What is the motif of "being civilized" in the story The Most Dangerous Game?

A motif is characterized as a dominant feature in literature. In "The Most Dangerous Game," the motif of being civilized is present throughout the entire story and is especially prominent in the interactions between the characters. 

Rainsford, a wealthy hunter, presents himself as civilized throughout the story. Not only does he demonstrate a civilized lifestyle while on the yacht at the beginning of the story, but also when he learns that General Zaroff hunts humans for sport. Rainsford says, "Thank you, I'm a hunter, not a murderer," in defiant opposition to General Zaroff's suggestion to hunting humans.

Though General Zaroff hunts humans for sport, even he displays civilized tendencies throughout the story. Examples of this are that he lives in a well-kept fortress and that he treats Rainsford to the best food and amenities he can offer. 

Connell presents an interesting contrast between civilization and savagery throughout his story. 

What are some similes in chapter 1 of To Kill A Mockingbird?

In chapter one, similes help us feel part of the richly imagined community of Maycomb. They also help to characterize Dill.

In the opening paragraphs, the narrator paints a picture of the slow-moving, old-fashioned southern world of Maycomb and its white privilege: "Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum."

A sense of Dill's essential innocence and purity emerges in this simile: "his hair was snow white and stuck to his head like duckfluff."

Stephanie Crawford represents, in contrast, the way some people in the town stereotype Boo Radley as a monster when she says of him that his "head was like a skull lookin‘ at her." This is a stock simile, a cliche lacking in imagination.

In discussing Dill's strong desire to get Boo out of the house, Jem says  "it’s sort of like making a turtle come out…" In the way Dill reacts to this simile with imaginative and sensitive engagement, we learn more about his essential humanity. When he finds out that, according to Jem, you make a turtle stick its head out by lighting a match underneath it. Dill reacts to this by calling it "hateful" and worrying that it will hurt the turtle. Already, we might be falling in love with Dill and his decency. 

In Seedfolks, what brings Leona to the garden?

Leona was brought to the garden because she was interested in growing goldenrod, a flowering plant that grows mostly in North America and Mexico. She was motivated to plant goldenrod because of her grandmother’s use and sentiment about the plant. Leona’s grandmother lived to be ninety-nine and attributed her longevity to her daily routine of taking tea made from the plant. Based on this, Leona decided to plant a patch for herself and joined the other gardeners in the lot.

Leona also contributed immensely to the clean-up of the lot. She noted the considerable amount of garbage in the field and decided to engage the Public Health Department in sorting out the mess. Leona presented her evidence of the neglected state of the lot which motivated the officials to act on her complaints.

Describe the office of the boss in "The Fly."

From the description that we get in the story, the most salient descriptors of the office of the boss are "snug" and "comfortable." The place is warm, elegant, and furnished anew. For two sad men who suffer from intense grief, this place is surely a most-welcome refuge.  

We first learn that there is a big, green leather chair by the desk of the boss, from which Woodifield admires the place. The office had been recently remodeled, and its new furniture includes a huge bookcase, and a table with legs described “like twisted treacle,” a black, shiny, sticky sweetener, often called molasses.

The floor of the office is covered by a bright, red carpet that had “a pattern of large, white rings.”  The office also has electric heating, which accounts for the feelings of comfort and “snugness” that the two men describe at the beginning. The heating lamp consists of five bulbs, described as “pearly, glowing sausages,” which glow from a copper pan.

Below the desk of the boss there is a cupboard where he keeps his whiskey, which, allegedly, came “from the cellars at Windsor Castle.”

The chair on which the boss sat when he was at his desk was a “spring chair.” On the desk, there is an inkpot, blotting paper, and a pen. Down beside it is a wastebasket. This is the setting where the fight with the fly takes place.

Also salient is the picture of the son of the boss, his only son, which had been featured on top of one of the tables for over six years. The young man in the picture looked “stern” and nothing like he was in real life. He had been dead for the length of time that the picture had been on that table. He was the boss’s only son, and he had been groomed to take over the family business.

The young man was killed while serving in the War, just like the son of Woodifield. In fact, the boss’s son and Woodifield’s son are buried in the same cemetery. The boss had been “dead in life” since his son’s death, and was left extremely grieved. He and Woodifield are both still grieving. Grief is the pervasive atmosphere of the story.

It is safe to conclude that the men somewhat come to terms with their own personal pain during their time together in the office.

Use matricies to solve the system of equations. Use Gaussian elimination with back-substitution.

The augmented matrix

On applying we get

On applying we get

On applying we get

On applying we get 

The corresponding system is

No and value satisfy the last equation. 

Hence the system is inconsistent.

How would you describe the tone of "The Lady or the Tiger?"

You could argue that the story is playful, serious, and curious. The story has a playful tone in that the language is old-fashioned and Romantic but with a satiric and sometimes sarcastic intent. The king is "semi-barbaric" and was "given to self-communing." In other words, even if he is only barbaric some of the time, he is barbaric in principle. So, he is barbaric, plain and simple. He only communes with himself and this means that he doesn't listen to or take advice from others. He is like, or considers himself to be like, a semi-vengeful god. Stockton uses these phrases to dance around the direct meanings and get the reader to think. He is also playing with the idea of interpretation and choice. 

Note that the king allows the courtier a choice between one of two doors. Like a semi-barbaric god, he gives the courtier semi-free will. So, the courtier has choice but that choice is limited. What is Stockton doing here? It seems like he is being purposefully playful in provoking the reader to analyze what he is doing. Is it an invitation to the reader to consider what free will really is in a religious context or in the political context of kings and subjects? Just as the courtier must choose, the reader must choose. 

So, as much as the author is being playful and making satiric and sarcastic suggestions about human exploitation of power and the limits of free will, he is also asking serious questions about how far (or how little) humanity has progressed. And playing (seriously) with the notions of free will and choice, Stockton leaves it to the reader to decide what the princess's final decision is. Even if this is a tale about a kingdom long ago (and this is not clear either), would a modern reader conclude that the princess directs the courtier to the tiger? And if that is the case, what does that say about the modern reader's perception of human frailty? This is the beauty of the story. The author is playful, satiric, and serious. His tone combines all of these notions as he asks the reader to think for him/herself. Given that, you could also argue that he subtly shows his curiosity about how the reader will interpret the story and/or what the reader will conclude about the princess's decision. 

In The Giver, how are Asher, Fiona, the Giver, and the Chief Elder motivated?

Because the society in The Giver is highly controlling and restrictive, Asher and Fiona's motivations are highly controlled and restricted. These characters are not well rounded and reflect the society's limits and constraints. Lowry intentionally does not develop them fully. With that said, Asher is certainly motivated by fun, laughter, and social interaction. As a result he is assigned the role of Director of Recreation, a title that suits him well. Fiona is described as more level, gentle, steady, and she has a passion for taking care of the elderly. She is assigned to the House of Old for her lifetime assignment. 

The Giver's job is to hold all of the memories of the society--both good and bad. He is motivated to transmit these memories to the new Receiver of Memory, in this case Jonas. Ultimately the Giver is motivated to help Jonas escape to Elsewhere as a way to help the community to change and grow. The Giver is a more developed character in the story, and his motivation to help Jonas and the community is well documented.

The Elders in the community are motivated to keep the members of the community under control. They have created a society that is carefully constructed so that no emotions are felt, no negative memories are accessed, and everyone has a specific role. They hide the negative aspects of the community from the citizens and are motivated to keep all members in the dark.

What was the actual day that the Cold War started ?

The answer to this is the subject of considerable debate among Cold War scholars. Some would even argue that the roots of the Cold War stretched all the way back to 1919, when the United States and other Western countries gave their support to the forces opposing the Bolsheviks. But most would accept the Potsdam Conference (July 17 to August 2, 1945), when Truman and Stalin (or Stalin's foreign minister, at least) clashed over what would happen to Poland. The war against Germany was over, and Soviet troops occupied that nation. At the Yalta Conference earlier in the year, Stalin had promised President Roosevelt that he would allow democratic elections in Poland. But when the war came to an end, it appeared certain that he would install a communist government there. Truman and his advisers interpreted this as aggression, though documents made available to historians since then suggest that Stalin saw it as a defensive measure after being invaded through Poland at the start of World War II.

In any case, representatives from the two sides clashed on this issue, and the fact that Truman found out while at Potsdam that the United States had successfully tested the atomic bomb at Los Alamos caused further tensions (though Stalin knew about the program already, having found out through his network of spies). Within two years, Americans were beginning to recognize that the World War II postwar order would be a "Cold War" between the United States and the USSR. Potsdam, in a sense, was the moment that the tensions that characterized the Cold War began to emerge. 

Please provide a character sketch of Dr. Edward Everett Hale.

Edward Everett Hale, (1822- 1909), a prolific writer and a Unitarian minister,was from a prominent, influential, Boston-based family.  His lineage includes Nathan Hale, a hero in the War for Independence, Edward Everett, a famous diplomat, and his father, Nathan Hale, who spend a good deal of his adult life as the editor of the “Boston Daily Advertiser.”

From a young age, he was a scholar who entered Harvard University at thirteen years old before embarking on a writing career that spanned over 70 years. Although he may be most famous for his short story, “The Man Without a Country,” he wrote many novels, essays, newspaper articles, and Unitarian journals. He focused on liberal, anti-slavery topics, which appeared in magazines such as the “North American Review,” the “Atlantic Monthly,” and the “Christian Examiner.” “The Man Without a Country” was written in 1846 during the Civil War in an effort to increase patriotism. In many of his fiction works, he wrote in the realistic fantasy genre.

His writing career continued during his time as a Unitarian minister. He used his ministry to promote his liberal views, which included the need for education for Blacks and for world peace.

Late in life, his acted as the chaplain of the United States Senate.

In what ways did the civil rights movement succeed and what made those successes possible?

After a long struggle, the Civil Rights movement accomplished many of its goals. By the end of the 1960s made many positive changes had been made by the movement.

With the Brown v Board of Education case, separate but equal schools were declared illegal. The "separate but equal" policy was created to keep the races apart but was rejected by this Supreme Court ruling.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott helped to end the practice of having separate seating sections on buses. African-Americans would no longer have to pay their fare at the front of the bus, get off the bus, enter through the back door, and sit in the back of the bus.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it illegal to have segregation in public places. No longer would there be separate bathrooms, separate drinking fountains, or restaurants that only served whites.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped African-Americans register to vote. It also made the poll taxes and literacy tests illegal. These taxes and tests were designed to keep African-Americans from registering to vote and from voting.

The Civil Rights Act of 1968 made it illegal to discriminate when renting an apartment or selling a house. The race of person could no longer be used as a factor when deciding to whom an apartment would be rented or to whom a house would be sold.

There are several factors that made these successes possible. One factor was the persistence of the African-American people to demand equal rights. African-Americans remained united in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and didn’t ride the buses for 381 days until segregation ended on the city buses of Montgomery.

Outstanding leadership was another reason for these successes. Leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., made wise decisions in leading the nonviolent protests. They were able to rally the people to the cause and keep them focused on the ultimate goal.

The bravery of the African-American people was another factor for these successes. They were brave to face the hate the white people showed toward them. The Little Rock Nine were incredibly brave kids to face this pressure. Other people were beaten for protesting nonviolently for their rights. Some were killed in doing this also. However, the protests continued until changes were made.

The coverage of some of these events by the media also helped. Many people couldn’t believe what they were reading in the newspapers or hearing on the radio. When they witnessed the violence with their own eyes on television, such as with the Selma March, this spurred many whites into demanding change along with the African-Americans who demanded change.

There were many successes made in the Civil Rights movement. There were many reasons why these successes occurred.

How is Glycolysis essential for the production of ATP.

Glycolysis is a process that takes glucose, combines it chemically with oxygen, and produces free energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate).  It is one of the chief processes responsible for energy production in cells.  In animal cells, food is digested by the digestive system, progressively broken down into smaller units, until the glucose contained in the food is absorbed by the small intestine.  The glucose enters the bloodstream, where it is taken to all the cells in the body.  Oxygen is absorbed in the alveoli of the lungs, where it enters the bloodstream of the body to be taken to all cells.  Glycolysis represents the first of about ten steps of energy production within the mitochondria of cells.  It breaks apart the glucose molecule into basic components, which are then chemically combined to make other products (waste) and free energy for the cell to conduct its life processes, in the form of ATP.

What are the physical properties, chemical properties and location on the periodic table of the metals?

Metals are the elements that readily lose valence electrons to become positively charged ions, known as cations. They are, generally, good conductors of heat and electricity and are malleable (can be beaten into sheets) and ductile (can be drawn into wires). Among other physical characteristics, metals are hard and opaque and several of them have shiny luster. Among the chemical characteristics, metals forms alkaline oxides on reaction with oxygen. They also form hydroxides and are very prone to formation of cations (and thus ionic bonds).

The periodic table is the arrangement of elements according to their properties, in rows and columns. Among the known elements, more than 75% are metals. The metals are arranged in groups IA (except for H), IIA, IB-VIIIB, actinide and lanthinide series and also in IVA-VIIA (only some elements, rest are either non-metals or metalloids). 

Hope this helps. 

Why is it difficult to walk on ice?

It's difficult to walk on ice because there's very little friction between the bottoms of your shoes and the ice. Friction is a force that opposes motion. When your shoes push back on the ground the force of friction between the ground and your shoes pushes you in the opposite direction, propelling you forward. When two surfaces in contact are very smooth one doesn't push back much on the other. Ice has a very smooth surface, and it often has a thin layer of water on it. Since molecules in the liquid phase can move around freely water acts as a lubricant to fill in the imperfections in the surface and further decrease friction. This can result in your feet sliding out from under you instead of pushing off and moving you forward.

Shoes and boots with a traction tread that grip the ice provide more friction and make it easier to walk on ice. Also, picking one's feet straight up and setting them down helps as the placement of the feet then changes the person's position and friction becomes less of a factor. 

What are the working conditions in Cutler's Tavern in chapter 3?

The actual conditions of Cutler's tavern are not terrible.  The place is an efficiently run, crowded, and busy place of business.  If it was a terribly filthy, disgusting place, Mrs. Cutler wouldn't have so much business.  But simply because the working conditions are far from dirty and abysmal doesn't mean that the working conditions are easy.  The tavern is presentable to guests, because Mrs. Cutler works her employees into the ground.  As I said, the place is busy.  When Lyddie first arrives, Mrs. Cutler and Triphena barely have any time for Lyddie.  Triphena even makes her sit in a corner so as to not be in the way.  

But the cook was too busy moving the food from the fire to the long wooden table in the center of the room to pay her [Lyddie] any mind.

Mrs. Cutler is a hard task master, but she is not completely heartless.  She does give Lyddie a newer, cleaner dress in order to look more presentable to guests; however, Lyddie is amazed at how hard Mrs. Cutler makes her employees work.  

The mistress was large in body and seemed to be everywhere on watch.  How could a woman so obviously rich in the world's goods be so mean in the use of them? Her eyes were narrow and close and always on the sharp for the least bit of spilt flour or the odd crumb on the lip. . . Mistress Cutler watched Lyddie like a barn cat on a sparrow. . .

Unfortunately for Lyddie, the dress is about the only kind thing that Mrs. Cutler is able to do for Lyddie.  Mrs. Cutler even makes Lyddie sleep in the hall, and forces her to go to bed after all of the guests and rise before them so "that no paying guest in the windowed rooms . . . should know that they shared the floor with the kitchen girl."  Mrs. Cutler does indeed work Lyddie extremely hard, which is a reason why Lyddie will eventually make her way to the textile mills.  

How does Edgar Allan Poe create the atmosphere of Gothic horror in Ligeia and The Fall of the House of Usher? Do you think his techniques...

Let's first look for the elements that are ever-present in the Gothic genre. These elements consist on specific literary devices which authors use, particularly in the setting, to convey feelings of nostalgia, desperation, coldness, isolation, inevitability and sadness. These are signature sensations that make the Gothic genre such a popular one among readers. 

This latter statement helps to answer the question as to why people seem to be drawn to a darker side of the human interior. The answer is found in the emotions that the Gothic genre evokes, which were just indicated.

As human beings, we are deeply flawed individuals. Still, we have a monumental task ahead of us the day that we are born: To lead fruitful lives despite of the variables that may change life forever: health, fate, luck, money, love, and even death. The fact that literature is capable of mirroring our feelings, when circumstances change our original life plans, makes us feel drawn to it. Literature helps us see that those feelings of anxiety and deep sadness are normal, and that we are not the first, nor will we be the last, to ever experience them. 

Elements of Gothic Literature

Having established the emotions that are evoked by Gothic literature, here are the basic elements that are present in all Gothic works, which are also responsible for the feelings that are conveyed. For further information, refer to the Handbook of Gothic Literature by Marie Mulvey-Roberts (1998) as an additional resource. 

1. Isolation and abandonment- All Gothic words are primarily intended to take place in a manor, castle, or any remote location where anything can happen. Notice that The Fall of the House of Usher and Ligeia both meet this criteria in that the actual Usher estate rests in the middle of nowhere, and that there is an old English abbey in Ligeia which is also isolated. Moreover, both settings seem to have endured the effects of isolation, as they are dilapidated and look abandoned. 

2. Inevitability of fate and death- This means that there is something or someone in the literary work who is affected directly by something that is beyond their control. In Usher we know that the family has a genetic predisposition that renders them weak and sickly, until they ultimately die. Death is also ever-present in Ligeia, where the two wives of the narrator die young and beautiful, which makes the central story all the more tragic. 

3. Nature versus man- The forces of nature seem to fight against the characters in Gothic literature. There is either constant bad weather, or non-stop snow, coldness, thunder, or lightning. This is another way to show yet another element that we cannot control directly affecting the characters' lives.  

4. Nostalgia and darkness- The isolation of the settings, combined with locations that are of historical significance, such as Usher's family estate, or Ligeia's old abbey, remind us of "good times gone by", where all that is left are the remnants of once-happy and grandiose places.These are details that evoke nostalgia and melancholy.

Darkness is also an important factor to the setting, whether it is actual darkness (night time, dark December, winter), or whether the atmosphere feels that something "dark" and mysterious lurks around. Darkness always implies the possibility of the unexpected coming up into the light. That element of suspense is essential to complete the Gothic experience. 

In order to decide whether Edgar Allan Poe uses these Gothic techniques effectively, the first question to answer would be: Does the author convey in his writings the emotions discussed previously? Is he able to make the reader feel nostalgic, sad, and connected to the main suffering of the characters who are affected by fate? Considering the popularity and relevance of Poe's works, it is safe to argue that the technique was used effectively enough to still move the emotions of generations of readers for well- over 150 years. 

In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula LeGuin, why do the people who walk away from Omelas go alone?

In Ursula Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," the Utopian society that thrives on the sacrifice of a single child is a poignant allegory for many timeless themes in literature such as good and evil or belief in God. One of the most affecting aspects of Le Guin's story, however, is the theme of how one can overlook another man's pain and suffering in the name of materialism. A type of materialism drives the perfection of Omelas, and while some citizens have become affected by the hidden child's suffering, most are oblivious to these negative feelings and instead live "based on a just discrimination of what is necessary, what is neither necessary nor destructive, and what is destructive."

When we look at "Omelas" as a story on materialism (especially when we consider the time period in which it was written), Le Guin seems to be lamenting how the level of work some must put in (e.g. laborers or impoverished societies) to provide the goods and services the privileged have goes unnoticed. It is not that the people of Omelas are too happy to notice the child or even apathetic to his plight—they just know it is necessary and do not think about him. It is as if his suffering is just a way of life, as natural as breathing. This perspective on the perfection of Omelas is why so few walk away: most grown adults have stopped seeing anything wrong with the child's sacrifice ("one thing I know there is none of in Omelas is guilt").

Steven's bank balance is currently R50. What will it be after a. A deposit of R100? b. A withdrawal of R100?

The bank balance of a person is the amount of money available in the bank. This amount increases when we add to our bank account in the form of deposits and it decreases when we remove the money from the bank account through withdrawals. 

The current account balance of Steven is R50. 

a) When a deposit of R100 is made to Steven's account, his bank balance increases by this amount (R100). The new bank balance will be R150 (= R50 + R100).

b) When a withdrawl of R100 is done, one of the two may happen, depending on the bank's policy. Since the total amount in the bank account is only R50, a withdrawal of R100 is not possible. The bank may turn it down, leaving the bank balance as R50. In case, the bank allows partial withdrawal, then the amount from the account (R50) would be withdrawn, leaving the account outstanding by R50.

Hope this helps.  

How can I justify the main characters in Macbeth?

The degree to which the actions of the characters in William Shakespeare's Macbeth can be justified depends on the individual characters. You might take the following approaches:

King Duncan: As a legitimate king, he has the right, and even duty, to suppress a rebellion. While he treats the Thane of Cawdor harshly, he is acting within his right as king and attempting to preserve and defend his kingdom. Legally, he has the right to declare Macbeth Thane of Cawdor as well.

Three Witches: Although witchcraft was illegal, one could argue that it was one of the few paths to power for women in a patriarchal society. The witches don't actually commit murder or even compel Macbeth to act; he makes those decsions on his own. They merely provide information that proves to be accurate.

Macbeth: His actions are very difficult to justify as he killed a kind and generous king to advance his own grasp of wealth and power and was a harsh and evil ruler. One could argue that politics in that period was harsh, or that he was persuaded against his better judgement by Lady Macbeth and the witches.

Lady Macbeth: In this period, a loyal wife was supposed to help and support her husband. She must steel herself and strengthen her husband's resolve to do what is best for her family, as she states:

... Yet do I fear thy [Macbeth's] nature;

It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness

To catch the nearest way. ...

Macduff and Malcolm do rebel against Macbeth, but they are justified by Macbeth's murder of Duncan and his tyrannical mode of rulership. 

In Lord of the Flies, why does Jack's name change?

Throughout the novel, Jack's character develops from a boy who has feelings of grandeur to a leader of a band of vicious hunters.

Jack is desperate to be leader and exert his authority from the moment he is introduced in the text. Because of his ability to sing a "high c" and probably due to his age, he is leader of the choirboys. Although it is extremely hot on the island and the boys have just survived a plane crash, Jack has the choirboys wear their robes. This act distinguishes the choirboys from the others and, in a sense, elevates them (and by default Jack).

Although the boys do not elect Jack as the "leader," Jack insists on some type of leadership role. He asks that Ralph name him leader of the hunters. Initially, this idea is more about fun and games than actually tracking and killing. However, as the boys remain on the island and detached from civilization, the hunting aids in developing Jack's predatory and leadership skills that are exemplified earlier in the text. As time goes on, Jack is less afraid to kill the pig and becomes determined to kill the pig with his homemade spear. The killing of the pig symbolizes Jack's ability to lead, to provide, and to be superior to Ralph. 

Once the boys, a.k.a. the hunters, successfully kill a pig on the island, they have  bloodlust. When they return to Ralph and the others with the pig, Jack speaks first. He announces, "'I cut the pig's throat,' said Jack, proudly, and yet twitched as he said it" (97). This indicates that he is not comfortable with taking a life, but he is more amenable to the power that killing the pig affords him.

As time goes on, Jack's desire to hunt and dominate grows. He uses his ability to hunt and provide food to manipulate the others on the island. His argument: Jack can provide them with food and help them survive. What can Ralph provide them? Therefore he takes his followers (any boy who would rather play and hunt than work to survive) and sets up camp on Castle Rock. This is where Jack transitions from Jack to "Chief."

When he is designated as "Chief," Jack's persona changes. He is no longer afraid and more domineering. He allows other boys to be tied up and tortured. They fantasize about recreating pig hunts and using a littleun as a stand in for the pig. He steals Piggy's specs in order to control the fire, and ultimately wants to eliminate Ralph from the island. 

The transition from Jack to Chief is symbolic of the change in his character. It also reflects the changes on the island: loss of Simon, loss of Piggy, destruction of the environment, and a loss of civilization. 

Krakauer observes that it is not unusual for a young man to be drawn to a pursuit considered reckless by his elders. Identify an example from...

In chapter 17, Krakauer returns to visit the scene of McCandless's death. There is plenty of evidence of McCandless's "recklessness" -- that he travelled without a map, for one. If he had had a map it would have been relatively easy for him to cross the river, since he would have known about the cable across the river just a few hundred yards away. Another possibly reckless action was not bringing a large caliber rifle, or compass, or axe. Krakauer compares McCandless to the British arctic explorer Sir John Franklin, who perished with the rest of his expedition in 1845. Whereas Franklin "attempted to insulate himself from the northern environment with ill-suited military tools," McCandless "went too far in the opposite direction...[trying] to live entirely off the country...without bothering to learn beforehand the full repertoire of crucial skills." (pp 181-2) If McCandless was reckless, or arrogant, or simply incompetent, Krakauer suggests that he did what he did out of a real need, something that perhaps others cannot ever understand.

What is the outcome of the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Despite the fact that Atticus has clearly cast doubt on the testimony of both Bob Ewell and his daughter Mayella, showing that Tom, with one crippled hand, could not have delivered the blow that left a bruise on Mayella's face, the jury finds him guilty. They do so, it seems, out of pure racism--a black man simply could not receive a fair trial in Maycomb. More specifically, it seems that Tom's compassion for Mayella was his undoing before the jury. Gilmer, the prosecutor, makes a great show of casting scorn on his apparent sympathy for the girl, who lives a miserable life in desperate poverty with an abusive and lazy father. But Mayella is white, and when Tom says he stopped to help her, because he felt sorry for her, Scout observes that the jury would not look kindly on his sympathy, and they would never believe that he had no ulterior motive (in this case, sexual desire for a white woman) for helping her. Tom later will attempt to escape from jail rather than awaiting an appeal, which Atticus thinks he can win, and is shot and killed in the process. 

In Lord of the Flies, why does Ralph say, "Meetings. Don't we love meetings?"

Ralph makes this statement sarcastically. He and Simon are attempting to erect the last of the three shelters, and they are having a hard time. Ralph is frustrated with the other boys because, although in the meeting everyone had agreed to "work hard until the shelters were finished," the boys didn't follow through. Now they've all run off to play, leaving only Simon and Ralph to try to get the shelter finished on their own. In response to Ralph's complaint, which he makes to Jack, Simon tells Ralph that he's chief, and he should "tell 'em off." Ralph says that if he were to blow the conch, the boys would come running and they would all have great ideas during the meeting. But as soon as the meeting was over, they would forget what they had talked about and just go back to playing. This scene shows how Ralph and Simon are the boys who display the most altruism, putting the good of the society ahead of their own desires for pleasure. However, Ralph isn't enjoying his sacrifice at this point, so he uses verbal irony, saying the opposite of what he means, to express his exasperation. 

A cricketer can throw a ball to a maximum horizontal distance of 100m. What is the speed at which he throws the ball?

Hello!

The maximum distance is reached when the angle of elevation is 45°. Denote the initial speed in question as and consider the projection of motion on the horizontal and vertical axes.

Along the horizontal axis the speed is constant (the only force is the gravity one and it is vertical). The initial horizontal speed is Therefore the time of a flight is

Along the vertical axes acts the gravity force which gives the acceleration g downwards. The height is

And at the time the height is zero, i.e.

or

or

Paraphrase William's explanation to Kit when he begins to call on her again. What is the real reason?

William tells Kit that he has stayed away due to the illness in the house. In a modernized paraphrase, he basically tells Kit, "I'm sorry, but your family was sick and I didn't want to disturb you (or catch it) so I stayed away." However, this is not the real reason.

The true reason that William stays away is that he is embarrassed when he learns that Kit is accused of being a witch and that she is friends with Hannah Tupper, a Quaker. One will notice that he did not come to Kit's rescue upon her accusation or during the trial. William's social standing could have helped Kit had he vouched for her good character, but he did not. He did not want to be associated with her while under accusation and if the charges had not been dropped, it's likely he never would have returned to call.

Kit realizes all of this and does not want her husband telling her who she can and cannot be friends with, and so she breaks off their engagement.

What is the significance of the title in the book/excerpt "Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan?

This is a great question.  Paying attention to the title is a mark of a mature reader. In this case, the title, "Rules of the Game," can be taken in many ways.  For example, Waverly's mother has to learn the rules of American culture. Waverly needs to learn the rules of Chinese and American culture and how they intersect.  On a more banal level, Waverly needs to learn the rule of chess to able to do well.  Waverly's mother encapsulates all of these elements when she says:

"This American rules," she concluded at last. "Every time people come out from foreign country, must know rules. You not know, judge say, Too bad, go back.

If we take another step, Waverly's mother wants to teach Waverly the art of invisible strength.  If we put this together with learning the rules, Waverly's mother wants her daughter to learn the rules of all systems well and be able to use these rules to succeed and excel in life.  Knowledge is power.  Waverly is an apt pupil. We see this at the end of the story when she has a conflict with her mother.  She is on her bed and contemplating her next move. 

I closed my eyes and pondered my next move.

Can specific heat of a substance be infinite?

Specific heat of a substance can be defined as the amount of heat required to raise its temperature by 1 degree Celsius. Water has a very high specific heat, among the common substances. The specific heat of water is 4.186 J/gm per degree Celsius, that is , it requires 4.186 J of energy to heat 1 gm of water and increase its temperature by 1 degree Celsius. Among fluids, ammonia has the highest specific heat at 6.74 J/gm per degree Celsius (at 238 Fahrenheit). Rocks have relatively lower specific heats and only magnetite, kyanite and hematite have similar specific heat values.

For a substance to have infinite specific heat value, it would have to be a perfect sink. Only then will the substance consume an infinite amount of energy without any increase in temperature. Thus, it will act as a perfect isothermal system. Such a perfect sink is not yet known to us. All the substances that we know have a finite specific heat (check the links for specific heat values for rocks and fluids). 

Hope this helps. 

Describe the role of bacteria in nitrogen cycle.

There are four main parts of the nitrogen cycle and bacteria play a role in all of them. Bacteria help in nitrogen fixation, either as free-living entities or through symbiotic relationships with animals and plants (such as legumes). Another example is cyanobacteria. Bacteria break down the proteins contained in the bodies of plants and animals into ammonia through the process of decay. The next step in the nitrogen cycle is nitrification, which is carried out (in steps) by two nitrifying bacteria: nitrosomonas and nitrobacter. The former converts ammonia to nitrite, while the latter converts nitrite to nitrates. The final step is denitrification, which breaks down nitrates into nitrogen and replenishes the atmosphere. This step is carried out by denitrifying bacteria, such as anammox or ammonia oxidizing bacteria. 

Thus, bacteria are key to nitrogen cycle.

Hope this helps.

What were two effects of the French Revolution?

The French Revolution (1789-1799) is one of the most important events in the country's history. This decade of immense political and social upheaval had some important consequences for France and its people. First of all, the revolution abolished the monarchy and executed King Louis and his wife, Marie Antoinette. In their place came the creation of a French Republic, defined by the famous slogan, 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,' and built as a democratic institution.

Secondly, the French Revolution saw the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, the emperor of this new state, and his military and political conquest of much of Europe. In 1815, Napoleon was defeated by the English at the Battle of Waterloo and exiled to St Helena where he died in 1821. His death prompted European leaders to reorganise European boundaries in the hope that another dictator could never conquer the continent again. 

How is Tom Robinson an outcast in To Kill A Mockingbird?

Tom Robinson is an outcast in Maycomb, Alabama because he is a handicapped African-American accused of a violent crime. In the prejudiced county of Maycomb, black people are discriminated against and segregated from the population. Tom lives on the far side of the town, separated from the white population, similar to an outcast. Tom Robinson has been wrongly accused of raping Mayella Ewell, and the community views him with contempt. Helen, Tom's wife, has even been shunned by the white community and is out of a job because no one wants to be associated with Tom's family. Only Atticus Finch is willing to defend and support him throughout the trial. He is not accepted by the Maycomb community which makes him an outcast. During the trial, the readers learn that Tom has a crippled left arm. His handicap makes him different from the other members of the community and adds to his description as an outcast. When Tom dies, the majority of the community feels indifferent and could care less. Throughout the novel, Tom is shunned, viewed with contempt, and eventually forgotten...which makes him an outcast.

Who are the characters in Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison?

Milkman, or Macon Dead III -- Milkman is arguably the novel's main character.  Most of the action in the novel surrounds Milkman and his life. His nickname, Milkman, was given to him as a young child when a man of the town saw his mother breastfeeding him well past a socially acceptable age. Milkman develops into a pretty complacent man, not really caring about anyone or anything in life. In Part 2 of the novel, he finds the true heritage of his ancestors and is able to transcend his earlier issues and becomes a better human, eventually learning how to fly. 

 Pilate Dead - Pilate is Milkman's aunt, and could also be considered a main character in the story. Pilate is born without a navel, a trait that isolates her from others and illustrates how very different a person she is comparatively. It is said that she can fly without ever leaving the ground. She is a loving character who treats others with kindness and respect

Macon Dead II and Ruth Dead -These are Milkman's parents who place him in a difficult position from the day of his birth. He was conceived by Ruth tricking Macon, and later Macon attempted to abort the baby. Once Milkman is born, his life is a constant struggle between his parents - who is closer to him, who he will believe concerning the other parent. His parents' relationship is not healthy, and each one distrusts the other. Neither is happy. Macon's love of money has isolated him from other members of the black community, as has Ruth's father's money. They aren't white, but they also don't fit in to the black community. The entire family is lonely on some level. 

Guitar - Guitar is Macon's best friend, whom he meets as a very young boy. Guitar is a part of the black community and on some level resents the fact that Milkman doesn't get more involved in black political affairs. Eventually, Guitar allows his obsession with fairness to turn his personality into evil - he joins The Seven Days and even tries to kill Milkman at the end of the novel. 

Hagar - Pilate's granddaughter and Milkman's cousin/lover. When they first meet, Milkman is obsessed with her. Eventually, they begin a physical relationship that lasts many years, but Milkman ends it abruptly through a note and some money. This action destroys Hagar emotionally, and she begins trying to kill Milkman about once a month. Finally, when Milkman goes away, she loses her mind completely in desperation of his love. She ends up out in the rain and eventually dies of complications from sickness, but mostly it is traces back to Milkman's abandonment of her. 

In Chapter 15 of To Kill a Mockingbird, who caused the mob outside of the jail to break up?

In Chapter 15, the Old Sarum bunch arrives at the Maycomb County jail to harm Tom Robinson. However, Atticus is sitting outside of Tom's jail cell keeping watch. Walter Cunningham is the leader of the mob, and he tells Atticus that he needs to "get aside from the door." (Lee 202) Unbeknownst to Atticus, his children are discreetly standing close by. Suddenly, Scout runs into the group of men circled around Atticus. Scout, unaware of the precarious situation her father is in, spots Walter Cunningham. She attempts to make short conversation with Walter by mentioning her friendship with his son, Walter Cunningham Jr., as well as his "entailment." Everyone standing in the group, including Atticus, is awestruck by Scout's appearance and her casual demeanor.

Scout's arrival and courteous conversation eventually grab the attention of Walter Cunningham, who tells the mob to leave. The next day, Atticus tells Scout that her presence made Walter Cunningham stand in Atticus' shoes for a minute. (Lee 210) Walter Cunningham was able to view the events through Atticus' perspective and made the moral choice to leave. Scout is responsible for "breaking" the mob up, outside of the jail.

List at least five horrifying details of the setting in "The Pit and the Pendulum." Which detail did you find most effective in evoking horror? Why?

I find the entirety of the setting of The Pit and the Pendulum to be rather horrifying, but five of the more horrifying details, in my own opinion, are in no particular order:

• The utter blackness of the cell at the beginning


• The gaping pit in the floor


• The pendulum hanging from the ceiling


• The rats


• The glowing demon eyes of the paintings once they changed

Of these five, I find it difficult to choose which of two is the most horrifying: the darkness and the pendulum. The pitch blackness of the cell has two layers of fear; not only do you have the fear of darkness, you have the fear of the unknown, too, because you have no idea what is with you in the darkness.
The pendulum is also frightening because you can see the sharp blade descending towards you slowly, and you know you have the time to escape; but being tied down while watching it descend, knowing that you cannot stop its swinging would be terrifying. Those two are the most frightening for me, but maybe the darkness has just a small edge on the pendulum.

What are some examples of Hermia's character traits from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream?

One good place to find out about Hermia is in Act III when she and Helena are fighting. It makes for good comedy because of the names the girls call each other, but it also gives good insight into what each girl knows about her best friend. They use their close knowledge about each other to argue about their current confused circumstances; and one example of Hermia's character comes to light as follows:

"Puppet? Why so? Ay, that way goes the game.

Now I perceive that she hath made compare

Between our statures; she hath urg'd her height,

And with her personage, her tall personage,

Her height, forsooth, she hath prevail'd with him" (III.ii.298-302).

Hermia, therefore, is short. Hermia mocks Helena's (tall) height compared to herself because she was called a puppet. But we also see that Hermia won't back down from a fight. She flies at Helena fully intent to fight for herself until Helena asks to be released from Hermia's wrath.

Lysander, when under Oberon's spell, also gets in on calling Hermia short:

"Get you gone, you dwarf,

You minimus of hind'ring knotgrass made;

You bead, you acorn--" (III.ii. 340-342)

Hermia's other characteristics is that she is loyal to Lysander. She is willing to forsake her title, money, and family for him; which, in fact, is the reason they end up in the woods. She unsuccessfully elopes with him through the woods that night, which proves her loyalty to her love. She's also a good friend because she tells Helena about her plans to elope with Lysander partly so her friend knows Demetrius will be alone for her to pursue:

"Take comfort: he no more shall see my face;

Lysander and myself will fly this place.

Before the time I did Lysander see,

Seem'd Athens as a paradise to me.

O, then, what graces in my love do dwell,

That he hath turn'd a heaven unto a hell!" (I.i.205-210).

By leaving with Lysander, Hermia hopes to marry him, but she also helps Helena in the process because she's decided not to marry Demetrius. As a result, Hermia is not loyal to her father's wishes. In Hermia's day, she could be killed for disobeying her father as she does. Theseus tells her that she must either marrying according to her father's will, die, or go to a convent (I.i.120-124). Hermia is courageous because she chooses none of the above and hightails it to the woods. Luckily for her, the fairies make things right during the night and she suffers none of the consequences she faced beforehand.

What does the new house symbolize? How does that differ from the current Younger apartment?

The small house that the Youngers are able to purchase through Mr. Younger’s life insurance policy symbolizes the American dream and their ability to get up and out of the situation in which they live. The apartment is cramped and small and is shared by five family members. The entire family is on top of each other, and there is very little privacy. These tight quarters have caused a lot of bickering and arguing between the five family members; Walter and Ruth are constantly fighting, and Beneatha and Mama disagree over Beneatha’s attempt to “find herself”.    It is only a two-bedroom apartment where Beneatha and Mama share a bedroom, and Walter and Ruth share the other.  Travis, Walter and Beneatha’s son, must sleep on the couch.  They also share a bathroom that is down the hall from their apartment with other residents of the apartment building.  We also find out that Ruth is pregnant, and Ruth is probably concerned about how they will fit a newborn into the small apartment. 

The apartment is located in the slums of the south side of Chicago.  Mama’s dream to move out of the slums drives her desire to find a small house where the influences of the inner city won’t affect the family.  To Mama, a house symbolizes success and a chance to improve their lives.  The small apartment is oppressive, much like the racist society the family must navigate to succeed.   The apartment traps and confines the family, and it symbolizes their inability to break out and achieve their personal dreams.   Mama just wants what is best for her family, and she feels that moving out of the slums is the first step to their happiness.

In Freak the Mighty, what qualities of Max and Kevin allow them to become friends?

Max and Kevin are as different as two people can be, yet the qualities that one lacks, the other has.  When the two of them form a friendship, they form a bond that creates the persona they both love--Freak the Mighty.  

Max is huge.  But as big as he is physically, he is equally small mentally.  He has convinced himself that he is stupid and slow, although this academic weakness is largely due to his traumatic childhood.  Kevin, on the other hand, is physically extremely small.  Yet mentally, he is a giant.  He is most confident in his intellectual abilities.  What joins the two boys is not what they have in common physically or mentally, but instead their shared life experiences.  Both boys have been shunned by their peers, made fun of, mocked, and teased.  Both have lost one of their parents.  And both boys, above all, have incredibly huge kind hearts that long to change their present circumstances.  The friendship they share allows each to achieve dreams that neither would have accomplished alone.

Why is there a play, The Mousetrap, within the play, Hamlet?

There is a play, The Mousetrap, with the play, Hamlet, because the titular character has been tasked, by the ghost of his father, with exacting revenge on his father's murderer. The ghost tells his son, Hamlet, that he was murdered by his own brother, Claudius, the man who is now the king, Hamlet's step-father, and Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feels he must make sure his Uncle Claudius is truly his father's murderer before he can take his revenge. Therefore, when a troupe of actors comes to town, Hamlet asks them to perform this play—with a plot that is similar to the story his ghostly father told him about his own death—so he can observe his uncle's response and ascertain whether he is truly guilty. As Hamlet says, "The play's the thing / Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king" (Act II, Scene 2, lines 566-567).

Did the film The Outsiders capture the foreshadowing in the novel?

I think the film adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola captures the novel very well. One example of foreshadowing that occurs in both the novel and the movie is the fact that Johnny starts to carry a switchblade in his back pocket after he is attacked by the Socs. Ponyboy relates this through the first person narration of the novel, but in the film it is not really appropriate to use this method of conveying information, so it is through a conversation with Cherry (a more cinematic choice) that Ponyboy informs her of how Johnny was badly beaten by the Socs, and has taken to carrying a knife and would kill the next person who attacked him.

But what's interesting is that Johnny ends up using the knife to kill Bob when the Socs attack Ponyboy and try to drown him. So Johnny's decision to carry a knife to protect himself ends up being the factor that saves Ponyboy's life. Unfortunately Johnny's act of defending Ponyboy winds up forcing Johnny to go on the run and avoid being seen. This leads to the fire in the church and Johnny's heroic acts, trying to save the kids inside, which leads to Johnny's death. Having the conversation take place between Ponyboy and Cherry emphasizes the ways that this chain of events is significant in allowing Ponyboy to ultimately tell the entire story, because Johnny's bravery and loyalty are catalyzed by his being attacked by the Socs. In telling this to Cherry, who he likes, Ponyboy is trying to get her to see that the Greasers are only defending themselves and are not bad people, and that her friends (the Socs) are in fact the predatory ones in the conflict. In seeing the conversation take place between them, and the emotions conveyed by the actors, viewers are able to remember and connect the feelings exchanged by these characters and the way they inform the story's events. Conveying foreshadowing on film is often done with imagery or visual symbols; in this case it is done through a conversation in which a close friendship (between Ponyboy and Johnny) is being discussed, and that friendship is later destroyed when Johnny's actions lead to his accidental death.

What does the narrator suggest might have changed the outcome of the story The Devil and Tom Walker?

Although the narrator does not directly state a plan of action that would have changed the outcome of the story, there are several significant moments which could have altered Tom's fate. After telling his wife about the devil's proposal, Tom's wife argues with him to sell his soul and accept the money. However, Tom remains resolute in his decision to not accept the deal in order to displease his wife. She then decides to visit the devil and attempts to strike a deal with him, but ends up mysteriously disappearing in the swamp. Upon her death, Tom visits the devil again and reluctantly agrees to sell his soul. If Tom's wife had not taken it upon herself to visit the devil, Tom possibly would not have sold his soul.

Another possibility that may have changed the outcome was Tom's response to his increasing anxiety about his next life. Although Tom begins to attend church and is known for his zeal, he never has a change of heart. At the end of the story, Tom forecloses on a man's mortgage and says, "the devil take...if I have made a farthing!" Although it is not stated, Tom could have possibly avoided going to hell by truly having a change of heart.

What is the main conflict in "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi"?

The main conflict in Kipling's short story "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" is an external conflict.  Rikki is a mongoose, and a mongoose's mortal enemy is the cobra snake.  Throughout the story, Rikki feels that it is his duty to protect his human family from invaders.  The two main antagonists to Rikki's efforts are Nag and Nagaina, two cobra snakes.  They are evil snakes, and their mission is to hurt both Rikki and Rikki's adoptive human family.  They each have small victories over each other, but Rikki is able to successfully defeat both Nag and Nagaina by the end of the story.  There is a little bit of internal conflict in the story too, because Rikki is not a fearless, hulking hero.  The snakes do worry him, and he must overcome his apprehensions in order to beat them.  

What is the significance of Freedmen's Bureau?

The Freedman's Bureau was a federal agency created immediately after the Civil War to help the South's ex-slaves by giving them educational opportunities, health care, and job training.  The organization was also helpful in uniting families that had been separated in slave sales.  This was one of the largest federal agencies that offered aid to the less fortunate--other than the military, the federal budget in 1865 was quite small as people did not believe it was government's job to provide direct aid to people.  The Freedmen's Bureau also was the federal government's first foray into public education as it sent teachers to the South in order to teach the former slaves how to read; it was illegal to teach a slave this before the war.  The Freedman's Bureau was controversial in the South as ex-Confederates called the Northerners coming south "carpetbaggers" because they saw them as opportunists.  The program ultimately closed to due a lack of Congressional funding.  Radical Republicans in Congress wanted the program to be larger, but the Johnson White House wanted the program cut.  This would be the first of many flashpoints between the administration and Congress.  

What is Thoreau's advice to the person who has too many details going on in his life all at once?

Henry David Thoreau would tell a person who has too many details in his/her life to find “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.”  He states in Walden that “Our life is frittered away by detail”, and the only way to happiness is to remove those details from your life.  Thoreau challenges his reader to “instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary, eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion.”  It is all the “stuff” we accumulate and the want for those things that causes us to waste or “fritter away” our lives.  For Thoreau, the key to life is to have and use only what you need.  He says to limit what you do and your responsibilities, and to “keep your accounts on your thumb nail.”  Thoreau’s way of life includes returning to nature to find oneself and what is important.  Many people today are adopting Thoreau’s Spartan-like* vision of life as seen in the popularity of little houses, community gardens, recycling, and other lifestyles beckoning to simpler times. 

*(borrowed from Self-Reliance written by Thoreau’s contemporary, Ralph Waldo Emerson)

What lines in Lord of the Flies describe the setting?

The entire book takes place on the unnamed island in Lord of the Flies. There are two different sides to the island itself. When Chapter One first opens, the reader sees the island immediately after all of the boys crash land upon it. The previous night's storm has carried the wreckage of the plane out to sea and it has left a "scar" on the island in its wake. Chapter One begins in the island's jungle, but the boys quickly make their way out to shore. 

The shore was fledged with palm trees. These stood or leaned or reclined against the light and their green feathers were a hundred feet up in the air. The ground beneath them was a bank covered with coarse grass torn everywhere by the upheavals of fallen trees, scattered with decaying coconuts and palm saplings. (10)

Although the island is described as being relatively small, there is a mountain, which allows a person standing on its highest peak to see the entire island. From that vantage point the island is described as: 

It was roughly boat-shaped: humped near this end with behind them the jumbled descent to the shore. on either side rocks, cliffs, treetops, and a steep slope: forward there, the length of the boat, a tamer descent, tree-clad, with hints of pink: and then the jungly flat of the island, dense green, but drawn at the end to a pink tail. There, where the island petered out in water, was another island; a rock, almost detached, standing like a fort, facing them across the green with one bold, pink bastion. (29)

The island is also described as having two sides. One side is welcoming, warm, and contains a jungle with fruit trees. The boys live on that side of the island during the first half of the book. There is a tiny lagoon with warm water that they use for relaxation and swimming and a sandy beach on that side. The other side of the island is harsher and almost feral. The rocks on that side of the island have formed a peninsula that the boys refer to as a castle. They view it as a fortress of sorts, since it's only approachable from one side. 

He was surrounded on all sides by chasms of empty air. There was nowhere to hide, even if one did not have to go on. He paused on the narrow neck and looked down. Soon, in a matter of centuries, the sea would make an island of the castle. On the right hand was the lagoon, troubled by the open sea; and on the left - (105)

The island, much like the boys themselves, possesses two natures: a civilized, kinder side, and a harsher and savage side. 

How did the Romans keep law and order in the countries they conquered?

At the height of its powers the Roman Empire as well as the Roman Republic were in possession of a great deal of territory that stretched from places such as Britain in the west and Egypt in the east. This territory was often inhabited by a wide variety of different peoples who more often than not had different cultures. Therefore the maintenance of Roman law was an ever present concern for those at the head of the Roman governmental structure. In both the empire and the republic, there were two main ways in which the wide expanse of Roman territory was kept under Roman rule.

The first way that this was accomplished was through the subdivision of territory. No one man could effectively govern the entirety of the Roman territory. Therefore all of the territory that was under the control of the Romans was divided into provinces. Each province had a managing governor who would ensure that day to day activities ran smoothly and that law and order were maintained. These governors were drawn from the political upper classes. Therefore they had a deep and direct connection to the ruling classes of Rome and therefore a stake in the continuation of the status-quo.

The second main way in which order was maintained was through the strategic use of citizenship. As the area under Roman rule expanded so did its population. This population was either on the inside, citizens, or on the outside, non-citizens. Therefore as the empire or republic expanded those in control expanded who was a citizen. As more people and people of different cultures became citizens and received the benefits of being a Roman citizen they became more invested in ensuring that no trouble was caused, for now they too were part of the system—they too were now on the inside.

What is lightning?

Lightning is an electrical discharge between charged particles in a cloud and charged particles within the ground or in another cloud. This results in the bright streak of light that is seen in the sky that is known as lightning.

When liquid water gains enough energy, the water particles move faster and break away from one another. The water's volume increases. This is how water vapor forms. Water vapor has a lower density than liquid water, so it moves upward in the sky. Some water vapor condenses onto dust particles in the air. When there are enough dust particles surrounded by condensation, a cloud forms.

The water droplets that make up clouds are not stationary. Rather, they move around and may bump into one another. This movement may result in the droplets becoming charged. Opposite charges migrate towards opposite sections of a cloud. The positively charged particles move to the top of the cloud, and the negatively charged particles move to the bottom of the cloud. Once the division of opposite charges becomes extreme enough, the opposite charges attract one another at the same time that the "electrical potential" develops between earth and cloud. The result is a an electrical discharge and the spark that we know as lightning.

For what is Shakespeare famous?

William Shakespeare is famous for his plays and his sonnets. He probably wrote 38 plays during the course of his life (his authorship of some are disputed) and 154 sonnets.  Several of his plays are almost universally regarded as among the greatest literary works in the English language. Shakespeare's knack for a turn of phrase, his astonishing command of the English language, and his ability to express profound ideas with sometimes pithy, sometimes soaring phrases make him a central figure in the canon of English literature. His plays are so influential that many phrases now in common usage are derived directly from them: "for goodness' sake", "good riddance", "neither a borrower nor a lender be", "mind's eye", "dead as a doornail", and many other phrases first appear in Shakespeare's plays. Some of his characters: Hamlet, Lady Macbeth, Iago, Juliet, Falstaff, and King Lear to name a few, are among the most famous and complex in English literature. While his tragedies, including Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and King Lear, are perhaps his most widely-read, many of his comedies (As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Twelfth Night, to name a few examples, and histories (the Henry IV series in particular) are equally admired by many critics and literary historians. So Shakespeare has been famous for centuries, especially the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, for the depth and elegance of his works as well as the fact that he was relatively prolific.

How does social-economic status affect the characters if one survives or falls victim to the Red Death in "The Masque of the Red Death"?

If you are wealthy enough to be in the prince’s inner circle, you are more likely to survive the Red Death for a little while longer.

The Red Death kills indiscriminately.  It does not care whether you are rich or poor, because it is a disease!

The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour.

The only way that you can escape the disease is to leave the county.  Prince Prospero figures out a way to do this, taking his closest friends with him.  He does not care about the poor people in the kingdom.  He is only interested in the rich.

When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys. 

If you were poor, you would likely stay behind to die.  If you were rich enough to be one of the thousand closest friends of Prince Prospero, you might get a reprieve.  The abbey was well-protected from the pestilence, at least at first.  No one got in after they locked themselves in there.  They had enough provisions to last them until the disease was over.

Even the rich and influential could not escape the Red Death.  It found them in their seclusion.  They died even though they were locked inside the abbey away from the affected population.  No one could escape the Red Death.

Poe’s message is that being rich and powerful will not save you from death.  Prospero is naïve and arrogant. He does nothing to protect his kingdom, instead protecting his friends.  He would rather be holed up inside a wall with a bunch of toadies than do right by his people.

Describe Anju and Sudha's schooling and how they get married in "Sister of My Heart." What are the differences between their fates in marriage?

In the story, Sudha and Anju live with their mothers, Nalini and Gouri, and their aunt Pishi. The girls attend a convent school together and consider themselves sisters even though they are really second cousins. In due time, the nuns notice the unusual relationship the girls share; to Anju and Sudha's consternation, the nuns decide to separate the girls into different classrooms because they consider such closeness unbecoming for girls. Both girls end up planning and carrying out afternoon escapades so that they can be together. They return when the school bell rings, in time to be picked up by the family driver, Singhji. The girls are put back into the same classroom eventually when Anju's mother, Gouri, intervenes and speaks to the principal on their behalf.

As for marriage, Sudha's mother, Nalini threatens Sudha with an early marriage when both girls are discovered to have skipped afternoon classes to go to the cinema. Nalini is further incensed when she discovers that both girls have put on make-up and worn sexually alluring clothing on their escapade. To make matters worse, a young man, Ashok, sits next to Sudha during the movie, and the self-righteous Nalini immediately decides that her daughter is a loose woman and should be married as soon as she finishes high school.

Anju is incensed on Sudha's behalf and tries to persuade her to fight for her right to attend college. However, Sudha does not want to hurt her mother's feelings; she would rather just do what her mother wants. Besides, Ashok belongs to a lower caste, and Sudha knows that her mother will never consent to their marriage. So, despite her attraction to Ashok, she decides to humor her mother by marrying Ramesh.

Meanwhile, Anju's mother, Gouri has a heart attack. To make matters worse, the family bookstore is struggling financially. Gouri finally comes to the conclusion that the only way to provide for Anju would be to marry her off. She decides that Sunil, a computer programmer who works in the United States, would be a good match for Anju. In the meantime, Gouri tries to find a buyer for the bookstore.

With events spiraling out of control, both girls find themselves marrying on the same day. Despite this, both girls are not entirely happy. Although Anju is pleasantly surprised at her attraction to Sunil, she soon discovers that Sunil is deeply attracted to Sudha, and this distresses her. Meanwhile, Sudha is miserable after turning down Ashok's offer to elope; she knows that she doesn't love Ramesh but will have to go through with the marriage anyway.

After marriage, both girls find that their problems have not entirely disappeared. Sunil and Anju eventually leave for America, and Anju finds herself missing Sudha terribly. Both women become pregnant in due time. Sunil is not initially happy with Anju's pregnancy but soon warms up to the idea of having a son. Meanwhile, Sudha's mother-in-law is angry when she finds out that her grandchild will be a girl. She orders Sudha to have an abortion, but Sudha refuses. Her mother-in-law's misogyny causes Sudha to agree to a divorce from Ramesh, who refuses to fight for the right to keep the baby.

Anju decides to bring Sudha and the baby, Dayita, to America. She secretly works at the college library to earn enough money for Sudha's airfare. However, Sunil is furious when he finds out; he is not especially enthusiastic about Sudha coming to America, as he realizes that his attraction for Sudha has never really gone away. Also, he worries that Anju is taking on too much during the pregnancy. In the end, when Anju loses the baby she is carrying, she blames herself; however, Sunil refuses to let her continue on such a destructive path. Eventually, Sunil comes to accept that Sudha and Dayita will be coming to America.

At the airport, a stranger mistakes Sudha for Sunil's wife and exclaims how lucky Sunil is to have such a beautiful wife. Sunil does not correct the stranger, and this creates a pang in Anju's heart. So, in the marital area, Sudha never really finds happiness with the man she loves. Instead, she is forced to agree to a divorce just to keep her daughter. On the other hand, Anju finds that, although she is deeply attracted to her husband, she must endure her husband's attraction for Sudha, the sister of her heart. What a difficult trial! Interestingly, the author does not tell us what happens after the three return to Anju and Sunil's home; instead we are left to imagine for ourselves what ultimate fate these two women, closer than sisters, will face.

How does this clue relate to the plot of Thr3e? "Maybe even—" "No, it couldn't be that. He was just a kid then." How does Romans 7:19 apply to...

The plot of Thr3e moves forward driven by Slater's bombings and riddles and by Kevin's mental quest to find what sin Slater is demanding that he confess to:

   "Three, the riddles keep coming until you confess. ... Understand?"
   "Please, if you'll just tell me what to confess, I'll confess. Why are you using riddles? Can I confess without solving riddles?"
   Slater remained silent for a moment. "The answer to the riddles and the confession are the same...."

Regarding the quotation, "No, it couldn't be that. He was just a kid then," Kevin has suddenly thought of a possible event that may be what Slater is pointing to through his riddles. The event was bad enough for Kevin to consider it yet so far back in his childhood that it seems improbable. This relates to the plot because (1) plot momentum has moved forward--with increased elements of tension and suspense--toward the inevitable disclosure of the answers (Was it that or not, and what was that?) and because (2) the element of internal conflict within our sympathetic hero has just heightened: he may know what he did, and it must be a source of great guilt and regret for him to have even thought about it.

This quotation also relates to plot in that it provides intense foreshadowing of future disclosures of Kevin's unfortunate past. As reinforcement of the power this clue holds in terms of foreshadowing and advancing the plot, soon Kevin will receive another phone call from Slater during which he will feel his suspicion is confirmed:

   It had to be the boy! God in heaven, save me! Kevin slumped slowly to the floor. This couldn't be happening. "Oh God--"

Why is the book titled "Freak the Mighty"?

The book is called Freak the Mighty because that is the name of the dual character that Kevin and Max become. Kevin (often called “Freak” by the kids at school who use it as a mean nickname) has a severe birth defect that causes his legs to be permanently deformed. As a result, Kevin is only able to get around using both braces on his legs and crutches. Once Max and Kevin become friends, Max sets Kevin on his shoulders in order to get around quicker (and go on adventures). Together, the two become “Freak the Mighty” which allows both of them to overcome obstacles. Kevin overcomes the physical obstacles of his birth defect. Max overcomes the mental obstacles of his insecurity and lack of self-confidence. Even though Kevin dies at the end of the book, Kevin is a true hero in the fact that he allows Max to understand his self-worth. Max eventually gains the self-confidence he needs not only to live a valuable life but also to become a writer in order to share the stories Kevin and Max experienced as “Freak the Mighty.”

What were the Axis controlled countries during the World War II time period?

The three main Axis powers were Germany, Japan, and Italy.  These countries worked as an alliance throughout most of World War II.  Initially, Germany was the only country of the three to fight in what would become World War II, which began in 1939.  Nearly one year later, Italy joined the fight with Germany against the Allies in 1940.  Japan was the last of the three to join.

Other countries joined the Axis powers, but they contributed much less militarily.  Among these countries were Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania.  

The Axis powers invaded many countries and controlled them throughout the war.  Many of these countries were in Europe, though some were in the Pacific.  Among them were Austria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, China, and many others.  The Germans occupied other countries, such as Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

Working together, the Axis powers fought both in the Pacific and in Europe.  In 1943, Italy surrendered to the Allied powers.  In an unexpected turn of events, Italy decided to join the Allies shortly after their surrender to them.

Germany surrendered to the Allies in May of 1945.  Japan surrendered in September of 1945, which was the official end of the war.

How does Patty's mother abuse her in Summer of My German Soldier?

Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene is a narrative of an adolescent Jewish girl, Patty Bergen, who is growing up in Arkansas. It was first published in 1973 and adapted for television in 1978. The time frame is mid-1945, near the end of the second World War.

The two other main characters are Anton Reiker, a half-English German foot soldier, and the Bergens' "Negro" maid, Ruth. Neither Anton nor his father embrace Hitler's ideology. Young Reiker is being hidden by Patty in her father's garage. Ruth is the primary caregiver for Patty and her sister, Sharon. Ruth is extremely loyal, loving, and influential concerning Patty.

Harry and Pearl Bergen, Patty's parents, are both abusive to her. Harry's abuse is physical, in the form of beatings. Her mother's abuse is psychological, in the form of negative references concerning Patty's appearance and behavior. These comments are spoken directly to Patty and to everyone else. Pearl also makes it abundantly clear that she favors the younger sister, Sharon.

On what page of the collections textbook does Macbeth's battle with Macduff and Malcolm begin?

I cannot tell you exactly which page of your particular textbook will contain the passages you need, but I can walk you through the scenes that seem to present the information you're looking for:

We first learn that Malcolm and Macduff have arrived in Scotland and are marching toward Macbeth's castle in Act 5, Scene 2, when several Scots lords discuss the approach of the "English power" led by these two men (5.2.1).

In Act 5, Scene 4, Malcolm gives orders for each soldier to "hew him down a bough / And bear 't before him" (5.4.6-7).  This is the tactic they will use to hide their numbers until they reach the castle.

In Act 5, Scene 5, Macbeth learns that his wife has died.

In Act 5, Scene 6, Malcolm's army throws down their boughs and charges the castle.

In Act 5, Scene 7, Macbeth sword-fights Young Siward and bests him, and Macduff enters the castle.

In Act 5, Scene 8, Macduff finally confronts Macbeth, and Macbeth is slain.

What are the characteristics of the Era of Good Feelings?

There are several characteristics of the Era of Good Feelings. During this time period, there was only one political party. The Federalist Party had disappeared after the War of 1812 because the party looked selfish and unpatriotic in how it conducted itself during the War of 1812. The only political party in existence was the Democratic-Republican Party. During this time period, there was much political harmony that was of great benefit to President Monroe who was in office during this period of time.

During this time, the power of the federal government grew. Court cases such as McCulloch v Maryland and Gibbons v Ogden expanded the power of the federal government. A loose view of the Constitution was viewed as legal.

The American System developed during this time period. There were taxes on foreign products to protect our industries. The national bank existed where the government and others could put their money. We also began to develop a system of internal improvements by building roads and canals.

The Era of Good Feelings, from approximately 1816-1824, was a time of calmness and cooperation in American politics.

Who is Roald Dahl?

Roald Dahl was a Welsh fighter pilot, poet, and author of children's novels who lived from 1916 to 1990. He is, perhaps, one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century, having written masterpieces like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach. He also wrote scripts for the films Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. 

Dahl's literary works are thoroughly imaginative and irreverent, sometimes steering toward the macabre or ridiculous. He often incorporated personal experiences and feelings into his writing — as a boy, he had the opportunity to taste-test chocolate bars for the confectioner Cadbury and would daydream about the people who worked to invent candy. Though awash in frivolity and strange happenings, Dahl's writing carries heavy themes of morality. As exemplified in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dahl believed and wrote that people of poor character would bring failure upon themselves, and those of good heart would succeed.