What is Howard Zinn's main statement or argument in Chapter One of The People's History of the United States?

In Chapter One, Howard Zinn challenges the reader to view the history of the United States through a different lens. Zinn argues that most histories are told through the perspective of the elite. The elite can be defined as those that are in power or those that benefit from the actions of those in power. Zinn explains that this does not paint a complete picture of the how events unfold. In fact, this way of narrating history can be considered flawed at best, and dishonest at worst.

To illuminate his message, his narrative examines the exploration of the New World. Traditionally, the story of Christopher Columbus is delivered in a way that glorifies is expeditions. Christopher Columbus is presented as a seminal figure in the progress of mankind. Chapter One dispels this notion in a provocative way. Zinn skillfully tells the story from the perspective of the Arawak Indians that Columbus interacted with. From this lens, the reader realizes that the colonization of the New World came at a great cost to the natives that inhabited these lands.

How do themes in literature help us to understand ourselves?

This is a very interesting question, and one with many implications. One answer that occurs to me, based upon something a writing teacher of mine (John Edgar Wideman, whose works are discussed elsewhere on this website) said in graduate school, which was that reading fiction teaches empathy. The full context of his remark was that he felt our society was becoming less hospitable and less charitable because people were reading much less fiction, and it was reading fiction that allowed people to imagine themselves in the situations of other people, to put themselves in someone else's shoes, so to speak. The idea that reading fiction teaches empathy allows us to understand how themes in literature can impact our own lives, at the very least helping to clarify our perspective and maybe even shift it.

When fictional characters experience extraordinary circumstances, readers may respond with a variety of emotions depending upon those circumstances (excitement, pity, anger, curiosity, etc.) Even when these stories include events we can barely imagine happening to us, the people experiencing them are usually like us in many ways. This is how literary themes can create a bond and a bridge for readers to relate to stories. Themes involving common human emotions (jealousy, regret, grief, etc.) can help us to explore our own experiences, and show us examples of how characters react to the events that take place in stories. Of course, great literature does not always portray ideal human behavior: sometimes we learn lessons on how not to act.

Wider themes that refer to the social condition (such as the tyranny of poverty, or the idea that compassion triumphs over evil) can help us to understand more complex ideas and apply them to historical or current events, but also to our own situations. Many readers have their own personal literary heroes who inspire them with admirable behavior, and we try to uphold their best qualities as models for living: Jane Eyre's resilience, for example, or Jay Gatsby's determination, or Tom Sawyer's cleverness, or Elizabeth Bennet's honesty.

From the book To Kill a Mockingbird, explain the social differences exposed through the students at school. What does Burris Ewell represent?

Miss Caroline singles out Walter Cunningham, Jr. when she notices he has no lunch nor any lunch money. Scout informs Miss Caroline that he and his family are too proud to accept handouts. This is why Walter repeatedly refuses to take money from Miss Caroline. Scout also mentions that he has no shoes. Walter is clearly from a poor family. We will later see how Aunt Alexandra, for example, treats the poorer families, like Walter's, with condescension. Atticus treats Walter and his father as well as anyone else and this is why he allows Walter Sr. to pay for his legal services with goods rather than money. Walter is from a poor but respectable family. 

Burris is from an even poorer family. He is covered in filth and is ignorant. Walter's father works, but Burris's father, Bob, can not hold down a job. The Ewells live off of relief checks, a form of welfare. The authorities allow the Burris children to miss school because they've given up trying to reason with the unreasonable Bob Ewell. There are some who are sympathetic to the Ewell children but the Ewell family in general is seen by many to be a leech of the town.

Burris is ignorant and rude but he is a product of an abusive, ignorant father. Scout has the advantage of being from a family with more income but she also has the advantage of having an intelligent, thoughtful father. Given these descriptions, there does seem to be a connection between economics and education. On this sliding scale, Burris is at the bottom and Scout is at the top. She is more thoughtful and more intelligent, and this is largely a result of her family's economic and educational advantages. 

`int e^x cos(e^x) dx` Evaluate the indefinite integral.

You need to use the following substitution  `e^x= t` , such that:

`e^x = t=>e^x dx = dt `

`int e^x*cos(e^x) dx = int cos t dt`

`int cos t dt = sin t + c`

Replacing back `e^x` for `t` yields:

`int e^x*cos(e^x) dx = sin(e^x) + c`

Hence, evaluating the indefinite integral, yields `int e^x*cos(e^x) dx = sin(e^x) + c.`

I need to write a 3-minute speech about racism by tomorrow I already have 1 minute and 26 seconds and I've run out of ideas! I have been trying to...

The first thing you should do is narrow your topic. Paradoxically, it is easier to write a long speech on a narrow topic than on a broad topic. If you try to talk about racism in general, after saying that stereotyping people by race is both inaccurate and morally wrong, you don't have much else to say. To say more, you might want to focus on one specific type of racism or prejudice against one specific group.

One way to write about this would be from personal experience. Think about examples of racism you see in your school. If you look carefully around your classroom or the cafeteria or the playground, you might see that children of similar ethnic backgrounds tend to hang out together. Then you might think about whether the neighborhoods in the area in which you live are divided by race, with certain neighborhoods being predominately black and others Hispanic and others Asian or white. Next you might even look at social groupings in your school. In your speech you could summarize all of these observations and talk about how these might result from subtle forms of racism. Then you could conclude your paper by some sort of call to action, for example, looking into creating "multi-ethnic" tables in the cafeteria with the goal of every student  sitting next to a student from a very different background at least once a week.

In what ways does Rikki exemplify the curiosity of a mongoose in his first days in bungalow in "Rikki-tikki-tavi"?

When Rikki-tikki-tavi washes up in the bungalow’s garden, he is immediately curious rather than frightened.  We are told that a real mongoose is consumed with curiosity.  Rikki-tikki definitely demonstrates this.  As soon as he recovers from almost drowning, he begins playing around.

The motto of all the mongoose family is "Run and find out"; and Rikki-tikki was a true mongoose. He looked at the cotton-wool, decided that it was not good to eat, ran all around the table, sat up and put his fur in order, scratched himself, and jumped on the small boy's shoulder.

Rikki is not afraid of people, and likes to climb on them and sit in their laps.  His biggest concern is whether or not things are edible.  He also wants to inspect the house as soon as possible.  Almost immediately he is looking around rather than sleeping.

Teddy’s father knows that having a mongoose around can be a very good thing when you are in India.  The garden may have snakes, and the snakes may come into the house.  A mongoose is the best defense against snakes.

"I don't like that," said Teddy's mother; "he may bite the child." "He'll do no such thing," said the father. "Teddy's safer with that little beast than if he had a bloodhound to watch him. If a snake came into the nursery now --- "

Rikki-tikki proves to be a very brave mongoose.  In his first encounter with the cobras, they are almost more afraid of him than he is of them.  Rikki-tikki refuses to be backed down, and cannot be tricked.  Rikki is their enemy from then on, and he makes it his goal to remove all snakes from the garden.  It is not easy, but he succeeds in killing Nag, Karait, and Nagaina and the garden is safe for people and animals.

What's the main conflict (this could only be "one" as stated by my teacher) in the novel, "The Outsiders"? I know it's one of these three: person...

Your teacher definitely gave you a hard question to answer.  The three conflicts that you have identified are the three major conflicts that are present in the story.  I do not believe one of those is any more central to the story than the other two.  I think that your teacher wants you to pick one and defend your choice with reasons.  

I would choose Pony vs. self or Greasers vs. Socs.  I think those are more easily defended.  Between those two, I would choose the Greasers vs. the Socs, because there are many events throughout the book that you could use as evidence.  The rumble, Johnny's beating, Johnny killing the Soc, etc. are all events that support the gang conflict.  

The major conflict within a novel is often foreshadowed too.  Pony being jumped in the beginning and the flashback to Johnny's beating both focus the reader's attention on the gang war and culminating rumble.  They don't focus attention on Pony's personal struggles.