In "A Modest Proposal," how will the narrator's plan impact the abortion and murder rate of children? Explain.

The narrator argues that his plan for the poor to raise and fatten their babies to be sold as food for the tables of the rich will have the positive impact of lowering both the abortion rate and the murder rate of children. Once the poor know they can make a profit on their babies, they will lose interest in aborting them. Likewise, they will be unlikely to commit infanticide on what the narrator calls "their bastard children" when they recognize that these babies will fetch money on the open market. Further, the narrator argues that the parents will take much better care of their babies once they realize what a valuable commodity they are.

Clearly, Swift is being ironic in having his narrator praise the possibility of lowered abortion and murder rates when, at the end of the year, these babies will be killed anyway as a food source. 

What are two characteristics of Jing-mei in "Two Kinds"?

The story's title refers to a statement Jing-mei's mother makes about the two kinds of daughters that exist in the world: those who are obedient and those who "follow their own mind." Jing-mei makes the choice to be the second kind of daughter, and she defies her mother's commands to practice piano. Previously she had failed to become the prodigy her mother wanted her to be. She had deceived her mother into thinking she was working at piano lessons, but at the talent show, she displayed her sloppy playing, causing embarrassment for herself and her mother. After that failure, Jing-mei feels her will getting stronger. She concludes, "I didn't have to do what my mother said anymore. I wasn't her slave."

However, the willfulness that Jing-mei's mother perceives in her is not the only thing that is awakening in her daughter. Jing-mei is more and more craving authenticity, the right to be who she is. Her mother doesn't realize how hurtful her aspirations for her daughter are; Jing-mei takes them as a rejection of herself, at one point lashing out with the words, "Why don't you like me the way I am?" Later, when her mother tries to physically force her to play piano, she sobs, "You want me to be someone that I'm not!" 

Summarizing their relationship as Jing-mei grew older, Jing-mei states, "I failed her so many times, each time asserting my own will." She explains that even though her mother believed her daughter could be anything she wanted to be, "I could only be me." Thus the two characteristics of Jing-mei that put her at odds with her mother were her willfulness and her desire for authenticity--being true to herself. 

How were the Industrial Revolution and European imperialism connected during the nineteenth century?

The Industrial Revolution and European imperialism were connected in several ways. One was that the Industrial Revolution created a demand for raw materials, including oil, rubber, timber, and iron, to name a few. Europeans sought cheap sources of these raw materials, and looked to colonies as a means of securing a steady supply. Another way was that the Industrial Revolution created what many saw at the time as a need for captive, secure markets. Many economists warned of the dangers of overproduction, which would be the inevitable result, they thought, of increasing efficiency in industry. Overproduction, it was argued, would lead to economic depression (as many thought it had during both the 1870s and 1890s). Securing markets for surplus European manufactured goods (China was especially inviting) was thus a major motive for imperialism. Finally, industrialization created the technology, especially weapons, that gave Europeans such a decided advantage over peoples around the world. In short, it made it possible for Europeans to colonize distant lands. It might also be argued that the Industrial Revolution gave some Europeans an ideological motive for imperialism. They interpreted their technological power as evidence of moral and even racial superiority, both of which justified conquest and colonization.

Who won the battle of the Spanish Armada and why?

In 1588, a famous naval battle took place between the Spanish Armada and the English navy. Spain and England had been in conflict in the late 1500s. England was interfering with Spain’s trade and had supported people, such as the people of the Netherlands, fighting against Spain. Thus, the Spanish set out to fight and to defeat England.

The English used various tactics to defeat the Spanish Armada. The English navy relentlessly attacked the Spanish fleet as it tried to prepare to enter the English Channel. The British, whose ships were better equipped and faster than the Spanish fleet, also sent some unmanned ships, which were ablaze, toward the Spanish fleet. The Spanish panicked, broke their formation, and were then attacked by the British fleet. The British fleet defeated the Spanish Armada. The Spanish fleet decided to sail around the British Isles, going North around Scotland, back to Spain. However, bad weather and a shortage of necessary materials destroyed a good portion of the Spanish fleet.

In the defeat of the Spanish Armada, Spain lost over half of its fleet and many of its military personnel. This victory by Britain established Britain as a very powerful country.

Critically analyze the uniqueness of Sylvia Plath in the poems "Mirror" and "Morning Song."

In the poems "Mirror" and "Morning Song," the most obvious sign of Sylvia Plath's uniqueness is found in her nearly uncomfortable level of honesty in portraying the inner life of a woman. "Mirror" was first published in the posthumous collection entitled Crossing the Water (1971) and a note in the front-matter indicates that it was likely written in 1960 or 1961. “Morning Song” was also published posthumously in Plath’s most famous poetry collection, Ariel, in 1965. 

“Mirror” is a first-person-voiced poem that describes what the mirror “sees” day in and day out without using very emotional terms. The mirror describes itself as “not cruel, only truthful,” and although the tone is one of fact-reporting without judgment, the mirror’s description of the woman who owns it warrants sympathy. The fact that the mirror offers none makes it seem cruel. Even though personification is a common literary tool, there is something about Plath’s creation of distance between the mirror’s observations and the mirror’s self-perception that is downright eerie. Plath also uses the personification of the mirror to subtly suggest some level of judgment (outside or societal, perhaps) cast upon women as they get older, or don’t “age well." The woman observing herself in the mirror is clearly distraught as she gets older. 

“Morning Song” is honestly the most unique poem I have ever encountered about childbirth and nursing a newborn and all of the emotions that go along with that. Plath’s expressions toward (presumably) her daughter Frieda are somewhat hostile, which is not how people expect a new mother to feel about her baby. She claims, “I’m no more your mother / Than the cloud that distills a mirror. . .” and describes herself as “cow-heavy and floral / In my Victorian nightgown.” These lines are admissions that many new mothers can probably relate to, but rarely dare to put words to. The fact that Plath was brave enough to do so in a time when talking about these things was only just becoming acceptable is extremely unique.

How do we use the speed of light in the real world?

There are a number of uses of speed of light in our daily life. The SI unit of distance measurement, meter, is defined by using the speed of light. A meter is the distance travelled by light in 1/c seconds, where C is the speed of light. We use distance measurement several times a day (like the distance of a vehicle from us, during driving, etc.). Another application of speed of light is in lasers, which travel at the same speed as light and are used in our daily life. Another application of speed of light is during driving, especially at night. The light of oncoming vehicles gives us an idea of their distance from us and is also used to figure out turns in the road. 

Hope this helps.

What does Robert Frost want to convey through the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening?"

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" can be read as an allegory. Frost devotes the first three stanzas of the poem to describe the woods he comes across while he was on his way to accomplish some important task. But it's only in the final stanza, he reveals the main theme of the poem. 

He halts for the serenity and bewitching beauty of the place holds him spellbound. He lingers there for a while pleasing himself with the peaceful joy the woods offer him in that “snowy evening.”

The snow has covered the entire place. The soft snow hangs over the trees and the lake has frozen completely. The only sound that can be heard in that uninhabited place is that of the horse’s “harness bells” and “the sweep / Of easy wind and downy flake.”

The pristine and idyllic beauty of the woods casts a spell on him making him reluctant to move on. But soon he recalls he has “promises to keep.” He ought not to linger there pleasing himself rather continue with his journey. He’s still “miles to go.”

So, we see he faces a dilemma. On the one hand he wants to prolong his stay in the woods and revel in the delight that he hasn’t found anywhere else, while on the other hand, he knows he must leave instantly to fulfill his duty.

What the poet wants to convey is, perhaps, the fact that life often comes up with attractive enticements once we have made up our mind to stop not until our goal is achieved. It makes our journey even more arduous and challenging.

The poet, too, is offered a similar enticement in the form of the beautiful woods. There’s nobody to question him or order him to leave the place. But he wouldn’t indulge in self-gratification. He would forsake this pleasure to keep his promises. 

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what are some quotes about racism during the trial?

Some obvious ones come from Ewell himself. For example, when he's giving his testimony about the night in question, he stands up and points his finger at Robinson, "--I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin' on my Mayella!" It clearly wasn't enough for him to use the pejorative term "nigger"; he had to add "black" to emphasize the "horror" of it. (It is horrifying to be raped, but in this time, being raped by a black man was unconscionable.)

Later, when Mayella is on the stand, she decides she's "got somethin' to say": "That nigger yonder took advantage of me an' if you find fancy gentlemen don't wanta do nothin' about it then you're all yellow stinkin' cowards, stinkin' cowards, the lot of you." She goes beyond using the n-word; she practically dares the jury (all white men, of course) to vote "not guilty," because this is a time and place in which no black man would stand a chance if accused of raping a white woman--even if the white woman was an uneducated, hateful woman who lived off the county. 

When Tom is put on the stand, finally, Mr. Gilmer uses language designed to remind him of "his place": "Then you say she's lying, boy?" Calling a fully-grown black man "boy" was one of the many techniques used by Southern whites (in particular) to demean them and deny them their manhood based entirely upon the color of their skin. 

How can Macbeth's famous "Is this the dagger which I see before me" soliloquy be adapted into a modern-day scenario?

One of the most important aspects of this soliloquy is that Macbeth only hallucinates the dagger, clean at first and then bloody, because he is so internally conflicted about killing Duncan.  He recognizes that it is a hallucination of his "heat-oppressed brain" because when he tries to grab it from the air, he cannot.  Shortly after he hallucinates this dagger, he tells Lady Macbeth that they "will proceed no further" with their plan.  Thus, we know that Macbeth feels very guilty about killing Duncan, his friend, relative, guest, and king.  

So, if you can come up with a modern scenario in which someone really doesn't want to kill someone else (and even sort of feels guilty about it) but is ultimately willing to do it because it would confer a great deal of power on them, this would be appropriate.  Perhaps you could consider the recent big lottery winners as a starting point.  What if one of the winners (Duncan) has a greedy brother (Macbeth) who really doesn't want to commit murder (maybe he even loves his brother) but he really badly wants to get that money.  He thinks that, once he gets the money, he can pay off all his debt and pay for his kids to go to college and improve his life so significantly that he is, finally, willing to commit the murder because he believes the money will improve his life so greatly.

Assess the role played by the Protestant Reformation in the development of European civilization.

The Reformation transformed European civilization in many ways. The first, and most obvious, was religion. Western Christianity until the Reformation, had been dominated by the Roman Catholic Church. This not only meant a general lack of religious liberty, but also that the Papacy had enormous political power and influence, as well as great wealth. Part of Henry VIII's motivation in starting the English Reformation was not just his personal and dynastic troubles, but also to assert English control over the vast lands and wealth owned by the Church and the monasteries.

Another major effect of the Reformation was the rise of vernacular literacy. Unlike the Roman Catholic church, for which the official Bible was a Latin translation, read mostly by the clergy, the Protestant churches, due to their sola scriptura doctrine, promoted reading the Bible in vernacular translations, an emphasis that contributed significantly to the rise of literacy among all economic classes. 

Finally, the religious liberty that ensued from the Reformation allowed the flourishing of science and philosophy, freed from the doctrinal limits of Thomistic doctrine.

A sled is being pulled to the left by 5 dogs, each dog pulling with 6 Newtons of force find the net force

Since the five forces applied are all in the same direction with the motion of the sled, to solve for the net force,  add the five forces together.

`sum F = F_1 + F_2 + F_3 + F_4 +F_5`

`sum F = 6N + 6N + 6N + 6N + 6N`

`sum F = 30 N`

Therefore, the net force is 30 Newtons.

How does Mayella have lessons to teach Scout about being a woman in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Chapter 18 of To Kill a Mockingbird is dedicated to Mayella Ewell's testimony that she was raped by Tom Robinson. However, Atticus does his best to show that a rape never happened and that Mayella is lying to save face. Unbeknownst to Atticus, Jem and Scout are in the courtroom watching from the balcony. By watching and listening to Mayella make serious claims against an innocent man, Scout takes away some insights as to what being a poor, ignorant woman really is. Any lesson Scout learns from Mayella would be about how not to be like her.

First, Scout learns that being courteous, as she has been taught all her life, is a good thing. Without manners, Mayella is not able to recognize when someone is being courteous to her. As a result, she lashes out like an ignoramus and looks foolish. People such as Aunt Alexandra and Mrs. Dubose are constantly telling Scout to live up to her name in manners, behavior and dress. With Mayella, Scout can surely see what the result of not following those social rules could be. Scout has often resisted dressing and acting properly, but after seeing how Mayella lives and what she lacks in her life, maybe Scout will consider being grateful for what she has. 

Next, Scout learns that Mayella can write a little bit, but she does not have a profound education like Scout could have. Jem points out to Dill at the beginning of the book that Scout could read when she was very young, but Scout decides on her first day of school that she doesn't want to go anymore because of a disagreement with her teacher on reading and education. After getting to know Mayella's life without education, Scout can probably see education's value more heartily. Without a good education, Mayella will never have an opportunity to get a well-paying job, go to college, or live an independent life. Scout, on the other hand, will be able to live the life she chooses.

Finally, Scout and Jem both learn about rape from Mayella, although how deeply and specifically is debateable. Jem verbalizes his understanding with the following:

". . . it wasn't rape if she let you, but she had to be eighteen—in Alabama, that is—and Mayella was nineteen. Apparently you had to kick and holler, you had to be overpowered and stomped on, preferably knocked stone cold. If you were under eighteen, you didn't have to go through all this" (209).

In addition to her terrible upbringing, Mayella also lies under oath. Scout learns by Mayella's behavior, speech, and choices that she has a better life as a Finch. She's taught to obey the law, go to school, and to live up to the high quality and character that the Finch name represents. By the end of the trial, Scout says the following about the Ewells:

"The name Ewell gave me a queasy feeling. Maycomb had lost no time in getting Mr. Ewell's views on Tom's demise and passing them along through the English Channel of gossip, Miss Stephanie Crawford. . . that Mr. Ewell said it made one down and about two more to go. Jem told me not to be afraid, Mr. Ewell was more hot gas than anything" (241).

Poor Mayella had to grow up and be around a man like that! Scout was fortunate to have a better father to learn from and to look up to. Scout has many opportunities to grow up to be a well-rounded woman of the twentieth century, whereas Mayella does not. Again, any lesson Scout might learn from Mayella is how to do everything in her power not to end up like her in any way.

What happens to Scout and Jem on their way home from the pageant in To Kill a Mockingbird?

This climactic scene is one of the most exciting portions of the novel.  Jem and Scout are returning home on Halloween night after the school held a pageant for Maycomb’s children.  Scout’s part in the play about the agricultural history of Maycomb is that of a ham.  She is in a ham costume that is bulky and hard to remove, so she decides to walk home with it on.  As they are walking, Jem suddenly starts struggling with someone, but Scout can’t see who it is because of the costume.  She hears Jem fall and then realizes that there is another fight going on.  Boo Radley has stopped Bob Ewell from harming the children, and in the struggle with Boo Radley, Bob Ewell is stabbed by his own knife between his ribs.  Scout hears Boo (at this time she doesn’t know it’s Boo) pick up Jem and run toward her house.  Scout follows and discovers that Boo saved Jem and her from Bob Ewell’s attack.  Jem is knocked out and has a broken arm, and Scout mentions how disappointed Jem will be because he didn’t get to meet Boo Radley.

As the book wraps up, Heck Tate tells Atticus that there will not be any charges pressed against Boo because he feels it will be an injustice to prosecute Boo.  Heck Tate convinces Atticus to say that Bob Ewell fell on his own knife.  Boo truly becomes a hero in the story and puts the superstitions surrounding him to rest by this selfless act.

How is Lady Macbeth controlling over Macbeth in Act I, Scene 7?

In Scene 7 of Act One, Lady Macbeth finds that her husband is wavering in his plan to kill Duncan. After a soul-searching soliloquy, he tells his wife that they will "proceed no more in this business." Lady Macbeth is outraged, and responds by essentially questioning her husband's integrity, his courage, and his masculinity. She asks him if he is afraid "to be the same in thine own act and valour/As thou art in desire" and claims that she would dash "the brains out" of her own newborn child before she violated, as her husband was proposing to do, her pledge to carry out the act. She then shifts to encouragement, urging him to "screw your courage to the sticking place, and we'll not fail." Her tirade is effective, as Macbeth gains a new resolve to carry out the murder of Duncan. So in this way she is certainly controlling--she seems to know that she can best motivate her husband to commit even the most heinous of crimes by challenging his courage and his manhood. 

A spring extends by 10 cm when a mass of 200 g is attached to it. What is the spring constant? (Calculate your answer in N/m)

According to Hooke's Law the force needed to stretch or compress it will be directly proportional to the amount by which it lengthens or shortens. Mathematically, Hooke's Law is: 

F = kx where F is the applied force, x is the change in the length of the spring due to the force and k is the spring constant.

If the spring obeys Hooke's law over the distance that it's being stretched then the spring constant for this particular spring can be calculated as follows:

k = F/x, F = mg

k = (.2 kg)(9.8 m/s^2)/(0.1m) = 19.6 N/m

There's usally a point at which spring no longer obeys this relationship, for example if it's stretched to the point of deforming or if force continues to be applied after it's completely compressed. The best way to calculate the spring constant is by measuring and graphing mutiple data points. This method will show any outlying data points that might have resulted from over-stretching the spring.

In what ways do books give us knowledge?

Books can transmit knowledge in at least two ways. First, there is the literal or factual knowledge which can be gained by reading non-fiction books. For example, if you were to read a cookbook or a biography, you would be learning real, factual information. Books can also give us knowledge through the experience of reading. Many people feel that when they read a book, especially works of fiction, they interact with "another world." Reading books gives us the opportunity to learn through vicarious experience. Even if the story we are reading is entirely fictional, like the Lord of the Rings series, we gain emotional knowledge through the experiences of the characters. Consider someone who has never had a friend or relative pass away, and may come to know grief through the death of a favorite character. Though it is not factual knowledge, it is experiential and emotional knowledge.

Our experiences with books also offer us more implicit knowledge about what books are. By handling and reading books, we come to know that they are typically made of paper, but may also be made of leather or vellum or even plastic! We learn that books may be printed, hand-written, or contain no words at all. The experience of a book is just as much a way of learning as it is to read the words inside.

What is the effect of not giving any names to the characters in the short story "War" by the author Luigi Pirandello?

Luigi Pirandello does not use names in the short story "War" so that the ideas and dialogue of the characters are at the forefront instead of the setting. In addition to leaving the characters unnamed, the author also keeps the setting limited to one place and makes that setting, a railway carriage, as bare as possible. The descriptions of the characters are equally sparse and drab and used mostly to differentiate between characters instead of to develop them.

The lack of color and detail given to the setting and the characters serves as a muted background to allow the ideas and philosophies presented in the dialogue to become the focal point of the short story instead of the individual characters. The themes in this story, including loss, potential loss and living with them, are made relevant to all and not limited to the sympathy one can feel towards a certain character.

Are the conditions given to the suitors in The Merchant of Venice harsh? How would you describe it?

Whether or not the conditions of the casket test are harsh is relative. Nowadays, if we were to hear about such a situation, if would seem extremely harsh. In the world of the play, though, where the merchants engage in so many high risk, high reward situations, this might seem just another risky business transaction, and not harsh or cruel at all. Indeed, that seems to be the way Bassanio views it. He needs to secure a fortune and is willing to wager his future marriageability to do so. In speaking of Portia, Bassanio says,

"In Belmont there is a lady richly left,
[...]
And many Jasons come in quest of her" (1.1.168.179)

Bassanio is comparing the winning of Portia's hand to the mythical quest of Jason for the Golden Fleece. He shows that, to him, the risky test is a thrilling adventure, not a terrifying wager.

Another question, though, is whether or not the casket test is cruel or unfair to Portia. She certainly seems to think it is, framing it as a way for her father to control her marriage prospects from beyond the grave. Though a father arranging his daughter's marriage was not unheard of for the time, Portia's independent and self-sufficient personality makes it particularly unpleasant for her, and she lives in fear of an unsuitable suitor claiming her.