that he couldn't be consumed with madness, because he was really careful about stalking and killing the other guy.  

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution—with what foresight—with what dissimulation I went to work!

I have news for the narrator.  Just because a person is careful and exercises caution, doesn't mean he is, or is not, crazy.  I'm sure certified serial killers in real life also think they are not crazy.  

How does author Harper Lee slowly build a web of tension leading up to the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird?

The word tension, as a literary term, can be defined as the "dramatic or even melodramatic elements of plot, setting, or character" that move a story towards its climax (University of Richmond Writing Center, Writer's Web: First Drafts, "Tension"). By "melodramatic," we mean excessively dramatic. Such dramatic and melodramatic elements serve to intensify the action, the uncertainty of the outcome of events, and even the emotions of the audience. Author Harper Lee uses many narrative elements to create a web of tension leading up to Tom Robinson's trial, and some of those elements are specific events.

Author Lee first creates a web of tension by weaving into the story the mystery surrounding the Finch's neighbor Arthur (Boo) Radley. Arthur Radley behaves contrary to society by never leaving his house, and his contrary behavior has led to the development of many rumors and myths about him, aimed at trying to explain his behavior. The neighborhood children have become so terrified by these rumors and myths that they believe him to be a dangerous but also curious person. As the children try to assuage their curiosity by trying to find out what he looks like, they put themselves in situations in which they feel they must run for their lives, which leaves the reader feeling tense.

Aside from the mystery surrounding Arthur Radley, tension begins to be built once Atticus accepts the role of Tom Robinson's defense lawyer, and the children begin being subjected to ridicule from the people of the town. One of the tensest moments is when Mrs. Dubose insults the children by saying, "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!," a comment that infuriates Jem to the point that he destroys Mrs. Dubose's garden of camellia bushes (Ch. 11).

The moment of greatest tension prior to the trial is when Atticus is approached by mobs, first one led by Sheriff Heck Tate in front of the Finches' house and the second led by Walter Cunningham Sr. in front of the jail. Though Atticus tells Jem the first mob was made up of nothing more than a group of their friends, it is very clear that the mob's members disapprove of Atticus's determination to defend Robinson, as they move in on him in anger the moment he asserts, "[Robinson's] not going [to the chair] till the truth's told ... And you know what the truth is" (Ch. 15). The members of the second mob, led by drunken Cunningham Sr., intended to take justice into their own hands by lynching Robinson before he could stand trial and probably would have hurt Atticus to accomplish their goal. However, Scout with her innocent neighborly comments directed to Cunningham reminds him of his humanity, and the tense situation diffuses as Cunningham breaks up the crowd, telling them all to go home.

Since all of these events intensify the action and the reader's emotions, we know Lee is using these events to weave a web of tension that leads up to the trial.