Consider Richard Parker as Pi's alter ego. What is the significance of their relationship and of Pi's contrasting feelings towards Richard Parker?

In chapter 53, Pi gives a physical description of Richard Parker as he emerges from underneath the tarpaulin. He is enormous, strong, and beautiful at the same time. He also creates fear in Pi as the two face each other from across the life boat. Now, if this is the moment that Pi's alter-ego emerges, then it scares him that he can represent such power and dominance on the lifeboat. After eating a rat, Richard Parker eats the hyena, who represents the cook. This is the alternate story to Pi avenging his mother's death after the cook killed her. For a sixteen-year-old boy to witness his mother's murder and then kill her murderer is an extremely traumatic experience. In order to cope with the horror, it is easier for Pi's psyche to project his ability to kill onto the persona of a tiger. Since Pi understands animals such as tigers, he can wrap his mind around animalistic behaviors more easily than he can admit to himself that he, as a human, killed another human.

Pi is therefore scared of himself and his ability to stoop to such a base level of living. On the other hand, he understands what his father once taught him about life: "Life will defend itself no matter how small it is. Every animal is ferocious and dangerous" (38). Pi is thrown into an environment of "kill or be killed," much like a tiger is. In an effort to defend his own life, and to survive on the open sea, Pi becomes Richard Parker in his mind to justify his actions.

At home, in a safe environment, Pi never needed a Richard Parker persona. On the sea, with a psychotic cook who attacks and eats people like a hyena, Pi is forced to become a tiger. He is afraid of this new side of himself, but he understands that he needs it to survive. This creates the contrasting feelings that he has towards the tiger within. He loves the tiger because it is a part of him and it helps him to survive, but he also fears it because it is base and too natural for a civilized world.

Pi comes up with a great idea to manage these two "personalities." He decides that he must tame the tiger in chapter 57. Developing a strategy to tame Richard Parker is symbolic of Pi's psyche managing the difference between survival behaviors and those found in civilization. He keeps a mental balance between maintaining his humanity and knowing when Richard Parker and fear are needed to defend and sustain his life. One way he remembers his humanity is through practicing his religious beliefs on the boat in contrast to dealing with Richard Parker. Pi says the following to help him with this balance:

"I have survived so far, miraculously. Now I will turn miracle into routine. The amazing will be seen every day. I will put in all the hard work necessary. Yes, so longs as God is with me, I will not die. Amen" (148).

Pi uses God to calm him down, but ironically, the tiger that he fears also calms him down.

"It was Richard Parker who calmed me down. It is the irony of this story that the one who scared me witless to start with was the very same who brought me peace, purpose, I dare say even wholeness" (162).

Pi even comes to love the tiger while fearing him at the same time:

"'I love you!' The words burst out pure and unfettered, infinite. The feeling flooded my chest. 'Truly I do. I love you, Richard Parker. If I didn't have you now, I don't know what I would do. I don't think I would make it. No, I wouldn't. I would die of hopelessness'" (236).

Clearly, over the course of the seven months at sea, Pi has developed a complex relationship with a tiger. A tiger is to be feared, as his father once taught him, but he winds up loving it, depending on it, and bonding with it. It's as if Pi fully accepts the tiger within himself because he not only needs it to survive, but it also fulfills his need for companionship, the big hole he has had in his heart since he lost his whole family.

In chapter 94, Pi reaches Mexico and is rescued. He is surprised that Richard Parker leaps out of the boat and finds his way into the wilderness without looking back. This symbolizes the fact that Pi doesn't need the characteristics and behaviors of a tiger in a civilized world. He is afraid that without the tiger, a part of himself is lost and will never emerge again. This is good because it means that Pi won't have to kill to survive again. He won't have to live like an animal anymore, but he got used to it, just like people adapt to a lot of situations in order to survive. He is sad to lose the strength that Richard Parker brings to his life, but that part of him was only needed in a crisis situation.

On which page are Bruno and Shmuel killed in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne?

In the fateful "Chapter Nineteen: What Happened the Next Day," a tragic turn of events unfolds as Bruno decides to sneak to the camp with his best friend Shmuel.  Bruno is given a pair of striped pajamas so that he can fit in with the crowd at this grisly death camp.  The mission for the day is for Bruno to help Shmuel find his missing father, which ends in failure.  Unfortunately, this is not to be the only terrible news for this day.  Today, many will be sent to the gas chambers to perish,  including the two young friends.  The description of the final march to the death chamber can be found on page 110:

"That's it," he said to Shmuel. "I'm going to catcha cold out here. I have to go home."  But just as he said this, his feet brought him up a set of steps, and as he marched on he found there was no more rain coming down anymore because they were all piling into a long room that was surprisingly warm and must have been very securely built because no rain was getting in anywhere. In fact it felt completely airtight.

On page 111 of the book, Bruno and Shmuel meet their sad demise as they are stuck in the gas chamber to die.  

And then the room went very dark and somehow, despite the chaos that followed, Bruno found that he was still holding Shmuel's hand in his own and nothing in the world would have persuaded him to let it go.

The first line of Chapter 20, which is still on page 111, says that nothing was ever heard of Bruno again, which illustrates that Bruno died in the gas chamber.  

What do stars symbolize in Romeo and Juliet?

At the beginning of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the two young lovers are described as "star-crossed." The use of the term "stars" in this context refers to an astrological interpretation of the positions and movements of the stars.

Many people believed in astrology in this period, thinking that the stars influenced or gave signs concerning the events in people's lives. Under this system, people's characters and fortunes were determined by the configuration of the stars when they were born.

Behind this was the notion that the stars and planets circled around the earth borne on crystal spheres. The lowest of the spheres was that of the moon (the lunary sphere) which divided earth from the heavens. The moon and objects farther away from earth had a unique and special connection to God and thus expressed divine will and foreknowledge.

The stars therefore symbolized fate, predestination, and the will of God. 

`x^2 - x = log_5(25)` Solve for x or b

`x^2-x=log_5 (25)`

First, simplify the right side of the equation. To do so, factor 25.

`x^2 - x = log_5 (5^2)`

Then, apply the logarithm rule `log_b (a^m) = m * log_b (a)` .

`x^2 - x = 2 * log_5 (5)`

Take note that when the base and argument of the logarithm are the same, its resulting value is 1 `(log_b (b)=1)` .

`x^2 - x = 2 * 1`

`x^2 - x = 2`

To solve quadratic equation, one side should be zero.

`x^2 - x -2 =0`

Then, factor the left side.

`(x - 2)(x + 1)=0`

Set each factor equal to zero. And isolate the x.

`x - 2 = 0`

`x=2`

`x + 1=0`

`x=-1`

Therefore, the solution is `x = {-1,2}` . 

In the article 1491 by Charles C. Mann, what is his main thesis?

1491 is the title of a 2005 book by Charles C. Mann in which Mann looks at the archaeological record to demonstrate that the people of the Americas have lived there longer than previously thought and that their civilizations were every bit as vibrant and advanced as the civilizations of Europe and Africa of the same time period.  Mann states that the old theory that the native Americans arrived via the Bering Strait is largely incorrect and that Pre-Columbian societies enjoyed trade networks which spanned that entire continent.  Mann also devotes a chapter to the Columbian Exchange in which he examines the role of earthworms and wheat in the development of the Americas for Europeans.  

Mann's work is unique in that he adds to the historiography surrounding Pre-Columbian civilizations.  Mann does not use the words "native" or "indigenous" as the Pre-Columbian people were not native to the area.  He also uses science to prove that the Pre-Columbian societies did not live peacefully with nature; rather, they adjusted their environment to suit their own needs in ways similar to European and African societies.  

What language and dramatic features from the following quotations would best help to decide how to dramatize this soliloquy for an audience?Hie...

After Lady Macbeth receives the letter from her husband in which he tells her of his experience with the Weird Sisters, she says,

Hie thee hither,

That I may pour my spirits in thine ear,

And chastise with the valor of my tongue

All that impedes thee from the golden round (I.5.28-31).

Lady Macbeth wants her husband to hurry home so she can convince him to go after the crown now.  She uses a metaphor to compare her "spirits" (her ruthlessness, ambition, and courage) to a liquid that can be "pour[ed]," as though Macbeth is an empty vessel she can fill up with her own bitterness.  Further, Lady Macbeth personifies her tongue when she speaks of its "valor"; valor refers to the strength of spirit that enables one to meet danger with resolve.  Lady Macbeth means that she will speak strengthening words to him, words that will increase his courage to face the risks that will get him to the throne the fastest.  She also uses the phrase "golden round" to mean the crown, by which she's referring to the kingship of Scotland.  She doesn't just want him to acquire the crown itself, so the crown is standing in for the position of king when she uses this example of metonymy: when a writer uses something related to the thing he means to stand in for the thing itself.  In this case, the "golden round" stands in for the position she wants him to have.  Because figurative language is meant to enrich and layer meaning, it would make sense to emphasize words like "pour" and "valor" and stretch out the long vowel sounds in "golden round," as these are the words that indicate figurative meanings and enhance her speech's content.

Once Lady Macbeth learns Macbeth and Duncan are on their way to her home, she prays to evil spirits, asking them to "unsex [her] here / and fill [her], from the crown to the toe, top full of direst cruelty!" (I.5.48-50).  Here, Lady Macbeth wants to lose any qualities associated with femininity. She doesn't want to be compassionate, remorseful, or kind.  Instead, Lady Macbeth wants to possess the qualities more often associated with men: the abilities to be ruthless and cruel when necessary.  Interestingly, she now seems to compare herself to an empty vessel, via metaphor, just as she compared Macbeth in the other quote.  It is also notable that she calls the top of her head her "crown;" while this isn't really figurative language, it does seem to be careful and purposeful word choice since Lady Macbeth hopes to become queen.  Therefore, an actor might emphasize "unsex," "fill," and "crown," speaking quite slowly as though praying because that is essentially what Lady Macbeth is doing.

In what ways does the character Luzhin from "Crime and Punishment" reveal something about Raskolnikov?

Luzhin, Dunya’s wealthy fiancé, has a unique relationship to Raskolnikov (Rodya). Unlike Rodya’s more apparent foils (Razumikhin portraying his “good” side and Svidrigailov portraying his “bad” side), Luzhin doesn’t share particular qualities with the protagonist.

Upon first hearing about Luzhin through Pulcheria’s letter, Rodya despises Luzhin for his brash, disrespectful, and pitiful treatment of his beloved sister. Seeing Rodya’s vivid reaction to this letter demonstrates the humanity Rodya still has in him despite murdering Alyona; he genuinely loves his sister and seeks to protect her from this evil man.

Rodya’s view of Luzhin remains negatively skewed after meeting in person as they continue to disagree with one another. After quarrels, like when Luzhin asks Rodya to not attend a meal with Dunya and Pulcheria, Rodya “teams up” with Svidragailov, who shares his similar interests in breaking up Dunya’s engagement. Although first characterized as a caring and loving act, Rodya’s agreement with Svidragailov on this matter taints his goodwill towards his sister.

Once Dunya and Luzhin are finally separated, Luzhin only appears one final time, framing Sonya (Rodya’s true love) for stealing. This weak attempt at embarrassing Rodya shows how Luzhin has hit rock-bottom. This disgraceful act reveals the disgrace plaguing Rodya for murdering Alyona. In the end, however, Rodya is able to repent for his sins through Christianity and Sonya’s love as opposed to Luzhin, who leaves in shame.

Why did Winnie run away in Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt?

Winnie wanted to run away because she was bored.

Winnie didn't exactly run away; she was kidnapped. Winnie feels smothered at home to the point that she “lost her patience at last and decided to think about running away” (Prologue). She lives with her mother and grandmother, who like everything neat and tidy. Winnie feels all their focus is on her because she has no siblings. Things at home are too stifling, prompting her to say,

It'd be better if I could be like you, out in the open and making up my own mind. Do you know they've hardly ever let me out of this yard all by myself? I'll never be able to do anything important if I stay in here like this. I expect I'd better run away (Chapter 3).

Winnie isn’t really sure she should run away, as she doesn’t have anywhere to go. She may not have had any adventures or done anything exciting, but that is about to change. One day, Winnie is in the woods and she sees a boy drinking from a spring. When she tries to drink from the spring too, the boy does not know what to do.  He can’t let her, because she will become immortal if she drinks from that spring. To explain everything to Winnie, he and his mother decide to take her home with them. 

Afterward, when she thought about it, it seemed to Winnie that the next few minutes were only a blur. First she was kneeling on the ground, insisting on a drink from the spring, and the next thing she knew, she was seized and swung through the air, open-mouthed, and found herself straddling the bouncing back of the fat old horse (Chapter 6). 

Winnie had an adventure after all—maybe more than she bargained for. She knew her family would be worried and she was homesick, since she had never been away from home. Winnie really did like the Tucks, though. They seemed like very nice people and not at all like kidnappers. They just wanted to make sure she fully understood her situation.

How do Jay Gatsby and George Wilson represent the corruption of the American dream?

The American Dream can be loosely defined as a desire to succeed regardless of past circumstance. For example, if a man from a poor family is able to escape that situation and achieve economic wealth, then that man would be said to have achieved the American Dream. In Gatsby's case, he came from a poor family, joined the army, and met Daisy, with whom he fell in love. After being forced to leave Daisy, Gatsby amassed a vast personal fortune with which he attempted to win Daisy's love. Daisy, then, could be interpreted as representing the American Dream because she is something that Gatsby strives for and something that he believes he can attain despite his poor economic background. However, Gatsby's idealization of Daisy proves to be his downfall, for his pursuit of Daisy results in the death of Wilson's wife, Myrtle. Wilson murders Gatsby out of anger, and it could be interpreted that Wilson's anger does not come from his love for his wife, but from his possessiveness of her. In other words, Wilson could consider his wife a possession that he has a right to due to his relative monetary success. This idea is supported within the text when Wilson locks his wife away after suspecting her of cheating on him. This depersonalized reaction could lead one to believe that Wilson considers his wife a commodity, thinking of her as a possession to be attained and guarded, much like the material possessions that are supposed to be attained in pursuit of the American Dream. So Gatsby and Wilson represent the corruption of the American Dream because they have turned Daisy and Myrtle, respectively, into ideals that they seek to attain and this dehumanization of the women ultimately results in the deaths of both men. 

Why was the battle of Gettysburg known as an important turning point in the Civil War?

The Union victory at Gettysburg is regarded as an important turning point--the "high-water mark of the Confederacy"--because it ended in the repulse of the final Confederate invasion of the North. There was still much hard fighting left, but after Gettysburg, the Confederate Army in the eastern theater of the war fought only strategic defensive actions, defending the capital city of Richmond. Additionally, had the Confederates been able to defeat the Union Army at Gettysburg, the way would have been open for a campaign, or at least a move against, Washington D.C.. While such a campaign is unlikely to have been successful, it could have considerably altered the military and political dynamics of the war. The other reason Gettysburg was such a significant turning point was the casualties suffered by the Army of Northern Virginia. More than one-third of Lee's army was killed, wounded, or captured at this battle, and he would never be able to fully replace these numbers for the rest of the war. Finally, the result of the battle was so important because of timing. One day after the battle, on July 4, 1863, Vicksburg, the Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi, fell to troops under Ulysses S. Grant. So in four days, the Union had repulsed a Confederate invasion of the North and seized control of the Mississippi River. 

Describe the experience of soldiers fighting on the Western Front.

On the Western Front, which was almost entirely confined to France and Belgium, the First World War was generally characterized by trench warfare. This meant that vast armies, Allied and German, huddled in trenches that stretched over hundred of miles and waged a grinding war of attrition against each other. Facing intermittent barrages of long-range artillery, occasional poison gas attacks, and the constant threat of sniper fire, they awaited orders to go "over the top" through machine-gun fire, bomb craters, land mines, and barbed wire in an effort to break through enemy lines. When in the trenches, where they often stayed for weeks at a time, they lived in mud, with rats and lice constant menaces. Not only physical disease, but mental illness, known at the time as "shell shock," plagued soldiers in this new, modern warfare. Soldiers lived through grueling campaigns and offensives that usually only succeeded in moving lines a few miles one way or another. Before 1918, when American troops helped to beat back a desperate German offensive, the war was a bloody stalemate.

How does the sniper convince his enemy that he is dead?

The Republican sniper fakes his death in order to fool the enemy sniper from the Free Stater army.  

The protagonist sniper bravely puts his life at risk in order to shoot and kill the old woman and soldier in the armored vehicle. Unfortunately, he leaves himself slightly exposed in order to make those two shots. The enemy sniper shoots him in the right forearm. The wound is so bad that the sniper can no longer lift and aim his rifle. He must figure out a way to kill the other sniper, and is limited to using only one hand. 

The Republican sniper's plan is to fake his death. He takes off his cap and places it on the muzzle of his rifle. He then lifts the rifle so the cap is exposed to the enemy. The enemy sniper takes what he thinks is a head shot. The bullet goes through the cap, and immediately the sniper lets his good arm hang over the edge of the roof while holding the rifle. After a few seconds, he drops the rifle and lets his body's weight sag and drag his arm back over the roof.  

The Free Stater sniper now thinks his enemy is dead, so he stands up and exposes himself.  

He was now standing before a row of chimney pots, looking across, with his head clearly silhouetted against the western sky.

The Republican sniper then pulls out his sidearm and shoots the enemy sniper.

What is a strong paradox between the inner feelings and outer action of Lady Macbeth?

A paradox is something that seems self-contradictory. In order to strengthen her husband's resolve to embark on the path of murder, Lady Macbeth acts very tough. She wants to be unsexed and divorced from the emotions of compassion, pity and nurturance that are associated with a woman, most particularly a woman's breast, in order to make Macbeth king. She tells Macbeth she would dash her baby's brains out if she had promised to do so when he tries to reconsider whether or not it is a good idea to murder Duncan, and claims a little water will wash away the blood of their crimes.

However, the inner psyche of Lady Macbeth is at odds with the image of the ruthless killer she tries to project. In the end, she pays the price of her immense guilt, which leads her to sleepwalk and to try in vain to wash off the blood she dreams stain her hands. She has a conscience that arises to haunt her, despite her best attempts early in the play to suppress it. Eventually, it destroys her. 

Where is the impeachment process started?

Impeachment is a process where a President, a Vice President, or other Civil Officers could be removed from office. The Constitution outlines how the impeachment process works. There have been two presidents that have been impeached, but no president has been removed from office.

The impeachment process starts in the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives must decide if there is enough evidence against the government official to have a trial held. If the House of Representatives believes there is enough evidence, a trial will be held in the U.S. Senate.

The U.S. Senate will hold the trial to determine if the elected official will be removed from office. In order to be removed from office, two-thirds of the U.S. Senate must vote to remove the government official. Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton are the only presidents that have ever been impeached.

The impeachment process begins in the House of Representatives.

What quotes show the nurse and friar are responsible for Romeo and Juliet's deaths?

No one is really malicious about causing Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. Their deaths are caused by a combination of circumstances and bad choices. You could argue both deaths were caused by Friar Laurence and the nurse keeping quiet about the secret wedding between Romeo and Juliet. They enabled Juliet and put her in a position she could not escape.

Juliet uses the nurse as a go-between between her and Romeo. The nurse agrees to do this because she cares about Juliet. She knows Juliet would be better off not getting involved in with a Montague, but plays along to make Juliet happy:

Then hie you hence to Friar Laurence' cell;
There stays a husband to make you a wife:
Now comes the wanton blood up in your cheeks,
They'll be in scarlet straight at any news.
Hie you to church (Act II, Scene 5).

Other than the nurse, Friar Laurence is the only other person who knows about Romeo and Juliet’s plans. He is concerned too, especially since Romeo was so recently head-over-heels for Rosaline. He marries them in secret. Once Romeo is banished, Friar Laurence gives Juliet a potion to fake her death so she will not have to marry Paris.

If, rather than to marry County Paris,
Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself,
Then is it likely thou wilt undertake
A thing like death to chide away this shame,
That copest with death himself to scape from it:
And, if thou darest, I'll give thee remedy (Act IV, Scene 1).

I think you can definitely argue events would have turned out differently if Friar Laurence had not helped Juliet with the potion. She might have been unhappy, but she would not have died. Romeo and Juliet’s deaths are directly caused by that potion because Juliet wakes in her tomb to find Romeo has killed himself, thinking she really was dead. This prompts her to kill herself.

How are the women's rights violated in The Crucible?

In the 21st century, everyone is entitled to a fair trial, and, in order to be found guilty, the burden is on the accuser (and their legal counsel) to prove the guilt of the accused beyond all reasonable doubt. However, in The Crucible, rather than assuming people are innocent until proven guilty, magistrates assume guilt, and the burden is on the accused to provide evidence of their innocence. For this reason, the rights (to our way of thinking) of those women (and men) accused of witchcraft are violated because they are not given fair trials.

Further, "spectral evidence" provided by the accusers is considered enough proof to merit a conviction; an example of spectral evidence would be when Abigail accuses Elizabeth Proctor of sending out her spirit to push a needle into Abigail's stomach. Thus, it is obviously very easy to falsify such "evidence." Moreover, the accused women (and men) are not allowed lawyers, and, for us, all accused persons have a right to legal counsel. Even when Mr. Hale pleads with Danforth to allow Proctor and Corey to return with a lawyer and their evidence to prove their wives' innocence, Danforth refuses. This denial violates the rights of the accused, as we understand rights in this day and age.

In The Merchant Of Venice, do Bassiano and Antonio have a strong friendship?

They definitely do. At the beginning of the play, Bassanio approaches Antonio for financial assistance to aid his attempt to win the fair Portia's hand in marriage. She is a wealthy heiress from Belmont whose father determined in his will could only wed a suitor who makes the correct choice from three caskets: gold, silver, and lead. She has been approached by a number of wealthy suitors, men of status and stature. Bassanio wants to compete against them on an equal footing, and asks Antonio to lend him money so he can do so.

It is obvious from their conversation that this is not the first time Bassanio has sought such a favor from Antonio, as he himself mentions:

...if you please
To shoot another arrow that self way
Which you did shoot the first.

It is also clear that Bassanio is a wastrel, as he admits as much to Antonio:

'Tis not unknown to you, Antonio,
How much I have disabled mine estate,
By something showing a more swelling port
Than my faint means would grant continuance...

...my chief care
Is to come fairly off from the great debts
Wherein my time something too prodigal
Hath left me gaged.

Bassanio is assured of Antonio's love and care for him and knows his friend will help him. Antonio guarantees as much:

Within the eye of honour, be assured,
My purse, my person, my extremest means,
Lie all unlock'd to your occasions.

The conversation between the two men is indefatigable proof that they share a very close bond. Antonio is prepared to help Bassanio by whatever means possible, even though he knows Bassanio might just waste the money he lends him. He is also obviously aware he might never be repaid. In spite of this, Antonio is prepared to help his friend. Antonio admits he does not have any ready cash, but urges Bassanio to find a moneylender in Venice and use his good name to obtain a loan for which he will stand surety. 

These actions speak of a man who is prepared to help a friend, so their relationship obviously must be more than just a shallow acquaintance. This is later proven when Antonio agrees to the harsh bond terms set by the moneylender Shylock when he loans three thousand ducats to Bassanio. Shylock sets, as a condition, that he should be entitled to cut out a pound of Antonio's flesh if he should forfeit on the bond, which has to be repaid within three months. Antonio accepts these terms despite Bassanio's request that he not, as Bassanio does not trust Shylock. 

Further proof of their close relationship lies in the fact that, when Antonio falls on hard times when his ships are all destroyed, Bassanio is prepared to leave the comfort of his new home and marriage to be with his friend. He delays the consummation of his marriage to rush from Belmont to assist his desperate friend. Shylock has had Antonio arrested because he forfeited on repaying a loan. According to the terms of their agreement, Shylock could claim a pound of Antonio's flesh.

Another indication of the depth of their friendship lies in the fact that, in Act V, Scene 1, Antonio once again vows to help his friend and sacrifice even his soul to vouch for him.

I once did lend my body for his wealth;
Which, but for him that had your husband's ring,
Had quite miscarried: I dare be bound again,
My soul upon the forfeit, that your lord
Will never more break faith advisedly.

He says this on the occasion of Portia accusing Bassanio of having given away a cherished ring that she had entrusted to him even though he vowed never to get rid of it. Antonio is prepared to give up his soul as a guarantee that Bassanio would never again break his word.  

Lastly, many commentators believe further proof of Bassanio and Antonio's friendship lies in Antonio's melancholic mood at the beginning of the play. Antonio is unable to say what is making him so sad. Some believe his depression is brought on by the fact that Bassanio is about to leave him for Belmont to try to win the hand of Portia, the wealthy and beautiful heiress. Whn Bassanio leaves, Antonio will lose a friend and confidante.

The depth of Antonio's sentiment for his friend is further proven by the fact that, in spite of the possibility of losing his companion to another, he is still prepared to ensure Bassanio's happiness and generously offers to help him. 

What type of irony does "The Ransom of Red Chief" end with?

The story, "The Ransom of Red Chief," exemplifies situational irony where the results contradict what is expected. The story ended with the kidnappers paying the ransom to the victim and taking off in fear instead of instilling fear and taking the ransom as expected in such situations.

Sam and Bill kidnap Mr. Dorset’s son, Johnny alias the Red Chief. They make it to their hiding place in the mountains. However, the situation changes when Sam leaves Johnny with Bill. Johnny terrorizes Bill in Sam’s absence. The kidnappers fail to contain the boy who is in charge of the situation and disinterested in returning home. Sam sends mail to Mr. Dorset requesting for ransom, but instead, Mr. Dorset responds with his own ransom demand of $250. The boy is relentless and finally the kidnappers yield to Mr. Dorset’s demands and pay him the ransom so he could take back his son.

How do the decisions made by Juliet (including the decisions to lie to her parents about her marriage to Romeo) influence what happens in the rest...

Without Juliet's decisions, the play never could have unfolded the way that it does.  She decides to keep her relationship with Romeo a secret; had she not, perhaps her parents would have prevented her from seeing him, perhaps they would have dealt with the fact that she married him -- we cannot know what their response would have been.  It is Juliet who prompts Romeo to marriage, a subject that doesn't seem to have crossed his mind until she raises it.  It is their marriage that makes Juliet so desperate not to marry the Count Paris and prompts her decision to remain true to Romeo after he killed Tybalt and to fake her own death.  Then, her decision to fake her death results in the miscommunication with Romeo; he never receives the message that she is not actually dead, and he takes his own life so as not to have to live without her.  Juliet's decisions to keep her relationship secret, to marry Romeo, and to fake her death to avoid marrying Paris propel the plot forward, forcing the next series of events to happen, and eventually lead to their suicides.

State and explain ten advantages and disadvantages of the computer.

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Why do auditors need accounting information?

Auditing is the review of an institution’s books of account and financial documents to determine the institution’s level of compliance with regards to legal regulations and business best practices. Auditing aims to ensure the institution presents an accurate and true position of its financial operations. Most organizations have internal auditors responsible for examining an institution’s books of accounts and other financial documents. In certain special situations, however, an independent auditing firm is brought in to evaluate the documents.

Auditors require accounting information because it forms the basis of their examinations. Auditors would have nothing to scrutinize if the necessary accounting documents are non-existent. Accounting information is important in determining the true position of the institution. Auditors will also determine whether the institution is adhering to the generally accepted protocols and standards by evaluating their financial/ accounting reports and procedures.

Did Tiresias warn Odysseus about the Sirens?

No, Tiresias does not warn Odysseus about the Sirens, those mysterious women/ monsters whose voices could entrance the minds of men and cause sailors to wreck their ships. The goddess Circe was the one who warned Odysseus about them. Tiresias warned Odysseus about another danger.

In Book XI, Odysseus journeys to the Underworld in search of Tiresias, the famous (and blind) prophet. Tiresias foretells parts of Odysseus' journey, as well as what will await him when he returns to Ithaka. Specifically, Tiresias gives Odysseus a vague warning about the island of Thrinakia, telling him that:

[Y]ou might still come back, after much suffering, if you can contain your own desire, and contain your companions', at the island of Thrinakia, escaping the sea's blue water, and there discover pasturing cattle and fat sheep of Helios. . . and leave these unharmed[.]

The cattle of Helios were sacred, so it was forbidden to kill and eat them. Odysseus was unable to prevent his men from killing and eating the cattle once they set upon Thrinakia and began to starve, though. Thus, he incurred the wrath of Zeus.

In Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, what superstitions do the children have in connection with the Radley house?

In Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the children have superstitions about the Radley house because of the spooky stories that exist about those who live there. For example, the school children won't eat the nuts in the schoolyard that fall from the Radleys' trees because they believe they'll die (9). Also, Jem demonstrates his own beliefs in this superstition when Scout finds a couple of pieces of gum in a knothole of an oak tree in the Radleys' yard and starts chewing it immediately. Jem yells the following:

"Spit it out right now! . . . Don't you know you're not supposed to even touch the trees over there? You'll get killed if you do!" (33).

The house is dilapidated and unapproachable, too, but the superstitions mostly come from the Radleys' family drama revolving around the son named Arthur--nicknamed Boo. In chapter 5, Scout asks Miss Maudie if Boo Radley may have died and been stuffed up the chimney without anyone knowing. She gets this idea from Jem, who like Miss Stephanie Crawford, loves to make up stories about the poor man and spread them around town. (Jem mostly does it to scare Scout, though.) Fortunately, Miss Maudie sets Scout straight by saying, "I know he's alive, Jean Louise, because I haven't seen him carried out yet" (43).

Finally, the behavior of the town influences the children's fears and superstitions about the Radleys' house. For instance, Scout describes what she knows of the house as follows:

"Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid nocturnal events. . . although the culprit was Crazy Addie . . . people still looked at the Radley Placer, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions. A Negro would not pass the Radley Place at night, he would cut across to the sidewalk opposite and whistle as he walked" (9).

The behavior of the town influences the children to be scared of Boo Radley and the house. Superstition plays a significant role in the novel because it is one part of the reason that people are prejudiced in Maycomb. Eventually, the children learn not to believe everything they hear or see.

What effects do authorial intrusion yield in The Crucible by Arthur Miller?

In The Crucible, the major effect of Arthur Miller's authorial intrusions is to give us deeper insights into the characters.  As a play, this text lacks a narrator who can explain what characters are thinking or feeling, and Miller's interjections function in much the same way that such a narrator would.  He explains the motivations of certain characters—Mr. Putnam is bitter about the fact that he gets shut down by the town almost every time he tries to do anything. Proctor feels like a fraud, although no sign of this has been betrayed to his neighbors yet, and we learn about their deep-seated feelings (which would likely remain hidden for much of the text if Miller didn't tell us about them).

Why was Potter arrested?

Muff Potter is arrested because he is believed to have murdered Doctor Robinson. In reality, it was Injun Joe who killed the doctor. Early on in the novel, Potter, Joe, and Robinson appear to be working together to rob graves in the local cemetery. An argument breaks out, Potter is knocked unconscious, and Joe kills Robinson with a knife. After these events, Potter is framed for murdering Robinson and subsequently arrested. Though many other events take place in the novel, this grisly act of murder functions as the plot's centerpiece and contributes to most of the drama. Luckily, since Tom Sawyer (along with Huck Finn) witnesses the murder in the cemetery, he is able to clear Potter's name before he is unjustly condemned for a murder he didn't commit.

What does the phrase "Holmes sprang from his bed, struck a match and lashed at it furiously with his cane" imply about Sherlock Holmes?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used the words "The Adventure" in many of his Sherlock Holmes stories. Doyle usually saw to it that his hero was not only responsible for the solutions to the mysteries, but that he took the lead in dealing with the adventures. A good example of how Holmes takes the lead in dealing with danger at the end of a story can be seen in the climax of "The Adventure of the Red-Headed League." Although Holmes has brought a Scotland Yard detective to the bank's underground strong-room, and although he has brought his friend Dr. Watson, who is armed with a revolver, it is Sherlock Holmes himself who apprehends the John Clay the dangerous criminal they have been waiting to trap.

Sherlock Holmes had sprung out and seized the intruder by the collar. The other dived down the hole, and I heard the sound of rending cloth as Jones clutched at his skirts. The light flashed upon the barrel of a revolver, but Holmes' hunting crop came down on the man's wrist, and the pistol clinked upon the stone floor.

Watson always describes Holmes as being very quick and agile in his movements when there is occasion for them. Otherwise, Holmes generally appears to be indolent and highly susceptible to ennui. It is characteristic behavior of the great detective to spring into action in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" when he hears the low whistle and realizes that the so-called "speckled band," a poisonous snake, must be in the pitch-dark room with them. His actions imply that he is quick, decisive, courageous, and that he is willing to face the dangers that result from his investigations.

The fact that he whips the snake furiously with his cane leads to a completely satisfactory ending. The angry snake bites Dr. Roylott when it retreats through the ventilator into his room. With Roylott dead, there is no need to prove anything against him. It would not have been possible to prove that he murdered Julia Stoner two years earlier. And it would have been very hard to prove that he intended to kill Helen Stoner. He could have claimed that the snake got loose and crawled through the ventilator. 

Dr. Roylott's death also resolves the main conflict in the story, which is a battle of wits between Dr. Roylott and Sherlock Holmes. After Helen leaves Baker Street that morning, Roylott bursts into Holmes sitting-room and threatens him.

“I will go when I have said my say. Don't you dare to meddle with my affairs. I know that Miss Stoner has been here. I traced her! I am a dangerous man to fall foul of! See here.” He stepped swiftly forward, seized the poker, and bent it into a curve with his huge brown hands.

Dr. Roylott is not seen again until after his death, but his violent character seems to hang over the remainder of the story like a black cloud. His appearance at Baker Street, where he learns nothing, is intended to establish a dramatic conflict between himself and Sherlock Holmes. Appropriately, Holmes wins by being responsible for Roylott's death.

Some of the blows of my cane came home and roused its snakish temper, so that it flew upon the first person it saw. In this way I am no doubt indirectly responsible for Dr. Grimesby Roylott's death, and I cannot say that it is likely to weigh very heavily upon my conscience.”

In the second half of 3.1, Shylock has a conversation with Tubal, another Jew. What is Tubal's relationship with Shylock like? What can we glean...

Tubal apparently works for Shylock.  Shylock sent him to Genoa to find Jessica, Shylock's daughter, who had run away and taken a lot of her father's money with her.

Tubal provides a strong contrast to Shylock in this scene.  Shylock is already beside himself when the scene begins.  Tubal is calm, blunt and matter-of-fact.   He has bad news to give Shylock, and he appears to know that Shylock will react with a tantrum.  Throughout their conversation, he gives Shylock a succinct answer, lets him rant and rave himself out, and then gives another calm, one-sentence answer.  He does not try to soften the bad news, apparently realizing that this is futile.

For example, after Tubal gives the first sentence of his report ("I often came where I did hear of her, but cannot find her"), Shylock flies into a long rant about how useless it was to spend money trying to find Jessica, how he wishes she were dead, etc.  

Tubal waits this out.  

Then he flatly contradicts Shylock's claim that there are "no tears but o' my shedding":

"Yes, other men have ill luck too. Antonio, as I heard in Genoa -"

Shylock interrupts frantically: "What, what, what? Ill luck?  Ill luck?"

Tubal, unruffled by this interruption, calmly finishes his sentence: "... Hath an argosy cast away coming from Tripolis." 

Then, in between Shylock's exclamations, he continues to give Shylock one-sentence bits of news, both good and bad, seemingly indifferent to the effect it will have on Shylock to hear that, for example, his daughter spent a fortune one night in Genoa, or that "Antonio is certainly undone." 

From this I gather that Tubal knows Shylock fairly well and has probably done errands for him before. He is aware that Shylock turns nasty when things don't go his way.  He does not really care how things turn out for Shylock, and he has become numb to (or hardened himself to) Shylock's tantrums.  Tubal apparently does not think it's his business to calm Shylock down, only to report on what he was asked to find out. 

It's possible that Tubal is not very bright.  We do not see any more of him in the play, so it's hard to tell.  But considering that he was able to get himself to Genoa and find word of both Jessica and Antonio, probably he is not stupid, just apathetic around Shylock because of Shylock's typical behavior.

What are five traumatic events in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?

Many traumatic events occur in the life of Arnold Spirit Jr. (or simply "Junior"), the Native American protagonist of Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian:

• Oscar, Junior's dog, gets sick. Because his family cannot afford to buy medicine for him, Junior's father shoots the dog. 


• Junior and his best friend, Rowdy, get into many physical altercations, which usually involve Rowdy hurling homophobic insults at Junior and attacking him. Junior also must deal with the racist jokes of the jocks at his new high school, which causes a fight between Junior and Roger.


• Junior's family friend, Eugene, is shot in the face by another man, Bobby, during a fight over who gets the last drink from a bottle of wine. Eugene dies, and Bobby doesn't remember pulling the trigger, having been so drunk. Bobby later hangs himself with a sheet while in jail.


• Junior's Grandma, who he loved tremendously, is killed by a drunk driver as she was returning from a powwow.


• Junior's sister dies in a fire that was started when someone left a hot plate on during a party. She was drunk at the time.

What can the reader infer about the McClellan family based on the way their house is programmed in “There Will Come Soft Rains"?

In "There Will Come Soft Rains," we can infer a number of points about the family from the programming of the house.

Firstly, the breakfast prepared by the house suggests that the family consists of two adults and two children. This is also shown by the presence of the nursery and the  "children's hour" which takes place in the evening.

Secondly, the McClellans are completely dependent on technology. The house takes care of the cooking, cleaning and household finances, for example, as well as providing reminders about family events, like anniversaries and birthdays. On one hand, this suggests that the McClellans are a lazy family and prefer to have machines carry out the routine and monotonous jobs of everyday life. On the other hand, however, it is evidence of a family that thrives on a high degree of structure and routine and uses modern technology to achieve this.

Finally, the family is obsessed with protection and self-preservation. They are extremely wary of intruders, for example, as shown by the house's response to a sparrow brushing the window and a cat whining outside. This "mechanical paranoia" acts a barrier between the McClellan family and the outside world which suggests some introversion as well as a strong need for privacy.  

Was Mafatu's conflict with Moana or himself the greater battle in Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry?

There really is no correct answer to this question. You have to decide for yourself which of these conflicts was a greater battle for Mafatu in Call It Courage.

On the one hand, we can argue the “man vs. nature” battle in Call It Courage is the greater battle. Mafatu has to struggle in a very important way against Moana. When he is little, Moana kills Mafatu's mother and almost takes him. When Mafatu runs away from Hikueru, Moana sends a terrible storm and comes very close to killing him. When Mafatu flees the cannibals and tries to return to Hikueru, Moana once again comes very close to killing him by becalming him and leaving him to potentially die of thirst and hunger. This means Moana almost kills him on three separate occasions. This is surely a great battle.

On the other hand, we can also claim “man vs. self” is the greater battle here. Mafatu does not have to battle himself in order to survive. He could easily survive by staying on Hikueru and continuing to live as he has. He does have to battle himself so he can live a rewarding life. He has to fight against his fears. If he does not, he will never be recognized as a man on Hikueru. This is not a literal matter of life or death, but it is something that will determine Mafatu's quality of life.

In order to answer this question, then, you have to decide what the greater battle is. Is the harder battle one where you fight outside forces to save your life, or is it the one where you fight yourself and try to conquer your own fears and weaknesses in order to improve yourself?

What is a political reason why the Stamp Act of 1765 was unfair to the colonists?

The colonists believed that the Stamp Act of 1765 was not fair. The colonists were very upset by this law. The colonists now had to pay a tax on various items.

The colonists believed this law violated their rights as British citizens. British citizens have representatives in Parliament. Before a tax law can be passed, the representatives of the people must be able to speak about the proposed taxes. They need to share their concerns or their support for the proposed law. Then, they must be able to vote on the proposed taxes. The colonists had no elected representatives in Parliament. Therefore, they weren’t able to speak about and vote on the Stamp Act. The colonists believed that because they had no say regarding this law (no political voice), their rights were being violated.

The colonists protested this law by refusing to buy British products until the taxes were repealed. This was one of a series of events that eventually led to the Revolutionary War and our independence from Great Britain.

What are the positive and negative effects of Australia's geography?

Australia is a country (and continent) largely driven by its geographical limitations and advantages. Some of the world's most prominent geographical features exist in Australia. In addition, the island country is geographically very diverse - rain forests, coastal areas, urban sprawls, and the outback region all have very different geographies. 

One of Australia's driving geographical features is the Great Artesian Basin, which is the major source of freshwater. Of course, the existence of the basin is a huge benefit to Australia and the water in the basin is critical for the country's population; however, the importance of this single geographical feature means that the country would greatly suffer if anything were to threaten this resource (i.e. climate change). Additionally, laws and regulations driving the division of groundwater form the basin breeds contention among aboriginal and non-aboriginal stakeholders, adding another dimension of complication surrounding the geography. In this way, the basin has both a positive effect (resource) and a negative effect (instability, social issues) on Australia. 

Another prominent feature of Australia's geography is the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast of Queensland. This feature is the largest reef on earth and hosts a plethora of life. As such a famous land form, tourists visit from around the world to see the reef and interact with the wildlife (turtles, octopi, stingrays) that depend on the reef. The importance of this feature is evident in the tourism economy - a lot of money is brought into the country from visitors to the reef. On the other hand, this geographical feature that attracts so much money into the economy also attracts accidental damage from visitors - just visiting the reef is extremely harmful, even under the guise of ecotourism. In this way, the reef has both a positive effect (money, growing market) and a negative effect (wildlife) on Australia.

Visit the link below for an interactive infographic of Australia and click Queensland for more detail.

Why do the family members try to avoid talking of the ghost in "The Canterville Ghost"?

From their arrival at Canterville Chase, the Otis family are reluctant to talk about the ghost. In short, they do not believe in the supernatural because they are advocates of science and reason, as Mr Otis explains to Lord Canterville in Chapter One:

But there is no such thing, sir, as a ghost, and I guess the laws of Nature are not going to be suspended for the British aristocracy.

Similarly, when the family spends the day driving around the neighbourhood, they deliberately stop themselves from speaking about the ghost. According to the narrator, the family does this to prevent the "primary conditions of receptive expectation." In other words, if the family does not accept the possibility of a ghost, they are far less likely to experience any supernatural phenomena and this is crucial in safeguarding their scientific principles and beliefs.

This reluctance to talk about the ghost (so as not to accept his existence) reflects the culture clash which exists between the Otis family and the British aristocracy, one of the story's wider themes. The rational and scientific background of the Otis family acts like a barrier between these two opposing worlds and provides the story's conflict. (Please see the second reference link for more information on this theme).

All acids contains hydrogen.What happens if we replace hydrogen with a metal?

If we replace the hydrogen with a metal, what happens is that a salt will be formed and the hydrogen will be liberated. The reaction that takes place is as follows: Acid + metal → salt + hydrogen

It should however be noted that to replace hydrogen with metal, the metal should be highly reactive. Reactive metals are those that have a greater tendency to lose electrons and form positive ions. Reactivity is a relative attribute. The more reactive elements are placed higher on the reactivity table while those that are less reactive are lower on the table.

The higher the metal is on the reactivity table the greater its ability to replace hydrogen. Examples of reactive metals that can replace hydrogen in an acid are magnesium and zinc. The reaction that takes place between magnesium and sulfuric acid is : Magnesium + sulfuric acid → magnesium sulphate + hydrogen

In "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," what does Edwards consider essential for salvation?

Jonathan Edwards' famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is an excellent example of the revivalist movement in churches during the Great Awakening. Grounded in the dominant theology of the day, the Great Awakening introduced an emotional component to the role of the church, using images and prayers to evoke affective responses from the congregation.

Soteriology, or the question of what we must be saved from and how we are saved, is at the heart of Edwards' sermon. He uses vivid imagery to describe Hell, a literal place of eternal torment for those he terms the Wicked. He further describes that the Wicked are literally held, dangling over the pit, by God. It is only the willpower of God, he asserts, that keeps them from falling into Hell at any given moment. People can work to stay healthy, avoid death, profess the best of intentions, even sit in church every Sunday. 

Ultimately, Edwards points toward a covenant of grace between man and God—the idea that God is the ultimate power, but that God created a covenant with mankind through Jesus Christ. God alone has the power of life over death, redemption over sin.

For Edwards, it is merely at his own whim that God keeps man from the pit at any given moment. In order for the pit to be avoided entirely, man must enter fully into the covenant through the mediation of Christ. Intention, good works toward their fellow men, and sitting in church are not enough. Edwards is calling for full-on conversion. It is not simply the mind which must accept and contemplate a concept of covenant and grace. The heart must be fully devoted to Christ. God's restraint from simply throwing them into Hell is a chance to change. 

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Atticus teach Scout about tolerance and patience?

Atticus first teaches Scout about tolerance and patience by his perfect example. In every aspect of his life, whether he knows Scout is looking or not, he respects everyone, even if they trample all over his name and disrespect him. It almost seems as if nothing can phase Atticus or get him frustrated because he never loses his temper or self-control. Some of the best advice Atticus gives Scout regarding tolerance and patience is found in Chapter Three, when Scout has a run in with classmates and her teacher on the first day of school. 

"First of all, . . . if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" (30).

This little speech is something Scout remembers throughout the book as she tries to understand people when their behavior seems questionable. This helps her mostly with tolerance at first, but if she can understand someone from his or her perspective, first, it will also grant her patience. 

In Chapter 23 of Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, what jury member had a difficult time deciding whether to vote guilty or not guilty in...

In Chapter 23, Atticus discusses the trial and the justice system with his son, Jem. Jem makes the comment that the jury made up its mind quickly, and Atticus disagrees by saying, "No it didn't" (Lee 136). Atticus explains that the jury deliberated for several hours because one of the jury members was in favor of an outright acquittal. When Jem asks who was arguing for Tom's acquittal, Atticus tells him that it was someone from the Old Sarum bunch. Jem is astonished and says, "Golly Moses...One minute they’re tryin’ to kill him and the next they’re tryin’ to turn him loose...I’ll never understand those folks as long as I live" (Lee 136). Atticus does not state the jury members name but does tell his children that he is related to the Cunninghams. Atticus goes on to say that the Cunninghams were a family with integrity and loyalty. He says that once you have their respect, they are with you "tooth and nail." Atticus has a feeling that after the one night at the jailhouse, the Cunninghams earned a considerable amount of respect for the Finch family. Before Atticus goes off to read his paper, Jem asks him how the man was related to Walter Cunningham. Atticus tells him, "Double first cousin" (Lee 137).

What is Bolden's testimony in the book Monster?

Wendell Bolden takes the stand in chapter 4 of Walter Dean Myers' book Monster. Immediately from his responses to the lawyers, readers can see that he is a tough guy and not unfamiliar with the prison scene. His testimony shows a few things that are critical to the plot of the story. 

First, Bolden elaborates on how he heard about the murder. A man sold him some cigarettes and mentioned a few details – enough to let Bolden know that the cigarettes came from the robbery on Malcolm X Boulevard. Since Bolden knew someone was killed there and the suspects had not been caught, he filed the information away for later. When asked who gave him this information, Bolden says it was Bobo Evans. Later, when Bolden went to prison, he whipped out the info to get out, and here we all are.

When Briggs starts questioning Bolden, he pushes back on this part of the story, asking why Bobo would confide in him about something that could get Bobo in big trouble. Briggs also questions Bolden's honesty, claiming that Bolden would say anything to get out of prison. Bolden doesn't seem too intimidated by this, though, and it seems pretty likely that Bobo was just a blabber-mouth and Bolden is telling the truth (especially when we hear Bobo himself testify later).

What would you conclude about what Atticus plans to reveal when he devotes a great deal of time discussing Mayella Ewell's injuries during the trial?

At the beginning of the trial, Atticus pays particular attention to the location of Mayella's injuries. When Sheriff Tate takes the witness stand, Atticus asks him to describe Mayella's injuries. Tate mentions that Mayella was beaten badly and says that her eye was starting to bruise. Atticus questions which eye Heck is referring to, and Tate initially says that it was her left eye, then recants and says that it was her right eye. Heck Tate confirms that Mayella's right eye was swollen and mentions that the majority of her bruises were to the right side of her face. When Bob Ewell takes the witness stand, Atticus asks him if he agrees with Sheriff Tate's description of Mayella's injuries, and Bob says that he does. Atticus even reads the court reporter's record of Tate's testimony to confirm that Bob agrees that Mayella's injuries were to the right side of her face. Bob says, "I holds with Tate. Her eye was blackened and she was mighty beat up" (Lee 236). Atticus then has Bob write his signature to reveal that he is in fact left-handed.

The reason Atticus spends a great deal of time discussing the location and extent of Mayella's injuries is because he plans to reveal that Tom Robinson could not have been responsible for assaulting Mayella. Atticus knows that Tom's left arm is crippled. A person who throws a punch with their left arm would typically strike the right side of a person's face. If Mayella's injuries are to the right side of her face, it would suggest that an individual who was predominately left-handed beat her. Atticus reveals that Bob Ewell is left-handed, which suggests that Bob was, in fact, Mayella's perpetrator.

What are some figures of speech in "The Listeners" by Walter de La Mere?

Generally speaking, when looking at a poem for figures of speech, I usually steer students toward finding metaphors and similes. That's a bit tougher to do with "The Listeners" because the poem doesn't make extensive use of metaphors. There is a metaphor about halfway through the poem, though.  

Hearkening in an air stirred and shaken   

In the above line, air is being compared to something that could be stirred and shaken. Air can be diffused and blown, but it is not something that can be picked up in order to shake.  

The poem is very concerned about mood, and the author uses alliterationto help convey the mood. When I think about the sound of silence, I think about the "s" sound. Perhaps it is because of that letter in those two words. Perhaps it is because that's what wind sounds like to me, or perhaps it is because that's the sound a person makes when "shushing" another person. "The Listeners" makes a point of telling readers that silence continually greets the visitor. The alliteration of the "s" sound throughout the poem highlights and accompanies that silence.  

And how the silence surged softly backward, 

The "s" alliteration is even present in the first line that I quoted too. Line three is also a very alliterative line.  

Of the forest’s ferny floor: 

A final figure of speech that I like in this poem is anaphora. Anaphora is a deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect. In "The Listeners," I like the anaphora because it relates to the alliteration I spoke of earlier.  

Stood listening in the quiet of the moonlight   

   To that voice from the world of men: 

Stood thronging the faint moonbeams on the dark stair

In Woolf's "A Room of One's Own," what belief is implied in the "old gentleman's" statement that it is "impossible for any woman . . . to have the...

Simply put, the belief implied in the statement you reference is that women are inferior to men in all aspects of life, including the creation of literature. Since women are inferior to men (the old gentleman claims), they cannot produce anything as masterful as Shakespeare's plays. 

It is this belief that Virginia Woolf is primarily critiquing in her essay "A Room of One's Own." By employing impeccable logical reasoning, historical analysis, and literary examination, Woolf explores the rampant misogyny that has oppressed women through the ages and prevented them from pursuing any kind of independent activity, including the production of art and literature. Woolf ultimately agrees with the old gentleman, asserting that, back in Shakespeare's time, it would have been impossible for a female artist to have done what Shakespeare did. However, Woolf does not make this claim because she believes that women are inferior to men; rather, she says that a woman in Shakespeare's time could not have been a prolific artist because she would have been prevented from gaining employment, living independently, and using her time to create art. Instead, the patriarchy would have subjected her to cruel toil in the home and stripped her of the privilege of working and owning property. As such, by partially agreeing with the old gentleman's statement, Woolf brilliantly dismantles the implied misogyny behind it.  

What happens after the boys fight at the Red River in "The Red Convertible"?

After the fight, the brothers laugh it off, drink beer, and toss bottles into the water until Lyman asks, "You want to go on back?" He suggests he and Henry might "snag" some "Kashpaw girls." Henry says no, because those girls are "crazy." Lyman rejoinders that they themselves are "Crazy Lamartine boys!" Henry breaks into jesting dance, then says, "Got to cool me off!" and runs to the river. He jumps into the dangerous, high river, which contains boards and a strong current. It's also "getting dark." Lyman loses sight of Henry until he reemerges "halfway across the river," dragged out by the current: "I know he didn't swim there but the current took him out." Lyman then hears Henry's voice saying his boots are filling with river water that will pull him underwater. Lyman goes in to save him. Then Lyman pulls himself out of the river, and he is alone; "the sun is down." He walks back to the car, turns on its lights, puts it in gear, gets out, and lets it roll—on its own lighted search for Henry—into the river.

The headlights reach in as they go down, searching, still lighted even after the water swirls over the back end. I wait. The wires short out. It is all finally dark. And then there is only the water, the sound of it going and running and going and running and running.

What happens after Lyman and Henry fight at the side of the swollen, springtime-flooded Red River is both clear and ambiguous. The boys' actions are clear, but the reasons for Henry's actions are ambiguous because of his psychologically disturbed state of being, which is engendered by the trauma of the Vietnam War.

We know they fight over whether or not Henry will accept ownership of the car. Henry believes he has already given the red convertible to Lyman:

[W]hen [Henry] left he said, "Now [the car's] yours," and threw me his key.

"Thanks for the extra key," I'd said. "I'll put it up in your drawer just in case I need it."  

While Henry was gone, Lyman never accepted full ownership of the red convertible: "In those years I'd put his car into almost perfect shape. I always thought of it as his car while he was gone. . . [I]t was in tip-top condition and ready [for him] to drive." The fight they have is because each brother wants the other to have their most prized possession: the red convertible.

We know that Henry plunges into the dangerous riverunder the guise of cooling off, but we also know Lyman sees Henry's mood change from the sudden laughter and relaxed good fun to his darker mood: "I can tell his mood is turning again." What we don't know is whether Henry plans to leave his overburdening struggle of suffering behind in the river or if the release of his cares in the surging current is the accidental result of a mind in troubled turmoil: Did he not think clearly or did he think deliberately? The one clue we have to what happens psychologically after the fight is that, when Henry says, "My boots are filling," Lyman detects only a normal voice:

He says this in a normal vice, like he just noticed and he doesn't know what to think of it.

The fact that Lyman perceives a normal tone of voice with a wondering sort of quality to it ("he doesn't know what to think of it"), suggests the ultimate thing that happens after the fight is that Henry, with a distressed mind and having had too much beer to drink, does the unthinkable. He accidentally hurls himself, with his boots on, into a life-threatening river (he would know better having grown up where he did) that is littered with wintertime debris, has a strong current, and is about to surge with inner turmoil and flood its banks (a river symbolic of Henry himself). The final event that happens after the fight is that Lyman settles the fight] about which brother should own their prized convertible in Henry's favor. The red convertible belongs to Henry and symbolically ends its life ("large as life. . . as if it was alive") in search of Henry's life: "The headlights reach in as they go down, searching."

What is the significance of the title of The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander?

Taran is a young boy who is beginning to grow into a man. He lives in Caer Dalben with Coll, Hen Wen (an oracular pig), and Dalben. Dalben is a 379-year-old wizard with many mysterious powers. He owns an important book called the Book of Three. Sometimes, he reads the stories in the Book of Three to Taran. The stories are about important people, like kings, princes, and bards. 

As a young orphan who doesn't know anything about his parentage, Taran is fascinated by these stories. He dreams that he could be unknowingly born of royal blood and that he too may have adventures one day. Taran leads a sheltered lifestyle in Caer Dalben, without much excitement or exposure to the outside world. The Book of Three symbolizes the excitement and glory he imagines will be waiting for him in the outside world. It tells stories of those who have done great deeds and acts of heroism. It is also something that is forbidden to Taran, who is not allowed to read the book himself.

When Taran sees Dalben napping, he decides to try and read the Book of Three without permission, thinking that the contents of the book will reveal to him new ideas and stories that Dalben is holding back from him. But as soon as he touches the book, it stings and burns his hands! Shortly after this, he leaves Cair Dalben alone to chase after Hen Wen after she escapes while under his watch. This catapults Taran into a series of adventures undertaken while he is trying to recapture Hen Wen.

The title The Book of Three symbolizes the adventures that Taran has throughout the course of the book, which were previously forbidden to him as too dangerous (just like the Book of Three was). It also symbolizes his need to learn more about the world and be a hero, just like the heroes in the stories in the Book of Three. He finds out that heroism is not quite all that it is portrayed as, and no longer values the excitement of violence and war the way he did when he first left Caer Dalben.

When Taran returns to Caer Dalben, he finds Dalben in his cottage, writing in the Book of Three. While this is not expressly stated, we can guess that Dalben is writing about Taran and his companions' adventures while Taran was away trying to find Hen Wen. This is a fitting culmination to the book because it shows how Taran's dreams were actualized through his own effort and bravery. In the end, he didn't merit glory because he found out his parents were royalty, or because of grand deeds. He earned it through his own bravery and effort, and by helping his friends succeed in their efforts to save Hen Wen and fight off the Horned King (one of the major antagonists in the story).

The title The Book of Three symbolizes Taran's intense need for adventure and glory, and his desire to learn and make his mark on the world.

Why was John Locke so famous?

John Locke (1632-1704) was a British philosopher now considered the father of classical liberalism. His writings inspired the authors of the Constitution of the United States of America, including the notions of personal sovereignty and a social contract. These notions are still apparent in modern American politics, which separates church from state and respects individual rights. 

Locke studied medicine at the prestigious Christ Church school in Oxford. He became the personal physician for the man who would become the Earl of Shaftesbury, and later became involved in the Earl's political efforts after the Earl became Chancellor. Locke and Shaftesbury both fled England under suspicion of treason, spending time in both France and Holland. 

It was in Holland that Locke wrote Two Treatises of Government. The first treatise addresses the "common sense" approach that God could not give divine rights to rule to a king alone, but rather gave rights to all individuals—specifically the rights of Life, Liberty, and Property. The second treatise outlined the social contract and the origins of individuals as free and equal in a state of nature. It is individuals who enter into a social contract to create and enforce laws by government. 

These notions (among others) made Locke a hero for founding fathers such as Thomas Jefferson and had great influence on the shaping of the Declaration of Independence and US constitution.

What are examples of forshadowing in Of Mice and Men?

The death of Curley's wife and George's shooting of Lennie are both foreshadowed in earlier chapters of Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men. That Lennie was capable of accidentally killing Curley's wife is revealed in two ways. First, the reader knows that Lennie is often deadly to small animals. In the beginning of the book, he is carrying a dead mouse which George suspects he killed by petting too much. George knows that Lennie usually tends to kill the mice he picks up or which were given to him by his Aunt Clara. In chapter one, George says, "You always killed ‘em.” Lennie simply doesn't realize his own strength. Later in the novel he will also kill a puppy by playing with it in too rough a manner.

The second way that Curley's wife's death is foreshadowed is in the story of the girl in the red dress in Weed. Lennie saw the girl and was fascinated by her dress, which he grabbed. When the girl started to scream, Lennie panicked and simply held on, causing even more trouble. George tells Slim,

“Well, he seen this girl in a red dress. Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to touch ever’thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. So he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do. Well, this girl squawks and squawks. I was jus’ a little bit off, and I heard all the yellin’, so I comes running, an’ by that time Lennie’s so scared all he can think to do is jus’ hold on. I socked him over the head with a fence picket to make him let go. He was so scairt he couldn’t let go of that dress. And he’s so God damn strong, you know.”

Later in the novel, Lennie will find himself in almost the same position while he is stroking Curley's wife's hair. Like the girl in the red dress, Curley's wife becomes uncomfortable with his touch and begins screaming. As in Weed, Lennie is confused and simply holds on to the girl, but, as with the mice and puppy, Lennie doesn't know how strong he is and breaks her neck.

George's shooting of Lennie in the final chapter is foreshadowed earlier in the book by the incident with Candy's dog. In chapter three, Carlson suggests that the dog is old and should be put out of its misery. Candy doesn't have the heart to kill his best friend, who has been with him for many years. At the suggestion of Slim, he finally allows Carlson to take the dog and shoot it. Later, he confesses to George, "I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.” This passage seems to be key to George's later decision to shoot Lennie. George knows that Lennie would never understand the punishment which he would receive for committing murder. Instead of allowing Curley or one of the other men to shoot Lennie, or letting him fall into the hands of the sheriff, George does the deed himself. He even uses the same gun that Carlson used to kill the dog.

Provide quotes that describe both the myths and facts about Boo Radley throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

Arthur "Boo" Radley is a shy, misunderstood citizen of Maycomb, who is discriminated against because of his unconventional, reclusive lifestyle. There are numerous myths and legends surrounding his life story which fascinate Jem, Scout, and Dill throughout the novel. Early in the novel, Scout repeats several rumors that she heard about Boo Radley by saying,

"People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peep in windows. When people's azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them" (Lee 10).

Scout also mentions that her brother, Jem, received most of his information from Miss Stephanie Crawford, the neighborhood scold. Miss Crawford said,

"Boo was sitting in the livingroom cutting some items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent's leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities" (Lee 13).

In Chapter 3, when the children are walking home with Walter Cunningham to eat lunch, Jem asks Walter if he ever heard of Boo. Walter says,

"Reckon I have...Almost died last year I come to school and et them pecans---folks say he pizened 'em and put 'em over on the school side of the fence" (Lee 31).

These false rumors give Boo Radley a bad reputation throughout his community, and many of the children fear him.

In Chapter 5, Scout finally hears the truth about Boo's personality when she has a discussion with Miss Maudie. Miss Maudie tells Scout,

"I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did. Spoke as nicely as he knew how" (Lee 61).

Maudie even elaborates on Boo's radically religious father and explains why Boo never leaves his home. At the end of the novel, Boo saves Jem and Scout's lives and Scout finally gets her chance to meet Boo. After she walks Boo home, she stands on his porch and says,

"Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives" (Lee 373).

Scout's comment depicts her maturation and understanding of Arthur Radley. She no longer sees Boo as the "malevolent phantom," and instead views him as her friendly neighbor.

In 1984, what were the circumstances that allowed the first conversation between Winston and Julia?

Winston and Julia speak for the first time in Part Two, Chapter One. Winston is at work in the Ministry of Truth and is returning from the lavatory cubicle when he sees a "solitary figure" walking towards him. He quickly realises that the figure is the "dark-haired girl" (Julia) and he notices that her arm is in a sling. Suddenly, as she gets closer to him, she stumbles and falls down, landing on her injured arm and calling out in pain. It is when Winston goes over to help her that the pair have their first conversation:

"You’re hurt?" he said.

"It’s nothing. My arm. It’ll be all right in a second."

Moreover, after Winston has helped her up, he realises that she has slipped a secret note into his hand. It is this encounter and the contents of that note which bring Winston and Julia together.

How does Boo Radley relate to the theme of prejudice in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

Although racial prejudice is important to the story, Boo Radley represents another type of prejudice.  People fear and do not accept anyone who is different.

The entire neighborhood is judgmental and critical of Boo Radley.  He’s an unusual man, because he has not been seen outside of his house since he was a teenager.  The adults told stories about him, and the children were afraid of him.

The Radley Place was inhabited by an unknown entity the mere description of whom was enough to make us behave for days on end … (Ch. 1) 

Arthur Radley was a fairly normal boy, but he had a troubled young adulthood.  He was somewhat of a juvenile delinquent.  His parents were very strict “foot-washing” Baptists.  This might have affected the fact that he turned on them.  The most famous (and perhaps apocryphal) incident was the scissors incident when Boo was thirty-three years old. 

According to Miss Stephanie, Boo was sitting in the livingroom cutting some items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities. (Ch. 1) 

Boo Radley was kept in the courthouse basement, and then returned to the custody of his family and never seen again.  Since this incident, the adults in the neighborhood gossiped about him.  People like Stephanie Crawford told stories about him, such as that he was peeking into windows at night. 

Actually, Arthur Radley was just quiet and shy and wanted to be left alone.  He did not leave his house because he didn’t want to.  Scout, Jem, and Dill shifted from thinking he was a monster to trying to be friends with him, and it paid off.

What is the role of an interest group in a democracy?

An interest group plays an important role in our democratic system. An interest group is a group of people who share a common view on a particular issue. They will hire lobbyists who will meet with elected officials on the local, state, and/or national level to share the viewpoint of their members on a particular issue. They will try to encourage and/or pressure the elected official to vote they way the group wants them to vote. The lobbyists might also testify at hearings to share the viewpoint of the group.

There are several types of interest groups. There are professional interest groups such as the American Bar Association or the National Education Association. There are public interest groups such as the Sierra Club, which works to advocate for issues that will help protect the environment. This group is working for what they believe is in the best interests of the public. There are also business interest groups that work to advocate for the interests of various businesses and industries.

Interest groups can be very powerful. They will contribute to the campaigns of people running for office. They will endorse candidates and encourage their members to vote for those candidates. The National Rifle Association is a very powerful and influential interest group because this group represents many Americans and is able to contribute lots of financial resources to races that are closely contested.

Interest groups play a big role in our political system.

In Night by Elie Weisel, how was Elie brave?

I believe that Elie exhibits a great deal of bravery in the face of overwhelming violence and despair during his yearlong imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps. After all, Elie was only fifteen when he entered Auschwitz. Elie, although he laments throughout the book that he couldn't do more, displays particular courage in helping his father. There are three concrete examples of this bravery. First, when Elie's father is apparently a victim of the selection in section five, Elie does all he can to keep up the man's spirits when he is told to stay behind in the camp at Buna, facing almost certain extermination. When his father insists that Elie take his knife and spoon, Elie says,

"Don't talk like that, Father." (I felt that I would break into sobs.) "I don't want you to say that. Keep the spoon and knife. You need them as much as I do. We shall see each other again this evening, after work." 

Second, during the forced march from Buna to Gleiwitz, Elie is on the verge of collapsing. He confesses that death might be better than the physical pain he is enduring because of his injured foot and the bitter cold. Instead, he realizes that he must go on living for his father:

My father's presence was the only thing that stopped me...He was running at my side, out of breath, at the end of his strength, at his wit's end. I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his only support.

Third, during another selection, Elie risks his life to save his father. When the prisoners were leaving Gleiwitz, the Nazis divided the men with the weak ones pointed to the left. Once Elie sees that his father is being sent to his death, he immediately runs after him creating a great deal of confusion. Amidst this chaos he is ultimately able to bring his father back to the right and safety:

I slipped in among the others. Several SS rushed to bring me back, creating such confusion that many of the people from the left were able to come back to the right—and among them, my father and myself. However, there were some shots and some dead.

What do clouds symbolize in the novel Feed by M.T. Anderson?

One of the main topics covered in the book Feed is that of consumerism and its effect on the population. In the book, there are many everyday objects, including things which occur in nature, that have been trademarked by corporations. Clouds are one of those things. The point of this is to show the extent to which consumerism can be taken, and the power that is being rapidly gained by large corporations. At first, it might seem ridiculous to trademark clouds, but if we look deeper, we see the implications of doing so.

People in this dystopian society have become so disconnected from the natural world that they see everything as a commodity, and in fact, everything has become a commodity, to the extent that they cannot imagine a world where one can enjoy these things for free, simply because they exist naturally in the environment. It really symbolizes the lack of political interest and awareness that people are beginning to exhibit. Not only that, but it symbolizes the lack of awareness that people have for the dangerous outcome of their constant indoctrination into this consumerist mindset. They are becoming insensitive to the environmental decline that is going on around them, which ultimately leads to a total obliviousness of the state of the natural world. 

How would you compare and contrast Bob Ewell and Mr. Cunningham from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Both Bob Ewell and Walter Cunningham are poor white fathers with many children's mouths to feed. Ewell lives on a plot of land near the dump, but Cunningham lives on a farm. Ewell can't hold down a job because he is too lazy, so he hunts out of season to feed his children. Cunningham does his best to keep his family fed, but the effects of the Great Depression hit him hard. As a result, both families are hungry most of the time and suffer from minor diseases associated with poverty. The greatest comparison between the two men is that they suffer financially, which makes it difficult to feed their families and enjoy a more comfortable lifestyle.

The major difference between these two men is work ethic and good character. For example, Ewell is usually drunk and unable to provide for his family, while Mr. Cunningham does his best to keep working his farm and paying off his debts. Cunningham lives by a moral code of ethics which Ewell doesn't care about. Cunningham pays his debts, honors his word, and remains loyal to people he respects. Ewell, on the other hand, would see his children suffer rather than keep a job to help them. 

The following is what Scout was taught about the Ewells:

"Atticus said the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day's work in his recollection . . . They were people, but they lived like animals" (30).

This passage shows that the Ewells don't value working for what they have. They are willing to go hungry rather than work. On the other hand, Mr. Cunningham goes hungry for the following reasons:

"Entailment was only a part of Mr. Cunningham's vexations. The acres not entailed were mortgaged to the hilt, and the little cash he made went to interest . . . he was willing to go hungry to keep his land and vote as he pleased . . . As the Cunninghams had no money to pay a lawyer, they simply paid us with what they had" (21).

Therefore, Mr. Cunningham values being a landowner so he can vote and participate in political issues, but he would also prefer to keep working than live like the Ewells.

Describe simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, and multistage random sampling.

Simple random sampling means that a researcher chooses a sample size from a population so that each member of the population is equally likely to be chosen. That means that there is no system dictating how members are chosen. For example, if a researcher, such as a psychologist or sociologist, wants to understand what students at a certain college feel about required courses, he or she would put all the names of the students into the pool and choose names at random (perhaps using software to do so). Using the phone book is not a good way to get a random sample in today's world, as many people have unlisted numbers, only have cell phones, or do not have a stable home. In order to get a truly random sample, the researcher has to consider variables that limit or bias his or her sample.

In stratified random sampling, the population is divided into strata, or groups, before members are chosen randomly from each strata. For example, if a researcher wants to understand what first-, second-, third-, and fourth-year students think about a certain course in college and get a sample of each class, the researcher could divide the sample into groups first before selecting members at random. Researchers are often interested in getting samples of different ethnic, racial, socio-economic, and gender groups, so they can divide the population into these groups before getting a random sample of each group.

Multistage random sampling involves dividing populations into groups twice (or more) before collecting a sample. For example, if a researcher wants to understand the effect of a reading program in urban schools, he or she can first divide the population into groups of different schools and then divide each school into groups of teachers before sampling from each group. This method is often used to reduce the cost of conducting the research. 

How can I create a metaphor or simile from my interpretation of Arrow’s character in The Cellist of Sarajevo?

An effective way to construct powerful metaphors and/or similes about a literary character is to do a brief character analysis before worrying about the creative part.

Using a graphic organizer or just taking notes on a simple list, scan through the story to find defining words/thoughts, feelings, and actions related to Arrow’s character.

A starter list could look something like this:

Arrow

Words/thoughts

• “does not want to pull her trigger...because she can see that he doesn't want to pull his”

Feelings

• Senses the cellist is important but is unsure why


• Learns that world still can be good

Actions

• Protects cellist with her sniper rifle

Once you are satisfied with your list, remember that a metaphor is a literary technique that connects two separate ideas with a comparison in order to make a surprising new or insightful meaning. A simile serves the same purpose, but always uses the words “like” or “as” to connect the ideas.

Scan through your list and brainstorm images that come to mind as you think about Arrow. For example, my note “learns that world still can be good” reminds me of a time that I saw a bright yellow dandelion growing in the middle of a pile of ash from a burned down house in my neighborhood. So I might write, “Arrow’s world seems to be covered in dark ashes, but her hope still lives, like a single bright flower struggling to the surface among the rubble.”

My advice would be to write four or five metaphors or similes and then choose the one that speaks the most to you and your assignment. Good luck!