In the Odyssey, how does Athena help Odysseus right after he returns to Ithaca so that he can meet his swineherd?

When Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, Athena helps him by disguising him so that he will not be recognized by anyone before his plans for revenge on the suitors are ready. She first assures him that she has helped Telemachus to win a noble name for himself by going to search for news of Odysseus, and then she touches the hero with her wand, turning him into a very old-looking man. Her touch shrivels his flesh, thins him, makes his blond hair all disappear, and changes his skin so that it grows quite wrinkled and aged-looking. She has told him where to seek his noble swineherd, Eumaeus, who has guarded Odysseus's estate as best he could in his master's absence, and so Odysseus follows her directions.

In Unwind, why doesn't Connor like the Admiral?

Connor doesn't like the Admiral because Connor, in general, has problems with authority figures.  

Connor is a rebellious teenager.  That is why his parents are having him unwound.  They simply don't know what to do about him any longer.  The Admiral is a major authority figure in the book.  He runs the Graveyard, which is a safe haven for runaway Unwinds.  The Admiral has lots of rules for the Unwinds that he is protecting.  An entire chapter is devoted to it in fact.  Additionally, the Admiral doesn't tolerate any Unwind slacking off.  They all must work.  Connor is not comfortable with that kind of authority over him.  

Connor also believes that the Admiral is using the Unwinds for his own gain.  

Work call infuriates Connor. He never puts his hand up, even if it's something he might actually want to do. "The Admiral's using us," he says to the kids around him. "Don't you see that?"

Most of the Unwinds do not agree with Connor or don't care.  In fact, Hayden tells Connor that he would rather be used whole instead of in pieces.  

Another reason for why Connor doesn't like the Admiral is because Connor doesn't trust him.  Connor doesn't trust the Admiral to have the Unwinds' best interest in mind, because Connor believes that the Admiral has body parts from an Unwind.  

"Pretty obvious that they're not his. I hear he keeps a picture of the kid he got them from in his office. An Unwind like us, who, thanks to him, never made it to eighteen. Makes you wonder how much more of him comes from us. Makes you wonder if there's anything left of the original Admiral at all."

Connor doesn't believe the Admiral truly wants to save Unwinds, because the Admiral has obviously benefited from the parts of an Unwind. 

If you were the playwright, how would you alter The Merchant of Venice?

The answer to this question will be pretty subjective, depending on how you respond to The Merchant of Venice and how you feel about different parts of the play. However, many readers notice that Shylock is suspiciously absent from the final act, and so you might consider altering this aspect of the play. Though Shylock is not the main character, he's received a lot of critical attention as a marginalized Jewish minority living in a mostly Christian society. Indeed, it's possible to sympathize with Shylock at several points, and so his complete humiliation and defeat during the trial scene (he's essentially forced to give up his wealth and convert to Christianity) can be hard to stomach, even though he has his villainous qualities. As such, it's frustrating that Shylock is absent from the final act and that we do not get any closure regarding his experience in court. If I were to alter the play, I would include Shylock in Act 5 to show how he deals with his experience in the trial and what happens to him after the main events of the plot have taken place. 

How does Curley's wife affect the other characters throughout the novella Of Mice and Men?

Curley's wife has a destablizing influence in the life of the men on the ranch. She is the only woman there, she is by herself in a man's world, and she is the wife of the boss's son. She is young, pretty, lonely and flirtatious. She lacks good judgment or a realistic picture of life. She flirts with the ranch hands, such as Lennie, without realizing how dangerous that is.

Because she is bored and dissatisfied, she throws her weight around. For example, she threatens the stable hand, Crooks, with the idea that she will say he made advances towards her, humiliating him and forcing him to kowtow to her in a servile way. The men know too that Curley has a bad temper and is spoiling for a fight, so they realize they need to steer clear of his wife--but, with little else to do, she doesn't steer clear of them. This, of course, has fatal consequences for her. 

She has no name other than "Curley's wife," showing that she is not entirely a real person to the men, but instead a role, the generic female they have to be wary of. She represents a sexual temptation that must be resisted by men who are living in too much poverty and uncertainty to marry and who tend to think of women as "tramps" because most of their encounters with them are through prostitutes. 

Who sounded the alarm in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury?

Montag’s wife Mildred sounded the alarm on him.

In Montag’s community, it is illegal to have books in your possession.  They take this law so seriously that if you are caught with a book, your house will be burned.  Houses are fireproof, and the books and everything else burn but the house does not.

Montag is a fireman, and he is curious about books.  During one raid, he steals a book and shows it to his wife.  She doesn’t understand the appeal.  Mildred is like most people in Montag’s community.  She is more interested in the “relatives” on television.  She wants a huge four walled TV set and cares about little else.  She and Montag lack an emotional connection.

Montag’s boss Beatty is suspicious.  He warns Montag that books are not all they are cracked up to be.  Not believing him, Montag seeks out a retired professor to ask about the world of books.  Faber seeks to help him navigate avoiding suspicion.  Unfortunately, one day an alarm is sounded and it turns out to be Montag’s house.

Beatty, smelling of the wind through which he had rushed, was at Montag's elbow. "All right, Montag?"

… At last Montag raised his eyes and turned. Beatty was watching his face.

"Something the matter, Montag?"

"Why," said Montag slowly, "we've stopped in front of my house." (Part 2)

Montag is horrified and frightened, but Beatty is enjoying it.  His boss is dragging it out, having Montag like a fish on a hook.  Mildred comes running out of the house, and shockingly is more concerned about the house and the fake people on TV than her husband.

"Mildred! "

She ran past with her body stiff, her face floured with powder, her mouth gone, without lipstick.

"Mildred, you didn't put in the alarm!"

She shoved the valise in the waiting beetle, climbed in, and sat mumbling, "Poor family, poor family, oh everything gone, everything, everything gone now ...." (Part 3)

Montag is trapped.  Like a caged animal, he can only react.  He attacks Beatty, killing him with a flamethrower.  He is worried about the Mechanical Hound, which will now hunt him down.  Betrayed by his wife, Montag goes on the run.

What is the definition of Modernism?

Modernism is a term which codifies the literary and artistic production that emerged after World War I.

The war unleashed an existential crisis in the Western world. The supposedly self-evident truths that had grounded society before the war were now deemed questionable, if not altogether false. Moreover, gender roles were shifting. Ideas about art and aesthetics were changing. Among Black Americans, there emerged a desire to create a uniquely black aesthetic rooted in African-inspired themes and folk traditions. Ideas about everything, including the meaning of life itself, were changing and given new consideration.

Aesthetically, modernism abandoned demands for traditional order, unity, and sequence in favor of abstraction. Whereas the Victorian and Edwardian eras had expected that artists look outward at changes in society for inspiration, Modernists looked inward. Psychoanalysis inspired Modernist writers, such as Virginia Woolf and James Joyce, to use stream-of-consciousness narration in their novels. This technique allowed authors to narrate the thoughts of each character as they occurred—however strange, incongruous, or obscene those thoughts might have been.

Modernist writers also differed from Victorian-era authors in their preference for one character's point of view in a novel or scene, instead of using a single, authoritative, third-person omniscient voice. In many instances, too, the Modernist's narrator might be an unreliable or marginal person—e.g., mentally unstable, a child, or a social outcast. Moreover, the dialogue now incorporated speech that was more akin to how people really talked. Regional dialects were introduced, as well as slang and profanity.

Visual art also incorporated influences from psychoanalysis. The Surrealists, including Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte, were particularly interested in exploring the mind and sexuality in painting. Cubists, such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braques, represented the disoriented state of identity in their art, frequently creating distorted figures. Picasso was also very much influenced by African art. Blackness, both in African and African-American contexts, had come into vogue in the 1920s.

The 1920s are generally deemed the peak time for Modernism. It is the decade in which Modernist ideas and aesthetics came into being. However, some contend that we are still in a "modernist" period. What they mean is that we remain interested in all that is new. We are also open to experimentation, and most of us are no longer keen on embracing definitive truths in politics, religion, or the arts. This ideology, which emphasizes all that is current and yet to be discovered, is the foundation of Modernist thought.

`log_27 9` Evaluate the expression without using a calculator.

`log_27 (9)`

To evaluate, let this expression be equal to y.

`y = log_27 (9)`

Then, convert this equation to exponential form.

Take note that if a logarithmic equation is in the form

`y = log_b (x)`

its equivalent exponential form is

`x=b^y`

So converting 

`y = log_27 (9)`

to exponential equation, it becomes

`9=27^y`

To solve for the value of y, factor each side of the equation.

`3^2=(3^3)^y`

`3^2=3^(3y)`

Since each side have the same base, to solve for y, consider only the exponents. So set the exponent at the left side equal to the exponent at the right side.

`2=3y`

And, isolate the y.

`2/3=y`

Therefore,  `log _27 (9) = 2/3` .

How many years have the Tucks not aged?

The Tuck family has not aged for 87 years.  

At the beginning of chapter 7, the Tuck family narrates the origins of their immortality to Winnie Foster. They tell her they were heading east and looking for a place to live. Along the way, they came across the magic spring near Treegap. The family decides to make camp because the location is nice. All four members of the Tuck family drank from the spring. The horse also drank from the spring, but the cat did not. As the Tucks continued on living, they notice they no longer age. They also notice they don't die from things that should kill them. The spring granted them immortality, and it has been 87 years since the Tucks drank from the spring. 

What is the reason Mr. Pendenski gives for why the boys have to dig a hole every day in Holes?

Mr. Pedanski says that digging holes is supposed to build character.

Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake for stealing a famous ball player’s shoes.  They actually fell on his head.  It was an accident, but he was given the option of jail or a juvenile rehabilitation camp. 

The judge said that there was an opening at Camp Green Lake, and he suggested that the discipline of the camp might improve Stanley's character. It was either that or jail. (Ch. 6) 

So off to Camp Green Lake Stanley went.  He soon learned that there was no lake, nothing was green, and it certainly wasn’t a camp.  The boys were given shovels and forced to dig holes all day in the desert.  Mr. Pedanski, the “counselor,” tells them that digging holes is good for them. 

What are we supposed to be looking for?" Stanley asked him. 

"You're not looking for anything. You're digging to build character. It's just if you find anything, the Warden would like to know about it." (Ch. 7)

The boys have to dig a hole as deep and as wide as the shovel every day.  Stanley finds it very hard to dig at first.  He thinks his shovel is defective.  It is really that he hasn't done manual labor before. 

The fact that if they find anything they are supposed to tell the warden gives Stanley a hint that they actually are looking for something.  When he finds a fossil, no one is interested.  When he finds a tube, actually an old lipstick tube with the initials K.B., they are very interested.  They move the search to where Stanley says he found it. 

It turns out that the warden is a descendent of K.B.  She is not interested in the boys.  She is just looking for the lost buried treasure of Kissin’ Kate Barlow.  Eventually, Stanley runs away from the camp but comes back in the middle of the night to dig where he actually found the tube.  He finds the treasure, just in time to be released from the camp.

In the book Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe, is Arthur an idealist or a materialist?

Arthur is an injured idealist who hides his disappointment in materialism and sensualism. When he is passing the factory where he works, he thinks to himself,

"With the wages...you could go on a ten-day binge and get rid of all you'd saved. Because it was no use saving your money year after year. A mug's game, since the value of it got less and less and you never knew when the Yanks were going to do something daft like dropping the H-bomb on Moscow" (page 23).

He is not a materialist because he does not save the wages he earns or spend them on anything other than getting drunk and being with Brenda and Winnie, two sisters, both married, with whom he is having adulterous and disastrous affairs. His idealism is tarnished by a deep sense of nihilism, or believing in nothing, which he reveals in the quote above. His crushed sense of idealism comes from living in a world in which destruction from the H-bomb can be immediate and in which his work in the factory is soul-crushing. Nonetheless, a sense of idealism lives within him. 

His life is literally divided between Saturday night, when he carouses and has illicit affairs, and Sunday morning, when he deals with the aftermath of his carousing. After the husband of one of the women he is cheating with beats him up, he eventually has a conversion to a more idealistic and committed life. He realizes that he should commit himself to Doreen, a nineteen-year-old who refuses to become involved with him unless he is serious. “He should have kept to the safe and rosy path with Doreen" (page 166), he thinks. In the end, he has an idealistic notion of his commitment to Doreen and promises to take care of her, showing that he is ultimately idealistic if he has something or someone to commit himself to. 

Why can't transverse waves propagate in a gas, but they can in a metal?

Transverse waves are those waves where the displacement of the medium is perpendicular to the direction of the propagation of the wave. For example, the ripples on the surface of water when we throw a stone in it causes transverse waves. The wave propagates outwards from the point of impact, while the medium (water) moves up and down (perpendicular to the wave propagation). Similarly, the waves generated on a piece of string or rope are also transverse waves. 

Transverse waves can easily propagate through a solid since solid particles have equilibrium positions and when disturbed, they will tend to come back to that position. Such is not the case with gases, as there is no fixed position of a gas molecule. There is no mechanism to drive the motion perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation and hence transverse waves cannot propagate through gases.

Hope this helps. 

What are Odysseus's admirable traits? Name them and support them.

Odysseus is extremely clever. When he finds himself trapped in Polyphemus's cave, he has the foresight to tell the cyclops that his name is "Nobody." The reader really has no idea why he would tell this particular lie until much later, when we see that Odysseus was thinking very far ahead. When Odysseus and his men blind Polyphemus and the other cyclopes come running to his cave to check on him, Polyphemus tells them that "Nobody" is hurting him, so they leave! We can see now what a clever decision this was on Odysseus's part.

Further, Odysseus is a responsible and compassionate leader. When some of his men eat the lotus fruit and no longer want to return home to Ithaca, Odysseus is unwilling to leave them behind. He knows that in reality they want to return home, and he knows their families need them.  Therefore, he physically muscles them back to the ship, and ties them up so they cannot escape.

Finally, Odysseus is extremely fair. When his ship must sail past Scylla, he knows there is a good chance that six of his men will be eaten by the monster. Rather than hide below deck and save himself, however, Odysseus casts his lot with his men and remains above deck because it is the fair thing to do. He doesn't consider his men somehow more dispensable than he is.

What happens to the travelers at the camp in "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" by Bret Harte?

The travelers who come through the camp, Tom Simson, otherwise known as the "Innocent," and Piney Woods, with whom Tom has run away, stay with the outcasts from Poker Flat for a week. When the snowstorms do not abate, Tom rides to Poker Flat for help, and the women huddle together in the cold cabin where they have run out of wood. Piney freezes to death, as do the other women. Mr. Oakhurst dies in a gulch outside.

Because the dissolute Uncle Billy absconds with the provisions and the mules, Mr. Oakhurst and a woman from the saloon, named Duchess, with another known as "Mother Shipton" are left with nothing on which to survive and no means of traveling through the high country where they have been stranded. When Tom Simson and his love, Piney Woods, come through, Tom recognizes Mr. Oakhurst because he once returned to Tom all the money he had lost to Oakhurst in a poker game. After Uncle Billy leaves the camp, Tom charitably offers to share their supplies. Mr. Oakhurst does not reveal the rapscallion Billy for what he is, hoping to not alarm the young couple. 

With Mr. Oakhurst's calm demeanor and the optimistic innocence of Tom, who does not realize the danger, the others become more cheerful. When Tom sets out for Poker Flat to seek rescuers, Mr. Oakhurst goes part of the way with him, leaving the women in the cabin. After the rescuers come, it is too late for Mother Shipton and the Duchess and Piney, who are still hugging each other in frozen embraces:

...pitying fingers brushed the snow from their wan faces, [and] you could scarcely have told from the equal peace that dwelt upon them which was she that had sinned. Even the law of Poker Flat recognized this, and turned away.

At the head of a gulch, a poker card is found with the self-inscribed epitaph of Mr. Oakhurst pinned to a pine tree with a bowie knife:

Beneath this tree
Lies the body of
John Oakhurst
who struck a streak of bad luck
on the 23rd of November, 1850....

He lay in the snow with a bullet in his heart and a Derringer at his side, "once the strongest and yet the weakest of the outcasts of Poker Flat."

Why does Atticus consider Mrs. Dubose a "great lady"? How does this fit in with his explanation of why he is defending Tom Robinson?

Atticus considers Mrs. Dubose a "great lady" for her courageous insistence on breaking herself free from her addiction to painkilling drugs, even though the end of her life was quickly approaching, and even though the process was painful. No one told Mrs. Dubose to do this: she took up the task on her own, enduring the excruciating and undignified fits that accompanied her body's withdrawal from the drugs.

Mrs. Dubose's willingness to fight for something worthwhile, something at the root of her own principles, is recognized and appreciated by Atticus. More than that, Atticus identifies with her struggle. He knows that he can't win Tom Robinson's case. Further, he knows it'll be difficult and dangerous. But he takes up the case anyway, and does his best, because it's the right thing to do. Tom is clearly innocent, and his only chance for survival is depending on a capable lawyer like Atticus. Yet the racist townspeople reject Atticus and even his children for his willingness to defend Tom, showing more and more hatred to them as the story unfolds. Like Mrs. Dubose, Atticus is willing to exert courage and effort in the face of nearly-certain failure in order to take a stand for what matters.

Recall from Chapter 9 that Atticus told his daughter: "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win." He's explaining his belief that we must fight for what matters, even if we're certain to lose. Later, toward the end of Chapter 11, Atticus is trying to explain to Jem why Mrs. Dubose is a "great lady." It's because she's courageous and determined. Here, Atticus's words echo those he used earlier with Scout:

"It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew."

Should I take Business Studies or Geography for my GCSEs? I'm also doing English language, (maybe English literature), Maths, Science+ Core...

At this stage, you have two major issues to consider: your choices of A levels and university admissions. In general, universities prefer harder subjects that create general foundational skills as opposed to vocational skills. As a result, I think business would be a weak choice if you intend to pursue higher education, but would be a strong choice if you are seeking to study for a vocational degree at a further education college.

Choosing French would be strategically smart, as it would be relatively easy for you and give you formal qualifications in an area in which you are already strong. Having two languages, French and Spanish, would help in two areas: university admissions and a career in international business. The number of British students who have a generic business background is far higher than those fluent in multiple languages, so your strength in languages is something you should emphasize. Geography would also be a strong choice, as it combines science and a sense of international perspective.

Name the major countries of each of the two rival camps that clashed in 1914.

World War I began after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. As a result, the Austro-Hungarian empire declared war on Serbia. Russia was part of the Serbian camp, while Germany joined the Austro-Hungarians. 

The Austro-Hungarians, Germans, and Ottomans formed the Central Powers, one of the two rival camps. On the other side were the Allied Powers, which included Serbia, Russia, Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Japan, and other countries. In 1917, the United States also entered the war on the side of the Allies. Russia, whose monarch was deposed in 1917 during the Russian Revolution, withdrew from the war with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (signed in March of 1918). On November 11, 1918, the war ended with a victory for the Allies. 

What are some of the symbols in the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg?

One of the symbols in the book is the fried green tomatoes themselves. This is a type of vegetable dish that Idgie and Ruth serve at the Whistle Stop Cafe and one of the foods that they are known for cooking. Evelyn listens to Ninny's stories about fried green tomatoes and makes the dish herself. The dish is clearly an acquired taste, and it is also symbolic of the connections and shared tastes between women in the novel--between Idgie and Ruth and between Evelyn and Ninny in the part of the book that takes place later.

Food is a way of showing love and connection in the novel. For example, Idgie is willing to be covered with bees to procure honey for Ruth. After shaking off the bees and giving Ruth the honey, Idgie says, "Just think, Ruth, I never did it for anyone else before" (page 85). Idgie is willing to risk getting stung by bees to get Ruth honey, and Ruth's response is to cry and say that she would be bereft if anything happened to Idgie. Honey is a symbol of the love they share. Similarly, Evelyn sees food as a form of love. She often eats candy bars when she feels disconnected from her husband. When her husband visits his mother at the nursing home, "Evelyn had just escaped them both and had gone into the visitors' lounge in the back, where she could enjoy her candy bar in peace and quiet" (page 3). Evelyn tucks into a candy bar as a way to find solace when she feels pushed aside, and she associates candy with comfort and the kind of love she is looking for but doesn't find in her life. 

Railroads and trains are another symbol in the novel, and they represent the twists and turns of fate. Whistle Stop "wasn't never nothing more than a railroad town" (page 102), and the town and cafe depend on the railroad. Railroad Bill is a character who tosses food and coal off the train tracks for people, and his actions represent a way in which trains can bring benefits to people in the town. Trains, however, are also the force that kill Buddy, Idgie's brother, and that cause Ruth's and Idgie's son, Buddy, Jr., to lose his arm. When trains stop going to the town, the town largely dies out. Trains symbolize fate, as they can bring both life and death. 

What time is it when Travis gives Mama the hat?

The entirety of the play occurs over the course of one month.  The scene in which Travis gives Mama the hat (and when the family surprises Mama with new gardening tools) takes place near the end of that time.  

Act I occurs over the course of a weekend, Friday and Saturday mornings.  In that time, the family discusses the insurance check that is set to arrive on Saturday, creating the tension in the play.  Act II, scene I starts on that same Saturday but then moves forward two to three weeks ahead in Act II, scene II.  In the course of that time, Mama puts a down payment on the house in Clybourne Park and deals with the hopes and dreams of her children, finally granting Walter Lee the right to the money.  This scene then sets up Act II, scene III, with the family feeling optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead.  Thus it is that the family presents Mama with her gifts on moving day, a week later.  That optimism is soon ruined, however, when the family learns that Willy has run off with the rest of the insurance money, and the family may not be able to move after all.

Act III sums up the play, taking place just hours after the discovery of the missing money.  

What led to the beginning of the Renaissance?

The development in arts and letters known as the Renaissance [naissance=birth in French] was a revived interest in classical learning and culture in the 1300's and the 1400's in Italy, but later spread to other parts of Europe.

The Renaissance involved new thought because it was a secular movement. During the feudal period, the Catholic Church was the center of learning; in fact, the medieval scholar had been concerned with the harnessing of reason in the defense and service of religion. But, with the end of feudalism and increased trading outside of Europe, new ideas emerged and the Renaissance scholar became more concerned with the secular side of things. Furthermore, poets and philosophers concerned themselves with the natural world, rather than theology. One reason for the scholarship in Italy is the fact that Greek scholars emigrated to Italy after the invasion of the Ottoman Turks who captured Constantinople. These scholars brought with them classical texts and manuscripts, which helped to revive interest in classical learning and arts.

Along with the Greek scholars, Italian scholar Petrarch is felt to be a major impetus to the rebirth of culture and learning. Having a passionate interest in the rediscovery of lost Roman manuscripts and a strong belief in the power of ancient thought to civilize, his ideas certainly complemented those who valued classical learning.

Is NH4+ an electrophile?

An electrophile is a species that can accommodate additional electrons. Let us look at the structure of the ammonium ion (NH4+). Nitrogen has an atomic number of 7 and an electronic configuration of 1s2, 2s2, 2p3. In an ammonium ion, nitrogen is bonded to hydrogen atoms and shares electrons with them. This causes all the orbitals to be fully filled and hence, nitrogen does not have space for any additional electrons. Thus, the ammonium ion is not an electrophile. 

Having said that, ammonium still participates in reactions. What really happens is that the ammonium ion gets rid of the proton (H+) to achieve more stability. It is this hydrogen ion that seeks electrons and gains them during bonding with other species. Hence the hydrogen ion is the electrophile, not the ammonium ion. 

Take a look at this reaction:

`NH_4^+ + OH^(-) -> NH_3 + H_2O`

Hope this helps.

`y = xarctan(2x)-1/4ln(1+4x^2)` Find the derivative of the function

The derivative of y in terms of x is denoted by  `(dy)/(dx)` or `y’'`

 For the given problem: `y = xarctan(2x) -1/4ln(1+4x^2)` , we may apply the basic differentiation property:

`d/(dx) (u-v) = d/(dx) (u) - d/(dx) (v)`

Then the derivative of the function can be set-up as:

`d/(dx)y =d/(dx)[ xarctan(2x) -1/4ln(1+4x^2)]`

`y ' = d/(dx) xarctan(2x) -d/(dx) 1/4ln(1+4x^2)`

For the derivative of `d/(dx)[ xarctan(2x)` , we apply the Product Rule: `d/(dx)(u*v) = u’*v =+u*v’` .

`d/(dx)[ xarctan(2x)] = d/(dx)(x) *arctan(2x)+ x * d/(dx)arctan(2x)` .

Let `u=x` then ` u' = 1`

   `v=arctan(2x)` then `dv= 2/(4x^2+1)`

Note: `d/(dx)arctan(u)= (du)/(u^2+1)`

Then,

`d/(dx)(x) *arctan(2x)+ x * d/(dx)arctan(2x)`

`= 1 * arctan(2x) +x * 2/(4x^2+1)`

`= arctan(2x) +(2x)/(4x^2+1)`

For the derivative of  `d/(dx) 1/4ln(1+4x^2)` , we apply the basic derivative property:

`d/(dx) c*f(x) = c d/(dx) f(x)` .

Then,

`d/(dx) 1/4ln(1+4x^2)= 1/4 d/(dx) ln(1+4x^2)`

Apply the basic derivative formula for natural logarithm function: `d/(dx) ln(u)= (du)/u` .

 Let `u =1+4x^2` then `du = 8x`

`1/4d/(dx) ln(1+4x^2) = 1/4 *8x/(1+4x^2)`

                             ` =(2x)/(1+4x^2)`

Combining the results, we get:

`y' = d/(dx)[ xarctan(2x)] -d/(dx)[ 1/4ln(1+4x^2)]`

`y ' = [arctan(2x) +(2x)/(4x^2+1)] - (2x)/(1+4x^2)`

`y ' = arctan(2x) +(2x)/(4x^2+1) - (2x)/(1+4x^2)`

`y ' = arctan(2x) +0`

`y'=arctan(2x)`

How did Hamilton's experiences as a military aide help his career?

During the Revolutionary War, George Washington invited Alexander Hamilton to serve as his aide, with the official title of Lieutenant Colonel. As an aide, Hamilton was given many responsibilities including communicating with Congress, negotiating with other officers on Washington's behalf, and drafting letters and speeches for Washington. His role as senior staff aide under Washington gave him relevant political experience and skills, including diplomacy, negotiation, and intelligence. Hamilton was reassigned to a commander position in 1781, but his experience with Washington promoted him quickly within the military ranks. Hamilton's experience working with Washington resulted in his 1782 election to the Congress of the Confederation. Although he resigned within a year of his election, his relationship with Washington caused him to be chosen as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention when he was serving as a New York legislator in 1787.

What do you think the first readers learned from reading Black Beauty?

First readers of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty probably attained new perceptions of horses and, at least, some compassion for animals as well as learning of the dangers of intemperance.

Ms. Sewell wrote her one novel with the main purpose of informing readers of the mistreatment of horses specifically, and other animals in general. In the nineteenth century when this novel was written, horses were treated like machines to be used to do work that men were unable to do, and to transport people. For the upper class, having fashionable horses was de rigeur, so matched pairs were purchased and horses who had high stepping trots were popular. A very cruel device, the bearing rein, was used to force horses to keep their heads up at all times as it held the horse's head and neck in a sort of elevated hyperflexion. This bearing rein, then, could cause dangerous strain on a horse's back if it needed to go up hill as it pulled a carriage because of the unnatural position in which it was placed. For, a horse must be able to move its head and neck in order to pull heavy weights or absorb the strain of going uphill.

In addition to pointing out the cruelty of the bearing rein, Anna Sewell writes of many other cases of mistreatment such as in an episode Chapter 29 in which she tells of townspeople who rarely use a horse and buggy:

They always seemed to think that a horse was something like a steam engine, only smaller....they think that if only they pay for it, a horse is bound to go just as far and just as fast and with just as heavy a load as they please.

One driver is described as racing along and until it side-swipes a carriage. This collision causes the poor horse to have his flesh torn open with the blood streaming down. 

In addition to the promotion of animal rights, Anna Sewell, who was raised  as a Quaker in the Victorian Age, describes some of the dangers and repercussions of drunkenness. For instance, the groom who is responsible for Beauty’s knees being damaged is inebriated when he causes the accident. Frequently also, those who are described mistreating horses are in a state of drunkenness.

Certainly, animal rights and moral, upright behavior are help up to the readers as standards in Anna Sewell's didactic novel, Black Beauty.

In "The Story of an Hour," by Kate Chopin, why does Chopin withhold the protagonist’s first name until paragraph 17?

Perhaps Chopin chooses to withhold the protagonist's first name for so long because Louise Mallard has been denied a true, personal identity for such a long time. While married, she had to "bend [her] will" to her husband's, and the Victorian woman really had no legal identity whatsoever due to the coverture laws of the time: when a woman married, her husband's identity "covered" hers, legally, and she, in essence, becomes subject to his will, her property becomes his, and so forth. It isn't until her husband dies (or she thinks that he dies) that she begins to believe that she can be "'free, free, free!'" Free of him, she now has a chance to live for herself, do what she wants when she wants, and not have to answer to anyone else or compromise or give way to what someone else wants. Withholding her name draws attention to Louise's lack of identity until she begins to realize her husband's death allows her to have one.

What is the function of women in The Merchant of Venice?

The women in The Merchant of Venice all appear to be foils to their somewhat troubled partners. They are intelligent, strong, outspoken, and willing to take risks. Their partners, on the other hand, seem to be ruled more by the fickle vagaries of fate and desire than by common sense.

Portia, who takes the lead in this regard, is presented as someone who knows her mind and openly expresses her thoughts. She displays her displeasure and resentment in Act I, Scene 2, for her father to have so unfairly burdened her with a lottery to obtain a husband. She confides in her maid-in-waiting, Nerissa, about the difficulty she experiences in reconciling her father's will with her own desire to freely choose a life partner:

...I may
neither choose whom I would nor refuse whom I
dislike; so is the will of a living daughter curbed
by the will of a dead father. Is it not hard,
Nerissa, that I cannot choose one nor refuse none?

She does, however, respect her father's wishes and abides to the requirements of his will. She truly loved her father and, since this was his last request before he died, does not wish to be disrespectful and taint his memory. More practically, Portia also does not want to be disowned. As a result, she adopts a common sense approach to the matter.

Portia's strength of character is also displayed in the courtesy she displays to her suitors, even when she deems them or their habits distasteful. She comes across as a true lady in this regard. In all of this, she conveys an image of fortitude and gentility. Bassanio, on the other hand, comes across as a somewhat irresponsible prodigal. He is a man who loves the good things in life and relies on the help of others, especially Antonio, to come to his aid. He seems to have made a habit of exploiting Antonio's generosity.

Portia is also wise enough to devise a clever ploy to rescue Antonio from Shylock's murderous clutches. Bassanio's solution to his friend's dilemma is to offer the moneylender more money which is, ironically, not even his own since it is a gift from his new wife.

Portia becomes the heroine in the play; Bassanio, for all his idealistic romanticism, plays second fiddle to her. This is further illustrated in the sub-plot where Portia holds him to ransom about her ring that he supposedly gave away.

Jessica and Nerissa come across as equally strong. Jessica risks everything when she elopes with Lorenzo, a Christian. She knows her father despises Christians, but decides to run away with Lorenzo anyway. In the process, she also steals some of her father's most precious possessions and renounces her own religion. She earns her father's hatred for her betrayal: Shylock disowns her and wishes her dead. Lorenzo has nothing to lose in this venture. He gains a loving wife and loads of stolen cash. He obviously earns Shylock's derision but what does he care? Shylock hates Christians anyway.

As far as Nerissa is concerned, we know she had set the conditions for her marrying Gratiano. She told him she would only marry him if Bassanio was successful in the lottery. Since Bassanio had fallen for her, he readily assented. Nerissa also played a similar game with him as Portia did with Bassanio, claiming she had cuckolded him with the lawyer's assistant, who was, indeed, herself. Both men were shocked by the two women's claims and were quite distraught about the matter.

Throughout the play, the women come across as strong characters who act in contrast to the conventions of the time. Women were expected to be submissive and acquiescent to the wills and desires of men, but these three women exercised their will and defied social conventions. They were the ones who generally took the lead.

Are there any examples of imagery in the poem "Disabled" by Wilfred Owen?

"Disabled" by Wilfred Owen depicts the life of a young man who has lost his arms and legs in World War I. It draws a sharp and drastic contrast between the young man's life prior to joining the Army and after having been injured. 

Owen uses skillful visual and aural imagery to underscore his meaning throughout the poem. In the first stanza, he describes what the soldier looks like: he is sitting in a wheel chair listening to children play. Owen captures the image of the soldier by describing his suit as "ghastly...grey" and then describing how it is sewn: without legs and with the arms cut off and stitched at the elbows. This is an interesting choice for the poet because it is far more profound to consider the suit than it is to be told "a man with no legs and no arms sits in a wheel chair." As readers, we can defend ourselves against such direct communication, but it's harder to ignore the atrocities of this man's life when his suit is described because the portrayal begins benignly with color and pulls the reader into the man's world. 

The process of the man becoming injured offers striking visual images that suggest that the soldier was complicit in his own wounds. He is described in stanza two as having "[thrown] away his knees" and having poured his own blood "down shell holes" in stanza three. By using this imagery, Owens forces the reader to see the absurd image of a young man actively getting rid of his own body parts. At the same time, the imagery sets up the next scenario, which describes the man's life before the war and his reasons for signing up to go. It also reflects how a critically injured person might feel guilty for having become wounded. This visual technique is also an extension of the technique Owen used in stanza one. If he truly described the carnage, some readers would turn off from engaging with the poem. Instead, he puts the incidents in these preposterous images. 

The soldier's life prior to the war and his reasons for signing up for the Army are described in the longest stanza. We see a young man who has fallen for the lies about war (see Owen's poem, "Dulce et Decorum Est"), who was underage and who signed on in order to impress his girlfriend. 

In the next stanza, it becomes clear that no young woman will be impressed because he notices women's eyes as they move from him to uninjured men. Just this one visual image, about the eyes, captures the entire tragedy of a young man who goes to war for glory and then discovers that war is actually a hellish catastrophe. 

Owen fought in World War I and did not survive it. He knew firsthand what war was like, in contrast to what he and his school friends had been told about it a few short years earlier. He was a gifted poet who knew how to communicate horror to those who have never experienced it themselves and who could not be counted upon to engage continually with the enormity of it. He pulls us into this world image by image and challenges us to consider how many more young men we should send to such a fate. He would have considered it an even greater calamity that we have yet to figure out how to stop this unending process. 

How does Boyne explore the theme of tolerance throughout his novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

One of the predominant themes throughout the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas concerns the idea of tolerance and the benefits of being tolerant towards others. Bruno, the novel's protagonist, displays tolerance towards others, despite being raised in the home of a Nazi Commandant. His childhood innocence allows him to view people without prejudice or malice. Bruno is tolerant of Maria, Pavel, and Shmuel throughout the novel, despite the fact that everyone around him, including his family and the Nazi soldiers, treats them with contempt. Bruno shares a close relationship with Maria, has a positive experience with Pavel, and develops a healthy friendship with Shmuel because of his tolerant disposition. While almost all of the people in Bruno's life seem to struggle, Bruno thrives at his home at Auschwitz. Bruno's kind heart and tolerant attitude allow him to overcome the hate and prejudice surrounding him.

Boyne also suggests that intolerance, prejudice, and hate are destructive forces that not only harm others but also negatively affect the individuals who harbor those feelings. Bruno's father, Lieutenant Kotler, and Gretel are all intolerant, malevolent people who view non-Germans with contempt. Bruno's father is in charge of the systematic slaughter of Jews at Auschwitz; Lieutenant Kotler mercilessly beats the prisoners; Gretel views Jews with disgust and looks down upon them. All three characters experience heartache and tragedy by the end of the novel. Lieutenant Kotler loses his position and everything he has ever earned professionally, Gretel's life is full of grief, and the Commandant loses his mind. Essentially, Boyne is suggesting that a tolerant, gracious attitude towards others results in a fulfilled, joyful life while an intolerant, hateful attitude results in a tragic existence.

How is pride featured in "The Scarlet Ibis"?

The brother's pride is the driving force for what occurs in the narrative of James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis."

The narrator/ brother initially describes his little brother, to whom he gives the nickname Doodle, as a "disappointment" and "a burden." Clearly, the little brother is an affront to the narrator's pride. At first, Doodle just lies on a rubber sheet and does not seem to be "all there." Later, he does develop some, but he still cannot walk. As a result, the proud brother, who is embarrassed to do so, must pull Doodle in a go-cart his father made for him. Because of this perceived affront to his pride, the brother insists Doodle learn to walk. They practice secretly because the brother knows he should not strain Doodle, whose heart is weak. Nevertheless, he pressures Doodle to practice for weeks until he can finally walk. The boys decide not to reveal this learned skill until a special occasion occurs; they choose Doodle's sixth birthday. After bringing Doodle to the doorway of the dining room in the cart, the brother tells all the other family members to turn their backs and not to peek around. He helps his brother up. While Doodle stands, his brother tells the family they can now look.

There wasn't a sound as Doodle walked slowly across that room and sat down at his place at the table.

When the adults see Doodle walk slowly across the room and sit down at the table, they are overjoyed. When they congratulate the brother, who Doodle credits with his accomplishment, the brother suddenly begins to cry in shame. 

They did not know that I did it for myself; that pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices; and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.

Later on, in the summer, the brother gives Doodle swimming lessons and tries to teach his brother to row a boat because he does not want to be embarrassed by Doodle before school begins. The stress upon Doodle is apparent, as he looks feverish and does not sleep well. Nevertheless, in his blind pride, the brother pushes Doodle to keep working.

I should have already admitted defeat, but my pride would not let me. . . It was too late to turn back, for we had wandered too far into a net of expectations and had left no crumbs behind.

Even the appearance of the omen of the scarlet ibis, a delicate and beautiful bird who wanders too far out of its element and dies, does not arrest the brother in his selfish drive to make Doodle normal. Shortly before school begins, the brother takes Doodle out on the water and makes him row back against the tide and the approach of a storm. When they finally reach shore, Doodle is exhausted, and as the rain begins to pelt them, Doodle falls behind his brother in their rush to get home. "Brother, Brother, don't leave me! Don't leave me!" he cries, but the pride and the "streak of cruelty" in the brother emerges as he is its "slave," and he runs as fast as he can. When he finally turns back for Doodle, the narrator finds his piteous brother limply seated with his face buried in his arms. When his brother moves Doodle, he falls backward onto the earth, dead. Just as the beautiful and fragile scarlet ibis has died, both the ibis and Doodle are victims of a certain pride that has pushed too far.

How does Steinbeck present the character of Carlson?

Carlson is a static character who is basically used as a plot vehicle in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. He never changes and seems to lack both emotion and sympathy. He is introduced in Chapter Two as a "powerful, big-stomached man." Right away, he is concerned with the dog which belongs to the old swamper Candy. Carlson claims the dog is worthless and "so God damn old he can't hardly walk." He suggests that Slim get Candy to shoot the dog and take one of Slim's puppies. Carlson's main purpose in the story is to act as a representative of a society which has deemed Candy's old dog as no longer useful and thus easily eliminated. Later, Candy will suggest that his fate will be virtually no different than the dog once he can't work anymore. Carlson seems to have no understanding about how much the dog means to Candy and, when Candy balks at shooting the dog himself, readily volunteers, killing the dog with his Luger. The fact that Carlson is little more than an unfeeling laborer is reinforced at the end of the novel when is unable to understand why George is so depressed after the death of Lennie. When Slim reassures George that killing Lennie was the right thing to do and they leave the scene to get a drink, Carlson says, "Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?" Carlson never changes and is just as clueless over George's love for Lennie as he was for Candy's loyalty to his old dog.

What do selective breeding and natural selection have in common?

Both natural selection and selective breeding (sometimes called artificial selection) are forces that may influence the reproductive process. Natural selection is what occurs naturally (hence the name) to weed out less beneficial traits in a population and pass on those which are more beneficial to life in a particular environment. Artificial selection, on the other hand, involves human intervention to try and encourage a desired trait to be expressed more frequently in a population.

Let's consider two examples:

• Two bears mate in the wild. The parent bears both pass on half of their alleles to the cub.


• A dog breeder wants their white pet poodle to have white puppies. The breeder decides the dog should mate with another white poodle to increase the chances of having all-white puppies. The parent poodles mate and each passes on half their alleles to the puppies.

These two processes are essentially the same, but they differ in causation and desired end result. One might consider natural selection to be more "accidental" because the organisms mating do not have a desired outcome for their offspring. Many organisms, like plants, also mate quite accidentally — pollen is released and, if it sticks to another organism, lucky them! Artificial selection, on the other hand, is entirely influenced by the actions of a third-party to the reproductive process. It's very intentional.

How do you find the least common multiple between two numbers?

Hello!

Suppose that the two numbers are both >=2 (if one of the numbers is 1, the problem is trivial). Then both have its unique decomposition into prime factors. If we find this decomposition, which is not simple for large numbers, then LCM must contain the maximum degrees of all prime factors from both numbers.

Consider an example. Let `a = 126,` `b = 108.` Then `a = 2^1*3^2*7,` `b = 2^2*3^3.` The maximum degrees are `2` for `2,` `3` for `3` and `1` for `7.` Hence `LCM(a,b) = 2^2*3^3*7 =756.`

Another method is to find the greatest common divisor (for example, using Euclidean algorithm) and use the fact that `a*b = LCM(a,b)*GCD(a,b).`

How does the style of Silent Spring affect Rachel Carson's purpose in writing the book?

Though a learned biologist, Rachel Carson wrote her book in a style that is accessible to the general public. For example, she only included citations to research articles in an appendix at the end of the book (so that they wouldn't get in the way of the general reader), and her book often reads like a story. It begins with an allegory that explains to the reader how a pristine American town, resplendent with nature, is destroyed by a mysterious blight that silences the birds. Carson does not name this plight--which is the use of pesticides--but the allegory she establishes helps readers understand the information she is to present later in the book and quickly establishes the damage that pesticides have caused to the environment. She then establishes the story, in subsequent chapters, of how pesticides, not originally needed by farmers who planted a diverse set of crops, came to destroy the ecosystem. While she includes complex scientific information--for example about the structure of carbon compounds--the reader can still understand her main points, written in layman's terms and presented in a step-by-step manner, without understanding all of the science behind them. 

I need help writing an essay responding to the following prompt: Explain your point of view in not less than 10 pages. Is politics a dirty game?...

The first thing you should do in responding to this prompt is to narrow your topic. There is no possible way to know if politics in every human culture over several thousand years was somehow a "dirty game", even assuming there is some clear definition of what is meant by that colloquial phrase. Instead, the first thing you should do is to narrow your topic to discuss politics in one specific country and region.

Next, you need to define your concept of "dirty game". One of the best starting points would be the work of Transparency International, an NGO that has pioneered the efforts to study, quantify, and reduce corruption across the globe. You might want to look at such issues as whether bribery is common in the nation about which you are writing, the degree to which laws and regulations are rigged to benefit the wealthy and powerful, and the degree to which holders of political office benefit from misuse of power. 

The main body of your essay should be a factually based analysis of the evidence for specific forms of corruption in the region you have selected. You should begin this section with general statistical evidence and then analyze specific examples, perhaps using materials in the Panama Papers for evidence if relevant.

You should conclude with a comparative analysis, looking at whether your selected nation or region is more or less corrupt than other regions at a similar stage of economic development. 

A piano of mass 224kg rests on a level floor, where the coefficient of static friction is 0.35 and the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.18....

The piano will start sliding when the applied force is equal to or greater than the force of static friction, that is the applied force is sufficient enough to overcome the friction. This means

Fmin = Fr-stat = `mu_s`N = `mu_s` mg

where m is the mass of piano, g is acceleration due to gravity and `mu_s` is the coefficient of static friction.

Substituting the values, we get Fmin = 0.35 x 224 x 9.8 = 768.32 N

If this much force is applied, the acceleration can be determined by balancing the forces as:

Fmin - Fr-kin = Fnet = ma

where Fr-kin is the force of kinetic friction and a is the acceleration of the piano. The minimum force tends to push the piano, while the kinetic friction opposes this motion. 

thus, `mu_s mg - mu_k mg = ma`

or, a = `(mu_s - mu_k)g`

or, a = (0.35- 0.18) x 9.8 = 1.666 m/s^2.

Hope this helps.

Give an account of Baldeo's fight with the tiger in the story "The Tiger in the tunnel."

An account of Baldeo's confrontation with the tiger in "The Tiger in the Tunnel" would detail his valiant effort despite an unfortunate ending.

Baldeo faced down the tiger with considerable resolve. He knew of the dangerous animals in the jungle.  He also knew the tiger's reputation as being a destroyer of men, preying on them for years. Yet, Baldeo felt confident that he could face down any challenges as he went out in the cold night to do his job as the night watchman.

Even though he was armed with his axe, Baldeo was overmatched as he entered the contest.  The tiger was accustomed to the techniques men used and sized up Baldeo as a "puny man who dared stand in the way."  As the tiger attacked with a quick run and a snarl, Baldeo used his axe to defend himself.  He moved to the side, giving him an angle to cut into the tiger's shoulder. However, the axe remained in the tiger's body, leaving Baldeo without a weapon.  After the tiger regrouped, he leapt upon Baldeo, who could not avoid the advance.  The tiger mauled Baldeo, "tearing at his broken body."  The end came quick for Baldeo, who felt an intense pain down his back and then nothing afterwards.

I need to make a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting Calpurnia from To Kill a Mockingbird and Aibileen from The Help.

Calpurnia from To Kill a Mockingbird and Aibileen from The Help are similar (the intersecting part of the Venn diagram) in that they both care for the children they watch (Scout and Jem in Calpurnia's case and Mae Mobley in Aibileen's case). They also function as surrogate mothers, as Scout's and Jem's mother has died, and Mae Mobley's mother, Elizabeth Leefolt, basically neglects her daughter. When Elizabeth does pay attention to Mae Mobley, it is mainly to subject her daughter to criticism, so Aibileen is the source of maternal care and affection for Mae Mobley. 

The ways in which Calpurnia and Aibileen are different (the non-intersecting parts of the Venn diagram) is that Calpurnia has a positive relationship with Atticus Finch, her employer and Scout's and Jems' father. Aibileen, through no fault of her own, has a troubled relationship with Elizabeth Leefolt because Elizabeth is essentially harmful towards her daughter and treats Aibileen with disrespect. Elizabeth fires Aibileen when her friend Hilly pushes her to do so, while Atticus would likely never fire Calpurnia. Another way they are different is that Calpurnia speaks her mind more freely, perhaps because Atticus allows her to do so, while Aibileen is more reluctant to voice her true feelings to Elizabeth Leefolt. 

what does 5/6 mean, and how can it be written in division.

`5/6` represents a fraction. i.e ratio of two numbers.

In simple terms top number 5 represents the parts we have and the bottom number 6 represents the number of possible equal parts.

The top number in the fraction is known as the Numerator and the bottom number is known as the Denominator.

In division form it is written as `5-:6`

The Numerator of the fraction is also known as Dividend and the Denominator is known as the Divisor.

In The Story of My Life, Helen Keller writes "all the best of me belongs to her." What does this mean?

Helen Keller lived a life of darkness for many years until Miss Sullivan, her teacher, arrived.  Helen's methods of communication up until then were crude and limited because of her blindness and deafness.  Before Miss Sullivan's arrival, Helen developed hand signs to communicate her basic wants and needs to her family.  Sometimes she would resort to pulling someone by the hand to show them what she wanted.

When Helen was almost seven, Miss Sullivan arrived at the Keller home to be her teacher.  Helen was stubborn, but Miss Sullivan never gave up.  She tried to teach Helen finger spelling over and over again.  One day, Helen made the connection.  She realized that the letters being spelled into her hands were associated with specific things.  This opened up Helen's eyes to the world of communication and learning.

Miss Sullivan was Helen's teacher for years.  They were constant companions until Miss Sullivan's death many years later.  Helen described Miss Sullivan as being "so near to [her] that [she could] scarcely think of [herself] apart from [her teacher]."  They were inseparable and Helen considered "that the footsteps of [her own] life" were in Miss Sullivan's. Helen stated the following in her autobiography about her teacher:

"All the best of me belongs to her–there is not a talent, or an aspiration or a joy in me that has not been awakened by her loving touch."

Helen attributed her learning, her talents, her goals, and her happiness to the life changing impact that her teacher had on her.  She felt that she could not have accomplished all that she did in her life without Miss Sullivan.

Why do you think religion is the reason people fight?

Of all the reasons for human conflict throughout history, it seems that many stem in some way from religion. From the crusades to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, people have been fighting in defense of their religion for a very long time.

Many would argue that it's the differences in religious philosophies that spur conflict. For example, many Israelis believe that the teachings of Judaism give them  ownership of the state of Israel, regardless of its current inhabitants. This has resulted in much conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis, who have been fighting over this place of religious significance for decades.

Another possible reason why people fight in the name of religion is because they feel the need to prove, through any means necessary, that their beliefs are superior to others'. As is seen countless times throughout history, men will often go to extreme lengths to convert people to their religion. By doing this, one implies that all differing belief structures are inherently wrong. For people who have lived their entire lives adhered to a different religion, this attempt of conversion could seem like a threat to their beliefs.

An important thing to note is that it is not religion in and of itself that creates conflict. Instead, conflict can arise for a multitude of reasons. Let's look at the United States war against Vietnam in the 60s and 70s as an example. Although these two countries shared little in terms of common religious belief, it was their contrasting political views that ignited conflict. The U.S. did not approve of the growing popularity of communism in Vietnam, thus starting one of the most costly wars in American history.

While religion has played large role in many wars that have occurred, there are numerous other factors that lead to conflict.

What does Brutus mean when he says that he is at war with himself in Act 1, scene 2 of Julius Caesar?

Brutus says this in reply to a remark made to him by Cassius in Act scene 2. Cassius has commented that he has noticed that Brutus has adopted a stern and troubled look lately. He does not look upon him with the favourable and affectionate expression that he has become accustomed to. Brutus then says the following:

Cassius,
Be not deceived: if I have veil'd my look,
I turn the trouble of my countenance
Merely upon myself. Vexed I am
Of late with passions of some difference,
Conceptions only proper to myself,
Which give some soil perhaps to my behaviors;
But let not therefore my good friends be grieved--
Among which number, Cassius, be you one--
Nor construe any further my neglect,
Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war,
Forgets the shows of love to other men.

In this extract, Brutus tells Cassius that he should not be misled if he seems to be hiding his true feelings. The image that he projects is only because he is troubled within himself. He has been disturbed by inner turmoil in his mind which may have tarnished his behaviour. He tells him that his close friends, amongst whom he includes Cassius, should not be concerned too much, nor interpret anything from his offhanded behaviour, because it is just a reflection of the fact that he is fighting an inner battle with himself and therefore neglects to show any courtesy or love to others.  

The fact that Brutus expresses an inner turmoil gives Cassius the ideal opportunity to prey on Brutus' uncertainty. He has already formulated a plot to get rid of Caesar, whom he despises and is jealous of, and Brutus would be the perfect candidate to join his malevolent band of conspirators since he is a man of honour and a trusted confidant of Caesar's. 

It becomes clear, later, that Brutus fears Caesar attaining greater power and authority by being elected emperor and this seems to be what has been troubling him so much. When he and Cassius hear a flourish and shouting, he asks:

What means this shouting? I do fear, the people
Choose Caesar for their king.

Cassius immediately asks him if he fears the fact that Caesar is being offered the crown because, if it should be so, it also means that he does not want it to happen. To this, Brutus replies:

I would not, Cassius; yet I love him well.

Brutus then asks Cassius why he is holding him back. If he has something to say, he has to do so quickly as long as it is for the good of Rome. He states that if he should be faced with death and honour, he would easily choose the latter for he has greater respect therefor and does not fear death. 

The sly Cassius sees Brutus' remarks as an opportunity to ensnare him in his plot. He gives a long speech and consistently flatters Brutus, and eventually, by repeatedly stressing the fact that Caesar is weak, frail, inept and a danger to the common good, persuades him to meet with him to discuss the matter further. At the end of their talk, Brutus says:

...For this time I will leave you:
To-morrow, if you please to speak with me,
I will come home to you; or, if you will,
Come home to me, and I will wait for you.

The seed for Caesar's murder has been firmly planted.

Why is Leslie from Bridge to Terabithia so brave?

I would say that the text gives several good examples of Leslie being brave; however, the text does not offer much explanation as to why she is as brave as she is.  It could be a genetic trait, and she was simply born brave.  But I don't believe that a person is entirely determined by their genetic nature.  A person's environment plays a large role in shaping a person's behavior too.  This would be their nurture.  I believe that Leslie is brave because her parents have taught her to be brave.  Whether it was intentional or not is unknown, but Leslie's parents have a huge impact on her.  Both of Leslie's parents are well educated people.  Consequently, Leslie is a well educated young girl too.  That education builds self-confidence, and self-confidence often looks like (or is) bravery.  

Leslie's bravery might also be a coping mechanism to a new environment.  She has just been moved to a new city and a new school.  She's smart enough to know that if she wants to make friends, she is going to have to be brave and make an effort at it.  If she stands in the background of things, she might never make any new friends.  That could be why she gravitates to the running races in the first days of school.  She likes running, and she is good at running.   Those two things give her the bravery and the confidence to try and break into the recess races.  Her bravery works too.  It doesn't net her a lot of friends, but it nets her a wonderful friend in Jess.  

`int (2x-5) / (x^2+2x + 2) dx` Find or evaluate the integral by completing the square

We have to evaluate the integral:`` `\int \frac{2x-5}{x^2+2x+2}dx`

We can write the integral as:

`\int \frac{2x-5}{x^2+2x+2}dx=\int\frac{2x-5}{(x+1)^2+1}dx`

Let `x+1=t`

So, `dx=dt`

Now we can write the integral as:

`\int \frac{2x-5}{(x+1)^2+1}dx=\int \frac{2(t-1)-5}{t^2+1}dt`

                       `=\int \frac{2t-7}{t^2+1}dt`

                        `=\int \frac{2t}{t^2+1}dt-\int\frac{7}{t^2+1}dt`         --------------->(1)

Now we will first evaluate the integral `\int \frac{2t}{t^2+1}dt`

Let `t^2+1=u`

So, `2tdt=du`

Hence we can write,

`\int \frac{2tdt}{t^2+1}=\int \frac{du}{u}`

            `=ln(u)`

             `=ln(t^2+1)`             

Now we will evaluate the second integral : `\int \frac{7}{t^2+1}dt`

`\int \frac{7}{t^2+1}dt=7\int \frac{1}{t^2+1}dt`

               `=7tan^{-1}(t)`

Substituting both these integral results in (1) we get,

`\int \frac{2x-5}{x^2+2x+2}dx=ln(t^2+1)-7tan^{-1}(t)+C`   where C is a constant

                      `=ln((x+1)^2+1)-7tan^{-1}(x+1)+C`

                       `=ln(x^2+2x+2)-7tan^{-1}(x+1)+C`

What advantages did the link between Kiev and Byzantium have?

Vladimir the Great, the leader of Kievan Rus from 980 to 1015, was originally a pagan but sought to find another religion for his realm. After rejecting Catholicism and other religions, he chose Eastern Orthodox Christianity after the emissaries he sent to Constantinople were impressed with the splendors of what they saw. He later married Anna, the sister of the Byzantine ruler Basil II. The connection between Kiev and Byzantium provided advantages for Kievan Rus, as  the connection brought Greek classics and learning to Rus and inspired the building of Orthodox churches in Rus. The Kievan rulers also adopted the Byzantine legal code. In addition, Rus had connections through marriage and other ties to Europe. The connection between Rus and Byzantium fostered trade between the two regions. This trade had existed before Vladimir's conversion, and it continued afterward, bringing goods from the Far East to Rus in exchange for items such as furs. 

In The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier, why does Jan need to steal? Is he justified in stealing?

Jan’s involvement in theft first emerges when he meets with Joseph Balicki. Joseph recognizes that Jan is a pickpocket. He, however, benefits from Jan’s theft when the boy gives him food stolen from the Nazis.

Joseph meets with Jan when he traces his way back home after escaping from the German prison. He tries to obtain information about his children, but Jan has not met them yet. Joseph hands Jan the silver sword he finds among the rubble of his old house after the boy asks for it. In exchange, Joseph requests Jan to inform the Balicki children to go to Switzerland if he meets them. Joseph decides to go to Switzerland, and Jan helps him get onto a train. Jan gives Joseph food that he had stolen from the Nazi barracks for the trip.

Jan is again involved in theft while on his way to Switzerland together with the Balicki children. Edek suspects Jan of theft when the boy shows up with strange food cans. Edek trails Jan and sees him meet with an accomplice; after they talk, Jan climbs up a train signal tower and begins tampering with it. Edek thinks Jan is trying to wreck the train and pursues him. Jan runs away, and Edek is arrested by American soldiers. Ruth intervenes, and Jan is forced to say the truth. Jan, in his defense, states that he did it for food. He is, however, remorseful, and serves his time in jail.

It is important to acknowledge that Jan is a young orphan boy trying to survive through a war. He steals for food, and he feels justified because he has limited options for his survival. In my opinion, Jan is justified because if he registered for food rations, he would have exposed himself to forced labor. In addition, food is hard to come by in times of war, and for young children, it gets difficult to secure any work in such conditions.

Why is Jack unable to kill the piglet in the curtain of creepers, and what does he resolve to do about it in Lord of the Flies by William Golding?

Jack is unable to kill the piglet because he has only just come from his very civilized and orderly world and has not yet tapped into any primal urges. But, he resolves that he will never falter again.

In Chapter One, the boys explore the island on which they now find themselves. As they climb the mountain, they encounter an environment of untamed nature: flowers, trees, rocks, creepers, bushes. In a thicket the boys hear the sound of little hooves and squealing; there they find a piglet caught in "a curtain of creepers." Jack, who has a knife, raises his arm up in order to drive this weapon into the piglet. But, he hesitates ever so slightly:

The pause was only long enough for them to understand what an enormity the downward stroke would be. Then the piglet tore loose ….They were left looking at each other and the place of terror. Jack’s face was white under the freckles.

Jack then makes an excuse for his trepidation, saying that he was only waiting for the right moment to stab the piglet, who was obviously trapped. But, he is cut off by Ralph, who fiercely criticizes him.

They knew very well why he hadn't: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood.

Embarrassed, Jack resolves that "[N]ext time there would be no mercy." 

In this expository scene that begins the development of the theme of the inherent evil in man kept in check only because of controls established by civilized society, Jack's hesitation exemplifies his conditioning by civilization. For, it is only this conditioning which suspends his act of stabbing the piglet.

Who is Mrs. Black in the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury?

She is married to one of the firemen with whom Montag used to work.

In Part Three of the novel, Montag kills Captain Beatty and becomes an enemy of the state. After barely escaping the Hound and crossing a dangerous highway, Montag sneaks up to Black's home. Black is the last name of one of Montag's former coworkers. Montag quietly approaches their house and asks himself if Mrs. Black is home. He wonders if she is asleep and mentions that what he is about to do isn't good. Montag justifies his actions by commenting that Mrs. Black's husband destroyed so many people's lives over the years by setting their homes on fire. Montag then creeps into her home and places several books into her kitchen. Montag then enters a phone booth where he calls the authorities on Black's home. The authorities immediately drive towards Black's home, and Montag is able to escape safely to Faber's home.

What happened to Faber when he saw the book that Montag brought with him?

When Montag arrives at Faber's apartment, Faber is fearful and reluctant to let his visitor in. We see this most clearly through Montag's observations:

Faber peered out looking very old in the light and very fragile and very much afraid.

Faber's reaction is understandable, considering that Montag is a fireman and Faber is a former professor who mourns the loss of books from his society.

But, once Faber sees that Montag has brought a book with him, his appearance and demeanour undergo an instant transformation:

Then his eyes touched on the book…and he did not look so old and not quite as fragile. Slowly his fear went.

The book, then, has a rejuvenating effect on Faber. Once he sees it under Montag's arm, he realises that Montag is not acting in his usual capacity as a fireman and that he is not under any sort of suspicion. Instead, Faber senses that Montag is experiencing some sort of crisis and he invites him into his apartment. This is an important step in their relationship: it is the beginning of a friendship that will blossom into a shared desire to bring about the destruction of the fireman system. 

Why does Jerry keep his feat from his mother in "Through the Tunnel"?

Jerry does not tell his mother about the feat he has accomplished—swimming all the way through the underwater tunnel through the rock—because he understands it would make his mother very worried about him. He recognizes the somewhat difficult position she is in (as the single mother of a growing son), and he understands her ambivalence about giving him increased independence.  Early in the story, Jerry can tell that his mother is thinking through what he may or may not want to do and whether he might want to go to the beach alone, without her.

She frowned, conscientiously worrying over what amusements he might secretly be longing for, which she had been too busy or too careless to imagine. He was very familiar with that anxious, apologetic smile. Contrition sent him running after her.

Jerry knows his mother feels anxiety over him, and he has no wish to add her to worry; in fact, he seems to feel an obligation to soothe and assure her. Telling her about the tunnel would only make her worry more.

How does Harper Lee develop the relationships between the members of the Finch family?

Harper Lee uses both the everyday events of the Finch family and highly dramatic events like the trial of Tom Robinson and Bob Ewell's attack on the children to highlight the relationships between Scout, Jem, and their father, Atticus.

The more pedestrian moments of life in Maycomb, Alabama, are portrayed by Lee to show the development of Scout and Jem's relationship. They attend the same school not far from their home, and the older Jem advises Scout on his experiences with certain teachers and in different grades. They walk to school together and often return together (until Jem reaches a grade that requires him to stay later than Scout). They attend functions on the school grounds, as when Scout has a part in a pageant at the school the night Bob Ewell attacks Scout and Jem.

In the summer, Scout and Jem often play together with their visiting friend from Mississippi, Dill, and engage in occasional mischief. Jem emerges as a protective, loving brother to his little sister, though at times he grows irritated with her behavior and questions, just as she at times becomes exasperated with Jem's moodiness and superior attitude as the elder sibling. They share almost all of their young lives with one another and are close siblings, despite their different genders and ages.

Scout and Jem look to their father for guidance in all areas of their lives, and Lee reveals Atticus is a firm but fair father.

The crises of Tom Robinson's trial and Bob Ewell's attack on the children bonds Scout, Jem and Atticus beyond the daily events of their small-town lives. Scout and Jem see their father as heroic in his defense of Tom, including an evening prior to the trial when Atticus sits watch outside Tom's cell, employing his moral presence to fend off a group of vigilantes intent on killing Tom.

When Jem suffers a broken arm defending Scout from Bob Ewell, Scout wakes up the next morning to see her father faithfully watching over her brother from the same chair Atticus occupied the night before, never having left his son's bedside.

The Finch family is bound together by genuine love, reflected in both the quotidian passing of the days and the dramatic events of lives darkened by sometimes difficult and dramatic events.

In 1984, Winston suggests that they should break up before they are found out. Julia says no. Why?

In Chapter 7, Winston thinks that he and Julia should break up before their affair is discovered. However, Julia disagrees with him. She tells Winston that she's thought about the consequences and has decided that she will stay with him, regardless of what happens.

Essentially, Julia believes that to rebel is to be human. In the story, the government has greatly restricted the rights of every citizen. Sexual relationships are forbidden and even social discourse is monitored. Each citizen is to be Big Brother's mouthpiece and instrument, and no one is allowed to have autonomy or individual agency. In this light, Julia sees rebellion as a sort of self-preservation. She concludes that Big Brother may be able to force certain words out of her mouth, but he will never be able to take her inner feelings or beliefs away from her.

Julia sees her sexual promiscuity as a sort of self-determinism; she rebels in the sexual realm because this is the only way she can preserve her humanity in light of Big Brother's oppressive influence.

'When you make love you're using up energy; and afterwards you feel happy and don't give a damn for anything. They can't bear you to feel like that. They want you to be bursting with energy all the time. All this marching up and down and cheering and waving flags is simply sex gone sour. If you're happy inside yourself, why should you get excited about Big Brother and the Three-Year Plans and the Two Minutes Hate and all the rest of their bloody rot?

They could not alter your feelings: for that matter you could not alter them yourself, even if you wanted to. They could lay bare in the utmost detail everything that you had done or said or thought; but the inner heart, whose workings were mysterious even to yourself, remained impregnable.

So, Julia disagrees about breaking up with Winston, because it is more important to her to be true to her feelings than to give in to the fear of punishment. She is emotionally invested in her relationship with Winston and is willing to endure the consequences for her choices. For her part, Julia is philosophical about the fate that awaits them.

In Animal Farm, why is it significant that the milk disappears?

The disappearance of the milk demonstrates that the pigs are starting to exert control.  The animals assume that the milk and apples will be shared by all animals.  The cows have to be milked, and the apples that fall on the ground have to be eaten.  Animal Farm is supposed to be a collective effort. 

This also demonstrates the sneaky manner in which the pigs took the milk and apples.  They did not announce that they were doing it, and did not explain until they were questioned.  Napoleon said, "Never mind the milk, comrades!"  He obviously had plans for the pigs to steal it.

The mystery of where the milk went to was soon cleared up. It was mixed every day into the pigs' mash. … The animals had assumed as a matter of course that [the apples] would be shared out equally; one day, however, the order went forth that all the windfalls were to be collected and brought to the harness room for the use of the pigs. (Ch. 3) 

Squealer explains that the pigs are the brainworkers of the farm, and they need the milk and apples because they have to work to keep the farm running.  The pigs are making themselves in charge.  They are taking the best things for themselves. 

The way the pigs took the milk and apples is only the beginning.  Slowly, the pigs alter all of the Seven Commandments as they find they need to.  They begin sleeping in the house, they drink alcohol, and kill sheep and hens that were supposedly in league with Snowball, whom they say is a traitor.  They also begin trading with the humans. Eventually, the pigs actually walk on two legs and carry whips in their trotters.  They are soon no different from the people they replaced.

What did Neil Gaiman mean when he stated that “death is the great democracy”?

The text tells us that all of the dead at the cemetery make their voices heard in the decision to keep or banish Bod.

According to Neil Gaiman, "death is the great democracy." This means that all humans must eventually die, no matter who they are. In that sense, all humans are considered equal in the face of death. So, in terms of deciding whether to keep Bod at the graveyard, none of the dead can claim precedence in terms of wisdom or position. In the story, all the inhabitants of the graveyard are dead and so, must have equal voice in the decision.

Of course, the decision is not an easy one. Josiah Worthington rightly argues that the graveyard is no place for a living, human baby. Yet, because of the danger Bod is in, the inhabitants of the graveyard must do everything they can to protect the child. In the end, three hundred voices are raised in reference to the matter. Each one of the dead clamors to be heard; yet a conclusive decision is not reached until the Lady on the Grey appears on her horse. Her words, "The dead should have charity" decides the course of action the graveyard inhabitants will take.

This is how Bod comes to spend his formative years at the graveyard. Mr. and Mrs. Owen volunteer to be Bod's parents, while Silas offers to be Bod's guardian. Between them and the rest of the dead, they do an admirable job in preparing Bod to meet his nemesis in battle.

What is a quote from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet showing Juliet's determination?

In Act III, Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet learns that her father has promised her in marriage to Count Paris. Unknown to Lord Capulet, Juliet has already married Romeo. When Juliet refuses the commitment, Capulet becomes enraged and threatens to throw her out on the street. Despite her father's anger, Juliet is determined to avoid the marriage to Paris and to remain loyal to Romeo. She initially turns to the Nurse for advice, but when the Nurse counsels her to forget Romeo and marry Paris, she privately curses the woman. She then turns to Friar Laurence, and in Act IV, Scene 1, puts her determination into words.

At first she is willing to kill herself if the Friar has no solution to her problem. She is carrying a dagger to prove her willingness to die rather than submit to her father's decree:

Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it.
If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help,
Do thou but call my resolution wise,
And with this knife I’ll help it presently.

She further shows her determination when she reveals to the Friar, who has a potential plan, that she would do anything, even endure the most frightening things she can think of:

O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris,
From off the battlements of any tower,
Or walk in thievish ways, or bid me lurk
Where serpents are. Chain me with roaring bears,
Or hide me nightly in a charnel house,
O’ercovered quite with dead men’s rattling bones,
With reeky shanks and yellow chapless skulls.
Or bid me go into a new-made grave
And hide me with a dead man in his shroud
(Things that to hear them told have made me
tremble),
And I will do it without fear or doubt,
To live an unstained wife to my sweet love.

Juliet is fearless in this scene and agrees to a plan that must have been extremely terrifying to a thirteen year old girl, involving drinking a potion which would bring on a deathlike sleep. Of course, through her loyalty to Romeo and her determination not to be married to Paris, she shows maturity far beyond her years.

In "Raymond's Run," what is Squeaky's reputation like?

Squeaky does not have many friends, and she has a reputation for being a tough loner.

Squeaky’s reputation partly comes from the fact that she has to take care of her older brother, Raymond, who has special needs.  Squeaky does not let anyone mess with her brother.  Anyone who wants to start something with Raymond has to go through her first.

But now, if anybody has anything to say to Raymond, anything to say about his big head, they have to come by me. And I don’t play the dozens or believe in standing around with somebody in my face doing a lot of talking. I much rather just knock you down and take my chances …

Squeaky’s release is running.  She loves to run, and prides herself on being the fastest in the neighborhood.  She has a reputation as a very good runner, and she is proud of that reputation.  She believes that no matter what she will be the first place runner in the May Day Race.  No one else has a chance.

And tomorrow I’m subject to run the quarter-meter relay all by myself and come in first, second, and third. The big kids call me Mercury cause I’m the swiftest thing in the neighborhood. Everybody knows that …

Squeaky does not really get along with the other kids because she is such an individualist.  She does not approve of kids who pretend to be modest about their accomplishments when they really are working hard.  She also doesn’t approve of girls she considers fake.  She believes that girls don’t mean it when they smile.

Gretchen smiles, but it’s not a smile, and I’m thinking that girls never really smile at each other because they don’t know how and don’t want to know how and there’s probably no one to teach us how, cause grown-up girls don’t know either.

The other girls give Squeaky a wide berth because she likes to be tough, but she really is lonely.  She is thrilled when Gretchen comes in second place and proves she really can run.  The two girls smile at each other for real.  Squeaky has finally found a potential friend.

In the novel Bud, Not Buddy, where do the Amoses lock up Bud for the night?

In Chapter 2, Bud is sent to the Amos household and gets into a fight with their son after Todd sticks a pencil up his nose. Todd ends up beating up Bud, and when his parents come into his room, Todd lies to them about what happened. Mr. and Mrs. Amos are extremely upset at Bud and make him spend the night in the shed. They lock Bud in the shed where he is terrified. While he is in the shed, Bud thinks that he sees a vampire bat hanging from the ceiling. Bud then finds a rake and takes a swing at the "vampire," which happens to be a hornet's nest. Bud immediately tries to break down the door with his shoulder but is unsuccessful. He then jumps on top of a woodpile and ends up breaking a window in order to escape from the shed.

What action demonstrates that Daniel has changed at the end of the novel?

Throughout the entire novel, Daniel seeks to avenge the death of his parents and manifests his hate toward the Roman Empire. Towards the end of the novel, Daniel finds out that a Roman soldier named Marcus is interested in his sister, Leah. In Chapter 23, Daniel loses his temper after finding out that Marcus gave Leah a basket of fruit as a gift. Daniel's tirade ends up sending Leah into another catatonic spell. When Marcus finds out that Leah is ill, he stands outside of Daniel's house and asks Daniel how she is doing. Daniel spits on the ground in disgust and comments, "What is it to you if another Jew is dying?" (Speare 249). When Marcus tells Daniel that he simply wishes to see Leah before he is transferred, Daniel tells Marcus that he would rather let Leah die before he let Marcus inside his home. Later on in the last chapter, Jesus and Thacia visit Daniel's home and Jesus heals Leah. Daniel accepts Jesus' message and decides to let go of his hate and bitterness. On the last page of the novel, Daniel walks over to Marcus and tells him that the fever has left Leah and that she would like to say good-bye to him. Daniel then invites Marcus into his home which demonstrates that Daniel has changed.

What did Red Chief say to terrorize his kidnappers?

Red Chief terrorizes his kidnappers by sitting in the entrance of the cave where they are hiding out and asking one of the kidnappers if he dares to enter Red Chief's camp. He also calls Sam, one of the kidnappers, a spy and tells him that his braves will roast Sam alive when they return. In addition to prattling on continuously, Red Chief also lets out blood-curdling war cries and tries to scalp Bill, the other kidnapper. One of the most terrifying things that Red Chief tells his kidnappers is that he's having so much fun that he doesn't want to go home. He says this before he decides to become Black Scout and ride Bill like a horse. In the end, the kidnappers wind up paying Red Chief's father to take him back, as Red Chief, though just a child, is such a terror. 

Why does Calpurnia arrive at the courthouse in Chapter 20 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

At the end of Chapter 20, Calpurnia makes her way to Atticus, who has just given his closing remarks. Calpurnia politely asks Judge Taylor if she could pass a note to Atticus. Calpurnia delivers a note written by Aunt Alexandra, which says the children have been missing since noon. Mr. Underwood tells Atticus that Jem, Scout, and Dill are sitting in the Colored balcony, and they've been there since noon. Atticus then calls for Jem to come down, and the children climb across Reverend Sykes to make their way toward Atticus. Scout mentions that Calpurnia looked "peeved," but Atticus appeared to be exhausted. Atticus tells the children to return home with Calpurnia, which Jem protests. Atticus allows the children to return to hear the verdict after they eat their supper. Calpurnia then walks the children home and yells at Jem for taking Scout to see the trial. 

How would you examine the five competitive strategy options? Which strategy does Steven Madden use? What are at least three decisions Steven...

Examination of the five competitive strategies discloses that they are developed for the purpose of gaining competitive advantage, which is gaining a favorable or an advantaged market position attained by providing products of high value or products at low costs (or these factors combined). Attributed to the strategic thinking of Michael Porter, the five competitive strategy options are predicated upon the two considerations of (a) providing high value by differentiating a unique product and (b) providing low price by controlling costs such as resource costs.

Examination further discloses that Porter's system of competitive advantage strategy options are founded upon a five-point analysis evaluating a firm's position in its external environment as compared to its competitors in the same marketplace environment. These are the five points to be analyzed:

1. barriers to entry in the market (if there are few barriers, then there are many new entrants and competition is fierce)


2. the power of buyers in the market (if buyers have power, there are many substitute products and buyers command the resulting soft market)


3. the power of resource suppliers in the market (if suppliers have power, then they control the cost and resultant price)


4. the prevalence of substitutes for a product (if there are many substitutes, as in an easy-entry market, the availability of substitutes governs consumer behavior in response to price changes as seen in market elasticity)


5. the presence of competitor rivalry in the market (when rivalry is present, price, brand loyalty, and product differentiation determine consumer behavior in the market)

Analysis of these five points determines which competitive strategy a firm employs to gain competitive advantage. The five strategies come from combining product cost, product differentiation and market focus. Market focus refers to whether a firm targets a broad market (an industry-wide market) or a narrow market (an isolated market segment niche based upon pertinent demographics). Differentiation refers to unique differentiation of a product so it is attractive to a specialized target market. Cost refers to the cost of production of a good or service. Low cost is more favorable than high cost in a broad marketplace, while a narrow marketplace comprised of a segmented target population, having specific wants and needs in common, will support higher cost because of the higher value delivered by the product. 

Low cost in a broad market: Low cost in a broad market employs cost leadership strategy to establish competitive advantage through low prices gaining high market share or through high prices delivering high quality.

Broad differentiation: Broad differentiation in a broad market employs differentiation strategy to develop a unique, differentiated product in an industry-wide broad market to provide value-added quality that appeals to the consumer who perceives it to be better than substitutes and who accepts paying a premium price.

Focused low cost: Focused low cost in a narrow market employs focus strategy (low cost subset) to gain competitive advantage through cost advantage. Focus strategy focuses attention on the consumer by providing detailed product to meet specific niche consumer needs. Product volume is smaller so prices reflect relatively inflexible resource costs. This results in less bargaining power with suppliers and passed-on resource costs in product price.

Focused differentiation: Focused differentiation in a narrow market employs focus strategy (differentiation subset) to gain competitive advantage through product differentiation. Interestingly, the movie Kinky Boots is an illustration of this competitive strategy whereby consumer needs are met by focusing on product detail in a highly defined niche market in order to build customer loyalty. Inflexible supplier costs can be passed on in price, which the niche market will bear due to the absence of substitutes.

Best cost: Best cost employs best-cost provider strategy to gain competitive advantage through low cost in combination with high quality. This strategy is implemented by cutting production, supplier, and marketing costs while maintaining quality. An example relates to Whole Foods grocery stores, which provide differentiated product in a (growing) narrow market segment: those who pay more for organic and natural foods. Whole Foods opened its first low-cost grocery store, called 365, in Southern California. 365 offers organic and natural foods under the cost-effective Whole Foods generic brand name, 365 (the store carries the same name as their generic organic brand).

"Porter's Generic Competitive Strategies (ways of competing)," University of Cambridge.

Ivan Misner, Ph.D., "The Five Key Competitive Strategies."

How does Dolphus Raymond in To Kill a Mockingbird overcome prejudice ?

Dolphus Raymond is a landowner who has mixed-race children. This is not only a socially backward lifestyle for the time period, but people might not do business with such a man if they knew he was doing it on purpose. People might also shun him or his children in other ways; so, Raymond's way of battling this is to act as if he were drunk all of the time. The reasoning behind this is if people in Maycomb believe that he is a chronic drunk, then they will believe that his lifestyle is not necessarily by choice, but because of his predicament. Thus, he acts the part of a drunk whenever he is in town. Raymond explains his reasoning to Scout and Dill as follows:

"I try to give 'em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason. When I come to town, which is seldom, if i weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond's in the clutches of whiskey--that's why he lives the way he does . . . Secretly, Miss Finch, I'm not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that's the way I want to live" (200).

Raymond just wants to live his life in peace, without drama, and without drawing too much attention from Maycomb's society. Therefore, Dolphus Raymond overcomes prejudice by acting like a drunk and so he doesn't have to deal with it by answering to anyone.