Where does Jonas live? Describe his community.

Lois Lowry's book, The Giver, focuses on a twelve-year-old boy called Jonas who lives in a rigid dystopian society. Though we never come to know the name or location of this community, we do learn that it is an intentional society where everything is highly regulated with the goal of "Sameness." Everything in Jonas's society is very organized and precise, and difference or deviation are not tolerated. Though everyone who grows up in Jonas's community is considered equal, people who do not fit into the ideals of productive society are "released."

Jonas's society is implied to be a self-sustaining one. At the age of twelve, community members are given their Assignment, or occupation. People may go to work in a variety of fields like agriculture and animal raising, public speaking, care for infants or the elderly, and teaching. In the interest of Sameness, people do not get to choose their Assignment. Instead, the community Elders decide based upon the community's need and the talents of individuals.

In the community, there are public recreation spaces, a home for elderly citizens, homes for families, and a medical center. In this way, Jonas's community is not so different from any real-world town or city. That said, there are strict rules about who can go where and what can and cannot be done. For example, Jonas once brings home an apple from a recreation area and is reprimanded over the public loudspeaker. Anyone who repeatedly breaks the rules, or breaks a very big rule, is released.

Though the equality and lack of suffering in Jonas's community can sound very tempting, Lois Lowry wrote this novel as a warning against the allure of a "perfect society." When people in Jonas's community are released for rule breaking, illness, or other deviation from the norm, they are killed as a means of maintaining the Sameness that prevents suffering. Much that was or could be is lost when someone is released, and it is Jonas's job to hold on to all of the memories of what has been sacrificed in the goal of Sameness.

Note the reference to the mockingbird in chapter 28 of To Kill a Mockingbird and explain the significance of it.

The reference in question is in chapter 30. Scout and Jem have been attacked on their way home from the Halloween pageant at the high school and attacked in the dark. There was a scuffle and someone yanked a man off of Scout (who was saved by her costume; the chicken wire that created it saved her from being knifed) and then there was a man coughing and wheezing. When Scout got her bearings, she saw the man carrying Jem home, and she followed. 

They find out shortly, when Sheriff Heck Tate arrives, that Bob Ewell is lying dead under the tree with a kitchen knife stuck under his ribs. The mystery man is Boo Radley himself. 

Tate and Atticus go to the porch to discuss what happens next. Atticus seems to believe that Jem killed Ewell, even if it was in self-defense, but Tate will have none of it. It's clear to him that Boo killed Ewell to protect the children, and he convinces Atticus of this--and also convinces Atticus that they can't tell the truth because Boo would suddenly be a hero, which would be cruel to a man as retiring and shy as he. So Tate says that Ewell fell on his knife, and that's all there is to it. 

Atticus finally accepts this, and calls Scout to him. He says, "Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Can you possibly understand?" 

Scout says, "Yes sir. I understand. Mr. Tate was right." Atticus asks what she means, and she says, "Well, it would be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?"

Years earlier, Atticus had given his children air rifles for Christmas and had said they could shoot at any bird except mockingbirds, because it was a sin to shoot a mockingbird. All a mockingbird does is sing and bring joy to people. Scout here equates bringing Boo into the limelight with shooting a mockingbird. Boo has never hurt anyone; he's only done good, saving the children from a homicidal drunk. To bring what he did into the open would be cruel and pointless--like shooting a mockingbird. 

What are some quotes dealing with the TV walls in Fahrenheit 451?

The first time the TV walls are mentioned is when Montag meets Clarisse. Clarisse shares the fact that she is an atypical person in this society almost immediately, but cements that fact by stating, "I rarely watch the 'parlour walls' or go to races or Fun Parks. So I've lots of time for crazy thoughts, I guess." (3) The fact that Clarisse doesn't watch TV like everyone else is something that allows her the time to think, which sets her apart from almost everyone else, since they appear to be addicted to technology. 

Another instance where the parlour walls are mentioned is when Mildred, Montag's wife, begins discussing her plans for the day with Montag after her suicide attempt from the night before. She's clearly much more comfortable with discussing the script for the upcoming TV show than discussing what occurred: 

She was quite obviously waiting for him to go. "I didn't do that," she said. "Never in a billion years." "All right if you say so," he said. "That's what the lady said." She turned back to her script. "What's on this afternoon?" he asked tiredly. She didn't look up from her script again. "Well, this play comes on the wall-to-wall circuit in ten minutes. They mailed me my part this morning..." (9)

Later on during this scene, Mildred begins to question Montag as to when they can get the fourth parlour wall put in, despite the expense. Even though Montag states that the cost of the parlour wall is a third of his yearly salary, Mildred doesn't seem to care: 

"How long you figure before we save up and get the fourth wall torn out and a fourth wall-TV put in? It's only two thousand dollars." "That's one-third of my yearly pay." "It's only two thousand dollars," she replied. "And I should think you'd consider me sometimes." (9)

The addictive properties of technology are something that many studies are beginning to highlight today, but Bradbury wrote about how technology was going to affect people and their daily lives long before it actually occurred.  At one point Montag even begins to think about how technology (and the parlour walls) have come between him and his wife. "Well, wasn't there a wall between him and Mildred, when you came down to it? Literally not just one wall but, so far, three! And expensive, too!" (20) Montag has begun to think that the parlour walls and technology are separating people from each other, instead of bringing them closer together and facilitating happiness. It serves to highlight a major change in his character. 

What is the main idea of The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen?

The main idea of this book is to reveal (and remember) the horrors of the Holocaust from a young adult point of view.  The main character, Hannah, is annoyed greatly by her Jewish faith as she travels to her grandparents’ house to eat the Seder meal.  During the meal, Hannah is transported back in time to 1942.  She finds herself part of a Jewish family and is suddenly called “Chaya.”  While entering the synagogue for a wedding, Hannah/Chaya and all of the other Jewish people are herded onto trucks and sent to a concentration camp.  This is where the horrors begin.  Women and children are sent to the gas chambers.  Others starve to death.  Still others are worked to death.  The story of Chaya is a tale of great bravery.  Chaya sacrifices herself for her friend Rivka when Chaya enters the gas chamber in Rivka's place, telling her to both “run” and “remember.”  This book is Chaya’s story.  As a result, the victims of the Holocaust are remembered in a very moving way.

How does Harper Lee generate tension in To Kill a Mockingbird in the mad dog scene?

First, Calpurnia calls Atticus, then runs up and down the neighborhood as far as is safe to warn the neighbors that there's a mad dog coming (and having the switchboard operator call everyone else). She even bangs on the Radley's door to warn them, although no one answers. Meanwhile, Tim Johnson--the mad dog--is slowly walking toward them. Atticus and the sheriff arrive and discuss what to do--go after him or wait. 

Scout--narrating--says, "I thought mad dogs foamed at the mouth, galloped, leaped and lunged at throats, and I thought they did it in August. Had Tim Johnson behaved thus, I would have been less frightened." She's a frightened child, watching a mad dog moseying toward her neighborhood while the adults--also clearly unnerved--try to work out what to do. 

Atticus seems to move slowly and speak softly from the moment Tim Johnson limps into view. Then Tate and Atticus argue about who will shoot the dog. Tate practically throws the rifle at Atticus and says, "I'd feel mighty comfortable if you did it now." Scout and Jem are shocked to their very core, of course, because they think their father is and always has been anti-gun. 

When Atticus walks into the middle of the street, Jem and Scout watch "in a fog": "He walked quickly, but I thought he moved like an underwater swimmer. Time had slowed to a nauseating crawl." We naturally witness frightening events as though they are in slow motion, because our "internal clocks," pumped with adrenaline, move so quickly that the outside world seems to move in slow motion. This is what's happening here. 

Atticus is in the street, shoves his glasses to his forehead, and they fall off and crack on the pavement. Lee then turns our attention to Tim Johnson, who has finally worked out where the street is and starts coming down it again, having turned at the Radley place: "He took two steps forward, then stopped and raised his head. We saw his body go rigid." This is the moment--do or die. 

Then all at once, Atticus yanks the lever, pulls the rifle to his shoulder, and fires. Tim Johnson leaps and flops over in the crumpled heap. Up to this moment, we--like Scout and Jem--know nothing of Atticus's history. We don't know for sure until this moment that he is a sharpshooter, so we--like Scout and Jem--are on pins and needles watching the scene unfold. 

How did Sergeant-Major Morris acquire the monkey's paw?

Sergeant-Major Morris does not say exactly how he got the paw, although he says he got it from the first owner.

"The first man had his three wishes. Yes," was the reply; "I don't know what the first two were, but the third was for death. That's how I got the paw."

In answer to Herbert's question, Morris says that he too has had his three wishes, so there is only one more set of wishes left. It is possible that Morris bought the paw from the first owner, or had it given to him by that unfortunate man, or even that Morris killed him in some kind of military skirmish and took the paw. It would seem that Morris is not the kind of man who would buy such a thing just on the basis of a sales pitch from a stranger. He must have had some knowledge about its powers if he bought it. Maybe he knew the first owner. Evidently he knows more about what happened to that man than he is telling the Whites.

Morris indicates that he has kept the paw because he was thinking about selling it to someone but has recently changed his mind because "it has caused enough mischief already." This suggests that he would be open to an offer by Mr. White, who ends up becoming the third owner. Mr. White is therefore the only member of the family who can make wishes. This is a good thing, because Herbert would be likely to create disaster by wishing for a million pounds or something equally extravagant. And Mrs. White, who says she would like four pairs of hands, might wish for something truly outlandish. She does in fact persuade her husband to wish for Herbert to return from out of the grave.

W. W. Jacobs was clever in selecting a mummified monkey's paw as the talisman for his story because it suggests that there might still be some vitality in the thing. Also, it suggests a far-away place like India, because there are no native monkeys in England. And furthermore, it is a loathsome object which suggests sinister potential. Mr. White doesn't want to touch it at first, but Herbert picks it up. The father is older and wiser. The son is young and impulsive. White has premonitions of danger. Herbert is a character who could get himself caught in the machinery at the textile plant where he works--especially since he will stay up later than usual, drinking more than usual with Sergeant-Major Morris, who is perceptibly a heavy whiskey-drinker.

So the reader will never know exactly how Sergeant-Major Morris acquired the monkey's paw. But this is not terribly important, because the introductory part is mainly concerned with explaining how Mr. White acquires it. What happens after Morris relinquishes control of the diabolical thing and leaves the Whites to their fate is the dramatic essence of the tale. A lot in the story depends on the unknown. For instance, the reader will never know whether what happened to the family was fate or coincidence. 

In Lord of the Flies, what was Ralph's reaction to the idea that there were no grown ups on the island?

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is the narrative of a group of male adolescents who have been stranded on an island in the Pacific Ocean. It was published in 1954.  At the time, it was not much of what one would refer to as a success. However, over time, it achieved the recognition of making both the board's list and the reader's list of Modern Library 100 Best Novels. It has also been adapted into film three times.

The story begins with the introduction of Ralph and "the fat boy." They are making their way toward a beach through the heavy vegetation of a jungle. It becomes apparent that they are survivors of an airplane accident. As they interact, they begin to question if there are any other survivors from the planeload of young boys that were being evacuated.

As soon as Ralph realizes that the only adults on board the plane were sitting in areas that fairly ensured that they could not have survived the wreck of the plane, and it's subsequently being washed out to sea, he becomes giddy with the knowledge. He does a handstand right in the middle of the swept-away plane's trench. They are on an island, with no grown ups to rule over them. The possibilities far outweigh any drawbacks at that time.

Why can characters be likened to mockingbirds in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Chapter 10 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus tells Scout and Jem, “Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Scout is confused by her father's reference to sin, a word he rarely uses, and she asks Miss Maudie to clarify what Atticus means. Miss Maudie tells her that since mockingbirds do nothing other than sing, it's a crime to hurt them. In other words, mockingbirds are pure, innocent, defenseless creatures, so it is a sin to hurt them.

The mockingbirds in the novel are the characters who are in a weak position so that harming them is indefensible. Boo Radley is one of these characters. Although people are afraid of him, he is in reality a gentle man who is probably a bit mentally disabled. In the end, he proves that he is really stronger and more principled than people think when he saves Jem's and Scout's life. 

In addition, Tom Robinson, the African-American man who Atticus defends, can be considered a mockingbird, as he is in a weak position in society and in the trial because of racial prejudice in Maycomb. It is a sin to accuse him of a crime he did not commit because he is in a weak (and innocent) state. Finally, Jem and Scout can be considered mockingbirds because they are children and innocent, so it is indefensible for Bob Ewell to attack them at the end of the novel.

Analyze the scene in which the boys kill the sow in the novel Lord of the Flies.

In Chapter 8, Jack and his hunters surround a group of pigs laying peacefully under the trees. He spots a big black sow that is nursing her piglets. After they initially throw their spears at her, she takes off, breaking through their line and into the forest. The sow runs and hides in a thicket, and the boys track her by following the pig's blood. Golding says that the boys followed her, "wedded to her in lust" and then depicts the violent scene in which Roger and Jack brutally murder her. Roger sticks his spear up the sow's behind while Jack slits its throat. Roger says, "Right up her ass!" as the boys laugh and celebrate. (Golding 135)

It is important to note that sow is nursing, and is the only female present on the island. Golding uses sexually suggestive imagery to describe how they boys ravage the sow. The killing of the mother pig symbolizes their frustration with living "motherless" on the island. It also represents the degree of their separation from civility. A nursing mother is a beautiful image found throughout nature. The savage way in which the boys strip the mother of her piglets and brutally murder her conveys their complete loss of innocence. Jack's decision to attack the defenseless pig also foreshadows his choice to kill Simon and Piggy, who are also defenseless characters. The event is pivotal because it is the climatic moment that boys completely separate from civility to barbarism.

In The Witch Of Blackbird Pond, Hannah warns Kit that without a certain something she “has never escaped at all” by marrying William. What...

In Chapter 16, Hannah warns Kit that, without love, she will discover that marrying William will prove a fruitless escape from her uncle's house. Hannah is implying that Kit will not have improved upon her current situation if she acts unwisely; she must marry for love if she wishes to ensure her happiness.

We can tell that love is found in great abundance in Hannah's cottage. Even though Hannah is ostracized because she is a Quaker and thought to be a witch, she welcomes Kit warmly into her life. Her cottage is a place where peace and harmony reign. Kit thinks that even the 'fire in Hannah's hearth seems to have a special glow.'

Hannah's cottage is the place where both Kit and Prudence find love, affection, and acceptance. Prudence, whose mother is the judgmental and bad-tempered Goodwife Cruff, learns how to read and write from Hannah and Kit. In the privacy of Hannah's cabin, Prudence blossoms into a confident and happy child.

For Prudence was an entirely different child from the woebegone shrinking creature who had stood in the roadway outside the school. The tight little bud that was the real Prudence had steadily opened its petals in the sunshine of Kit's friendship and Hannah's gentle affection.

Kit also finds solace in Hannah's home. When she is fired from the schoolhouse for having her young charges act out a skit from a biblical parable, Kit seeks comfort at Hannah's cottage. Because of Hannah's warmth and compassion, both Kit and Prudence find comfort and consolation in her company.

What is an example of foreshadowing in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice?

One example of foreshadowing in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice can be seen in the remarks Charlotte Lucas makes to Elizabeth about securing a man and about the prospects of being happy in marriage. Little does Elizabeth realize at the time that all of Charlotte's remarks are philosophies she truly holds and foreshadow Charlotte's own matrimonial decisions.

Early in the novel, while the neighborhood is dining at Lucas Lodge soon after Jane meets Bingley, Charlotte feels obliged to warn Elizabeth that Jane is far too reserved and advises Jane needs to begin showing "more affection [for Bingley] than she feels" if she is going to make him fall in love with her and secure him (Ch. 6). Elizabeth objects to the idea of Jane securing Bingley before she is even sure of what his character is like. Elizabeth asserts that Charlotte's "plan is a good one" if the only object in mind was to "get a rich husband," which is not what Jane is interested in (Ch. 6). Charlotte responds by citing her own philosophy of marriage, that "happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance," and even two people who are well-suited to each other are likely to later grow disappointed with each other in marriage, and it is, therefore, better to know as little as possible about a person you marry (Ch. 6).

Elizabeth is shocked by Charlotte's philosophy and protests that even Charlotte wouldn't show false affection for a man just to secure a husband, nor would she marry a man without knowing him first. Yet, these are precisely things Charlotte does to win Mr. Collins's proposal. What's more she marries Mr. Collins purely to secure for herself a financially comfortable home and because she feels his character is good enough to make her suppose she'll be as happy married to him as any other married woman.

Hence, as we can see, the things Charlotte says to Elizabeth about Jane and marriage foreshadow Charlotte's own actions with respect to encouraging, accepting, and marrying Mr. Collins.

In the novel, 1984, identify at least two arguments Orwell is making about people and society in Part 1, Chapters 2-4.

In Part 1 of 1984, Orwell makes a number of important points about the nature of people and society. 

First of all, Orwell suggests that children are extremely susceptible to propaganda. This view is supported by the Parsons' children who Winston meets in Chapter 2 when he fixes the family's sink. The children call Winston a "Eurasian spy" and a "thoughtcriminal" and pretend to shoot him with a toy pistol (page 25). The children's zealous behaviour makes their mother and Winston extremely nervous and this is exacerbated by their desire to attend the hanging of some Eurasian prisoners (page 25-26). In fact, the narrator notes that children were always the most enthusiastic about hangings: "Children always clamoured to be taken to see it" (page 26).  

In Orwell's mind, then, children make the most zelaous supporters of the party because they are the easiest to manipulate and control. Unaware of the implications of public executions and thoughtcrime, the children enable the party's survival and persecution of the citizens of Oceania. This is, perhaps, Orwell's way of highlighting the importance of protecting children from negative images, from dangerous governments and encouraging the reader to nurture their vulnerability and think carefully about the messages they are exposed to. 

A second message in this section of the book is that memories can never be erased, no matter how hard the government tries. We see this in practice on page 34-35 when Winston's mind begins to wander during his mandatory exercise. He remembers very clearly that maps of the world looked different before the rise of the party and that the country had not always been at war. These memories linger in Winston's subconscious and cannot be erased, though the party have rewritten the official history. If he vocalised these memories, he would be accused of thoughtcrime, but that is not the important point. Winston's memories remain, despite the constant bombardment of party propaganda and the fear of being vaporised. Memories are, therefore, much stronger than any form of government. 

If you could make any changes you wished that would make you happier, what would those be?

Besides the individual personal response (which can only be supplied by the asker of this question and/or the answerer), a psychologically sound answer would address the issues that were causing strife, conflict, or disharmony in the life of the responder. While the intuitive answer might suggest some addition – money, friends, opportunities, travel, etc. – the counterintuitive answer would ask for the removal of some impediment to happiness – a sickness, a rival, old age, etc. There may be some universal desire built into humanity itself – absence of pain, survival tools, avoidance of death, etc. – and many people would want some altruistic change – good fortune for a friend, etc. Many might ask for the all-encompassing, such as "world peace" or "equality for all." The very phrase “make you happier” may often be more difficult to define than one would think. Finally, many psychologists will say that happiness is a state of mind entirely independent of outside change, but imbedded in the person’s attitude.  So you might say "The change that would make me happier is that I change my own attitude."

What do the butter churn and the dasher symbolize for the narrator in "Everyday Use"?

For Mama Johnson, the narrator, the butter churn and the dasher remind her of her family, especially of those individuals who made them by hand.  These are items that feel essential to her and her daughter, Maggie's, life because they put them to nearly everyday use (as the title suggests).  For Mama and Maggie, heritage is something lived and used; it is something in the present.  Heritage is not something to display, something to set aside as in need of preserving because the way Mama and Maggie "preserve" their heritage is in the very using and appreciating of these family artifacts for the purpose for which they were intended. 

Dee, on the other hand, sees her family heritage (and the items associated with it, like the churn and dasher) as something to display, and she gives voice to her desire to have these items and others so that she can do "something artistic" with them.  Dee sees heritage as something in the past, not the present; for her, it is something to keep, something to have, but not something to honor by using it everyday.

How do the ideas of blindness and sight correlate to the ideas of knowledge and ignorance throughout the play in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex?

Sophocles' Oedipus Rex (Greek: Oedipus Tyrannos) first appeared on the stage in Athens during the early years of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and its allies and Sparta and its allies. Like Thebes in Sophocles' play, Athens had also been experiencing a horrific plague. Undoubtedly, the Athenians, like Sophocles' fictional Thebans, had been consulting oracles and prophets about how to remedy this situation.

In Sophocles' play, the playwright takes up the question of whether physical sight equates to spiritual or intellectual knowledge. This idea is played out especially through the characters of Oedipus and Teiresias. Oedipus can see physically, but he does not realize until it is too late that he has killed his father and married his mother.

In contrast, the prophet Teiresias is physically blind, but he knows that Oedipus has killed his father and married his mother. Oedipus taunts Teiresias and his blindness, to which the prophet responds:

      "you have your eyesight, and you do not see
      how miserable you are, or where you live,
      or who it is who shares your household." (Johnston translation)

Ironically, when Oedipus eventually gains true knowledge about his past, he blinds himself. Thus, like Teiresias, Oedipus becomes physically blind but appears to gain some measure of spiritual or intellectual knowledge.

Interestingly, the first part of Oedipus' name is reminiscent of the Greek verb oida ("I know"). In Greek, Oedipus' name is spelled Oidipous. So, even though Oedipus' name indicates that he should have knowledge, Oedipus remains in ignorance until it is too late.

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, how did Atticus display stewardship of his influence, besides defending Tom Robinson?

Stewardship is defined as...

...the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving

In other words, a steward is someone who looks after the affairs and/or well-being of those other than himself.

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, it is easy to see Atticus as a good steward for Tom Robinson during his trial. However, the reader can find it in several other instances in the story as well.

First, when Walter Cunningham does not have money to pay Atticus for legal services rendered, Atticus agrees to take his fee in goods. Atticus is not one to insist upon payment when someone is short of funds, but Atticus also understands (as does Scout) that Mr. Cunningham is a proud man who does not believe in charity or loans. 

Atticus is also a good steward with Mrs. Dubose. When Jem angrily cuts off the tops of Mrs. Dubose's flowers because of a derogatory comment the older woman makes about his father, Atticus makes Jem go to Mrs. Dubose's house to read to her. It is not just because of Jem's behavior that Atticus does this. After Mrs. Dubose dies, Atticus tells Jem he would have done it either way. First, he explains that Mrs. Dubose was old and sick, and that Jem (for those reasons) should not have held Mrs. Dubose responsible for what she said.

More importantly is Atticus' stewardship of his children. He has already told them that defending Tom Robinson was something he had to do if he wanted to be respected by the people of Maycomb—it was his civic duty, and it is the right thing to do. He also tells Scout that in order to understand others, she should put herself in another person's place—"to climb into someone's skin and walk around in it for a while."

With Mrs. Dubose, Atticus also wants Jem to see what genuine courage looks like, and this is a major theme of the story. Courage is not what Jem sees when the lynch mob comes to the jail to hang Tom Robinson. It is not what Bob Ewell tries to do when he attacks the children, or when he spits in Atticus' face. Atticus tells Jem:

I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew.

From this quote, we see discover a number of things. We learn Atticus' definition of bravery. We also recognize Atticus' respect for someone who lives his or her life according to his or her own standards: Mrs. Dubose lived according to her views—and while Atticus did not appreciate all of them, he respected her commitment to fight the good fight. Finally, the reader also witnesses the important Atticus sees in instructing his son about the nature of true courage: it has nothing to do with force but rather with sheer perseverance even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Ironically, even after the court trial, Atticus shows stewardship with regard to the Ewell family. When Bob Ewell spits in Atticus' face, Atticus understands that he robbed the other man of whatever credibility Ewell had in the community and he now has a need to take it out on someone. Atticus feels that if taking Ewell's abusive behavior quietly spares Mayella—or any of the other Ewell children—a beating, it was worth it.

We see stewardship in Heck Tate's protection of Boo Radley. We witness it also when Miss Maudie attempts to help the Finch children see Boo Radley as a sympathetic figure rather than believing Stephanie Crawford's rumors. 

In the small town of Maycomb, stewardship is not the work of only one person, but Atticus' character—more than any other—works hard to make certain that he is a good steward for others within in the community, as well as at home with Jem and Scout. 

What does Ravi think it would feel like to be "the winner in a circle of older, bigger, luckier children"?

Ravi thinks it would be the greatest feeling that he has ever experienced in his entire lifetime. The text specifically tells readers that it "would be thrilling beyond imagination." In other words, actually being the winner of the hide-and-seek game will be even better than anything that Ravi has ever imagined before. Ravi even smiles to himself at the thought of his coming victory. He believes that the other children will cheer and revere him like a conquering hero.

He hugged his knees together and smiled to himself almost shyly at the thought of so much victory, such laurels.

The thoughts of future praise and worship is what motivates Ravi to stay inside the shed long after the other children have stopped playing the game. By the time that Ravi claims his victory, the other children have long forgotten him. The story ends with Ravi facing some harsh realities. Not only do the other children not grant him victory and laurels, but Ravi also learns that he is so insignificant that the other children didn't even know that he was still playing the game.

He lay down full length on the damp grass, crushing his face into it, no longer crying, silenced by a terrible sense of his insignificance.

Why is Atticus sitting at the jailhouse door?

Atticus is sitting at the jailhouse door to protect Tom Robinson.

In Chapter 15, Tom Robinson has been transferred to the Maycomb jail, and Atticus has stationed himself in front of the jail to protect his client. Eventually, a group of Maycomb men turns up and demands that Tom be handed over to them; they want to make an example of Tom by lynching him.

For his part, Atticus refuses to move and tells the crowd to disperse. In the end, the children's surprising intervention saves the day.

When the crowd initially sees the children, they demand that Atticus sends Scout, Jem, and Dill home. However, Jem refuses to budge. Someone tries to grab Jem, but Scout aims a well-placed kick at the man that temporarily immobilizes him. In the meantime, Jem stands his ground next to Atticus. For her part, Scout calls out to a familiar face, Mr. Walter Cunningham.

Her eventual kind inquiries about Mr. Cunningham's business and welfare disarm the surly man. Touched by her innocence and solicitude, Mr. Cunningham calls off the men, and the mob disperses. Because of Atticus and the children's bravery, Tom Robinson is kept from being lynched.

Why did the colonies need enslaved Africans?

Though every colony had at least some enslaved people, the colonies that took in the most African slaves were those that raised staple crop for the Atlantic market. In North America, these colonies were the Chesapeake colonies, Virginia and Maryland, which raised tobacco, and the Low Country (South Carolina and eventually Georgia) which grew rice. These were both very labor-intensive crops, and planters figured they could most profitably exploit enslaved African laborers. There was a social dimension to this as well. In Virginia especially, the first labor force was not enslaved but indentured. These people, if they survived, could gain freedom and land after a predetermined term. Over time, these people became a subversive force in the colony, and the colony slowly turned to African slaves. The colonies that most depended on enslaved African labor were the sugar colonies in the Caribbean. People labored under such brutal conditions, and so little opportunity to gain land existed, in places like Barbados that no indentured servants would go there. These colonies imported people directly from Africa at a dizzying rate that reflected the astonishingly high death rates of slaves on the islands. So the colonists made the decision to import enslaved African people because the work was so labor intensive, and slave labor seemed the cheapest and most socially stable alternative. It should be noted that in many places in the Americas, Native peoples were enslaved. But because they lacked immunity to many diseases, and because they found it easier to run away and blend into the countryside (and because some reformers favored enslaving blacks instead) Europeans turned to the African slave trade for labor. 

What are Bill Joy's background and achievements in the book Outliers?

This story comes in Chapter Two, “The 10,000-Hour Rule.” Here Gladwell shows us that even people with innate talent have to practice or work on their craft for a long time in order to become knowledgeable and proficient. 10,000 hours turns out to be the right amount to gain expert status.

Bill Joy was interested in science when he got to the campus of the University of Michigan in the fall of 1971. He fell in love with computer programming. Fortunately for him, he was in the right place at the right time. Michigan had already switched from a big card-punching computer to a time-share one; and the computer center was open 24/7. Bill spent most of his time there, programming at least 8-10 hours a day. He went on to attend grad school at the University of California at Berkeley. He had the talent and the opportunity to become an expert in the field. He rewrote the UNIX code for mainframe computers. He co-founded Sun Microsystems, a major firm in Silicon Valley. He rewrote the Java language for computers. “He is sometimes called the Edison of the Internet,” Gladwell tells us. All because of a combination of intelligence and opportunity.

What is rule 118 in Bud, not Buddy, with evidence from text and connection?

You can find rule 118 in Chapter Two. Basically, rule 118 states that you have to rely on subterfuge to get what you really want. Subterfuge is any sort of deceit or trickery used to achieve one's goals. Here's rule 118 as stated by Bud:

You Have To Give The Adults Something That They Think They Can Use To Hurt You By Taking It Away. That Way They Might Not Take Something Away That You Really Do Want Unless They Are Crazy Or Real Stupid. They Won’t Take Everything Because If They Did They Wouldn’t Have Anything Left To Hold Over Your Head To Hurt You With Later.

In the story, Bud is staying with a foster family. The Amos family consists of Mr. and Mrs. Amos and their son, Todd. Todd is a bully, but he's good at hiding the evidence of his crimes. Somehow, he always manages to pin the blame on Bud, who is considerably smaller and younger than he is.

After one especially violent physical altercation, Todd once again manages to make it look like Bud is the instigator of the fight. Mrs. Owen is so angry that she proclaims that Bud can no longer stay in their home. Upon hearing this, Bud pretends to be upset at the thought of being sent back to the orphanage. In reality, he'd rather be back at the Home than live with the likes of Todd. So, he puts rule 118 to use.

Bud apologizes profusely to the whole family; as Mrs. Owen appears to be the one in charge, he reserves his most obsequious (excessively groveling) apologies for her. As a stroke of genius, he begs not to be sent back to the Home and to be given another chance. His aim is to draw attention away from the one thing which really means a lot to him: the suitcase that contains paraphernalia (articles or things) of sentimental value to him. As Mrs. Amos already knows how attached he is to his suitcase and the items in them, Bud doesn't want to give any further indication of the extent of his attachment.

By focusing Mrs. Amos' attention on his supposed desire NOT to return to the orphanage, he allows her to think that she has some power over him. He deludes her into thinking that his first concern is being allowed to stay. In line with rule 118, this leads Mrs. Amos to hold on to his suitcase instead of throwing it away. She thinks that she can use the suitcase later as a way to manipulate Bud. As the story continues, we read that Bud soon runs away from the Amos home, and as promised by rule 118, he has planned it just right. Bud does find the suitcase after escaping from the shed he is locked in. He manages to play one last prank on Todd before leaving with his beloved suitcase.

Who is Marlow? Is he an illustration of the author of Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad?

Marlow is a sailor, riverboat captain, and the narrator of Joseph Conrad's monumental novella, Heart of Darkness. Though there are many similarities between Marlow and Conrad himself, it would be a mistake to say that Marlow is an "illustration" of Conrad.

That's not say that similarities between Conrad and the fictional Marlow don't exist. For example, in the beginning of the novella, we learn Marlow has traveled to many distant locales, including Asia. Conrad also worked as a sailor as a young man, and he too traveled to many different places, including many locations in Asia. Additionally, Conrad's journeys eventually took him to the Belgian Congo, and so it's clear that Marlow's adventures in Africa are drawn from Conrad's real experiences.

Marlow, however, is not meant to be a personification of Conrad; rather, it's more accurate to say Conrad drew on real experiences to create a fictional character that has a few similarities to him. Marlow, however, is meant to transcend Conrad, and if he has any function, it is to display the corruption of the colonizing forces in the world. Indeed, from the moment that Marlow is compared to the Buddha in the opening pages of the novel, the character becomes a wise guru, one who insightfully recognizes the dark wildness lurking beneath the facade of civilized nations. As such, while Marlow shares some similarities with Conrad, he functions more as a personified critique of colonialism than as an autobiographical representation of the author.

What lines are repeated in the poem "Mending Wall"?

The lines “something there is that doesn’t love a wall” and “good fences make good neighbors” are repeated.

Repetition is used in poems to add emphasis and highlight significant themes.  In this case, the poem is about a pair of neighbors who disagree on whether there should be a wall between their farms.  One thinks that it is better to keep your neighbor at a distance, and the other does not see the point of the wall and prefers more contact between neighbors.

The first and last lines of the poem are parts of the repetition.  Each of these are related to the main theme of the poem, which is that we put up walls against other people because we feel that we are better off keeping others at a distance.

The speaker does not like maintaining the wall between the two farms.  He feels that it is unnecessary, using the fact that the wall seems to crumble as proof that it should not be there.

Before I built a wall I’d ask to know

What I was walling in or walling out,

And to whom I was like to give offense.

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,

That wants it down.

The neighbor, on the other hand, carefully reconstructs the wall each year.  The speaker wants to be a good neighbor by getting to know his neighbor, but the neighbor wants to be a good neighbor by avoiding his neighbor.  It is two different approaches to the act of coexisting with others.

The neighbor has a policy that seems to support keeping the wall intact.

He moves in darkness as it seems to me,

Not of woods only and the shade of trees.

He will not go behind his father’s saying,

And he likes having thought of it so well

He says again, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.'

The two positions seem to have no middle ground.  The speaker feels that since neither of them have livestock, there is no reason to have a wall.  The neighbor prefers tradition.  He likes to keep himself isolated from his neighbors.

It should be noted that both neighbors work to rebuild the wall.  This is a metaphor too.  Although the speaker's neighbor prefers the wall, keeping it there is a collaboration between the two of them.  When others shut us out, we need to cooperate in order for them to really keep us out.

Difference between data collection and survey

Surveys are a form of data collection. Once a population has been properly defined, the researcher designs  the survey being careful to avoid bias in the questions. The researcher then decides on the method to do the survey (phone, mail, web, etc...) and how to select the participants ( self-selection, simple random sample, cluster sample, stratified sample, etc...)

Data collection is a broad category that includes surveys. Researchers recording information about an experiment are collecting data. Researchers looking through archived information are collecting data. Researchers observing (whether an experiment or an obsevational study) are collecting data. Researchers recording survey results are collecting data.

In all cases, a primary concern is to avoid bias (selection bias, bias in the questions or method of collection, interpreting outliers, etc...)

What are some examples of dramatic irony used in Macbeth?

Two especially good examples of dramatic irony in Macbeth appear early in the play. They both have to do with Duncan's trust and admiration for Macbeth, who, it turns out, will be his murderer.

• Early in the play, we learn about Macbeth's valor and loyalty to the King through the Sergeant's description of his battle against the traitorous rebel Macdonwald. The King clearly admires and trusts Macbeth, who he describes as "valiant" and "worthy." The irony is that Macbeth's loyalty earns him new titles and puts him in a position to murder Duncan and gain his crown. Of course, dramatic irony technically requires the audience to know what that the characters on the stage do not, which strictly speaking is not the case here. But most of Shakespeare's audiences would have known the story of Macbeth, and would have thus understood the irony here.


• Along the same lines, Duncan arrives at Macbeth's castle for a banquet, and upon entering, both he and Banquo comment on how lovely and welcoming the palace is. Duncan describes it as a "pleasant seat" and Lady Macbeth as an "honor'd hostess." Of course, Duncan will meet his death in this "pleasant seat" at the hands of Macbeth, who is encouraged to carry out the deed by the "honor'd hostess." This is true dramatic irony--we learned in the previous scene that Lady Macbeth is already plotting against the King.

In The Cay, how does Phillip know that its morning while he is blind?

Like many people who lack one of their senses, whether it is blindness or deafness, they quickly learn to use their other senses to cope and survive.  In Phillip’s case, he realizes it is morning while drifting along on the raft because he feels that the wooden boards are cooler.  He knows that the water will cool off the boards during the night because there is no sunlight to warm them.  As Phillip learns to cope with his blindness, he becomes more and more independent on the island and is eventually able to walk around the island using only a cane. As his senses are heightened, he begins to be more self-sufficient instead of totally reliant on Timothy to help him.  In the end, Timothy’s insistence that Phillip become self-reliant saves him after Timothy dies in a violent hurricane.

`x^3/((x + 2)^2(x - 2)^2)` Write the partial fraction decomposition of the rational expression.

`x^3/((x+2)^2(x-2)^2)`

Let `x^3/((x+2)^2(x-2)^2)=A/(x+2)+B/(x+2)^2+C/(x-2)+D/(x-2)^2`

`x^3/((x+2)^2(x-2)^2)=(A(x+2)(x-2)^2+B(x-2)^2+C(x-2)(x+2)^2+D(x+2)^2)/((x+2)^2(x-2)^2)`

`x^3/((x+2)^2(x-2)^2)=(A(x+2)(x^2-4x+4)+B(x^2-4x+4)+C(x-2)(x^2+4x+4)+D(x^2+4x+4))/((x+2)^2(x-2)^2)`

`x^3/((x+2)^2(x-2)^2)=(A(x^3-4x^2+4x+2x^2-8x+8)+B(x^2-4x+4)+C(x^3+4x^2+4x-2x^2-8x-8)+D(x^2+4x+4))/((x+2)^2(x-2)^2)`

`x^3/((x+2)^2(x-2)^2)=(A(x^3-2x^2-4x+8)+B(x^2-4x+4)+C(x^3+2x^2-4x-8)+D(x^2+4x+4))/((x+2)^2(x-2)^2)`

`x^3/((x+2)^2(x-2)^2)=(x^3(A+C)+x^2(-2A+B+2C+D)+x(-4A-4B-4C+4D)+8A+4B-8C+4D)/((x+2)^2(x-2)^2)`

`:.x^3=x^3(A+C)+x^2(-2A+B+2C+D)+x(-4A-4B-4C+4D)+8A+4B-8C+4D`

equating the coefficients of the like terms,

`A+C=1`

`-2A+B+2C+D=0`

`-4A-4B-4C+4D=0`

`8A+4B-8C+4D=0`

Now we have to solve the above four equations to get the solutions of A,B,C and D.

Rewrite the third equation as,

`-4(A+C)-4B+4D=0`

substitute the expression of ( A+C) from the first equation in the above equation,

`-4(1)-4B+4D=0`

`-4B+4D=4`

`4(-B+D)=4`

`-B+D=1`

`D=1+B`

Express C in terms of A from first equation,

`C=1-A`  

Substitute the expressions of C and D in the second equation,

`-2A+B+2(1-A)+1+B=0`

`-2A+B+2-2A+1+B=0`

`-4A+2B=-3` (equation 5)

Substitute the expressions of C and D in the fourth equation,

`8A+4B-8(1-A)+4(1+B)=0`

`8A+4B-8+8A+4+4B=0`

`16A+8B=4`

`4(4A+2B)=4`

`4A+2B=1` (equation 6)

Solve equation 5 and 6 to get the solutions of A and B,

Add equation 5 and 6,

`4B=-3+1`

`4B=-2`

`B=-2/4`

`B=-1/2`

Plug the value of B in the equation 5,

`-4A+2(-1/2)=-3`

`-4A-1=-3`

`-4A=-3+1`

`-4A=-2`

`A=1/2`

Now plug the values of A and B in the expressions of C and D,

`C=1-1/2`

`C=1/2`

`D=1+(-1/2)`

`D=1/2`

`:.x^3/((x+2)^2(x-2)^2)=1/(2(x+2))-1/(2(x+2)^2)+1/(2(x-2))+1/(2(x-2)^2)`

` `

What are some animals that live in the abyssal zone?

The abyssal zone is deep.  Really deep.  It is located on the abyssal plain, and the average depth of the abyssal plain is 4,000 meters.   In places, the abyssal plain is as deep as 6,000 meters.  

The abyssal zone is a part of the benthic environment.  The benthic environment refers to the ocean floor and all of the creatures that live on it or in it.  The only ocean floor environment that is deeper than the abyssal zone is the hadal zone.  That zone is almost exclusively reserved for ocean trenches.  

Life isn't necessarily abundant in the abyssal zone, but it is most definitely present.  Crabs, sponges, tube worms, and sea cucumbers are a few of the animals that can tolerate the pressures associated with those depths.  Tube worms are most likely found near underwater volcanic vents and are therefore tolerating extreme pressures and fairly high temperatures as well.  

Is Pretties better than Uglies? If not, will Pretties still keep readers hooked?

Pretties was very good and if you enjoyed Uglies, it will probably keep you hooked just as much. It is written in the same style as Uglies, but the world in which they live is quite different. The setting is much more high-tech. They basically are supposed to just sit around and enjoy life—who wouldn't want that? But things get really interesting when the protagonist's old friends kidnap her from this "perfect life" and bring her back to her old home to run tests on her. This book really kept the story line going in an interesting way. I think it was the third book where I started to lose interest. I recommend it! Like I said, if you liked the first one, you will enjoy the second.

How does the author use point of view in Night by Elie Wiesel to create the tone?

Author Elie Wiesel uses point of view to create the tone in Night by bringing us into the story. It is written from his point of view, so we readers can feel his fear, his anger, his love for his father, his hatred for the Nazis, etc. Wiesel draws us into the book because he is telling us what actually happened to him and so many other Jews during the Holocaust. The tone is set through his thoughts, feelings, and actions throughout the book. We go on this awful journey with him, and we experience his emotions with him. He shows us the horrors he personally witnessed--children burned, people tortured and shot, men and women working as slaves, starvation, lost hope, loss of family and friends, and finally freedom. All of this sets a serious and somber tone which those of us who read the book will never forget.

Which sociological perspective would you choose in order to best understand how race, class, and gender impact the rates of crime in the United...

Of course, the proponents of each of the three main sociological perspectives would say that their perspective is the best-suited to explaining how race, class, and gender affect rates of crime in the United States.  If I had to pick one of the three perspectives, however, I would pick symbolic interactionism.

Symbolic interactionism is based on the idea that all aspects of our lives have meaning for us.  We look at material objects, people, actions, and other such things and we assign meanings to them.  When we do this, we help to determine how we are going to behave.  The meanings that we assign to various things affect our behaviors and, therefore, would affect rates of crime.  Let us see how race, class, and gender would affect rates of crime in this perspective.

In social sciences, gender means something different from sex.  Sex is a biological thing, having to do with what physical parts a person has. Gender is the attitudes that society holds about what a person of a given sex should be like.  In our society, most people hold certain attitudes about what it means to be male or female.  When we look at a female person, we define them as someone who should typically be less prone to violence.  We define females as people who should tend to follow rules.  Since women tend to interpret their sex in this way, we have lower crime rates than we would if women felt that it was more acceptable for women to transgress social norms.

Class also affects the way people define themselves and their surroundings.  People who are in the middle and upper classes tend to define most parts of society benignly.  They see laws as things that are meant to help them. They see governmental authority as a force for good in the community.  They generally interpret our society as a friendly place, one in which they have a stake.  Poor people are less likely to interpret these things in the same way.  For these reasons, we can argue, poor people are more likely to commit crimes than richer people.  (We are also more likely to interpret poor people’s actions as crimes, making them more likely to commit things that we define as crimes.)

Finally, race is a major determinant of crime rates (though this is mixed up with class as so many non-whites in the US are poor). Nonwhites are much more likely to interpret American society as being hostile to them.  As we have seen from the Black Lives Matter movement and white reactions to it, nonwhites are more likely than whites to interpret the police as a force that is hostile to them.  Nonwhites might interpret our economic system not as a system that gives them the chance to advance but as a rigged game that tends to keep them down.  For these types of reasons, we see higher crime rates among non-whites than among whites.

For these reasons, I see symbolic interactionism as the best way of explaining how gender, class, and race affect crime rates in the US.

In "The Canterville Ghost," what did the ghost think to do to take steps against the Otis family?

The Canterville ghost makes many attempts to frighten the Otis family when they move into his ancestral home. He spills “blood” on the floor by the fireplace in the library, dresses up in chains with “eyes as red as coals,” comes out at night with his “most horrible” laugh and dresses up in a winding sheet while holding a rusty dagger. The family, however, is American, not English. Rather than fear him, they have practical, no-nonsense responses. They do their best to rub out the blood stain, they throw pillows at him, and they shoot him with a pea shooter. In the end, he’s more frightened of them they are of him.

 This tale reverses the normal ghost story by humanizing and inspiring sympathy for the hapless specter. In this way, Oscar Wilde illustrated the culture clash between forward-looking Americans and the history bound English in the late 19th century.

In the book The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, was he morally right or wrong for trying to separate the good and evil parts of...

This is a very subjective question, and each person could arrive at a different answer. It might be best to look at why he could have been right and why he could have been wrong.

Morally Right?

Dr. Henry Jekyll knows that he has two sides to himself, and it is safe to say that he is not the only one who feels this way. He struggles to reconcile his two sides, even living a double life prior to the experiment. One could make the argument, although it may not be a strong one, that it is morally right for him to try and live a "true" life by splitting his two selves. One could also see this as a potential means of him controlling his "evil" side and vanquishing those demons—unfortunately, he doesn't really wish to control this side. Instead, he indulges it until it gets the better of him. So, the idea behind the science could be morally good if used to control the evil side, but he does not use it in that way.

Morally Wrong?

The more commonly held belief is that Jekyll's choice to separate these two parts is morally wrong. Why? We are all born with different traits, and in Victorian England especially, the argument would have been that if God created a man that way, then it was God's will. To separate those two selves, good and evil, could be see as going against God, both morally and genetically. The preferable reaction to his darker needs would have been for Dr. Jekyll to simply get control of himself and those carnal desires. Everyone else was expected to do so by going to church, living a wholesome life, and abiding by the rules of society. By going around all of those rules, one could say that Jekyll was morally wrong.

What are the implications of globalization for the environment?

The general impression I think most people have is that globalization has been bad for the environment, increasing rates of pollution, deforestation, desertification, and so on; but that's a very simplistic view.

Globalization, particularly the rise of multinational corporations that exist between or beyond national boundaries, does raise some significant challenges for environmental policy. Corporations that answer to no particular jurisdiction often have too much free reign to engage in activities that pollute or degrade the environment; and they have an economic incentive to do so, because the profits will accrue to them while the damage will be largely in the form of externalities that are shared over most of the world's population.

However, globalization can also create opportunities for improving environmental sustainability.

One example is ecotourism; instead of slashing and burning the Amazon for local production, Brazil now has the opportunity to make revenue from tourists who come from around the world to see the wonders of the Amazon. This can potentially raise as much revenue as slash-and-burn in a much more sustainable way, and it would not be possible without globalization.

Another example is the spread of technology; while some technologies can be more polluting than their obsolete equivalents, many new technologies are actually much more efficient and clean. For example, we think of coal as being very high-polluting (and it is, especially compared to nuclear, solar, or wind power), but in many poor countries burning wood is still a major source of heat, and wood turns out to be even more high-polluting than coal. Thus, switching from burning wood to burning coal can actually improve standard of living while reducing carbon emissions.

Trade policy has a very important role to play in deciding whether globalization will be positive or negative for the environment.

If international trade agreements include strong environmental protections, then as trade becomes more globalized, environmental standards will improve. This is not contrary to promoting economic development, and in fact in the long run economic development will be much more successful if it comes with environmental sustainability.

On the other hand, if trade agreements do not include environmental protections, they can create incentives to move production into the countries that have the lowest environmental standards, a "race to the bottom" that can be very damaging to environmental sustainability worldwide. There might be short-term gains in profits, but in the long run we will all be worse off.

Why is it difficult to see this as a novel of the "future"?

It’s difficult to imagine a society in the future so backward that they don’t have electricity and still believe the world is flat, but this is what the society in Anthem is like.  At one point in the history of this world, a great war is fought.  The leaders and people of this society decide that in order to keep this from happening again, they will destroy all knowledge of the past by burning books.  Over time, the lack of books and knowledge causes society to sink into a period of primitive existence.  They also feel that everyone must become equal with no one being better than anyone else.  This is why the collective “we” is so important in this society; to keep order, the individuality of people is denied.  Because he is strong and intelligent, Equality is given the job of a street sweeper to ensure he is no better than anyone else.  When Equality finds electricity in the ancient subway system below the city and takes his discovery to the Elders in the House of Scholars, they arrest Equality for his treasonous act.  Equality escapes the oppressive society and learns about the letter, “I” in books he finds in a home in the Uncharted Forest.

Because we think of the future as a time of advanced technology, robots, and flying cars similar to the world of “The Jetsons”, it seems impossible that we could convert back to the dark times of Equality’s society.  Ayn Rand’s message is to never give up your rights to a tyrannical government who believes the group is more important than the individual.

What is the summary for Play Their Hearts Out by George Dohrmann?

Play Their Hearts Out: A Coach, His Star Recruit, and the Youth Basketball Machine, a novel by George Dohrmann, is about the coaches and players of an elite basketball team.  Dohrmann, a Pulitzer prize winner and Sports Illustrated senior writer, did extensive research for eight years prior to writing his book. He comments, "[The book] reveals a cut throat world where boys as young as eight or nine are subjected to a dizzying torrent of scrutiny and exploitation" (Dohrmann).

The novel explores the manipulation that takes place during the selection of players for basketball teams, as well as the large influence that sports gear companies have on the players in their quest for product promotion. The story focuses on two main characters, Joe Keller, a determined basketball coach, and Demetrius Walker, one of Keller's star players. Throughout the book, Dohrmann also tells the stories of other basketball players, their families, and their coaches, and comments on how the corrupt system forces them to make tough decisions. 

What does Holmes’ examination of the will indicate?

Holmes is gone until around one o'clock in the afternoon. When he returns to Baker Street he tells Watson what he has learned from reading the will of Helen Stoner's mother.

“I have seen the will of the deceased wife,” said he. “To determine its exact meaning I have been obliged to work out the present prices of the investments with which it is concerned. The total income, which at the time of the wife's death was little short of £1100, is now, through the fall in agricultural prices, not more than £750. Each daughter can claim an income of £250, in case of marriage. It is evident, therefore, that if both girls had married, this beauty would have had a mere pittance, while even one of them would cripple him to a very serious extent. My morning's work has not been wasted, since it has proved that he has the very strongest motives for standing in the way of anything of the sort.

Evidently Dr. Roylott could retain the capital from the inheritance but would have to pay either daughter 250 pounds a year out of the income. If both daughters married, he would be left with an annual income of only 250 pounds. This is strong evidence that he must have murdered Julia Stoner to keep her from being married and that he intends to murder Helen, who is engaged to be married very soon. Watson writes that Helen came to see Holmes in early April of 1883, and Helen tells them that she and Percy Armitage are to be married "in the course of the spring."

It would seem advisable for Dr. Roylott to wait at least a little while before trying to kill Helen after she has consulted the famous Sherlock Holmes, but he is under time pressure. He has no idea what Holmes might advise Helen to do. The detective has the option of moving Helen to the home of her aunt, Miss Honoria Westphail, who lives near Harrow, where his client would be out of her stepfather's reach. This is why Holmes wants to go to Stoke Moran that very afternoon. He tells Helen, "Yet we have not a moment to lose." And he tells Watson, "...this is too serious for dawdling, especially as the old man is aware that we are interesting ourselves in his affairs." The whole case is wrapped up in one day. Helen arrives early in the morning, and Dr. Roylott is dead, bitten by his own poisonous snake at around three-thirty the next morning. 

The story shows the dependent position of women in Victorian times. Dr. Roylott can keep the entire income of 750 pounds a year while his stepdaughters are living under his roof. But once either girl marries she will have a man to handle her affairs, and her husband can see to it that Roylott pays him the one-third of his annual income. Helen's long story to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson indicates that Roylott's big house at Stoke Moran is not only heavily mortgaged but in bad need of repairs. He must be desperate. He couldn't sell the big place in its run-down condition, and he couldn't keep up with the mortgage payments. He is being forced to go ahead with his plan to kill Helen even though he should know it would be wise to lie low until the detective became involved with other affairs. Roylott tries to have his snake kill Helen that very night, but Holmes and Watson are waiting in her bedroom and have sent her to sleep in safety in her old bedroom at the end of the corridor.

How does Faber know he doesn't need to be afraid Montag will turn him in?

Initially, Faber is cautious about discussing novels and helping Montag. After Montag explains his situation, Faber feels comfortable and opens up to him. Faber knows he does not have to worry Montag will turn him in because Montag has already committed several serious crimes against the government. Montag is not only in possession of an extremely rare book (the Bible), but he has also decided to quit his job as a fireman. These are both serious crimes in Bradbury's dystopian society, and Faber realizes Montag is trustworthy because he has already risked his freedom. Faber also recognizes Montag's passion for changing his life. Faber even refers to Montag as a "hopeless romantic" as they discuss why books are important. After Montag pleads for help, Faber gives in and agrees to help him find the meaning of life and challenge the authoritative government.

How do Miss Maudie and Atticus react to the snowman?

One cold winter day, it snowed in Maycomb.  Both Scout and Jem had never seen snow before.  They decided to build a snowman.  Atticus advised them that there might not be enough snow on the ground to build an entire snowman, but they were determined.  Jem asked Miss Maudie if he could use some of her snow.  She agreed that he could.  Scout and Jem worked hard, and slowly their snowman came together.  They made him look like Mr. Avery, a neighbor.  When they showed Atticus, he announced that they "had done a jim-dandy job" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 8).  He commended them on working hard to create a snowman with so little snow.  He praised them for their innovation.  Atticus looked more closely and realized how much the snowman resembled Mr. Avery.  He told Jem that he could not "go around making caricatures of the neighbors."  He suggested they disguise the snowman:

Atticus suggested that Jem hone down his creation's front a little, swap a broom for the stovewood, and put an apron on him.

Then Jem had an idea.  He took Miss Maudie's sunhat and hedge trimmers.  He used them for the snowman.  Miss Maudie came out to see the snow woman that resembled her.  She smiled and pretended to be upset.

What are some similarities and differences in the setting and atmospheres of the two books, 1984 (written by George Orwell) and Fahrenheit 451...

In 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 authoritarian states practice mind control over their citizens. In Fahrenheit 451, the government has banned books and the central character, Montag, works as "fireman" burning books. In 1984, books are not entirely banned (Julia job involves churning our cheap romances), but the state works to control every aspect of its citizen's thoughts. Like Montag, Winston Smith works for the state's "mind control" apparatus. In his case, he alters newspapers to ensure that whatever happened in the past conforms to the government's current ideas and statements. 

In both books, the main character rebels against the conformity and regimentation imposed by the state and in both the main characters are urged on to dissent by women. In Montag's case, Clarisse encourages him to enjoy nature as well as read, and Winston has an affair with the free-spirited Julia.

The setting and atmosphere of 1984, however, is grimmer than that of Fahrenheit 451, reflecting the different circumstances in which each author found himself. 1984, which Orwell wanted to call 1948, mirrors the misery of post-war England, still rebuilding from Nazi air attacks, still rationing food, still reeling from the effects of a world war and the loss of its status as the world's premier power. In 1984, the world is relentlessly ugly. Technology, from toilets to elevators, are constantly backed up or broken, food consists of gray mystery meats and shots of gin, people wear dull overalls and life in general is bleak and pinched. 

Fahrenheit 451, however, reflects Bradbury's Californian post-war American world of booming technology and mindless consumerism. People's souls might be numb or in despair, but the technology works perhaps too effectively, narcotizing the public with mindless television shows on giant three- and four-screen TVs. 

Unlike 1984, Fahrenheit 451 ends with some hope that the individual can escape and find freedom from the state. In 1984, Winston and Julia are entirely broken: the totalitarian regime has won. The book ends, shortly before Winston is killed, with the former rebel subdued: 

"But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother."

How does Napoleon benefit from Boxer's death?

On the surface it would seem that Boxer is a great loss, as he was the best worker. However, this does not mean that Napoleon does not benefit. 

First, Napoleon benefits because he sells Boxer to the knackers. This means that Boxer will be boiled and his connective tissues will be turned into glue.  So, we can say that Napoleon benefits from Boxer's body.  Boxer is literally consumed. 

Second, Napoleon tells the other animals that Boxer has been transported to the hospital, so the gullible animals will look at Napoleon as a caring leader. 

Third, Napoleon benefits from the animals who see through his evil actions, because they fear him even more as he has shown his ability to condemn them to death. 

What are the social functions of language?

In cognitive and psychological theories, we often treat Language (note the use of the capital letter L to distinguish universal, internal grammar from particular instances of language) as a specialised mental faculty with a potential of generating infinite utterances from finite means or as an elegant system that can help communicate unstructured ideas and thoughts in a neat, structured way. However, a complete theory of Language will be one that incorporates the social dimension of language use. We cannot look at Language as a completely self-contained system (Malinowski). There are things external to Language, such as society, which have a major role to play in structuring and shaping a language. In fact, it is difficult to study language and communication in isolation. The area of linguistics that deals with social functions of language governed by different social factors is known as Sociolinguistics. Social factors often provide context of language use, which are dealt separately in another area of linguistics known as Pragmatics. The social functions of language take into account social factors like gender, social status, age, education, geographical background, ethnicity, etc. of the language user. For example, there are studies that show the presence of marked differences in the speech style of men and women. The speakers of a language take into consideration all these social factors while communicating with other speakers. Hence, while expressing ideas, a man will use different language strategies with a senior or boss (strictly formal), with a colleague (comparatively less formal), with a friend or sibling (informal) and with his wife (intimate). Social dimension of language is necessary for effective interaction with other language speakers.

Which beaker has the highest number of moles of total particles?

The third beaker has the highest number of particles.  "Mol" is an abbrevation for mole which is a quantity, 6.02 x 10^23. Water and C3H8O, which is ethanol, don't ionize when mixed together so the total number of moles in each beaker is the number of moles of water plus the number of moles of ethanol. The number of particles, which in this case is molecules, can be calculated by multiplying the total number of moles in each beaker by 6.02 X 10^23:

Beaker 1: (2 mol + 1 mol) x 6.02 x10^23 = 1.81 x 10^24 particles

Beaker 2: (1 mol + 2 mol) x 6.02 x10^23 = 1.81 x 10^24 particles

Beaker 3: (2 mol + 2 mol) x 6.02 x10^23 = 2.41 x 10^24 particles

What are ten items that are significant to Scrooge?

Upon first glance, it doesn't appear that a miser like Scrooge cares for one item, let alone ten.  However, further exploration into A Christmas Carol reveals that while Scrooge might not specifically address the significance of specific items (or even be aware of their significance himself), there are a number of things that he does, indeed, hold dear.

A number of the significant items can be paired together, based on how Scrooge feels about them both before and after his transformation. The items are significant not for sentimental reasons but rather as symbols.  For the sake of simplicity, I've grouped the items in their pairs below.

His money/the turkey (symbol for charity) - The most obvious item of importance to "before" Scrooge is his money.  At the start of the story he is the quintessential miser.  He has money, lots of it, and he doesn't want to share.  Money is the reason for his respect of deceased partner Jacob Marley, an "excellent man of business" in Scrooge's mind, and money was the catalyst for his break up with Belle in his younger years.  Money rules the world for Scrooge.  However, after Scrooge's transformation, money is replaced with charity.  Perhaps the best symbol of Scrooge's charity is the prize turkey from the Poulter's.  Upon waking up Christmas morning, Scrooge is elated.  He understands the true meaning of life.  Upon finding out that it is Christmas day, Scrooge asks a young boy to go purchase the turkey on his behalf.  He plans to send the great bird to the Cratchits, for them to enjoy on Christmas.  His ability to even remember that the turkey was in the window of the shop reveals that he understood its importance, even before his change.

The sparse coal box/the warm fire in the counting house - One of the first things we learn is that Scrooge keeps his counting house very cold.  He  keeps the coal box by his desk, so Bob Cratchit cannot use any coal to warm up the office.  The coal box represents Scrooge's tight-fistedness, a trait that he seems almost proud of.  However, after his transformation, the coal box (and its contents) symbolize his newfound generosity as he commands "Make up the fires, and buy another coal-scuttle before you dot another i, Bob Cratchit!" The fire, the second item of this pair, represents the goodness and generosity that now burns within Scrooge.

His gruel/the bowl of smoking Bishop - Before meeting Marley's ghost, Scrooge is alone in his cold, dark chamber, eating his nightly gruel.  Gruel is a thin, bland, mush with very little substance.  It's a lot like "before" Scrooge.  he is content to have his gruel; he wants nothing more.  To Scrooge, flavor is worthless.  After his transformation, though, Scrooge's change is further accented by his desire to share a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop with Bob.  Smoking bishop is a type of mulled wine or punch.  By nature, it is far more flavorful and exciting than gruel, and the importance Scrooge places on the drink reveals that he, too, is now much more flavorful and exciting.

The bell in Scrooge's room/the church bells - Throughout A Christmas Carol, bells symbolize warnings of varying types and degrees.  The service bell in Scrooge's room is significant because it heralds Marley's arrival.  Its sudden movement sparks tension in both Scrooge and the reader, and proves to be one of the most eerie scenes in the entire book.  Scrooge's old flame, who ended their relationship when she realized he had chosen money over her was named Belle.  And after Scrooge's transformation, he rejoices to hear the church bells.  Just the night before the bell was "gruff" and shrouded by cloud.  Now, in the clear of the morning, they are "glorious."  Now that Scrooge has changed, the bells take on a different tone for both the character and the reader.

The clock in the counting house/the clock at night - Clocks are very significant to Scrooge.  He makes Cratchit work to the very stroke of the hour.  He expects Cratchit to come in on time, if not earlier.  He very clearly ties production to the clock.  Time is, indeed, money to Scrooge.  However, clocks also function as a very important symbol in the story.  Scrooge focuses on clocks throughout, both in regards to the work day and in anticipation of the spirits at night.  Initially, the clock functions as a way for Scrooge to regulate his affairs and employee.  At the end of the story the clock takes on a completely different meaning.  As Scrooge's perspective shifts, so does the value of the clock to him.  He will continue on as an excellent man of business, but he now understands the relative importance of the clock in the grand scheme of life.  Scrooge takes Cratchit's after-Christmas tardiness as an opportunity to trick his employee.  At first he feigns anger, but rather than chastise Cratchit for being late, he instead gives him a good-natured ribbing and promotes him.  Here Scrooge shows that time is still important, but what displays his newfound understanding that what one does with it is far more significant. 

While there are many other items of significance, including Scrooge's bed curtains and burial shirt—important because they help Scrooge to put his own materialism in perspective—the items above represent a number of binaries that Dickens creates to help the reader better understand the depth of Scrooge's transformation.

From Lois Lowry's The Giver, why are sharing of feelings, precision of language, and assignments of jobs so bad?

The Giver is set in a dystopian society where a council of elders makes decisions for the whole community. People who are responsible for such enormous tasks as running a society must do everything they can to control everything. They strive to control everyone from the top decision maker down to the humble laborer. Some might call this micromanagement because if a government can control the thoughts, language, and actions of the individual, then more conformity and control will be the result. If conformity among individuals exists, then that creates a community with one mindset, and problems, even acts of crime, can be avoided. 

Sharing of Feelings - This is the way the community (or government) discovers and controls what people are thinking. Parents are ordered to redirect their children's thinking to conform with what the community wants. If a spouse were to share feelings that go against the community, then the other would probably be responsible for reporting him or her. The family units are set up platonically so familial bonds won't get in the way of community philosophy and behavior. Hence, the requirement to share feelings each night is merely a ploy to get citizens to check on each other's thinking or thought processes. In a way, the sharing time is like spying on each other.

"'Who wants to be the first tonight, for feelings?' Jonas's father asked, at the conclusion of their evening meal. It was one of the rituals, the evening telling of feelings. . . Their parents, of course, were part of the ritual; they, too, told their feelings each evening" (4-5).

Precision of Language - This is another way in which the community controls thought. It's fine to correct children's language in school so they speak correct grammar, but the deeper meaning of this practice is to get children to conform to ways of thinking in the community. However a community structures its words is how it will construct its thoughts as well. Using words such as "release" rather than "death" or "die" helps the community ease the tension associated with death while also creating confusion as to what it really is. If people are ignorant to the true meanings of words, such as "release," they won't cause a panic or organize protests when they hear about it happening. They start this practice for children early on, too, as shown in the following passage:

"Jonas was careful about language. Not like his friend, Asher, who talked too fast and mixed things up, scrambling words and phrases until they were barely recognizable and often very funny" (3).

Assignments of Jobs - This is the epitome of control because it takes away free choice and the ability to dream of doing something different. If people don't have dreams to chase, then they will become stagnant and won't question things. If people don't question what's going on around them, then the government can continue to do what they do best - lie to people. Granted, the elders do take into account the talents and interests of a person when making assignments. But in the end, it's really a form of control over the individual. While discussing what assignments he might get with his father, Jonas thinks the following:

"There was no way, really, to know in advance. It was a secret selection, made by the leaders of the community, the Committee of Elders, who took the responsibility so seriously that there were never even any jokes made about Assignments" (15).

Again, these three practices are ways to control the thoughts, language, behavior, and ultimately, the life of individuals. By doing so, people will live for the community as a whole and not for themselves as individuals. 

`(-1 + i)^6` Use DeMoivre's Theorem to find the indicated power of the complex number. Write the result in standard form.

`(-1+i)^6`

De Moivre's Theorem is used to compute the powers and roots of a complex number. The formula is:

`[r(costheta + isintheta)]^n=r^n(cos(nxxtheta) + isin(n xx theta))`

To be able to apply it, convert the complex number z=-1+i to trigonometric form.Take note that that the trigonometric form of

`z=x+yi`

is

`z=r(costheta + isintheta)`

where

`r =sqrt(x^2+y^2)`    and    `theta=tan^(-1) y/x`

Applying these two formulas, the values of r and theta of z=-1+i are:

`r=sqrt((-1)^2+1^2)=sqrt2`

`theta = tan^(-1) (1/(-1))=tan^(-1) (-1) = -45^o`

Since x is negative and y is positive, theta is located at the second quadrant. So the equivalent positive angle of theta is:

`theta =180^o +(-45^o)=135^o`

Then, plug-in the values of r and theta to the trigonometric form

`z=r(costheta + isintheta)`

`z=sqrt2(cos135^o +isin135^o)`

Now that z=-1+i is in trigonometric form, proceed to compute z^6 .

`z^6=(-1+i)^6`

     `=[sqrt2(cos135^o + isin135^o)]^6`

     `= (sqrt2)^6(cos(6xx135^o)+isin(6xx135^o)`

     `=8(cos810^o + isin810^o)`

     `=8(0 + 1i)`

     `=8i`

Therefore,  `(-1+i)^6=8i` .

How can I write a three-sentence summary of Fahrenheit 451?

This is a very difficult book to summarize in only three sentences. These are long winded sentences and massively simplify the events in the text. This is just an example, but I would be very hard pressed to fit much more in without run on sentences with extra conjunctions. You might try something like this:

Guy Montag, a fireman who burns books for a living in a world where reading is illegal, meets Clarisse, a thoughtful girl and a lover of books. She gives him a new lease on life and the desire to change things, resulting in him stealing books. Those books are found and burned, so Montag flees to a community of people who introduce themselves by a book they have memorized.

The play opens (Act I, Sc. 1) with three witches speaking. What might they be talking about and why might they have decided on this specific...

In the opening scene, the three "weird sisters" mention that they are going to meet with Macbeth. They all say, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" (1.1.10), introducing the paradox of the drama, and one that perplexes Macbeth, leading him to nefarious acts that he will consider "fair" because they further his ambition.

Because the Chain of Being in which the Elizabethans believed constitutes the structure of Shakespeare's plays, the psychological composition of his characters, and the fates that they confront, the supernatural element is essential to Macbeth as it is in other plays. Nevertheless, the preternatural element in this drama is a stronger element than in many of the other plays, perhaps because Macbeth is an impressionable character who is deeply affected by outside influences. Furthermore, in Scene 3 of this opening act, the three witches call themselves the "[T]he weird sisters," with "weird" meaning that they are Destiny-serving; therefore, they are the carriers of Macbeth's fate, and play an essential role in the tragedy.

`x/(16x^4 - 1)` Write the partial fraction decomposition of the rational expression. Check your result algebraically.

`x/(16x^4-1)`

Let's factorize the denominator,

`16x^4-1=(4x^2)^2-1`

`=(4x^2+1)(4x^2-1)`

`=(4x^2+1)(2x+1)(2x-1)` 

Let `x/(16x^4-1)=A/(2x+1)+B/(2x-1)+(Cx+D)/(4x^2+1)`

`x/(16x^4-1)=(A(2x-1)(4x^2+1)+B(2x+1)(4x^2+1)+(Cx+D)(2x+1)(2x-1))/((2x+1)(2x-1)(4x^2+1))`

`x/(16x^4-1)=(A(8x^3+2x-4x^2-1)+B(8x^3+2x+4x^2+1)+(Cx+D)(4x^2-1))/((2x+1)(2x-1)(4x^2+1))`

`x/(16x^4-1)=(A(8x^3-4x^2+2x-1)+B(8x^3+4x^2+2x+1)+4Cx^3-Cx+4Dx^2-D)/((2x+1)(2x-1)(4x^2+1))`

`x/(16x^4-1)=(x^3(8A+8B+4C)+x^2(-4A+4B+4D)+x(2A+2B-C)-A+B-D)/((2x+1)(2x-1)(4x^2+1))`

`:.x=x^3(8A+8B+4C)+x^2(-4A+4B+4D)+x(2A+2B-C)-A+B-D`

equating the coefficients of the like terms,

`8A+8B+4C=0`        ----- equation 1

`-4A+4B+4D=0`     ----- equation 2

`2A+2B-C=1`            ----- equation 3

`-A+B-D=0`             ------ equation 4

Now we have to solve the above four equations to find the solutions of A,B,C and D.

From equation 1,

`4(2A+2B+C)=0`

`2A+2B+C=0`

Subtract equation 3 from the above equation,

`(2A+2B+C)-(2A+2B-C)=0-1`

`2C=-1`

`C=-1/2`

From equation 2,

`4(-A+B+D)=0`

`-A+B+D=0`

Now subtract equation 4 from the above equation,

`(-A+B+D)-(-A+B-D)=0`

`2D=0`

`D=0`

Now plug in the values of C in the equation 3,

`2A+2B-(-1/2)=1`

`2A+2B+1/2=1`

`2A+2B=1-1/2`

`2(A+B)=1/2`

`A+B=1/4`       ----- equation 5

Plug in the value of D in the equation 4,

`-A+B-0=0`

`-A+B=0`      ---- equation 6

Now add the equations 5 and 6,

`2B=1/4`

`B=1/8`

Plug in the value of B in the equation 6,

`-A+1/8-0`

`A=1/8`

`:.x/(16x^4-1)=(1/8)/(2x+1)+(1/8)/(2x-1)+((-1/2)x)/(4x^2+1)`

`x/(16x^4-1)=1/(8(2x+1))+1/(8(2x-1))-x/(2(4x^2+1))`

Why was Nelson Mandela an influential individual?

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was not just influential, he was revolutionary.

Knowing the sociopolitical context of South Africa is critical to understand the gravity of Mandela's actions fully. While Mandela was growing up, South Africa was under apartheid, a system of segregation between the white, European ruling class and native people of color. In this system, native people were severely oppressed and subject to restrictions the ruling class was not. Even after apartheid was formally "over," some of these restrictions persisted. One such restriction that Mandela organized a campaign against were "pass laws," which required native people of color to carry a sort of identification card that was to be shown any time they wanted to gain access to a "whites only" space. 

As a young man, Mandela worked with the African National Congress to advocate for people of color. In 1952, he lead the Defiance Campaign, demonstrating with and supporting others in civil disobedience against unjust laws in South Africa. The government deemed this to be an act of communism, and Mandela and several others involved were sentenced to nine months of hard labor as punishment. 

For his persistent efforts in fighting against the institutionalized racial oppression of apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa, Mandela was elected to the African National Congress while in prison. In 1994, Mandela was elected president of South Africa in the country's first truly democratic election — previously, only the white ruling class could vote. All his life, Mandela spoke openly and ardently about the injustices occurring in South Africa. His persistence is remarkable and honorable. Today, Mandela is representative of the struggle people faced under apartheid and the good things that can come through diligently fighting for what is right. 

Mandela's influence is not only felt in South Africa; many in the United States and elsewhere have been inspired to participate in civil disobedience against unjust institutions as a result of Mandela's work.

What is the population of Noblesville, Indiana?

The population of Noblesville, Indiana (according to the United States Census Bureau) was 57,584 in the year 2014. In comparison, the population of the city was 52,135 in 2010, representing a change of 10.5% over the period. The state of Indiana, in comparison, had a population growth of only 1.7%, over the same period. The city has a higher per capita income (at $31,261 in 2013 dollars) as compared to the state (at $24,635). 

Noblesville is a small town, with an estimated area of 31.37 square miles and had a population density of 1656.4 people per square mile (in 2010). In comparison, the state of Indiana is much less densely populated with a population density of 181 people per square mile (in 2010).

Hope this helps. 

Is Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre a feminist novel?

Feminism advocates that social, political, and all other rights should be equal between men and women. Bronte's Jane Eyre discusses many of the struggles and prejudices that nineteenth century middle-class women faced. All rights were not equal between men and women at that time, and Jane's greatest desire is to have a family and to feel accepted and loved. This does not necessarily mean that the novel is not feminist, but the main character's goal is not to change the legal and political world in order to gain equal rights for women. However, by the end of the story, she does not settle for anything less than the most equal relationship and living circumstances possible for the time period. And at the time, it must have seemed pure fantasy for a governess to acquire her own money and marry higher than her social class. 

Erica Jong's introduction in the Signet Classic edition provides great insight into how Jane Eyre could be considered a feminist novel by saying the following: 

"And indeed she cannot marry Rochester until he knows he is as dependent on her as she is on him. Their odysseys have equalized them: Jane has become an independent woman and Rochester has been cured of entitlement. Only thus can a woman and man become equals in a patriarchal society" (ix).

Bronte portrays Jane as a traditional woman who wants a husband and family while also maintaining her value as an individual in her own right. Many women today want the same things--to have a family and career. However, even though Jane isn't seeking social or political equality, she does find equality in marriage. This could be a big part of the message that Bronte wanted to convey, which would mean that her desired results would have, in fact, been one of the first feminist novels. 

What quote from the story shows that Young Goodman Brown's name is ironic?

There are a few good quotes which might illuminate the ironic nature of Young Goodman Brown's name. I will present a few below with my comments:

...and after this one night, I'll cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven...With this excellent resolve for the future, Goodman Brown felt himself justified in making more haste on his present evil purpose.

We have been a race of honest men and good Christians, since the days of the martyrs. And shall I be the first of the name of Brown, that ever took this path and kept--

And when he had lived long, and was borne to his grave, a hoary corpse, followed by Faith, an aged woman, and children and grand-children, a goodly procession, besides neighbors, not a few, they carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone; for his dying hour was gloom.

From the quotes above, you can see that Young Goodman Brown is an ironic name for our protagonist. He leaves his wife, Faith, behind to fulfill an evil errand. This action is a symbolic representation of Goodman Brown setting aside his own Puritan values to delve into the realm of the mysterious and the world of innate evil.

Dark romantic works of the 19th century often centered on a repudiation of the Transcendentalist doctrine of human infallibility. The world is portrayed with pessimism and gloomy foreboding in these works. In our story, Goodman Brown finds his world turned upside down when he discovers that his own father and grandfather participated in the Puritan persecution of the Quakers as well as the atrocities in King Phillip's War. Goodman Brown is visibly shaken by these so-called revelations of the depravity inherent in his family history. Meanwhile, he himself seeks to participate in the machinations of a macabre ceremony, presided over by the Devil and witches of ill-repute.

To Goodman Brown, it seems as if everyone he has ever respected is at the demonic congregation of souls. The end result of his 'experience' renders him a pitiful facsimile of the once confident and trustful young husband that he was. In the end, his dying hour speaks of despair and hopelessness, by all representations, an ironic and unfortunate development, in spite of the positive connotations in his given name.

In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, what parts of the story can help us infer that one of the overall themes of the story is that knowledge is power?

In Part Two: The Sieve and the Sand, Montag visits Professor Faber at his home to ask for assistance in understanding the texts he is reading. After Faber briefly mentions that he could support a plan that involves planting books in firemen's homes to take the system down from the inside, Montag becomes excited and wants to try it. Faber comments that he is just joking and says,

"You can't guarantee things like that! After all, when we had all the books we needed, we still insisted on finding the highest cliff to jump off. But we do need a breather. We do need knowledge. And perhaps in a thousand years we might pick smaller cliffs to jump off. The books are to remind us what asses and fools we are. They're Caesar's praetorian guard, whispering as the parade roars down the avenue, 'Remember, Caesar, thou art mortal.'" (Bradbury 82)

Faber is explaining how knowledge of the past can positively impact the way we shape our future. Knowing our past mistakes will help us improve humanity and possibly prevent catastrophic decisions from happening again. Knowledge reminds us of errors that we can fix and possibly prevent in the future.

After Montag reads the poem Dover Beach to Mildred and her friends, he goes to the fire station where he sees Beatty. Beatty asks Montag to join him in a hand of poker and proceeds to rack Montag's brain with famous literary quotes that contradict each other. Montag becomes confused as Beatty says,

"for I was doing a terrible thing in using the very books you clung to, to rebut you on every hand, on every point! What traitors books can be! you think they're backing you up, and they turn on you. Others can use them, too, and there you are, lost in the middle of the moor, in a great welter of nouns and verbs and adjectives." (Bradbury 104)

Beatty depicts the power of knowledge when he displays how authors can challenge valid points with their own intellect. He essentially shows Montag that knowledge can be used as a weapon, and those not bright enough to respond with valid arguments become confused or lose during debates. Montag is not knowledge and almost loses his mind during Beatty's diatribe.

What are the top ten events that take place in Act three of Macbeth?

Act 3 of Macbeth is a pivotal part of the play. To summarize, Macbeth plots horrific murders completely on his own, without any hesitation, without any remorse, and without any help from his wife. The top ten events in chronological order would be these:

1. When alone, Banquo voices his suspicion that Macbeth killed Duncan. He then rides out for the afternoon, promising Macbeth to return for the great feast at the castle that evening.

2. Macbeth hires three murderers to kill Banquo and Banquo’s young son, Fleance. The killers slit Banquo’s throat and stab him in the head 20 times, but Fleance escapes.

3. Macbeth is upset Fleance lives, since the witches predicted Banquo’s children would be kings. Macbeth wanted to prevent that by killing Fleance, Banquo’s only son.

4. Macbeth sees Banquo’s bloody ghost at the great feast with dozens of noblemen present. No one else can see the specter, so Macbeth appears to be going crazy. Lady Macbeth makes excuses for Macbeth, saying,

“Sit, worthy friends: my lord is often thus,
And hath been from his youth: pray you, keep seat;
The fit is momentary; upon a thought
He will again be well.”

5. The ghost leaves; Macbeth apologizes to the guests and attempts to continue with the feast normally. But Banquo’s ghost returns and Macbeth again begins shouting at it. Lady Macbeth quickly dismisses the guests.

6. Macbeth vows to visit the witches again.

7. Hecate, the queen of the witches, reprimands the Three Weird Sisters because they did not consult her before they met with Macbeth.  She insists that they prepare an even more evil set of prophecies in order to mislead Macbeth the next time he comes to visit them.

8. From a conversation between Lennox and another lord, we learn that Malcolm, the son of King Duncan, has fled to England to get help. He is gathering an army to attack Scotland and Macbeth.

9. Lennox makes it clear that most noblemen in Scotland see Macbeth as a tyrant and believe he killed Duncan and Banquo.

10. Macduff has gone to England to support Malcolm. Macbeth has denounced him.