The Palomar Telescope has a focal length of 18 m. If the diameter of the sun is 1.39 x 10^9 m and its distance to the earth is 1.49 x 10^11 m, how...

Sun is very very far away from Earth (about 150 million km) and hence its rays can be considered to be parallel. In such a scenario, the image of the Sun will be formed at the focal point. Since the focal length of the telescope is 18 m, the image of the Sun will be formed 18 m from the telescope's mirror.

To determine the size of the image formed, we need to know the magnification of the telescope, which is the ratio of image distance to object distance.

Thus, magnification = image distance/object distance  = 18 m/ (1.49 x 10^11 m) 

And the size of the image formed by the telescope

= actual size of the object x its magnification

= 1.39 x 10^9 x 18 / (1.49 x 10^11) m = 0.168 m.

Thus, the telescope will produce a 0.168 m image of the Sun. 

Hope this helps. 

How do renewable and non-renewable sources supply energy? Give examples.

The renewable and non-renewable sources of energy are used primarily for generating two types of energy: electricity and heat. The non-renewable sources of energy such as, coal and natural gas undergo combustion to produce energy. These carbon-based fossil fuels, when burned in presence of oxygen, release gases and heat. This heat energy can be used directly as a source of heat, as many people in developing or underdeveloped countries do to stay warm (using wood or coal based devices). The heat can also be used to convert water to steam, which can then turn a turbine, which will be used to run a generator to produce electricity. Renewable energy sources have different mechanisms for energy production. Wind turbines, for example, rotate depending on wind direction and speed. This motion is used to generate electricity. Solar cells convert solar energy into electricity using photovoltaic effect. They can also be used to generate heat by concentrating solar energy using reflectors. 

Hope this helps. 

What is Huck Finn's middle name?

Throughout both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain never mentions a full or middle name for Huck Finn. However, in Chapter 11 of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck pretends to be a girl and talks to a woman in town about the recent murder of Huck Finn. The woman from town tells Huck that she thinks that Huck's father committed the murder and that there is a reward for both Pap Finn and Jim, another character in the story. Huck tells the woman her (his) name is Sarah Williams, but later slips up. When the woman from town asks the girl's name again, Huck replies, "Mary Williams." He covers by saying that Mary is her (his) middle name, which she sometimes goes by. This is the only middle name mentioned for Huck Finn, even though it is a fake middle name for the fake Sarah Williams.

Why was Tom Robinson innocent?

The most compelling evidence to exhibit Tom Robinson's innocence is the fact that his left arm is unusable due to an accident he had when he was younger. During the victim's (Mayella's) testimony, as well as that of her father, the beating she took during the rape resulted in the right side of her face being bruised. In addition, it was claimed that two sets of finger marks were visible on her neck from being strangled.

When Tom Robinson takes the stand, Atticus Finch is able to demonstrate that Robinson's left arm is essentially useless, making it impossible for him to have administered the beating with one working arm, particularly his right. The wounds were clearly the result of a left-handed man. Later, Atticus shows Bob Ewell to be left-handed.

In a fair trial, Robinson would have been set free. 

What can the half life of an element tell us?

Half life of an element refers to the time period over which half of the original amount of element will degrade and we will be left with only 50% of the original amount. For example, if the half life of an element is 12 hours and we start with an amount of 100 g; then after 12 hours, only 50 g of the element would be left. After another 12 hours, that is 2 half lives, only 25 g of element would be left.

The half life of an element is used to determine the amount of element we will be left with after the end of a certain time period. For example, if we are planning to dispose off a harmful element that has a half life of say 10 years. If we have a total of 100 kg of the material, we will only have to worry about 50 kg after 10 years from now and so on. 

Half life is also used in dating of fossils and waste management planning, etc.

Hope this helps. 

Why does the nursery make the children lose their sense of what is right and what is wrong?

The nursery makes the children lose their sense of right and wrong because it is part of a high tech "Happylife" house that has taken over the parenting function. As their mother, Lydia Hadley, points out in the story, "the house is wife and mother now and nursemaid." For the children, the focal point of the Happylife house is the nursery's giant viewscreens. Beyond that, the house itself does everything for the family, including  feeding them and rocking them to sleep. Because of this, the parents feel displaced and increasingly concerned about the spoiled and demanding behavior of their children.

When the children become attached to the fantasylife displayed on the viewscreens, they become alienated from their real parents. They get used to the idea that they can do whatever they want. The nursery, where they spend the bulk of their time at home, starts to command their loyalty far more than their parents. But the viewscreens teach the children, literally, the law of the jungle, not the morality of human parents. The nursery, with its repeated images of lions devouring prey, teaches the children to be predatory. It reprograms their sense of right and wrong to teach that killing is normal.  When their access to the nursery is threatened, as well as the nursery itself, which the parents plan to shut off, it doesn't take long for the children to become like the animals the viewscreens have taught them to admire. 

Explore the ways Shakespeare presents Macbeth's decision to kill Duncan.

Shakespeare first presents Macbeth's decision to kill Duncan through a series of asides.  An aside is a dramatic convention where a character speaks to himself, another character, or the audience, without being heard by any other character on stage.  

When he learns that he has been named Thane of Cawdor, just as the Weird Sisters predicted, he says, in an aside to himself,

If chance will have me king, why, chance may 
     crown me
Without my stir. (1.3. 157-159)

He hopes that since the first title fell into his lap that the second title will too.  Wouldn't it be great if he didn't have to lift a finger to become king?  He has not yet considered what he would do if this doesn't happen.  Once Macbeth learns, however, that Duncan has named his son, Malcolm, the heir to his throne, Macbeth's thoughts quickly turn dark.  In another aside to himself, he says, 

Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires.
The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. (1.4.56-59)

Macbeth asks the stars to put out their lights so that no one will be able to see that he is thinking evil ("black") thoughts.  He will not let his eye look to see what his hand is doing, and yet he is still going to let his hand do whatever it is that his eye would be afraid to watch.  In other words, he's resolved to kill Duncan, even though he already feels sort of guilty about it (he doesn't want his eye to see the murder that his hand commits).

When he arrives home, conspiring with his wife leads to an actual plan to kill the king.  When she asks him when Duncan plans to leave their home, Macbeth says, "Tomorrow, as he purposes" (1.5.70).  In other words: tomorrow, or so he thinks [insert evil laughter here].  Though neither of them has actually spoken the words aloud, it is clear that they are on the same page; they don't even need to discuss their intentions because they know each other so well and can tell what the other is thinking.

Although Macbeth will go on to waffle a bit (resolving not to kill Duncan and then being shamed into it by Lady Macbeth), he eventually does go through with it.  The part that always shocks me, though, is how quickly he transitions from loyal, honored subject to traitorous, regicidal murderer.  

Compare and contrast the slave experience in the upper South and the lower South.

By the nineteenth century, there were considerable differences between slavery in the upper South (Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky) and the Lower South (south of South Carolina and west to Texas). For one thing, the economy of this region tended to be more diversified, a trend that continued until the Civil War. Enslaved people worked on plantations that produced wheat, hemp, orchard fruit, and many other crops. In the Deep South, the economy was far more oriented toward cotton, with some exceptions. These crops were somewhat less labor-intensive, but from a slave's perspective, they had longer growing seasons, which meant less time off. Moreover, as the cotton economy boomed, so did the value of field hands. So selling enslaved people southward became a major business in the Upper South. Over one million people are estimated to have been sold southward in this internal slave trade that ripped families apart even as it fueled the continued expansion of the cotton economy in the Deep South. As for points of comparison, the vast majority of enslaved people lived and worked in agriculture, and as the Civil War neared, more and more were the property of men who owned dozens of people. The misery of slavery was universal.

I threw a rock straight up with a speed of 13 m/s. I happened to be standing over a well when I threw it, so when instead of landing on the ground,...

Hello!

Let's count a height from the level of the water surface. Then the height of the water surface is zero and the height of your hand is Also we'll ignore air resistance.

The height of a rock over the water surface is described by the formula

where is the initial speed. This is the projection on the upward axis, therefore has plus sign and has minus sign.

Our task is to find the time at which Of course must be greater than zero.

In numbers, the equation is  

the positive solution is  

This is the answer.

[The negative solution (with the minus before the root) has some sense. It corresponds to the imaginary situation when you would throw a rock from the water level. Then that time (its absolute value) is how long it would take for a rock to reach the height of your hand.]

Name five animals that belong to the fish group.

Fish are the first vertebrates that evolved on Earth. A vertebrate is an animal that has a backbone. Fish include animals with backbones that are adapted to live in water using specialized gills to breathe.

Gills are filamentous and contain many capillaries. This provides a thin, moist environment for gas exchange--oxygen in and carbon dioxide out. Water enters the mouth of the fish and is then pumped over its gills where gas exchange occurs. Then, the water exits through openings on the sides of its pharynx.

Most fish have paired fins to help stabilize their movements as they swim. Fish are ectothermic and their bodies are covered by scales. 

Jaws, another adaptation that evolved in fish provide the opportunity to feed on many different types of foods. Some fish are herbivores and eat algae, some are carnivores and are predators of other organisms, some eat detritus and others can be parasitic.

Fish have a closed circulatory system with a single loop for the blood to follow in a pathway that is pumped by the heart. Fish can remove the nitrogenous waste ammonia by the action of kidneys. Fish have a well-developed brain and nervous system that can process smell, sight, sound, touch and vibrations. 

Fish reproduce sexually. Some have external fertilization and development and some species can have their eggs fertilized internally and develop internally where the embryos feed on a yolk sac. Still others have internal fertilization and the young receive nourishment from the mother's body. 

One of the two main groups of fish are cartilaginous fish including sharks, skates and rays. They contain a skeleton made from cartilage and have tooth-like scales on their skin. The other main group is the bony fish which  have skeletons consisting of bone. Most have fins that are spiny and thin and are called ray-- finned fish.  Some examples include salmon, trout, bluefish, seahorse and tuna.

These are just a few examples of the variety of fish that exist in freshwater or salt water habitats.

Make a prediction about the change in Patrick's behavior. How might his change affect Mary?

I have a feeling that the reader is supposed to answer this question before he or she has read the entire story. I think the question is asking the reader to analyze Patrick's behavior after he first gets home.  

The reader has never met Patrick before, so it's tough to get an initial read on him when he first walks in the door. He is not very talkative, and when he does talk, his responses to Mary and short and sweet. There is no way to know if that is odd, though. The first hint that the reader gets about Patrick's change in behavior comes when Mary mentally states that Patrick did something odd.  

"Yes," he sighed. "I'm thoroughly exhausted. And as he spoke, he did an unusual thing. He lifted his glass and drank it down in one swallow although there was still half of it left. He got up and went slowly to get himself another drink.

That right there tells the reader that Patrick normally will only have one drink. Why is he having a second? Also, why did he quickly drink the first instead of savor it? It seems to me that either Patrick had a rough day and wants the alcohol to help him forget it, or, he is quickly trying to get some liquid courage into him. The reader also learns that his second drink is a very strong one.  

For the next few paragraphs, Mary attempts to stand up and get something for Patrick, but he keeps telling her to sit back down. He doesn't want anything from her. Uh-oh. I believe that this moment is when your question is meant to be answered. Patrick's behavior is odd. The text is clear that his behavior is not normal. I've known my wife for 18 years, and I know how I react when she is acting "not normal." I get worried. Inherent in worry is a bit of fear. I believe that Mary is beginning to become worried that something is wrong with Patrick, her, their marriage, or his job.

It turns out that Mary is becoming frightened.  

She stood up and placed her sewing on the table by the lamp. "Sit down," he said. "Just for a minute, sit down." It wasn't until then that she began to get frightened.

How can I compare how Lady Macbeth and Abigail Williams are portrayed with historical background?

Lady Macbeth and Abigail Williams both shattered the stereotypical conventions of a woman’s behavior in their respective times in order to achieve selfish, evil goals.

Though they lived in different time periods, the social expectations for both women would have been remarkably similar: to be subservient to the men in their households and in the town, to take good care of a home, to be modest, quiet, chaste, loving, meek, and selfless. In Abigail Williams’ society, male religious leaders held the most power; for Lady Macbeth, it was male military leaders.

Both women were ambitious manipulators. Lady Macbeth mixed taunting with sexual allure to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan, though she appeared to welcome the king and his retinue graciously, honored to be their hostess.  Abigail Williams seduced John Proctor, but then convinced an entire town she was holy and God-fearing, having only the general good of the community at heart.

Both women also see the chain of events they started spiral out of their control and escape the situation. Lady Macbeth commits suicide in the depths of remorse; Abigail never repents, but she does run away.

Lady Macbeth and Abigail Williams appear on the surface to be the kind of women their societies would have approved, but underneath they were the complete opposite.

What are proteins made of?

Proteins are made of amino acids which are the sub-units of this polymer. When joined in a long chain, the amino acids form a polypeptide. The prefix poly refers to many and the term peptide refers to the type of bond that forms between one amino acid and the next one in the long line of amino acids.

There are twenty different amino acids that form all the proteins in organisms. However, it is their arrangement that produces the thousands of different proteins- hair, muscle cells, enzymes, hormones, transporter proteins, etc. 

The blueprint of an organism is encoded in its DNA, a nucleic acid found in the nucleus. Using the information in this blueprint, an organism will be able to make the different proteins necessary for its survival.

The DNA is the chemical that makes up chromosomes. On the chromosomes are discrete units known as genes and each gene is the blueprint to make a particular protein.

The flow of information from blueprint to protein is-- DNA  in the nucleus is transcribed into mRNA, which leaves the nucleus and travels to the cytoplasm. Here, it attaches to a ribosome where the genetic code is translated into a protein. Transfer RNA carries the correct amino acids in order as per the mRNA transcript to build the growing polypeptide.

Eventually, a stop codon causes the mRNA to detach from the ribosome, which also breaks apart and the polypeptide undergoes further processing. It will eventually fold and take its three dimensional shape that is unique to that protein and it will be able to become a functional protein. 

In order to make proteins, the body must have a supply of amino acids. The essential ones must be consumed by eating foods that contain protein while the non-essential amino acids are ones that the body can synthesize on its own.

Why do you think William Bradford mainly writes about the settlers as a whole, rather than as individuals?

One reason is that Bradford does not attribute the ultimate success of the colony to the actions of men. In Plymouth Plantation, he is far less interested in portraying the bravery or the hardiness of the Pilgrims than showing how the Pilgrims were guided by God, and succeeded because of his favor. As he says shortly after describing their landing at Plymouth, "what could now sustain them but the Spirit of God and His grace?" For him, the answer is clearly "nothing," and a major motive in writing his history of Plymouth is to demonstrate this belief. Bradford was also a leader of a small, tight-knit group of religious radicals. They came to New England to preserve their community, which had been under threat in England itself, and seemed to be losing its identity in their stay in the Netherlands. By not glorifying the individual (we might look to John Smith's autobiographical account of the settlement at Jamestown for an example of this kind of colonial writing) Bradford emphasizes the importance of this small, godly community that had been transplanted to what he portrays as such a hostile environment. 

What alternative philosophy of life does Walden instruct you to have? How does Henry David Thoreau exemplify this kind of philosophy of life in his...

The alternative philosophy that Thoreau advocates in Walden is for human beings to unify and immerse themselves in the surrounding world.

Thoreau sees human beings as divided from their world.  They are divided from what is real and transcendent.  As a result, they don't hear "different drummers," but rather embrace a conformist view of living where everyone marches to the same tune.  Thoreau rejects the dominant philosophy of materialism.  In the first chapter, Thoreau details how material reality can be overcome for something more.  Put another way, when Thoreau mocks what conventional society would deem as the "best houses," he wants people to embrace a more welcoming home.

This craving for meaning compels Thoreau to suggest an alternative philosophy of life.  Thoreau stresses the need for human beings to merge their own identities with the natural world around them.  When people do this, he believes a more meaningful life emerges:

I was suddenly sensible of such sweet and beneficent society in Nature, in the very pattering of the drops, and in every sound and sight around my house, an infinite and unaccountable friendliness all at once like an atmosphere sustaining me.

When people recognize that they are "sustained" by the natural world, a wider sense of self emerges.  Human beings are part of this world and not separate from it.  Thoreau expresses this philosophy when he says, "Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself?"  When Thoreau says, “All sound heard at the greatest possible distance...produces one and the same effect," he embraces a philosophy where human beings have changed the way they see themselves in the world.

Simply put, Thoreau himself embodied this philosophy because he lived it.  In secluding himself at Walden, he lived out his philosophy.  His writing is in the first person. When Thoreau talks about the sounds he hears, the sights he sees, and the feelings he experiences, they represent him living out his philosophy.  In this way, he is the embodiment of his philosophy.

When Myrtle watches her husband fill Tom's car with gas, what two conclusions does she draw?

When Myrtle sees her husband, George, filling the car Tom Buchanan is driving with gas, she assumes that the woman in the front seat, Jordan Baker, is really Tom's wife, Daisy.  Nick turns to see her staring out of the garage's second story window, her eyes "wide with jealous terror," and he realizes her mistake.

We only realize Myrtle's second assumption later, when Nick, Jordan, Tom, Gatsby, and Daisy are on their way back from New York City and going through the valley of ashes en route to East Egg. George had seen Myrtle rush out to that same yellow car, the car that Tom had been driving earlier when he stopped for gas, when she saw it coming down the road. He tells his neighbor that "She ran out to speak to [the man who was driving it] and he wouldn't stop." Now, George obviously knows that it wasn't Tom driving that car because he was driving his own blue coupe that stopped at the time; however, Myrtle didn't know that (she was already dead by the time Tom stopped) and so she must have assumed that it was one of Tom's cars and that it would be him driving it home. That yellow car, of course, belongs to Gatsby, and so George assumes that this is the man with whom she'd been having an affair.

In Night, what did author Elie Wiesel's father do when his name was written down during a selection?

In Night by Elie Wiesel, after Elie and his father have been at the concentration camp Buna for awhile, a selection occurs. Elie passes it, and his father thinks he also has made it through. However, several days later, when the prisoners are getting ready to leave for work, a group of them are told to stay behind. They are the ones who had been marked for death in the earlier selection. Elie's father runs toward him to tell Elie that he was told to stay back with them. He had been selected but hadn't realized it because he never saw the Nazis write down his name. Now, there is little time left to say all he wants to say to his son. He gives Elie his spoon and his knife. Elie calls it "the inheritance" because his father is giving him his most prized possessions.

"I'm asking this of you...Take them. Do as I ask, my son. We have no time...Do as your father asks" (Wiesel 71).

While Elie is at work that day, another selection is held, and this time Elie's father passes, so when Elie returns, he is able to give the utensils back to his father.

What is the ATP cycle?

The process of phosphorylating ADP to form ATP and removing a phosphate from ATP to form ADP in order to store and release energy respectively is known as the ATP cycle.

 ATP stands for adenosine triphosphate. Adenosine triphosphate is an energy source that is used in living things. ATP is created during cellular respiration. During cellular respiration, oxygen and glucose are converted into carbon dioxide gas, water, and ATP.

ATP is composed of three main sections. In the center of an ATP is a molecule of ribose sugar.  Attached to one side of ribose is a nitrogen group called adenine. On the opposite side of the ribose are three phosphates.  The energy within an ATP molecule is stored in the phosphate bonds of the ATP.

 When a cell needs energy, a phosphate is removed from ATP. Upon this dephosphorization, ATP is converted into ADP and energy is released. ADP stands for adenosine diphosphate. ADP has only two phosphates.

How many stronger is the gravitational force between Venus ( =0.723 AU, =0.815 ) and the Sun when compared to...

Hello!

You are right. By Newton's Law of universal gravitation the gravitational force between two bodies is:

where is the gravitational constant, and are the masses of the bodies and is the distance between them. The value of G isn't necessary for this problem.

For Venus and the Sun the force is  

for Earth and the Sun the force is  

So, the ratio between them is   

Note that the mass of Venus is given in terms of Earth's mass and that one A.U. is actually (by definition).

So the ratio is   (times). This is the answer.

Despite this, the gravity on Venus is slightly less then on Earth. Of course this depends on Venus' radius and Earth's radius, not on their distances from the Sun.

What type of stage would be used for A Doll's House?

A Doll's House is a simplistic and minimal play in terms of set design requirements. This allows for a good deal of flexibility in each individual production. There is no reason why it couldn't be performed on a typical proscenium stage, also known as a window stage. However, there might be several advantages to performing such a play on a thrust stage, which juts out into the audience and is surrounded by seats on three sides. A thrust stage has many of the same strengths as a proscenium stage, but in addition it provides a 3-D effect to the audience, especially for those sitting in the front of the theater. A Doll's House is a play that is very light on physical action and heavy in conversation and emotional dialogue. Using a thrust stage would help engage the audience in conversations that might be less visually appealing than a well-choreographed fight scene or dance sequence. There is no absolute need for a thrust stage instead of a proscenium for this play, but many individual productions may consider it worthwhile to project their actors into the audience by using a thrust stage.

In the epic poem Beowulf and John Gardner's Grendel, how are the shapers viewed differently?

In the Anglo-Saxon era, storytellers, sometimes called scops, were considered vital parts of society. The clannish Anglo-Saxons were a tight-knit, warlike people whose ancient religion did not provide for an afterlife. So warriors, in their efforts to live on in some form after death, strove to be heroic in battle in the hopes that storytellers would sing their praises to future generations. The storytellers also provided entertainment when the warriors gathered in their mead halls to drink and socialize. Early in Beowulf, the following passage appears, showing the storyteller's role in their social life:

. . . the music rang

loud in that hall, the harp's rejoicing

Call and the poet's clear songs, sung

of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling

the Almighty making the earth.

John Gardner's Grendel, however, casts the storyteller in a much different light. Grendel himself, the first-person narrator of the story, calls the storyteller a “shaper,” because he does more than just relay information, he actually “shapes” the thoughts and perceptions of his audience. As Grendel, agonized in his isolation, listens to the shaper influence Hrothgar's men, he even finds himself entranced:

I listened, felt myself swept up. I knew very well that all he said was ridiculous, not light for their darkness but flattery, illusion, a vortex pulling them from sunlight to heat, a kind of midsummer burgeoning, waltz to the sickle.

Gardner's version of the Grendel character sees the shaper as a poetic liar, inspiring the men with stories that Grendel himself knows are false. Nevertheless, they move the men to deeds greater than they have ever before performed.

So whose perception is right, you might ask? There is truth in both. Stories bring us together, creating a collective “memory” that gives us all a shared context for living together. But many of those stories are legends, folktales that might not be literal truth. Grendel would call them lies, because he is not a part of the society that shares them.

After reading "On Being Brought from Africa to America" as an example of dual cultural identity, do you agree with Naomi Long Madgett that images...

Though your response to this question is completely subjective, I would agree with Madgett's statement. I, too, in my initial readings of the poem, did not recognize its potential irony. Perhaps you did not either.

Notice the words that Wheatley emphasizes, presented in italicized form in contemporary printings of the poem:

'Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,

Taught my benighted soul to understand

That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:

Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.

Some view our sable race with scornful eye,

"Their colour is a diabolic die."

Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain,

May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train.

The concept of Wheatley's West African homeland as "pagan" is a Western conceptualization of any non-Christian, polytheistic society. The belief among many Europeans of Wheatley's time was that, by enslaving Africans, Europeans and Americans of European descent could "civilize" them. In fact, the justifications for slavery and conquest were that Africans and Native Americans were "heathen" peoples who were not worthy of respect due to their ignorance of Christ. Wheatley seems to address this belief when she writes of how her "benighted soul" was taught "to understand / That there's a God, [and] a Saviour, too..."

The next lines address the Biblical scorn with which black people were regarded, as though they were in possession of the mark of Cain. The last two lines read as an aphorism, or a lesson. She addresses "Christians," but the italicization can read as either a plea for understanding or an expression of frustration -- or both.

"Christians" and "Negroes" are separated only by commas. In one's reading of the poem, depending on the pace and rhythm, one might be inclined to join the clause "Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain," instead of reading them as separate clauses, as in the following: "Remember, Christians: Negroes, black as Cain...". The inadvertent conjoining of "Christians" and "Negroes" allows for the possibility of their being one and the same.

Joining "th' angelic train" reads, on the surface, as the conversion of Africans to Christian faith. More deeply, it suggests the possibility ("may [my emphasis] be refin'd, and join...") of Africans assimilating into Western culture. Arguably, one's blackness does not preclude one's ability to be just as "refin'd" as any white person.

A more militant reading could perceive Wheatley as saying that Africans, if given the chance, could become like white people, in every aspect but skin color. However, this assumes that the poet is expressing her own ideas about the African experience in America, whereas she could be expressing, with great irony, the view of many white Christians who wished to convert slaves.

How did the case of McCulloch v. Maryland affect the powers of the national government?

The Supreme Court heard the case of McCulloch v. Maryland in 1819. John Marshall was the Chief Justice at the time.

This case involved the Second Bank of the United States, which had been authorized by Congress in 1816. The state of Maryland decided to levy a tax on the bank, and only on that bank. When the bank did not pay the tax, the case went to the Maryland Court of Appeals, which ruled that the bank was illegal because the Constitution did not expressly grant the federal government the power to establish a bank.

However, Marshall's Supreme Court ruled that even though the Constitution did not specifically give Congress power to create a bank, Article I of the Constitution did include the following clause, known as the “Necessary and Proper Clause”:

The Congress shall have Power ... To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

The Court interpreted this clause to mean that Congress did have the power to enact a law that was necessary for the federal government to carry out its functions, even if that law was not specifically authorized by the Constitution. This ruling established the primacy of the federal government over the states. Up to this point, many people in the young United States believed that each state had greater power than the federal government, which was the case under the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution. It was replaced by our present Constitution in 1789, with the intent of increasing federal power. McCulloch v. Maryland helped make that a reality. 

What do the three colors symbolize in "Desiree's Baby"?

Since you don't specify the colors you are referring to, I'm going to assume you mean skin colors. Skin colors are referred to as white, black, and yellow. White stands for the ruling class of white people in the Southern plantation society. Black stands for the class of slaves who worked on the plantations, who are powerless in their society. Yellow stands for those who have both black and white ancestry or parentage; having mixed blood, they were considered tainted whether they were slaves or free. Thus when Armand notices his child has African features, he interprets that to mean that Desiree is "yellow," even though her hands are whiter than his, and he rejects her and the child. In the ironic twist ending, we learn that it is Armand himself who is "yellow" because his mother was of mixed blood. But the reader is left to consider that what taints him is not his genetics, but his cruelty.

There is another passage in the story that brings out three colors. As Desiree leaves Valmonde and walks into the swamp, she is described like this: 

Desiree had not changed the thin white garment nor the slippers which she wore. Her hair was uncovered and the sun’s rays brought a golden gleam from its brown meshes.

This passage foreshadows the ending of the story by emphasizing again how "white" Desiree looked, even having hair that had golden undertones. This should lead the reader to question whether Armand's assumption about her ancestry is correct. The other place where three colors are mentioned is this passage that Desiree speaks to Armand:

"I am white! Look at my hair, it is brown; and my eyes are gray, Armand, you know they are gray."

Again, this emphasizes Desiree's "white" appearance and serves to set up the ending where we find out that it is Armand's side of the family that has African heritage, not Desiree's. 

How is the old lady's transformation into a young girl symbolic?

Lady Gregory and W.B. Yeats' Cathleen ni Houlihan is a classic symbolic play with a strong nationalist sentiment. It takes place against the backdrop of Ireland's 1798 rebellion, a failed attempt by Irish rebels (aided in part by the French) to gain independence from England. The eponymous Cathleen ni Houlihan begins the play as an old woman wandering the countryside, trying to find help in her attempt to regain her four stolen fields. After meeting with the Gillane family, however, she turns into a young woman, and this transformation can be seen as a symbol of Ireland's revitalization after the country wins independence.

Ireland is often personified as a female entity. The fact that the old woman is trying to regain her four fields is a signal that Gregory and Yeats are following in this tradition, as the four fields referenced here can be seen as analogous to Ireland's four provinces: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, and Connacht. Thus, the old woman can be seen as a personification of Ireland itself, as both lost four territories to thieves and invaders. In that case, the old woman's transformation into a young woman is a symbol of a crippled Ireland regaining its health and vitality when faced with the prospect of freedom. All in all, though the 1798 rebellion was a disastrous defeat for the Irish, Gregory and Yeats' symbolic dramatization of the event served as an important propaganda piece in the Irish fight for independence in the 20th century.  

What are the main topics for The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald?

The Beautiful and Damned is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald first published in 1922. It tells of the life and relationships of Anthony Patch, a young man from a wealthy family, who lacks purpose in life.

Although Anthony was considered intelligent and possessed a certain taste for the arts and culture, unlike his friends Richard Caramel and Maury Noble, he lacks both writing ability and the discipline to do the hard work of actual writing. Although at various points in the novel we see him fantasizing about writing projects, he doesn't actually put in the hours necessary for success. Instead, he becomes infatuated with, and eventually marries, a beautiful young woman, and the couple live a life of extravagant socializing and partying in expectation of inheriting money from Anthony's grandfather. 

The first major theme is that of the bad effects of the prospect of inheriting money on Anthony's character. Because he anticipates inheriting money, he lacks not only a career but also a purpose, leading to his eventual downfall.

Unlike the actual writers and artists in the novel, who do have a real sense of purpose in life, Gloria and Anthony are constantly bored and often resort to sexual affairs and alcohol to provide interest in their lives, but these stimuli always prove insufficient to give meaning and purpose to their lives. Even when Anthony has minor successes, he tends to sabotage himself, especially by drinking.

Thus the main topics you want to look at in the novel are the difference between actually producing art and merely being vaguely "artistic," the effects of the expectation of money on young people, the bad effects of alcohol, and the need for a purpose in one's life.

Where does mistaken identity occur in Twelfth Night?

Like with many of Shakespeare's comedies, mistaken identity is a key part of this play. In fact, the play is named for the Christian holiday of same the name, which is closely associated with confusion, revelry, and chaos. 

For the majority of the play, Viola is disguised as Cesario, a young man. The other characters in the play, including the man she loves, spend most of the story thinking of her as a man. Olivia also falls in love with her due to this mistaken identity, which creates the love triangle that is the center of the play. Orsino loves Olivia. Olivia loves Cesario (or Viola), and Viola loves Orsino.

It is only another mistaken identity that helps solve this problem. Olivia marries Sebastian, Viola's brother, because she mistakes him for Cesario. This allows Viola to reveal her identity and marry Orsino without much conflict.

When is forensics used?

Forensics is used, generally, in criminal and civil lawsuits. Forensics or forensic science is the collection, preservation and analysis of evidence. The information so obtained is then used in a court of law. A variety of scientific methods are used in forensics. These include photography, fingerprinting, chromatography, microbiology, toxicology, psychology, chemistry, etc. Forensic experts commonly analyze fingerprints, blood samples, hair, skin, DNA samples, bodily fluids, etc. With modern developments, digital forensics (the collection and analysis of digital information) is playing a crucial role in the field of forensics. A common example of the use of forensics would be in regards to a murder case. Forensics would help us in determining who was killed, how was he/she was killed, the time of death and also possible causes of death, etc. 

Hope this helps.

In Tuck Everlasting, why does the man in the yellow suit go to the Foster's house?

Twenty years prior to the events of Tuck Everlasting occurring, the man in the yellow suit was told about a mysterious family.  The family that he was told about supposedly never got any older.  

". . . my grandmother told me stories. They were wild, unbelievable stories, but I believed them. They involved a dear friend of my grandmother's who married into a very odd family. . . This friend of my grandmother's, she lived with her husband for twenty years, and strange to say, he never got any older. She did, but he didn't. And neither did his mother or his father or his brother."

In addition to the strange details about a family that didn't age, the stranger's grandmother included a detail about a music box that the family had.  His grandmother clearly remember the tune that the music box played, and she taught the tune to the man in the yellow suit. 

"My mother was able to remember the melody, finally. She taught it to me."

That was twenty years earlier.  By the stranger's own admission, he tried to forget all about the stories of the strange immortal family.  He tried in vain though, because the man in the yellow suit said the story and the music tune haunted his dreams.  After twenty years, he decided to try and back trace the route that the family likely would have taken.

So a few months ago I left my home and I started out to look for them, following the route they were said to have taken when they left their farm. No one I asked along the way knew anything. No one had heard of them, no one recognized their name.

The above quote makes is clear that the man in the yellow suit is stumbling along an unknown trail in order to find clues.  He asks everybody along the route about the family.  The Foster family happens to be along the route, so he approaches the house in order to seek out more clues about the immortal family and the music box.  The Fosters seem like a good family to pick, because they have lived in Treegap many years.   

The man lifted his eyebrows. "Oh," he said, "I'm looking for someone. A family. . . This young lady tells me you've lived here for a long time, so I thought you would probably know everyone who comes and goes."

That is the first time that the man comes to the Foster home.  The next time that he comes is because he wants to trade his knowledge of where Winnie is for the ownership of the woods.  

In "Raymond's Run" by Toni Cade Bambara, what does Mr. Pearson want Squeaky to do in the race? How does she react to his suggestion?

In "Raymond's Run" by Toni Cade Bambara, Mr. Pearson wants Squeaky to throw the race. He wants her to give another girl a chance to win, particularly Gretchen, who is new in town. 

"'That new girl should give you a run for your money.'" He looks around the park for Gretchen like a periscope in a submarine movie. 'Wouldn't it be a nice gesture if you were...to ahhh...'" (Bambara 8).

When Squeaky realizes Mr. Pearson wants her to cheat, she is very offended. She has been working hard--practicing every minute she possibly can to keep her title as the fastest girl on the block. She really cannot believe that the man she and the other kids call "Ole Beanstalk" would even make such a suggestion. Of course, Gretchen does give her the first competition she has had in a long, long time, but Squeaky still comes out the winner. She also comes out with a whole new outlook on life. She can see Gretchen now as a possible future friend, and she can see Raymond as a competitor, too.  

How does the Tom Robinson trial affect Maycomb county as a whole in "To Kill A Mockingbird"?

This is a loaded question, as there is no one way all the people responded.  However, if we had to make a generalization about the whole of Maycomb, the trial of Tom Robinson did not really impact the people in any significant way.  The people go back to their own business, as if nothing happened.  The trial is at best an entertaining spectacle.  Now that it is over, it is back to work as usual.  Most of the town probably feels this, and so nothing really changes. 

Some people harbor fear and resentment in their hearts.  The women's missionary society is a perfect example. One women feels unsafe in her bed.  The implication is that someone like Tom Robinson might try to rape her.  Here is a quote:

“S-s-s Grace,” she said, “it’s just like I was telling Brother Hutson the other day. ‘S-s-s Brother Hutson,’ I said, ‘looks like we’re fighting a losing battle, a losing battle.’ I said, ‘S-s-s it doesn’t matter to ’em one bit. We can educate ‘em till we’re blue in the face, we can try till we drop to make Christians out of ’em, but there’s no lady safe in her bed these nights.‘ He said to me, ’Mrs. Farrow, I don’t know what we’re coming to down here.‘ S-s-s I told him that was certainly a fact.”

Finally, if we analyze the end of the book, it is clear that nothing in Maycomb really changes.  For example, Miss Gates at school talks about the horrors of Hilter, but she cannot see the problems in Maycomb.  This shows that the trial of Tom Robinson did very little. 

How can I locate two examples of allusion to the works of Edgar Allan Poe in modern works? I am very confused about this concept and the reference...

You will find allusions to the works of Edgar Allan Poe in many "modern works" including contemporary poems, plays, films, comic books, and cartoons. An allusion is a reference to something, in this case a piece of literature, that is included in another work. The meaning is often implicit lending meaning, background, tone, or theme to the work. Allusions to Poe's nineteenth century writings can be found in contemporary twentieth and twenty-first century movies and plays such as "Batman" and "A Streetcar Named Desire." There is even an allusion to Poe's poem, "The Raven," in the mature cartoon series "The Simpson's." In order to complete this assignment you would find allusions in a contemporary work and decide how it relates to its theme. In most cases, Poe's writing adds eeriness, moroseness, or scariness to the general feeling of the work.

If several batteries are connected in series while performing electrolysis, how would the rate of electrolysis vary? Why?

When you connect several batteries in series, you are increasing the amount of voltage passing through the circuit.  The water you are using is also part of the circuit the electricity passes through.  Since there is an increased amount of voltage, it would be reasonable to expect to see an increase in the amount of hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) gases produced.  For example, a normal electrolysis setup would involve one 12 volt lantern battery.  The amount of voltage passing in the circuit would be 12 volts, which would give a normal (n) amount of hydrogen and oxygen.  If you wired two of these 12 volt lantern batteries together in a series wiring scheme, you would effectively double the amount of voltage, 12V  +  12V  =  24V.  You could expect to see twice as much hydrogen and oxygen gas produced, because you doubled the amount of voltage in the water.

Explain why "social location" might be an important concept in sociology.

In sociology, the concept of social location refers to how groups in a society experience the interactive effects of intersecting social hierarchies. In other words, it is the sum effect of factors including race, gender, sex, socio-economic class, level of ability, sexuality, age, and geographic location on an individual's experiences, life chances, and worldview. Social location is important in the study of sociology because membership in different social groups often includes a set of societal roles and expectations relative to other groups, and can confer certain levels of privilege and power in society. Understanding the concept of social location lends to an understanding of how individual group membership or identity affects life experiences on a societal and interactive level. Social location explains the systematic, societal effects of a group's location in social hierarchies on those groups.

How does Golding use characterization to present the theme of power in Lord of the Flies?

Throughout Golding's Lord of the Flies the boys on the island struggle with power both internally and externally. He uses the characters and the dynamics between the boys in order to illustrate how a society that is dominated by negative authority and devoid of positive authority cannot be fruitful.

In order to accomplish this, Golding creates conflicts between several of the main characters. These characters are designed to be foils to one another and to reveal more about human nature and power through their interactions.

Ralph versus Jack: 

This conflict the characters of Ralph and Jack battle over who will be "in charge" on the island. Although Jack seems like a natural leader as head of the choir boys (who later become the hunters) and his lack of fear in their new environment, his desire to rule is stunted by Ralph's affability and logical nature. When the boys are first gathered on the island, it is due to Ralph's ability to blow the conch shell (but it is important to note that Piggy is the one who instructed Ralph on how to use the conch shell). He is viewed as the leader from this point forward by Piggy, Simon, Sam n'Eric, and the littleuns. Ralph's approach to survival is also more logical than Jack's: Ralph wants to build shelter, start a signal fire, and survive in order to be rescued. Jack wants to hunt. His desire to hunt is a result of his need to be powerful and this turns into a bloodlust. Eventually we see that power unchecked can corrupt even the most innocent. 

Piggy versus Jack:

Piggy and Jack are foils. They are opposite characters designed to highlight their contrasting elements. In this text Piggy symbolizes logic and reasoning. He is constantly calling for "rules and order." It is Piggy who determines that the conch shell symbolize leadership and order by suggesting that whoever has the conch shell is allowed to speak. Piggy's desire for logic and order is derived from his own insecurities. Piggy is chubbier than the other boys, he is not athletic, he wears glasses, and he has asthma (or "ass-mar"). In the real world, these qualities do not equate with weakness, but in the literary world they do. Jack is physically dominant: he is taller than the others, he can sing a high "C", he can hunt, he is athletic, and he is more intimidating. Jack dislikes Piggy because of Piggy's external appearance, but his hatred grows out of Piggy's allegiance with Ralph. Though Jack never admits it and it is never recognized (until Piggy is killed), Piggy is a driving force in the text. He provides Ralph with a reason to lead because Piggy is more of a victim than a leader. Jack ostracizes Piggy on several occasions. A prime example is when the hunters kill their first pig and Jack tells Piggy he cannot have any meat because Piggy did not hunt. Piggy points out that neither did other boys, but they are eating, and this infuriates Jack to the verge of violence. Piggy's logic diminishes Jack's authority or power, and Jack hates him for it. 

Roger versus society:

Roger is a hunter in the text, yet he doesn't even fit in well with that group. Although Jack is driven by his desire to lead, Roger is driven by his desire to dominate. Roger is unlike any of the other boys because he has an evil quality about him. He is a foil to Simon because Simon symbolizes the innate good in human beings. Roger's darkness is illustrated in two distinct episodes in the text:in chapter four when Roger throws stones at the littleun Henry. Roger purposely throws stones around Henry demonstrating to the reader that he is able to inflict pain if he wanted but he chooses not to. The narrator describes Roger as held back by the rules and order of a former society, but it is evident that society is losing its grip on him. The second example of Roger's evilness or inhumanity is when he launches the boulder that kills Piggy. Roger has no justification for killing Piggy; in fact he is defending Castle Rock from Ralph at the time. He kills Piggy because he can, and he kills Piggy because Piggy symbolizes any remnants of the former society's rules and order. This illustrates how power is checked by logic. Power unchecked leads to destruction.

These are just some examples of how characterization and the dynamic between the characters illustrates the theme of power in Golding's Lord of the Flies.

In "The Raven," by Edgar Allan Poe, how do you explain the raven and its visit?

First in answer to this question, I would say that the Raven does not really need to be explained. The poem is an example of The Gothic, a genre that features fantastical elements much more incredible than this talking bird. For example, Gothic stories or novels can feature ghosts, vampires, organs that play themselves in the middle of the night, and other such phenomena. However, if one wanted to explain the Raven as a natural rather than supernatural phenomenon, I think there is evidence in the poem to do so. The narrator himself comes up with an explanation that is quite logical:

  “Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is its only stock and store

Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster

   Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore—

Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore

            Of ‘Never—nevermore.'”

In other words, the previous owner of the Raven was someone who had so many disasters in his life that he was continuously exclaiming, "Nevermore!" The bird picked up this one word from its master, like a parrot that learns to imitate the words it hears most often. Can ravens "speak" in the same way parrots can? Yes, absolutely, as you can see from the links below. 

The narrator's problem is that he asks the wrong questions. He keeps asking questions that, when they produce an answer of "Nevermore," plunge him into deeper depression about his lost Lenore. 

What could explain the Raven's visit? That could simply be a random fluke. Or, since animals can often sense human emotions, the Raven may have gotten lost from its master and mistook the narrator for his master because the feeling of despair emanating from the narrator was so similar to the mood of his master. That would mean the narrator's depression was so deep it was "palpable" even through his "window lattice." Given how easily he falls under the spell of the Raven's shadow, that does not require too great a stretch of the imagination. 

Why have writers like Tennyson continued to tell stories about King Arthur's life and death?

The legends of King Arthur have proven to be hugely influential to the British canon. The tales even endure into today, and have inspired countless iterations and reinterpretations of the classic stories. Part of the reason the stories have been appropriated is due to the fact that they have components of storytelling that are especially compelling. These stories contain romance, danger, action, and a powerful, wise leader in the character of King Arthur.

Lord Alfred Tennyson and his contemporaries in the Victorian era were especially drawn to appropriating the Arthurian legends. During the Victorian era, a time of great social change across England, there were a number of writers who romanticized the Middle Ages and its perceived emphasis on chivalry and bravery. The Middle Ages, at least in the public perception, represented a simpler era, a time when rustic feudalism ensured a static social stratification. These social designations were in flux during the Victorian era with the rise of the middle class. Therefore, a number of writers used Medieval imagery entrenched in Arthurian legends in their works in order to evoke the noble qualities Arthur and his knights represented.

I need help filling out a t-chart for my English chart. On one side it has the good decisions that Odysseus made on his journey and the other side...

Odysseus makes both good and bad decisions along his journey from Troy to his native island of Ithaca. Book 9 of Homer's Odyssey provides examples of both Odysseus' good and bad decisions.

One of his good decisions was to bring along some wine when he visited the land of the Cyclopes. He used this wine to get the Cyclops Polyphemus drunk and then escape from the Cyclops' cave. Of course, Odysseus never would have been trapped in the Cyclops cave if his curiosity about the Cyclopes had not gotten the better of him.

Another of his bad decisions in the episode with the Cyclops was to reveal his name to the Cyclops. Initially, Odysseus had told Polyphemus that his name was "Nobody", which was a good decision.

"My name is Nobody. Nobody, my father, mother, and friends call me.” (Kline translation)

So, after Odysseus blinded the Cyclops, the Cyclops called for help from his neighbors, who did not help him because he said that "Nobody" was injuring him. On the other hand, when Odysseus finally escapes from Polyphemus' cave, he reveals his true name. This allows Polyphemus to pray to his divine father Poseidon and specify the name of the person who injured him. After this time, Poseidon persecuted Odysseus.

"Yet all the gods pitied him, except Poseidon, who continued his relentless anger against godlike Odysseus until he reached his own land at last." (Kline translation)

What are some of the main struggles of Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee?

The novel takes place within the span of a few years. For this reason, Scout matures (as do the other characters).  Therefore, Scout's struggles change. At first, Scout struggles with seeing things from the perspective of others.  Scout is always well-intentioned, but she cannot see outside of her own world. Atticus, therefore, tries to help her to walk into the shoes of another person. We see this struggle in her interaction with Walter Cunningham and Boo Radley. Here is what Atticus says to her:

“First of all,” he said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-”

“Sir?”
“-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

As the book progresses, she has another struggle, the racism of Maycomb. Atticus, therefore, warns her by saying that there will be some ugly things that happen on account of the trial of Tom Robinson.  Atticus was not exaggerating. In fact, Tom Robinson, an innocent man, is condemned and later dies, and Bob Ewell even attacks her. Yet through all this, Jem and Scout both emerge as good people, and they, like Atticus, still hope for the best.

Why didn't Kino sell his pearl for the offered fifteen hundred pesos?

Kino did not sell his pearl for fifteen hundred pesos because, as an experienced pearl diver, he knew that his pearl was worth much more. The pearl merchants, however, are working for one main buyer who pays them a salary rather than a portion of the profit. Therefore, they have banded together to buy as low as possible, playing off each other’s valuation of the pearls. They have done this for quite some time and so are good at it. They have evidently communicated with each other after hearing the rumor of Kino’s find, deciding on a range within which they will pay. They describe the pearl as too big to be of value, as only a curiosity. They also claim to have found flaws with the pearl itself, making it worth even less than they have stated they are willing to pay. Kino, shaken by these excuses, begins to doubt himself and his judgment of the pearl, but decides he wants to take it to the merchants in the city, hoping for a better price. He leaves, and the merchants realize that they pushed too hard; their employer will not be pleased.

How do individuals benefit from genetically modified crops and animals?

Genetically modified plants and animals help humans in various ways. Each section below identifies ways in which modified plants and animals help humans. Examples of modified plants and animals are given.

Ways in which modified crops help people:

1. The nutritional value of a plant may be increased. For example, the fatty acid composition of modified canola has been altered.


2. The need for pesticides may be eliminated or reduced. For example, some genetically modified corn is insect-resistant.


3. A genetically modified crop may become virus resistant, as are some genetically modified plums.


4. Modified plants may be beneficial to pharmaceutical companies. For example, human growth hormone (HGH) was made in genetically modified plants.
   


5. Genetically modified tobacco plants may be used to make bioethanol.

Ways in which genetically modified animals are advantageous to humans:

1. Genetically modified animals are often harvested in order to study diseases. This is made possible through transgenetic animals that are used to carry either human gene segments that are associated with the disease of interest.


2. Some genetically modified animals can be produced more efficiently, consume less, and produce less waste. Such attributes are advantageous because they increase food production while reducing environmental impacts caused by livestock.


3. Genetic modification can increase the health of some species of animals.

In The Merchant of Venice, what are the relationships between Portia and Nerissa and Portia and Bassanio?

When we encounter Portia we discover that she is a wealthy heiress on the cusp of inheriting her father's entire estate if she meets the terms of his will - that she should marry the suitor who chooses the right casket. She is constantly accompanied by Nerissa who is her lady-in-waiting and also her closest confidante. 

The close personal attachment between the two women is clearly conveyed in the manner in which they communicate. Portia hardly sees Nerissa as a servant but deems her a friend. She divulges and shares all her thoughts, feelings, desires and frustrations with her. Their relationship is obviously founded on a deep trust and respect for each other. Furthermore, their bond is clearly the result of a long-standing association which had been established when both were much younger. The two appear to be of the same or a similar age and would thus understand each other better, easing their conversation since they would essentially be speaking 'the same language.' 

Portia comfortably expresses her displeasure with the current line of suitors to Nerissa, who encourages her mistress to speak openly and freely. Nerissa obviously realises that Portia needs an outlet to vent her frustrations and she becomes her 'shoulder to cry on.' Added to this is also Portia's vexation about her father's will which she deems 'the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father.'  As a caring and understanding friend, Nerissa avoids being too critical and advises Portia to rather see the good in her father's determination.

The depth of the two girls' relationship is further illustrated by the fact that Portia asks Nerissa to accompany her to Venice, in disguise, to act in Antony's defence against Shylock's malicious demand. This is further emphasised by the fact that Nerissa acts as her assistant during the trial and both girls encounter a similar complication with regard to the rings they had each given their husbands, with similar outcomes. 

We learn of Bassanio's interest in Portia when he asks Antonio for financial assistance to woo the wealthy heiress. Bassanio wishes to stand an equal chance to win her hand but needs money to do so. He tells Antonio:

In Belmont is a lady richly left;
And she is fair, and, fairer than that word,
Of wondrous virtues: sometimes from her eyes
I did receive fair speechless messages:
Her name is Portia, nothing undervalued
To Cato's daughter, Brutus' Portia:
Nor is the wide world ignorant of her worth, ...

He is clearly infatuated with this lady 'of wondrous virtues.' He also makes it clear that Portia has shown interest in him since she had given him 'speechless messages' with her eyes. Portia must have given him loving looks which have convinced him that he stands a good chance of winning her hand.

When Bassanio arrives at Belmont, he is encouraged by Portia to choose the right casket. She makes it pertinently clear that she desires Bassanio and would stay his visit if she has to. She also mentions that she would have advised him how to choose if it had not meant the forfeiture of her inheritance. She intentionally wastes time in conversing with him so that she may enjoy his company for longer because he might just choose wrongly.

Bassanio expresses similar sentiments and states that he is tormented by the idea of losing his love if he should make the wrong choice. He expresses his love for Portia but wants to get done with the task of choosing a casket so that his torment may cease. he, fortunately, chooses the right chest and is soon married to his beloved. The wedding is a rushed ceremony because he has just been informed about the trouble Antonio is in.

Further evidence of Portia's love for him is found in the fact that not only does she offer to settle Antonio's debt many times over, so that he may be at peace, but also that she ventures to Venice, in disguise, to defend Antonio. In the end, the two are united back at Belmont to enjoy their nuptial pleasures and live a life of love and prosperity.

What is the theme of Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder?

Little House on the Prairie follows author Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family as they move to the Kansas prairie. Family is the predominant theme of both this book and all others in the Little House series. Throughout the story, the Ingalls struggle to survive as they cross the country in a covered wagon, build a house, fear the threat of local Native Americans, combat a prairie fire, and contract malaria, or “fever ’n’ ague" as it was known in the story.

These hardships would have been enough to drive many a family to despair, but the Ingalls family relied on and supported one another through each trial and tribulation. Neighbors and side characters appear in the story from time to time, and they often help the Ingalls when possible, but the primary theme remains the Ingalls family.

What do you think about dancing: is it sinful? I don't think so, it's just having fun in life; but a lot of churches don't agree. What do you...

Most major religions have a place for music in their services or rituals of worship. Dancing is also an important part of many religious traditions, including the Jewish faith and Sufism. Even the Anabaptist Mennonites and Amish, often considered very conservative and strait-laced, are known to dance at their church functions. The prohibition against dancing seems to be a trend among certain Southern Baptist and Pentecostal churches. This is not because these religious denominations have any official stance prohibiting dancing; rather, they believe that individual churches should have autonomy in creating rules for their congregations. It is individual churches that make rules against dancing and other social behaviors. In some Baptist churches, in the southern states in particular (such as Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Georgia) there is no dancing allowed in the church itself or on church grounds. Some churches only prohibit "sexually suggestive" dancing.

It is believed these prohibitions may have arisen out of the Christian Fundamentalism movement, which gained popularity in the late 19th century, in part as a response to the growing body of evidence for human evolution. In addition to revising Christian Protestant doctrine to include close adherence to the bible as history (as opposed to literature), many fundamentalists avoid certain behaviors such as drinking alcohol, dancing, or attending concerts or plays. Interestingly, in recent years the term "fundamentalist" is used less commonly to refer to this rather strict form of Christianity: more commonly these days the adherents refer to themselves as "Evangelicals" or simply "Christians."

As for what I think: music and dancing can be profoundly beautiful and powerful expressions of spirituality. I grew up singing religious music from many cultures, as my music teacher and choir director loved this kind of music, and we performed a wide variety of music inspired by worship, including Negro Spirituals, Gregorian chant, and religious poems by William Blake set to music. I can't imagine why dancing, a natural response to music, should not be part of someone's spiritual experience.

How long does it take for a primary wave to travel 2,000 km?

In an earthquake, the initial seismic energy wave is called a primary wave. It compresses the material ahead of it; other types of subsequent waves travel in sideways and up-and-down motions. A primary wave travels at different speeds depending on what type of substance it is traveling through. In order to determine how long it will take to travel 2,000 km we have to do the math, using the speed in km/sec and setting up proportions. In a solid such as rock, the primary wave can travel at 5 km/sec; it would take 400 seconds, or about 6.7 minutes to travel 2,000 km. If traveling through water, the wave travels at about 1.45 km/sec and would need 1,379 seconds (23 minutes) to travel 2,000 km. Primary waves traveling through air travel at the speed of sound (.34 km/sec), and would take 5,882 seconds (98 minutes) to travel 2,000 km.

Speeds are usually expressed in m/s, as they are in the link I have attached. I converted to km, as your question was phrased that way.

Consider the effect of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes on family relationships while writing a letter from Parsons daughter to Big...

One of the very fascinating effects of a well-run totalitarian regime seems to always be the work that goes into breaking down typical family and community relationships. In East Germany and in North Korea and other places, the government tried (and continues to try in the case of North Korea) to break down family relationships and encourage everyone to spy on everyone. It is impossible to keep an eye on an entire population unless you can convince them to do it themselves.

So when considering how to write something that Parson's daughter would write, consider how you can make this change evident. She is going to demonstrate that she is more loyal to Big Brother than she is to her own father and what she writes in the letter should reflect that.

It might take the form of eager praise of Big Brother and an explanation of how she is proud that she can turn in her father and demonstrate her own loyalty. It is also worth considering how she would describe the way that her father betrayed big brother and making sure that she explains how disappointed she is that he does not share her loyalty and consideration for Big Brother and the future of the Party.

How can I write a critical appreciation of "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas?

Dylan Thomas directed the poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" to his dying father, though his father did not in fact die until several years later. It may have been that Thomas' father fell into sickness, and recovered. In any case, the poem seems to be written so.

While the refrain of the poem is one of the most famous in poetry—

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

—the poem seems to be less about the person dying in the poem than about the poet himself, who seems to have not come to any peace with death. The poem is littered with grief and remorse over things undone:

"Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night."'

In other words, these men 'forked no lightning', created no light in the dark, therefore their work is undone, and thus the railing against the coming of the night.

The poem is one of a poet questioning the purpose of his own life, and in transference, layering it over the death of another. The poet fears his own death, whether aware of that or not, and tells himself in the poem to rail against it, while he still has time.

How does Lady Macbeth persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan?

Lady Macbeth persuades her husband to kill Duncan by challenging his masculinity and essentially calling him a coward for refusing to do what he has already resolved to do. She asks if he is "afeard" to act on his desires. She tells him that he will "live a coward in your own esteem" if he does not go through with the murder, and she even says that she would murder her own child before she went back on her own word if she had sworn to do such a thing. Having provoked Macbeth, she then proceeds to give him courage, essentially telling him that they cannot fail if he is only brave. She tells him to "screw your courage to the sticking place" and proceeds to lay out a plan by which she will get Duncan's chamberlains drunk in order to blame them for the murder of the king. So at this crucial juncture of the play, as Macbeth is vacillating in his plans to marry Duncan, his king and kinsman, it is Lady Macbeth who pushes him toward the act. 

How did the Nazis deflate individuals to turn them into inmates?

In order to understand the fate of the Jews under the Third Reich, we have to take note of the force that was levied upon them. Historical accounts of this time period often depict the Final Solution as a sudden occurrence. Rather, the capture and murder of Jews in Europe was a carefully planned process that began with the spreading of propaganda that inspired fear in the hearts of Europeans.

The Nazi Party depicted the Jews as dirty, money-hungry infidels who were the reason for the economic crisis that plagued Europe (Germany, in particular). This propaganda was spread far and wide, on street corners, radio stations, and school curriculum. The contrasting images were pure German citizens, strong in body, mind, and spirit.

Once they succeeded in tarnishing the reputation of the Jews, the Nazi Party began to systematically pass legislation that made it lawful to marginalize them, as well as other minority groups.  Segregation became the way of the land. In fact, if a citizen in a Nazi-occupied country tried protect Jews in any way, they faced the possibility of imprisonment or execution. For this reason, thousands of people who wish they had the heart to resist the Nazi influence felt restrained from helping those in need. An iron cage had been built, fortified by a formidable army and everyday Europeans who were united against a common enemy.

Once the time had come for the Nazis to capture and murder the Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, handicapped, and other people they deemed unsuitable, there was simply no one around who was willing or able to stop them. Other countries turned a blind eye and members of those small resistance groups who raised a voice were executed. When we look at photos and videos of the Jews in the concentration camps, the starved and shaven victims appear to be strikingly passive. And to a large degree, this was indeed the case. Everything imaginable had been taken from them: freedom, health, wealth, identity, dignity, home, family—you name it, it was gone. The SS soldiers presented themselves as cold-blooded machines who would kill dissenters without thinking. For most of the victims, trying to escape seemed to be the surest path to death. 

In the book Of Mice and Men, who is the only one who realizes what really happened between Lennie and George at the end of the story?

After George shoots Lennie, he leads the others to believe that he and Lennie had a struggle that ended in Lennie's death.  The rest of the men accept George's story at face value and do not give Lennie's killing a second thought, except for Slim.  Throughout the story, Slim is the character to whom the other workers turn for advice.  He is the voice of reason and rationality.  Slim listens to the others and helps them to solve their problems. The rest of the men were ready to kill Lennie themselves as retribution for Curley's wife's death.  Prior to going to find Lennie,  George approaches Slim to determine what would be best for Lennie.  Would it be ok to just bring him in to the authorities?  Slim suggests that having him arrested would not be the best solution for Lennie's well-being.  Therefore, when he finds George next to Lennie's dead body, he understands exactly what had transpired.

Find the humor in the story "The Stolen Bacillus."

In "The Stolen Bacillus" by H.G. Wells there is humor because of the dramatic irony that occurs at various points in the story. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience has more insight about the true nature of a situation than a character has. In this story there are three main examples of it.

The first example has to do with the Bacteriologist running out the door without hat, coat, or shoes. Thinking that "that horrid science of his" has driven him mad, his wife chases him with the outdoor apparel so that he will not be seen in public in his socks. She does not understand the real reason he left so hastily, and thinks he is merely eccentric. But the reader knows that the Bacteriologist had to leave so urgently in order to try to catch the Anarchist who stole one of his vials.

The second example is during the cab chase. As the Bacteriologist chases the Anarchist and Minnie chases the Bacteriologist, they are observed by a small group of other cab drivers who find their chase entertaining but have no idea about either the Bacteriologist's urgent mission or Minnie's errand. They see that the drivers are using whips and then place bets and cheer for them as though it is a race. The reader knows the true purposes of all three cabs' haste.

The third example is at the end of the story after Minnie has caught up to her husband. He reveals to her that the stolen vial does not in fact contain any cholera but instead a bacterium that turns living creatures blue. The Anarchist has just exposed himself to its contents and then gone off down the street believing that he is going to poison everyone with cholera. But the Bacteriologist suggests that the Anarchist will actually turn blue rather than die or contaminate anybody with cholera. What could have been a serious outbreak of a deadly disease will result instead in nothing more than the Anarchist (and perhaps everyone else he managed to infect) looking ridiculous.

How do nucleotides pair up in a DNA molecule ?

DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is double helical molecule, that is, it has two strands. These strands are complementary to each other and are connected to give DNA molecule, the double helical structure. Nucleotides are the monomers of these DNA (as well as RNA) molecules. Each nucleotide consists of either a purine or a pyrimidine base. In case of DNA molecule, the purine bases are adenine (denoted by A) and guanine (denoted by G), while the pyrimidine bases are thymine (denoted as T) and cytosine (denoted as C). Adenine always pairs up with thymine and guanine always pairs up with cytosine and that is how the nucleotides pair up. In other words, A with T and C with G.

Using this knowledge of nucleotide pairing or base pairing, one can determine the base pair sequence in the complementary strain of dna, given the base pair sequence of one strand. 

Hope this helps. 

What human weaknesses are shown in the animal characters in "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi"?

Rudyard Kipling's ability to create animals with human characteristics is an essential part of the appeal of "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi." Rikki displays admirable character qualities, but several of the animals also display human weaknesses. First, Darzee, the tailorbird, displays timidity and muddled thinking. When Rikki first meets him and asks him who Nag is, Darzee cowers in his nest. Rikki scolds Darzee for never having thought to tell him that Nagaina had eggs, even though Darzee had a good idea where they were. When Rikki asks Darzee for help in distracting Nagaina so he can destroy the eggs, Darzee is confused, thinking that because the snakes babies were in eggs like a bird's babies, they should not be killed. The muskrat, Chuchundra, is depressed and fearful. He is afraid to run into the middle of a room, so he skulks around by the walls, whimpering. He cannot even bring himself to tell Rikki what the rat told him about the cobras. Nag is deceitful, pretending to want to get into a philosophical discussion with Rikki when he really was just distracting him so Nagaina could strike. Nagaina herself is described as "Nag's wicked wife." She wants to murder people and animals, and she has a lust for power. She plots with Nag, "So long as the bungalow is empty, we are king and queen of the garden."

Does Rikki have any character weaknesses? He might suffer from over-confidence. As a young mongoose, he was not really capable of taking on the full-sized Nag; if the man hadn't appeared with his gun and shot the cobra, Rikki may have died in the battle. 

Because this story has animal characters who have human weaknesses, it gives the reader insight into human social interactions—and it's interesting and enjoyable as well.

What does living on the streets teach you according to Ponyboy?

In Chapter 8, Ponyboy and Two-Bit go to the hospital to visit Johnny and Dally. In a very emotional scene, Johnny tells Ponyboy that he busted his back and is afraid to die. Johnny says that their trip to Windrixville was the only time he's left the city and wishes to see the world. Ponyboy tries his best to control his emotions and analyzes Johnny's short life. Ponyboy mentions that in sixteen years you can learn a lot on the streets, but they will teach you all of the wrong things. Although Ponyboy doesn't elaborate on this statement, he means that being in the streets will teach a person how to fight, steal, and become a callous individual. Ponyboy then mentions that after years of living on the East Side, you learn to shut off your emotions and repress your negative feelings.

How does the boy in The Road show how hes matured?

At the outset of the story, the boy is constantly overwhelmed with fear and his father has to reassure him that they are going to be ok. It is clear that the father is also full of despair having seen the things he has but he is trying to put forward a ray of hope for his child who seems unable to believe that things can turn out in a positive way. The boy slowly begins to gain some confidence and to gain an understanding of what his father is sacrificing in order to help him.

As he grows stronger he begins to assert himself. He tells his father that he must stop starving himself in order to allow the boy to eat. He sees that his father is sick and cannot live much longer. The boy also demonstrates compassion towards others, though at times this gets them into more trouble, and it demonstrates his growth and strength.

Eventually the boy realizes that he is going to have to try to make it on his own and he ends the story putting his trust in a stranger after mustering the strength to say goodbye to his father.

How would you compare and contrast the poems "Ain't I A Woman?" by Sojourner Truth, and "Let America Be America Again" by Langston Hughes?

Both Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman?" and Langston Hughes's "Let America Be America Again" discuss the oppression of specific marginalized groups and beg for freedom. One difference between the two is that Truth's poem specifically addresses the oppression of women and African-American women, whereas Hughes's poem addresses the oppression of all marginalized groups besides women.

Truth's poem opens by talking about the special treatment women receive from gentlemen because they are considered the weaker sex, including being "helped into carriages," carried over ditches, lifted over mud puddles, and being given the "best place." The speaker points out, though, that she is not given this much respect even though she, too, is a woman. The speaker's rhetorical question found in the refrain — "And ain't I a woman?" — serves to emphasize the fact that, due to her African descent, the narrator is not treated as having equal status with other women. Her references to inequality serve to protest against the injustices suffered by marginalized African Americans, especially African-American women.

Truth does not focus entirely on the oppression experienced by African-American women. By the seventh stanza, Truth notes the belief held by men over the ages that women are not equal to men:

Then that little man in black there say
a woman can't have as much rights as a man
cause Christ wasn't a woman.

The speaker then continues to point out the logical fallacy of that man's claim. By pointing out how illogical it is that all women are considered unequal to all men, the speaker is also protesting against the marginalization of all women, not just African-American women.

Similarly, when Hughes states, "America never was America to me," the speaker protests against the lack of liberties in America due to the oppression of the marginalized. In one stanza, Hughes sets out to list the marginalized he is acting as the voice of:

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek—
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

Since Hughes does not specifically mention women as a marginalized group seeking freedom, it can be said that one difference between his and Truth's poem is that Truth's poem speaks of the oppression of women, whereas Hughes's poem speaks of the oppression of men in other marginalized groups.

What ship were Phillip and his mother on when it was torpedoed in The Cay?

Phillip and his mother were on a ship called the S. S. Hato. In later chapters, sometimes he simply calls it "the Hato." ("S. S." means "Steam Ship," and "Hato" is the name of an airport on Curacao; it's also a last name. So the name of the vessel basically means "Steam Ship Hato.")

As he's narrating the story, Phillip describes this ship as a small freighter that often emits thick, black smoke, and it's a ship that Phillip is particularly familiar with, since he often sees it in the bay. It seems to be well-equipped with life boats, as he and his mother are familiar with how to follow a drill and make their way onto a lifeboat.

Before he and his mother board the ship, Phillip's whole family notices that only some of the ships that leave the islands actually make it to the mainland. Others are torpedoed during the journey. So it's actually a terrifying decision between making the journey on the S. S. Hato, or staying home in Curacao and risking being attacked there, on land. 

Do you underline book titles?

Generally, when writing a paper, one should underline the title of a book. Depending on the writing style you are working with, you may have other options.

When writing a paper according to the Modern Language Association standards, book titles should be italicized. If you hand-write drafts of your paper, underlining is appropriate.

If you format your paper according to the American Psychological Association style guide, you may either underline or italicize the title of a book.

MLA and APA are the most commonly used style guides in academics in the United States, so unless you are from another part of the world or working in a very niche academic subject, I think it is unlikely that you would use a different style. If your teacher hasn't specified their preferred format, italics or underlining are most likely appropriate-- just be sure to be consistent in how you use either throughout your paper.

What happens at a Confirmation?

Though several Christian denominations offer Confirmation to their members, the origins of the sacrament lie in the Catholic Church.  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which contains a summary of Catholic doctrine, Confirmation is one of the three sacraments of Christian initiation with Baptism and Eucharist being the other two.  The sacrament is believed to increase and deepen the grace bestowed on an individual at Baptism while equipping the person confirmed with the power to profess the faith publicly.  Like Baptism, Confirmation is administered only once during a person's life.  Except in emergency situations, Confirmation is usually not offered until someone reaches the "age of discretion."

Before the sacrament is given, a person is required to be in a "state of grace," having recently taken part in the sacrament of Reconciliation and also having devoted oneself to sincere prayer.  Additionally, one typically enlists a "sponsor" -- a lay or religious person -- for spiritual guidance before the sacrament.

During the sacrament of Confirmation, a person is asked to renew his baptismal promises and profess his faith.  A bishop -- who ordinarily confers this sacrament except in special circumstances -- extends hands over those being confirmed and prays that the Holy Spirit be sent upon them.  The confirmand, the person being confirmed, is anointed with sacred chrism on the forehead as a sign of the seal of the Holy Spirit.  In Eastern Churches, additional parts of the body are anointed with chrism as well.  This anointing harkens back to the anointing that person received at baptism.  Often, the person confirmed chooses as a new name the name of a saint to act as a model for behavior and a patron.

How do you describe the process of dissolving?

Dissolving involves a solute and a solvent. The solvent is the item that does the dissolving and the solute is the item that is dissolved. Dissolving implies that the solute and solvent interact to create a solution. As the solute dissolves in the solvent, the particles of the solute begin to separate. The solvent begins to surround these dissociated solute particles. In order for this to occur, the solvent particles need to collide with the solute with enough force and in the correct orientation. Additionally, there needs to be enough attraction between the solute and the solvent. This attraction will ensure that the solvent continues to surround the solute to keep the particles in solution.

The term “likes dissolves likes” alludes to the fact that polar substances will dissolve in other polar substances, while nonpolar substances dissolve in other nonpolar substances.

When starch is digested, which monosaccharides are released?

Hydrolysis is the process by which large polymers are broken down into their sub-- units known as monomers. These monomers are small molecules that are repeated inside the larger polymer and held together by covalent bonds.

Starch is a polysaccharide-- a polymer composed of a long chain of glucose molecules which are monomers. Enzymes known as amylases and maltases help to facilitate the hydrolysis of starch, which breaks the bonds between glucose molecules. These bonds are called glycosidic linkages. 

By the addition of water, the hydrogen atom from the water attaches to one monomer and the hydroxyl group (OH) attaches to the adjacent monomer. This causes the chemical bond between two adjacent glucose molecules to break down during digestion of starch. The first step forms a disaccharide called maltose. Later, maltose sugar is further hydrolyzed to form the simple sugar glucose --a monosaccharide. Starch digestion begins in the mouth where enzymes are present in saliva and completes in the small intestine. 

A monosaccharide has the general formula of CH2O. The monosaccharide which makes up starch is glucose-- C6H12O6 a hexose sugar. Starch is a polysaccharide composed entirely of the monosaccharide glucose.

After starch digestion, glucose becomes available as an energy source for cellular work.

I have included a link showing the breakdown of starch to glucose.

Is Mary Maloney in "Lamb to the Slaughter" guilty or not?

Of course she is guilty. That is why she goes to so much trouble to establish an alibi and to dispose of the murder weapon. She is not guilty of first-degree murder because the murder was not premeditated. If all the cops investigating the case knew she was responsible for her husband's death, they would arrest her and take her to jail. No doubt she would make a full confession and would eventually plead guilty. She would be indicted for something like second-degree murder or manslaughter. It is hard to know what would happen to her unborn baby, but it would undoubtedly be taken away from her. We might expect her to serve eight or ten years because of the extenuating circumstances and also because of the fact that she has a spotless prior record. All the policemen themselves could testify as character witnesses.

As readers we are induced to share in Mary Maloney's guilt because we want to see her get away with her crime. We are in a sense accessories after the fact. If we had the power to tell the investigating cops that Mary killed her husband with a frozen leg of lamb--we probably wouldn't do it. Would we? The story is not to be taken too seriously. Mary didn't really kill Patrick. Patrick wasn't really going to leave her. It is just a story. The idea of killing a man with a leg of lamb and then getting the cops to eat the lamb is ridiculous. Roald Dahl was noted for writing stories like this. His story "The Way Up to Heaven" is a good example. Another man who wrote tongue-and-cheek murder stories was John Collier. Good examples are "The Chaser" and "De Mortuis." Such stories always have a touch of humor to suggest that they are taking place in a sort of Never-Never Land where ordinary laws do not apply.

In the play "Copenhagen", how is conformity rewarded?

In “Copenhagen”, Werner Heisenberg is confronted with a terrifying dilemma: develop a nuclear weapon for Nazi Germany, or risk annihilation if the Allies develop one first. Heisenberg desperately wants to protect Germany and the people he loves, but is not sympathetic to the Nazi cause nor is he a member of the party. In order to carry on the research in Germany and still control the flow of information on the nuclear project, he at least has to pay lip service to his Nazi supervisors. He believes that by conforming to the Nazi party line, at least outwardly, he can perhaps have it both ways: develop the weapon but still keep the Nazis from learning precisely how it works. His strategy is deeply nerve-wracking but successful: although his colleague Bohr is horrified by what he sees as Heisenberg’s complicity with an evil regime, and although the Nazis still view Heisenberg with slight suspicion at his refusal to join the party, he manages to be allowed to carry on his research. His conformity makes him able to work both for and against the Nazis, while keeping his true priorities…uncertain.

What are examples of metaphors and personification in Hamlet and how do they operate?

Personification appears in this line in Act IV, scene 1:

“Mad as the sea and the wind, when both contend/Which is the mightier."

The sea and the wind are here being personified as two angry men fighting to see which is stronger. This is an example of personification because the sea and wind are given human attributes of anger.

Here is one metaphor from Act I, scene ii: 

"This world...tis an unweeded garden, that grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature possess it merely."

This metaphor compares the world, the court of Denmark, to an unweeded garden, thus characterizing it as a corrupt place, overgrown with 'weeds' (courtiers and possibly murdering uncles) that contribute nothing and choke out what is good and fruitful.

In Act I, scene ii we meet another metaphor: Here Hamlet uses the metaphor of his flesh melting into a dew to describe death. This expresses his wish at that death would be a form of disappearing, of nothingness, that would take away his pain. Later, thoughts of an afterlife in hell will disturb this pleasant image of dissolving:

O, that this too too solid flesh would

melt

 Thaw and resolve itself into a dew

And when Horatio speaks of the ghost as a speck of dust to irritate the mind's eye, he is saying that as a speck of dust in the eye is an irritant that won't go away until you do something about it, so the idea of the ghost will keep scratching and irritating Hamlet's mind until he does something about it. This makes a thought a physical attribute.  

Why is Earth a sphere?

Our planet, Earth, has a spherical shape. However, it is not a perfect sphere and the presence of valleys and mountains make it somewhat rough. In addition, the Earth has slight bulge near the equatorial region and has more mass there than polar regions.

The shape of Earth is governed by its mass and gravity. When the Earth formed billions of years ago, it was a rotating mass of gases and dust. Over time, as more and more mass was added to this spinning disc of gas and dust, gravity started pulling everything towards it. The most efficient surface according to gravitational force is a sphere, since all the points on a sphere are equidistant from the center. As the mass of Earth continued to grow, gravity also increased and attracted everything in its reach. And thus Earth came to be spherical. However, the slight distortion in its shape is due to its rotation on its own axis. This rotation creates centrifugal forces, which cause Earth to be slightly fatter at the equator as compared to the poles.

Hope this helps.

How do dramatic elements in Othello reveal truths about life?

Othello is full of dramatic irony, suspense, and psychological complexities. One of the reasons it is so popular is its verisimilitude. The characters are true to life in that they demonstrate human strengths and flaws. The angelic Desdemona is talented and sweet, but she still stands up for what she believes in when necessary. She marries Othello against her father’s wishes. Tragically, she also stays with him even when he turns violent, as do many victims of abuse.

Cassio is a lively fellow with “a person and a smooth dispose / To be suspected, framed to make women false.” He is attractive and friendly, but he also has his faults. He admits that he has “very poor and unhappy brains for drinking,” meaning that he is susceptible to foolish behavior when drunk. Iago goads him into drinking, and Cassio behaves so recklessly that he is released from duty. Drinking too much and acting out under the influence is very common now as well as then.

Unfortunately, a number of us have been acquainted with people like Iago, and some may even identify with him. He says, “I am not what I am.” These individuals mask their true motives and feelings from others, even their friends. Sometimes they sabotage other people without reason or out of mere jealousy or spite.

Finally, Othello, the tragic hero, falls due to his own unseen weaknesses. In war, he is calm and confident, and in love he initially respects Desdemona. However, Iago is able to use Othello’s deep insecurities against him, suggesting racist and misogynistic reasons for Desdemona’s infidelity. All of us have secret fears that might be hidden even from us. Shakespeare uses many dramatic elements to reveal truths about life, and his excellent characterizations are one of them.