Why might Cubans have resented the Platt Amendment?

The Platt Amendment was attached to an act of Congress in 1901. It basically established Cuba as a protectorate of the United States. It forbade Cuba from going into debt and entering into treaties that the United States opposed, and it asserted the right of the United States to intervene in Cuban affairs under certain vaguely defined conditions. Many Cubans resented the Platt Amendment because they hoped that the Spanish-American war, which had its roots in their struggle for independence from Spain, would result in Cuba's becoming a fully sovereign nation. In fact, the United States had stipulated in the so-called Teller Amendment at the beginning of the war that they had no desire to annex Cuba. The Platt Amendment sent a clear message that the United States regarded Cuba as essentially a client state, independent only insofar as its interests were the same as those of its larger neighbor. Many Cubans did in fact resent the Amendment, which was rejected by the Cuban government when it was first proposed. In the wake of the war and the Platt Amendment, as one historian has said, "thousands of impoverished [Cuban] veterans wandered aimlessly about, muttering among themselves, 'What have we gained by this war?'"

How should I study for chemistry?

This is a great question. As a chemistry instructor for many years, I've had the opportunity to observe the habits of the smost successful students. There are several that contribute to success in learning chemistry:

1. Stay ahead of the class. By this I mean read the relevant sections of your text before the content is presented in class. Although it might be more difficult to understand, the concepts will then make more sense when presented in class. When doing assigned reading, be sure to look at all photos, diagrams and graphs. Interpreting graphs will increase your comprehension of relationships in chemistry. 

2. Take notes. This probably seems a bit old-fashioned in today's information world, but it's helpful. The act of writing something down yourself helps you to remember it. If you make note cards of relevant equations you won't have to spend time later looking for them in the text.

3. I think this is the most important: Work out all assigned problems, even if they aren't scored. Too often students just read through example problems or find solutions without attempting the problems at hand. If you got help or found the solution to a problem, make a second attempt on your own to be sure you understand the process, or work out a similar problem. Think problems through and be aware that there's often more than one way to solve them.

4. Learn from your mistakes. When you get exams back, go through them and try to understand why you missed any problems that you did. The nature of chemistry is that concepts tend to build on each other and you will be using many concepts again in the future. 

5. Be organized. Keep your class materials in order and easy to access. Have data tables that you use readily available, either bookmarked in your text, as paper copies with your other class materials, or easy to find on your phone if you use mobile apps. 

6. Study with classmates. This helps you in two ways: You will have someone to ask questions of and your comprehension of a concept is increased by explaining it to others. 

What are the direct characterizations of Jay Gatsby in chapters 1 - 3?

In Chapter one, Nick describes Gatsby as someone "with a heightened sensitivity to to the promises of life," possessed of "an extraordinary gift for hope" or a "romantic readiness." In other words, Gatsby is determined to make himself, and his life, into what he wants it to be. His persona as the mysterious man without a past is built on in chapter two, when Myrtle's sister Catherine speculates that Gatsby "is a nephew or cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm's." This thread is picked up again in Chapter three, when guests at Gatsby's party speculate that he "killed a man" or had been "a German spy."

In fact, Gatsby is best characterized by his possessions; much of Chapter three is given to describing the scene at one of his famous parties, going into detail about the crates of oranges and lemons delivered to his house, the food, the size of the orchestra, the colored lights in his garden, his books.

When Nick first meets Gatsby, he doesn't recognize him at first; they chat about the war, and when Gatsby finally tells him who he is, Gatsby

"smiled understandingly ... It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it....It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey."

The smile is another expression of Gatsby's "gift for hope," an expression of confidence in the goodness of the word, a goodness that includes Nick. It is only after the smile fades that Nick realizes that he "was looking at an elegant young rough-neck, a year or two over thirty, whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd."

In this way, in the first three chapters, Gatsby is characterized as both a young man whose pretensions to gentility are almost "absurd," and a person whose essential optimism and romanticism about life find expression in big parties thrown for hundreds of people he doesn't know.

What was Andrew Jackson's position on Indian Removal?

President Andrew Jackson was a strong supporter of Indian Removal.  He was not necessarily anti-Indian, at least not in the sense of wanting to kill them all.  Instead, he felt that he was supporting a policy that was best for the Indians as well as for the white people.  However, this opinion sprang from attitudes that we would see as racist.

President Jackson did not believe that the Indians were the equals of white people.  He felt that they could not truly be civilized and he believed that they could not be assimilated into American society.  Therefore, he wanted them removed.  He argued that it would be better for them to live West of the Mississippi where, he thought, Americans would never live.  He believed that the Indians could live in peace in the West whereas they would come into conflict with, and be destroyed by, whites if they stayed in the Southeast.

Because of these beliefs, Jackson supported Indian Removal. He famously opposed a Supreme Court decision that prohibited Indian Removal.  The decision was handed down, but the state of Georgia refused to obey it and Jackson did not do anything to enforce the decision.

Jackson is seen as the president “of the common man.” His attitude towards Indian Removal reflected this.  He wanted what was best for common white people (more land) and he was happy to evict the Indians from their native lands in order to get it.

Alice promises to pay Bob $1000 today, $2000 in one year, $3000 in two years, and so on indefinitely. Assume that the interest rate is 2%,...

Alice promises to pay Bob $1000 today, $2000 in one year, $3000 in two years, and so on indefinitely. The interest rate to be used is 2%, compounded continuously.

The amount given by Alice to Bob at the beginning of year n is given by (n+1)*1000.

As interest is compounded continuously and the amount is received at the beginning of the year, the present value of an amount received after n years is A = (n+1)*1000/e^(0.02*n)

The total present value of Alice's promise is

= 2.54942*10^6

Alice would make the largest payment to Bob approximately at the start of year 49.

Evaluate the integral

If f(x) and g(x) are differentiable functions, then

If we write f(x)=u and g'(x)=v, then

Using the above integration by parts method,

Now let's evaluate  by using the method of substitution,

Substitute 

substitute back 

C is a constant.

How do Gregor's feelings for his family change over the course of The Metamorphosis?

Interesting question! In the story “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, Gregor’s transformation greatly impacts his feelings about his family.

Initially in the story, Gregor demonstrates the profound responsibility that he feels toward his family. His feelings seem to be largely based on his belief that his family is incapable of taking care of themselves. For example, he believes that they cannot work because his father is too old, his mother is too frail, and his sister is too young. Thus, he works arduously at a job that he hates. As Gregor’s thoughts reveal:

“If I didn’t hold back for my parents’ sake, I would’ve quit ages ago. I would’ve gone to the boss and told him just what I think from the bottom of my heart. He would’ve fallen right off his desk!”

“...what a demanding job I’ve chosen! Day in, day out on the road. The stresses of trade are much greater than the work going on at head office, and, in addition to that, I have to deal with the problems of traveling, the worries about train connections, irregular bad food, temporary and constantly changing human relationships which never come from the heart. To hell with it all!”

As the story progresses, Gregor realizes that he can no longer provide for his family and now feels as though he is a burden to them. He relies on his family to clean his room, move furniture, and even to bring him food for each meal. Not only this, but he realizes that his new form scares his family and he feels responsible for protecting them from himself.

Finally, the story draws to a conclusion when Gregor realizes how much of a burden he has become to his family.

“But Gregor did not have any notion of wishing to create problems for anyone and certainly not for his sister.”

Thus, Gregor goes to his room and quietly passes away. After this event, his family grieves their loss; however, they also experience more freedom and become more self-sufficient.

In conclusion, Gregor’s transformation caused his feelings to change about his family. Although he first feels responsible for their well-being, he soon sees himself as a burden to his family. As a result, their roles have changed and he perceives that transition.

What does it mean when Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth "Nor time nor place did then adhere, and yet you would make both"?

This quote is from Lady Macbeth's angry rebuke of her husband in Act I, Scene 7. Macbeth has just told her, after much reflection, that he will not murder Duncan. Lady Macbeth challenges his manhood, saying that he had already thought to kill Duncan, and that then, he was a man. Now, as he vacillates, she no longer views him that way. This quote means, essentially, that when he initially thought about killing the king to fulfill his ambition, neither the time nor place was right to do so. It was easy to think such thoughts at that point, and indeed Macbeth could plan to do so. Now, in this scene, the King is asleep in Macbeth's own castle, a perfect opportunity to go through with their plans. Yet, as Lady Macbeth says, he is allowing the possibility of the murder, no longer remote or far-fetched, to "unmake" him. By challenging her husband in this way, she goads him into murdering Duncan.

Do you think the Courtier ended up with the lady or the tiger in "The Lady or the Tiger?"?

The point of the story is that the reader never actually finds out what happened. The Princess knows which door hides the Lady and which hides the Tiger. Thus, she will be making the decision for the Courtier. We know she loves him, but also that she is passionate and jealous in disposition. Neither choice will make her happy. If she points to the tiger door, her beloved dies. If she points to the other door, he marries someone else and she is left feeling jealous and miserable. You could argue either side of the question:

Lady: In this case, your main line of argument would be that, if the Princess genuinely loves the Courtier, she would not want him to die a painful death and thus would decide to save him, even if it meant his marrying someone else.

Tiger: In this case, you would emphasize the hot-blooded and jealous nature of the Princess and argue that she would prefer the Courtier dead than married to someone else. You could also argue that she would know this choice would please the King, who is her father.

What is the process of assessing the overall size and scarring pattern of the liver?

In order to assess the overall size and scarring pattern of the human liver, there are multiple processes involved.

To accurately assess the size of the liver, an examination involving palpation is necessary in order to clearly determine the lower edge of the organ. Palpation is a non-invasive process of examining the body with the hands. This examination, in conjunction with a standard roentgenogram (a photograph made through the use of x-rays) can render an accurate picture of the size of the liver.

Verifying any scarring pattern requires a biopsy. A biopsy is simply the removal of samples of the organ in question.  

Once the cell samples are removed they are prepared and reviewed by a pathologist. The process of preparation consists of microscopically slicing the samples. The samples are then stained with a dye, for contrast purposes. The samples are placed on a slide so that they can then be analyzed under a microscope.

How did the Canterville ghost plan to frighten the US minister and his family?

The Canterville ghost plans to frighten the Otis family with all the tried and true methods of a classic ghost haunting an ancestral home. He will leave blood stains on the floor of the library, appear in frightening costumes, show up at night with red eyes and matted hair, and rattle and clank his heavy chains. 

All of these methods of attempting to frighten the family represent common cliches of ghost stories, familiar to readers then and now. These methods of terror work against the English, who are properly fearful of ancestral specters. The story turns, however, on the ghost's complete inability to scare the practical Americans living in his hall. Unlike the English, they are not "haunted" by the past and take practical methods, such as rubbing out the blood stains with a brand new soap solution, to counter the ghost's attempts to intimidate them. 

How does Hamlet see himself compared to Fortinbras?

Hamlet mentions young Fortinbras in Act IV Scene 4. Fortinbras, from Norway, is leading his troops across Denmark to fight in Poland. After a brief conversation with a captain in the army, Hamlet begins to contemplate his own mission to avenge his father's death. He compares himself to Fortinbras, a "delicate and tender prince," leading an army to fight and die for a worthless piece of land in Poland. Noting that these men are fighting only for honor, he chastises himself for his hesitation in gaining vengeance. Fortinbras has no real quarrel with his enemies, yet he risks his life to fight. Hamlet has a "father kill'd, a mother stain'd" and yet has not been able to bring himself to kill Claudius. After considering the difference between himself and Fortinbras (who is probably about his age) Hamlet resolves that from this point on, he will focus on vengeance. "From this time forth," he vows, "My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth." So in this soliloquy, Hamlet reveals that he sees himself as a bit of a coward compared to young Fortinbras.

What are six traits for Gitl in The Devil's Arithmetic?

Gitl is a wise, giving, compassionate, smart, brave, and determined character who gives many of the characters in The Devil’s Arithmetic hope, including Hannah.  Gitl’s wisdom is often combined with her humor.  As Gitl laughs at Hannah’s stomach grumbling at the concentration camp, she reveals that laughter is important for hope because hope is important for life.  Gitl is giving because she helps take care of others even in the confines of the camp by giving clothes and food when needed. Gitl specifically has compassion for some younger children when she gives them her own bread.  Gitl is smart to help devise an elaborate escape plot out of the camp.  Even thought the plot fails due to the sheer numbers of Nazi guards, Gitl’s intelligence must be noted.  Gitl’s participation in the plot as well as her survival in the aftermath also proves her bravery. Gitl is also determined not to allow the Holocaust to be forgotten.  Eventually, Gitl settles in Israel and runs an organization for those who survived the Nazi occupation.  Gitl is also determined to keep Chaya’s memory alive by recounting Chaya’s sacrifice for Rivka.

Using evidence from the story, prove this statement: The theme of "The Necklace" concerns the danger of attaching importance to wealth.

The theme of "The Necklace" most definitely concerns the danger of attaching too much importance to material things.

The way in which this premise is evidenced in the story is by showing how the greediness of Mathilde Loisel has grown so disproportionately throughout the years, that all it took was one event--one very simple event-- to cause her ruin.

This ruin stems from another very simple fact: While Mathilde feels that she deserves everything, she simply does not know how to be happy with anything she has. It is her insistence in having "this or that" what fuels her behavior. Deep inside, she does not even really know what she is searching for, exactly. 

The first danger of attaching too much importance to material things is that it makes us oblivious to the smaller things that could make us just as happy.  

Mathilde had everything, albeit, in genteel poverty. She had a home, a husband, food on the table, and even a maid! No matter how low in the social food chain Mathilde felt that she was unfairly placed, there would always be someone else in an even lower echelon. However, Mathilde was not happy. In fact, she was "suffering".

Mathilde suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born to enjoy all delicacies and all luxuries. She was distressed at the poverty of her dwelling, at the bareness of the walls, at the shabby chairs, the ugliness of the curtains. 

She felt that she deserved more and, as such, she wanted more. Unfortunately, the things that she wanted were just that: wants. Mathilde had everything she needed. This fact renders her, both, unhappy and ungrateful. 

A second danger of attaching too much importance to material things is that those who do it are in danger of letting objects define who they are as people.

Mathilde never gives a second thought to being just "Mathilde". She wants to be "looked at", recognized by how she is dressed, and admired by her looks. An opera dress with flowers on her head is not enough, despite of the suggestions of her husband. No. A dress worth 400 francs, her husband's personal savings, and some flashy piece of jewelry, are the factors that Mathilde chooses to define her.

Granted, Maupassant does make subtle statements regarding the ornamental nature of women throughout the story. Showing off her looks is, perhaps, Mathilde's only choice in her society. Yet, she embraces this notion and runs to her friend to borrow the flashiest necklace she can find. She does not pick the classiest nor the more reasonable: She wants to shine way too brightly. Her greed is akin to lust

Suddenly she discovered, in a black satin box, a superb diamond necklace, and her heart throbbed with an immoderate desire. Her hands trembled as she took it. She fastened it round her throat,outside her high-necked waist, and was lost in ecstasy at her reflection in the mirror.

Finally, if Mathilde had been less greedy, and her fantasy world less powerful, she would have talked more about the necklace, and she may have discovered its true nature: it is fake.

Instead, Mathilde gave so much importance to its looks, and its potential to "wow" others, that she made it her center of attention. When she eventually loses the necklace, and spends a lifetime paying back for a new one, she does this not knowing that she is doing all of this out of the mere thought of the necklace being real and worthy of all those sacrifices.

That is yet another allusion to the dangers of placing too much importance on the artificial and ornamental: things have price tags and remain around forever. Humans need to have values, and life is too short to waste them on things that add nothing to our personal growth. 

In Ayn Rand's Anthem, what is the symbolism of the Uncharted Forest and its significance?

Understanding the background of the Uncharted Forest in Ayn Rand's Anthem helps one to interpret the symbolism. First, the Uncharted Forest used to be modernized cities that flourished with knowledge, freedom, and technology such as electricity. Equality doesn't know any more than the forest used to be cities inhabited by Evil Ones during Unmentionable Times, though. Other than the fact that people are told that wild beasts could kill them if they enter, these labels are used by the government to scare people from going into the forest.

Why would anyone want to stop someone from going into the forest, then? Because even though wild animals may live there, anyone who ventures into the Uncharted Forest would have personal freedom to explore and discover the natural world, the ability to govern themselves, and possibly find evidence and information left behind by the Evil Ones before they were destroyed by fires. Equality's interest is piqued when he thinks about the forest and explains as follows:

"And as we look upon the Uncharted Forest far in the night, we think of the secrets of the Unmentionable Times. And we wonder how it came to pass that these secrets were lost to the world. . . The words of the Evil Ones. . . The words of the Unmentionable Times. . . What are the words which we have lost?" (48-49).

For Equality, the forest holds secrets of the past and possibly words and ideas that are forbidden for his people to learn.  

Once Equality escapes to the Uncharted Forest, he's happy! He feels free to learn and to discover the world on his own. Eventually he finds a house with books from which to learn more about humanity and the human experience. Therefore, the Uncharted Forest symbolizes almost everything that Equality's community rejects: personal and individual freedom, discovery, information, individuality, self-government and the ideas from the past.

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," who is the masked figure who shows up at Prince Prospero's ball (the intruder)?

It is safe to suggest that the masked figure who menacingly appears in the midst of Prince Prospero's ball in Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Masque of the Red Death is an intruder. If he were a figure in a H.H. Munro (Saki) story, he might be labeled an "interloper." 

In Poe's story, the "Red Death" is a reference to the plagues that devastated European populations during the medieval period. While the Black Death, bubonic plague, is better known, Poe's use of "Red Death" was more likely a reference to the Small Pox epidemic that struck New England during the early 17th century or to the epidemic that hit Europe in the 18th century. In any event, "Red Death" is a reference to Small Pox, and it is from that horrendous disease that Prince Prospero and his invited guests are hiding within the confines of his castle. Poe meticulously describes the details of the suite of apartments inside Prospero's abbey and it is into these carefully if disturbingly-decorated rooms that the story's climactic scenes occur. First, however, Poe's unseen narrator describes the revelry that ensues within the castle walls while the less-fortunate die horrible deaths outside his castle gates. The prince has deluded himself that he is safe from the plague ravaging the countryside, but it is the following passage from The Masque of the Red Death that shatters Prospero's tranquility:

" . . .before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence, there were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before."

This "masked figure," of course, is Death, come for the avaricious monarch, a not so subtle reminder that brick and mortar could not shield the prince from the plague decimating is subjects beyond the castle walls. This, then, is the nature of the "intruder."

In chapter 22 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, what are six ways Jem shows maturity?

Chapter 22 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is the chapter right after the Tom Robinson trial ends. Jem has suffered a tough blow to his sense of justice, and he has probably lost a little bit of that childlike faith in humanity. As a result, Jem now see things from a more adult-like and mature perspective. One of the first things that Jem does is to cry angry tears. He cries for the injustice dealt to Tom Robinson and he suffers a deep sense of empathy for the guilty verdict. 

The next sign of growing up is that Jem is still worried about Tom Robinson the following morning. Children would go to sleep and wake up having forgotten the troubles of the day before, but Jem was still reeling. Atticus tells him not to worry because they still have an appeal to file.

Then Jem shows maturity telling Dill that he should not go running off without telling his Aunt Rachel where he's going. "It just aggravates her," he advises (214). This shows that Jem understands the plight of the adult and what Dill does to make things worse for himself. By giving Dill advice such as this, Jem shows that he understands the rule of cause and effect.

Dill continues talking about his Aunt Rachel at the Finch's breakfast table and Aunt Alexandra tells him to stop and that talking that way is "not becoming to a child. It's--cynical" (214). Rather than watch Dill get into an argument and thereby aggravate his Aunt, Jem immediately tells Dill to follow him outside. Thus, Jem takes his own advice, avoids an argument, and doesn't aggravate his Aunt.

Later at Miss Maudie's house, Jem gets to eat from the big cake as Maudie tries to help him understand Atticus and what happened the day before. Jem compares himself and Maycomb to having been a caterpillar in a cocoon (215); but now, he feels like what he thought were the best people in the world are not. This allusion is a profound insight for a twelve year-old to have. It shows that he is coming-of-age and understanding that things that seemed one way as a child are sure different once you grow up and experience the world a little more. 

The next thing Jem says that is very mature has to do with Dill's comment about him wanting to be a clown when he grows up. Dill's justification for wanting to be a clown is that he can laugh at people. Jem says the following:

"You got it backwards, Dill. . . Clowns are sad, it's folks that laugh at them" (216).

This final quote from Jem is the pinnacle of his maturity. Dill shows childlike misunderstanding of clowns and creates his own reality with his imagination. Jem, on the other hand, identifies the reality of a clown's job and accurately pinpoints it. Jem is using critical thinking skills just like an adult.

Using "Death of A Traveling Salesman," what are some good topics to write about and discuss?

This fantastic work by Eudora Welty deals with a universal topic that affects us all, especially when we exist in a time when time seems to be running out, and we question what we have done with ourselves, until now.

R.J. Bowman is a man who has dedicated himself entirely to his career. He has left little space to cultivate a knowledge about who he is, what he can offer, or what are his real "wants" and "needs" in life.

As a result, he is now nearly crippled by illness and facing death. Having crashed his car in the woods, a farm couple rescues him for the night. It is here where he experiences the epiphany of learning that he has lived merely for one thing, and one thing only: his job.

He analyzes this couple. They are quite bonded. They keep each other happy. They are going to have a baby, and they seem quite content. Sure, they may not be the flashy people that salespeople all over the world expect to meet and greet. However, in the couple's simple unity, Bowman experiences the warmth and care that he could have only encountered had he moved away from his immediate interests, and had learned to extend his emotions to others.

Bowman could not speak. He was shocked with knowing what was really in this house. A marriage, a fruitful marriage. That simple thing. Anyone could have had that.

This last comment is a very telling statement. It entails that he viewed marriage as some sort of mythical condition that would have slowed him down, or chained him up. Yet, now that he sees it up front, he realizes that it is really not such an enigmatic thing. It is really just the honest desire of two people to be together. "Anyone could have had that". In other words, had he seen things for what they really are- and not for what he imagined them to be like- he could have also had a comfortable home with someone taking care of him, especially during these trying times.

Therefore, regret is the most important topic in this story. Bowman's regret is not one that will bring him crying on his knees asking the universe for forgiveness. His kind of regret is more personal, which also makes it all the more painful, as he knows that he had designed the life that he has lived. He built his own vessel and traveled the waters that he wanted to travel.  That he may have made an extreme choice is something he may not really get to know. However, he feels in the depth of his core that, perhaps, life could have just been different if he had given himself the chance to consider other options on how to live it.

What does Paris do when he sees Romeo outside Juliet's tomb?

The final scene of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet opens with Count Paris and his page outside Capulet's tomb where the body of Juliet, supposedly dead, has recently been placed. Paris tells his page to go under the nearby trees, lay on the ground, and listen for anyone approaching. Paris then busies himself with spreading flowers and sweet water outside the tomb. When the page signals that someone is coming, Paris "retires" from the scene as Romeo and his servant Balthasar come on stage. Romeo dismisses Balthasar and then begins opening the door of the tomb with a "mattock" and "wrenching iron." Paris witnesses this and believes Romeo must be there to vandalize the tomb. He says,

This is that banished haughty Montague
That murdered my love’s cousin, with which grief
It is supposèd the fair creature died,
And here is come to do some villainous shame
To the dead bodies. I will apprehend him.

In a case of dramatic irony, Paris knows nothing about the marriage between Romeo and Juliet, so he jumps to the conclusion that Romeo is a "villain" and must be put to death because he is in Verona after being sentenced to banishment by the Prince. When he attempts to stop Romeo from opening the tomb, the two men fight, and Romeo kills him.

How can I write a well-developed paragraph in which I analyze Edgar Derby's speech after his election as "Head American"?

To write a well-developed paragraph, you need to have some sort of central idea. So let’s take a look at Derby’s speech and come up with a couple of ideas, and then develop them. The main idea of each paragraph will be italicized.

Somewhere in there, old Edgar Derby was elected head American. The Englishman called for nominations from the floor, and there weren’t any. So he nominated Derby, praising him for his maturity and long experience in dealing with people. There were no further nominations, so the nominations were closed.

“All in favor?”

Two or three people said, “Aye.”

Then poor old Derby made a speech. He thanked the Englishman for his good advice, said he meant to follow it exactly. He said he was sure that all the other Americans would do the same. He said that his primary responsibility now was to make damn well sure that everybody got home safely. (146-147)

First off, this isn’t much of a speech, which is understandable considering the bleak circumstances of the American prisoners. The very idea that there would be a ‘head American’ was actually proposed by the Englishman, as the Americans were too demoralized and defeated by the whole experience to even consider getting organized. The war in general and the Battle of the Bulge in particular were harrowing enough, but being captured by the Germans, transported in boxcars, and stripped of their uniforms drained them of whatever energy and soldierly discipline they might have had left.

In this context, Derby’s speech is morbidly ironic. He himself is destined to be executed for ‘stealing’ a teapot after the firebombing. He has no real control over anything, so to claim responsibility for making sure everyone gets home is a sad and futile pronouncement. This kind of jaded appraisal of authority and custom is typical Vonnegut, and Slaughterhouse-Five is filled to the brim with sad ironies like this one.

So, as you can see, these two related ideas, “this isn’t much of a speech,” and, “Derby’s speech is morbidly ironic,” are both relatively simple impressions of the text. To develop them into paragraphs, we need to offer evidence, examples, and textual or historical context to support them. In this case, the first paragraph explains the context the speech is given in, and the second explains the literary and emotional effect of this moment in the novel. In an essay, we could develop these ideas further into a thesis about the use of irony in Slaughterhouse-Five, for instance.

Source:

Vonnegut, Kurt. 8. Slaughterhouse-five: Or, The Children's Crusade, a Duty-dance with Death. New York: Delacorte, 1969. 178-79. Print.

Why do you think John Hay emphasized that no one except the Chinese government should collect any taxes?

John Hay was the U.S. Secretary of State who implemented the Open Door policy in China in 1899-1900 to promote American trading interests in the region. The U.S. wanted a closer connection with China after acquiring nearby territories in Guam, the Philippines, and Hawaii and after realizing that China was a good market for American goods, including cotton textiles. The Open Door policy became the cornerstone of American foreign policy in China for the next 40 years. Other countries, including Britain, Russian, France, Germany, and Japan tried to protect their trading interests and spheres of influence in China, but the U.S., which had no sphere of influence and little power in the region, was interested in promoting free trade in China. As part of the policy, Hay advocated that Chinese tariffs be applied equally in each region and that the Chinese government collect taxes. He wanted to implement this policy to ensure that the tax money went to the Chinese, not to other powers, and so that the Chinese would not favor one foreign power over another. 

Other countries, save Russia, agreed to the American trade terms (though they weren't binding). However, the Boxer Rebellion, which broke out in China in 1900, threatened the terms of the Open Door Policy. As martial arts experts began to attack foreign missionaries and Christian converts during the Boxer Rebellion, foreign troops started to carve special interests as they made their way to the Chinese capital to save their countrymen. In 1900, Hay again asked the other powers to respect the terms of the Open Door Policy, though the terms of the agreement weren't binding. The Open Door Policy ushered in a period of intense U.S. involvement in China that ended in 1949 with the communist takeover of China. 

As the story opens, the narrator is in jail, awaiting his execution on the following day. Find and write two of the lines from the story that show...

Poe never explicitly says if the narrator is in prison. Instead, the narrator says, at the beginning of the story, that he writes because “to-morrow I die, and to-day I would unburthen my soul.” The assumption is that the narrator is a condemned prisoner. There is another indication that he may be in prison at the end of the story, when the narrator says that the cat, in making the existence of the murder known to the police, had “consigned me to the hangman.” It’s pretty clear that he’s been caught.

Another question (maybe a better one) about the frame is, why bother? In other words, why does Poe choose to tell this story in this way, as the written confession of a man who has already been found guilty of a horrible crime and who is about to be executed? Especially since the framing fiction gets such scant attention we have to guess from just a few words what the present state of the narrator is. The answer I think lies in Poe’s desire to create the maximum emotional effect, in this case horror and dread. The frame provides a context within which the story can be conveyed to the reader (the fictive written confession), but also changes the way the reader encounters those events—rather than using a third person narrator to “show” the reader what happens, everything we know comes from the point of view of a homicidal maniac. The events he relates are horrifying, but perhaps even more horrifying is his madness.

Describe the form of the story "A Worn Path."

"A Worn Path" begins with an exposition. The exposition is the introduction of the setting and the main characters. The complication (the introduction of some conflict or obstacle) is introduced gradually. We know that Phoenix is on some type of arduous trip or journey, but it isn't until later in the story that we learn that the journey is to obtain medicine for her grandson. The crisis and climax occur when she has the encounter with the hunter. The resolution occurs when she obtains the medicine and the spare change that she will use to buy her grandson a toy windmill. 

This story has elements of a parable (a story which is didactic and provides some kind of life lesson). The lesson here might be about perseverance or a call for the reader to reflect upon race and relationships. But the story also has the form and structure of the epic. For Old Phoenix Jackson, this is an epic journey. It is remarkable that, in her old age, she is able to make the journey over and over again. This notion of determination and her ability to rise again and again to the challenge is clearly a parallel to the mythological phoenix which is continually reborn of its ashes. So, there is a familiar literary structure in terms of exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution. But the story is also comparable, in form and style, to the epic narrative. The allusion to the mythological phoenix adds to the story's meaning and also fits nicely with the epic style which is associated with works like The Odyssey which also contains mythological elements. 

Why does Holden spend so much time with Ackley if he can't stand him?

Holden is a very lonely boy. He feels especially lonely now that he has been expelled from Pencey and does not belong there even though he is still living there. He is an outsider, a non-person. He has also been "ostracized" by the fencing team because he lost all their equipment on the subway. He spends a lot of time talking to Ackley because he feels lonely and has no one else to talk to. After he has a falling out with his roommate Stradlater, he doesn't want to stay in their room. Although Holden doesn't say so, Ackley is another lonely boy. They have a lot in common. Ackley is a loner because he is homely, has a disagreeable personality, is not athletic, and for other reasons which become apparent in his interactions with Holden. 

It may be inaccurate to say that Holden can't stand Ackley. He may be annoyed by some of Ackley's actions and attitudes, but at least Ackley is someone to talk to. The reader can sense that both these boys are putting on acts, hiding their real feelings, which are unhappy ones. There are always insiders and outsiders in schools, offices, and everywhere else, and Holden and Ackley are both outsiders. Holden is an outsider because he is a nonconformist. Ackley is a conformist but is an outsider because of his unfortunate personality. The name Ackley suggests that he is a homely guy with bad teeth and a bad complexion. A geek. He has a big inferiority complex for which he overcompensates by assuming an "attitude." His cynical, superior attitude only helps to alienate him from other people. He might be compared with the character Crooks in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Crooks is ostracized by the white farm workers because of their racial prejudice. In reaction, Crooks has developed an attitude of contempt, superiority, and preference for solitary introspection. We know that both Crooks and Ackley would love to be accepted.

In his famous novel Lolita, Vladimir says that Lolita's friend Mona Dahl is "burdened" with an IQ of 150 (which is Near Genius). Why should such a high IQ be a "burden"? Holden obviously has a high IQ, although he thinks he is "dumb" because he has flunked out of three schools. But his near-genius IQ makes him a sort of freak among boys of average intelligence. They sense that he is smarter than they are, and this doesn't make them like him. In Shakespeare's As You Like It, Adam, the old family servant, tells Orlando, quite accurately, that superior gifts can bring their possessor hatred and envy rather than admiration.

Know you not, master, to some kind of men
Their graces serve them but as enemies?
No more do yours; your virtues, gentle master,
Are sanctified and holy traitors to you.
O, what a world is this, when what is comely
Envenoms him that bears it!
                     As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 3

It is significant that when Holden is leaving Pencey to go to New York: 

When I was all set to go, when I had my bags packed and all, I stood for a while next to the stairs and took a last look down the goddam corridor. I was sort of crying. I don't know why. I put my red hunting hat on, and turned the peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I yelled at the top of my goddam voice, "Sleep tight, ya morons!"

Holden would like to stay here. He would like to be one of these boys. But he can't. He doesn't know why he is sort of crying--but we do!

Who was Caesar speaking to in the quote "But I am constant as the Northern Star, Of those true fixed and resting quality" in Julius Caesar?

Caesar is talking to Cassius and the conspirators when he says that he is constant and will not change his mind.

By the time Caesar met up with the senators on the Ides of March, they had already planned to kill him.  They were all outfitted with daggers, and they had a handy excuse for surrounding Caesar.  They had Metellus Cimber put forth a petition on behalf of his brother, Publius Cimber, whom Caesar had previously banished.  They knew he would never approve it, but the petition gave them a chance to make him look bad and gave them their opening to stab him.

Metellus Cimber begins the farce, asking Caesar who he would rather listen to in order to plead his brother’s case.  Then Cassius chimes in, making it look good.

Pardon, Caesar; Caesar, pardon:
As low as to thy foot doth Cassius fall,
To beg enfranchisement for Publius Cimber. (Act 3, Scene 1)

This is all just a distraction, of course.  They want any onlookers who are not involved in the plot to think that everything is normal.  Caesar is annoyed, insisting that he will not change his mind.  In his arrogance, he does not question their motives.  He just tells them angrily that once his mind is made up, it is made up!  He is speaking to Cassius, Metellus, and all of the others gathered around him.

Yet in the number I do know but one
That unassailable holds on his rank,
Unshaked of motion: and that I am he,
Let me a little show it, even in this;
That I was constant Cimber should be banish'd,
And constant do remain to keep him so. (Act 3, Scene 1)

Since Caesar does not relent, as they knew he wouldn’t, the men just continue until Casca stabs Caesar.  Then they all follow suit, ending last with Brutus.  Caesar is shocked that the man he regards as a son would be involved, let alone take the final blow.  Shakespeare has him saying, in Latin, what translates to “not you too, Brutus!”

The assassination of Caesar was well-planned and superbly executed.  There were many conspirators holding the knives, and Caesar was stabbed 23 times.  The conspirators let him bleed to death and then, in Shakespeare’s play, bathed their hands in his blood.  In their minds, they had freed Rome.

What is meant by Henry VIII's 'reformation'

The 16th-century English King Henry VIII started the "English Reformation" by separating the English Christian Church from Roman Catholicism and the authority of the Pope. The Reformation had begun in continental Europe in 1519 when Martin Luther, a German monk, had broken with the Catholic Church over the nature of salvation.

The Reformation quickly spread throughout the continent, but England remained Catholic.. Henry had once been a staunch defender of the Catholic Church--his attacks on Protestant doctrine had earned him the title "Defender of the Faith"--but the king grew angry at Pope Clement VII when he refused to annul his marriage.

Henry was upset that his wife, Catherine of Aragon, had not borne him an heir, so he wanted to marry a new wife. Catholics were not allowed to divorce, so Henry had to request special permission from the Pope. After Clement refused to grant him this permission, Henry made the decision to steer the Church of England toward Protestantism.

Parliament supported him by passing the Act of Supremacy; this bill declared Henry and all future English monarchs--not the Pope--the leader of the Church of England. Thus England became Protestant.

How can I describe Curley in Of Mice and Men through the themes of gender stereotypes and power?

Curley is the belligerent and nervous boss's son in Steinbeck's novel. His aggressive nature is on display from the very first time we meet him. He wants to intimidate the other men and always seems to be looking for a fight. When he first meets George and Lennie, Steinbeck writes in chapter two:

He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious. 

Later in that chapter the old swamper, Candy, describes how Curley likes to pick on bigger men so that he can display his authority: 

“Never did seem right to me. S’pose Curley jumps a big guy an’ licks him. Ever’body says what a game guy Curley is. And s’pose he does the same thing and gets licked. Then ever’body says the big guy oughtta pick somebody his own size, and maybe they gang up on the big guy. Never did seem right to me. Seems like Curley ain’t givin’ nobody a chance.” 

Eventually Curley loses power after the fight with Lennie, who crushes the man's hand. In chapter five, however, Curley regains his authority over the men when his wife is found dead. Instead of expressing grief, he is instantly back in charge organizing the men and saying, 

“I’m gonna get him. I’m going for my shotgun. I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch myself. I’ll shoot ‘im in the guts. Come on, you guys.”

He is once again the leader and out to avenge his beating at the hands of Lennie. We get the feeling he is more worried about getting revenge than he is the fact his wife is dead. 

Gender stereotypes are implicit in Of Mice and Men. We never really get a good look at the domestic life of Curley and his wife. We know they are always looking for one another without success (in fact the only time they are together in the same place is when she is discovered dead in the barn), and we learn in chapter five that Curley's wife doesn't even like her husband. She tells Lennie about Curley:

“Well, I ain’t told this to nobody before. Maybe I oughten to. I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.” 

We might assume she doesn't like him because he is a "stereotypical" male. If his treatment of the men on the ranch is any indication, he probably tries to dominate her. He tells her what to do and is content with her doing all the domestic chores of their marriage. He leaves her on Saturday night to go into town, possibly to a whore house, which is the subject of a conversation between George and Whit in chapter three. Curley's wife says,

“Think I don’t know where they all went? Even Curley. I know where they all went.” 

In the stereotype it is perfectly fine for Curley to cheat on his wife, but if she even as much as looks at one of the other guys he goes into a furor and is ready to fight. She is expected to stay in the house, cook, clean and basically cater to Curley's every wish. Her eventual death is caused by Curley's lack of attention to her. She yearns for companionship and excitement. Unfortunately she chooses badly in trying to flirt with Lennie, who is mentally challenged and does not understand her need for attention.

Evaluate the integral

You need to use the integration by parts such that:

Hence, evaluating the integral, using  integration by parts, yields 

What about the boarding house rules makes it hard for Lyddie to have Rachel with her?

Children are not allowed at the worker’s boarding house and Rachel is too young to work.

Lyddie’s uncle shows up one day with her little sister and drops her off.  Lyddie was not expecting her, and has no idea what to do with her when she comes.  She has not seen her for two years.  The last she heard of Rachel was in her mother’s letter, where she indicated that Rachel was not doing well.

When Lyddie introduces Rachel to Mrs. Bedlow, she doesn’t know what else to do.  She lives in the corporate boarding house.  She does not have anywhere else to put her little sister.

She could read the warning in Mrs. Bedlow's eyes. No men, no children (except for the keeper's own) in a corporation house. But surely the woman would not have the heart . . . (Ch. 19)

It is clear that Rachel is in bad shape.  She is very thin.  Lyddie asks Mrs. Bedlow if she can give her a bath because she is chilled.  She tells Mrs. Bedlow that she will get Rachel a job as a doffer, but Mrs. Bedlow tells her that Rachel is not old enough or strong enough.  Lyddie knows this.

"I'll pay, of course. Full board. And you see how small she is. You know she won't eat a full share." (Ch. 19)

Lyddie is afraid that she will lose her job because Rachel is staying with her.  However, her brother Charlie arrives to take her away.  He has found a family and the mother is interested in a daughter.  Lyddie is sad because she misses both of them, and Charlie taking Rachel seems to be the end of her chance for them to be a family again.

Even though Lyddie knows that Rachel is better off with Charlie and his new family, she is sad to see Rachel go.  All she wants is for Rachel to get stronger and go to school, but this is not going to happen if she lives with Lyddie.  All that she could possibly hope for is a factory job.

What did the Union states believe?

The Union or northern states had several beliefs during the Civil War. The North believed that the power of the federal government was supreme. They felt it was illegal for states to reject laws that they didn’t like. The northern states believed such a system would lead to chaos and confusion. The North didn’t support the states’ rights theory and the nullification concept that the South supported.

The North also believed secession was illegal. They didn’t feel states could leave the country just because they didn’t like a law. The North understood that this was part of the reason for which they were fighting. The North wanted to conquer the South and bring it back into the Union.

The North was also fighting to abolish slavery. The North was concerned that slavery would spread if the South remained in the Union. The North wanted the results of the Civil War to end the debate about and the existence of slavery forever.

The North had very strong beliefs that they were fighting to retain during the Civil War. The North understood for what ideas it was fighting.

What problem is Mr. Freeman having with the schoolboard?

In Laurie Halse Anderson's novel Speak, the main character, Melinda, has few adults that she likes and can trust in her life. One of the reasons that her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, makes this list is because he stands up to "the man"—in this case, the school board. 

Readers first encounter Mr. Freeman's troubles with the school board on page 31. We learn that they have refused to give him any money to buy new supplies for the students; instead he'll need to use whatever is left over from the previous year. His reaction at first is to rant to the students, who are completely bored by him and the problem.

By page 62, however, Mr. Freeman has changed tactics. Instead of ranting, he gets to work on a huge painting to express his frustration. 

"It started out bleak—a gutted building along a gray road on a rainy day. He spent a week painting dirty coins on the sidewalk, sweating to get them just right. He painted the faces of school board members peering out the windows of the building, then he put bars on the windows and turned the building into a prison. His canvas is better than TV because you never know what's going to happen next" (pg. 62). 

The fact that Mr. Freeman is getting out his frustrations through art is important to the plot, because Melinda eventually learns to do the same thing. This is the same section of the book in which Melinda makes her turkey carcass sculpture, a pivotal moment of her beginning to express her pain to others through her art. She is clearly learning this from Mr. Freeman. 

Mr. Freeman's troubles continue, though, due to the fact that he refuses to stick to the stuffy idea of "serious education" that the rest of Merryweather High School seems to value. Melinda describes his room as "Cool Central. He keeps the radio on. We are allowed to eat as long as we work" (pg 77).

Even though that sounds pretty tame, it clearly rubs the authorities the wrong way. Melinda describes Principal Principal coming in one day, "his mustache [moving] up and down, a radar sweep for all things unruly" (pg. 78). When the administration of the school realize Mr. Freeman stopped keeping paperwork when his supply budget was cut and is giving all As to his students, he suffers some unseen consequences and spirals into depression on page 91.

Throughout the novel, we see his fight with authorities as a mirror for Melinda's struggles with the authority figures in her own life. Just like her parents and most teachers can't understand Melinda's pain and trauma, the school board and administrators can't understand Mr. Freeman's method of teaching, even though they are clearly working for a lot of his students, Melinda included. 

How does Candy describe the stable buck's disability in Chapter 2?

Candy is the old swamper character in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. He sweeps out the bunkhouse and does general maintenance on the ranch where George and Lennie come to work. He lost one of his hands in a ranch accident. He is the first character the two meet when they arrive. In chapter two, Candy introduces the other characters on the ranch, including the Boss, Slim, Curley, Curley's wife and the black stable buck Crooks.

Using indirect characterization Steinbeck, through Candy, describes Crooks physically and tells us he is the victim of racism and segregation. He describes Crooks as being disabled because of an injury, but we also know that Crooks is symbolically crippled because of his race. Candy says,

"Got a crooked back where a horse kicked him. The boss gives him hell when he’s mad. But the stable buck don’t give a damn about that. He reads a lot. Got books in his room.”

Candy also tells George and Lennie about the time Crooks was able to come into the bunkhouse during a holiday and had to fight, presumably because a white man took a disliking to him. Blacks were still very much second class citizens when Steinbeck wrote the book and the N word figures prominently when Crooks is spoken about. Candy describes the fight in the bunkhouse at Christmas:

They let the nigger come in that night. Little skinner name of Smitty took after the nigger. Done pretty good, too. The guys wouldn’t let him use his feet, so the nigger got him. If he coulda used his feet, Smitty says he woulda killed the nigger. The guys said on account of the nigger’s got a crooked back, Smitty can’t use his feet.” 

The reader, however, is never led to believe that Candy has anything against Crooks. In fact, Candy and Crooks are very similar characters. They have both been crippled and suffer from a disability. They are together in chapter four of the book along with Lennie, another character suffering from a disability (Lennie is mentally challenged). At one point Candy and Crooks become part of George's and Lennie's dream to own land. 

How does Lyddie arrange for Rachel to stay?

When Uncle Judah brings Rachel to Lyddie at the boarding house, Lyddie has a dilemma. Only factory workers are allowed to live at the boarding house; no children, except the children of the woman who operates the home, can live there. Lyddie pleads with Mrs. Bedlow to let Rachel stay for two weeks, no longer, until Lyddie can make arrangements for her sister to live somewhere else, and Mrs. Bedlow reluctantly agrees. Of course, Lyddie will have to pay to support Rachel now, which will significantly reduce the amount of money she can save. Shortly after this, Lyddie becomes seriously ill with a fever, and Rachel nurses her night and day.

When Lyddie recovers, the two weeks' time she promised Mrs. Bedlow she wouldn't exceed has passed. Mrs. Bedlow says she was not going to enforce that agreement when Lyddie was close to death. Lyddie then proposes to Mrs. Bedlow that Rachel could be a doffer at the factory, which would mean she could continue to live at the boarding house. Mrs. Bedlow objects, saying Rachel is too young and too small to perform that job. Lyddie argues that Rachel showed what a hard worker she was by saving Lyddie's life during her illness, and Mrs. Bedlow knows that is true. So Mrs. Bedlow speaks with the agent at the factory about Rachel, probably exaggerating her age and weight, and the agent agrees to take her on. Rachel begins working as a doffer and continues to stay at the boarding house.

What was the big consequence of Eckels' action?

Eckels does retrieve the bullets from the Tyrannosaurus Rex, but he does go off the path. Travis had warned him repeatedly not to go off the path. Even the slightest disturbance in the past could potentially have huge complications in the future. Travis gives a lengthy description about how killing one mouse could affect billions of that mouse's descendants as well as the descendants of those animals (including humans) who are part of the food chain. So, even stepping in the mud and killing a mosquito could have drastic consequences. 

Upon their return, Eckels' learns that he had stepped on and killed a butterfly and brought it back from the past. It had been encased in the mud on his shoe. This single action led to significant changes. First, he notes that the English language is different. The sign about the safari is still there but the words are spelled differently. Keith, who had won the election before Eckels killed the butterfly, has now lost. This leaves Deutscher as the winner and this is tragic because he is described as a tyrant. This is the biggest or most obvious consequence of Eckels' mistake. But just consider the change in the language as evidenced by the sign. There's no telling what kind of social and historical changes resulted from and/or led to these changes in the English language. Language is shaped by culture, wars, other social aspects. The author leaves the reader wondering what other consequences Eckels' might have triggered. His mistake also leads to his death. The last thing he hears is the sound of Travis (presumably) shooting him. 

What feelings does George Orwell portray about imperialism in "Shooting an Elephant"?

Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" is in many ways an indictment of imperialism. Based on his own experiences as an imperial policeman in the British colony of Burma (modern Myanmar) the short story illustrates the ways in which imperialism is fundamentally corrupt. At the beginning of the story we see that the narrator feels despised by the Burmese people. They laugh at him when he is tripped in a football match, and he describes the "sneering yellow faces of young men that met me everywhere" in Moulmein, the town where he was posted. As this line and others demonstrate, the young police officer didn't much like the Burmese people either. One of the "natural by-products of imperialism," the narrator tells us, is this feeling:

With one part of my mind I thought of the British Raj as an unbreakable tyranny, as something clamped down, in saecula saeculorum, upon the will of prostrate peoples; with another part I thought that the greatest joy in the world would be to drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest's guts. 

But it is the story's central event that best demonstrates how Orwell feels about imperialism. When the elephant rampages through the bazaar, it unwittingly tramples a man, killing him. The crowd is eager that he, as a police officer, shoot the elephant, which he does not wish to do, given that it has by that point calmed down and is, after all, a "huge and costly piece of machinery" in Burma. But the crowd expected him to, and he realized at that moment that his role as an agent of empire required him to act in a way that was contrary to his personal sense of right and wrong. They expected him, in short, to act violently, because that was in the final analysis the basis of British rule. 

So when he pulls the trigger, and kills the elephant, he is playing a role prescribed for him by his situation. The process of killing the elephant itself is long and excruciating, worsening his regret. But what really bothers the narrator is that he killed the beast out of a desire not to be laughed at by the crowd, an overriding preoccupation of the people charged with administering the British Empire at the local and personal level. As the narrator puts it, this incident gave him a "better glimpse than I had had before of the real nature of imperialism – the real motives for which despotic governments act."

This is a physics question: An incline is 12 meters long and makes an angle of 30 degrees with the horizontal. A box weighing 98.1 N, and...

Hello!

You are right that potential energy is calculated as The given weight 98.1 N corresponds to and is unknown.

But there are some data that make possible to find the height. It is known that "an incline is 12 meters long and makes an angle of 30 degrees with the horizontal". If we consider the triangle formed by an incline, its height and a horizontal, it will be a right triangle. And by the definition of sine, h/12 = sin(30°) = 1/2.

Therefore h = 12*(1/2) = 6 (m), and potential energy is 98.1*6 = 588.6 (J), which is the desired answer.

I have to say that potential energy may be measured off any fixed level, and the real physical sense have only a change in potential energy,

Identify traits of Montresor from "The Cask of Amontillado."

Montresor, first and foremost, has a great deal of personal pride.  As soon as he felt truly insulted by Fortunato, "[he] vowed revenge."  Thus, it is somewhat ironic that he chooses to exploit Fortunato's one "weak point" -- his pride -- in order to lure him to his death.  In addition to Montresor’s personal pride, he feels a keen sense of family pride. When Fortunato remarks on the size of the family catacombs, Fortunato replies that “’The Montresors […] were a great and numerous family.” Perhaps they are no longer such “a great and numerous family” (he speaks in the past tense) and this is why Montresor feels such a responsibility to live up to the family motto, a Latin phrase that translates to “You will not harm me with impunity.” In the first paragraph, he specifically says that his goal is to “punish with impunity.” In other words, he is going to best Fortunato by harming him in such a way that it can never come back on him. His family pride will not let him be wounded without punishing the one that wounds him, and his personal pride compels him to punish his enemy without fear of being punished in return.

Montresor is also extremely calculating and adept at dissembling. He says, “It must be understood, that neither by word or deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.” He basically lies to the man’s face day in and day out, without making Fortunato suspicious at all, until the right time comes to commit the murder. Then, he arranges it so that all his servants will be away from home and brings along a “mask of black silk” and a long cloak (complete with hidden trowel), to hide his identity so that Montresor will not even be seen with him as they walk back to his palazzo. He is a good liar, and he is so cunning, and his revenge is perfectly staged as a result.

In reference to the effect of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes on family relations: I am writing a letter from Parson's Daughter to Big...

You would probably address the letter to Big Brother. According to the novel, Big Brother may or may not exist as a human being. In Winston's conversation with O'Brien, Winston asks about Big Brother's identity, but O'Brien refuses to qualify his answer.

'Does Big Brother exist?' 'Of course he exists. The Party exists. Big Brother is the embodiment of the Party.'

'Does he exist in the same way as I exist?' 'You do not exist,' said O'Brien.

'It is of no importance. He exists.'

'Will Big Brother ever die?' 'Of course not. How could he die? Next question.'

'Does the Brotherhood exist?' 'That, Winston, you will never know. If we choose to set you free when we have finished with you, and if you live to be ninety years old, still you will never learn whether the answer to that question is Yes or No. As long as you live it will be an unsolved riddle in your mind.'

So, as Parson's daughter, you would simply have to address your letter to Big Brother. As Big Brother requires unswerving loyalty to his cause, you would likely have to profess your admiration for his regime and declare your refusal to be subjected to any loyalties apart from those he has endorsed. That means that you disavow any devotion to your father (Parsons), mother, or any siblings you have.

You may talk about how you hate or despise those who still cling to the old, stubborn beliefs in liberty, justice, and even love. To get an idea of the kind of things you can add to your letter, try reading O'Brien's explanation to Winston about the kind of society the Brotherhood supports. This would be in Part III Chapter III. Express your support for such a society. You must remember that, as you write this letter, you are putting yourself in place of an innocent seven year old girl who has been brainwashed beyond repair.

You may even express contempt for the father who has supported your own training as a spy. He is proud that it was you who betrayed him, but you think that this is foolish on his part. Refer to Part III Chapter I for ideas on what you can write. If you want to display the kind of perverse loyalty Big Brother appreciates, demand that your father be deprived of the fair trial he thinks he is going to get.

You can end the letter by highlighting your loyalty to the Brotherhood. Talk about how you and one of your siblings lit a match to a market-woman's skirt for wrapping up some sausages in one of Big Brother's posters. Talk about your happiness in procuring the ear-trumpets which allow you to spy more efficiently for the Brotherhood or your glee in the Hate Song you and your siblings enjoy singing. There are plenty of ideas you can use from the text. Sign off by declaring your continued loyalty to Big Brother or discuss how you can do more for the regime.

Hope this helps!

Please give a summary of the chapter titled "Reindeer Games."

"Reindeer Games" is Chapter 20 in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian.  The gist of the chapter is about Junior trying out for the basketball team at Reardan.  When he was at Wellpinit, Junior played for the basketball team, so at Reardan he tries to get on the team.  Coach is pretty intimidating, and he makes the boys run marathon laps to weed out people.  Many boys drop out.  Then Coach makes the boys play full-court one-on-one again in an effort to weed out some of the weaker boys.  Junior is put up against Roger, a large boy, and Roger dunks the basketball over Junior's head.  Coach asks Junior if he wants a break, and although he does, Junior agrees to take on Roger again.  Coach respects Junior's sense of resolve, and Junior makes the team.  Later in the chapter, Reardan plays Wellpinit in a game, and Rowdy makes a hard charge at Junior.  The Indians in the crowd are angry that Junior is a so-called traitor, and someone throws a quarter at him, causing a serious injury.  Junior ends up getting stitches and having to sit out the rest of the game.

To whom, do you suppose, is Montresor telling this story? Upon what evidence do you base your assumptitions?

Many people have speculated about this question. It is fairly common to read the assumption that, because of his age and concern about his afterlife, Montresor is making a confession to a priest. To me, the narrative does not sound like a verbal communication to a second person who is present in the same room. It sounds like a written manuscript. There is no suggestion in the story that anyone else is present when Montresor reveals what happened fifty years ago.

Some examples of long verbal narratives to a live listener are to be found in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle always takes care to make it clear that the listener or listeners, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, are present and taking a keen interest in what they are hearing. For example, in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Sherlock Holmes keeps making comments and asking questions. Otherwise the back-story being told by the client Helen Stoner would turn into a story in itself rather than being only part of an interview. Here are some of Holmes' interjections:

“I am all attention, madam.”

Holmes nodded his head. “The name is familiar to me,” said he.

“Your sister is dead, then?”

“Pray be precise as to details,” said he.

The same sorts of comments, questions, etc., can be seen when Holmes is listening to the long back-story of Jabez Wilson in "The Red-Headed League" and in other Sherlock Holmes stories. Poe could have done the same thing if he had wanted the reader to think that his story was a verbal communication or confession. But there are too many specific details which it seems unlikely that a person would remember if he were only speaking in confidence to a friend or a priest. For instance, Montresor tells the names of the two bottles of wine he shares with Fortunato. There are also too many places where a listener might want to ask a question and no question is asked.

In my opinion, the story is intended to be taken as a confidential letter from Montresor to a man or woman he has known for over fifty years. It would have been written in Italian, French, or possibly even in Latin, and found among the papers of the confidant or confidante after his or her death. Or else it might have been found among Montresor's own papers when he died, because he wrote the letter one night while drunk on French wine and decided not to send it next morning when he was sober and thought better of it. (Many of us have done something like that at one time or another, haven't we?) The document would have somehow gotten into the hands of an American editor named Edgar Allan Poe, who translated it into English and published it in an American magazine.

This theory cannot be proved, but it seems the most likely. Poe did something similar with his story "Ms. Found in a Bottle." Someone wrote a long narrative, sealed it in an empty bottle, and tossed it overboard just before his ship was sucked into a whirlpool. Edgar Allan Poe got possession of the manuscript and published it. Poe was an editor himself for many years, and he probably thought like an editor.

Poe pretends that Montresor is communicating with somebody he calls "You, who so well know the nature of my soul" because this enables Poe to leave out a lot of exposition and to focus on what is dramatic. Presumably this confidant or confidante knows a great deal about Montresor's past history and present condition, including such minor details such as what city he lives in. The man or woman to whom Montresor was writing may have known all about the thousand injuries of Fortunato, so that these would not have to be described either.

What were the challenges for George Washington?

George Washington faced many challenges. Some occurred while leading the colonial army in the Revolutionary War. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington was constantly faced with a lack of supplies and a lack of soldiers. Most of his soldiers had little formal military training. Those who did enlist signed up for a one-year term of service. Many soldiers deserted when faced with harsh conditions and rough winters. Fortunately, Washington overcame these challenges.

As President after the Constitution was ratified, George Washington also faced challenges. There were people who felt the new government had too much power. People were nervous about Alexander Hamilton’s plan to deal with our debt. Fortunately, a compromise was reached that allowed the federal government to combine the federal debt and the state debt and begin the prices off repaying our debts to others.

George Washington had problems with other countries. Great Britain and Spain were trying to push us around. Great Britain and Spain were encouraging the Native Americans to attack us. They also were interfering with our trade. Many people wanted President Washington to go to war with these countries. President Washington knew that would be a mistake. Instead, treaties were negotiated to try to resolve the issues that existed. Treaties were successfully negotiated reducing the tension for a period of time.

George Washington faced many challenges as a colonial military leader and as President of the United States.

What events cause Waverly to run away from her mother at the market?

The most direct reason of why Waverly ran away was because she was embarrassed and annoyed at her mother.  Waverly did not like her mother boasting about her and her chess prowess.  She wanted to be her own person. We can see this as Waverly says these words to her mother in exasperation:

"Why do you have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, then why don't you learn to play chess?"

Even though this was what made Waverly run away, the truth of the matter is that Waverly was getting annoyed for a while.  Her mother was too overbearing in her mind. For example, according to Waverly, Mrs. Jong had a habit of standing over her while she was practicing chess.  Her breathing annoyed her as well as her sounds.  This shows that Waverly is getting bitter. When she could not take it any more, she confronted her mother and ran away.

My mother had a habit of standing over me while I plotted out my games. I think she thought of herself as my protective ally. Her lips would be sealed tight, and after each move I made, a soft "Hmmmmph" would escape from her nose.

With this said, Waverly also knew deep in her heart that she made a mistake. 

She said:

I knew it was a mistake to say anything more, but I heard my voice speaking...

In light of this, Waverly's embarrassment of exploding might have caused her to run away as well. 

What are names of some famous 17th century actors?

The 17th Century was FULL of stage actors. Although Queen Elizabeth's reign was from 1558-1603, many actors adoring her period were famous into the 17th century. Then, when the Restoration Period in England began, theater became very popular again. The list below contains English actors. This does not mean there were not other actors in other countries!

Hugh Atwell. Acted from 1595-1601. He was a contemporary of Shakespeare and was quite famous during his day.

Anne Bracegirdle. She acted from 1680-1707.

Richard Burbage. Acted from 1588-1619. He acted in many of Shakespeare's plays and he was also a theatre owner.

Henry Condell. He acted from 1598-1613. He helped Shakespeare publish his first folio.

Charles Hart. He acted from 1660-1682. He was one of the Restoration period's most famous and successful actors.

John Hemmings. Acted from 1603-1611. Was a member of the King's Men. He acted in most of Shakespeare's plays.

Nell Gwynn. Acted from 1665-1671. Very famous actress during her time and mistress of King Charles II.

Why was it easy for Stanley to carry Zero up the mountain?

To answer this question, we must think back on the plotline about Elya Yelnats and Madame Zeroni. Elya was in love with Myra Menke and wanted to earn her love in return. When Myra's father says he would rather have a fat pig than a boy with a heart full of love for his daughter, Elya was very sad. His friend, Madame Zeroni (Zero's great-great grandmother), gives Elya a small pig and tells him to carry it up the mountain each day, to let the pig drink from the stream, and to sing a magical song each day.

Elya followed the instructions and carried the pig. As the pig grew, Elya became stronger. In the end of this sub-plot, Elya forgot his promise to carry Madame Zeroni up the mountain, sing the song, and let her drink from the stream.

Stanley carrying Zero up the mountain is a parallel plot. Like his great-great-pig-stealing grandfather, Elya Yelnats, Stanly has gotten strong by digging holes every day since his arrival at Camp Green Lake, similar to how Elya became strong by carrying the pig. Stanley is a large boy and Zero is smaller to begin with, but Zero is also sick and weak. He is dehydrated and has lost weight.

It is easy for Stanley to carry Zero because he is strong from digging holes, Zero is small and light, and Stanley is fulfilling his great-great-grandfather's promise by carrying Madame Zeroni's descendant.

How does Jerry try to get the attention of the boys after he fails to follow them underwater through the rock and out in "Through the Tunnel"?

After Jerry is unable to figure out how the boys disappear for so long underwater only to emerge so far away, he clowns to get their attention.

When Jerry submerges he can see nothing but the blank rock because the ocean water stung his eyes. As he rises to the top, he sees the African boys preparing to go off the diving rock again. 

And now, in a panic of failure, he yelled up in English, "Look at me! Look!" and he began splashing and kicking in the water like a foolish dog.

The older boys simply frown as they look down at him seriously. Jerry feels shame because when he acts like this before his mother, she gives him the same "grave, embarrassed inspection." Yet, he continues to act foolishly as he waggles his ears and shouts the few French words he knows: "Bonjour! Merci! Au revoir! Monsieur, monsieur!" To add to his embarrassment, water surges into his mouth and he starts to choke, sinking down, then resurfacing, as though he were drowning. But, the older boys ignore him.

If you were the character Hamlet in William Shakespeare's play, would you pretend to be mad for your revenge?

Nineteenth century American author and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson famously observed that "when you strike at a king, you must kill him." That quote can be applied to the situation in which William Shakespeare's character Hamlet finds himself. Hamlet, of course, is set upon the mission by the ghost of his deceased father, the one-time king of Denmark, to avenge the dead monarch's murder. Hamlet is already a troubled soul, having endured his father's mysterious death and witnessed the remarriage of his mother to his uncle, the illegitimate successor to the throne, Claudius. Claudius is now the king, a position, needless to say, of considerable power. Hamlet understands that, if he is to avenge his father's death, he can not let his uncle, the king, know that the young prince intends for his demise. Hamlet must use subterfuge so that King Claudius remains oblivious to his nephew's plans. The meaning behind Emerson's quote is that to attempt to murder a powerful person and to fail is tantamount to suicide, as the wounded target will now be cognizant of your plans and intent on your destruction. In Shakespeare's play, Hamlet knows that he must take the king by surprise. The most powerful person in Denmark must know that Hamlet wants him dead.

A conspiracy to assassinate a king must be carefully planned and executed, lest the monarch become aware of those plans and act first with the ruthlessness expected of an autocratic ruler. Hamlet constitutes an 'army of one,' as he can trust no one. His best chance at leading Claudius into the trap that Hamlet arranges -- the performance of a play that replicates the king's murder of Hamlet's father -- is to conceal his intentions, and the best way to conceal those intentions is to feign insanity. By pretending to be mentally ill, Hamlet's words and actions can be excused as those of an insane individual. He will give the appearance of lacking a firm grasp with reality so that his plans can proceed without the underlying motivation being detected. Consequently, Hamlet's decision to feign madness is eminently reasonable under the circumstances. His intended target is all-powerful, and his best chance at sneaking up on King Claudius is to veil his true intentions. Pretending to be mad is a logical course of action given the narrow room for maneuver afforded this depressive young man.

What are the units for measuring the distances between stars?

Stars are massive celestial bodies and are very far away from each other. The commonly used units for measurement of distance (such as meters, kilometers, miles, etc.) are very inconvenient for measuring and reporting such large distances. Scientists use units such as light years and parsecs for measuring the distance between stars. 

1 light year is the distance light will travel in 1 year (in a vacuum). 

1 light year = 

Parsec is another unit of distance measurement and is equal to 3.26 light years.

1 Parsec = 3.26 light years =  

The nearest star to Earth (other than the Sun) is Proxima Centauri which is 4.2 light years away from Earth. 

Hope this helps. 

Where and when does the story "The Cask of Amontillado" take place?

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" never clearly states where or when it is set. In paragraph three of the short story, Poe says, "Few Italians have the true virtuoso spirit. ...Fortunato, like his countrymen, was a quack, but in the matter of old wines he was sincere. " From this we learn that Fortunato was Italian, so we may assume that the story takes place in Italy, but there is no indisputable evidence of that. In the course of the story, the narrator compares the catacombs they are going into to the catacombs of Paris, so while that emphasizes the European influence, it does not necessarily change the setting.

The time of the short story is also unstated in the text. Poe does clearly delineate that the action takes place during carnival season, which is like Mardi Gras. However, we are not given any hints as to which year, other than the reference from the narrator at the end of the story that Fortunato has not been disturbed "for the half of a century..." so the story obviously is intended to be set at least 50 years prior to the telling of the tale. 

What do readers learn about the Ewells from Atticus?

In Chapter 3, Scout says that "Atticus said the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day’s work in his recollection." Atticus had also told her that the Ewell children could miss school if they wanted to and that Bob Ewell could hunt out of season. The reason is that since Bob has no income and since he spends his relief checks on whiskey, the only hope of his children getting fed is if the town allows him to hunt at any time. The people of Maycomb reluctantly tolerate the Ewells' way of life and they have a sympathy for the children. 

In Chapter 17, when Atticus is questioning Bob Ewell, he reveals that Bob is left-handed and is therefore more likely to have beaten Mayella. This is one of many instances where Atticus demonstrates what a corrupt man Bob Ewell is. He drinks, abuses his children, and is a useless member of society. From Atticus's questioning of Bob, Mayella, and Tom Robinson, we learn that Mayella is quite lonely and basically has to run the Ewell household and raise the children. It is clear that she had been reaching out to Tom as a friend or companion. Scout adds: 

As Tom Robinson gave his testimony, it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley, who had not been out of the house in twenty-five years. When Atticus asked had she any friends, she seemed not to know what he meant, then she thought he was making fun of her. (Chapter 19) 

In Chapter 23, Atticus explains to Jem why he did not retaliate when Bob Ewell spat in his face. Atticus notes that he was thinking of Mayella. Even though Atticus and most of Maycomb's citizens think the Ewells are "trash," there is sympathy for the children for being born into the Ewell family through no fault of their own. That is why Bob is allowed to hunt in the off season. That is also why Atticus takes Bob's abuse. In discussing it with Jem, he says: 

So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there. 

Compare and contrast the Nile River, Indus River, and the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

The first great civilizations all developed in river valleys, as the rivers provided a source of water and irrigation for crops. Over time, these civilizations developed a surplus of food that allowed them to create specialization of trades.

The Tigris-Euphrates Rivers gave rise to the first civilization, Mesopotamia, around 3500 BCE. The city-states in Mesopotamia began to irrigate their land using the two rivers. Egypt developed along the Nile, which had a different type of flood cycle than the Tigris and Euphrates. While the Tigris and Euphrates had unpredictable floods that varied in scope, the Nile had predictable flooding patterns. The Tigris and Euphrates had floods that could be much greater in volume one year than in other years, so the people in Mesopotamia had to control the flooding with dikes. The people along the Nile used the river's predictable flooding patterns to irrigate their crops, and they also developed dikes, canals, and basins.

The Indus River is longer than the other rivers, and its annual length of flow is two times that of Nile and three times as long as the Tigris and Euphrates. In its upper plain, the Indus has several tributaries, but in its lower plain, it is like the Nile in having few tributaries. The Indus, like the Nile, also floods in a way that creates rich alluvial soil. 

Are there chemicals that make an endothermic reaction?

Chemical reactions can be exothermic or endothermic. You're probably more likely to see exothermic reactions, in which heat is released, during your day to day activities. Combustion is an exothermic reaction.

An endothermic reaction that's easy to observe is the reaction of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) with aqueous acetic acid (found in vinegar). In addition to lots of bubbling, the temperature of the solution drops. Energy is absorbed from the surroundings in which the reaction takes place.

There are two factors that drive chemical reactions. One is the energy or heat consideration. Chemical reactions that are exothermic tend to occur spontaneously. However, due to the second factor, it's still possible for endothermic reactions to occur spontaneously. The second factor is that chemical reactions that result in an increase in entropy (randomness or disorder) tend to be spontaneous. Endothermic chemical reactions are spontaneous when the increase in entropy outweighs the energy change as a driving factor.

In The Bronze Bow how does Daniel come to be staying at Joel's house?

In Chapter 5, Daniel has gone on a mission to see Joel, hoping that he can recruit Joel to join in Rosh's cause. He meets Joel's father, Hezron, and says things that upset him. He leaves in shame and disappointment, and when he stops along the road for water, he is met by a Roman soldier. The soldier demands Daniel give him a drink, and Daniel, overcome by furious hatred, throws water in the soldier's face. Daniel runs but is struck by a spear. He manages to get away, but he is wounded. He makes his was back to Joel's house and staggers in. Thacia is shocked to see he has returned and scolds him, but he faints in her presence from the trauma of his wound. Joel drags Daniel into a storage area, and they later move him to a passageway between two walls that is hidden from the rest of the house. There Joel and Thacia nurse him back to health without their parents' knowledge, and the three become friends and take a vow together to fight "for God's victory." Daniel leaves without their knowing, but not before they have arranged a way for Daniel to get a message to them in the future.

Why do you think the citizens went along with the decisions of the Handicapper General in Harrison Bergeron?

The citizens go along with the rulers such as the Handicapper General because they live under a totalitarian government that forcibly exerts control over them.

In addition to this forcible control in which imprisonment or even execution is the penalty for non-compliance with the enforced equality of the citizenry, people have lost the capability of any independent thought or physical movement. For, they are required by law to wear mental-handicap radios in their ears that prohibit them "from taking unfair advantage of their brains." And, they are limited in physical advantages as they must be "burdened with sash weights and bags of birdshot." Therefore, any type of rebellion or independence of thought can be quelled by the enforcers.

When the beautiful and talented ballerina dances with Harrison Bergeron after they have shed some of their heavy handicaps, the citizenry continues to surrender to the sacrifices of civil rights so that it can be "safe" and "equal." However, a state in which equality is obtained only by the use of violence is no longer a free state. 

Outline how the process of dehumanization was central to the development and implementation of the Holocaust

The process of dehumanization was essential to the overall strategy of the Nazis to exterminate groups they found to be subhuman and a threat to the ‘pure’ “Aryan” race.  Hitler was a social Darwinist who believed that the survival of a race or ethnic group depended on racial purity, which meant that intermingling between different groups was a threat to the overall survival.  This was the basis for the plan to exterminate ‘unwanted’ groups to provide the needed space for the Germans to thrive.  He saw certain races as gifted and at the highest point of the racial hierarchy, while others were flawed.  Therefore, mixing would dilute the strong characteristics of the supreme groups.  The enemies of the Nazis included Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, African Germans, homosexuals, and people with disabilities.  In order to complete his plan of eliminating the ‘undesirable’ groups, Hitler and his followers had to create an atmosphere of fear and hatred and an efficient killing machine that has been described as treating its victims as ‘worse than animals’.  Inhumane treatment was easy for a Nazi to do since they already viewed these groups as disease carrying rats, however, to get the rest of the country to follow the plan they had to undertake a propaganda campaign to dehumanize these groups in the eyes of regular Germans.   

Nazis built upon an already frustrated population who was unable to recover economic and social stability in a struggling post-World War I Germany.  They used propaganda in films, pamphlets, and literature to spread their message. There was a widely distributed weekly newspaper which had “The Jews are our misfortune” in bold print on the first page of every issue and caricatures of Jews as hook nosed and ape-like.  Other cartoons followed this strategy, portraying Jews as subhuman, animalistic, apes, diseased vermin, etc.  The propaganda had a dual purpose: to direct anger and blame for economic woes at the Jews and to portray them as sub-human and separate from German society.  The more people saw and read these portrayals of Jews and other groups deemed to be ‘impure’, the less they saw them as part of the same human race.  The Nazis succeeded in creating a battle in the minds of many Germans, an ‘us versus them’ mentality.  The next step of dehumanization in the eyes of society was to segregate Jews from the rest of the community, first with the Nuremberg Laws, next by confinement in Ghettos, and finally, by transport to the concentration camps for the “Final Solution”.      

Nazi treatment of Jews and other victim groups was inhumane and uncommonly cruel.  The experiments done by ‘scientists’ were abhorrent and wouldn’t even have been considered appropriate on animals.  The transportation used to take victims to Concentration Camps were the infamous cattle cars, in which they were literally treated like cattle.  In marches, anyone who fell behind was shot.  And the large scale killing machines in concentration camps were organized like an extermination, considered appropriate by Nazis who viewed their victims as vermin or an infestation. 

Many who look at the Holocaust ask themselves “How could society let this happen”.  The answer lies in the meticulous process of dehumanization undertaken by a well-organized hate group who effectively turned a country against certain groups and were therefore allowed to commit one of the greatest atrocities seen in human history.

“’Your cells will make you immortal.’ He told Henrietta her cells would help save the lives of countless people, and she smiled. She told him...

In Chapter 8 of Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Henrietta Lacks is dying of metastasizing cervical cancer. Earlier, doctors collected cells from her cervix without telling her. As Skloot writes, "No one had told Henrietta that TeLinde [the surgeon] was collecting samples or asked if she wanted to be a donor" (page 33).

By Chapter 8, Henrietta Lacks is in a great deal of pain. Skloot quotes Henrietta's medical record: "Henrietta is a miserable specimen...She groans. She is constantly nauseated and claims she vomits everything she eats" (page 66). As she lies in the hospital suffering, her cell culture is growing in the laboratory, and they will go on to become the HeLa cell line that was used in several medical breakthroughs.

No one ever recorded if Henrietta had given Dr. George Gey, the doctor who harvested her cells, permission to do so. However, one microbiologist named Laure Aurelian remembers that Gey told Henrietta about her cells and recalls the incident cited in the question--that "George told me he leaned over Henrietta's bed and said, 'Your cells will make you immortal'" (page 66). The significance of this statement is that it suggests Henrietta knew about the use of her cells and was pleased that they would help others. In addition, the statement implies that Henrietta gave permission for her cells to be collected and used in research, though there is no other record that she did so. At the time, people were rarely asked permission when their cells were collected and cultured. In the case of Henrietta's cells, parts of her went on to make a great deal of money that never went to her family. In addition, some medical information about her was published without the knowledge of her family. However, the statement cited in the question implies that Dr. Gey told her what he was doing.