A wall switch is connected to a wall outlet. A lamp with a switch is plugged into the outlet. You turn the wall switch on, but the lamp stays off....

Well, this could happen due to a number of given reasons, but the premier reason is that the lamp has an independent on/off power switch that was manually left in the off position after last being used. Other reasons are:

• There is no electricity.


• The lamp bulb is faulty or is not working.


• The wire connections are loose.

First of all, check if the same is happening with other electrical fixtures in your house. If the same is the case everywhere, you do not have electricity. Check the main electrical board and check if the supply is turned on or not. Next, you may want to check the bulb, if it is alright or needs replacement. This you can check by connecting the lamp to another electrical outlet at home. Finally, check for loose connections in the electrical outlet, switch and the lamp. Loose wires at any of these points may be the cause of non-functioning of your lamp.

Hope this helps. 

How does Harry mature in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone? How is his a coming-of-age story?

In my readings of Harry Potter, I have found that Harry was always more mature for his age because of all of his hardships (living with people who did not like him and treated him poorly) and responsibilities (the chores and tasks his aunt and uncle required him to do). However, I believe that it was Harry's confidence that matured in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. At the beginning of the story, Harry does his best to minimize his presence, to stay out of the way; of course, that does not always happen, as the various strange incidents that he had experienced can attest. He runs away from his bullying cousin and knows not to ask questions, claiming that as the first rule to a peaceful life with his family (page 21 in the UK paperback edition published in 2014); and when he does speak up, he is either shot down harshly (such as when he suggested staying at home while the Dursleys went to the zoo, pg. 24) or he wishes he had not even said anything (such as the conversation about his dream involving a flying motorbike, pg. 27).

At the very end of the story, when Harry is saying goodbye to Ron and Hermione, Harry shows that he no longer needs to run away from Dudley because he has magic; and even though he cannot use it outside of Hogwarts, the Dursleys did not know that, so he could use it to protect himself (pg. 332).

What social expectations does the title character in Bartleby, the Scrivener violate?

This fascinating short story/novel by the author of Moby Dick is most striking because it takes place in the rule-bound world of Wall Street, where conventions both financial and social are rigid and penalty-strong. First, Bartleby’s living habits, including sleeping in the office, are completely taboo in these offices (in any office, actually).

Secondly, the business world has a strict ranking of hierarchy, enforced by dismissal if violated, and an often unwritten social code. For a lowly clerk (a scrivener is nothing more than a clerk of the lowest status, whose job consists of making copies of documents, by hand, without any decision-making responsibility) to state any preference at all is unthinkable, but to voice his refusal with the insubordinate statement “I prefer not to” repeated over and over, is clearly cause for dismissal. Melville, in this magnetic vignette, uses Bartleby's violation of social expectations to both contrast the common man’s ability to “choose” with other fictional characters, such large fictional “choosers” as Captain Ahab and Captain Vere (in Melville’s Billy Budd), and to outline the principles of emerging existentialism.

In "There Will Come Soft Rains," how does the author describe the nursery? What is significant about the way it is decorated?

Ray Bradbury's short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" is about a high-tech house that continues its automated regimen despite the fact the humans who occupied the house have been destroyed in a nuclear attack.

The house basically runs the lives of the humans. It gets them up in the morning. It provides all the meals, washes the dishes, cleans the floors and even deals the cards for Bridge. When the children come home from school at four-thirty in the afternoon they are treated to scenes of a fantastical African wilderness with "blue lions, pink antelopes, lilac panthers cavorting in crystal substance" on the video screens of the nursery walls. It is similar to the lethal nursery wall in another Bradbury short story, "The Veldt."

Technology has even taken over the imaginations of the children. There is no reason to actually visit the outdoors or to fantasize, as children like to do. It's all in the walls. There's no need for them to actually be creative. The house provides for their every need.

Bradbury's story is a condemnation of how technology has come to control our lives. Despite the fact the story was published in 1960 it predicts the future quite well. Computers speak to us, robots clean and, of course, 3-D video screens entertain us.

Each integral represents the volume of a solid. Describe the solid.

The formula provided represents the volume of the solid obtained by the rotation of the region bounded by the curves , the lines x = 0, x = 1, about y axis.

Hence, evaluating the volume of the solid obtained by the rotation of the region bounded by the curves , the lines , about y axis, yields .

What do people talk about in the future dystopian society, and how is this different from our own society? Why do you think Clarisse has such a...

During a conversation with Montag, Clarisse laments the way people don't talk about "anything." In the dystopian future society, Clarisse tells Montag that people only talk about cars, clothes, swimming pools, and how "swell" everything is. She mentions that everybody says the same things, and even the jokes are recycled. In my opinion, I feel that there are similarities between our everyday conversations and the conversations of the people living in the dystopian future society. The media controls much of what we talk about in today's society. Much of our conversations are superficial and discuss the latest fashion trends and celebrities without addressing intimate issues. The majority of our conversations are noncontroversial because many of us are self-conscious and purposefully dismiss contentious topics out of fear that we will "stand out" or offend others. Much like the dystopian society where people recycle jokes, social media has become the breeding ground for reproduced humor. It seems like every page on Instagram is filled with the same memes, and every funny post on Twitter is retweeted. Clarisse then laments that the museums are filled with only abstract art. Clarisse seems to value authentic experiences, and abstract art is detached, theoretical, and non-concrete. It only makes sense that art would be censored in the dystopian future society, and void of individuality and meaning. Clarisse struggles with accepting abstract art because the purpose of art is to provoke thought and reflect authentic experiences in life. Like Pablo Picasso says, "The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls."

What is the signifigance of the color of the flag and the symbols on it in Animal Farm?

The flag that is flown in Animal Farm is first introduced in chapter three. This inaugural flying represents the life the animals dreamed about while toiling under the abusive human rule. The flag is raised prior to the first meeting of the animals. At these meetings "resolutions were put forward and debated." Ironically, "it was always the pigs who put forward the resolutions." This seemingly minor detail is important because it foreshadows what will happen to the animals' utopia.

This flag is significant and symbolic in a number of ways. The flag represents the Animal Farm: a land ruled by animals for animals. The flag is made of "an old green tablecloth of Mrs. Jones's and had painted on it a hoof and a horn in white" (Chapter 3).  The composition of the flag is symbolic as well. The narrator describes the flag in detail in chapter three: 

The flag was green, Snowball explained, to represent the green fields of England, while the hoof and horn signified the future Republic of the Animals which would arise when the human race had been finally overthrown. 

At the end of the novella, the animals' dream of a utopian society is destroyed. The pigs have taken over rule of the farm and abandoned the ideals of Animalism. The animals no longer hoist the flag or hold general assemblies. Under the pigs' rule the animals are worked harder and treated worse than they were while under human rule. The flag that once symbolized revolution and change is now forgotten. In the final chapter, the animals on the farm watch the pigs and humans have a meal in the farmhouse and realize

with a start that, as they look around the room of the farmhouse, they can no longer distinguish which of the cardplayers are pigs and which are human beings (Chapter 10).

In Among the Hidden, what keeps the characters from getting what they want?

The main characters in Among the Hidden are the children and their families. The story focuses on children known as illegals. They are children born to a family that already has two children. A third child is illegal in the setting of this novel.

The children believe it is unfair that they must always stay hidden from everyone, as if they do not exist at all. What they want is freedom to live out in the open like their other two siblings. The Population Police who enforce the Population Laws keep them from having what they want. What happens to illegals who are caught is not clearly defined but the author allows the children to discuss the horrible things that could happen and the rumors they have heard. Eventually, a few of the children decide to stand up to the population's laws, to march to the capitol and protest the laws, demanding their freedom at a rally. Though the truth about the rally is not fully explained, the children find out that it failed because the Population Police and government officials stopped them.

What is important historical or cultural information that might enrich your understanding of the work "Desiree's Baby" by Kate Chopin? Connect the...

Kate Chopin wrote "Desiree's Baby" in 1893 during the Antebellum period. The story takes place in Creole Louisiana where tensions were very high after the Civil War and the end of slavery. During this time, not only were African Americans trying to find their place in society as freed individuals, there was also the matter of people who were mixed race trying to assimilate as well. Because plantation owners had children with slaves, there were many mixed race people at the time and some whose origins were unknown. Racism was still rampant and people with any black heritage were discriminated against. 

It would be important for a reader to know this cultural and historical information when reading "Desiree's Baby" because the story deals with miscegenation (the mixing of people from different races) and its consequences at the time. When Armand discovers his baby has black characteristics, his behavior changes and events are set in motion as a result that lead to Desiree's and the baby's demise. Chopin situated the story in this milieu to show the tragic effects of a society still not acculturated to the changing demographic of the country.

Write the partial fraction decomposition of the improper rational expression.

Since the rational expression is an improper rational expression, so we have to express it as sum of simpler fractions with degree of polynomial in the numerator less than the degree of polynomial in the denominator.

Dividing using long division yields,

Since the polynomial don not completely, so we have to continue with the partial fractions of the remainder expression,

Let's factorize the denominator of the remainder expression,

Let

Equating the coefficients of the like terms,

   --------- equation 1

  -------- equation 2

Now solve the above equations to get the solutions of A and B,

Subtract equation 1 from equation 2

plug the value of A in equation 1,

Choose the appositive or appositive phrase in the sentence. If the sentence has no appositive or appositive phrase, choose none. "Some of them...

This sentence has a relative clause and not an appositive.  A relative clause will have a subject and verb, begin with a relative pronoun like who, whom, whose, or which and is considered an adjective clause that answers a question.  In the sentence, “who” is the subject, “is” is the verb, and the clause answers the question, “which one.” 

An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that modifies or gives more information about a noun and usually comes after a noun in the sentence. 

If this sentence said, “Some of them say that Nelson, a sculptor, made a bad choice this time”, you would have a sentence with an appositive.   Notice that there isn’t a subject or a verb in an appositive. 

Here are some other examples of appositives:

Miss Smith, my first grade teacher, was very influential.

Lady Gaga, a famous singer, is having a concert in town today.

What does Jack look like in Lord of the Flies?

Jack is not a good-looking boy. He is described as having red hair and blue eyes, with plenty of freckles, and a face that looks "crumpled." Golding says his face is "ugly without silliness." By this one can infer that Golding means that Jack is ugly in an unpleasant way. Some boys might be considered ugly, but if they have a silly or good-natured look as well, their ugliness can even be appealing. This was not the case with Jack. Not only is Jack's face not attractive, but his body type is not impressive. He is "tall, thin, and bony." Nevertheless, he is the leader of the choir boys, a position he has most likely garnered because of his singing ability. Some of Jack's jealousy toward Ralph may be due to Jack's self-consciousness about his looks, especially compared to Ralph. Ralph's "size and attractive appearance" win him the approbation of the boys, who vote him in as chief. 

Describe Piper and Russell. How are they related to McNab?

Maniac Magee met Russell and Piper while he was camping out in a historical recreation log cabin at the Valley Forge open air museum. First, he overheard their voices bickering in the night.  The next day, he saw them and realized that they were "two little boys," who were brothers.  They told him that they were on their way to Mexico, but they soon grew suspicious of Maniac.  They thought that he was an undercover police officer.  They had stolen a big bag of sweet treats, and they were worried that they would get into trouble with the law.

Russell and Piper often got into physical fights, but they did not last for long.  Sometimes afterward they would "[laugh] as long as they had fought."  Piper had a loud, screeching voice.  Russell was missing a tooth.

Maniac soon found out that Russell and Piper were the younger brothers of local baseball star, Big John McNab.

What is the difference between Aeneas, Achilles and Odysseus?

Aeneas, Achilles and Odysseus are heroes mentioned in Homer's epic poem The Iliad. It is the story of the ten year Trojan War and the eventual fall of the city of Troy.

Aeneas, a Trojan warrior allied with with his cousin Hector, the great Trojan prince, is only mentioned sparingly in the tale. At one point he briefly fights the Greek warrior Achilles, but, since that warrior is virtually invulnerable, Aeneas is saved from the fight by the god Poseidon.

Aeneas appears again as the main hero in the Roman poet Virgil's epic The Aeneid. After escaping the crumbling walls of Troy when that city is conquered by the Greek invaders (who used the famed Trojan horse to gain entrance), Aeneas sets sail for Italy, where it has been foretold by the oracles that he will found a new and great city. This city is Rome. On the way he has many adventures in Carthage, Sicily and Tuscany. Like Achilles and Odysseus he has divine ancestry and is the son of the goddess of love, Aphrodite.

Achilles is considered the greatest of the Greek warriors who invade Troy. He has been rendered nearly immortal by his goddess mother Thetis who dipped him in the River Styx. Achilles main deed in The Iliad is the killing of the Trojan prince Hector after the Trojan kills Achilles' best friend Patroclus. The death of Achilles after the Greeks invade Troy is not documented in The Iliad but later sources say that Hector's brother Paris killed Achilles with an arrow to the ankle. When Thetis dipped Achilles into the river she held him by the ankle, hampering Achilles with his only weakness and the ultimate cause of his death.  

Odysseus is the king of the Greek city Ithaca and fights for the Greeks in the Trojan War. In The Iliad he is known for being one of the shrewdest and wisest of the Greek generals and, while not as formidable as Achilles, a very brave and cunning fighter. He is also credited with devising the idea for the Trojan Horse, but this story is not included in The Iliad. That epic poem ends with the funeral of Hector. Odysseus is most famous for Homer's sequel to The Iliad, The Odyssey, which tells the story of Odysseus's long journey back to Ithaca after the war. As with the above two heroes, he has a divine heritage as his great grandfather was the messenger god Hermes, who was the son of Zeus.  

What is the difference between dicot gram seed and maize seed ?

There are two main groups of flowering plants--monocots and dicots. Grouping organisms into groups makes them easier for scientists to study their relationships and evolution; the monocot/dicot differentiation is one way to group plants. First, the common names for the plants you reference. Gram is another name for chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. Gram seeds are dicot. Maize is another term for corn. Maize seeds are monocots.

The most obvious difference between the gram and maize seeds is the number of embryo leaves, called cotyledons. Mono- means "one," and that is how many embryo leaves monocot maize seeds have. Di- means "two," and that is how many embryo leaves dicot gram seeds have.

Other differences between gram and maize seeds are that monocot maize flowering parts appear in threes up to six; have leaves with parallel veins; and have multiple, adventitious roots, not one main, large tap root. Maize monocots have vascular bundles (tubes that move water and nutrients) scattered throughout their stems, especially at the edges, or periphery.

Dicot gram flowering parts appear in fours or fives or as multiples up to ten; have leaves with veins that branch out from a central vein; and have a large main root called a tap root. Gram dicots have vascular bundles arranged as a ring of vascular spots in the interior of the stem (not scattered).

Finally, dicot gram seeds grow in pods, usually with two or three in each pod, and monocot maize seeds grow on ears, as much as up to 200 kerrnels on each ear.

What lessons does Atticus try to teach his children through Mrs. Dubose and her death?

In Chapter 11, Jem loses his temper and destroys Mrs. Dubose's camellia bush after she makes several derogatory comments about Atticus. Atticus punishes Jem by making him read to Mrs. Dubose for two hours each day, except for Sunday, for an entire month. After Jem's assigned reading time is over, Mrs. Dubose passes away and leaves a white camellia flower for Jem as a token of her appreciation. Atticus then explains to the children that Mrs. Dubose was suffering from a painful chronic disease. She ended up getting addicted to morphine and her final wish on earth was "to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody." Jem's reading helped occupy Mrs. Dubose's mind between her doses of morphine until she was finally able to beat her addiction.

Atticus says that he wanted to show his children what "real courage" looked like. According to Atticus, real courage is "when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" (Lee 69). Along with teaching his children a lesson in courage, Atticus also teaches his children tolerance and indirectly provides them insight into the duality of human nature. Scout and Jem learn that they must control their anger and not be so quick to judge others.

What are some of the major features of the poetry of the twentieth century?

Poetry in English underwent radical changes in form and language, particularly owing to the work of a number of American poets. Where poetry was once written according to agreed upon standards of form and diction, poets in the twentieth century began to experiment with these traditions, and opened up the definition and scope of what poetry was and could be.

Some poets who were writing before the turn of the century did in fact influence those who came a bit later; these include Walt Whitman, whose writing in major works like "Song of Myself" held usher in a new approach to language that was less formal and more personal and idiosyncratic. Whitman hardly thought of himself as "experimental"--he simply had things to say and very particular ways of saying them, and his passionate, ecstatic mode of poetic voice was controversial and ultimately very instrumental in changing the way poetry was written and regarded.

Some of the most important poets of the last 100 years used an experimental approach to forms and language; these include e. e. cummings, whose work did not use standard capitalization or punctuation. Wallace Stevens was an important and prolific poet who worked his entire adult life as an insurance salesman; his complex, unusual and intricate use of language allowed him to craft very memorable images in his poems, like "The Snow Man" or "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird." Stevens often used combined phrases and images in ways that seemed quite illogical and surreal, and yet still made sense grammatically. 

T. S. Eliot was another influential poet; he wrote often using the first person perspective, which was an unusual technique at the time. He would also shift narrative modes within one poem, switching between points of view and settings rather abruptly. He wrote of social and political issues, but usually in veiled language so that his exact perspective was not overt or obvious. William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet who also wrote of social and political issues; he included references to folklore and ancient Irish mythology in his work. 

The twentieth century also saw the rise of poetry written by women; some of it was considered feminist poetry (such as the work of Adrienne Rich or Gertrude Stein) but much of it illuminated the female experience in ways that were disturbing and haunting (as with Sylvia Path's work, that hinted at her struggle with depression and domestic strife), and obviously spoke of deep inequality and sexual double standards. As with other poetic works of this period, the writings of female poets were seen as part of an increasing trend in consciousness raising within education and cultural literacy, and poetry became a way for people to express and share thoughts about social issues undergoing volatile change in the twentieth century. 

In Shakespeare's play Hamlet, if there was to be one poetic device in the soliloquy "To Be Or Not To Be", what would it be?

Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy overflows with metaphors that have made it one of the most famous soliloquies in English literature. Hamlet uses such rich imagery to describe his state of mind that his mental state sticks with us. He describes his (bad) fortune or luck as "slings and arrows," and he imagines "troubles" as an army he can oppose. We can visualize him being struck with the rocks propelled by a sling or pierced painfully by the arrows of bad luck. We can imagine him with a sword, fighting back against his troubles. He calls his body a "coil," and he imagines time as "whips" beating him. All these metaphors communicate how deeply wounded and battered he feels psychologically. 

He goes on to liken death to an "undiscovered country." He imagines his thoughts as "sicklied" and "pale," another metaphor that expresses his inner despair. He then likens his thoughts to a wild ocean that sweeps his desire for action and pushes it on the wrong currents, or currents "turned awry." These metaphors suggest he oscillates from a depressed to a manic state.

All of these metaphors of wounding, of illness, and of ocean currents make real Hamlet's inner turmoil, just as the metaphor of death as an undiscovered country becomes a place we can visualize. 

Chlorine is contained in a 4 liter vessel at 3 atm and 30 degrees C. How many chlorine molecules are in the vessel? (Remember that chlorine is...

There are two steps to solving this problem:

Step 1. Use the ideal gas equation PV=nRT to find the number of moles of chlorine gas:

PV=nRT

n=PV/RT

V=4 L, P=3 atm, T=30 degrees C = 303 K, R=0.0821 L-atm/mol-K

n = (3 atm)(4 L)/(0.0821 L-atm/mol-K)(303 K) = 0.482 moles

Step 2. Use Avogadro's Number, 6.02x10^23, to convert moles to molecules:

(0.482 mol)(6.02x10^23 molecules/mol) = 2.90 x10^23 molecules of Cl2

A couple of notes:

• Temperature was converted in Step 1 because it must be expressed in Kelvins for calculations using the ideal gas law.


• Chlorine gas being diatomic isn't a factor since we're finding the number of gas particles and the particles in this case are molecules. If you needed to calculate the number of chlorine atoms present you would multiply the number of molecules by 2.

What is the town of Kangik like?

The town of Kangik is introduced to Julie/Miyax after her adventures with the wolves when she is approached by a citizen from the town and told that her father, Kapugen, who is described as "the greatest of all living Eskimo hunters" lives there.  Julie immediately goes to her father; however, as she approaches Kangik, she realizes that she no longer desires to live in a "civilized" world such as this.

Kangik is described by Julie as a "civilized" town that is losing its communion with nature.  There are traditional homes, stores, and schools.  Kangik is full of modern conveniences.  Kapugen has been corrupted by the civilization of Kangik.  He is married to a white woman and has many conveniences of the modern world.  Worst of all, Kapugen is now one of the pilots who carries hunters to the Alaskan tundra to hunt.  Julie figures this out by noting Kapugen's new helmet and goggles.  Kapugen admits to Julie that using planes to hunt is "the only way to hunt today."  

Julie realizes that it could have been her own father who killed Amaroq and wounded Kapu.  As a result, Kapugen is "dead to her."  This begins the sad ending to the story as Julie returns to her little camp on the tundra and her bird friend, Tornait, dies.  Julie realizes that "the hour of the wolf and the Eskimo is over," so she heads back to her father in Kangik.

Discuss the advantages of PCR in comparison to southern blotting.

Both PCR and Southern Blotting are used to detect for the presence of a specific DNA sequence. In PCR, the sequence of interest is amplified through the use of a DNA polymerase and sequence specific primers. An agarose gel is often used to visualize the presence of an amplified sequence, seen as a band of distinct size on a gel. In Southern Blotting, the sample would be run through a gel, immobilized on a membrane, then probed to detect a band of distinct size on the membrane. Often, radioactivity is used for visualization.

There are several advantages to using PCR. First, PCR is much more sensitive because it will amplify the target sequence such that it becomes the most abundant species in the sample. Theoretically, the amplification fold is 2 to the power of (number of cycles), since the amount of DNA is doubled for each PCR cycle. Second, PCR has become so routine that almost all molecular biology labs are equipped to carry it out. The reagents necessary are relatively inexpensive and safe, compared to Southern Blotting, where special probes (often radioactive) have to be acquired and specialized equipment for working with radioactive substances are needed.

What is Good Friday, and how does it relate to Raphael's death?

Good Friday is a Christian holiday observed as part of Holy Week, or the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospels of the Bible, Jesus and his disciples gathered to celebrate a Pesach (Passover) seder. The seder is a special meal commemorating the freedom of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, and as Jesus was a rabbi, this would have been an important yearly event for him. On the first night of Passover, he gathered with his disciples in the knowledge that he would be crucified in the coming days. As such, Good Friday is always celebrated on the Friday before Easter Sunday.

This "Last Supper" is foundational to Christian belief and many Christian rituals, like the celebration of Mass. For such a solemn holiday, doesn't calling it "good" seem a little strange? The origins of the name "Good Friday" are unclear, but many scholars believe it is called "good" as in deemed holy by the Church, or that it was originally called "God's Friday."

The Italian painter Raphael lived to be exactly thirty-seven years old, and he was born (1483) and died (1520) on the 6th of April. The Gregorian calendar was not introduced until 1583, so it is a little difficult for us to know when Easter Sunday and Good Friday were observed during Raphael's life and in his community. However, legend has it that Raphael was born and/or died on Good Friday.

How many and what types of natural resources are available?

Natural resources are naturally occurring materials that can be beneficially used as raw materials for various applications. These are generally classified as biotic and abiotic resources, depending upon their origin. If the resources originated from living things, they are termed biotic natural resources. These include plants, animals and fossil fuels (since they are formed from the decay of plants and/or animals). Fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas and petroleum are commonly used for energy production. If the resources did not originate from living things, they are termed abiotic resources. These include, air, water, sunlight, metals, non-metals, minerals, etc. Several of these, such as air and water, are essential for life on Earth.

These resources are sometimes also classified as renewable and non-renewable, depending upon how long it takes them to regenerate. For example, fossil fuels are non-renewable, while sunlight and wind are renewable resources. 

Hope this helps.

Why did Dr. Johnson criticize metaphysical poetry and John Donne?

Dr. Johnson's aesthetic or idea of what made poetry good was formed by the standards of the eighteenth century, which valued poetry that imitated other poetry, especially the classical authors of Greek and Rome, had a smooth, regular rhyme scheme that fell easily on the ear (this was the age of the heroic couplet, two rhyming lines written in iambic pentameter), and poetry that touched the emotions. 

To Johnson, the metaphysical poet violated all these rules. Their poetry used bizarre or unusual metaphors, strange, jagged rhyme schemes that were not regular, and the poems, failed, in his opinion, to touch the emotions. He thought of them as making clever efforts meant to impress rather than to be easily understandable. These poets strutted their stuff but were not worth the effort it took to decipher them. As Johnson put it:

The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together; nature and art are ransacked for illustrations, comparisons, and allusions; their learning instructs and their subtlety surprises; but the reader commonly thinks his improvement dearly bought, and, though he sometimes admires, is seldom pleased.

In his essay on metaphysical poets, Johnson does not single out Donne, but we can easily imagine that Donne, the most famous of the metaphysicals, would be a prime example of a poet who used the kind of tortured metaphors and uneasy rhyme schemes that Johnson so disliked. For example, Donne compares lovers to saints, a comparison considered odd at the time, and likens lovers who are separated to the legs of a compass. His rhymes are often uneven, imitating the cadences of spoken language. 

Today, our aesthetics have again changed, and we admire the creative originality of the metaphysical poets. 

In the play The Lion and the Jewel, what is the role of Sadiku in the love circle?

Sadiku is the senior wife of the Bale in the play The Lion and the Jewel. Baroka sends Sadiku to the village with orders to woo the village belle, Sidi, and convince Sidi to marry him. Sadiku does her best to convince Sidi that she will enjoy a blissful life with Baroka, and even mentions that Baroka will probably die soon. However, Sidi refuses to marry Baroka, and rejects the Bale's invitation to join him for supper. Sadiku is unsuccessful and returns to the Bale to give him the news of Sidi's rejection. Baroka cunningly tells Sadiku that he is impotent, knowing that Sadiku will gossip about his condition. Sadiku swears to keep it a secret, but as soon as she enters the town, she sings praises about Baroka's impotence. Sadiku tells Sidi about Baroka's condition, and Sidi agrees to attend Baroka's dinner because she wishes to make fun of him, and is no longer worried about the Bale's seductive powers. Sadiku is essentially a pawn in Baroka's game of wooing Sidi. She believes that Baroka is actually impotent and shares his "secret" with the town, just as he expected her to. After Sidi loses her virginity to Baroka, Sidi tells Sadiku what happened, and Sadiku tells her to cheer up.

How does Steinbeck present how women were treated at the time of the Great Depression in Of Mice and Men?

Steinbeck uses the character of Curley's wife to clearly depict how he viewed women during this time period. It was a difficult time, for both men as well as women. Dreams were in abundance, but money and jobs were not. While Lennie and George are able to use their physical abilities to find jobs at local ranches as migrant workers, Curley's wife uses her body to hook Curley. She's described as being attractive and dressing to garner attention. This causes her to be labeled as a "tart" by Candy and the other men. They make fun of Curley's behavior as a newly married man, suggesting that he's wearing a glove to please her. She's a flirt, no question about it, but she is also incredibly lonely. 

Later on, Curley's wife also describes her dreams about how she could have made it in Hollywood, but missed out because of her mother. 

"I lived right in Salinas," she said. "Come there when I was a kid. Well, a show come through, an' I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol' lady wouldn' let me. She says because I was on'y fifteen. But the guy says I coulda. If I'd went, I wouldn't be livin' like this, you bet." 

This highlights how lonely she really is. She is married to Curley and thought that it would be a different life than she actually has. Her hopes have been crushed, just like the dreams of many of the men on the ranch. 

Steinbeck isn't really sympathetic to Curley's wife, however. He doesn't give her a name, reducing her to physical attributes, and only softens his treatment and judgement of her in death. Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife in the same manner as he has killed both the pup and the mice that he has handled. She becomes the instrument of Lennie's demise and the end to George's dreams for his future. 

What was Thomas Hobbes’ idea for the government?

Thomas Hobbes was an english philosopher who lived predominately in the 1600's. His idea for government was that in order for people to be able to live together and survive, they needed to be governed by a single sovereign ruler. This idea was put forth in his book, Leviathan, where Hobbes states that if people are left to rule themselves, they will only focus on self-preservation. He counters this argument by saying that while living under a sovereign ruler the people in society will enter into a "social contract" with one another, and the sovereign. In this social contract, all people of the society give up their "right to all things", except for the sovereign, who is in control of all. By entering into the social contract, the people are able to coexist with one another based on the rules, regulations, and laws the sovereign puts forth. It is important to note that Hobbes never stated that this sovereign should be one person. He argues that in addition to a single ruler such as a King or Queen, small groups, such as those seen in a democracy, or the British parliament, could also serve as the sovereign to govern a nation.

Hope this helps!

Why did Hitler hate Jews, and why did he want to banish or destroy them?

Hitler's hatred of the Jews was clearly pathological, but it was also political. By portraying the Jews as racially inferior and scapegoats for everything that had gone wrong in Germany in the twentieth century, he was tapping into a strain of anti-Semitism that had tragically deep roots in European history. For centuries, many (but not all) Jewish people had been viewed as outsiders in central Europe, set apart from Christians by their religion and their customs. From time to time, leaders would engage in brutal pogroms, or systemized attempts to either dislocate or otherwise oppress and persecute Jewish populations within their borders. These pogroms often enjoyed considerable popular support among Europeans, especially in times of crisis. Hitler's hatred of the Jews grafted this strain of anti-Semitism onto a new, pseudo-scientific theory of race. He, like many people around the Western world, believed that race was the defining characteristic of nationhood and that racial conflict was the driving force behind history. He also believed that Germanic peoples, which he called "Aryans," were the purest and highest form of humanity, and he painted the Jews as the opposite, the lowest form. Yet he also claimed, as did anti-Semites around the world, that the Jews had been responsible, through their supposed manipulation of global markets, for both World War One and the Great Depression. So the Jews, for Hitler, were the embodiment of evil and of racial debasement (which were the same thing in his mind) and he based his rise to power in no small part upon the ascent of Aryan nationhood, a development that inevitably involved, in his mind, the final destruction of the Jews. So Hitler's brand of anti-Semitism was both old and tragically new--it combined ancient hatred with modern crackpot theories and sought to explain, under its own warped terms, the events of the twentieth century. That Hitler's hatreds, which were never exactly disguised, received such popular support among Germans, is one of the most chilling aspects of his rise to power.

How much does the property actually cost which George, Lennie and Candy are talking about buying in Of Mice and Men?

In the third chapter of the book Lennie gets George talking about the little farm he knows about which can be bought cheap. George tells him it has ten acres with a "little shack on it." Candy has overheard part of the conversation and asks how much they would have to pay for a place like that. George tells him:

"Well--I could get it for six hundred bucks. The ol' people that owns it is flat bust an' the ol' lady needs an operation. Say--what's it to you?? You got nothing to do with us."

But Candy has a practical reason for his interest. He tells George:

"An' they give me two hundred an' fifty dollars 'cause I los' my hand. An' I got fifty more saved up right in the bank, right now. Tha's three hundred, and I got fifty more comin' the end a the month."

Candy offers to put all his money into the farm if they will take him in as a third partner. This makes the dream of ownership a near reality. All they need is another two hundred and fifty dollars and they can own ten acres of beautiful California land with cherries, apples, peaches, apricots, nuts, and berries. The house must not amount to much if George calls it a "shack." There were plenty of such shacks in the 1930's. They were not much different from the ones the sharecroppers of Oklahoma lived in. But George has plans to fix the place up, and he is the one man of the three who is capable of doing such things.

George is amazed to see that his dream might actually come true, and in a very short time. He says:

"If me an' Lennie work a month an' don't spen' nothing, we'll have a hunderd bucks. That'd be four fifty. I bet we could swing her for that. Then you an' Lennie could go get her started an' I'd get a job an' make up the res', an' you could sell eggs an' stuff like that."

They agree to take possession of the farm in just one month. George says he will write the old people and tell them they will take their place. Candy will send them a hundred dollars to bind the deal.

If this seems cheap for a ten-acre farm in California, it is because the state's population was small at the time. There were only about two-and-a-half million in the whole large state, and most of them lived around San Francisco or Los Angeles. Cash was hard to come by for small-time farmers. That explains why so many of the little farms were being taken over by the big ranches that could grow cash crops like barley. George talks about selling eggs and stuff like that--but they would have a hard time raising cash for things they had to buy. All the little farmers had eggs, milk, vegetables, and other such produce they wanted to sell for cash. George would probably have to do some outside labor while Lennie and Candy looked after their farm. They might find that their dream was not as pleasant as they expected.

What was the geography in Rome like?

The location of early settlement in Rome was ideal for a number of reasons.  The Latins were the original settlers of Rome and they settled on Palatine Hill according to the archaeological record.  The mild climate, in addition to the fertile soil, made it perfect for farming.  The nearby Tiber River provided a source for irrigation.  The city of Rome was built among seven hills which allowed a natural protective barrier for the city.  The farming was done at the base of the hills and the early Romans lived on the hilltops.  There were also geographical benefits to living on the peninsula itself.  The city was close enough to existing Greek ports along the Mediterranean Sea.  The sea provided further protection, but more importantly, it allowed Rome to expand through trade and military expansion.

Describe the difference between weathering and erosion.

Weathering is the breakdown of rocks and minerals into smaller fragments. Erosion is the process of the movement of the weathered rock fragments over a certain distance. Weathering does not involve any movement of the rocks, while erosion only takes place if the movement of rock fragments (or soil) takes place. Weathering can be mechanical or chemical nature. The simple breaking of rocks by water freezing and melting is mechanical weathering. Chemical action by water (hydrolysis), carbon dioxide (carbonation), etc. are examples of chemical weathering. Biological weathering is caused by microorganisms, plants, and animals and can result in either chemical or mechanical weathering. Erosion is caused by wind, water, ice, animals and human beings, etc. Weathering is caused by atmospheric elements, while erosion can also be caused by human activities, such as deforestation. 

Hope this helps. 

In the story The Devil and Tom Walker, what does the house show about Tom and his wife's morals?

In the story, Tom Walker's residence undergoes a rapid transformation after his success as an usurer. Let's first analyze the look of his house prior to this change.

They lived in a forlorn looking house, that stood alone and had an air of starvation. A few straggling savin trees, emblems of sterility, grew near it; no smoke ever curled from its chimney; no traveler stopped at its door.

From the imagery above, you get the idea that the state of Tom's house is emblematic of his true personality and morals. Notice the negative qualities surrounding Tom's home: the house is described as 'forlorn,' surrounded by 'straggling' trees depicted as 'emblems of sterility.'

Traditionally, savin was also known as juniper. The Romans used savin/juniper for medicinal purposes; interestingly, the ancient Syrians regarded the tree as a symbol of fertility. However, during the Middle Ages, juniper was used to induce miscarriages or to cause abortions, hence the 'sterility' imagery is appropriate for this story. Tom and his wife exhibit a disturbing lack of true morality and human decency; in essence, their very natures are purged ('sterilized') of any capacity for moral aptitude. This can be seen from their personal willingness to engage in a physical battle of wills to protect their individual hoards from each other. Additionally, Tom is not averse to making a pact with the Devil in order to secure the best material advantage he can bargain for. When he finds out that his wife has been dispatched by Old Scratch himself, he thanks his lucky stars that he is well rid of her.

Source: read about the juniper/savin.

After Tom makes his money 'hand over hand' from the practice of steep usury, he builds himself a 'vast house out of ostentation,' but 'left the greater part of it unfinished and unfurnished out of parsimony.' Again, the state of his house clearly depicts Tom's true character. He is a man who is largely enamored with superficial appearances and material advantages rather than spiritual considerations. His ostentatious home is thus, also a symbol of his moral decrepitude and nihilism.

What is the strongest muscle in the body and where is it located?

Some sources quote the strongest muscle as being the masseter muscle in the jaw. However the jaw muscles of human beings are nowhere near as powerful as the jaw muscles of other carnivores such as the cheetah or even apes.

For human beings the most powerful muscle is most likely the powerful hip extensor, the gluteus Maximus. It is responsible for 40% of the propulsive force in running and for 30% of the propulsive force in jumping off two legs. Track and field athletes, football and rugby players tend to have powerful hip extensor muscles as these muscles come into play when one has to "push off" against resistance - such as that of an opposing player holding them back.

The most powerful weightlifting movements -namely the squat and deadlift - require exceptionally strong gluteus Maximus muscles.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what does Mr. Nathan Radley know about the intruders in his garden ?

The incident with Mr. Nathan Radley comes about in Chapter 6 of To Kill a Mockingbird.

When Dill airily suggests that they take a walk, Jem is eager, but Scout is indignant about the boys' true reasons for doing so, which is to peek into one of the loose shutters at the Radley home. The boys want to see if they can catch a glimpse of Boo Radley without drawing attention to themselves, hence the secret night 'mission.'

As it turns out, the trio manage to get into the back yard of the Radley lot. Jem and Scout help Dill up to the window which has a hanging shutter; unfortunately, Dill sees nothing from this vantage point but a light in a distant room. The boys resolve to try a back window instead, while Scout worriedly warns the boys against such a foolhardy action. In the meantime, Scout spies what she thinks is a shadow of a man moving towards Jem's direction. Fortunately for Jem, the shadow stops just beyond him, turns and then walks back to where it came from.

Relieved at the reprieve, Jem hurriedly ushers both Dill and Scout through the collard patch. However, Scout trips noisily on some collards, and the booming sound of a gunshot rings through the night in response. Frightened beyond comprehension, the children rush for the fence which abuts the school yard. They return home safely, but Jem has lost his pants in the struggle at the school fence.

The children spy some neighbors gathering by the Radley place and glimpse Mr. Nathan Radley standing inside his gate with a shotgun on his arm. Atticus, Miss Stephanie, Miss Maudie, Miss Rachel, and Mr. Avery are there as well, but no one sees the children come up.

Eventually, Miss Maudie notices the children and asks whether they heard all the commotion. According to Miss Maudie, Mr. Nathan Radley has 'shot a Negro in his collard patch.' Miss Stephanie comments next, and her words provide some indication of Mr. Nathan Radley's thoughts on the intruders in his collard patch that night:

“No,” said Miss Stephanie. “Shot in the air. Scared him pale, though. Says if anybody sees a white nigger around, that’s the one. Says he’s got the other barrel waitin‘ for the next sound he hears in that patch, an’ next time he won’t aim high, be it dog, nigger, or—Jem Finch!”

Despite the lack of any empirical evidence to support his claim, Mr. Nathan Radley adamantly proclaims that the intruders were black. He assumes that the intruders meant to steal from his collard patch. Furthermore, his racist assumptions are echoed by both Miss Maudie and Miss Stephanie. So, from Mr. Nathan Radley's point of view, the intruders were black and meant to steal from his collard patch; this is what he believes he knows.

How have the people of Maycomb County shaped its community in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Scout discusses the roots of Maycomb county a couple of times in Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. It is interesting to read about Scout's family like Cousin Ike Finch who "was Maycomb County's sole surviving Confederate veteran" (76). Many white people in Alabama during the 1930s could trace their family tree to a Confederate veteran and that is part of the Maycomb's foundation--Southerners. The South fought for States Rights, but also to keep slavery. Because of these two very significant facts, Maycomb rises from the Civil War as a segregated and often racist society just like most other communities in the South. As generations rise and fall, the community changes a little bit, but the founding families seem to uphold many traditions within the community.

First, the Finches were one of the first families to build a homestead in the county at Finches Landing. They didn't have the biggest plantation around, but they did very well for themselves up until the Civil War. After that, they still had a high social status, but not necessarily wealth. Then, the Cunninghams, though poor, have a good work ethic and many extended family still around. They continue to hold to good working values, but aren't so progressive for the time not to consider lynching a black man. Finally, there are the Ewells who are both poor and low class. Bob, the father, feeds his own addictions before his own children. He's also willing to send a black man to his death to protect his racist name.

Maycomb consists of these three types of people plus the black community striving to find work and live decently. Sadly, Aunt Alexandra is a Finch with a snobby, social attitude. As Atticus represents the progressive justice-for-all attitude, his own sister still snubs her nose at people like the Cunninghams. When Scout asks her why she can't invite young Walter Cunningham over to play sometimes, she gets the following answer:

"She took off her glasses and stared at me. 'I'll tell you why,' she said. 'Because--he--is--trash, that's why you can't play with him. I'll not have you around him, picking up his habits and learning Lord-knows-what. You're enough of a problem to your father as it is'" (225).

Luckily, not all of Maycomb is like Aunt Alexandra, the Cunninghams, or the Ewells. Miss Maudie, Link Deas, Heck Tate, and others follow Atticus's line of thinking, and they are the good examples of the community. Maudie explains to Alexandra that people like Atticus are needed to bear the weight of the community's problems on their shoulders sometimes as follows:

"Have you ever thought of it this way, Alexandra? Whether Maycomb knows it or not, we're paying the highest tribute to we can pay to a man. We trust him to do right. It's that simple. . . The handful of people in this town who say that fair play is not marked White Only; the handful of people who say a fair trial is for everybody, not just us; the handful of people with enough humility to think, when they look at a Negro, there but for the Lord's kindness am I. . . The handful of people in this town with background, that's who they are" (236).

When Maudie mentions "background," she's speaking Aunt Alexandra's language because that's all the Finches have left from the old pre-Civil War era. Therefore, Maycomb county is made up of many levels of people who struggle to find themselves as a growing and progressive community during the pre-Civil Rights time period.

How did the steel plow affect life in the U.S?

The steel plow was an important invention for farmers in the United States. It had several effects on our country. As people moved west of the Mississippi River, more land was being farmed. However, this land was different from land east of the Mississippi River. The soil on the Great Plains was much harder to farm. Conventional wooden plows wouldn’t work on this soil. The wooden plows would break because the soil was very tough to cultivate. The steel plow was strong enough to break the soil apart to allow for farming to occur.

There were other impacts as a result of the use of the steel plow. As a result of the steel plow, more people moved to the Great Plains to farm. The government was offering 160 acres of land in this area for free if people would live on it for five years. This was part of the Homestead Act of 1862. More people went to the West to farm because the technology made it possible to farm in this region. Along with the arrival of miners and cattle ranchers, the West grew after the Civil War. 

As more people moved to the Great Plains to farm, new farming techniques were developed. For example, the seed drill helped farmers plant the seeds deeper in the soil. More farm products were being produced. Eventually, farmers experienced economic problems because they produced too many crops causing crop prices to fall.

The steel plow impacted the United States and its growth in several ways.

What passages in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird depict Jem Finch facing injustice? What passages depict Boo Radley facing injustice?

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Jem's experience with Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose to capture the injustice Jem must face as a result of his father's choice to defend Tom Robinson.

By Chapter 9 of the book, Atticus has been ordered by Judge Taylor to defend Tom Robinson, an order Atticus dreads fulfilling because of the case's inevitable outcome. Nonetheless, Atticus is determined to give Robinson the best possible defense because he sees it as his moral duty, especially because no concrete evidence exists to convict Robinson.

By Chapter 11 of the book, Jem and Scout have also grown up to the extent that they feel brave enough to walk past the house of Mrs. Dubose, a woman reputed to be the meanest old lady in the neighborhood, whenever they want to go into town by themselves, whereas prior they kept as far away from her house as possible. Each time they walk past her house, Mrs. Dubose hurls insults at the children, no matter how respectful they feel they are being towards her. Mrs. Dubose's worst insult signifies the injustice the children must suffer at the hands of the townspeople simply because their father is defending Robinson, an insult that Jem feels the most offended by:

Yes indeed, what has this world come to when a Finch goes against his raising? I'll tell you! ... Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for! (Ch. 11)

Jem is so infuriated by Mrs. Dubose's unjust remarks that he returns later that day to destroy her garden of camellia bushes. Though Jem learns a valuable lesson from his experiences with Mrs. Dubose about acceptance and courage, her remarks represent Southern society's unjust and prejudiced views concerning African Americans. Plus, anytime Jem encounters such remarks, he faces injustice because the townspeople judge him and his father unfairly due to his father's choice to act based upon his moral conscience.

Write complete sentences using the correct form of the verb estar and any adjectives or nouns provided. La conjugación de estar: 1. Pedro y Juan...

In Spanish, the tenses are: the "presente" (present), the "pasado" (past) and the "futuro" (future).

The past expresses something that happened previously. The past perfect is a form of absolute past; It expresses something that has already happened definitely.

The present expresses an action that is happening now. The present, as absolute time, expresses the idea that the action indicated by the verb, takes place at the moment that is expressed.

The future expresses something that will take place after now. The future imperfect is the absolute version of the future in which the action, will take place, regardless of any other event.

The conjugation of the verb “estar” in past, present and future, is as follows:

                           present          past perfect         future imperfect

yo                         estoy               estuve                    estaré

tú                         estás              estuviste                  estarás

él, ella                   está                 estuvo                    estará

nosotros              estamos           estuvimos                estaremos

ustedes                 están             estuvieron                 estarán

ellos, ellas             están              estuvieron                 estarán

For the previous sentences we have:

1.   past: Pedro y Juan estuvieron aburridos.

      present: Pedro y Juan están aburridos.

      future: Pedro y Juan estarán aburridos.

2.   past: María estuvo nerviosa.

      present: María está nerviosa.

      future: María estará nerviosa.

3.   past: Ellas estuvieron alegres.

      present: Ellas están alegres.

      future: Ellas estarán alegres.

4.   past: Manuel y yo estuvimos en la playa.

      present: Manuel y yo estamos en la playa.

      future: Manuel y yo estaremos en la playa.

5.   past: Ellos estuvieron en un hotel.

      present: Ellos están en un hotel.

      future: Ellos estarán en un hotel.

6.   past: La botones estuvo ocupada.

      present: La botones está ocupada.

      future: La botones estará ocupada.

7.   past: Ustedes estuvieron en el ascensor.

      present: Ustedes están en el ascensor.

      future: Ustedes estarán en el ascensor.

8.   past: El avión estuvo listo.

      present: El avión está listo.

      future: El avión estará listo

9.   past: La ventana estuvo abierta.

      present: La ventana está abierta.

      future: La ventana estará abierta.

10.  past: La habitación estuvo limpia.

       present: La habitación está limpia.

       future: La habitación estará limpia.

What does nonchalantly mean?

When someone is nonchalant, they act indifferent or appear unconcerned.  When a character is described as doing something nonchalantly, they are performing an action in a casual or unexcited way.  The word nonchalantly describes a verb.  The tone of an action is modified when it is described as being done nonchalantly.  It shows a level of indifference.  

In the book Maniac Magee, Giant John left a room while "nonchalantly munching" on Burger King food.  This meant that he ate the food in a way that appeared indifferent, as if he did not care about what he was eating or that he was eating at all.

Later in the book, Maniac "[gazes] nonchalantly about."  This means that he looked around in a casual way, as if to show that he did not care.

What changes could we make to "The Bet" to make the story more interesting?

While "The Bet" is a great story with a twist ending, there are some changes that could be made to make it even more interesting. Here are a few:

1. Before reading the letter, the banker carries out his original plan and murders the lawyer while he sleeps. As predicted, once the body is discovered, suspicion falls on the watchmen, leaving the banker to get away with murder.


2. After spending fifteen years in solitary confinement, the lawyer is desperate for freedom but does not leave until the bet is officially over. He takes the money and becomes richer than ever while the banker is made bankrupt.


3. The lawyer is so desperate for freedom that he does not complete the fifteen years in solitary confinement. He escapes and is never seen or heard of again, leaving the banker to enjoy what is left of his fortune.

Why did Kevin make up a story about the bionic body?

There could be several reasons why Freak made up the story regarding his bionic body. After he dies, Max is clearly distraught, and even slightly hurt, that Freak lied to him. This is where the idea of a "justifiable" lie comes in.

Freak may have imagined this story in his head in order to protect himself and those who love him. 

In one of my favorite quotes from Freak, he explains that you can remember anything, whether it really happened or not. 

With this philosophy, we can understand why Freak may have made up this story in order to protect himself. He knows his time is limited, so in order to make the most out of the moments he has left, he makes up adventures to save damsals in distress and he makes up a story in order to alter his reality. With a bionic body, he is able to cope with his reality and fate. 

We also understand why Freak may also create this story to protect his loved ones, but particularly Max. Freak may have been afraid that Max wouldn't want to be his friend if he knew that he would die soon. On the other hand, Freak may not have wanted to elicit the sympathy of others that Max frequently receives. Another alternative could be that Freak knew he could help Max overcome some of his personal obstacles before he leaves, therefore leaving his mark on the world. 

From what point of view is the story told?

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, is written from the third person perspective.  The opening paragraphs give a lot of opportunity to figure out the narrative perspective.  The following line is a good example.  

She slumped back with a relieved groan.  

"She" is a third person pronoun.  If the story was written in first person, the sentence would have read "I slumped back with a relieved groan."  If the story were written in second person, the sentence would have read "You slumped back with a relieved groan."  

A more specific explanation of the narrative perspective is that the story is written in the third person omniscient point of view.  That means the narrator knows everything.  He knows the thoughts and opinions of the main character as well as the thoughts and opinions of minor characters and bad guys.  

What was Voltaire asking (what was his main question) in Candide?

In Candide, Voltaire is questioning whether the philosophy of optimism is a viable perspective on the world, given all of the tragedy that occurs every day. Voltaire satirizes this philosophy in his novel, mostly through the character of Pangloss, who is a caricature of Leibniz, proponent of optimism during Voltaire's time (Age of Reason). The philosophy holds that we live in the best of all possible worlds and that everything is for the best; everything tragic that happens is not a result of a malevolent god but rather a natural product of human free will. Every tragedy is part of something bigger, and whatever is bigger is ultimately for the greater good. Having witnessed catastrophic events like the Lisbon earthquake and the Seven Years War in his lifetime, Voltaire simply could not believe in this philosophy. 

In Candide, Voltaire answers the question of whether optimism is a viable philosophy by exposing how ridiculous it is that a person can hold this perspective in light of all of the destruction, death, pain, and loss in the world. At the start of the novel, we see that Candide, a naive young man, has obtained all of his education from Pangloss, his tutor and a philosopher who uses any twisted or exaggerated logic he can to justify his optimism. At the end of Chapter I, Candide gets expelled from Westphalia and embarks on a quest on multiple continents in search of this "best of all possible worlds" that Pangloss has taught him exists. Candide repeatedly finds that there is endless corruption and suffering in the world. Voltaire uses hyperbole throughout the text to emphasize that it is impossible to feel optimistic under the circumstances he has his characters endure. It takes him a while, but eventually, Candide gives up on Pangloss's philosophy and instead embraces pragmatism; at the end of the novel, Candide simply wants to tend his garden, or immerse himself in practical work. Upon finishing the novel,  the reader should see that Voltaire believes optimism is not a logical philosophy; those who continue to cling to it are set up for ridicule in Candide. 

Why is Baroka portrayed as being smarter than Lakunle throughout the play The Lion and the Jewel?

There are many reasons as to why Baroka is portrayed as being smarter than Lakunle. Although Lakunle is the village school teacher who is a proponent of modernization, he comes across as clumsy and shallow throughout the play. Lakunle tries to sound smart by using "big words," but is viewed throughout the village as a confused madman. Lakunle chooses to criticize the entire culture of Ilujinle, rather than make minor suggestions and speak about the traditional customs in a positive manner without offending everyone. Lakunle also fails at wooing Sidi, and foolishly believes that she is about to marry him at the end of the play. In comparison, Baroka is the wise Bale of the village who is esteemed throughout Ilujinle. He is much older than Lakunle, and his life experience is one reason he is portrayed as being smarter. Baroka successfully saves his village by bribing the surveyor and also brings recognition to Ilujinle by openly accepting the foreign photographer. Baroka also exercises his wit in his elaborate plan to sleep with Sidi. His plan works to perfection, unlike Lakunle's stubborn petition to marry her. While Baroka is speaking to Sidi in his palace, he mentions that he does not oppose progress, but realizes its negative effects on the traditional culture and enviorment. Baroka also alludes to Christian doctrine and speaks in metaphors which display his intelligence. His entire character and the way he uses his intellect to get what he wants throughout life is the reason why Baroka is viewed as more intelligent than Lakunle.

After the pollen and sex eggs fuse, what happens to the ovary in the base of the flower?

The pollen tube delivers two haploid (n) sperm cells. An egg and two polar nuclei are located within the embryo sac of the ovary. Fertilization of the sperm cells and egg occurs within the ovary that is located at the base of the of the pistil. One of the sperm nucleus fertilizes the egg to form a diploid (2n) zygote. The other sperm nucleus fertilizes two polar nuclei to form the triploid (3n) endosperm that will later become the food source for the growing embryo.

After fertilization occurs, the zygote (fertilized egg) begins to divide via mitosis. Eventually, the zygote develops into an embryo. An embryo is the developing plant. The seed capsule encompasses the embryo. The embryo housed within the seed capsule remains dormant until the conditions within its environment are favorable for germination to begin.

Is William Golding right to think that people will return to savagery if given the opportunity?

To claim that people will return to savagery if given the opportunity, you have to believe the assertion that people are, by nature savage.  It would be assumed that it is the rules and expectations of society that stop people from allowing their naturally savage ways to surface.  I would disagree that this was William Golding's intended message with his novel, Lord of the Flies. I would argue that he is suggesting that when given the opportunity to escape from the rules and expectations of civilized society, people will revert back to their natural state, whatever that may be.  This is evident in the fact that Piggy was one character that did not change at all while on the island.  When removed from civilization, he did not change because his natural state was the same as the one exhibited in civilized society.  Unfortunately for Piggy, the boys that had savage natures overtook the island and ultimately led to his demise. Using Lord of the Flies as evidence, a more accurate claim would be "if given the opportunity, savagery would overtake the civilized natures in society."

What is the nature and scope of the alcohol and drug abuse problem in the United States today? For example, is this problem more significant today...

The best way to determine the scope of the drug and alcohol abuse problem in the United States is to look at nationwide trends or statistics.

By all indicators, drug abuse has increased. For example, illicit drug use rose 1.1 % (from 8.3 % to 9.4 %) from 2002 to 2013 among those aged 12 or older. The greatest increase is in marijuana use, as more than half of those who begin their drug habits start with marijuana as the drug of choice. Marijuana use has increased by 1.7 % (from 5.8 % to 7.5 %) from 2007 to 2013 among those aged 12 or older.

Alarmingly, drug abuse has increased in the 50-64 age group. From 2002 to 2013, drug abuse increased by 4.5 % in the 50-54 age group, by 4.7 % in the 55-59 age group, and by 2.8 % in the 60-64 age group.

In a positive development, alcohol abuse has decreased among those who are under-aged (12-20 years old). There was a 6.1 % decrease (from 28.8 % to 22.7 %) from 2002 to 2013. Binge drinking and heavy drinking also declined substantially among this age group, by 5.1 % and 2.5 % respectively.

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse: Nationwide Trends.

As for the nature of the drug and alcohol abuse problem, we can look at statistics and trends across ethnic populations and gender. For example, alcohol abuse is higher among men than among women. In 2013, 10.8 million men and 5.8 million women were reported to have an AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder). An alcohol use disorder encompasses alcohol abuse which leads to harm to self and/or others.

Whites and Native Americans are at higher risk than any other ethnic group for AUDs (Alcohol Abuse Disorders). However, once alcohol dependence is factored in, Blacks and Hispanics are at higher risk. The figures are lowest for Asian-Americans. In the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, alcohol consumption was highest among whites (59.8 %) and lowest among Asian-Americans (38.0 %).

Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: Statistics and Facts.

Ethnicity and Health Disparities in Alcohol Research.

You can get more statistics from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health here.

Scroll down to click on links for statistics across gender, ethnic, and age groups. You will likely see that the problem of drug and alcohol abuse is significantly higher today than in the past.

Discuss the archaeological evidence for the rise of long-distance contacts along the Silk Road during the 1st millennium BC.

The Silk Road was actually a collection of caravan routes which conveyed could from Chang'an, China to the west, terminating at Rome. There are two types of archaeological evidence for the increasing number of contacts along these routes and increasing trade, namely western goods found in China and other points to the east and Chinese goods found in the west. Additionally, archaeologists are finding evidence along the actual caravan routes. 

Among the earliest evidence for trade in silk and other Oriental goods towards the west are found in classical Greek (5th century BC) graves. The Silk Routes were officially sponsored by the Han Dynasty in China starting in 139 BCE, but realistically they were extensions of the Persian Road Road and subsequent road building of Alexander the Great and his successor empires. 

The city of Loulan in western China was an important stop on the Silk Road, and graves of various Mediterranean peoples from the first millennium have been found there. The increase in foreign burials over time and increasing varied and valuable goods accompanying the burials are evidence for increased trade.

Greek pottery and native pottery influenced by Greek styles have been found in Sogdiana, showing the increase of trade. The growth of settlements along various caravan routes also suggests an increase in trade. 

How does Charles Dicken's Great Expectations challenge the views on gentlemen in society and how does this relate to William Shakespeare's Macbeth?...

In Dickens' day, gentlemen inherited their wealth or expectations from another wealthy person in the upper classes of society. This wealth then freed these men for further education or leisure pursuits. Gentlemen were considered superior to others in the culture, particularly laboring men. Laboring men were crude; gentlemen were refined, at least in the popular mythology. 

Dickens upsets this idea in Great Expectations by having a convict, Magwitch, provide the money that enables Pip to live as a gentleman.Pip is horrified and ashamed when he discovers his money has come from Magwitch. Magwitch tells him, "I lived rough that you might live smooth; I worked hard that you should be above work." This exposes what is usually hidden: that upper class wealth comes from the hard labor of people who live in rough conditions.

Pip can no longer feel proud of being a gentlemen, knowing where his money comes from, but Dickens' story suggests the following question: where does any gentleman's money come from? Do gentlemen have any right to believe they are superior when they are living on the backs of the labor of other people? Are they really the "gentle men" in society? Dickens, a self made man who became rich through the work of writing best-selling books, had little patience with the superior airs of those with inherited wealth and does his best in this novel to expose the hollowness of their snobbery. In Great Expectations, the best men, Joe and Magwitch, are unpretentious laborers who work for a living. Dickens shows the true gentlemen to be persons of character like them, not the people with inherited wealth.

Great Expectations illustrates that it is better to be a simple unpretentious person who cares about others than an ambitious wannabe gentleman like Pip. Likewise, Macbeth shows the dangers of violating moral codes that bind people together in loyal and trusting relationships. Macbeth's ambitions cause him to do terrible things that violate what real kingship is. Both Pip and Macbeth mistake the outward shell of a desired status for the inward traits that make, in one case, the real gentleman, in the other case, the real king. 

In Irene Hunt's Across Five Aprils, what does Jethro think about war?

Caught between the competing visions of the war that is tearing apart his country, Jethro Creighton struggles to reconcile the disparate perspectives to which he has been privy just within his own family. Brother Bill's decision to side with the Confederacy, for instance, makes it impossible for the younger Jethro to demonize that side of the conflict, while the depravity inherent in the practice of slavery makes sympathy for the South a more problematic undertaking.
Like many boys his age (nine when the story begins; thirteen when it ends), Jethro initially conceives of war as an exciting adventure wherein the dangers are stricly hypothetical, but he's smart and perceptive and, exposed to the discussions and debates within his own family, he is exceptionally informed regarding the moral complexities inherent in armed conflicts. That his favorite brother, Bill, will side with the Confederacy while the rest of the family continues to identify with the Union, makes Jethro's internal deliberations all the more compelling. Make no mistake, however, this young boy will experience a fundamental transformation regarding his views of war--a transformation intended to allow Hunt to develop the theme of war as the ultimate, and ultimately futile tragedy. Early in Across Five Aprils, the author notes Jethro's initial excitement at the prospect of war:
"He had listened to his brother Tom and his cousin Eb, the two younger of the grown boys in the household, and their excitement had found its way into his blood."
As the reader learns, however, the realities of war, mainly conveyed to Jethro through letters home from his brothers on the front lines of combat, from the stories he will hear about the horrors of combat from the seriously-wounded Shadrach and from the deserter Eb and, finally from the news of President Lincoln's assassination all faciliate Jethro's dramatic transformation from one who views war as adventure to one who views at as the tragedy that it is.

Sources:

In Sherman Alexie's book Flight, why is Zits put into the body of Gus and not someone else?

The period of time where Zits inhabits the body of Gus is very powerful and represents a moment of change in the book. Gus' job as an "Indian Tracker" is to lead his fellow soldiers to a First Nations settlement so that they can attack the people they find there. When he sees a young soldier trying to rescue a boy from the carnage, Gus helps them get away. I think that what Alexie was trying to get across with this narrative is that warfare is never as simple or as "clean" as we might expect. Even in clearly divided attacks, like the American army attacking First Nations people, the two sides are not necessarily monolithic in their experience or attitudes towards the event. Both Gus and Small Saint are two characters who are on the side of the army but change their minds and their actions. Gus says that he joined the army because he wanted to help people, and that is what he does. Alexie has used this character to give us a very powerful look into the fact that people may feel forced to do things they don't really want to do, especially in wartime.

One must wonder whether Gus' actions were entirely his own or whether Zits interfered in his helping Small Saint and Bow Boy. If Zits was able to influence Gus' actions, why couldn't he do so in any of the other bodies he was sent into? Perhaps because, deep down, Gus wanted to help people, Zits was able to steer him in this direction.

Alexie made some important literary decisions in choosing which character he wanted Zits to inhabit during each scene. I think that he chose characters who he could craft a narrative of morality and conscience around. When we read and talk about  historical events, whether it be just days or hundreds of years ago, some of the reality of the situation is lost. We can fall prey to no longer seeing the actors and events as having been composed of real people with thoughts and feelings. Sometimes it just seems like stuff that happened, us versus them, black and white. In truth, even the most horrific of acts in history were committed by people with thoughts and feelings who must have negotiated with their sense of morality.

How can you tell that Patrick is preoccupied in "Lamb to the Slaughter"?

Since Patrick is killed fairly early in the story, the reader does not get a lot of time to figure him out. Despite that disadvantage, Dahl writes the character in such a way that the reader immediately does not like him. Part of the reason that the reader feels distanced from Patrick is that he is cold toward Mary and seems preoccupied the entire time.  

Immediately on meeting Patrick, it seems like something is on his mind. Dahl has spent multiple paragraphs describing how Mary anxiously awaits the moment that Patrick walks through the door. When he finally comes home, Mary goes to him, takes his coat, and gives him the "hello darling" welcome. His response . . . "Hello." It feels flat, distant, and cold compared to Mary. 

A few minutes later, Patrick gives another clue that his mind is preoccupied.

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.

Based on those lines of text, it seems that Patrick would usually savor his after-work drink. Not this time. He drinks it all in a single gulp and gets another drink. Either he had a terrible day that he is trying to forget, or he is trying to find some liquid courage. It turns out to be the latter, but it is clear that something is bothering Patrick. 

The last evidence to support his mind's preoccupied state occurs when Mary tries to engage him in small talk.

"I think it's a shame," she said, "that when someone's been a policeman as long as you have, he still has to walk around all day long." He didn't answer. "Darling," she said, "If you're too tired to eat out tonight, as we had planned, I can fix you something. There's plenty of meat and stuff in the freezer." Her eyes waited to an answer, a smile, a nod, but he made no sign.

Mary's talking, but Patrick isn't responding. He's either ignoring her intentionally, or he isn't really even listening to her. I think he's so focused on the news that he is about to break that he doesn't hear Mary. 

Of all the characters, it is Piggy who most often has useful ideas and sees the correct way for the boys to organize themselves. Yet the other boys...

Piggy is overweight, asthmatic, and even when he offers good advice, it sounds preachy coming from him. Ralph and Jack, on the other hand, are lanky, in shape, charismatic, and commanding. They have typical leadership qualities. And they also appeal to the boys' superficial understanding of what a leader should look and sound like. So, Piggy is mistreated because of his appearance. He is physically weak and soft. As a leader, he has the right answers, but throughout his life, he has been picked on. So, his mentality in offering advice usually comes out frustrated and conciliatory rather than in the commanding way that Jack and Ralph speak. 

Ralph leads by fairness and confidence. Jack leads by intimidation and arrogance. Both boys also have the physical and athletic qualities young boys look up to and admire. Piggy has none of these qualities. So, it is for mostly superficial reasons that Piggy is not treated with the same respect. And as a result of being picked on, Piggy addresses the others with more of a sense of pleading than commanding. Even though he is the most intelligent and reasonable boy of the bunch, his physical appearance and personal quirks strike most of the boys as signs of weakness. 

If the other boys were more reasonable, they would listen to Piggy. As they devolve into more savage behavior, they become even less likely to listen to Piggy. Note the transition from organization to chaos as a parallel to Piggy's demise. First, he loses one lens of his glasses, then another. He becomes more weak, less able to see. The other boys "see" him as this weakening character. 

The theme of how quickly civilized people can devolve into violence is illustrated in the progressive way the boys treat Piggy. At first, they at least listen to some of his ideas (the conch), but as the story goes on, he seems weaker and more ineffectual in their eyes. As the boys lose interest in reason and organization, they also lose interest and any respect they may have had in the reasonable, organized boy: Piggy. 

Find the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the region bounded by the given curves about the specified line....

You need to evaluate the volume of the solid obtained by the rotation of the region bounded by the curves , about x = 2, using washer method, such that:

You need to find one endpoint, hence you need to solve the following equation:

You may evaluate the volume

Hence, evaluating the volume of the solid obtained by the rotation of the region bounded by the curves , about x = 2, yields .

How are electromagnets used in recycling plants?

Electromagnets are magnets that can be turned off and on by controlling the flow of electricity. In other words, when we switch on the electricity supply, they become magnets; when we switch off the supply, they are no longer magnets. They are used to segregate the waste into magnetic and non-magnetic wastes, at a recycling facility. The recycling plants receive all types of wastes and their job would be easier if we can segregate the waste into various categories, such as, metals, plastic, glass, biodegradable, etc. Once the waste is segregated, it is easier to recycle it, depending on the waste characteristics (say, biodegradable waste to composting unit or anaerobic digester, etc.). An electromagnet can be advantageously used by bringing it over the waste and switching on the electricity supply (which will make it a magnet). At that instant, all the magnetic material will be attracted to it and will attach to it. The electromagnet can then be taken to another location, where we want the magnetic material to be collected, and switch off the flow of electricity. The magnetic material will fall to the ground (or the heap of magnetic materials) and the clean electromagnet can again get back to the mixed waste location. 

Hope this helps. 

How does a reader's opinion of Richard change from the beginning to the end of Killings?

The reader’s opinion of Richard Strout may change through the story even though the readers see him always through the eyes of Matt Fowler. At first, Fowler presents Strout as a murderer deserving of being murdered as he describes how his wife Ruth must see their son’s killer on the streets. Strout’s background of privilege and partying also causes the reader to view Strout as undeserving of justice or empathy. When Strout pulls the trigger and kills Frank in front of Mary Ann and the children, the reader’s opinion of Strout is at an all-time low.

Yet as Matt proceeds with his plans to end Strout’s life, the reader begins to see Strout differently: as a father, as a husband whose wife had “slept around,” as a significant other to a new girlfriend. Matt affords Strout the dispensation of not telling him he will die but pretends to be taking him to the airport, protecting Strout as Matt did his own children. As Strout packs his clothing in a suitcase, Matt looks around the apartment and sees the signs of daily life, including a photo of the children. The reader is reminded that Strout is still a human being, despite the fact that he murdered in cold blood. When Matt pulls the trigger on Strout, the explosions “isolate” him, changing his life and history. The reader can see the terrible cost of Matt’s revenge killing and feels that Strout deserved better.

What are 3 mistakes that Santiago makes in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist?

The first mistake Santiago makes is trusting a thief when he first gets to Tangier, Africa. The young Arab spots the young, naive newcomer to his home and takes him to a tea bar. He shows Santiago respect and kindness which the boy all too easily accepts and trusts. The thief takes his money to go get camels to help the boy to the pyramids, but disappears in the crowd with it and the boy is left penniless. 

"All this happened between sunrise and sunset, the boy thought. He was feeling sorry for himself, and lamenting the fact that his life could have changed so suddenly and so drastically" (39).

The next mistake the boy makes is staying too long with the Crystal Merchant. After the thief robbed him, Santiago just wants to earn money to buy sheep and become a shepherd again. He spends a whole year working for the Merchant; and during that time, he is saving up for sheep, not to keep pursuing his Personal Legend. Luckily, when he is ready to leave, he ends up deciding to head for Egypt and pursue his dream rather than giving up and going home. Even though he did learn a lot from his experience with the Crystal Merchant, he delayed realizing his dream for a whole year.

Finally, Santiago gets distracted by Fatima and almost gives up pursuing his dream in order to stay and marry her. He's only halfway through is education and journey when he meets her and he is against tempted to throw it all away for immediate decisions and tempting circumstances. Fatima saves him though, by telling him that the women of the desert understand the Language of the World. They are accustomed to waiting for their men to come back to them from travels in the desert. She is also wise to know that Santiago would eventually resent her if he didn't pursue his dream first before marrying her. Without Fatima, this mistake would have crushed Santiago from every realizing his Personal Legend. The Alchemist also clarifies what Fatima says by the following:

"Fatima is a woman of the desert, . . . She knows that men have to go away in order to return. And she already has her treasure: it's you. Now she expects that you will find what it is you're looking for" (118).