What are some similarties between Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction plan?

President Abraham Lincoln and President Andrew Johnson both developed plans for Reconstruction. They believed the President should be developing and directing the Reconstruction process. There were similarities in their plans.

Both plans offered amnesty to southerners under certain conditions. President Lincoln’s plan, called the Ten Percent Plan, offered amnesty to white southerners who said they would be loyal to the United States. However, this didn’t include ex-Confederate leaders. President Johnson also offered amnesty to white southerners if they promised to be loyal to the United States. Ex-Confederate leaders could get amnesty, but they had to apply directly to President Johnson to receive it.

Another similarity was the both plans required the rejecting of slavery. In President Lincoln’s plan, the states would have to write new constitutions that banned slavery. In President Johnson’s plan, states had to ratify the 13th amendment in their new state constitutions.

Both plans didn’t address the suffrage of the slaves. President Lincoln's plan encouraged the new state governments to give the former slaves the right to vote. President Johnson's plan wanted the states to decide the process of suffrage for former slaves.

Finally, compared to Radical Republican Reconstruction, both plans were considered to easier on the South. The Radical Republicans had a very harsh plan for the reconstruction of the South. President Lincoln and President Johnson had plans that were easier in how the South would be treated.

While neither of these plans proposed by President Lincoln and President Johnson was implemented, there were similarities in both plans.

To what length did the idea of Totalitarianism exist in Nazi Germany and in the Soviet Union under Stalin? Give the uttermost detail with lots of...

There are two slightly different senses of "totalitarianism", but both of them fit both Germany under Hitler and the USSR under Stalin perfectly.

In the first sense, a totalitarian government is any government that seeks to completely control the behavior of its citizens, through constant surveillance, strict laws, and brutal enforcement.

In the second sense, a totalitarian government is one that fits the above description, and in addition is largely or entirely controlled by a single individual who acts as an absolute dictator.

Detailing all the examples of totalitarianism in these two states could fill entire books (indeed I'm fairly sure it has), but here is a brief summary:

Under Hitler: The government had total control over the media, and used propaganda heavily to manipulate public opinion. They had secret militarized police who arrested, detained, and even executed people without trial, often for "crimes" such as being Jewish or disagreeing with the government. Hitler himself, called the Fuehrer (meaning basically "Leader"), had essentially absolute power. 

Under Stalin: The government instituted mass surveillance, monitoring letters and phone calls, and planted spies everywhere to monitor the population. Their system of espionage was the most powerful in the world. The media was heavily censored. School curriculum was dictated according to the interests of the Communist Party, resulting in large distortions of content especially in history and social sciences (but also even physics and biology, lauding the "achievements" of minor Soviets while downplaying anything invented by Westerners; also Darwinian evolution was viewed as anti-Soviet and was thoroughly excluded). Stalin himself had absolute power and used it ruthlessly, frequently ordering the detention or execution of people for believing the wrong things or even simply because he didn't like them. Stalin was so ruthless indeed that he detained members of his own family when they crossed him. Millions of people, mostly political dissidents, were rounded up into labor camps.

In both cases, a single man held enormous power over a government that itself had near-total authority over the behavior of its citizens. Everything you could read or see on television was controlled. You had to be careful what you said, lest secret police come to take you away. Millions of people were murdered by both governments.

There are many similarities between the two systems of government, but also many important differences. Hitler loved corporations and sought to integrate them into his system of government as a kind of capitalist oligarchy. Stalin (and other Soviet leaders before him) abhorred corporations and had them all completely dismantled and replaced by new government-controlled institutions that were far more corrupt and inefficient. Hitler's mass murder was explicitly genocidal, particularly against Jews, while Stalin's was much more political and based on eradicating political dissent.

I could easily go on, but hopefully that will get you started.

In the play "Death of a Salesman" how are Biff and Willy idealists?

Biff and Willy both look to each other for inspiration. This, I believe, remains true for Biff even after he becomes disillusioned with his father after discovering Willy's infidelity in Boston. Later in his life, he still works to fulfill his father's grand expectations for him, such as talking about going into a sporting goods business with his brother, Happy. However, by the end of Act Two (which is when Willy dies), he gives up -- accepting that the reality of who he is and his father's hopes for him are irreconcilable. 

Because we learn about Biff as a young man through his father's recollections, which are unreliable, we cannot be completely sure about who Biff really was in his high school years. We do not know if he was truly as beloved as Willy remembers, or even if he idolized his father to the extent to which Willy remembers. If we are to believe Willy's recollections, however, it seems that, for Biff, Willy was a masculine ideal: a capable businessman, a great talker, and a well-liked man.

After he discovers his father's infidelity, this ideal dissolves. Biff's response to this disappointment is to leave New York and to go out West to start a farm. In this play, Miller uses applies to the West all of the tropes and associations that the region bears in popular culture: it is the place where people go to start over, the place where men go to create their own fortunes. Biff fails, though, even in this idealized space. 

On the surface, Biff's ideal for success is really influenced by his father's expectations. After Willy's death, he is free to abandon the ideal. He knows that he will never run a sporting goods business, or be a "number-one man." Willy's ideal is for his son to be the success that he never was. 

On a deeper level, one can say that Willy and Biff are examples of how the American Dream is unrealistic. The dream is that every man (and, in the context of this play, particularly, the fantasy is very masculine) can succeed using his individual talents; and that every man has the potential to create his own fortune. This does not turn out to be true for either Willy or Biff. Neither is particularly talented, and both make bad choices. 

Explain the difference between scalar and vector quantities.

A scalar quantity is a quantity that can be represented by one number. For example, a mass of a block could be 2 kilograms. Or, temperature could be -5 degree Celsius.

A vector quantity is a quantity that needs to be represented by at least two numbers. For example, velocity is a quantity that helps describe the motion. It indicates how fastsomething moves and in what direction. Another example of a vector quantity is force. Force, by definition, is a push or pull: to know the force, we need to know how hard the push or pull is and where it is directed. Other examples of vector quantities include acceleration, torque, and electric field.

Typically, a vector quantity is represented by magnitude and direction, usually given as an angle. Alternatively, it can be represented by the projections on the coordinate axis. In two dimensions, such as when an object is moving on a plane, the velocity vector `vecv` can be given by its components along x- and y- axes: `(v_x, v_y)` (Please see the reference link to read how these components describe the vector.) In a more general example of motion in three dimensions, you would need three numbers to describe the velocity `vecv` : its components along x-, y- and z-axes, `(v_x, v_y, v_z)` .

I have a presentation about Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet". Could you please tell me what are the main points that I have to explain about this...

Mercutio is a memorable character in “Romeo and Juliet”, the instigator of both fun and violence and speaker of the play’s most famous speech. His position in the play is a strange one, though: neither a Capulet or a Montague, though a good friend of both Benvolio and Romeo, he is described as a “kinsman” of Prince Escalus but the play doesn’t specify exactly what that means. Is he the Prince’s brother? Cousin? Nephew? Different productions make different choices and the play gives you a lot of leeway: sometimes he’s a rich young guy with the money that comes from being in the Prince’s family but not much direction; sometimes he’s closer to the Prince’s age but immature and a bit to old to be hanging out with the Montague boys, an older guy uncomfortable with his own aging. Whatever he is, he seems to be wealthy enough to have little to do but look for the next party or the next fight, a funny, profane hothead whose loss is keenly felt.

I'm reading "Desiree's Baby" and I can't seem to understand the message of this story. I understand his assumptions have caused harm to his wife...

What might be confusing to you about the story "Desiree's Baby" is that author Kate Chopin deliberately created many ambiguities within the story. That is, she raises possibilities without answering them for reader. 

In general, here is what happens in the story: Desiree's mother comes to visit Desiree when her baby is about a month old. The mother is surprised at the appearance of the baby, but Desiree is so in love with the child that she does not pick up on her mother's concerns. Desiree says that Armand is very pleased and happy and that he has even stopped beating the slaves since the child was born.

When the baby is about three months old, however, things change radically. Armand stays away from Desiree and the baby without telling her why. Neighbors from far away come to visit, and Desiree is not told why. Finally as Desiree is observing the child of one of the slaves, she begins to look from the little boy to her baby and something dawns on her. She goes to Armand and asks him what it means. He tells her, "It means that the child is not white. It means that you are not white." Evidently the child has facial characteristics that are typical of blacks.

Desiree objects, saying her skin is whiter than Armand's. Desiree's mother writes to her and tells her she is welcome to bring the baby and come back to live with her. Desiree asks Armand if he wants her to go, and he says he does. Without taking anything with her, Desiree takes the baby and walks not toward her mother's house, but into the bayou, where she presumably would have died with her child. Weeks later Armand has a bonfire to burn all the clothing and accessories of Desiree and the baby. He burns letters he received from Desiree during their courtship. Among those letters he finds a note from his own mother to his father revealing the fact that she is of mixed blood, and some of her ancestors were black. 

The story implies without directly stating it that Armand is extremely racist. In the South if a person had even 1/8 black heritage, he or she was considered black, not white. That meant that laws that discriminated against blacks would apply to that person, even if he or she did not look black at all. As a plantation owner, Armand was obviously heavily invested in the social structure of the South and believed that blacks were an inferior race. Desiree was adopted by her family, and when Armand married her, he was wildly in love with her and never considered the possibility she was not completely white, especially since she was very light skinned--at least compared to him.

At first when the child was born, his features did not look African. It takes babies a while to develop their own appearance. Still, at the age of one month, Desiree's mother noticed the features and was surprised. This foreshadows Armand's reaction. When the baby was three months old, Armand suspected the baby was part black, and since he supposedly knew his own heritage but Desiree's birth parents were unknown, he believed he was married to a black woman and had a black child. This was mortifying to him because it would harm his status in his community. The far-off neighbors were probably important members of society who Armand consulted with about the problem. They must have advised him to not accept Desiree or the baby and to get rid of them if he could. Armand treats Desiree coldly, forcing her to bring the matter up. He then tells her she is black. She then offers to leave, certainly hoping he will tell her to stay. But he doesn't. She sees no future for herself and her child without the protection of Armand and "knowing" they will be social outcasts now. So she decides to kill herself and the baby.

In a masterful twist ending, Chopin has Armand find out that he is the one who is of mixed racial ancestry. His mother was part black; she had only lived in France and had never subjected herself to the racial prejudice that ruled the Southern U.S. We assume Armand never knew that about his mother. One of the big ambiguities of the story is how Armand feels now that he knows he is part black. Does he still hate blacks, and does he hate himself? Will he regret having sent his innocent wife and child away to their deaths? Or will he simply burn the letter and go on pretending to be 100% white?

At any rate, the irony of the story is that Armand, who despises the black race so much and thinks it is so inferior to the white race, finds out that he himself is part of that "curse." To comprehend the story, you need to understand the social status of blacks and whites in the South when this story takes place. I hope this explanation helps you understand the story better!

Compare and contrast Achilles to Agamemnon in the play Iphigenia at Aulis.

The three major male characters in Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides are Odysseus, Agamemnon. and Achilles, and each represent far different ethical positions in the play. Odysseus is clever and unscrupulous, regarding everyone and everything instrumentally. His goal is to support Menelaus in the war against Troy, and thereby also strengthen his political connections and network of favors and obligations, despite being lord of a poor and remote island. Thus he is quite willing to see Iphigenia sacrificed.

Agamemnon appears in Euripides as he does in the Iliad as essentially weak and indecisive. He is torn between love of his brother Menelaus and love for his daughter whom the prophet Calchas has declared must be sacrificed. Unwilling to be honest, he invents the story of the marriage arrangement to dupe Clytemnestra and his daughter into being complicit with the sacrifice, and is strongly contrasted with the true heroism of Iphigenia herself. 

Achilles appears far more noble than Agamemnon in the play, concerned as much about the welfare of Iphigenia as about success in the war. Although he could have washed his hands of the whole issue once Agamemnon's duplicity was revealed, instead he takes responsibility for trying to save Iphigenia, even though eventually she makes the decision to be a willing sacrifice. He is portrayed as a strong and ethical character.

`y = sqrt(x - 1), y = 0, x = 5` Find the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the region bounded by the given curves about the specified...

The volume of the solid obtained by rotating the region bounded by the curves `y=sqrt(x-1), y=0, x= 5` , about x axis, can be evaluated using the washer method, such that:

`V = int_a^b pi*(f^2(x) - g^2(x))dx`

Since the problem provides you the endpoint x = 5, you need to find the other endpoint of interval, hence, you need to solve for x the following equation, such that:

`sqrt (x-1) = 0 => x - 1 = 0 => x = 1`

`V = int_1^5 pi*(sqrt(x-1) - 0)^2 dx`

`V = pi*int_1^5 (x - 1)dx`

`V = pi*int_1^5 (x)dx - pi*int_1^5 dx`

`V = (pi*x^2/2 - pi*x)|_1^5`

`V = (pi*5^2/2 - pi*5 - pi*1^2/2 + pi*1)`

`V = (25pi)/2 - pi/2 - 4pi`

`V = 12pi - 4pi`

`V = 8pi`

Hence, evaluating the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the region bounded by the curves `y=sqrt(x-1), y=0, x= 5` , about x axis , using the washer method, yields `V = 8pi.`

We are planning an experiment to find out whether the rate at which water freezes depends on the shape of it container. Identify the manipulated...

The manipulated variable, also called the independent variable, is the variable that an experimenter purposely changes. The responding variable, also called the dependent variable, is the condition that's expected to change as a result of altering the manipulated variable. The responding variable is what you measure to get results.

In your experiment the manipulated variable is the shape of the container and the responding variable is the time that it takes for the water to freeze. 

Controlled variables are conditions that you intentionally keep the same so that they don't affect the outcome. In this experiment you want to make sure that the shape of the container is the only difference affecting the results, so you will want to control for other variables. Some conditions that should be controlled are:

• volume of containers


• type of material containers are made of


• starting temperature of water


• temperature of freezer


• size of freezer (use the same freezer for all containers)


• location in freezer


• source of water


• cleanliness of containers (impurities affect freezing point)

I need help converting into today's language what Benjamin Franklin meant in this quote: "Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men...

To be content means to be “in a state of peaceful happiness, or in a state of satisfaction.”  Happiness and contentment aren’t necessarily connected to wealth. One can find contentment in things like family, friends, love, or a beautiful landscape.  Even a poor person can be content if they are happy with what they have and are thankful for it.  People can be rich in other ways than what money can provide; it depends on your attitude and outlook on life.  However, if a rich man is discontent and unhappy with his life, he will live a poor quality of life.  He will be “poor” in his contentment and happiness.  He will have lost everything even if he has all the money in the world.  The old saying that, “Money can’t buy you happiness” rings true in Ben Franklin’s quote. Sometimes the poorest are the most content because they live a simpler life lacking in responsibility and commitments.  It’s all a matter of attitude.  If you are thankful and satisfied with what you have, you will be rich in many ways. If you are discontent and unsatisfied, you will be “poor” or lacking in things that make you rich.

So, substitute some words from the definition into the quote and put it in your own words.  Ex.  Peaceful happiness can make those who have very little satisfied with life; however, if one’s happiness and satisfaction in life is missing, life can be considered poor in quality. 

Can I get a clear summary of the poem "To Althea, From Prison"?

In this poem, the poet is in prison. But he insists that while his body might be locked up, his soul is free. No prison, he says, can jail his spirit. 

In the first stanza, he says that he is free as long as he can love Althea and imagine lying tangled in her hair.

In the second stanza, he says that his soul is free as long as he can imagine drinking and having a joyful good time with friends, roses in his hair.

In stanza three, he says that even if he is locked in a prison cell, he can still sing like a bird. This gives him more liberty than the wind. 

He might be in a prison, but he can still be happy. 

In the final stanza he sums up his rebellious, in-your-face attitude about his imprisonment, stating the following:

Stone Walls do not a Prison make,

   Nor Iron bars a Cage;

        ...

If I have freedom in my Love,

   And in my soul am free,

Angels alone that soar above,

   Enjoy such Liberty.

What is formed when two or more compounds are mixed together?

When two or more compounds are mixed together but not chemically combined the result is called a mixture. Unlike a pure substance (element or compound), a mixture can have variable composition. Mixtures that are evenly distributed throughout are called homogeneous. A homogeneous mixture can be an aqueous solution, such as sugar dissolved in water, a mixture of gases, or a mixture of solids such as a metal alloy. A homogenous mixture can also involve two different phases such as oxygen dissolved in water.

 A heterogeneous mixture is unevenly distributed. It might have layers or chunks.  Soil is an example of a heterogeneous mixture.

Mixtures can be separated without undergoing a chemical reaction because the particles that are mixed together aren't chemically bonded. Here are some ways in which mixtures are separated:

• distillation - used to separate a mixture of liquids with different boiling points


• evaporation - used to separate a soluble solid from a solvent


• filtration - used to separate a solid from a liquid


• screening - used to separate solids of different particle size such as sand and gravel


• magnetism - used to separate magnetic metals from non-metals

What is the end of the play "the bear"? I have read it, but I do not understand whether Smirnov leaves or not?

Smirnov does not leave; he instead stays and confesses his love for Popova.

Smirnov had visited Popova’s home in attempts to collect his debt. Smirnov sold oats to Popova’s husband, sometimes on credit, unfortunately, the husband died in his debt. Smirnov sought to settle an urgent debt of his own which was due the next day. However, Popova had no money at hand and promised to pay on a later date. This infuriated Smirnov, who refused to leave Popova’s home claiming he was in dire need of the money owed.

Popova, on the other hand, was mourning her late husband. She avoided all social interactions, especially with men. She did this to prove her fidelity to her late husband who was promiscuous. Smirnov blamed women for infidelity and avoided the opposite sex. This aspect made him rude towards women as seen by how he talked to Popova. However, in the end, Smirnov fell in love with Popova, who reciprocated by kissing him.

SMIRNOV.
[Approaching her]

How angry I am with myself! I'm in love like a student, I've been on my knees....

[Rudely]
I love you! What do I want to fall in love with you for? To-morrow I've got to pay the interest, and begin mowing, and here you....

[Puts his arms around her]
I shall never forgive myself for this....

POPOVA.
Get away from me! Take your hands away! I hate you! Let's go and fight!

[A prolonged kiss. Enter LUKA with an axe, the GARDENER with a rake, the COACHMAN with a pitchfork, and WORKMEN with poles.]

LUKA.
[Catches sight of the pair kissing]

Little fathers!

[Pause.]

POPOVA.
[Lowering her eyes]

Luka, tell them in the stables that Toby isn't to have any oats at all to-day.

[Curtain.]

In Night by Elie Wiesel, what happens after Wiesel’s father stays behind at the camp?

When author Elie Wiesel is forced to leave his father behind in Buna after Mr. Wiesel had been selected for extermination, Elie worries all day long while at work. He does not know if he will go back to camp to find that his father is gone or still alive. His friends Yossi and Tibi spend the day trying to reassure Elie, and he is given lighter work than usual. 

"I did not know myself what I wanted--for the day to pass quickly or not. I was afraid of finding myself alone that night. How good it would be to die here" (Wiesel 72)!

When finally the prisoners begin their march back to camp, Elie hopes for orders to run, but they do not come. He marches back to Buna with the others, and as soon as he passes through the gate, he begins to run as fast as he can to his father's Block.

The men had gone through another selection that day, and to his great relief and joy, his father had not been selected this time. Earlier Mr. Wiesel had given Elie his belongings, specifically his spoon and knife. Now Elie is able to give these back to his father.

Though Mr. Wiesel escaped death, Akiba Drumer was not so lucky. He had been telling the others he could no longer go on, and the Nazis made sure he would not.

How much would one have after 55 years at 2 percent per year compound interest on an intial deposit of $1000?

We must use the formula for annual compound interest as follows:

 `A=P(1+(R/100))^n`

In this formula, P is the initial invested amount, R is the interest rate, n is the number of years, and A is the final amount.

We are given the following information: The initial deposit is $1000 (P = 1000). The interest rate is 2% (R = 2). The money is invested for a period of 55 years (n = 55). 

Plugging all this into the formula above yields:

`A=1000*(1+(2/100))^55=2971.73`

So, an initial investment of $1000, compounded annually at a rate of 2%, for a period of 55 years, would result in a final balance of $2971.73

Note that if the interest were compounded over a different time period (say monthly or half-yearly), you would have to use the following formula, 

 `A=P=(1+((r/100)/n))^(n*t)`

where t is the number of years and n is the number of time periods per year. 

What links does Arthur Conan Doyle make to life in London (1880-1925) in "The Sign of Four"?

In "The Sign of Four," Doyle makes numerous references to life in London during the late Victorian and Edwardian periods.

First of all, Doyle's references to fog are very representative of life in Victorian London and they are abundant throughout the text. In Chapter One, for instance, Holmes refers to the "yellow fog" which "swirls down the street," while, in Chapter Three, Doyle describes as a "dense, drizzly fog" which lies across the "great city." 

In the late nineteenth century, fog was a great problem for the people of London. It was thicker and more frequent than it is today, exacerbated by the great number of factories and manufacturers which dominated the nation's capital. The fog is also used in "The Sign of Four" as a literary device to create suspense, build atmosphere and as a metaphor for the difficulties surrounding the case of the Sholto murder and the missing jewels. 

Secondly, there are a number of references in "The Sign of Four" to contemporary ideas about race. In Chapter Eight, for instance, Holmes and Watson refer to Indians as "savages" and as being "monkey-faced." At this time, people of other races were portrayed as uncivilised, uncouth and culturally inferior to the British. You can find supporting evidence of this in the poem, "White Man's Burden," by Rudyard Kipling, which was published in 1899. (Please see the reference link provided). By espousing this attitude, then, Doyle shows himself to be a man of the times.

In Lord of the Flies, what is Ralph's last name?

In The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, we have details about only a few of the boys' lives before the island—and last names are rarely provided. We do not know Ralph's last name; the only main character whose last name we learn is Jack's (Merridew). Especially considering that Ralph is established as the main character from early on, it is somewhat surprising that his antagonist would be given a full name while Ralph is not. Perhaps the main reason for this choice is to further emphasize the distinction between the two boys. In the novel evil has a name, and once named the darkness that Jack experiences can more easily permeate through the entire group of boys. Conversely, Ralph is one of the few who does not fall completely in darkness, perhaps meaning Golding is holding on to the idea that the "unnamed" character can represent any man, meaning that anyone has the potential to resist the darkness. 

Why does Romeo jump over the wall to enter the Capulet's garden?

At this point in the play, Romeo and his friends Mercutio and Benvolio have attended a ball given by the Capulet family; but they wore masks so they would not be recognized, owing to the bitter feud between the Capulet's and Romeo's family, the Montagues.  However, Romeo is recognized by Juliet's cousin Tybalt, who tells Juliet's father that a Montague has invaded the ball. Juliet's father decides to be benevolent and let Romeo stay, because he behaves like a gentleman. Soon after this, Romeo sees Juliet and speaks to her briefly and falls in love with her instantly. Mercutio suggests they leave the ball, and they are bid farewell by Juliet's father.

But Romeo is smitten and feels he cannot leave. "Can I go forward, when my heart is here?" he says. He then climbs the wall and hides from Mercutio and Benvolio, who have been making fun of him for being so fickle and falling in love so soon after his relationship with Rosalind ends. Mercutio thinks he has gone to bed, but Benvolio knows he climbed the wall. They decide to leave him there to fend for himself. Romeo is annoyed that Mercurio is so belittling: "He jests at scars that never felt a wound." But Romeo then sees a light in the upper window and sees Juliet at her balcony window, and overhears her, so he decides to speak to her. 

When she asks why he climbed the wall, risking his life if he is discovered by her family, he replies "With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out, and what love can do, that dares love attempt. Therefore, thy kinsmen are no stop to me." With this statement he declares his love for her and his willingness to put himself in danger to see her.

How many times do the witches deceive Macbeth?

Technically, the witches never deceive Macbeth--they tell him the truth, and he is the one who misinterprets their statements.  Further, one of the motives of deception is personal gain, and the witches are just harbingers of future events and have nothing to gain from deceiving Macbeth.  However, some might argue that the witches mislead Macbeth into believing ideas about the prophecies that are not true.  For example, in Act 4 when the witches tell Macbeth to beware Macduff, the prophecy seems clear, and Macbeth makes plans to murder Macduff and remove the threat.  However, the next two prophecies require a more creative interpretation, so Macbeth practically dismisses them:  he believes that everyone has been born of a woman and that Birnam Wood cannot uproot itself to climb the hill to Dunsinane.  The witches do not deceive Macbeth--later in Act 5, both these prophecies turn out to be true.  However, the indirect and abstract nature of the prophecies might cause one to argue that the witches were in fact being deceptive.

What is a different way of rewriting the battles of Lexington and Concord as well as the Boston Massacre?

Most people portray the colonists as innocent victims of the Boston Massacre. While the British acted inappropriately by being rude and by insulting the colonists, the colonists also had a role in how the events of the night unfolded. The colonists were throwing things at the British soldiers. They were pressing closer and closer to the soldiers who were guarding the Customs house. The British soldiers fired into the crowd, killing five colonists. If the colonists changed their actions, the shootings probably wouldn’t have occurred.

The battles of Lexington and Concord are portrayed as the colonists defending the land from the advancing British army. The British had good reasons for moving into the countryside. The colonists of Massachusetts, led by Samuel Adams and John Hancock, were refusing to obey the provisions of the Intolerable Acts, which punished the colonists for the damage caused by the Boston Tea Party. If the British could find Samuel Adams and John Hancock, they felt things would calm down in Massachusetts. Additionally, the British heard the colonists had stored some ammunition at the courthouse in Concord. The British wanted to capture this ammunition. The British hoped their actions would calm things down, but, in reality, it just made things worse.

The colonists are often shown as responding to aggressive British actions. However, the colonists were not so innocent themselves.

What is the effect of the speed up on Lyddie?

In chapter thirteen of Lyddie, the factory really starts to increase the speed of the machines that Lyddie works.  The effect on Lyddie comes in three stages.  

At first, Lyddie is more than capable of handling the speed increase.  

No matter how fast the machines speeded up, Lyddie was somehow able to keep pace. 

The paragraph goes on to explain that Lyddie was functioning as if she were a part of the machine.  She and the machine are working in such perfect harmony that no matter how much its speed is increased, she keeps right in step.  

As the high speeds continue, Lyddie begins to feel the negative effects.  The days are long, the conditions are bad, and the work is physically demanding.  Lyddie's body simply does not have enough time to recover between shifts.  She operates in a state of complete exhaustion.  

She was too tired now at night to copy out a page of Oliver to paste to her loom.  

The final effect of the speed up on Lyddie is injury.  She is simply too tired to correctly focus on the dangerous machines that she is operating.  The consequence is that she takes a shuttle to the head and gets knocked out. 

Why does Hamlet kill Polonius in Act 3?

Hamlet actually kills Polonius by mistake. When he hears the noise and movement coming from behind the curtain, he thinks it is his uncle, the king. He has decided he wants to kill the king, as you probably know. So he thrusts his sword into the curtain, thinking he is killing his uncle, and then it turns out to be the wrong person.

Polonius was hiding there spying, so it falls onto him, really. But because of this murder, it triggers Polonius' son to come back to avenge his father's death, leading to the highly dramatic ending of the play.

So to answer your question, he does it because he thinks it's his uncle, the king, hoping to finally get revenge on his uncle for killing his father.

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`int sin(t)sec^2(cos(t)) dt` Evaluate the indefinite integral.

You need to use the following substitution  `cos t=u,` such that:

`cos t=u=>-sin t dt= du => sin t dt = -du`

`int sin t*sec^2(cos t)dt = - int sec^2 u du`

`- int sec^2 u du = -tan u + c`

Replacing back  cos t for u yields:

`int sin t*sec^2(cos t)dt = -tan (cos t) + c`

Hence, evaluating the indefinite integral, yields `int sin t*sec^2(cos t)dt = -tan (cos t) + c.`

What nasty surprise awaits the children at the very end of Chapter 7?

At the end of Chapter 7, the children are unhappily surprised to find the knot-hole in the Radley tree has been filled in with cement. Throughout the chapter, Jem and Scout begin to find additional gifts in the knot-hole of the tree. They find a ball of twine, two carved soap figures, a spelling bee medal, a pack of gum, a broken pocket watch on a chain, and an aluminum knife. Jem and Scout write a thank you letter to whoever has been leaving the gifts for them in the knot-hole. The next day on the way to school, Jem and Scout find out that the knot-hole has been filled in with cement. Jem attempts to console Scout by telling her, "Don't you cry, now, Scout...don't cry now, don't you worry---." (Lee 83) Jem asks Mr. Nathan if he filled the tree with cement, and Mr. Nathan says he filled the knot-hole because it was dying. After Atticus tells Jem that he thinks the tree is healthy but can't be sure, Jem stands on the porch and cries until nightfall. The children had lost their chance to communicate with their anonymous friend who had been leaving them gifts.

In The Tempest, how does Ariel's message help Prospero gain control over his adversaries?

Ariel’s message as the harpy reminds the men of their part in taking Prospero’s kingdom from him.

Ariel keeps the men in place during his speech through magic, so the literal answer is that Ariel and Prospero have been keeping Alonso, Antonio, and the others under a spell since they landed on the island.  However, the message is also designed to prey on their guilt.  If they are good men at all, they will feel remorse for what they have done.  They had no idea that Prospero was on the island, or even that he was still alive.  When they find out, it has a great effect on them.

Alonso and Antonio are most at fault because they conspired to take Prospero’s kingdom from him and set him adrift in a broken down boat with nothing but his baby daughter.  Gonzalo secretly assisted Prospero, so he is considered a friend and a good person.  It is clear from the conversation that Sebastian and Antonio have that they are not good men.  Always scheming, they are ready to kill Alonso to take his place as king.

Prospero sees the presence of his greatest enemies all in one place on his island as a grand opportunity for revenge.  Ariel comes to the men in the guise of a harpy, a mythological bird woman, and tells them they are “men of sin.”  He is actually referring to Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian only.

Lingering perdition, worse than any death
Can be at once, shall step by step attend
You and your ways; whose wraths to guard you from--
Which here, in this most desolate isle, else falls
Upon your heads--is nothing but heart-sorrow
And a clear life ensuing. (Act 3, Scene 3)

After the visit from the harpy, which had the men entranced, Prospero is not done with them.  He tells Ariel that they will remain under his control until he can deal with them properly.

My high charms work
And these mine enemies are all knit up
In their distractions; they now are in my power;
And in these fits I leave them … (Act 3, Scene 3)

Interestingly enough, Prospero has become somewhat of a changed man too.  He wanted to draw Ferdinand in to fall in love with his daughter, and the match was a successful one.  Prospero is happy for them.  It is not just a ploy to get back at his enemies.  He decides to put down his book of magic and reclaim his throne, but without seeking any further revenge against the men who took it from him in the first place.

In an unusual moment of forgiveness, Prospero brings the men to him and tells them that he is still alive, but he does not kill them or perform some other kind of magical punishment on them.  He turns the occasion into a happy one, bringing the rest of the crew together and showing Alonso his son.  Even betrayed by his brother and isolated in years of frustration and anger, Prospero is able to forgive.

How did the economic systems of the North and South become different in the early 1800’s?

The economic systems of the North and South had been diverging for some time, but this process accelerated and became more pronounced as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Put simply, the North became more industrialized, and the South, especially the Deep South, became more dependent on the cultivation of cotton. This also meant that slavery became more entrenched in the South, and in fact expanded dramatically in terms of the numbers of enslaved people. Southerners with money increasingly invested it in land and slaves, both of which (as a general trend) became more expensive as time went on. Because the dominant industry in the North before the Civil War was textiles, the South's cotton economy and that of the North (as well as Great Britain) were bound together economically. However, the South chafed under some of the economic policies, particularly protective tariffs, that benefited the North rather than the planter class in the South. Additionally, Northerners became convinced that their economic system, based on free labor, was morally superior to that of the South. So the divergence of economic systems led to a divergence in politics and culture that would prove disastrous for the nation.

In The Egypt Game what is Toby's confession to April and Melanie?

When Toby and Ken join the Egypt game, things get more interesting, especially when they begin playing the Oracle of Thoth. They follow Toby's recommendation for how to play, which requires a person to submit a question to Thoth and wait overnight for the answer to appear. When the answers mysteriously appear written on the back of both Ken's and April's questions, the children begin to get spooked. Most of the children want to stop playing, but Toby insists the game is just starting to get exciting. Marshall insists they can't stop playing until he has a chance to ask the Oracle about his missing comfort toy, Security. The next day at school, Toby arranges to talk with April and Melanie on the playground. He confesses that he was the one who wrote the answers to Ken's and April's questions. He had looked up key words from each question in a book of familiar quotations. He sneaked out of his house at night, went to Egypt, and wrote the answers on the papers. He knows Marshall is expecting a real answer to his question. The three children plan to give an answer that will temporarily satisfy Marshall. When they get to Egypt, April finds that someone else has written an answer about the location of Security, an answer that turns out to reveal where the stuffed animal has gone. This mysterious turn of events puts a damper on the Egypt game for the children for a while.

In "To Build A Fire", by Jack London, what is the significance of the dog's final movement towards civilization at the end of the story? What does...

In the final moments of the story, the dog realizes that the man is dead when he starts smelling the decay of the man’s body. The dog no longer needs the man because the man is unable to feed him or build a fire. The dog jogs off towards the camp where he will find other humans who will satisfy his needs and let him into the warmth of the camp.  The dog is reacting to his instincts and his underlying intuition to survive. The dog does not mourn the man’s death because he understands it is the way of nature to take life of those unprepared newcomers who have lost their basic instinct to survive the harsh cold. The dog is relying on what he has always known it takes to survive, and his wolf heritage makes him a wise creature able to understand what he must do to win against nature.  He is driven solely by his instincts rather than his imagination or abilities to reason.

Why does Tom say the coffin trick would come in handy for him?

In Scene Four of "The Glass Menagerie", the protagonist, Tom, returns home after a night of drinking. He describes a magic show that he had just seen, involving a magician who had himself nailed into a coffin, and successfully escaped without removing any nails. Tom then tells his sister, Laura, that the same trick would come in handy for him, yet he contemplates how anybody could escape the coffin without removing a single nail. 

Tom's reaction to the coffin trick is a metaphor for his current situation. The coffin represents his life at home, where he feels suffocated and dead inside, held back from following his dreams. The nails in the coffin represent the contributing factors which trap him inside the coffin, allowing him to slowly waste away and die inside. The contributing factors include Tom's responsibility to support his mother, Amanda, and sister, Laura, by working a dead end job to pay the bills, as well as Tom's constant battle with his mother over his freedom to do as he pleases. 

In order to break free from the coffin, to save himself and live the life that he truly dreams of, Tom is forced to remove the nails that trap him inside. Essentially, Tom must remove his mother and sister from his life in order to become free. Since the coffin trick can be done without removing any nails, Tom states how the trick would come in handy for him; to be able to live a free life without removing his mother and sister from it would be a glorious, yet unrealistic, occurrence in Tom's situation.

Why is Arthur is in conflict with Lancelot?

The main conflict that exists between Arthur and Lancelot is because Lancelot is in love with Guinevere, Arthur's wife. This is made slightly more complicated by the fact that Arthur is the King and Guinevere the Queen, so technically Arthur can mete out justice if he determines Lancelot has broken the law. But the main reason this is complicated and painful is that Arthur and Lancelot care deeply for one another. Arthur deeply respects Lancelot's skill as a knight and warrior, all the more because when they first met Lancelot bested him in battle. Lancelot blocked Arthur's right of way, and Arthur challenged him to a fight. He decided to use his magical sword Excalibur, and when the sword broke on Lancelot's shield, he realized Lancelot was fated to win, and his use of Excalibur was arrogant and unfair. He throws the broken sword into the lake, and the Lady of the Lake returns it to him. This is an epiphany for Arthur, when he realizes Lancelot's inherent good nature, and the two are bound by deep friendship.

Which, of course, makes things exceedingly difficult when Lancelot falls in love at first sight with Guinevere. He tries to resist acting upon his impulse, but Guinevere is also smitten, and the two commit adultery. Once this act is discovered by Arthur, the kingdom is in an uproar. Lancelot runs off, Guinevere enters a covent, and Arthur loses his ability to rule as king and begins to waste away. He is shamed because his wife fell in love with another man (and this recalls the circumstances of his own conception, which occurred when Igraine betrayed her own husband Gorlois with King Uther). But he is also saddened by Lancelot's betrayal. Arthur's grief divides the kingdom for years. 

But years later, when Mordred (Arthur's son by his own half-sister Morgause—conceived via deception just as Arthur was) tries to take over the kingdom and usurp the throne, Lancelot returns from his exile to help Arthur take back what belongs to him. They fight beside one another once again, and their friendship is restored one last time.

In "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes, what reasons for helping Roger are inferred when Mrs. Jones talks to him?

In "Thank You, Ma'm," Langston Hughes tells the story about a young teenager named Roger, who tries to steal Mrs. Jones' purse, only to get caught. Mrs. Jones takes Roger back to her apartment and ends up not only feeding him supper, but also giving him money for the shoes he wants. At one point, she tells Roger a little about herself,

"'I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son--neither tell God, if he didn't already know.'" (Hughes 7)

Mrs. Jones is telling Roger that she, too, did things she was not proud of as a youngster. She understands what being poor is like and what it means to want things she cannot afford. Because of her background, she decides to help Roger rather than punish him. She knows she can do more good for him by being understanding than by calling the police. 

Dramatic irony occurs when the reader knows something that a character does not. Identify three examples of dramatic irony in this story. What is...

Perhaps the biggest example of dramatic irony within The Cask of Amontillado is the overall plot in and of itself: Montresor is planning on killing Fortunato, which we learn at the beginning of the story, though Fortunato is under the impression that he is on his way to test the validity of a non-existent barrel of amontillado. But there are still smaller parts within the plot that also exhibit dramatic irony, such as when Montresor repeatedly says that they should turn back because of Fortunato's health, which we know is the opposite of what Montresor actually wants. Also, Montresor gives Fortunato a couple of drinks of alcohol from his stores on their way down to the end of the vaults, telling Fortunato that is to "defend [them] from the damps", but in reality he is simply trying to keep Fortunato too drunk to fight back; he even goes so far as to say that he drinks to Fortunato's long life.

Dramatic irony always adds something to a reader's experience. In this case, it is suspense as we ask ourselves: When will Fortunato find out what Montresor's true intentions are? Will Fortunato find out? Or will he just fall victim to Montresor's revenge without knowing it? The story is fairly short, so we don't have long to wonder about Fortunato's fate, but while we read, we do find ourselves wondering about how everything will end.

Can you explain the pro and con debate regarding the Obamacare issue, 2016?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148, also known as “Obamacare”) is so voluminous and addresses so many issues within the realm of health care, that students of this enormous effort at reforming the nation’s health care system are still analyzing the law’s provisions and effects. The Affordable Care Act was politically contentious upon conception, and remains controversial six years after its passage—despite the well-founded assumption that few of the lawmakers who supported or opposed it really understood what was in it. Having spent 20 years as a congressional staffer familiar with the reading habits of many members of Congress, I would personally be very surprised if more than a dozen of the 535 members of the House of Representatives and Senate had actually invested the time and energy into reading and analyzing the legislation needed to fully understand its many provisions. While it is true that all members of Congress have aides who are supposed to read and analyze legislation for their employers, it is the members of Congress themselves elected to represent their constituents who have a responsibility to seriously understand the legislation on which they vote—especially when that legislation affects every citizen of the country.

The purpose of the above is to emphasize that debates over the Affordable Care Act that occur as part of the ongoing presidential campaign will rarely, if ever, touch on concrete issues of concern to the public. Rather, the partisan divide surrounding the Affordable Care Act can best be explained in the basest terms as the distinction between those who support a large government role in the provision and administration of medical care and those who just as fervently believe that the private sector is best able to provide such care. The role of the federal government in our daily lives is, in fact, a defining characteristic of both major political parties in the United States, and the fight over passage and implementation of the Affordable Act reflects those political distinctions. Consequently, the pros and cons of “Obamacare,” as they will be discussed among most politicians running for office are largely boiled down to perceptions of the proper role of government in administering health care, with Democrats supporting the enormous increase in the government’s role mandated in the 2010 law and Republicans continuing to argue that the law imposed costly and inefficient mandates on medical practitioners while increasing the costs of health care to the middle class through the imposition of higher taxes to subsidize the provision of medical insurance and care to the millions of Americans who were previously un- or underinsured.

Among the more highly-publicized issues surrounding the Affordable Care Act is the difficulties many individual states as well as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services experienced establishing and operating so-called insurance exchanges, centralized databases that are supposed to provide members of the public with health care options at varying prices. Construction of such centralized databases proved every bit as unwieldy as the law’s critics predicted, but the fact that any such program was certain to experience growing pains does help place those difficulties into a proper context. Additionally, there is no denying the fact that millions of previously uninsured Americans have benefited being added to the existing Medicaid system, which is good, I suppose, for previously uninsured low-income citizens, but debates regarding Medicaid’s solvency, or insolvency, over the coming years does not bode well for an already burdensome system.

In short, the pros of Obamacare involve primarily the fact of over ten million previously uninsured Americans now having access to the health care system. The cons generally involve questions about the efficiency of the newly-established market exchanges, about the true long-term costs of the law, which could be enormous, and about the inability of the federal government to efficiently run itself let alone a health care system intended to cover potentially hundreds of millions of people. Most Republicans currently running for president support repeal of or, at a minimum, modification of the Affordable Care Act, while Democratic presidential contender Bernard Sanders is advocating going even beyond the existing law to make the federal government the sole administrator of the entire nation’s health care. Between those two positions likely lies the answer to whatever problems one identifies with Obamacare. It was always going to take a solid ten years for the full effects of the 2010 law to be felt, and we’re not there yet.

What would our life be like without tectonic plates?

Tectonic plates are fragments or parts of our lithosphere. The continuous motion of these plates is known as plate tectonics. To understand the life without tectonic plates, let us understand what they do for us. 

Plate tectonics is a major geologic building activity. In simplest terms, it helps in the formation of mountains. Volcanic activity and earthquakes are also attributed to plate tectonics. In general, plate tectonics helps in cycling of material between the crust and mantle of Earth. Plate tectonics also act as a global thermostat and keeps the temperature in a range preferable for life. Without tectonic plates (that is, the outer surface of Earth would be one single, continuous layer), there would be no recycling of material. Mountains will erode and landscape would appear much different. Lack of mountains will mean a more uniform weather around the world. A uniform weather will also result in less biological diversity. It has also been suggested that presence and continuous motion of these tectonic plates is the reason we have life on Earth.

Hope this helps. 

In "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes, how has Charlie changed since the operation? What has he gained and what has he lost?

In Daniel Keyes' story "Flowers for Algernon," a mentally handicapped man named Charlie is given an operation to increase his intelligence. Charlie has worked at Mr. Donnegan's factory for some years at this point, and he feels as though he has many friends there. As his intelligence increases though, he realizes that what he took for friendship was really one sided. He loved his co-workers, but what they loved about Charlie was the fact that they could make fun of him and use him. Even though he now knows that many of them never really were his friends, he misses what he believed was a certain camaraderie with them. The workers also begin to resent Charlie because he is now so much smarter than they are. He comes up with ways to save the factory money, but instead of being happy for Charlie, his co-workers dislike him more and more. Charlie also eventually becomes even more intelligent than his doctors. His intelligence far surpasses his teacher, Miss Kinnian, and the relationship he once hoped for with her becomes impossible. 

What subject were the banker and lawyer discussing at the party?

"The Bet" opens at a dinner party in which the banker is the host and the lawyer is one of his guests. The topic of discussion at this party is capital punishment and, specifically, whether it is better to die than to spend one's life in solitary confinement.

For the banker, the answer to this question is simple: the death penalty is "more moral" and "more humane" than imprisoning a person for the duration of his life. In contrast, the lawyer believes the opposite and argues that it is better to live some life than to have no life at all.

It is this difference in opinion which provides the context for the bet. Feeling confident, the banker proposes the bet to the young and ambitious lawyer who is keen to enrich himself, regardless of the emotional sacrifices involved.

Why is this the last christmas that Buddy and his cousin spend together?

In Truman Capote’s short story “A Christmas Memory” Buddy and his friend spend one last Christmas together making and delivering their fruitcakes, cutting down a Christmas tree, and secretly making each other presents of kites. When they were making the fruitcakes, they purchased some moonshine whiskey for soaking the cakes. There was a bit leftover which Buddy and his friend drank. The family became upset with the pair, especially with his friend because it was inappropriate for a seven-year-old boy to be drinking whiskey. The family celebrated Christmas but soon after, they decide that is time for Buddy to go to military boarding school. He exchanges letters with his friend until she is no longer able. Buddy knows, without being told, that his friend passed on. They were never able to spend another Christmas season together.

Does the Plowman have a tale in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales?

The Plowman does not have a tale in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. There have been several stories by writers other than Chaucer that claimed to be the Plowman's tale in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, though. At least one of these made it briefly into print during that time period. 

Although the Plowman is one of several characters in the General Prologue not to have a tale, he is one of the most favorably described characters:

He was an honest worker, good and true,

Living in peace and perfect charity,

And, as the Gospel bade, so did he,

Loving God best with all his heart and mind

And then his neighbor as himself.

Perhaps the Plowman is too good to have an interesting tale. Most of Chaucer's pilgrims tell tales that reflect in some way on their own imperfections or obsessions, but the Plowman doesn't appear to have any of those. He has a brother who is also travelling with the pilgrims, the Parson, who is also an upstanding character, and the only member of the clergy Chaucer does not depict as corrupt in some way.

How does having the right animals give a country power?

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond tries to answer Yali's question of why Europeans have so much more "cargo" than people from New Guinea. The book offers up as an answer what might be called a form of geographical or ecological determinism, arguing that it is not mental habits or culture which lead to such disparities, but accidents of location.

Geographical location, for Diamond, determines the forms of food production readily available to a given civilization. Although much of the human diet consists of plants, and easily domesticated plants help with the "neolithic transition" to geographical stability and urbanization, the right kind of animals play several important roles in developing the sort of wealth and economic surplus that leads to relative power.

First, domesticable animals add to the available food supply, providing milk and eggs as well as meat. Next, draft animals make plowing fields far more efficient. Finally, animals such as camels and horses are major means of transportation, able to move faster and carry significantly more weight than humans on foot. In many countries, animals also allow for direct military power as nations employ cavalry, or mounted soldiers, to overcome foot soldiers in wars.

In general, wealthier civilizations with more advanced technologies are more powerful than poorer ones, and thus the economic contributions of the right kind of animals enable countries to grow powerful. 

What is the internal and external conflict in "Charles" by Shirley Jackson?

Internal conflict is conflict that happens within the character's mind. Essentially, he or she is fighting with himself over choices or a decision. In "Charles", the main character Laurie experiences inner conflict. The reader does not find this out immediately but rather at the end of the story when we realize that the character Charles who is causing trouble in Laurie's class is not another student but is Laurie himself. A conflict between doing right and wrong waged inside Laurie and as a kindergarten student, he decided to make up a character.

An external conflict, one that happens between a character and another person, the world or nature, is that between Laurie and his parents. While not always an outward manifestation of arguments, the parents and Laurie struggle to maintain a calm relationship and to effectively communicate. Additionally, the simple fact that the parents do not realize that Laurie has fabricated Charles, provides an example of conflict in this constant struggle to communicate that exists between Laurie and his parents.

What techniques of characterization does Hughes employ in creating the character of Mrs. Jones?

Langston Hughes uses several techniques to characterize Mrs. Jones. First, she is characterized physically as a large and imposing woman. At the beginning of the story, Hughes writes, "She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails." Mrs. Jones's size gives her an advantage over Roger, and she is described as being physical towards him: "Mrs. Jones stopped, jerked him around in front of her, put a half-nelson about his neck, and continued to drag him up the street."

Beyond just categorizing her physically, a more significant technique that Hughes uses is characterizing Mrs. Jones through her actions and through her words. Because she doesn't turn Roger in to the police but instead takes him in to feed him, we come to see her as a mentor or even a mother figure. When she asks, “Um-hum! And your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?” we can see that she's already got a sense of concern for Roger and an understanding of why he tried to steal her purse.

She goes on to say, “You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong. Least I can do right now is to wash your face. Are you hungry?” and as she drags Roger home against his will, we can see that she is serving in the role of a temporary caretaker. We see this role further play out back in Mrs. Jones's apartment when she tries to teach Roger a lesson by telling him, “Well, you didn’t have to snatch my pocketbook to get some suede shoes,” said Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. “You could of asked me.”

First through physical description, and mostly through her actions and words, Hughes characterizes Mrs. Jones as a dominant and intimidating but kind and motherly figure.

Why does the young man spend several nights at Mrs. Tilley’s cottage?

In the story, the young man is an amateur ornithologist who has been hunting and appears to have lost his way. At least, that is what he tells Sylvia, whose grandmother, Mrs. Tilley, promptly offers the stranger lodging for the night.

Eventually, the young man admits that he enjoys hunting birds and having them 'stuffed and preserved, dozens and dozens of them...' He tells Mrs. Tilley and Sylvia that he is particularly interested in a white heron he has seen flying close to their home. Meanwhile, Mrs. Tilley's pride in Sylvia's knowledge about surrounding bird species causes her to boast about her grand-daughter's prowess.

The young man's ears perk up when he hears that Sylvia knows all about the birds near her grandmother's home. He offers ten dollars to them if Sylvia can lead him to the white heron. Yet, Sylvia finds that she cannot bring herself to tell the stranger where the white heron lives. In the end, he leaves empty-handed. His initial intent was to track and hunt the white heron, and that is why he stays at Mrs. Tilley's home. However, he finds his goal thwarted by a little girl who loves her avian friends more than she values monetary gain.

What are electrically charged atoms called?

Atoms that have net electric charges are called ions. Positive ions are called cations and negative ions are called anions.

Atoms have two types of charged particles:

• Protons have a positive charge and are found in the nucleus.


• Electrons have a negative charge and are found outside the nucleus. Electrons can be gained or lost.

Atoms are neutral if they have the same number of protons and electrons.

A cation forms when an atom loses one or more electrons. This results in it having more protons than electrons and therefore a net positive charge. Metals, which are in the groups on the left side and the center of the periodic table, lose electrons to form cations.

An anion forms when an atom gains one or more electrons. It now has more electrons than protons and therefore has a net negative charge. Nonmetallic elements gain electrons to form anions.

How is Arnold smarter then some of the people he is with?

Around Thanksgiving, Arnold is pulled out of his loneliness at the all-white Reardon High School to discover that he is smart. Not just smart for an Indian, as he says, but smart, period. 

In geology class, his teacher Mr. Dodge is discussing petrified wood and says that it's "pretty amazing that wood could turn into rock" (pg 84). When Arnold raises his hand and explains that the actual wood in petrified wood is dissolved and replaces by minerals that keep the wood's shape, Mr. Dodge mocks him, saying "Where did you learn that fact? On the reservation? Yes, we all know there's so much amazing science on the reservation" (pg 85). It isn't until class genius Gordy backs up what Arnold says that Mr. Dodge acknowledges that it might be true. 

Aside from his book learning, though, Arnold is also socially smart. He understands relationships and how and why people are loyal to one another. Most of all, he understands his parents and respects them for their sacrifices, even when they don't live up to the ideal parents a kid might want. When there is no money to help his dog Oscar, for example, Arnold's dad takes a rifle to shoot him, putting him out of his misery. Even though Arnold is furious and wants to hate his parents, he knows he can't, because they "came from poor people who came from poor people, all the way back to the very first poor people" (pg 11). Arnold has a deep understanding of his poverty and can avoid the trap of blaming his family for problems that stem from beyond them. 

What does "previous obligations" mean? Also do you think that the author's tone in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is suspenseful,...

"Previous obligations" can be described as responsibilities that a person has prior to something else coming up.  Most people read the line, "But I have promises to keep," as the speaker's explanation of why he cannot remain in this lovely forest, even though he might prefer to (line 14).  In saying that he has "promises to keep," the speaker makes it sound as though he has previous obligations, i.e. responsibilities or duties to which he'd committed before he was halted in his progress through the forest by its beauty and which he now feels bound to keep.

I'm not sure I would choose any of these three words -- suspenseful, peaceful, or cold -- to describe the tone of this poem.  A description of tone is typically a word that describes a feeling, like indifferent, judgmental, or approving, because "tone" describes the way the author feels about the subject.  Therefore, I would call the tone of this poem sympathetic.  The author presents the speaker in a simple way, with a simple and perfectly relatable desire: the speaker is very tired and very busy with many responsibilities, but he stops to appreciate the beauty of the nature around him and finds that he'd prefer to rest in tranquility there for awhile.  The author is clearly not judgmental of this desire.  The speaker isn't complaining, and he doesn't exaggerate or whine about his duties.  He presents them in an almost matter-of-fact way.  

"Peaceful" could certainly be used to describe the mood of the poem.  "Mood" refers to the emotional atmosphere of a text, often created by the connotations of the words and images used.  Most of the words in his poem are simple and positive.  Many of the words, especially, in the first stanza, are monosyllabic (meaning they only have one syllable), and this, along with the rhyme scheme and meter, help to make the poem sound steady and reliable (just like the speaker).  The lovely images of the woods, the way the forest looks and sounds, also contribute to the peaceful mood.

What are some concrete examples from the text that show, despite the government's extreme efforts, people still aren't equal in this society?

The premise of Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron" is society cannot be successful when trying to create equality by stripping individuality from its people. 

In the short story the government tries to give people who are above average intelligence, strength, or beauty "handicaps" in order to give the illusion of equality. For example, Harrison's father George is given a "little mental handicap radio in his ear" because "his intelligence was way above normal." This radio transmits a "sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains." People must not remove their handicaps, or they will be punished. 

Despite the government's efforts, it is evident the system of handicapping individuals does not work. A prime example of this is the dynamic between George and Hazel (Harrison's parents). While watching television, Hazel is aware that George's transmitter is emitting a sound as she watches him "wince." Although she does not have to wear a handicap, she deals with the emotional burden of watching her husband suffer from having his. She wants her husband to have some respite from the pain the transmitter inflicts on him. She tells him to rest because she "[doesn't] care if [George is] not equal to [her] for a while.” This dialogue indicates that the government's attempts to make people behave and appear as equals does not have an impact on their interactions with one another. Basically, the handicaps are not causing the effect that the government hopes because people still recognize that they are not equal. 

This is further illustrated through the narration of the story. The narrator describes the characters in relation to their handicaps. By doing so, this focuses the reader's attention to the handicaps and what they mask, rather than how the characters are now equal as a result of the handicaps. An example of this is when George and Hazel watch the ballet. The narrator describes the dancers in terms of their handicaps and how the handicaps reveal how talented or beautiful they really are. As they dance, the ballerinas "were burdened with sash weights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face." Rather than detracting from their beauty and talent, the handicaps emphasize and draw attention to their above average qualities. 

An electrician uses tiny red, blue and yellow bulbs in a ratio 12:11:10 to light up an entire building. If 4752 bulbs were used in all, how many...

If we have 12+11+10 = 33 bulbs then;

12/33 is red

11/33 is blue

10/33 is yellow

Similarly if we have 4752 bulbs;

Number of red bulbs `= (12/33)xx4752 = 1728`

Number of blue bulbs  `=(11/33)xx4752 = 1584`

Number of yellow bulbs `=(10/33)xx4752 = 1440`

Bud has a very active imagination. How does this help him throughout the book? Does it ever get him in trouble? Why do you think imagination is so...

Bud's active imagination gives him hope throughout the novel and encourages him to continue his journey during difficult times. Bud compares his thoughts to tiny seeds that grow into massive maple trees. Bud's initial thoughts about his father develop into an obsession to find him. The thought of living a carefree life with his father motivates Bud to travel across Michigan to find him. Bud's imagination also soothes him in unfamiliar environments. Memories of Bud's mother calm him down and make him comfortable no matter where he is at.

Sometimes, Bud's imagination gets him into trouble. At the beginning of the novel when Bud is locked inside the Amos' shed, Bud thinks that there is a vampire bat hanging from the ceiling. Bud fears that the vampire bat will suck his blood, so Bud picks up a rake, and swings at it as hard as he can. The "vampire bat" turns out to be a hornet's nest and Bud gets stung badly. Another moment where Bud's imagination gets him into trouble is when Lefty Lewis offers him a ride. Bud sees an icebox labeled "URGENT: CONTAINS HUMAN BLOOD," and thinks that Lefty must be a vampire. Bud locks Lefty out of the car and attempts to drive away. Fortunately, Bud does not make it very far before the car shuts off.

Having an active imagination would benefit individuals who lived during the Depression. The Depression, aptly named, was a rough period to be alive. In order for people to have hope and maintain a positive outlook on life, they would need to have an active imagination to counter the dismal realities of the world around them.

There have been numerous difficult moments throughout my life where my imagination has helped distract my attention and relieve my stress. From imagining a picturesque beach when its cold and rainy outside, to thinking about playing catch with my father to soothe my mind before taking an important test, my imagination helps me through difficult situations each day.

What was one question that miss Thomas and the band members had never asked Bud?

Miss Thomas, Herman E. Calloway, and the band members had never asked Bud what his mother's name was.

One might wonder how they could possibly not think of asking such an obvious question. When Bud showed up claiming to be Mr. Calloway's son, he hinted that his "Momma" told him so, but "not in the words just like that." When miss Thomas pressed him, he did not volunteer the information about the band's flyers his mother had saved, so the issue was dropped. Interestingly, the band members believed Bud when he said that his "Momma" died six years ago at the age of twenty-six, and Miss Thomas believed, for the most part, his story about the orphanage and the foster family. However, the idea that Mr. Calloway might be his father, or somebody Bud's mother might have known, seemed so far-fetched and ludicrous that it crossed no one's mind to inquire further why and how Bud came up with it. Only when Bud showed Mr. Calloway the rocks with inscriptions of the places and dates, similar to the ones in his car, was the investigation of Bud's claim renewed, finally leading to the discovery of his mother's identity.

Please Explain this stanza: Soul lies buried in conscience / Body is fool's ornament / Man behind a fatal fence / Around which he never went....

Without knowing the poem this stanza is from, it's not possible to explain it in its broader context, but these four lines hold together as one thought and can be explained in terms of a Freudian concept. The "soul" is the innate spirit of a person who has natural inner wisdom. This inner wisdom is suppressed by the socio-cultural "conscience" superimposed upon the soul by the concept known as the Freudian Super-Ego. The "body" is represented as separate from and inferior to the "soul" and is additionally represented as the "fatal fence" that entraps the "soul": the body is the untamed being that requires the conscience developed by the Super-Ego and that buries the soul, "The Soul lies buried...." Resulting in the entrapment of the soul, the person ("Man") never ventures to go out around the body: the person never dares to transcend the physical and soar in transcendental spirituality to find birth and life instead of burial; freedom from the conscience, the body, the "fatal fence" and the "fool's ornament" that bind the soul in metaphysical death.

Which characters were most concerned about their reputations in Arthur Miller's, The Crucible?

The first and most obvious, is the Reverend Samuel Parris, the village priest. Reverend Parris used to be a merchant and had a history of inviting derision wherever he went. When he arrived in Salem him brought with him not only his slave, Tituba, from Barbados, his daughter, Betty and niece, Abigail Williams, but also a long history of paranoia.

It did not take the Reverend long to feel that he was being persecuted by members of his congregation. He was terrified about being ousted from his position and had a need to protect his reputation at all costs. He felt that there was a 'faction' led specifically by John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corey whose sole purpose was to rid Salem of him, so when rumours of witchcraft were traced to his household because of the actions of his slave, daughter and niece, he made every attempt to clear his name.

The Reverend was so anxious about this that he constantly meddled in the court's affairs during the witch trials, to such an extent that he irritated Judge Danforth who, out of contempt for him, commanded him to shut up at one point. The Reverend's desperate attempts to retain his reputation and his position were, however, an exercise in futility. When the trials ended he was voted out of his post and left Salem, never to be seen or heard of again.

Another villager who was keen to protect his reputation was Thomas Putnam, the son of the wealthiest resident in the village. He had many grievances and huge resentment towards many in the village. He had consistently tried to manipulate affairs in the village to improve his reputation and status, with limited success. His failures in this regard made him a deeply embittered man, for, as Arthur Miller states: 

... he regarded himself as the intellectual superior of most of the people around him.

and

Thomas Putnam felt that his own name and the honor of his family had been smirched by the village, and he meant to right matters however he could.

It is primarily for these reasons and his greed for others property that we find Thomas Putnam's names on most of the indictments against others for witchcraft. The trials offered him an opportunity to, as he believed, vindicate his good name and also, to enrich himself and gain greater status and authority.

Another individual intent on, not only to enhance his reputation but to assert it in whichever way he possibly could, was the mean and unscrupulously arrogant and stubborn head of proceedings during the trials, Deputy Governor Danforth. The judge was much aware of his reputation and consistently reminded witnesses and accused of his status and power, lest they forget. He, for example asks Francis Nurse the following during trial:

And do you know that near to four hundred are in the jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature?

And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?

The judge obviously relishes his reputation as a no-nonsense dispenser of justice. No one dare challenge his authority, for they will face his most severe retribution. He is a commanding and dictatorial force throughout the trial, stamping his personality, authority and reputation on all the proceedings.

Finally, one has to mention the ill-fated John Proctor, our chief protagonist. His reputation was important to him for all the right reasons. John took a strong moral stance in defending his name once he had given his persecutors what they wanted: a false confession. He even went as far as signing such confession but when asked to hand it over, he balked. He would not have his name tarnished any further. His confession would be displayed for everyone to see. Since he was a respected man in the village, it would encourage others to follow his example. When asked why he refuses to hand over his confession, John in agony for what he had done, passionately cries out:

Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!

And in his final words before he is led to the scaffold, he tells Elizabeth:

Give them no tear! Tears pleasure them! Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!

How does the author use Wolf's apprehension to foreshadow what is to come in the story?

Irving first establishes a deep connection between his sketch's eponymous protagonist and his dog, Wolf, in order to set the stage for his eventual apprehension:

Rip’s sole domestic adherent was his dog Wolf, who was as much hen-pecked as his master; for Dame Van Winkle regarded them as companions in idleness, and even looked upon Wolf with an evil eye, as the cause of his master’s going so often astray.

Describing Wolf as "Rip's sole domestic adherent" highlights their relationship vis-a-vis "Dame Van Winkle," who thinks that both of them are lazy "companions in idleness." Irving underscores this loyalty by telling the reader that Wolf "was as courageous an animal as ever scoured the woods."

This connection elevates the significance of his initial apprehension regarding the strange people playing in the mountain glen. Upon hearing his name called, Rip begins to approach the men, and

at the same time Wolf bristled up his back, and giving a low growl, skulked to his master’s side, looking fearfully down into the glen. Rip now felt a vague apprehension stealing over him; he looked anxiously in the same direction, and perceived a strange figure slowly toiling up the rocks, and bending under the weight of something he carried on his back.

Because Rip and Wolf are so intertwined in the narration, this "bristl[ing] up his back, and giving a low growl" on the dog's part implies that there is danger ahead for both he and his master. This is why Rip feels "a vague apprehension," which foreshadows the decades-long slumber that is about to befall him after drinking with the strange men in the glen.