In lines 66-77 from "The Pit and the Pendulum," the narrator regains consciousness after having fainted. How does this account help create tension...

Initially, the narrator recalls his experience and informs us that he has been sentenced to death. He recalls the grotesque forms of his judges. Before he passes out, he is so distraught that he suggests death might be a better alternative than what awaits him. So, this already establishes a rising suspense about what will happen to him: 

And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note, the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave. 

The reader assumes that when he wakes up, his death sentence will be carried out. The reader is left to wonder about how he will be killed. When he swoons, he never completely loses consciousness. So, as he is carried down into the pit, in his half-slumbering state, he still is somewhat aware of things. He describes his descent: a "hideous dizziness oppressed me at the mere idea of the interminableness of the descent." It's as if he can feel himself descending into darkness. And when he does fully awaken, he is in complete darkness. The tension and suspense are peaked for him as well as the reader because he has no clue where he is. So, during the swoon (fainting spell) he has the horrible vague sensation of descending. And when he wakes up, he is in total darkness. He is in complete suspense at this point. He is suspended in space and time in the sense that the darkness gives him no sense of place or time. 

Are their any important quotes I should know from Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje?

Yes, there are definitely some important quotes a reader should know and understand from Anil’s Ghost.   Considering that this is a book about a bloody civil war in Sri Lanka set in the 1980s, many of the important quotes have to do with war.  I will give you a couple of important quotes and explain them.

I wanted to find one law to cover all of living. I found fear.

In my opinion, this is the most important quotation in the book. It refers to people in Sri Lanka as a unit that is united by fear.  All people, both the soldiers and the civilians, involved in Sri Lanka’s Civil War are governed by this one feeling.  This is a war where civilians are brutally (and randomly) murdered and, of course, thousands of military members are killed.  It is the feeling of fear that binds all the people of Sri Lanka together.

For when people leave our company in our time we are never certain of seeing them again, or seeing them unaltered.

This is yet another quote about the finality of death during a great war.  The interesting word within this quote is the word “unaltered.”  This refers to either the mental health or the physical health of the person.  War, of course, can alter a person physically through death, dismemberment, or wounds.  War can also alter a person mentally through Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as other severe psychological problems. 

What came first, Judaism or Hinduism?

Because both of these religions began very long ago, and because Hinduism does not even have anyone who is identified as its founder, it is very difficult to answer this question.  If a religion was never founded but instead grew out of existing traditions, when did it actually begin to exist?  If I have to come down on one side or the other, I would say that Hinduism came first.  However, you should probably check to see if your textbook and/or class notes give different starting dates for these religions than the ones I am using.

The problem with dating the beginning of Hinduism comes from the fact that Hinduism had no official beginning.  There is no founder of Hinduism.  Instead, the faith simply evolved from existing beliefs and eventually became what it is today.  But at what point was it similar enough to today’s religion to be called “Hinduism?”  Most sources tend to say that Hinduism began somewhere around 2500 BCE.  The Indus Valley civilization dates to about then and scholars say that Hinduism arose from that civilization.  Thus, while people in 2500 BCE would not have called themselves Hindus, we can give this as an approximate starting date for the religion.

In contrast to Hinduism, Judaism does have a founder (though we do not know if he was an actual historic figure).  The problem with dating the beginning of Judaism lies in figuring out when that founder, Abraham, lived.  Most scholars tend to believe that Abraham lived (if he really did), around 1950 BCE.  This puts his lifetime about 500 years after the beginning of the civilization that gave rise to Hinduism.  Therefore, we can say that Hinduism predates Judaism.  However, it still makes sense for you to check your textbook and/or class notes to see if you are expected to use dates different from these.

What did JFK and his brother leak to the media to try to de-escalate the situation in Cuba?

The story of this leak is quite fascinating, and actually led to an enduring misconception in most Americans' understanding of history to this day.

On October 26, 1962, Nikita Khrushchev of the USSR sent a letter to John F. Kennedy agreeing to withdraw missiles from Cuba if he agreed to cease all plans for military action against Cuba.

On October 27, Khrushchev expanded his demands, in addition demanding that JFK also withdraw US nuclear missiles from Turkey.

The rumor that John and Robert Kennedy leaked was called the "Trollope Ploy"; it said that JFK simply agreed to the first deal and ignored the second letter, pretending he had never received it. That way, the US wouldn't have to make any real concessions and the crisis could be defused. The media latched onto this as a brilliant diplomatic move and a great success for JFK in de-escalating the Cuban Missile Crisis.

But in fact, this leak was actually itself a ploy, used by JFK to conceal the fact that he had in fact agreed to the second letter and removed US nuclear missiles from Turkey. The removal of the missiles was kept top secret for many years, perhaps because JFK feared that it would be unpopular or seem "weak" to the American public. In fact it had very little strategic significance, as by that point submarines were the core of the US nuclear arsenal, and would soon be complemented by ICBMs that could hit Russia even when launched from the safety of Colorado and Montana.

What are what are sin tan and cos and how do they relate to the Pythagorean theorem?

sin, cos, and tan can be considered as trigonometric functions or as ratios of sides of a right triangle. We will use the second interpretation.

In a right triangle, consider one of the acute angles; let it be A. The other acute angle will be B and the right angle C with the sides opposite the angles labelled a,b, and c respectively.

The sin (sine) is defined as the ratio of the side opposite the angle to the hypotenuse; so`sinA=a/c`

The cos (cosine) is defined as the ratio of the side adjacent the angle to the hypotenuse; so`cosA=b/c`

The tan (tangent) is defined as the ratio of the leg opposite the angle to the leg adjacent the angle; so`tanA=a/b`

The Pythagorean theorem says that for this right triangle `a^2+b^2=c^2`.

If we take`sin^2A+cos^2A` we get `(a/c)^2+(b/c)^2` or`(a^2+b^2)/c^2`; using the Pythagorean theorem we can rewrite the numerator as`c^2` so that:

`sin^2A+cos^2A=1`

How does Emily Dickinson describe death as an experience she is looking back on in the poem "Because I could not stop for death?"

It seems that you are asking about how Dickinson characterizes death. In that regard, she creates him as her carriage driver, conveying her to her next state of being or non-being. Some readings have characterized death as a suitor. In either case, he is gentlemanly and patient -- a depiction that is emphasized by the perceptions that he "kindly stopped," "slowly drove," and "knew no haste." The narrator reciprocates his politeness by "[putting] away / [Her] labor and [her] leisure too..."

The carriage is the vehicle in which the narrator is able to revisit the life that she has lived:

We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess - in the Ring -

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain -

We passed the Setting Sun -

"The School" and the "Children" symbolize childhood. "The Ring" could indicate the circle of life, which nears its end with "the Setting Sun," or the onset of old age.

There is an indication that the narrator is being wedded to Death:

The Dews drew quivering and Chill -

For only Gossamer, my Gown -

My Tippet - only Tulle -

She wears a "gown" made of "tulle," not unlike the material of a wedding dress. They then "[pause] before a House that seemed / A Swelling of the Ground -". This indicates a grave, as a mound of recently dug dirt would create a mound. "The Cornice - in the Ground" parallels a tombstone. 

It is significant that they merely pause at this place. This action indicates that both will continue on. After all, the carriage also holds "Immortality." Thus, Dickinson regards the event of death as one stop on the long, eternal path:

Since then - 'tis Centuries - and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses' Heads

Were toward Eternity - 

It has been centuries since the narrator has died, but it does not feel like very long ago. The "Horses' Heads" are those which powered the carriage toward "Eternity." "Eternity" could be death as a state of permanence or, given Dickinson's spiritual and religious inclinations, it could be the "pause" or "stop" on the way to spiritual "Immortality."

What is the role of the witches in Macbeth?

The witches embody the supernatural in the play. One of the most prominent themes in the play is the supernatural world versus the natural world. The supernatural world is characterized in terms of mystery, dark forces, and abnormality. 

Many critics agree that the witches are not necessarily the representatives of evil. Instead, they serve to highlight the dark forces in Macbeth's heart, and they motivate him to seek those forces so that they could help him destroy himself. After all, Macbeth is the one who decides to act on the witches' prophecy. They do not make him do anything. So, the witches's genuine power remains questionable.

Hecate, the main witch, says that she, together with the other witches, will summon up apparitions so that she could trick Macbeth into thinking that they speak the truth. She hates Macbeth because he is "wayward son, spiteful and wrathful, who, as others do, loves for his own ends." Therefore, she recognizes his potential to hurt others for the sake of achieving his own goals. 

Additionally, Macbeth is the one who seeks out the witches. He is the one who wants to rely on the supernatural world, so he voluntarily chooses to embrace abnormality and dark forces, rejecting the natural order of things. 

Why was Odysseus originally called away from home? Why do you think he was willing to take on this challenge despite the risk involved?

The episode discussed above in which Odysseus is a suitor for Helen is not found in Homer and belongs to later accounts of Odysseus (see Apollodorus). This later tradition recounts how Tyndareos, Helen's father, is besieged with suitors for Helen and turns to Odysseus, who may also be a suitor for Helen, for help. Odysseus suggests that Tyndareos make all prospective suitors swear an oath that they will support any suitor who wins Helen and then has to fight anyone who challenges his right to Helen or abducts her. Presumably, since Odysseus suggested this oath, he is bound to honor it and joins Agamemnon and the Greek forces as they try to retrieve Helen from Paris. As a reward for suggesting the oath to Tyndareos, Tyndareos asks his brother, Icarius, to give his daughter Penelope to Odysseus in marriage.

Homer tells us that when Agamemnon visits Odysseus in Ithaca to convince him to join the Greek forces, Odysseus is reluctant to join:

Do you not remember how I came to your house with Menelaus, to persuade Ulysses to join us with his ships against Troy? It was a whole month ere we could resume our voyage, for we had hard work to persuade Ulysses to come with us (Iliad, Book XXIV, ll. 116ff).

There is no discussion as to why Odysseus is reluctant to join Agamemnon. Additionally, Odysseus understands that Agamemnon's venture will not only require a long, perilous voyage—Ithaca is further away from Troy than any other Greek state—but also he has a young wife and an infant son, and he is understandably unwilling to leave them. Because Odysseus is both intelligent and far-sighted, he understands that going to war with Troy, on Trojan soil, will require time and effort that he is not prepared to lose.

Odysseus's willingness to join Agamemnon, then, is most likely a result of his sense of duty and, from a practical standpoint, his belief that it would not be a good idea to refuse the most powerful Greek leader at the time, Agamemnon, who could bring disaster on Odysseus and Ithaca. Self-preservation is a powerful motivator. Odysseus could not have foreseen that the war against Troy would last for ten years or that his voyage home would take another ten years.

In Lord of the Flies what things bother Ralph most about the breakdown of order on the island? What is the reason for the breakdown?

The breakdown of order on the island is the result of "mankind's essential illness," a concept only Simon grasps. Ralph continues to search for the answer that Simon tried to offer him. Simon's encounter with the Lord of the Flies confirms Simon's understanding when the pig's head says,

"You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?"

The moral depravity inside each boy is what makes the society break down.

Ralph is the one who seems most bothered by the disintegration of order among the boys. He discusses his concern in chapter 5 with Simon and Piggy. After expressing his doubts about whether life on the island functions under the same rules that govern the outside world, he says, "We're all drifting and things are rotten." He is bemoaning the fact that the boys won't pull together for a common goal that would be good for everyone. He also misses the politeness of society and the way that grownups could always provide an answer. He states that grownups "wouldn't set fire to the island. Or lose--" What he was going to say is ambiguous, but he may be thinking of the child who died in the fire. He also states that grownups "wouldn't quarrel." He dislikes the antagonism between himself and Jack. 

In chapter 8, Ralph asks Piggy, "What makes things break up like they do?" Although Piggy is quick to blame Jack, and Ralph agrees, his agreement is half-hearted. Ralph is discouraged, even scared, because the boys can't keep in mind the importance of being rescued. Ralph knows that keeping the signal fire going is a matter of life and death, but the other boys seem to only think about hunting and having fun. Ralph feels responsible for the others, yet most of them don't feel responsible for anyone but themselves. 

The conflict, the selfishness, and the lack of proper priorities are the things that bother Ralph most about the breakdown of their society.

A rocket is constructed on Earth with the following specifications: 96 m long, with a mass of 4.5 x 10^3 kg. a) On a trip to visit a nearby star...

Hello!

This question is about the special relativity theory. It states (and there are many experiments confirming it) that the speed of light in a vacuum is a constant, denoted `c,` regardless of the frame of reference. This gives some paradoxical results.

Denote the given speed of a rocket as `v.` Then the Lorentz factor `gamma = sqrt(1-(v^2)/(c^2))`  describes the changes in observed length, time and mass of a moving object. Namely, length is contracted, time is dilated and mass is increased with this factor. In numbers it is `sqrt(1-(0.68)^2) approx0.73` (dimensionless).

Therefore

a) the length will be `96*gamma approx 70.4 (m),`

b) the apparent mass will be `(4.5*10^3)/gamma approx6139 (kg),`

c) the dilated time is given to be `15` years, so the time for astronauts will be less by `gamma,` i.e. `15*gamma approx 11 (years).` Note that it is a simplification, because to return a rocket must change its velocity.

Why were Calpurnia and Portia disregarded in Julius Caesar?

Brutus's wife Portia was not disregarded. She was not trying to prevent Brutus from doing anything; she simply wanted to know what was happening. It was obvious to Portia that Brutus was involved in a very serious enterprise with a group of other Romans. In Act II, Scene 1, Portia finally wears Brutus down and he promises to tell her everything she wants to know.

BRUTUS
O ye gods,
Render me worthy of this noble wife!

Knock [within.]

Hark, hark, one knocks. Portia, go in awhile,
And by and by thy bosom shall partake
The secrets of my heart.
All my engagements I will construe to thee,
All the charactery of my sad brows.
Leave me with haste.

Shakespeare does not ever actually show Brutus confide in his wife. That would be redundant because the audience already knows everything about the plot to assassinate Caesar. Instead, in Act II, Scene 4, the audience realizes Portia had her wish and is now terribly upset and worried about her husband. Brutus kept Portia in the dark because he wanted to spare her the kinds of emotions she experiences in this scene. She does not express any wish to prevent her husband from conspiring to kill Caesar. Brutus is already at the Capitol with Julius Caesar, and Portia now knows an assassination plot of historic proportions is about to be enacted. She wants the plot to be successful because her own fate is tied up with her husband's. She has become an accessory before the assassination even happens. Through her own curiosity, Portia becomes a co-conspirator. She doesn't know how to act in such a role. She is afraid of giving her guilty knowledge away to the servant Lucius. Her last words in the scene are,

I must go in. Ay me, how weak a thing
The heart of woman is! O Brutus,
The heavens speed thee in thine enterprise!
Sure, the boy heard me. Brutus hath a suit
That Caesar will not grant. O, I grow faint.
Run, Lucius, and commend me to my lord;
Say I am merry. Come to me again,
And bring me word what he doth say to thee. 

Calpurnia, on the other hand, is not curious about her husband's affairs because they are public knowledge. She wishes to prevent him from going to the Senate House because she has been terrified by the supernatural phenomena reported during the night. These phenomena cause Calpurnia to have nightmares. She almost succeeds in persuading her ambitious husband to stay at home, but Decius Brutus uses Calpurnia's dream to persuade Caesar to change his mind and go to the Capitol, where he expects to be crowned king.

DECIUS
This dream is all amiss interpreted;
It was a vision fair and fortunate.
Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bathed,
Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck
Reviving blood, and that great men shall press
For tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizance.
This by Calpurnia's dream is signified.

Portia is not disregarded by her husband; rather, he entrusts her with all his secrets. She is basing her suspicions on the concrete evidence she sees in her own home. It is obvious to Portia that Brutus is psychologically distressed. She senses Brutus and all his visitors are plotting something dangerous. Whatever danger threatens Brutus is equally dangerous for Portia. That explains why she commits suicide after Brutus flees Rome. She can expect no mercy from Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus.

Calpurnia's concerns are based on something less substantial. She believes her dreams and all the bad omens that have been reported. These are easier to disregard because dreams and omens are often unsubstantial. Furthermore, Caesar is so anxious to be crowned king that it would be nearly impossible for her to keep him at home. In Act III, Scene 1, the assassins reenact Calpurnia's dream with uncanny accuracy.

CASSIUS
Why, he that cuts off twenty years of life
Cuts off so many years of fearing death.

BRUTUS
Grant that, and then is death a benefit;
So are we Caesar's friends that have abridged
His time of fearing death. Stoop, Romans, stoop,
And let us bathe our hands in Caesar's blood
Up to the elbows, and besmear our swords;
Then walk we forth, even to the market-place,
And waving our red weapons o'er our heads,
Let's all cry, “Peace, freedom, and liberty!”

It is noteworthy that there is a conflict between Brutus and Portia in one scene and a conflict between Caesar and Calpurnia in another. Portia wants Brutus to share all his secrets with her, and he resists. Calpurnia wants Caesar to stay at home because it is too dangerous to go to the Senate House that morning, but Caesar ultimately overrules her. These conflicts add dramatic tension to the scenes featuring the husbands and wives. Both women appear to have remarkable powers of intuition.

In what ways did Dolphus Raymond show courage? Discuss at least three.

Dolphus Raymond made sacrifices with his reputation in order to allow him to live the life wanted to live, in a society that demanded every person keep up with the status quo. To be white and associate with black people was already looked down upon, and Dolphus was a landowner and of a well established family. Mr. Raymond settling down with a person of color and having a family with her, not to mention being publicly happy about it, would have seemed like a fall from grace to other white people. His first act of courage was rejecting his background.

“He doesn’t look like trash,” said Dill.

“He’s not, he owns all one side of the riverbank down there, and he’s from a real old family to boot.”

Dolphus went further than rebelling against his social restrictions; he took extra steps to protect the fragility of his white neighbors. Acting like a drunk in public allowed people to excuse his home-life, without damaging their sense of normalcy. It may have robbed him of a certain respect, but it was necessary for what he saw as the good of the whole. 

“It ain’t honest but it’s mighty helpful to folks. Secretly, Miss Finch, I’m not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live.”

A final act of courage can be found in his confession to the Scout and Dill. One may assume that few other than Atticus knew the truth about Mr. Raymond's lifestyle. He told the children his deepest secret, entrusting his double life to two children who might just as easily tell everyone in town. He feels the children will be able to learn something from him, and in order to show Dill he was not alone, puts himself at risk of discovery. 

Should tranquil, meager, melancholy, bovine, or tolerantly be used in the following sentence? The dieter was disappointed at the _____ amount of...

The appropriate word for this sentence is “meager,” because there is not much food on the plate since the person is dieting. 

The word “meager” means “not enough” or “insufficient.” It describes a small, disappointing amount. A dieter often limits the amount of food he or she eats. Therefore, the dieter might consider a meal “meager.” When on a diet, many dieters are always hungry. The person looking down at the plate is sad about his or her portion of food. 

In the description of the wood in the Prologue, the word “meager” is used to describe the grass. 

The road no longer belonged to the cows. It became, instead, and rather abruptly, the property of people. And all at once the sun was uncomfortably hot, the dust oppressive, and the meager grass along its edges somewhat ragged and forlorn (Prologue). 

In other words, there is not enough grass next to the road. The road is described as being mostly for cows at first, over time increasingly also being utilized by people. The grass is personified as feeling forlorn, as if the grass itself is sad about how little of it there is. 

This helps the reader realize there is not much human travel within the woods. The closer one gets to the village, the more people one sees. This is how the spring remains hidden. It is also technically on land belonging to Winnie Foster’s family, so it would not get much foot traffic.

Who was Horatio?

Horatio is a character created by Shakespeare for the specific purpose of acting as a friend and confidant of Hamlet. In most plays information is conveyed to the audience through dialogue. Hamlet is in an awkward position because there is nobody he can trust at the Danish court, and so he cannot confide in anybody. That is why the play contains so many of his monologues. Shakespeare must have felt that he could have only so many of these lengthy monologues. At best, monologues and asides are awkward because people do not ordinarily talk to themselves about how they feel, what they are thinking, planning, etc. Besides that, they are not usually very dramatic. With Horatio as his trusted friend, Hamlet can discuss his secrets in a natural manner and thereby convey much essential information to the audience. For example, he can tell Horatio all about how he discovered the King's bellerophonic letter in the possession of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern aboard the ship bound for England, what he did about it, how he got captured by the pirate ship, etc. This could hardly have been handled in another monologue.

Not much is revealed about Horatio except that he and Hamlet were fellow-students at Wittenberg and that Horatio does not belong to a wealthy or aristocratic family. He seems very much like Hamlet's alter-ego. He is intelligent and perceptive, like Hamlet. He understands everything quickly. He is entirely in sympathy with Hamlet, probably because of the friendship they established at the university, where some of the best and longest lasting friendships are made between young people. 

Horatio is not only invaluable to Hamlet during all of his friend's tribulations, but he is the only major character to remain alive when the play ends. This is important because the audience must not be left wondering what the other survivors would be thinking about the carnage they had just witnessed. How would the courtiers know, for example, why Hamlet had just murdered King Claudius in such a violent manner? Horatio knows everything. He has either observed events personally, or else he has received explanations from his good friend Hamlet. Shakespeare takes care to avoid leaving any loose ends by having Hamlet tell Horatio in his dying words:

O God, Horatio, what a wounded name,
Things standing thus unknown, shall live behind me!
If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart,
Absent thee from felicity awhile,
And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain,
To tell my story.                 (Act V, Scene 2)

Shakespeare was not really so much concerned about protecting Hamlet's name as he was about leaving his audience with the assurance that the survivors would be fully informed about the complicated events leading up to the deaths of Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Laertes, Gertrude, Claudius, and Hamlet. Only Horatio could explain everything from Claudius' murder of his brother to Hamlet's ultimate revenge-killing of Claudius. It was not necessary, however, for Shakespeare to include a scene in which Horatio explains everything to those who are left alive. This would be somewhat tedious because Shakespeare's audience already knows everything Horatio could say. There was no need for Horatio to explain anything to the audience, but there was a definite need for Horatio to explain everything to the people in the play who were left alive, including Fortinbras, and who would be astonished and perplexed by what they had just seen. Without Horatio, there would be endless conjectures; with Horatio, everything would be wrapped up, and the past could be put behind.

What are 5 biotic factors in a marine ecosystem?

Organisms and their immediate environment, with which they interact, together constitute the ecosystem. The various factors that affect an ecosystem can be divided into 2 classes: biotic factors and abiotic factors. The biotic factors include all the living organisms in the ecosystem, while the abiotic factors include the non-living factors. 

In a marine ecosystem, some of the biotic factor are algae, fungi, microorganisms (such as bacteria), plants, animals and corals. These living beings compete against each other for food and resources, are part of the predator-prey relation, and also include the decomposers. 

A number of abiotic factors also affect the marine ecosystem. These factors include, sunlight, dissolved oxygen and other gases, nutrients, salt content, etc. 

Many of these biotic and abiotic factors work in concert to affect the health of the marine ecosystem.

Hope this helps. 

In Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, why doesn't Jeffrey go back to the McNabs' house?

Jeffrey leaves the McNabs because they are racist and he is unable to make them see that color does not matter. 

Jeffrey takes the McNab twins home, and their brother is not happy to find out that the boy who rescued them is the one who made a fool of him by blasting his fastballs “to smithereens.”  Maniac is not at all comfortable in the McNab house. 

Maniac had seen some amazing things in his life-time, but nothing as amazing as that house. From the smell of it, he knew this wasn't the first time an animal had relieved itself on the rugless floor. In fact, in another corner he spotted a form of relief that could not be soaked up by newspapers. (Ch. 35) 

Worse than the uncleanliness is the disorder and the Cobras, who are basically white supremacists and unpleasant to be around.  These people do not share Maniac’s worldview.  Maniac stays because he is trying to convince little Piper and Russell to stay in school. 

One night, Maniac finds himself in the West End at the Beale House, and everyone is thrilled to have him there. He has a great time, and feels like he is home.  He only gets to leave by sneaking out. 

Jeffrey’s attempt to bring Mars Bar into the McNab house to bring the races together backfires.  You can't fix race relations overnight.  He realizes it was foolish to think that it would work, and he once again leaves. 

Maniac stopped. He had been walking in circles. It was dark. He turned one way, then another, for the briefest moment thinking to go home. Thinking, it's time to go home now. Then remembering that once again he had no home to go to. (Ch. 42) 

Maniac never felt as comfortable with the McNabs as he did with the Beales.  Eventually, that is the only family he has and the only one he can go back to.  He knows that they will always welcome him with open arms.  Color has nothing to do with it.

What three things does Bob Ewell do that alarm Aunt Alexandra?

In Chapter 27, Aunt Alexandra is frustrated that Bob Ewell has once again caused trouble. She believes that Bob seems to have a "permanent running grudge against everybody connected" with the Tom Robinson case.

There are three things that Bob does which alarm her. The first occurs when Bob gets fired from his job at the WPA (Works Progress Administration) due to his laziness. After he loses his job, Bob goes back to collecting welfare checks. As an example of his lack of grace and gratitude, Bob openly complains that he is an "honest man" who has been denied an opportunity to make a living.

Not long after, Bob Ewell takes to stalking Judge Taylor. One Sunday evening, as the judge is reading, a scratching noise is heard from the rear of his house. When Judge Taylor lets his dog out, he discovers that the screen door is open. However, out of the corner of his eye, he manages to catch a glimpse of an intruder skulking away. Later,  Mrs. Taylor comes home from church to find her husband with a shotgun across his lap. The general consensus is that Bob Ewell is the one who's been stalking Judge Taylor.

Not content with the all the trouble he has already caused, Bob Ewell then harasses Tom Robinson's wife, Helen. After the trial, Helen is given a job by Mr. Link Deas. To get to work, however, Helen must go a mile out of her way to avoid the Ewell home. Helen is harassed at least twice by Bob Ewell; it is only when Mr. Link Deas threatens to bring Bob up on charges that he stops harassing Helen.

For his part, Atticus explains that Bob is just trying to salvage his wounded pride. During the trial, Bob imagined that he would be the star of the proceedings. However, his bombastic and rude behavior alienated the jury and courtroom observers, and it left him looking foolish and small-minded. More than anything, Bob knows that very few people really believed his and Mayella's story about Tom Robinson. Atticus tries to reassure Aunt Alexandra that Bob has "had his fling with about everybody now, so he ought to be satisfied. He’ll settle down when the weather changes." However, as we later learn, Bob Ewell's actions are only a precursor to his brutal attack on Scout and Jem after the Halloween pageant.

From To Kill a Mockingbird, please provide some quotes and page numbers on prejudice and discrimination regarding Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and...

Maycomb is a typical southern town in Alabama in the 1930s. Segregation of races is the norm and whites dominate the financial, social, and political atmosphere. Loyalty to one's race is an unspoken rule which cannot be crossed with impunity. Not only that, but anyone who is different from the "norm" is treated differently and without respect. Therefore, there are many circumstances in To Kill a Mockingbird, where prejudice and discrimination can be seen.

First, Boo Radley is a very shy man who never comes out of his house. As a result of his different-than-normal behavior, people such as Miss Stephanie Crawford make up tales and expand on old rumors about him. For example, people blame everything weird that happens in Maycomb on Boo Radley. Scout explains as follows:

"Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid nocturnal events: people's chickens and household pets were found mutilated; although the culprit was Crazy Addie . . . people still looked at the Radley Place, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions" (9).

Thus, when it comes to Boo Radley, he is shown prejudice by being blamed for odd happenings around town just because he behaves differently than the majority.

Next, there's Tom Robinson. Not only is he black, but he also has a crippled arm. Tom overcomes these minority difficulties by going to work each day, attending church, and helping neighbors like a good citizen. But just as a strike of bad luck hits him, he is treated worse than a second-hand citizen. Tom is completely innocent, but just because a white man claims that he raped his daughter, Tom is arrested and charged. As a result, Tom's wife Helen can't get work to feed her three children. She is discriminated against because of the nature of the crime Tom is charged with. When Scout learns about Helen's troubles in chapter 12, she asks Reverend Sykes why she can't get work. Reverend Sykes softens the answers as follows:

"To tell you the truth, Miss Jean Louise, Helen's finding it hard to get work these days . . . when it's picking time, I think Link Deas'll take her" (123). 

This proves that Maycomb is not only prejudiced and willing to discriminate against black "criminals," but they will take out their prejudiced feelings against innocent women and children.

Finally, Mrs. Dubose is the queen racist of them all because she is willing to take out her prejudiced feelings on innocent children as well. She disagrees with Atticus defending Tom Robinson and she isn't afraid to let his children know. The worst she says to the children is as follows:

"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 ni**ers and trash he works for!" (102).

What kind of woman says something so vile to children about their father? A racist one. The sad thing is that Mrs. Dubose represents what most of the people in Maycomb are thinking with regards to Atticus. 

How do the final scenes at Donnegan's and Miss Kinnian's class impact Charlie's decision to leave in "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes?

In "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes, by the time we reach the Progress Report when Charlie goes back to the plant to try to get his old job back, he has regressed to the same level of intelligence he was in the beginning. Mr. Donnegan gives him the job, but when a new worker makes a remark about his intelligence, Joe Carp comes to Charlie's defense--something he had never done before.

"I felt bad but Joe Carp came over and grabbed him by the shirt and said leave him alone you lousy cracker or Ill break your neck. I didn't expect Joe to take my part so I guess he's really my friend" (Keyes 40).

Then Charlie forgets he is no longer in Miss Kinnian's class, and when he shows up, she gets very upset and leaves the room crying.

Charlie decides to leave New York for good at that point because he does not want anyone feeling sorry for him, neither at the factory nor at his class--especially not Miss Kinnian. Charlie does not want people he cares about feeling badly for him and for what he is experiencing as he loses his once superior intelligence.