According to Julia, what is the one thing the party cannot do?

In Book 2, Chapter 7, Julia says:

"It's the one thing they can't do. They can make you say anything -- anything -- but they can't make you believe it. They can't get inside you."

What Julia means by this comment is that the party can monitor a person's thoughts and actions, through the telescreens, and can control their knowledge and understanding, through propaganda. They can even force a person to confess to a crime, through torture, but they can never change the way a person naturally thinks and feels. She believes thought-control to be far outside of the party's realm; that people are too independent to succumb to brainwashing. She, therefore, represents the spirit of free thinking and this is one of the reasons why her fate in the book is so tragic. In an ironic twist, the party can and do get inside Julia's mind and change her thoughts. Though repeated torture, she repents of her previous political allegiances and learns to love Big Brother. This change is evident when Winston meets her again in Book 3, Chapter 6: 

"He did not attempt to kiss her, nor did they speak. As they walked back across the grass, she looked directly at him for the first time. It was only a momentary glance, full of contempt and dislike." 

Gone is the Julia who believed in her ability to control her own mind and, in her place, is a woman who has been broken and enslaved by Big Brother. 

How do Cheever and Parris degrade Proctor in The Crucible?

I'm not sure that Cheever degrades John Proctor, but he does fail to treat Elizabeth Proctor with respect. In Act Two, when Cheever comes to the Proctors' home with a warrant for Elizabeth's arrest, he is bound to remove her and take her to jail. When he leads her out of the house and into the cart, he moves to chain her. John hurries out, shouting, "Damn you, man, you will not chain her! Off with them! I'll not have it! I will not have her chained!" Despite his history with and knowledge of the Proctors, Cheever degrades Elizabeth by placing her in chains, as though she were already considered to be a criminal (which she really is). It is his job, but just because we are ordered to do something doesn't mean it is right that we should do it.

Reverend Parris certainly degrades John Proctor, and he does so in an attempt to maintain some authority within the proceedings. In Act Three, when Proctor, Giles Corey, and Francis Nurse come to speak with Judge Danforth about their wives, Parris cries, "This is a clear attack upon the court!" He is afraid that his knowledge of the girls dancing in the woods will come out, and Proctor has brought his servant, Mary Warren, who is one of those girls. He likely assumes that Proctor knows what Parris knows and so attempts to discredit him before he can reveal that information. Further, Parris tells Danforth,

All innocent and Christian people are happy for the courts in Salem! These people are gloomy for it. And I think you will want to know, from each and every one of them, what discontents them with you!  

In so saying, Parris attempts to blacken Proctor's name by insisting that he would be happy for the courts in Salem if he had nothing to hide. Certainly, this shows a lack of respect for Proctor's very real concerns for himself, and for his wife.  

What is cultural capital and how does it impact education?

Cultural capital is the sum of our cultural experiences and knowledge that we bring to the educational table.  In the United States at least, the prevailing culture is white, western, and largely middle-class, thus those students who do not bring this capital to school are seriously disadvantaged. 

We learn by incorporating new ideas and information into our minds, connecting those new ideas and information into what is already in our minds.  The more there is in our minds already, the more easily we can file new information and ideas and make connections between them and what is already there.

Generally, how students are taught in American schools is based upon a presumption that all students bring the same or similar cultural capital with them to school. The middle-class child has likely grown up with books, music, and art at home.  The middle-class child has attended summer camp, taken dancing lessons, and played soccer. He or she has been to art galleries, museums, zoos, plays, ballets, and good restaurants.  These students are largely of a Judeo-Christian background religiously.

Sadly, this is by no means true for many students in American schools, and their cultural capital, whatever it may be, is often not capitalized upon nor valued because it is not of the prevailing culture. Sometimes there are serious cultural deficiencies, such as the child who has never seen a book or a painting at home.  Sometimes there are simply differences, such as a child who has been raised in a rich Latino culture or who is of the Hindu faith. The educational outcomes for these students are often not good because we do not take into account their cultural capital or a lack thereof in our teaching methods.  

It is up to teachers to understand this and to learn what the various students' cultures are that they bring with them and to learn what deficiencies must be addressed.  Learning is quite difficult if a student has no way to connect the new ideas to something already present in the student's mind.  Each student must be brought along in his or her own way, at the student's pace, not at the pace of a cookie-cutter curriculum.  A kindergartner who has never seen a book is not at a reading readiness stage.  This is a child who must be taught of the richness and beauty of books, perhaps extra time reading to the child, before anyone should attempt to teach the decoding of words. When students bring their various different cultures to the classroom, this should be an opportunity to find value and share another culture with the entire class.  Then everyone is learning and the teacher is gaining the knowledge necessary to teach students with different cultural capital. 

I can only speak for the United States on this matter, but as the world is becoming more of a global village, the effect of cultural capital on education is probably becoming just as important in other countries. Think of all the Syrians fleeing their country and settling in Europe. They bring the cultural capital of an ancient and magnificent civilization. Is their cultural capital going to be appreciated as they try to find their way in various European countries?  I don't know. I do know that historically, we have done a spectacularly bad job of this here.

Having trouble understanding how to get started on the attached problem in Asymptotics. Any help is greatly appreciated.

You need to write the characteristic equation, such that:

`r^2 - (1/2)r + 1/16+x-e^x = 0`

You need to evaluate `Delta` , such that:

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

`Delta = 4e^x - 4x`

The characteristic equation has real solutions if `Delta > 0`

`4e^x - 4x > 0 => e^x - x > 0 => e^x > x`

Attaching the equation yields:

`e^x = x => ln e^x = ln x => x = ln x => (ln x)/x = 1`

If `x -> oo` yields `lim _(x->oo) (ln x)/x = 0`

Hence,` r_(1,2) = (1/2 +-sqrt(4(e^x - x)))/2 => r_(1,2) = (1/2 +-2sqrt(e^x - x))/2 => r_(1,2) = 1/4 +- sqrt(e^x - x) `

If `x->oo` yields `r_(1,2) = 1/4 +- oo => r_(1,2) = +-oo`

Hence, the general solution to the equation, for `x->oo` , is:

`y(t) = c_1*e^(+oo*t) + c_2*e^(-oo*t)`

What hinders Joe from working with Black Beauty and Ginger in Anna Sewell's Black Beauty?

In Anna Sewell's Black Beauty, Little Joe Green is hired as the stable boy to replace James Howard once John Manly, the coachman at Birtwick Park, recommends James as head groom at a different estate. Once Joe is hired, except for the time he accidentally makes Black Beauty seriously ill, Joe is kept on as the stable boy and not hindered at all from working with Black Beauty or Ginger, up until the moment Squire Gordon must sell off the estate and relocate to care for his ailing wife.

Within the first few days of Joe replacing James, Black Beauty, called Beauty for short, must run very hard to fetch the doctor to save Mistress Gordon's life. Joe, thinking Black Beauty was overly hot, did not cover Beauty up with his warm blanket when he was drenched in sweat. As a result, Beauty was inflicted with hypothermia, which led to a severe lung infection. During Beauty's illness, Ginger and Merrylegs were moved to the neighboring stable to be taken care of by Joe, while John and Joe's father, Tom Green, tended to Beauty along with the veterinarian, who came daily. Joe was brokenhearted and devastated by the consequences of his foolish actions.

Nevertheless, Beauty reports that Joe learned quickly, and Beauty becomes very proud to be under the care of Joe, especially when Joe testifies in a court of law against horse abuse he had witnessed while riding Beauty.

After three years of having lived at Birtwick Park, Beauty explains that Miss Gordon must be moved to warmer climates for her health. As a result, Squire Gordon must break up his estate, finding new posts for his servants and selling all of his horses. It is naturally when Black Beauty and Ginger are sold to the Earl of W-- that Joe can no longer work with them. He is instead hired by the vicar to take care of Merrylegs, who was sold to the vicar.

What is the importance of the title "The Gift of the Magi"?

The short story "The Gift of the Magi" is about a husband and wife, Jim and Della, who each sacrifice something special to give a special gift.  At the end of the story, the narrator mentions the Magi from the Bible, who brought gifts to the baby Jesus.  The narrator notes that the Magi "invented the art of giving Christmas presents" when they gave their gifts.  It is also noted that the Magi were wise, as they were also known as the "wise men."  The narrator contrasts the wisdom of the Magi with the foolishness of Della and Jim, who "unwisely sacrificed for each other."  Despite this mention of foolishness, the narrator concludes that Jim and Della are the wisest of gift givers.  The final conclusion is that all people who give gifts are the wisest, just like the Magi.

What do food companies normally do to help people find out what additives are in their food?

A number of additives are commonly added in our food items. The most common additives, probably, are the preservatives. These are additives that will ensure a longer life for the food item. Color additives are another major class of additives and impart certain specific color to the food items.

The most common way for the companies to inform the customers about the additives used in food items are by mentioning them on product label. In fact, as per the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) rules, companies are required to mention all the contents (including the additives) on the product label. The contents are listed in order of their quantity, with the most dominant content first, etc. The additives and many minor ingredients can be clubbed together and mentioned as a class.

Thus, a customer need to only look at the product label to get an idea of the additives that are in the food item.

Hope this helps. 

What is the relevance of the title Games at Twilight?

The title of this story bugged me the first time that I read the story.  It bugged me because when I started reading the story, it was clear that the children were not playing any games at twilight.  

They faced the afternoon. It was too hot. Too bright. The white walls of the veranda glared stridently in the sun.

The story starts out during the early to mid afternoon.  It starts out at the hottest and brightest part of the day.  Despite the heat and brightness though, the kids beg to be let out to play in the garden.  The game that they choose to play is hide and seek.  As the game progresses, Ravi becomes more and more determined to win, so he hides himself very well.  Nobody can find him, but Ravi also isn't willing to risk revealing himself and make the run to the "den" in order to win. He sits and sits and sits until . . . twilight. 

Here is where the title makes sense, and it makes sense in two ways. First, Ravi is the only child still playing hide and seek at this time.  He is the only child playing the first game at twilight.  He's envisioning himself being victorious in a spectacular fashion.  In a way, he's playing games with himself.  If that explanation of the title sounds weak, I think I may know why.  Technically, Ravi is playing a game.  Singular.  So why would the title be plural?  

The title is "games" at twilight because as the day progresses and cools down, the other children play a bunch of different games.  

There had been a fight about who was to be It next. It had been so fierce that their mother had emerged from her bath and made them change to another game. Then they had played another and another.

All of the other children really are playing many games at twilight.  Only Ravi is left playing the first game all by himself.  

In The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, to whom does Kit turn for comfort after seeing Nat in the stocks?

Nat receives several punishments for his "crime" (stealing pumpkins from a field, carving them in jack-o-lanterns, and lighting them up in William Ashby's house). He is sent to the stocks, fined forty shillings, and banned from stepping foot in Wethersfield ever again on pains of receiving thirty lashes at the whipping post. Discovering this news after visiting Nat in the stocks and reading the public notice on the meeting house sends Kit fleeing into the arms of the only person who could understand the depth of her conflicted feelings about Nat: Hannah Tupper, the Quaker who is rumored to be a witch and has, thus, been cast out of the town. 

Hannah is able to offer Kit a great deal of comfort, telling her not to worry and  informing her that she had once been placed in the stocks herself. Even Kit's fears that she will never see Nat again are put to rest by Hannah's calm nature and the remembrance that "ever since he was eight years old Nat had been finding his way to Blackbird Pond through devious meadow routes..." Hannah's house seems to serve as a sanctuary and a meeting place for all those in need of one. Kit is reassured that, "[a]s always, here in this house, things seemed to look much desperate." 

Is abuse a cycle where the abused today is the abuser tomorrow?

While it is known that victims and survivors of abuse as children are more likely to abuse in adulthood than those who have never been abused, it is not set in stone. The effects of abuse are far reaching and can influence later behavior towards others.

Some of the effects of abuse include high risk of drug use, alcohol use and mental health problems. While not directly indicative of abusive behavior, these can contribute to abusive behaviors later on in life. Also, people who have been in abusive situations can come to view that behavior as normal. They continue the line of abuse because that is how they believe that relationships function and they have never learned healthy relationship skills.

However, it has also been show that the cycle can be broken. Therapy of various modalities including psychotherapy, psychiatric therapy, art therapy and music therapy have proven to be effective in helping to overcome the negative effects of abuse. Also, developing a strong, positive support system has also proven beneficial.

There are many known factors in the perpetuation of the cycle of abuse and many more yet to be discovered. Knowing and understanding the effects of abuse can aid in reducing the likelihood of the abused becoming the abuser. Sometimes abuse can turn into a cycle, but it does not have to continue indefinitely.

What are some of W.E.B. Du Bois' achievements?

W.E.B. Du Bois was an African American man born on February 23, 1868 in Massachusetts. He went on to achieve much in his lifetime. He was a prolific writer, scholar and activist. 

Du Bois first earned his bachelor's degree at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Afterwards he attended Harvard, where he earned his master's and went on to become the first African American man to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard.

Du Bois embarked on his writing career with The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study, the first case study of an African American community in the U.S. He also wrote papers on the lives of black farmers and businessmen. This established his reputation as a scholar of black communities and lives in America. 

During his time teaching Sociology in Atlanta, Du Bois spoke out publicly against Booker T. Washington and his ideas that black people should value vocational education over trying to achieve a higher education. 

Du Bois published The Souls of Black Folk, Dusk of Dawn, and Black Reconstruction in America, as well as many other works throughout his life. Du Bois also help cofound the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he served as the director of research and the editor. 

These are only some of his many achievements. 

In "Rules of the Game" what does the sign mean that says "Within this store is all for food not for pet"?

The sign is intended for tourists who think that the animals at the store are for sale as pets.

Different cultures eat differently.  San Francisco’s Chinatown attracts a wide variety of visitors, including tourists from many cultures.  They may not understand how the Chinese eat.  This is the reason the store owner put up the sign, to prevent non-Chinese from trying to buy his food as pets.

Farther down the street was Ping Yuen Fish Market. The front window displayed a tank crowded with doomed fish and turtles struggling to gain footing on the slimy green-tiled sides. A hand-written sign informed tourists, "Within this store, is all for food, not for pet."

Waverly is aware that the fish and turtles are being sold to make dinner.  Turtles are commonly used for soup, and of course the fish could be eaten any number of ways.  The sign is an example of the cultural divide between the Chinese Americans and natives.  Some people might think that killing turtles is cruel, for example, because they do not understand that they are often eaten in many cultures.

On less crowded market days, we would inspect the crates of live frogs and crabs which we were warned not to poke, boxes of dried cuttlefish, and row upon row of iced prawns, squid, and slippery fish.

This colorful bit of insight into Waverly’s neighborhood provides good background for the setting.  The store is a popular one, and we know that the reason the fish and turtles are still alive is that people want them to be fresh.  They are fresh because the butchers wait to kill them until just before they are eaten.  They do not kill them until they are purchased.

Waverly’s mother uses the crabs as a lesson, telling her that a little girl who ran into traffic was squashed flat like a crab.  This makes her nervous around the seafood.  It is another example of Waverly’s personality, and her mother’s.

In John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester's, poem "Upon Nothing," what are Wilmot's main points?

John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester (1647-1680), was described by Charles Whidbley in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of English Literature as

. . . the one man of undisputed genius among them (the Court Poets) [who] will ever be memorable for the waywardness and complexity of his character, for the vigour and energy of his verse. . . .

Rochester's earlier poemSatyr Against Mankind (1675, 1679) is considered his poetic masterpiece, but "Upon Nothing" (1711) runs a close second because it espouses Rochester's belief that life is meaningless, in part, from England's political situation at the time--a king on the throne, Charles II, who had the perogatives of a king (that is, was outwardly respected) but no real power and certainly no say in how England was governed.  In short, men like Rochester, who used to rule England, were left to entertain themselves with trifles rather than exercise real political power.

As several scholars argue, "Upon Nothing" is a satire on much more serious works--John Milton's Paradise Lost and Genesis, the first book of the Christian Bible--and speaks to the nihilism, the belief that man's institutions and life itself is essentially meaningless, felt by many aristocrats during the reign of Charles II.

"Upon Nothing" is about, well, nothing, and despite its generally light tone, it treats a serious subject, the lack of belief in man's future and the futility of working to make life different or better.  In a direct reference to the creation sequence of Genesis, Rochester argues that creation came from nothing:

Yet Something did thy mighty power command,/And from thy fruitful emptiness's hand/Snatch'd men, beasts, birds, fire, air, and land. (ll. 10-12)

The Christian God of creation has been reduced to a great nothingness from which came life.  Rochester's logic here dictates that if life derives from nothingness, life itself--and all its components (men, beasts) are nothing.

In the sixth stanza, Rochester makes it clear that the Creator, which is Nothingness, lost control of its creation:

With Form and Matter, Time and Place did join;/Body, thy foe, with thee did leagues combine,/To spoil thy peaceful realm, and ruin all thy line. (ll. 14-16)

Rather than having man as the epitome of God's creation, Rochester has turned man ("Body, thy foe") into the instrument Nothingness's ruin.  In other words, mankind is not the goal of creation but the unintended consequence of a conspiracy against Nothingness.

The saving grace--if one can call it grace--is that just as mankind has been created, mankind is destroyed by its very nature:

And, bribed by thee, assists thy short-liv'd reign,/And to thy hungry womb drives back thy slaves again. (ll. 20-21)

That is, Nothingness, which has ultimate control even over its "mistakes," controls the lifespan of its creations, and so mankind return to its birthplace, which is Nothingess.  It is not coincidental that Rochester, when he uses the phrase "bribed by thee," fails to capitalize the word thee, which, in a biblical reference, would always be capitalized as a reference to God.  Here, thee is not capitalized because it refers not to God but to Nothingness.

Rochester, who was a great friend and thorn in the side of Charles II, even attacks the government in stanza 13 when he argues that

But Nothing, why does Something still permit,/That sacred monarchs should at council sit,/With persons highly thought at best for nothing fit? (ll. 37-39)

Here, Rochester argues that the King is trying to govern the land or, at least, pretending to govern the land, with the advice of powerful people who are obviously not up to the task.

The poem's last stanza encapsulates Rochester's belief in the Nothingness that prevails in his world--the French, who cannot speak the truth; the Dutch, whose military, especially their Navy, is useless; the British, who do not know how to govern; the Irish, who are supremely ignorant; the Scots, who are uncultured; the Spanish, who cannot act in a timely manner; and the Danish, who are dull-witted, are all part of the great Nothingness that governs the world.

What factors influence the size of a wave?

A number of factors affect the size of waves. These include wind speed, duration, water depth, distance of wind travel over open water or fetch, direction of tide, speed of tide, etc. Higher wind speeds result in bigger waves and smaller speeds result in relatively smaller waves. Wind that are blowing for longer duration also causes bigger waves. Fetch is the term commonly used for distance traveled by the wind over water surface. The more the distance traveled by the wind, bigger are the waves. Proximity to coastal regions may limit the fetch. In shallow waters, wave speed falls, thus increasing their heights. That is why tall waves are seen near the beaches. Tide direction also affects the wave heights. If the tide direction is opposite to the wind direction, taller waves result.

Hope this helps.

What is a rhetorical device and how is it used?

A rhetorical device is a way of using spoken or written language to make it memorable, powerful or unique. Such devices can also be used to persuade an audience or reader to the author's way of thinking. Language can be a very persuasive tool, and we sometimes may not even be aware that language is used to manipulate us to a particular way of thinking or course of action. Many rhetorical techniques (another way of saying "device") have been introduced over the last few centuries, and new ones come along frequently. The pervasiveness of technology and our use of it to communicate is having an impact on language as well.

There are many specific examples of rhetorical devices, some more commonly used than others. Adynation is a colorful example; it means a hyperbolic way of describing something that is so extreme it becomes absurd; such as, "when pigs fly" or "I could eat a horse" or "it was the zombie apocalypse of final exams"

Asterismos means using unnecessary words or phrases to introduce what you are saying; for example, "I'm going to tell you a story," or "Perhaps none of you need to be told this."

Dysphemism is similar to euphemism, except where the latter means substituting a less-offensive word or term for the one intended (such as "call of nature"), the former means using a more offensive or derogatory term. For example, instead of saying "liberally-biased media" one might say "lamestream media."

These and other rhetorical devices can be used to make language more colorful, and to persuade listeners or readers to certain ways of thinking.

What was FDR's role as President during the Great Depression and the New Deal? Write from a very opinionated/subjective point of view: you can...

During the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt (elected President in 1932) instituted many measures to help revive the economy, provide relief for Americans, and prevent a future economic crisis. Known collectively as the New Deal, these measures have been both praised and criticized.

When FDR first took office, he closed all the country's banks for several days to ensure that they were sound enough to reopen. As a result, people began to develop more confidence in what was a shattered banking industry, and he also instituted the FDIC, which insured depositors' money. Without these measures, people would not have had faith in the banking industry, as many banks had gone out of business since the stock market collapse in late 1929. 

Many historians praise FDR's efforts to rebuild the economy and shore up the nation's infrastructure though programs such as the Civilian Conversation Corps, which put people to work in national forests, or the Works Progress Administration, through which people built bridges, roads, tunnels, and other forms of infrastructure. These programs gave people jobs and wages to help to jumpstart a stalled economy in which approximately one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed.

Others criticize FDR's programs for increasing the size of the federal government through large expenditures on so-called entitlement programs such as Social Security, which still exists today to provide income for the elderly. They claim that he moved the U.S. economy too far towards socialism. While FDR's programs did not end the Great Depression--only spending on World War II in the 1940s did that--they did provide hope and some forms of relief, as well as programs that people still rely on today such as Social Security--to a weary and poor nation. 

Examine the connotative language Fitzgerald uses to contrast West Egg and East Egg in The Great Gatsby.

East Egg and West Egg are two communities differentiated by the socioeconomic status of their residents. The connotations of "East" and "West" are also important here, for although these small towns are in New York, Fitzgerald intended the names and the divisive nature of their reputations to be references to the Eastern United States and the West: bastions of old money and family connections, and new industry and the frontier spirit, respectively. The East and West connotations also conjure up different ideas about morality, another theme in the novel: the West represents more traditional family values and the East a more sophisticated and perhaps decadent way of life. Gatsby's decision to build his grand mansion in West Egg is a tribute to his own Midwestern upbringing, but also a bit of a put down of the snobbery associated with the East. Narrator Nick Caraway says West Egg is "the less fashionable of the two," and describes the way that "the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water."

Fitzgerald, like Gatsby, was enamored of the wealthy classes, those with "old money," and it is a theme in many of his novels and short stories, perhaps nowhere more than in The Great Gatsby. It is also true that West Egg and East Egg are need for the Long Island communities Fitzgerald lived near; he rented a house in Great Neck, just  few mikes from Kings Point (West Egg) and across the bay from Sands Point (East Egg). Fitzgerald was friends with sportswriter Ring Lardner, and the two often drank together. They also spent time socializing with newspaper publish Herbert Swope, who was know for having loud raucous parties. The influence on the novel's characters, setting and events can clearly be seen in Fitzgerald's own life. 

How do Mark and Bryon feel about each other?

Mark and Bryon's feeling about each other change throughout the novel. Throughout the majority of the novel, Bryon and Mark have a close relationship which is similar to that of brothers. Mark and Bryon are continually helping one another avoid trouble and get revenge on those who've wronged them. Bryon comforts Mark after Mark gets injured in a fight outside of a school dance, and Mark assists Bryon in his search to find M&M. As the two friends grow older, they both experience traumatic events, and Bryon becomes closer with his girlfriend, Cathy. Mark's careless, immoral behavior becomes evident to Bryon, which causes a strain on their relationship. After Bryon calls the police on Mark for dealing drugs, their friendship is ruined. Mark resents Bryon for informing the police, and whenever Bryon visits Mark in the reformatory, Mark tells Bryon that he hates him. The two boys go from being close friends who share a mutual love and respect for one another, to distant strangers. 

Was slavery the primary cause of the Civil War?

Most historians would agree that slavery was the primary cause of the Civil War, because the issue of slavery lay just beneath all of the more specific issues that led to secession.

After the war, Southerners would try to distance themselves from slavery as a cause of the war, but during the secession crisis that followed Abraham Lincoln's election, proponents of disunion openly said that they wished to leave the Union to protect slavery. In their "Declaration of Causes" of secession, the secession convention in Georgia pointed to "...numerous and serious causes of complaint against our non-slave-holding confederate States with reference to the subject of African slavery." Most of the other Deep South states said something similar. The first seven Confederate states left the Union because they feared that the federal government under Lincoln and the Republicans would undermine slavery in the South, or perhaps more accurately, that they would refuse to accede to Southern demands on slavery as they had done (with the exception of a few issues) in the past. So the direct cause of the war was the secession of the Southern states, and the Confederate decision to fire on Fort Sumter in April of 1861. But the cause of secession was slavery. From a Union perspective, the purpose of the war would change over time from preserving the Union to ridding it of slavery. As James MacPherson, perhaps the most respected living Civil War historian recently said in an interview about the causes of slavery:

Probably 90 percent, maybe 95 percent of serious historians of the Civil War would agree on the broad questions of what the war was about and what brought it about and what caused it...which was the increasing polarization of the country between the free states and the slave states over issues of slavery, especially the expansion of slavery.”

What is an example of nationalism and imperialism going hand in hand?

In the United States, during the late nineteenth century, leading advocates of imperialism argued that the United States should expand and seize colonies around the world as a matter of national honor. As Senator Albert Beveridge, a leading promoter of imperialism put it in a famous speech, memorable for his image of the "march of the flag":

[I]t is ours to set the world its example of` right and honor. We can not fly from our world duties; it is ours to execute the purpose of a fate that has driven us to be greater than our small intentions. We can not retreat from any soil where Providence has unfurled our banner; it is ours to save that soil for liberty and civilization.

Beveridge's argument was a common one among American imperialists: The United States, as a democratic nation and the heir of Anglo-Saxon traditions, had the right and the obligation to spread its influence around the world. For many people in the United States, then, imperialism became inseparable from national identity. Theodore Roosevelt made a similar point when he called for Americans to pursue imperialism out of a desire for "what every self-respecting American demands from himself" and what "shall be demanded of the American nation as a whole." Imperialists thought that to become (or continue to be) a great nation, the United States had to become an imperialist nation. So, at the turn of the twentieth century, imperialism and nationalism went hand in hand in the United States.

What was Hester's punishment?

Hester's punishment was to spend a little time in jail; she is released three months after the birth of her child, the child her Puritan community believes was conceived in sin since Hester's husband has been missing for two years. Because they have no proof that her husband is living, she is not punished more harshly, but because they have no proof that he is dead, she is considered to be an adulteress.

In addition to the few months of jail time, when Hester is released, she is obligated to stand on the public scaffold in the town center, holding her baby, so that she can be publicly questioned by the town clergymen as to who her partner in sin was. However, the longest part of her punishment requires her to wear a scarlet "A" (for adultery) on her bodice any time she leaves her home. She had to make it herself while in jail, and as she stands on the scaffold, the

Scarlet Letter [appeared], so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself.

The letter renders her distinct, different from everyone else, and thus its appearance on her breast isolates her from all the townsfolk.  She becomes a cautionary tale in church services, an object of ridicule to the local children and some of the local goodwives, and town magistrates even consider removing her child from her care. The letter comes to be synonymous with Hester's identity in a way that can never be disentangled, not even by Hester herself.

What were some criminal activities Puck (Robin) did in A Midsummer Night's Dream?

Puck engages in all manners of mischief in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: he drugs teenagers, he transfigures unsuspecting weavers, he proves himself adept at covert surveillance, trespassing, unauthorized gardening, impersonating an Athenian (twice) and that’s just what we see. He also confesses to ruining cooking projects, attacking old women, teasing horses, and deliberately getting people lost. Some people file all this under tricksterish good fun, but some people see something darker. The Polish critic Jan Kott thought Puck reminded him of the scary, secretive practices of KGB agents at the height of the Cold War, and some productions make Puck a very sinister figure. On the other hand, because he is a fairy, he’s not subject to the same laws as the rest of us, so it’s hard to call his behavior truly criminal. All’s fair in love and ass heads.

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

You need to decompose the fraction into irreducible fractions, such that:

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

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

`3/((x-1)(x^2+ x + 2)) = A/(x-1) + (Bx+C)/(x^2+ x + 2)`

You need to bring the fractions to a common denominator:

`3 = Ax^2 + Ax + 2A + Bx^2 - Bx + Cx - C`

You need to group the terms having the same power of x:

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

Comparing both sides yields:

`A+B =0 => A = -B`

A - B + C = 0 => 2A + C = 0

`2A - C = 3`

Adding the relations yields:

`4A =3 => A = 3/4 => B = -3/4 => C = -6/4`

Hence, the partial fraction decomposition is `3/((x-1)(x^2+ x + 2)) = 3/(4x-4) + (-3x-6)/(4x^2+ 4x + 8).`

What is the theme of the novel Monster by Walter Dean Myers?

The prominent theme of the novel Monster by Walter Dean Myers examines how the criminal justice system dehumanizes the accused and arbitrarily sentences young minorities. Throughout the novel, Myers characterizes the prosecutor, judge, and attorneys as unattached participants who are not concerned with correctly bringing to justice those truly guilty of committing crimes. The prosecutor and attorneys simply seek personal gain from winning their cases, while the defendants are essentially helpless. The prosecutor also describes Steve Harmon as a "monster," which adversely affects Steve's perception of himself. Throughout the novel, Steve struggles with his identity and becomes sick when he realizes he looks similar to the other criminals in jail. Various inmates also elaborate on how truth is insignificant during a trial and sentencing is rather arbitrary. Steve feels hopeless throughout the novel and fears being lost in the system. Myers illuminates the impersonal reality of the criminal justice system and how it negatively affects and victimizes young minorities.

What was the significant about the transfer of power between parties in 1801?

The transfer of power in 1801 between the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party was significant. The transfer of power was done in an orderly fashion based on the election results in 1800. There was no fighting or revolution when power was transferred. This showed that our political system and our political process were effective and worked. In other countries, the transfer of power involved violent removal of leaders and/or revolution. These events didn’t occur here.

The transfer of power also meant new policies would likely be implemented in our country. The Federalists believed in having a strong federal government. They also believed in a loose interpretation of the Constitution. Thus, under Federalist rule, the government did things that weren’t specifically mentioned in the Constitution. For example, a national bank was created and a national debt plan was developed. Additionally, the Federalists supported Great Britain.

With the Democratic-Republicans coming to power, things would change. For example, the Democratic-Republicans repealed the Alien and Sedition Acts. These laws, supported by Federalists, were aimed at harming the Democratic-Republican Party by making it harder for immigrants to become citizens and by making it easier to remove disloyal immigrants from the United States. Since more immigrants were joining the Democratic-Republican Party, these laws could potentially harm them. The Democratic-Republicans supported France and wanted to establish a stronger relationship with them. The Democratic-Republicans were in favor a weaker federal government and were in opposition to the national bank. As a result, while Jefferson was President, taxes were reduced and the whiskey tax ended. There were also fewer people working for the federal government.

Thus, the orderly transfer of power brought about changes in our country just as the writers of the Constitution planned when they created our political system.

What would happen to temperature on Mercury during the day if a sunspot was directly in line with its surface?

If a sunspot were pointed right at Mercury in this way, the planet would become even more mind-bogglingly hot.

Sunspots look dark in our visual spectrum, so we might suspect that they are colder (or at least less hot) than the rest of the Sun; but in fact they are hotter. They emit even more energy than "normal" Solar surface; it's simply in the form of UV radiation and charged particles that our eyes cannot see.

We still don't really understand what causes sunspots or how to predict them; but we do know that several major climate events in Earth's history have been triggered by particularly high or low levels of sunspots.

Mercury already reaches temperatures over 700 Kelvin (290 Kelvin is comfortable, 310 Kelvin is hot---700 Kelvin is approaching the melting point of aluminum), so with a sunspot pointed right at it, it might well exceed 735 Kelvin, making it for a brief time even hotter than Venus.

But since Mercury has no atmosphere, it cools off very quickly, and by midnight that same spot on the planet would actually become extremely cold---as cold as 100 kelvin at the surface, which is cold enough to free CO2 into dry ice.

Mercury's temperature swings wildly; at noon you can melt aluminum, but at midnight you get dry ice. Of course, that's partly because the day is longer than the year.

What details of character and setting has O. Henry included to show the conflict and the characters' reactions to this conflict in "The Gift of the...

Della and Jim Dillingham have fallen upon hard times and their clothes and their flat reveal some of their hardships.

In the exposition of O. Henry's story, Della counts out her money which falls short of what she needs for a Christmas present for her husband.

• Disappointed, Della drops onto the "shabby little couch" and cries. 


• The flat looks as though it is ready for the "mendicancy squad," a police squad that picked up beggars.


• The vestibule contains a bell that does not work


• The name "Dillingham" looks blurred above the mailbox


• There is in the Dillingham's flat on the floor a "worn red carpet"


• Della wears an "old brown jacket" and an "old brown hat" when she goes out to sell her hair in order to buy a watch fob for Jim.


• Jim needs a new overcoat and a pair of gloves when he arrives home


• Della sells her beautiful, long hair so that she can buy Jim a Christmas present, a gold watch fob


• Jim sells his handsome watch in order to buy Della combs for her beautiful hair 


• When they discover that the other has sold his or her most important possession, they are awe stricken, but soon reconcile and love each other even more.

What are some questions asked in the case Marbury v. Madison?

Marbury v. Madison was a very complex case remembered not so much for the issues at stake as for the precedent established in the Court's ruling. The case arose when outgoing President John Adams appointed several Federalist justices of the peace, including William Marbury, in the District of Columbia. The incoming President Thomas Jefferson was a Republican, and resented Adams' move. He ordered his Secretary of State, James Madison, to refuse to deliver the appointments as required by the Judiciary Act. The Act also allowed Marbury to petition the Supreme Court for a legal instrument known as a writ of mandamus to force Madison to deliver the signed and approved commission. So the questions were as follows:

• Did Marbury have a right to the appointment?


• Could the Supreme Court be required by an act of Congress to issue a writ of mandamus in such cases?

The Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice John Marshall, ruled that Marbury did indeed have a right to the appointment, which was made by a President and approved by the Senate per the Constitution. But he also ruled that the Judiciary Act, which again, allowed Marbury to petition for a writ directly to the Supreme Court, was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court, Marshall wrote in his majority decision, did not have original jurisdiction in such cases. (It followed, as a sidenote, that the Supreme Court could therefore not force Jefferson to give Marbury the commission.) In short, he ruled a law made by Congress unconstitutional. This was the first time the Supreme Court had done so, and it set the important precedent of judicial review, though the Court would not exercise it much over the next century. The enduring importance of Marbury v. Madison has little to do, then, with the questions of the case.

In The Crucible, Cheever says that cows are running freely in the streets. Why are they roaming?

Cheever is really describing the chaos that has taken over Salem with the witch trials.  The entire community is in an uproar and fearful of those accused of witchcraft.  People are coming out to the trials on a daily basis leaving their farms unattended.  The atmosphere of the community has declined and paranoid accusations are “running freely” like the cows.  The Salem and the Puritan religious structure is starting to breakdown with what they think is rampant witchcraft in the community.  The free roaming cows and vacant fields show how the fanaticism of witch craft has caused people to neglect their daily lives.  The town’s people are more interested in the theatrics of the trial than their own well-being. 

Lives have been turned upside down with the accusations brought about by Abigail and the girls.  The Puritan community is sinking into pandemonium echoed by the cows running the streets of Salem. 

In "The Sniper," examine how the sniper feels upon first realizing that he has killed his enemy.

Upon first realizing that the sniper has killed his enemy, he shows excitement.

O'Flaherty describes the sniper with a driving focus when he starts his mission.  This can be seen in the story's opening as the sniper possesses "the cold gleam of a fanatic."  The sniper's physical appearance is described as "thin and ascetic," communicating an almost- spiritual commitment to his mission. 

The sniper's purpose is recognized when he shoots and hits his target. He "uttered a cry of joy."  When the sniper first realizes that he has killed his enemy, he is happy that he has accomplished the job that he set out to do. However, O'Flaherty is deliberate in suggesting something more to the sniper. The sniper begins to realize the full implications of what he has done.  When the sniper is forced to think about killing his enemy, "the lust of battle died in him." His initial excitement is replaced by "remourse," as "sweat stood out in beads on his forehead."  What was once happiness is now replaced with the sniper "cursing the war, cursing himself, cursing everybody."  These details help to offset the sniper's initial feelings of happiness and enthusiasm that he felt upon first realizing that he killed his enemy.

What are the educational applications of Piaget's cognitive theories of learning?

Piaget's theories of development and cognition have direct applicability to education.  He posited that there are stages of intellectual development that every child must go through, not necessarily on the same schedule, but always in the same order. He also posited that children construct their learning by incorporating knowledge into their existing knowledge. This is why his theories are taught in education courses.  We need to understand these stages and how children learn, so we can capitalize on that understanding in the way best suited to each student.

Essentially, children move from not being able to make any distinction between themselves and the world around them, to being able to incorporate concrete experiences and sensations as separate from themselves, to understanding the stability and constancy of the world, to processing language as representational, to being able to understand abstractions. In each of these stages, the child is gaining a greater and deeper understanding of the world, with more "content" internalized to allow the child to take in even more.  The child begins to categorize the world, and new information can be more easily "fit" into these categories, and new and more subtle distinctions can be made. A child, for example, may learn that while napkins made of paper can be thrown away, books, also made of paper, cannot be thrown away.  A child who has not learned about constancy will report that there is less or more water if water is poured into a container that is a different size or shape.  All of our understanding of this, from Piaget, informs our planning and teaching, in particular, up to and including adolescence, at which time most children are at the highest stage of Piaget's development ladder. 

So, for example, a pre-school or early education teacher is going to know that the constancy of a quantity is something that his or her students is not capable of understanding. A lesson based upon this would be pointless, since children are unlikely to be at the stage of development in which they can process this concept. Teaching a fourth grader algebra is a foolish idea, since algebra involves abstract thinking.  To the degree that language represents abstractions, teaching a vocabulary of abstractions is a foolish idea before a certain stage. Before children can categorize or see patterns, expecting them to do so makes no sense.  But the more a teacher can offer any student the experiences of the concrete world, what we now call hands-on learning, the more the student brings cognitively to the table when the higher stages begin.  This is one of the reasons that children in poverty do so poorly in school, in fact. They have not had as many concrete experiences that prepare them to learn. Their parents speak to them about 80% less than middle-class and wealthy parents speak to their children, even before they begin school. So teachers must make up for this deficiency, and the theories of Piaget are one key to doing so. 

How can I write a summary on the book Frindle by Andrew Clements?

The book Frindle, by Andrew Clements, follows a fifth grade boy named Nicholas Allen as he tries to invent a new word. The book begins by explaining Nick's boredom with his English teacher and her obsession with the dictionary. However, learning more about the origin of words ends up inspiring Nick to develop a new word: "frindle," which means "pen." Soon the word "frindle" takes hold throughout Nick's school, and over time its popularity spreads to different schools, and later to different towns. Creating the word gets Nick in trouble with his teachers and his parents, but there was nothing he could do to stop it from spreading once it started getting popular. The book was meant to show how language shifts and evolves, and how words are made up and become real by being commonly used.

Why does Mrs. Bennet state that it is impossible for her and her daughters to visit Mr. Bingley if Mr. Bennet does not visit him first?

The reason Mrs. Bennet says this is because, in the Regency era, no unmarried woman must visit an unmarried gentleman at his place of residence without invitation. This is especially true if the gentleman is one who has not been previously introduced to the lady in question. While Mrs. Bennet could conceivably visit Mr. Bingley first, as Mr. Bennet cheekily suggests, the results would be disastrous.

Mrs. Bennet, as a married woman ushering her unmarried daughters into the home of a strange gentleman, would likely be ostracized by good society. Her actions would show a disregard for the kind of proper feminine behavior Regency society prizes. As such, Mrs. Bennet and her daughters would likely become fodder for neighborhood gossip, which in turn, would tarnish the girls' reputations. It's a tough era to live in.

A young lady's reputation was carefully protected in the Regency period, as prospective suitors were most concerned with the sexual purity of potential brides. The idea is that a wealthy or powerful man must be sure of his offspring's paternal heritage in order to ensure that no illegitimate offspring inherits his estate or title. So, sexual reputation can make or break a young woman's chance to secure a good marriage.

Additionally, rank comes into play here as well. Ideally, the person of lower rank would be introduced to the person of higher rank. In the novel, we read that Mr. Bingley's family had acquired its fortune through trade; this would make the Bingleys middle or upper middle class.

They were of a respectable family in the north of England; a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own had been acquired by trade...Mr. Bingley inherited property to the amount of nearly a hundred thousand pounds from his father, who had intended to purchase an estate, but did not live to do it.

On the other hand, Mr. Bennet was gentry; he owned the Longbourne estate. So, according to convention and societal custom, Mr. Bingley would be introduced to the Bennet girls, after Mr. Bennet paves the way, of course.

In The Secret Life of Bees, at the beginning of each chapter there is a quote. I need the meanings of quotes one to twelve please.

The quote at the beginning of each chapter lets the reader know something about the theme, purpose, or plot of the chapter. I am going to discuss the quotes at the beginnings of the first four chapters, to show you how each connects.  Someone else might want to discuss some of the others, but this will help you to understand how to make these connections and make it easier for you to make these connections in the other chapters, too.

The first quote, for Chapter One, focuses on the importance of the queen bee and how her absence from a bee colony has a great effect upon the colony. The first chapter introduces us to Lily, who lost her mother at age four, and it explains what an impact the loss of her mother has had upon her.  The mother is the queen bee as the story begins, and Lily is part of the colony, suffering from the loss of her queen bee.

The second quote, for Chapter Two, concerns bees that are leaving the old nest, because they have no queen. A scout bee will look for a new place that is suitable to start a new colony.  This is the chapter in which Lily and Rosaleen leave home, running away after Rosaleen and Lily are apprehended by the police.  While Rosaleen does not know it, Lily has determined to go to Tiburon, to find out about her mother, based upon a label she has from some place she knows her mother has visited, a label captioned "Black Madonna Honey."  This is like the bees leaving their nest to begin a new colony somewhere else.

In Chapter Three, the quote that begins the chapter is about new beekeepers finding a queen bee by first finding her "circle of attendants" (57).  When Lily and Rosaleen get to Tiburon, they stop at a general store, where Lily finds honey jars with the same label, and she inquires about where they are from.  She learns that the honey is made by August Boatwright, and she gets directions to August's house.  She and Rosaleen set off there, looking for the queen bee in a way, finding those who are around her protecting and caring for her.  

The quote that begins Chapter Four concerns bees as social beings. living in colonies, each a "family unit" (67) comprised of females. They all cooperate in all work, and males are not necessary most of the time.  Lily and Rosaleen meet the Boatwright family in this chapter, August, June, and May, all living together in a pink house, working together as a family unit, with no males present anywhere at this point in the book. 

So, you can see that each quote is carefully selected to highlight what the chapter is about, the action in the chapter or a theme of the chapter.  All of the quotes accomplish this, and it is important to look at each as you begin the chapter, since it creates a preview of what is to come. 

What does Shylock's recognition of Antonio's hypocrisy reveal about Shylock?

In Shylock's recognition of Antonio's hypocrisy, we see that Shylock has an eye for spotting contradiction.

These men are merchants, not theologians engaging in religious debate. Nevertheless, in what would otherwise be a neutral market of barter and exchange, where the highest bidder would simply acquire the desired item, we find economic decisions hinging upon religion and race. The market is tainted by racism. Shylock draws attention to this by pointing out Antonio's contradictory behavior. By borrowing from Shylock, Antonio enters into a contract with a man he has publicly abused: "many a time and oft / In the Rialto you [,Antonio,] have rated me / About my moneys and my usances. . . You call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog, / And spet upon my Jewish Gaberdine, / And all for use of that which is mine own" (1.3.116-123).

Shylock's ability to spot this contradiction indicates that he is a socially aware merchant who wants to draw attention to the injustice that inhabits the Venetian market.

How do I identify context, use of persuasive language, and structure of speech?

Another way to understand what is meant by context is "setting." The context or setting of the text is determined by the circumstances under which the story/text/speech is taking place, including where, when, the audience, the mood, etc. 

Persuasive language can be identified by analyzing the use of various rhetorical devices. One heuristic for evaluating the use of persuasion is the Aristotelian triad of ethos, pathos, and logos. These modes of persuasion refer to the different types of authority/legitimacy arguments can appeal to. Ethos can be located where the author is making an ethical appeal on the basis of their credibility (expertise or pedigree). Pathos can be identified in verses where the author elicits emotional responses from the audience - by using techniques such as meaning-loaded language, examples or stories of emotional events, and/or tone of voice. Logos can be identified on the basis of the author's use of logic or reason - such as using theory, citing facts, constructing historical analogies, etc. However, in addition to these broader modes of persuasion, specific rhetorical devices can also be analyzed for evaluating the efficacy of persuasion, some of these include: alliteration, allusion, anaphora, antithesis, epithet, hyperbole, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron or paradox, parallelism, etc. 

The structure of the speech can be identified through analyzing how the argument is built, arranged, and organized. There are many different ways to structure an argument. One way is in terms of a chronological sequence, where order is temporally imposed through signaling words such as: first, then, finally, next, or specific dates. Another way to organize the structure is in terms of cause and effect, where events are described and then causal factors explicated. Additional techniques include: problem/solution, compare/contrast, how-to directions, etc.

Some critics consider "The Seafarer" a kind of dialogue or conversation between two opposing attitudes. If the poem were a conversation between two...

The poet of “The Seafarer” does indeed present two opposing viewpoints in his poem. However, there is no doubt which view the speaker espouses, since he is speaking in the first-person for much of the poem. In fact, he begins with this line:

This tale is true, and mine.

He then goes on to tell about his tribulations upon the cold, forbidding sea in lines 8-11:

My feet were cast

In icy bands, bound with frost,

With frozen chains, and hardship groaned

Around my heart.

At first his tale seems to be simply about a man in a boat on a dangerous ocean. But a little later we begin to see that his real concern is spiritual, in lines 64-66:

Thus the joys of God

Are fervent with life, where life itself

Fades quickly in to the Earth.

The speaker appears to be using the ocean as a metaphor for the difficult and treacherous journey that must be made by the human soul.

The other side of the discussion is concerned with the safety and comfort of life as part of civilization. When man exists within the man-made world, he experiences things like this, from lines 48-49.

Orchards blossom, the towns bloom,

Fields grow lovely as the world springs fresh.

The poet is establishing something called a “juxtaposition.” Artists juxtapose when they present ideas side by side for the purpose of contrasting them. The “Seafarer” poet wants to contrast the solitary, spiritually courageous man with the comfort-seeking socially dependent man.

There are 48 boys and 60 girls that need to be split up into even teams for a PE activity. What is the greatest number of teams that can be formed...

Hello!

If we could split boys and girls into n teams, and b boys and g girls will be in each team, then obviously `nb=48` and `ng=60.` Therefore `n` divides 48 and `n` divides 60, or the same may be formulated as "`n` is a common divisor of 48 and 60". And the greatest such number is the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 48 and 60.

One way to find it is to factor 48 and 60 into prime factors:

`48=6*8=3*2^4,`
`60=6*10=5*3*2^2.`

There are common prime divisors `3` and `2^2,` GCD is their product which is  `12.`

So the answer is: 12 commands is the maximum. Each of them will consist of 48/12=4 boys and 60/12=5 girls.

In no more than two sentences, write a summary of "Through the Tunnel," including the title and author of the story.

In Doris Lessing's short story "Through the Tunnel," the eleven-year-old protagonist, Jerry, practices diligently to be able to swim through an underwater tunnel in an effort to distance himself from the protection of his mother and prove his maturity both to some older local boys with whom he desperately wants to fit in and to himself.

Although Jerry does begin to exhibit many signs of maturation during this process, including the ability to delay the gratification of his wishes, by the end of the story, after he has successfully swum through the underwater tunnel, he no longer feels the same urge to fight for his independence, and he desires only to be able to return home, lie down, and bask in the warmth of his mother's approbation and praise.

What are three ways in which "To Kill a Mockingbird" is used as a metaphor in the story and two ways it's used in the film?

The title of the book refers to the moment in which Atticus tells the children that "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird," by which he means that it's a sin to kill something that's innocent and is trying to do something nice.

This metaphor is present throughout the story in many different ways. For instance, when Jem, Scout, and Dill sneak out to follow Atticus to the jail, they are shocked to find him being confronted by a mob. Among the reasons that this is jarring is because they knew many of the people in the mob and had thought them to be good people. For Scout, this is one of the first times that she realizes how someone you think you know can change so dramatically and become a source of confusion or danger, which chips away at her innocence.

A very strong example of this metaphor is the outcome of Tom Robinson's trial. When Tom goes into Mayella's yard, he is innocently trying to help her until she starts making advances. Despite Atticus' strong defense that proves his innocence, Tom is still found guilty by the white community. In this case, Tom was trying to do something to help another person, which ends up costing him his life.

Finally, Scout and Jem being attacked at the end of the book is perhaps the most obvious example of the title. Throughout the story, the children are symbolic of innocence and the slow erosion of innocence that takes place as we grow up. Given that, their being attacked by another person in the community shatters the illusion of safety and the innocence that they can never get back.

Because the film is more or less faithful to the book, any examples found in the movie are also in the novel. Nevertheless, some things are more powerful when depicted visually, such as Jem's strong reaction to outcome of the trial. Throughout the novel, Atticus teaches the children the importance of doing the right thing and he is a hero to Scout and Jem. For that reason, Jem becomes very upset when Tom is found guilty despite his obvious innocence. Jem's view of the world is less innocent than Scout's but he had put his faith in people doing the right thing. The outcome of the trial is the first time that he sees how unfair the world can be, which takes away a great deal of his innocence and harms his faith in doing what's right.

Finally, the film does an excellent job of using the title as metaphor when Scout is finally introduced to Boo. For the duration of the film (and novel), Boo is a mysterious but obviously emotionally fragile person. By saving Jem and Scout, he puts his physical and emotional safety at risk, particularly if he is forced to endure a trial. In this case, Boo was doing something to help another person, which could have ultimately led to his whole world collapsing around him. This scene is particularly powerful given the ways in which he is almost literally dragged out of the shadows and thrust into a very dangerous world.

In what way does the title "A Worn Path" clearly represent the focus of the story?

The title of Eudora Welty’s short story “A Worn Path” is a metaphor for Granny’s stage in life and her mission for the day. Granny’s life is a worn path from her time as a slave to the present as she cares for her ill grandson. As Granny travels the path between her home and the clinic where she obtains medicine for her grandson, it is obvious that she traveled the path repeatedly. She talks to the animals, telling them to stay out of her way, and even speaks to the thorns on the bushes as they grip her skirt. The description of her gait, her untied shoes, her cane, and the falls she takes remind the reader that she is a poor, feeble woman who is full of determination. When she finally reaches the clinic, she is unable to respond to the receptionist for a few moments. The nurse intervenes, explaining why she is there. Walking the path to town has exhausted her to the point of being incapable of remembering her mission. Granny’s journey on that worn path is symbolic of her path in life.

Why is acid added to water and not water to acid when diluting?

When diluting acid, it's safer to add acid to water than to add water to acid because heat is released when strong concentrated acids are mixed with water. When water is added directly to the acid a very concentrated solution initially forms and the heat that's released can cause boiling and splashing of the solution at the surface. It can also give off acidic steam. This creates a chemical contact hazard for the person preparing the solution.

If instead the concentrated acid is added to water, it initially creates a dilute solution. Heat is evolved more slowly because less acid is being diluted at once. The heat is absorbed by the water.

Chemical splash goggles, protective gloves and a lab apron should be worn when dispensing concentrated acid.

What are hyphae?

Hyphae are the thread-like structures of a fungal mycelium that form a network of feeding structures to help nourish and feed the fungus.  In a puffball mushroom, for example, there are tightly-packed hyphae in the stalk of the mushroom body, and loosely-packed hyphae in the ground surrounding the mushroom body.  The network of hyphae secure important water and nutrients for the fungal body.  It works opposite the way our digestive system works, where we ingest food, then break it down through a series of mechanical and chemical steps.  The fungus sinks the hyphae into the food source, then emits digestive enzymes into the food source.  When the food has been chemically digested, it is absorbed by the hyphae and fed to the body of the fungus.  Hyphae function as digestive structures that supply the fungus with water and nutrition.

Who is Mrs. Partridge?

Mrs. Partridge is the mother of Margaret Cadaver (Sal’s next-door neighbor). They have lived in their house only for about a month. She has been blind for some time, though not from birth. She likes to dress in colorful clothing and wears a feather boa when Phoebe and Sal first go to her house. Though she is blind, she has an uncanny ability of guessing accurately such details as faces and ages. She knew Phoebe’s age, which does not strike Phoebe as so very unusual, not knowing that she is blind. She also tells Phoebe that she met her brother, but it is the strange boy that Phoebe calls a “lunatic.”

Mrs. Partridge likes to read mysteries in Braille, which convinces Phoebe that Mrs. Partridge is a suspect in the disappearance of her mother. However, Mrs. Partridge seems to enjoy her life and likes talking to the girls, even when they break into her house one night because Phoebe wants to look for clues. She has strength of spirit, as does her daughter Margaret. Sal begins to appreciate this, far more than Phoebe does. Sal marvels that, even though she is blind, she has more insight into people than she or Phoebe do.

What does Mama realize about her daughters at the end of the story "Everyday Use"?

At the end of "Everyday Use," Mama realizes that Maggie is deserving of appreciation and attention and that Dee is hardly an authority on family matters.  Throughout the story, Mama admits that she has not paid much attention to Maggie who is quiet and unassuming.  Maggie has lived her life in the shadow of her younger sister Dee.  But at the end of the story, Maggie proves that she knows the family's heritage, and she is the one who can remember which uncle whittled the churn and which uncle whittled the dasher.  Maggie has also learned how to quilt just like her mother and grandmother, so she is the daughter who will carry on the family's traditions.  Dee, on the other hand, has always presented as knowledgeable, and certainly her formal education lends to this image.  Dee never really had true friends, just people who admired her intelligence and listened to what she had to say.  But at the end of the story, Mama realizes that Dee does not really want to be a part of the Johnson family and its traditions--she simply wants to make the family's heritage a spectacle to show her friends.  As a result, Mama opts to turn all her attention to Maggie and let Dee go back to the life that she has chosen to live.

How does Mark Twain address the themes of slavery, freedom, and growing up in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

These are some of the main themes of the novel. I will give you a brief explanation of each.

Freedom

Although often considered one of the first works of literary realism, there are also strong romantic themes in this novel. Huck's escape from the attempts to "sivilize" him in order to live freely on the river show his strong love of freedom. He can live according to his own passions rather than the forces of society. These romantic forces are an appeal to Emersonian individualism and freedom. The novel values the freedoms of the individual over the often corrupting forces of the society. This is also clear from Huck's desire to escape his father, as well as Jim's struggle to escape slavery.

Growing up

While this is an adventure novel, it is also in many ways a coming of age novel. In the previous book in the story, Huck is more of a follower than a leader. He goes along with Tom's plans like we see him do in the start of the book. Later, he reluctantly obeys social forces, then tags along with the King and Duke's schemes. 

Huck slowly grows out of his complacency and acts on his own. He breaks from moral convention by remaining loyal to Jim, and turns on the King and the Duke. He slowly becomes his own man. By the end of the novel, Tom's plans seem entirely ridiculous. Huck has outgrown the need to seek adventure for its own sake. The reader sees how silly such adventures were as Tom gets shot executing a plan that was pointless. Huck moves from being a young boy looking for fun to a man seeking the freedom to live according to his own values.

Slavery

This theme is explored through Jim's character. Jim is a close friend of Huck's. He is in many ways something of a father figure to the boy. Having grown up in an flawed society, Huck believes that allowing Jim to remain free is a sin. He grapples with this, since he has been convinced that alerting Jim's owner is the moral thing to do. His internal morality, however, says differently. He knows deep down that Jim is a good man and that slavery is wrong. His decision to "go to hell," and tear up the letter, shows how basic human goodness prevails over societal ideas of morality.

In what ways does Cisneros's description of herself at that age represent a divide between her inner sense of self and her external realities?...

Sandra Cisneros, who is thirty-two when writing her essay, perceives herself as an eleven-year-old in her essay. The creative spirit, the one that is able to make straw into gold "with a little imagination," has been in Sandra all her life, and it is the shy, sensitive child in her that holds her ideas. 

As a girl of eleven, Sandra made C's and D's in school, but she read many books from the library and she wrote poems about her brother Henry, with whom she was closest. She looked beyond the classroom through the window and watched a girl write her name in red ink, not blue or black. She folded her hands as she should, but inside she was fearful. She was a shy girl because her family moved frequently; furthermore, she did not like school because "all they saw was the outside of me," and she describes this as funny-looking. She could not come out of her shell except through her poetry and writing. And, yet, there is a connection between her life and her writing because of her traumatic experiences.

This was the period in my life, that slippery age when you are both child and woman and neither.

Sandra felt all this when she was young and did not realize her real talent, nor did she realize the divide between the beauty of her imagination and the environment in which she lived and would live for a number of years. But, she learns to take this "straw" and effect its metamorphosis into "gold." 

What kind of feminism is applicable to A Thousand Splendid Suns?

I think that cultural feminism can be applicable to Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns.

In cultural feminism, there is a stress on the differences between men and women.  This brand of feminism does not seek to make women like men.  It seeks to validate how both genders are distinct from one another.  In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam learns this quickly when she is told that, "A man's heart is a wretched, wretched thing, Mariam. It isn't like a mother's womb. It won't bleed, it won't stretch to make room for you."  The emphasis on how a "mother's womb" makes women different from men is a part of the cultural feminism that defines Mariam's approach to the world.

As a result of the emphasis on differences between men and women, cultural feminism argues that women must develop their own social place.  It affirms the need to create spaces apart from the domains that men have established. The world that the Taliban in Afghanistan has created for women is vastly different than what men experience.  This can be seen in the way that Rasheed views his place and the place of women in Taliban society. When Mariam befriends Laila and when the two women establish a sisterhood, it is a striking example of cultural feminism.  The fact that Mariam willingly sacrifices herself for Mariam shows a culturally feminist response to male- dominated rule.

`pi(int_0^pi(sin(x))dx)` Each integral represents the volume of a solid. Describe the solid.

The formula provided represents the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the region enclosed by the curves `y = sqrt(sin x), y = 0,` about y axis, using washer method:

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

You need to find the endpoints by solving the equation:

`sqrt(sin x) = 0 => sin x = 0 => x=0, x = pi`

`V = pi*int_0^(pi) (sqrt(sin x) - 0)^2)dx`

`V = pi*int_0^(pi) sin x dx`

`V = pi*(-cos x)|_0^(pi)`

`V = pi*(-cos pi + cos 0)`

`V = pi*(-(-1) + 1)`

`V = 2pi`

Hence, evaluating the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the region enclosed by the curves `y = sqrt(sin x), y = 0` , about y axis, using washer method, yields `V = 2pi.`

Are 1984 and Romeo & Juliet stories of love or rebellion? How could I format an essay around this topic?

In both 1984 and Romeo and Juliet, strong evidence exists that the characters are genuinely in love with each other. In both works, the characters risk everything, including their lives, to be with each other. They may be rebelling against the circumstances they find themselves in, but their caring goes far beyond rebellion. 

To structure this essay, first state your thesis very strongly in the first paragraph, saying that the characters love each other.

Then, in paragraph 2 illustrate how Romeo and Juliet love each other, using evidence from the play, including quotes. Evidence that they love each other includes their risky secret marriage and the fact that they both commit suicide when they think the other is dead. If they were merely rebelling against their families, they most likely wouldn't be willing to die.

In paragraph 3, illustrate how Julia and Winston love each other, including evidence from the novel, including quotes. What do they say to each other when they are alone together? Note that after he is arrested, Winston resists turning on Julia, even though it means he suffers torture. Find quotes at the end to show how he feels at having betrayed her. 

Finally, write a concluding paragraph, summing up your main points. 

What happens after Odysseus and his men become trapped in the Cyclops's cave?

Polyphemus, the Cyclops, sets the huge stone door in place when he returns from shepherding his flock. It is a stone so large that Odysseus and his men could never hope to move it. They beg for the hospitality that Greek culture has enabled them to expect, as Zeus was the god of travelers, and it was believed that offering hospitality was, thus, a religious imperative. However, Polyphemus says, "'The Cyclops pay no heed to aegis-bearing Zeus, nor to the blessed gods; because we are much stronger than themselves.'" This is bad news for our hero because the Cyclops can clearly overpower them. And he does.

Polyphemus immediately kills and eats two of Odysseus's men, and then goes to sleep.  Odysseus realizes that they cannot simply kill this monster or else they will not be able to move the stone from the door, and they, too, would perish inside. When the Cyclops awakens in the morning, he eats two more men, and two more again that night.  

However, after dinner, Odysseus gets him very drunk on the undiluted wine he has brought with him. (Wine used to be very viscous and would be mixed with water; one could make their wine as strong or weak as one desired. Odysseus plies Polyphemus with the full-strength stuff, and not even the giant monster can remain sober.)  Odysseus tells him that his name is "No man" or "Nobody" (depending on your translation). When the Cyclops passes out drunk, Odysseus and his men sharpen a large olive stake in the fire and plunge it into the monster's one eye, blinding him. Polyphemus screams, and when his fellow Cyclopes come to check on him, he tells them that "No man" is hurting him, and so they leave without offering him any aid! (This is just one example of Odysseus's cunning.)  

Finally, when the Cyclops rolls aside the stone at the door to let his flock out, Odysseus and his men tie themselves on the underside of the sheep (three sheep across hold one man) so that Polyphemus will not feel them on the sheep's backs as they run out the door.  This is how they make their escape.

In "The Devil and Tom Walker," what does the Walkers' home say about their personalities and values?

Early in the short story, Tom Walker and his wife are both described as miserable. Even though they didn't have a lot, they both hid what they could from each other. 

Although Tom was described as "meager, miserly" and "a cheat" by Washington Irving, his evil personality didn't compare to his wife's. She was described as a woman that involved herself in a lot of quarrels. According to Irving, Tom's wife was "a tall termagant, fierce of temper, loud of tongue, and strong of arm." The author even indicates to readers that marks on Tom's face proved that Tom's wife didn't just use words in her arguments, but also her hands. 

Their values were focused on material things and far from love and kindness. However, they didn't take care of what they mutually had, such as their home (that was described as run-down) and their horse (that was described as miserable and starved). They placed more value on hiding material objects than sharing them with each other.  

In the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, how effective is his organization?

I am going to assume that you mean Jon Krakauer's narration of the novel.  

I think his narrative organization is functionally effective.  While the story does seem to narrate in a haphazard manner, the narration of Chris McCandless's time spent wandering is, for the most part, in chronological order.  

The main exception to the chronological story telling is found in Chapter 1.  McCandless is already in the Alaskan interior, and he is riding with Jim Gallien.  Jim is the last person to see Chris alive.  I appreciated Krakauer's attempts at walking his readers through an organized interpretation of what he believes Chris did during the time before his death.

What I found particularly jarring in the text was the constant interruptions to talk about other people that Krakauer believes are similar in spirit to Chris.  I grew to appreciate the similarities that were being drawn, but I never enjoyed being pulled away from what Chris was doing.  Perhaps Krakauer did that on purpose to help build tension?  

While annoying to me, Krakauer's interruptions never felt out of place.  The comparisons always fit well with what Chris was doing.  So in terms of pure organization, I think Krakauer did a fine job.  But that doesn't mean I have to like the way that Krakauer organized it either.  

What happens at the beginning of "The Masque of the Red Death"?

The first paragraph of the story describes the disease which has been sweeping through the country ruled by Prince Prospero, a disease called "the Red Death" because "Blood was its Avatar and its seal -- the redness and the horror of blood." In other words, the disease caused such a profusion of blood to leak out of its victim that the color of blood has been chosen to be a part of the disease's name. It is a truly frightening disease that moves quickly and is always fatal: "No pestilence had ever been so fatal," and the whole progress of the disease from one's contraction of it to one's death lasted only about thirty minutes.  

Some scholars believe that the Red Death is symbolic of tuberculosis, an often fatal disease that eventually causes its victims to spit and cough up sometimes copious amounts of blood. Tuberculosis took Poe's mother when he was only three years old (he actually watched her die of the disease), as well as the beloved woman who took him in after his mother's death, Mrs. Allan, and eventually, his young wife.

Prince Prospero is ironically described as "happy and dauntless and sagacious" -- his actions hardly paint him as brave and perceptive -- and when half the people in his country had been taken by this disease, he invited one thousand friends to hole up in his castle with him and basically have a giant party until the disease had run its course outside the castle walls. Party-goers felt that "The external world could take care of itself." The story begins about five or six months into their isolation.

When in the book The Outsiders is Ponyboy Curtis considered an outsider?

Pony is an outsider because he is a greaser, and he is also different from the other greasers.

An outsider is someone who does not fit in.  Ponyboy Curtis is twice an outsider.  First, all of the greasers are outsiders.  They are poor, and they wear their hair differently.  Because of this, they are looked down upon by mainstream society.  However, even among the greasers Pony is an outsider because he is different.

Pony is reflective and introspective, and very intelligent.  Unlike many greasers who have dropped out of school, Pony likes school and gets good grades.  He loves reading and going to the movies, both as intellectual pursuits.  Pony stands out among his friends because he is not quite like them.

And nobody in our gang digs movies and books the way I do. For a while there, I thought I was the only person in the world that did. So I loned it. (Ch. 1)

Pony abhors violence, and is in fact not very good at fighting.  He takes part in rumbles only rarely, such as when he wanted to fight the Socs over Johnny.  Pony prefers to have his nose in a book.

Unlike most of the other greasers, Pony has a future.  He has a chance to not be a greaser someday, through education and hard work.  It is also significant that he does not want to be like the others, but he identifies with them too.  They are still his friends, and where you come from matters.

Finally, Pony is able to see beyond class and gang conflicts.  He notices that Cherry is not like he expected a Soc to be.  He also has an honest conversation with Randy about violence and the clash between the gangs.  Pony is able to realize that Socs and greasers do have a lot in common.

Explain Tennyson's poem "The Eagle".

Alfred, Lord Tennyson is considered one of the greatest English Romantic poets of the 19th century. He held, for many years, the prestigious position of Poet Laureate of England. Like all Romantic poets, much of his work describes the beauty and wonder of nature.

In his short, two stanza poem, "The Eagle," Tennyson uses sharp imagery to portray the majesty of an eagle as it perches high on a mountain cliff overlooking the sea. In the opening line, "He clasps the crag with crooked hands," the eagle is personified. Personification is when human qualities are given to something not human. In this case, the talons of the eagle are compared to human hands. The "crag" is the rocky surface where he is sitting way up high ("close to the sun") above the sea and surrounded by blue sky ("the azure world").

In the second stanza, Tennyson uses more personification to describe the sea ("the wrinkled sea beneath him crawls") and a simile to show the eagle swooping down to hunt for prey:

He watches from his mountain walls,

And like a thunderbolt he falls.

A simile is when two unlike things are compared to enhance the quality of one of those things using either "like" or "as." The eagle is compared to a thunderbolt because of the power and suddenness of his dive. Overall, the eagle is portrayed as being at one with his surroundings and is the king of all he sees from his mountainous lair.  

How does The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde relate to Christianity?

Christians believe that all human beings are imperfect and subject to sin.  It is not possible for us to be perfectly good, though we can try, because we are sinful by nature.  (One can trace this idea back to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.)  We are easily tempted, easily led astray from the path of righteousness, and this weakness is fundamental to our human natures.  It is through our genuine atonement and by asking God's forgiveness that we receive God's grace.

In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll, embarrassed by the sins he feels compelled to conceal (because his Victorian society would judge him incredibly harshly were they known), attempts to separate out his own human sinfulness and, in so doing, eliminate it from his person entirely.  Then, he will have no sins to conceal because he will feel no desire to commit them.  This backfires, and the sinful part of his nature ultimately becomes stronger than his goodness and overpowers it.  Christian doctrine says that it is impossible to separate one's sinfulness from one's goodness because both are inherent to human beings; we are, by nature, a combination of the two.  Thus, his experiment must be a failure because what he attempts to do is simply not possible.

What was the most effective way the American colonists responded to British taxes such as the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts?

The British colonists used several methods to protest the taxes that Great Britain imposed upon them. The colonists were very unhappy with the Stamp Act and with the Townshend Acts. I will share some of the methods the colonists used to protest these taxes. I will also share how effective each protest was. Then you can decide which form of protest was the most effective.

One very effective method was to claim that these taxes violated the rights of the colonists. British citizens were supposed to have elected representatives that can speak about and vote on proposed taxes. Since the colonists didn’t have elected representatives in Parliament, they were able to effectively make their case about the British violating their rights. The colonists didn’t have representatives in Parliament that could speak about and vote on these proposed taxes. Some people supported the colonists for this reason.

The colonists also agreed to boycott British products until the taxes were repealed. Since the colonists stopped buying some products from British merchants, these merchants suffered some financial losses. This caused these merchants to put pressure on Parliament to end the taxes. This pressure helped bring about the repeal of the Stamp Act. 

In some cases, the colonists harassed the tax collectors. The colonists destroyed the property of the tax collectors and threatened them physically. As a result, many tax collectors resigned from their job. This also contributed to the repeal of the Stamp Act.

The colonists also began to make some of the products that they had bought from Great Britain. This was a more serious threat to the British merchants because if the colonists were successful in making their own products, they might permanently stop buying them from the British merchants.

The colonists also formed committees of correspondence to keep the people throughout the colonies informed about events and actions that were occurring. This helped the colonists to develop a response to various British actions including a response to these taxes.

The colonists also protested the Tea Act. While this law didn’t create a new tax, it did keep the existing tea tax in place while giving a monopoly of the tea trade to the British East India Company. The colonists boarded ships in Boston Harbor and dumped the tea that was on those ships into the harbor. This was known as the Boston Tea Party. The British responded to this action with the Intolerable Acts. The Intolerable Acts were designed to punish the colonists, especially those in Massachusetts, for the Boston Tea Party. The Intolerable Acts increased the anger of the colonists. For example, they began to form their own militias.

The colonists used various forms of protests. Which one do you think was most effective based on the information provided?

Identify common themes between the American Revolution and the English Revolution

The English Revolution of 1688-1689 witnessed the abdication of King James II, the acceptance of the throne by William and Mary and the passing of the English Bill of Rights. Conversely, the American Revolution of 1775-1783 was a conflict between the 13 U.S. colonies and Britain which resulted in American independence. While these two events may appear very different, they do share some similarities:

1. Both revolutions had financial causes. For the English, the ability of the king to raise taxes without the consent of Parliament was a major issue; while in America, Britain's repeated taxation of the colonists had caused widespread anger and protest.


2. Both England and America viewed their king as a tyrant. In England, the revolution was a struggle between Parliament and James II. In America, the colonists believed that George III treated them unfairly.


3. Both revolutions had the character of a civil war. The English Revolution was, in fact, preceded by the Civil War of 1642-1649. Similarly, in America, the two warring sides both spoke the same language, adhered to the same culture and were united by the same empire. 

What symbols are used in the poem "The Minstrel Boy" by Thomas Moore and what are their meanings?

The symbols in this poem are the minstrel boy's wild harp, his father's sword, and the foeman's chain. His father's sword stands for the freedom his forebears have fought for, which he still believes in and is willing to die for--and has. Even if he has to stand alone, he will stand ("One sword at least thy rights shall guard"). The boy's "wild harp" symbolizes the songs of freedom, the freedom to sing them, and hope for the future. "Land of song!" is about a free nation who sings about hope and freedom. He takes his harp with him to battle--to remind his compatriots through song what they're fighting for. He destroys the harp as he dies, because it stands for (to him) freedom ("Thy songs were made for the pure and free, / They shall never sound in slavery"). Finally, we have the chains he fights against, which symbolize slavery. This is a typical symbol of slavery, to the extent that it is a common metonymy (a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by a symbol of that concept, such as "the crown" being metonymy for "the king"). 

In Stephen King's novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, what's the key resource for Andy Dufresne while he is in prison?

Andy's mind is his key resource while in prison.

Andy Dufresne's mind is an important resource throughout his incarceration. From a practical point of view, Andy's mind helps him survive and eventually escape from Shawshank.  Andy was never going to overpower the guards in a swashbuckling manner.  He outsmarted his adversaries.  Andy is able to see how a small rock hammer can get him out of prison.  He is also able to use his smarts as a banker to curry favor with the guards and other inmates. The practical benefits to Andy's mind are extremely important.  

Andy's mindset is also a key resource throughout his time in Shawshank. Andy never loses hope.  Whether it is building a library, helping inmates better themselves, playing Mozart, or simply believing that there is a world outside of prison, Andy's positive outlook is critical.  Andy recognizes that men like Brooks are "institutionalized," being unable to see anything outside of imprisonment.  Andy's commitment to avoid this reality is where his mindset becomes a tremendous resource.  It allows him to both mentally and physically escape.  

Andy is not the strongest or most feared of the inmates at Shawshank. However, he is able to use his mind to survive and eventually triumph over life in prison.

What does Scout learn about mob mentality?

Mob mentality occurs when a group of people who have the same thing in mind are driven by a single cause or emotion to react as a group to a situation.  It is as if a group becomes one mind, one emotion.  When the mob approaches the jailhouse to lynch Tom Robinson, they are acting as a mob.  Peer pressure from the other mob members keeps them focused on the act of hanging Tom Robinson.  When Jem, Scout, and Dill show up to the attempted lynching, the presence of children in this violent group causes the mob to pause.  Jem refuses to leave despite Atticus pleading for him to go home.  It is then that Scout steps in and points out Walter Cunningham’s father in the crowd.  By pointing out Mr. Cunningham, the emotional “spell” of the mob mentality is broken.  Scout tells Mr. Cunningham to say “hey” to Walter, and the reference to his son makes Mr. Cunningham reconsider what he was about to do.  People are typically more courageous with a group of people than they are as individuals.  Scout reduces the mob to individuals who then feel regret for trying to carry out this violence in front of innocent children.  The mob mentality breaks down, and the mob is reduced to individual men who don’t want to be known for the deed they were about to do. 

How did Abraham Lincoln's war aims differ from those of the ex-slave in New Orleans and the black soldiers in whose regiment Susie King Taylor worked?

Abraham Lincoln’s war aims differed from the goals other African-Americans had in the Civil War. Former slaves in New Orleans and black troops fighting for the Union wanted to see slavery end. Their goals in the Civil War included ending slavery and bringing equal rights to African-Americans.

Abraham Lincoln had different war goals. Abraham Lincoln wanted to keep the country united. While he was personally against slavery, his main concern was to prevent the country from splitting. Thus, he was prepared to allow slavery to exist where it was already in place if it meant keeping the country together. Abraham Lincoln was determined to prevent slavery from spreading. However, he allowed some border states to continue to have slaves during the Civil War. He knew that if he tried to end slavery, the Border States would have joined the Confederacy. Thus, he didn’t make ending slavery a top priority at the start of the Civil War. Additionally, in his Reconstruction plan, there was nothing mentioned about allowing African-Americans to have the same rights as whites. For example, there was no mention of granting African-Americans the right to vote.

Abraham Lincoln had different goals than ex-slaves and those African-Americans who were fighting for the Union during the Civil War.

What is the conflict in Andrew Clements' No Talking? How does Dave begin to resolve the conflict? How does he finally solve it?

In Andrew Clements' No Talking, Dave Packer feels inspired to try being silent when he learns while doing a report on Mahatma Ghandi that Ghandi took a day of silence each week as a way to quiet his mind and focus his thoughts. Dave, being an excessive talker, felt inspired by the idea and takes a vow of silence for a day himself. The conflict occurs when, while at lunch, he breaks his vow of silence to yell at Lynsey.

At lunch that day, he overhears Lynsey telling a very long and useless story about someone in her school buying the sweater she had wanted to buy herself. When Dave gets fed up with her babbling, he yells, "If you had to shut up for five minutes I bet the whole top of your head would explode!" (p. 18). In response, Lynsey challenges him by pointing out that he's just as much of a babbler as she is. When, Dave responds, "And anyway, boys never talk as much as girls do, ever!," they both agree to a contest (p. 20). According to the contest, all fifth graders must take a vow of silence--boys against girls. The side that says the most illegal words loses. The conflict grows more intense when the fifth grader's silence draws forth a negative reaction from Mrs. Hiatt, their school principle. The conflict reaches its climax when Mrs. Hiatt shouts at Dave in front of the whole school during lunch, provoking him to shout back and remind her of his legal "right to remain silent!" (p. 108).

Dave begins to resolve the conflict by going to Mrs. Hiatt's office to apologize for yelling at her and is surprised when she turns the tables by apologizing to him. He then invites her to join in on their game, and she gets the whole school involved, except for the kindergartners, who are too young. In addition, Dave's moment of standing up to Mrs. Hiatt, who was acting like a bully, was so inspiring that Lynsey decided to throw the contest by matching the same number of illegal words Dave had used to stand up to Mrs. Hiatt in her own little speech praising and thanking the boys, creating an equal tie between the boys and the girls.