Was Madame Forestier angry when Matilde blamed her for her misfortune?

In “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, Madame Forestier seems more astonished than angry at Madame Loisel's revelation.

 Many years after the incident with the necklace, the women meet each other as they walk along the Champs-Elysees. Madame Forestier does not recognize her friend who has changed immensely due to her years of poverty and manual labor. Madame Loisel decides to tell her former friend the true story of the necklace. At this point, Madame Forestier seems taken back by what she hears and attempts to walk away. When she realizes the truth, she stops and shows Madame Loisel empathy for the misunderstanding.

Madame Forestier, deeply moved, took her two hands. "Oh, my poor Mathilde! But mine was imitation. It was worth at the very most five hundred francs! . . . "

Who was the president of the United States during World War I?

Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) was president of the United States from 1912-1920, so he would have been president during WWI.  A Democratic Progressive, he said that it would be terrible if his administration was remembered more for its foreign than domestic policies; however, this is exactly what happened to him.  When war broke out in 1914 after the assassination of the Austrian Archduke and the ensuing war between Central and Allied powers, Wilson pledged neutrality.  Germany claimed that Wilson's neutrality was a farce, however, as America sold weapons and made loans to Britain, France and Russia.  The Wilson administration claimed that Germany had the same right to these things, but due to Britain controlling the seas, it was a moot point.  Wilson twice during the war urged Germany to stop unrestricted submarine warfare in the waters off Britain, the first time after the Lusitania was sunk and the second time after Germany renewed the policy in 1917.  Wilson finally asked Congress to declare war in April 1917 when it was apparent that all foreign ships were fair game if they were approaching the British Isles.  Wilson sold the war to the American people as a war to "end all wars" and "preserve democracy." Wilson urged that America was an "associated power," meaning that it was not in the war for territorial gain, but rather to end it and promote world peace.  Domestically, Wilson ordered a draft and passed executive orders arresting anyone who spoke out against the war.  After the war, Wilson drafted the Fourteen Points which guaranteed freedom of the seas, a reduction in the size of the world's armies, and self-rule for ethnic minorities in Europe.  This was all lost at the Versailles table, and Wilson was not known as a man to compromise when he thought he was right.  Wilson wanted his greatest postwar legacy to be the League of Nations, a forerunner to the current United Nations; however, a debilitating stroke and a hostile Republican congress did not allow America to join the international body, and Wilson's dreams of world peace ended.  

How would you characterize the relationships of the pairs in Of Mice and Men: George and Lennie, Candy and his dog, and Curley and his wife? ...

These relationships are all co-dependent to a certain extent.  That means that both parties to the relationship need each other.

George and Lennie travel together.  Lennie needs George, because he has developmental delays.  George also needs Lennie, though, because he likes the company and he likes having someone to work with. 

"Sure," said George. "We kinda look after each other." He indicated Lennie with his thumb. "He ain't bright. Hell of a good worker, though. Hell of a nice fella, but he ain't bright. I've knew him for a long time." (Ch. 2) 

George and Lennie traveling together is pretty unusual for migrant farm workers.  Slim is impressed by their dedication to one another.  George looks after Lennie and protects him from himself, since Lennie has no impulse control and would not be able to keep a job without him.  George likes telling Lennie about his dream of owning land someday. 

Just as George relies on Lennie for company, Candy relies on his dog.  The dog is old, and smells.  Most of the men want him to put it out of its misery.  Candy loves the old dog though, and can’t bear to see it go. 

The old man squirmed uncomfortably. "Well- hell! I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup. I herded sheep with him." He said proudly, "You wouldn't think it to look at him now, but he was the best damn sheep dog I ever seen." (Ch. 3) 

The men tell Candy he can just replace his dog with another dog, but that would not be the same for him.  Candy’s dog depends on him to take care of it.  Another dog just would not be the same.  The dog is his companion. 

Finally, Curley and his wife have a strangely co-dependent relationship because she is extremely lonely and has no one but him to talk to, and he needs her because he is terribly jealous. 

“… Ever' time the guys is around she shows up. She's lookin' for Curley, or she thought she lef' somethin' layin' around and she's lookin' for it. Seems like she can't keep away from guys. An' Curley's pants is just crawlin' with ants, but they ain't nothing come of it yet." (Ch. 3) 

Curley is always afraid that something is going to happen between his wife and one of the other guys.  She, on the other hand, is considered trouble.  The guys do not mess with her, because they do not want to mess with Curley.  Throughout the book, she is always looking for him and he is always looking for her.

What are the cobra's physical features in Rikki-Tikki-Tavi?

There are two cobras that Rikki-tikki faces off against.  Nag is the male cobra and Nagaina is the female cobra.  The first snake that Rikki-tikki sees is Nag, and he is a rather imposing figure.

Then inch by inch out of the grass rose up the head and spread hood of Nag, the big black cobra, and he was five feet long from tongue to tail. … he looked at Rikki-tikki with the wicked snake's eyes that never change their expression, whatever the snake may be thinking of.

Nag raises himself up and shows off his great hood.  On his hood there is a “spectacle-mark on the back of it that looks exactly like the eye part of a hook-and-eye fastening.”  Rikki-tikki is only intimidated for a moment, and is not tricked when Nagaina tries to come up behind him.

Nag and Nagaina know that a mongoose is very bad news for them.  As the new house mongoose, it is Rikki-tikki’s job to kill all of the snakes.  The cobras would definitely be on his hit-list, and this worries them because they have a family of new cobras waiting to hatch in the melon-bed.

Even though Riki-tikki knows it is his job to kill the cobra, the cobra is huge.  Rikki-tikki is scared when he knows that Nag has come in the house.

Rikki-tikki tingled all over with rage and hatred at this, and then Nag's head came through the sluice, and his five feet of cold body followed it. … Nag coiled himself up, raised his head, and looked into the bath-room in the dark, and Rikki could see his eyes glitter.

Despite the size and danger of the cobras, Rikki-tikki manages to kill both of them.  He has to follow Nagaina into her hole to do it, which makes it even more dangerous.  The other animals do not think he will survive, but he wins.

How is the setting of Verona, Italy important for the play Romeo and Juliet?

Renaissance Italy was full of noble families feuding with one another for honor, fame, glory, influence, and wealth! Families like the Medici, Borgia, and Pazzi used their wealth to buy favors in government, have people killed, pay off the Church to forgive or forget sins, and commission new buildings and works of art to earn public approval. This fighting was primarily carried out by trying to one-up each other in the public eye, but sometimes it spilled over into literal bloodshed. Especially where young noblemen were concerned, fights occasionally broke out in the street between members of two opposing families.

Verona, as a major city and center of wealth in Renaissance Italy, surely had its fair share of warring noble families. It is unknown whether Shakespeare ever actually visited Verona or chose this setting for some other reason, but the location provides a perfect cultural backdrop for his tale of star-crossed lovers. As we learn in the play, the Capulet and Montague families have been enemies for a long time and this conflict has experienced resurgence. Nonetheless, young Romeo and Juliet meet and fall in love, though they do not know at first that they are sworn enemies!

How would other people normally behave in Mrs. Jones's place in Langston Hughes's short story "Thank You, M'am"? What would others have done?

Human nature is very complex. Studies show that humans and animals have very compassionate natures, which means they have the ability to empathize with others--feel what others feel--and behave altruistically--behave in ways that benefit others (Seppaia, E., "The Compassionate Mind"). Yet, other studies show that most people ignore the homeless they pass on the street and refuse handouts (Figueroa, A., "Do You Ignore Homeless People?"). While Roger in Langston Hughes' short story is not necessarily homeless, he is so severely neglected that he is as good as homeless and must resort to whatever means he has to fulfill his basic needs and wants, and Mrs. Jones does not treat him in the same way many others would have treated him when faced with her same situation. Langston Hughes uses the actions of Mrs. Jones in his short story "Thank You, Ma'am" to show society what true compassion looks like and to remind us of the need for compassion.

When faced with being robbed by a homeless or near homeless person, like Mrs. Jones was robbed by Roger, most people would behave hatefully by calling the cops or taking revenge in some other way. In contrast, Mrs. Jones quickly recognizes Roger as a person in need, drags him to her rented room, makes him wash his face, shares his dinner with him, and even ends by giving him the 10 dollars he tried to steal so that he can buy his blue suede shoes. Due to the small size of her rented room, we know that she is a poor woman living off of what must be her minimum-wage income earned from her job at a "hotel beauty-shop," so we know that everything she gives him is a major sacrifice to herself. Yet, she willingly does it because, as she explains, she too was once young and in need and "wanted things [she] could not get." She further makes the following confession to him:

I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son--neither tell God, if he didn't already know.

Her actions and her confessions show us that she is able to feel empathy for Roger, which stirs her to compassion, something many people do not feel when faced with people in Roger's situation, as statistics concerning treatment of the homeless show.

Hence, in creating Mrs. Jones, Hughes creates a character who behaves contrarily to how the rest of society would normally behave in order to remind us of the need for compassion.

What is the relationship between the terms heterogeneous and homogeneous?

One of my favorite aspects of science is the use of root words to form new terms, some of which can sound like "science jargon"  if you don't know what they mean, or you don't take the time to dissect them (and I didn't mean that as a science pun either). The terms "heterogenous" and "homogenous" are great examples because they incorporate three root words that show up frequently in science; hetero, homo and gen.

Hetero means "different,"

Homo means "the same," or "similar," and

Gen mean "origin, creation, making."

So, with a little smoothing of the metaphorical edges, the terms heterogenous and homogenous mean, respectively, "something that has been made different" and "something that has been made the same." 

Heterogeneity and homogeneity are usually used in the description of mixtures, specifically the way in which the components of those mixtures are oriented in three-dimensional space. For example, say a mixture is made of 500 red particles and 500 blue particles which are different only in color. No matter where you looked in a homogenous mixture, you would see the same number of blue and red particles in every picture. If this were a heterogenous mixture, you would see a different number of particles, or you  might just have a layer of red on top of blue, or vice versa.

The exact reasons for being heterogenous or homogenous have to do with a complicated series of interactions at the molecular level, and are also time-dependent; for example, milk can be homogenized, but will become heterogenous over time, and the same can be said for other mixtures. Some heterogenous mixtures can also be made into homogenous ones through the use of additives such as emulsifiers. 

In Philbrick's Freak the Mighty, why do you think Blade chooses Max and Freak to pick on in chapter 6? What kind of guy is Blade?

Blade is the nickname for a boy from the high school named Tony D. He got the name "Blade" because he always carries around a knife and threatens kids whom he thinks are weak. That is why he picks on Max and Kevin. Max is a boy Tony must see as weak because he doesn't talk much. Kevin is physically weak due to a birth defect, so Tony sees him as easy prey, too. Even though Max carries Kevin around on his shoulders, Tony isn't intimidated by them because he has a knife and a bunch of friends to back him up. Tony is also seventeen and the boys are twelve. He clearly thinks he has an advantage over them. Max explains that Tony has been to juvenile court a few times and has heard rumors that he cut a guy with a razor once who almost died. Tony, or Blade, is therefore a bully of the very violent kind and shouldn't be engaged in any conversation or interaction. On the night that Tony sees Max and Kevin together, he says to them the following:

"Hey you! Mutt and Jeff! Frankenstein and Igor! Don't look around, I'm talkin' to you, boneheads. What is this, a freak show?" (29).

Since this is the first time and Max and Kevin are out in public together, and Kevin is riding on Max's shoulders, Tony must take notice of them because he's never seen a combination like that before. Tony is amused at the sight of them together and makes fun of them like a bully would. That is another reason why he sees the boys as prey; it's because he's never seen the two boys together before and he thinks they are funny and weak.

Describe Mollie's internal conflict in Animal Farm.

In Animal Farm, Mollie's internal conflict is based on her vanity, laziness and materialism. These traits are clear from her first appearance to the reader in Chapter One when she arrives late to Old Major's meeting and spends the time "flirting her mane" and chewing on sugar. Even after the Rebellion, Mollie has little interest in making Animal Farm a success: she learns only the letters of her name, for instance, is always late for work and does not participate in the Battle of the Cowshed in Chapter Four when the animals drive humans from the farm. Mollie is, therefore, unable to put the needs of the farm above her own.

In Chapter Five, however, this internal conflict is resolved when Mollie suddenly disappears from the farm, never to be seen again. Her new life, however, affords her all of the comforts she desires the most: she eats sugar and wears a "scarlet ribbon" while a "fat, red-faced man" strokes her nose.

When does the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee say that Bob Ewell is "trash"?

Scout tells Calpurnia that her father referred to the Ewells as trash. 

The Ewells are white, but they are also very poor.  Their ignorance and refusal to get an education annoys Atticus.  Atticus is usually very understanding of people, but he makes disparaging statements about the Ewells. 

“Mr. Ewell?” My memory stirred. “Does he have anything to do with those Ewells that come every first day of school an‘ then go home? Why, Atticus said they were absolute trash—I never heard Atticus talk about folks the way he talked about the Ewells. He said-” (Ch. 12, p. 164)

Atticus does not approve of the Ewells because they only bring their children to school on the first day and then keep them out after that.  Bob Ewell is also an alcoholic who drinks away his relief checks instead of using them to pay for food for his expansive brood.  As a result, the law looks the other way when he hunts out of season.

Atticus also does not approve of where and how the Ewells live.  They live near the dump, in a very decrepit shack.

They were people, but they lived like animals. “They can go to school any time they want to, when they show the faintest symptom of wanting an education,” said Atticus. (Ch. 3, p. 40) 

Atticus puts the lifestyle of the Ewells in full view during the trial of Tom Robinson.  Mayella Ewell accused Tom Robinson of rape, but Atticus proves that it was Bob Ewell who hit her, and that he regularly abused her before the rape allegation.  Ewell is greatly insulted, feeling that his reputation was ruined and it was all Atticus’s fault.

The Ewells are at the bottom of Maycomb's food chain, except for the Robinsons.  Since they are white, that still gives them more credibility and status.  Racism is an unavoidable way of life in Maycomb.

Note: Page numbers vary by edition, these are from the Fiftieth Anniversary Edition.

In The Witch of Blackbird Pond, why is Judith mad at Kit for wearing a silk dress?

Judith is envious of Kit for getting to wear a fancy dress to church.

Kit Tyler came to her aunt and uncle’s house unexpectedly. She had never been to Connecticut before, since she grew up on Barbados. Connecticut was a much different place. It was full of religious restrictions that she was not prepared for.

Kit’s wardrobe was completely inappropriate for Wethersfield. She had trunks of fine silk dresses, fancy gloves, and other frippery. Her cousins Judith and Mercy were thrilled when she brought them all out.

Judith did not move. Her attention had turned again to the row of trunks. "Do you mean to say that every one of those trunks is full of dresses like the one you have on?" (Ch. 4) 

Judith is impressed with the fact that the dresses are so beautiful, and fashionable. They have slits in the sleeves, which the minister opposes. Matthew Wood gets upset when he sees his daughters and wife with the dresses.

When it comes time for Kit to go to church, she has nothing but these fine silk dresses. Matthew Wood is frustrated, feeling that she is making a mockery of church by wearing them, but he has to agree because she doesn’t have a plain dress to wear. It is either the silk or staying home.

Judith was as outraged as her father, though for a different reason. Her pretty mouth had a sulky droop, and the long fringe of lashes barely hid the envy and rebellion in her blue eyes. (Ch. 5) 

Judith would love to wear one of those dresses. She knows that despite what her uncle says, some people do wear similar fancy clothes to church. She is very jealous of Kit. Kit has turned her world upside down. She does not know how to cook and clean appropriately and makes more work for Judith.

What are some strategies to write an introduction for a theme development essay about the theme of sacrifice in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini?

When you are writing an introduction to a literary analysis, there are a few particular requirements. Otherwise, writing an introduction to a theme development essay is much like writing the introduction to any other kind of essay.

In a literary analysis, you must provide the name of the text you are analyzing and the name of the author of the text. That is a necessity.  You also should provide a very brief overview of the story, enough for the reader to be able to know what you are writing about in the body of the essay.  This usually includes the setting and the names of the main characters and any characters you will be discussing at the very least.  One or two sentences is fine.

Usually the funnel method is a good way to introduce theme-driven analysis, beginning with a general idea and then narrowing down to the specifics of the thesis statement, as a funnel is broad at the top and narrow at the bottom. For example, you might begin with a very general discussion of the idea of sacrifice, opening with a statement about how people make sacrifices for family, friends, or country.  Or you might start by discussing how sacrifices can have many different motivations.  From there, you could discuss how literature is filled with books about sacrifice. And then you could mention the particular book you are going to be discussing. Each sentence is narrowing your focus just a bit, until the final sentence, which is the thesis statement.

A thesis statement has two purposes.  It is meant to state your main idea, your thesis, and it is meant to state the points you will develop to support that thesis.  In a theme development essay, I would say the expectation is that your main idea, your thesis, will be that a literary text has a particular theme.  In this case, you are asserting that a theme of this story is sacrifice.  Now you must decide what points you are going to make to show that the book has this theme. What points will these be?  Those are the points you must "list" in your thesis statement. For example, if I were writing an essay about The Giver, this could be my thesis statement:

A powerful theme in The Giver is choice, which is shown in the colorless life of the community, the lack of control over profession or family, and the dawning awareness of Jonas in the importance of making decisions for oneself. 

That states a theme that I see in the story, along with the three points I am going to develop to establish why this is a theme. Your thesis statement must do this, too. 

What happens the second time Dexter meets Judy Jones?

At the beginning of Fitzgerald's short story "Winter Dreams," Dexter, the main character, is a teenager who works as a caddie at the local country club golf course. He sees Judy Jones, then a little girl, and her beauty and passion cause him to quit his job though he is the most successful caddie at the club. Here we first see that Judy comes to represent the wealth and power that Dexter desires.

The second time he sees Judy Jones, Dexter has made a fortune by opening a large string of specialty laundries, selling the business, and moving to New York. He has succeeded in making money, part of the dreams he had when he was a young man. As he is playing at the Sherry Island Golf Club with some other wealthy men, he encounters Judy when she hits a player in the stomach with her golf ball. Dexter sees that Judy is now very beautiful, impatient, and careless.

Later that day, as Dexter is musing on the day's events, Judy arrives in a motorboat and invites Dexter to drive the boat so she can ride behind on a surfboard. She invites him to dinner and "for the second time, her casual whim gave a new direction to his life." From this point in the story, Dexter begins to pursue Judy with the same dedication with which he pursued wealth.

What color will Kourtney see when we shine white light onto a green piece of paper?

We perceive colors because of the wavelengths of light that are reflected back into our eyes. This is the same as saying that we do NOT see the colors/wavelengths that are absorbed by an object.

White light, by definition, contains all the various wavelengths of light that are visible to humans. This is a small part of the entire electromagnetic spectrum, which includes wavelengths that are too long or too short for us to see. Kourtney is looking at a green paper. It appears green to her because the paper absorbs most of the visible wavelengths of light, and reflects wavelengths in the green spectrum (about 500-550 nanometers wavelength) back into Kourtney's eyes. Because we are shining white light on the paper, the green wavelengths are present in the light, and are reflected. Thus, the paper appears green to Kourtney--the paper absorbs most wavelengths, and reflects the green wavelengths back into her eyes.

Give one example of hyperbole from the story.

A hyperbole is a literary device that over-exaggerates a particular detail or fact; this over-emphasis highlights the seriousness of a situation from a character's point of view.

Take Marguerite's experience in church, for instance. In the introduction, the author recalls for us her embarrassing experience in church one Sunday. At the time, young Marguerite was to recite a special poem in church. However, her "well-known forgetfulness" made it difficult for her to recall the words to the poem at the crucial moment.

Already self-conscious because she was not blond and pretty, but big-boned and dark-skinned, Marguerite became more nervous as time progressed. Meanwhile, her peers laughed at what they considered her ineptitude. To make matters worse, Marguerite had to go to the bathroom during the recitation.

So, after obtaining permission, she made her way warily to the rear of the church. However, on her way there, someone stuck a foot out from a pew and caused Marguerite to stumble. Unfortunately, her stumble caused her to lose some of the contents of her bladder. This is how she describes it:

Then before I reached the door, the sting was burning down my legs and into my Sunday socks. I tried to hold, to squeeze it back, to keep it from speeding, but when I reached the church porch I knew I'd have to let it go, or it would probably run right back up to my head and my poor head would burst like a dropped watermelon, and all the brains and spit and tongue and eyes would roll all over the place. So I ran down into the yard and let it go. I ran, peeing and crying, not toward the toilet out back but to our house.

The hyperbole is bolded in the paragraph above. Here, Marguerite is emphasizing how badly she had to go to the bathroom. Supposedly, the immense pressure from the build-up of urine might have caused the contents of her bladder to run "right back up" to her head and caused her head to burst like a "dropped watermelon," if she had not relieved herself. The burst watermelon would then cause her "brains and spit and tongue and eyes" to roll all over the place like watermelon seeds. That's quite an overstatement!

However, Marguerite describes her experience this way to emphasize what an ordeal the recitation exercise was. Not only was she greatly embarrassed at her inability to remember her words, but she was also greatly humiliated at having to appear in front of the congregation in a poorly remodeled hand-me-down dress. Additionally, a full bladder made the ordeal difficult beyond endurance; the hyperbole perfectly emphasized the misery of her experience.

Frankenstein deserts his creation after putting in countless hours and energy into it, why?

Victor Frankenstein deserts his creature after having put years of effort into making him because, in the moment that the creature comes to life, "the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled [his] heart."  His dream of creating life, like a god, resulted in a terrifyingly ugly being, even though he had chosen the creature's features to be beautiful.  He describes the creature as "hideous" and he runs away from it, out into the night.  Victor feels horror, simple horror, and so he does what most human beings do when they are terribly scared, and that is run.  Disappointment also plays a large role in Victor's reaction to and desertion of his creature.  He had hoped for glory and gratitude from a new race of beings, and, instead, his creation is so horrible to look upon that even he, its maker, cannot do it. 

What is the life cycle of flowers as presented in the poem "A Contemplation Upon Flowers"?

In this poem, the narrator is admiring the life cycles of the flowers.

You come abroad, and make a harmless show,
And to your beds of earth again

He notes how the flowers grow and blossom, then humbly return to where they came from for the duration of the seasons that are not spring. The flowers are described as not fearing death, as they experience it every year. "O that I could my bed of earth but view / And smile, and look as cheerfully as you!" The flowers apparently smile and look cheerfully at death, knowing that they will return the next year. The human narrator wishes he did not fear death, since he prefers to live in a "constant spring."

The life cycle of the flowers is presented and focused on to emphasize the way that humans fear death. Flowers greet it and do not fear it, and the poem suggests that we look at our own lives the same way.

O teach me to see Death and not to fear,
But rather to take truce!

The narrator says this to begin his last stanza. He wants to learn from the flowers, and to make a "truce" with the concept that makes so many feel fear.

Hope this helps!

What foreshadowing did the author give about Paul in A River Runs Through It?

After Norman and Paul take Neal, Norman's brother-in-law, fishing, Norman stays at Paul's house for the night. Paul leaves, and then Norman receives a call from the police station that Paul has been arrested for starting a brawl in a bar. The police officer tells Norman that Paul has been drinking too much, and Norman finds Paul, drunk, in the jail. Norman learns that Paul is racking up gambling debts and that Paul likely started the brawl when someone insulted his girlfriend, who is part Native American. Norman also found Paul a few days before at a bar when Norman went to tell him about the proposed fishing trip with Neal. Norman does not know how to help his brother, however, when he hears about Paul's drinking and gambling. This episode is a foreshadowing of Paul's eventual death, when he is found beaten up in an alley, perhaps because he had a lot of gambling debts.

Explain why Amir's task is to not only atone for his own sins but for his father's as well in the novel The Kite Runner.

The protagonist in Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner, Amir, is motivated by guilt for most of his adult life for an act he committed in childhood. More specifically, it was an act he did not commit: he witnessed the rape of his best friend, Hassan, but did nothing to intervene. In fact, Amir violently rejected Hassan, desperately ashamed and discomfited by interacting with him. 

Later, Amir's guilt leads him to return to Afghanistan and rescue Hassan's son. However, it is not solely Amir's guilt that pushes him to this, some might say courageous, decision. As is revealed later in the text, Hassan is in fact Amir's half brother, fathered by Baba. In returning to Afghanistan for Sohrab, Amir recognizes Hassan's relationship with Baba as legitimate, complete with the responsibilities due to a family member in need. 

Why does nobody in Jonas' world seem to question the way that things work?

This is a good question to ask.  It seems hard to believe that people would simply go along with all the rules, with people being put to death, with the complete lack of choice.  However, there are a few aspects of this dystopia that are important to bear in mind.  The people have no memory of anything before their own lives. They have no knowledge of other ways to live. The people have the necessities of food, clothing, shelter, and safety, and the people take some sort of drug that represses their emotions, at the very least, their libidos. 

Imagine that you live in a community in which all choices are made for you.  You have no knowledge of any time past in which people made their own choices because memories are not handed down from one generation to the next, and there are no books, newspapers, or magazines that would reveal what life used to be like or what life might be like in other places.  It is a human tendency to believe that the way things are is the only way they can be, and if we have no knowledge to the contrary, we tend to accept the status quo. 

Imagine also that you have a perfectly good roof over your head, food in your belly, clothes on your back, and a safe and pain-free environment.  Giving all of that up would not be so easy to do.  Imagine that you would need to make your own choices, on marrying or not marrying, having children or not having children, what kind of work to do.  That sounds like most of us, but you would have had absolutely no practice in making decisions, not having been brought up to need to do so. In the real world, most of us bring up our children to help them learn how to do this, for example, letting them choose between two shirts to wear to school.  In this dystopia, even children's hair ribbons and jackets are chosen.  As they grow older, their entire lives are set up by the Elders.  No one in this community is equipped to make choices.

It appears that emotions are almost completely suppressed in the story.  Love does not exist, sexual yearning is suppressed through drugs, and anger is actively discouraged. The implication of this is that people will conform because they do not have the emotional wherewithal to protest or rebel. We are motivated by our emotions, whether they be love, anger, jealousy, envy, or happiness. These make up the human drive.

All of these, the lack of memory and knowledge, the safety and security, and the deliberate suppression of emotion, in combination, create a world in which people will do what they are told.  Only the Giver and Jonah understand that this is not a world that is good for people, that human beings need to remember, to know, to feel, and to make choices. Even if the choices are not good ones, this is how we are meant to best live.   

What is the importance of assimilation in The Bellarosa Connection and how does assimilation tie into the theme of survivor’s guilt? How would...

Nobel laureate Saul Bellow’s 1989 novella The Bellarosa Connection explores the impact of the Holocaust on survivors. The unnamed narrator is a Russian Jew from New Jersey who is a specialist in memory. He tells the story of Harry Fonstein, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust who had been rescued by Billy Rose, a New York celebrity who had had an underground operation in Rome.

The narrator is first introduced to Fonstein by his father who ''hoped it would straighten me out to hear what people had suffered in Europe, in the real world.'' This quote demonstrates these themes of assimilation and guilt, showing a tension felt by American Jews who haven’t faced “real world” terror and persecution.

Fonstein’s story is one of assimilation. As a refugee from a Nazi prison camp, Fonstein is helped by Billy Rose’s organization, the Bellarosa Society, to eventually make his way to New York where he becomes rich and successful. Fonstein’s wife Sorella says after meeting the elusive Billy Rose in person, “The Jews could survive everything that Europe threw at them. I mean the lucky remnant. But now comes the next test—America. Can they hold their ground, or will the USA be too much for them?” This quote demonstrates the difficulty of assimilation for European Jews in the USA. By “hold their ground,” the speaker may be referring to the conflicting desires to assimilate or to hold on to their identity, culture, past.

Later, in the narrator’s old age, he has a dream that brings this insight: “I had discovered for how long I had shielded myself from unbearable imaginations—no, not imaginations, but recognitions—of murder, of relish in torture, of the ground bass of brutality, without which no human music ever is performed.'' This quote implies a feeling similar to survivor’s guilt—the guilt of never having faced evil in the first place. The narrator, as an American born Jew, is fully assimilated into American culture but lives in the shadow of past brutality. The novel concludes with the narrator’s determination to “''record everything I could remember of the Bellarosa Connection.” Thus, memory becomes a way to honor and live with the past.

What are three important events that occurred in The Diary of a Young Girl between April 3, 1944 and August 1, 1944?

The following are three significant events that occur in The Diary of a Young Girl between Monday, April 3, 1944 and Tuesday, August 1, 1944:

1) On Tuesday, April 11, 1944, the warehouse which houses the secret annex hiding Anne and the others is broken into. Anne, Margot, their mother, and Mrs. van Daan wait while Otto, Mr. van Daan, and Peter go downstairs to investigate. Anne describes having "visions of all fifteen of us being dragged away by the Gestapo that very night." The police eventually come and rattle the bookcase guarding the entrance to the annex, which scares everyone even more. Anne states that "None of us have ever been in such danger as we were that night."

2) On Saturday, April 15, 1944 (which Anne writes about the next day, April 16th), Anne shares her first kiss with Peter. After sitting with Peter for a long time, Peter begins to caress Anne's cheek and arm and play with her hair. She describes what happens next as follows:

Peter put on his tennis shoes so he wouldn't make much noise on his nightly round of the building, and I was standing next to him. How I suddenly made the right movement, I don't know, but before we went downstairs, he gave me a kiss, through my hair, half on my left cheek and half on my ear.

3) On Tuesday, June 6, 1944, D-Day happens. The invasion has begun with "British landing craft... engaged in combat with German naval units" and "heavy bombing of Calais, Boulogne, Le Havre and Cherbourg, as well as Pas de Calais." Anne questions whether this is the beginning of the liberation, believing that she may be able to return to school in the fall. Sadly, Anne will never be liberated, nor will she return to school. But for now, there is hope.

What is the significance of the puppy? Why do you suppose Fitzgerald included it as an element in chapter 2?

The man from whom Tom Buchanan buys the dog "bore an absurd resemblance to John D. Rockefeller," a point that seems all the more notable in a book that emphasizes the difficulty, even the impossibility for some, of attaining the American Dream: the idea that any American, through hard work and perseverance, can prosper.  Certainly, to compare, in any way, a man selling dogs out of a basket on the street with Rockefeller is unexpected, but, here, it seems to be a statement on impossibility of the dream for this man: he may work hard and even look just like a millionaire, but he will never be able to reach that level of prosperity and influence himself.

Further, Myrtle Wilson's total lack of concern for her new puppy, once she'd sent someone for a box of straw and saucer of milk, is appalling and cruel.  It sheds a great deal of light on her character.  She wants things, she wants to have things, and she wants Tom to buy them for her.  She's not, however, interested in responsibility, and she is certainly not a kind or compassionate person.  During her party,

"The little dog was sitting on the table looking with blind eyes through the smoke, and from time to time groaning faintly."  

This dog is so young that she can hardly see, if at all.  She is surrounded by loud noises and loud people that she cannot see, without anyone to hold her or pet her or reassure her, and Myrtle is completely oblivious.  

Define ethics and discuss what ethical communication encompasses.

Ethics is a complex topic; it encompasses "doing the right thing" even if one doesn't want to at the moment. There are certain standards for fair treatment that stand beyond law, religious practices, or social acceptance. The US Declaration of Independence sums these up for the edification of King George III and states:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The ethical treatment of others involves recognizing their human rights which extend far beyond the US Bill of Rights and into quality of life issues such as the pursuit of happiness. 

Ethical communication applies ethics to the process of communications, which in a global economy can be challenging. Ethical communication involves recognizing others' rights but also involves empathy, which is the ability to see life from another person's perspective. If a person offends another through an oversight in communication, which is entirely possible given the complexities of human culture, then that could be impinging on that other person's sense of well-being. Ethical communication requires people to become aware not just of the content of their messages but also how those messages might be received by their audience. 

A lot of lip service is paid to the concept of ethics; a person is ethical when that person's actions reflect a sense of ethics and when it is clear that the person will take ethical action even if that action requires some kind of personal sacrifice.

What does Eurylochus mean when he says, "I’d rather die at sea, with one deep gulp of death, / than die by inches on this desolate island here!"

The answer is that Eurylochus was attempting to convince the rest of Odysseus' men to slaughter and eat the sacred cattle of Helios, the sun-god. Circe had warned Odysseus that his ships would be destroyed if he and his men ate Helios' cattle. Consequently, Odysseus made his men swear to leave the cattle alone.

However, the ship's stores began to run low. The men began to starve. Eurylochus—Odysseus' second-in-command—mutinies and attempts to convince the men to eat the cattle, even though they know that it might lead to their deaths. He says:

Listen to me, my comrades, brothers in hardship. All ways of dying are hateful to us poor mortals, true, but to die of hunger, starve to death—that’s the worst of all. So up with you now, let’s drive off the pick of Helios’ sleek herds, slaughter them to the gods who rule the skies up there.

If we ever make it home to Ithaca, native ground, erect at once a glorious temple to the Sungod, line the walls with hoards of dazzling gifts! But if the Sun, inflamed for his longhorn cattle, means to wreck our ship and the other gods pitch in—I’d rather die at sea, with one deep gulp of death, than die by inches on this desolate island here!

Eurylochus knows he is risking death by eating the cattle. However, he believes he is facing starvation (even though Circe had promised they would return safely if they left the cattle alone). After comparing a quick death—drowning—with a prolonged death—starvation—Eurylochus says that he would rather die quickly—"with one deep gulp of death"—than slowly—"by inches."

How do you write an aim for an experiment on the difference between antiseptics and disinfectants?

Typically, the aim of an experiment is a simple statement about the goal of the experiment or what the experiment wishes to achieve. In other words, it summarizes what the experimenter would learn after conducting the experiment. So, for an experiment about the differences between antiseptics and disinfectants, the aim statement could be:

• To determine the differences between antiseptics and disinfectants, or


• To demonstrate the differences between antiseptics and disinfectants.

Both antiseptic and disinfectants are chemicals that kill or disable micro-organisms. The main difference between the two is the surface to which they are applied. The chemicals that can be applied to living cells (such as our skin) or organisms, for killing or deactivating microorganisms, are known as antiseptics. Disinfectants, on the other hand, are applied to non-living surfaces (such as floor, glass, etc.) or products for killing or deactivating microorganisms. 

Both the disinfectants and antiseptics are commonly used for preventing diseases and infections.

Hope this helps. 

What are some of the major symbols in The Great Gatsby?I've already noted the colors, green, yellow, and gold, the green light, and the weather...

Symbols abound in The Great Gatsby, depending on what kind of symbolism you're looking for and how deeply you want to go into it.  

The color symbolism, as you've already found, is pretty rich, but not always immediately noticeable. For example, the whole "egg" aspect of the Long Island neighborhoods, along with Daisy's name, both refer to things that are white (pure) on the outside, and yellow (corrupt) within. In another instance, Myrtle allows several taxis to pass by, waiting to pick a "lavender-colored one," symbolizing her desire to be perceived as a member of a higher, more "royal" class than the one she occupies.

Physical items can also be seen as highly symbolic. The billboard featuring Doctor T.J. Eckleburg's eyes loom over the "valley of ashes," and they can be seen as the eyes of God watching in passive judgment over a wasteland of poverty and corruption.

When he first reunites with Daisy, Gatsby is "reclining against the mantelpiece," until the clock "tilt[s] dangerously ... whereupon he turned and [catches] it with trebling fingers."  Given Gatsby's preoccupation with time and his desire to have Daisy and Tom's five-year marriage "wiped out forever," it's symbolic that he literally holds time in his hands after nearly toppling it. Additionally, during the fateful afternoon at the Plaza Hotel, the "portentous chords of Mendelssohn's Wedding March" waft from a ballroom, ironically symbolizing a marriage beginning, just as Daisy's and Tom's is being challenged. 

The names of the guests who attend Gatsby's parties that Nick compiles at the beginning of chapter four are symbolic as well; names like "Fishguard," " Hammerhead," "Beluga,"  "Civet," "Catlip," "Ferret," "Duckweed," and "Bull," all share associations with animals, symbolizing the recklessness and animalistic behavior so characteristic of Gatsby's uninvited visitors.

Finally, Gatsby's shirt collection that Daisy finds so emotionally captivating holds symbolic significance as well. They are "coral and apple green and lavender and faint orange," all pastel shades, that, like his "pink suit," symbolize Gatsby's carefree and romantic personality, as well as his desire to add to the "colossal vitality of his illusion" of himself.

What is capitalism and why is it important for supporting free and open markets? Why do you think countries such as China (with planned economies)...

I don't see how it is possible to sustain free and open markets without capitalism. By definition, capitalism is made up of buyers and sellers who exercise free choice in all they produce and consume. There is no such thing as pure capitalism, as every capitalist economy has some restraints upon it, which may be to create a level playing field, protect consumers, or protect the environment. The whole idea is to allow people to make what they wish to make—and as much as they want to make—for whatever price they wish, and to allow people to decide what they wish to buy, how much of it they want, and the price they are willing to pay. In a capitalist society, people are far more highly motivated to produce and consume than they are in a planned economy.

Motivation is only one drawback to the planned economy. In a planned economy, the government decides who is going to produce what. The government decides quantity and price. This restricts what is available to the consumer. The government is not prescient, so it often does not know what there will be a demand for, which means goods may very well go unsold. The government may not order the production of goods that people actually want or need. If the needs or desires in an economy shift—which they do—the government may not be flexible or resilient enough to keep up with these shifts. Of course, when people are told what they have to do, they are singularly unmotivated to do it better or faster or to try to do it more creatively. A planned economy stifles creativity. 

China is one country that has been moving toward private enterprise for a while now. I am of the opinion that its re-acquisition of Hong Kong made its rulers see capitalism's advantages quite dramatically. For China to grow its GDP; be part of the modern world; and feed, clothe, and house over 1.3 billion people, capitalism makes a much better model.

What does Gladwell say most people believe about those who are deemed successful versus those who are not?

Most of us believe wildly successful people are special in some way. They have more innate and superior talent than the rest of us, have perfect bodies, or are equipped with the diligence to work continually on improving themselves. To use an old phrase, they pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell provides key examples to show many other factors have always been in play for these individuals to gain their high status. Near the end of Chapter One, “The Matthew Effect,” he says:

We cling to the idea that success is a simple function of individual merit and that the world in which we all grow up and the rules we choose to write as a society don’t matter at all.

And near the end of Chapter Two, “The 10,000-Hour Rule,” he further advances this point:

There are very clearly patterns here, and what’s striking is how little we seem to want to acknowledge them. We pretend that success is exclusively a matter of individual merit. But there’s nothing in any of the histories we’ve looked at so far to suggest things are that simple. These are stories, instead, about people who were given a special opportunity to work really hard and seized it, and who happened to come of age at a time when that extraordinary effort was rewarded by the rest of society. Their success was not just of their own making. It was a product of the world in which they grew up.

The rest of the book goes on to outline and illustrate the kinds of historical, cultural, and even linguistic factors that have helped specific individuals advance in areas where “normal” people have not. Reading this book can change the way you define “success.”

Can anyone provide me with the quote in William Golding's Lord of the Flies where Piggy first suggests making a list?

In chapter 1 when Piggy and Ralph have not yet met any of the other boys, Piggy asks Ralph his name and expects Ralph to ask him his name. To remind Ralph to return the courtesy, Piggy says, "I expect we'll want to know all their names ... and make a list." He then suggests having a meeting. Ralph doesn't take the hint, and doesn't continue the conversation, so Piggy ends up revealing his nickname rather than his real name. That does catch Ralph's attention, and he immediately begins teasing Piggy. 

Later, Ralph throws the idea of the list back in Piggy's face. Piggy tries to get each boy's name as he appears while Ralph is blowing the conch. He shouts each name out at Ralph, but Ralph shows no interest. During the first meeting, Piggy says, "We got most names. ... Got 'em just now." Piggy is trying to be useful as well as trying to impress Ralph. Nevertheless, Ralph spurns Piggy when choosing two boys to explore the island. He tells Piggy to remain behind and take names. In chapter 2 when the boys build the first fire that gets out of control, Piggy laments that the boys haven't "put first things first." They have played at building a fire before taking account of all the littluns. Ralph shoots back at him, "I told you to get a list of names!" Ralph unfairly blames Piggy for not taking the responsibility that Ralph didn't take seriously. 

In chapter 8, when Jack has left the group, taking most of the biguns with him, Ralph becomes more interested in making a list than Piggy is. Ralph says, "We'll have to make a new list of who's to look after the fire." Piggy replies, "If you can find 'em." When Ralph reiterates, "We've got to have a list," Piggy "leaned forward and put a fragment of wood on the fire." He replies without matching Ralph's level of concern, "I expect they've gone. I expect they won't play either." The role reversal between Piggy and Ralph and their interest in lists is ironic and unfortunate. If Ralph and Piggy had seen eye to eye and respected each other's point of view more, the boys would have been better off.

What evidence would you cite to defend Papa's actions in chapters 11 and 12 of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor?

In Chapter 11, T.J. shows up at the Logans' house and tells them he's been badly hurt. R.W. and Melvin Simms tricked him into robbing Mr. Barnett's store in Strawberry. The Simms brothers wore masks during the robbery, and R.W. hit Mr. Barnett with the flat part of an axe. They left Mr. Barnett on the floor; Mrs. Barnett also fell in a scuffle. When T.J. wanted to tell the authorities what happened, the Simms brothers beat him badly. After Stacey and the other Logan children return T.J. to his house, they see a white mob show up. The mob includes the Simms brothers, who tell people T.J. was responsible for hurting the Barnetts, although in reality they were. The mob enters the Avery house with violence:

Soon, the front door was flung open from the inside and Mr. and Mrs. Avery were dragged savagely by their feet from the house. The Avery girls were thrown through the open windows. The older girls, attempting to gather the younger children to them, were slapped back and spat upon. Then quiet, gentle Claude was hauled out, knocked to the ground and kicked.

The mob is bent on violence, though Mr. Jamison tries to convince them to let the authorities deal with T.J. When the Logan children go home to tell their parents what happened, Papa leaves with his gun. Mama says Harlan Granger will stop the white mob, but Papa says Harlan would have already done so if that was his intent. 

Suddenly, a fire breaks out in the cotton fields. Both black and white men, including those who were in the mob, work together to put out the fire. At the same time, T.J. is transported to jail. It is clear Papa started the fire to distract the white mob from hurting T.J.'s family. Although this is a criminal act, it is defensible because Papa knew the mob might kill or hurt T.J. and his family. The men in the mob mentioned the ropes they had, so they were clearly thinking about lynching the Avery family. Papa knows about other events in the community, such as the burning of the house belonging to the Berrys in Chapter 1, that show a white mob can be deadly and destructive. Additionally, he knew that men like Harlan Granger, who might've stopped the mob, had not done so. Also, Papa started the fire on his own land, not anyone else's, so the fire he started only hurt his land. Finally, the fire achieved what he wanted—an avoidance of the worst kind of vigilante justice. 

From Chapters 27-31, what is one major quote and why is it significant in To Kill a Mockingbird?

One passage that is significant is found in Chapter 30:

"If this thing's hushed up it'll be a simple denial to Jem of the way I've tried to raise him....Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me, and I've tried to live so I can look squarely back at him... if I connived at something like this, frankly I couldn't meet his eye, and the day I can't do that I'll know I've lost him.

This passage is important because it relates to the motifs of Morals and Ethics, as well as Family. Throughout the narrative, Atticus Finch has been, as Miss Maudie says, the same "in his house as he is on the public streets." So, when he confers with Sheriff Tate who insists that Jem has not killed Bob Ewell because Ewell fell upon his own blade, Atticus tells him that he does not want any special favors done for his son because of his position in town. Nor can he "connive" a falsification of what has happened in order to spare his son notoriety. He must continue to be the same "inside his house" or he will lose his own self-respect as well as the respect of his son. Setting a good example for his children is extremely important to Atticus; being a fair and upright man is also important to Atticus in his community as a lawyer, and in his life as a man.

These words of Atticus emphasize his ethical nature. Being a moral and ethical man is of paramount importance to Atticus Finch. If he is not morally and ethically right, Atticus cannot feel that he is an attorney or a father worthy of respect.

As it turns out, however, Tate convinces Atticus that Jem did not kill Bob Ewell. However, with having Bob Ewell fall on his own knife, Tate tries to protect Boo Radley from having to appear in court. While Atticus has been willing to allow Jem to appear in court because he does not wish to lose his son's respect, he sees the wisdom of what Tate says by letting retribution be the justice against Ewell.

How would Frindle be different if told from Mrs. Granger's point of view?

Frindle would be a completely different story if told from Mrs. Granger's point of view, as we would be getting the more "truthful" angle!

In the book, fifth grader Nick Allen comes under fire from his widely disliked English teacher, Mrs. Granger, after he invents "frindle," a new name for a pen. The book follows Nick as his linguistic creation gains attention across the nation and scorn from Mrs. Granger. Mrs. Granger believes this new word disrespects the word "pen," and she tries to punish any student who uses it. 

At the end of the story, it is revealed Mrs. Granger believed in Nick the whole time and intentionally acted as a devil's advocate against the use of "frindle" to create more buzz around it and make it popular.

Thus, had the story been told from Mrs. Granger's perspective, we would be much more sympathetic to her character, as it would be clear she had Nick's best intentions at heart the whole time.

How does the town of Maycomb react to Tom's death? Whom do they blame?

There are various reactions from residents of Maycomb when they learn of Tom Robinson's death.

When Atticus interrupts the Missionary Tea, he speaks to Calpurnia, asking her to accompany him to Helen Robinson's house. Aunt Alexandra asks what is wrong. "Tom's dead." Then, he reacts by saying,

"We had such a good chance [on the appeal]...." I guess Tom was tired of white men's chances and preferred to take his own."

• Aunt Alexandra

Aunt Alexandra is concerned about what the ordeal with Tom Robinson has done to Atticus. Of the town, she says,

"They're perfectly willing to let him do what they are afraid to do themselves....to let him wreck his health doing what they're afraid to do."

• Miss Maudie

Miss Maudie tells Alexandra that there are a "handful of people who say that fair play is not marked White Only, and they have sympathy for the black community. They are the "handful of people with background."
She adds that these people trust him to do right. 

• Helen Robinson 

When Atticus tells her the sad news, poor Helen falls to the ground.

• Mr. Underwood

Mr. Underwood writes a bitter editorial in the section marked "The Colored News." He writes that it is wrong to kill cripples, no matter what they are doing. Scout observes, "He likened Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children. As Scout reads on, she comprehends Mr. Underwood's meaning. Although Atticus had done all that he could,

...in the secret courts of men's hearts, Atticus had no case.Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.

The reprobate Ewell is reported to have said that it "made one down and about two more to go."

• The townspeople

"To Maycomb, Tom's death is typical.  Typical of a n****r to cut and run.  Typical of a n*****s mentality to have no plan, no thought for the future, just run blind first chance he saw...." Some have said that Atticus could have gotten him off on the charges; others say you know how they are."

In "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, what is the effect of the remark that they could "be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for...

By now we all know that the yearly lottery is the ritualistic stoning to death of a randomly chosen person in the village.  Therefore, it’s shocking to hear the narrator so casually state that this village is small enough to finish their lottery in time for lunch.  This offhand comment suggests that this is the complacent feeling of all the villagers about the lottery.

Because the lottery has gone on for so long and is done in other towns as well, it is simply accepted as a normal part of their yearly routine, just like planting, harvesting, and holidays.  To them it’s simply another yearly event to get through. They even have a saying, "'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.'"  They only seem to think about it on the day it occurs, and they go about it in the same ritualistic pattern every year.

The morbid nature of their attitudes is really brought home by the thought that these people will stone one of their neighbors or loved ones to death, then go home and actually eat a meal.  Accepting the lottery without question is a prescriptive social value, meaning that they all judge each other by their participation and apply negative pressure to anyone balking the system.  Old Man Warner demonstrates this when he calls the north village a "'Pack of crazy fools'" for considering putting their lottery to an end. It seems that blindly following tradition has erased some part of their humanity, which brings us to Shirley Jackson’s prophetic message.  

We need to think for ourselves, rather than take the easy route of falling into the group mentality of societal norms.  Just because everyone else is doing it, doesn’t mean it is the right thing to do.  Jackson’s illustration is drastic for a reason--to shock us out of our complacent view of our societal values, so we can reevaluate through the filter of our own humanity.

Will the color of methyl orange change if water is added to it?

Methyl orange is an acid-base indicator and is commonly used in determining the acidity or alkalinity of a given water sample. The color change of this indicator is pH dependent. In an alkaline solution, the color of the indicator is yellow, while in an acidic solution, the color of the indicator is red.

However, the color change does not take place at the neutral pH. Methyl orange has a pH range of 3.1-4.4. Another thing to keep in mind is that the color is gradual and not drastic. That is, as we keep on adding acid to an alkaline solution, the solution will change its color from yellow to orange and then finally to red.

Water normally has a pH value of around 7 (could be in the range of 6.5-7.5 or so). At that pH, the color of methyl orange is yellow. So, the addition of water to methyl orange will not have an effect on the color and the solution will still be around neutral pH and yellow in color. 

Hope this helps.

Does Macbeth know that the murder of Duncan is a terrible action in Shakespeare's Macbeth? Does he see it as a right action?

Macbeth knows that killing Duncan is wrong, and the only thing that justifies it is his greed.

Macbeth is aware that killing Duncan is a terrible deed.  He wants to kill Duncan so he can be king, as the witches prophesied.  However, even he understands that there is no reason to kill Duncan.  In a soliloquy, he says that Duncan has done nothing to deserve death.

He's here in double trust;
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. (Act 1, Scene 7)

Lady Macbeth talks him into it.  She is convinced that they will not fail, and she goads him into action by telling him he is a coward.  He does not seem to be able to stand up to her.  She convinces him not that the action is right, but that they will get away with it.

After killing Duncan, Macbeth is a mess.  He is already starting to hallucinate, because he is guilt-ridden over what he has done.  When he was in the room with Duncan and the guards, he thought he heard them calling him a murderer.

Methought I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep,' the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care,
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast,--  (Act 2, Scene 2)

Lady Macbeth tells him he has nothing to worry about.  She does chide him for not leaving the daggers with the bodies.  That was part of their plan for framing the guards and Duncan’s sons.  However, Macbeth was too upset to go back into the room and face what he had done.  His guilt only grows from here, along with the death count.

Are appropriated texts just as valuable as the texts upon which they were based such as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, based on "The Yellow...

To appropriate a text is to adapt a text in a way that we make it our own. We change the original text in such a way that the new version adds further creativity and insight. If Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale was inspired by Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Victorian era short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," the adaptation is so loosely based that both texts maintain their own integrity and value. In reality, there are not many similarities between the stories, but they do share the common theme concerning the dangers of being oppressed by a patriarchal society.

In her article "Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper," author Gilman explains she wrote her story to capture a real-life recurring Victorian nightmare called the "rest cure," a so-called cure she herself was subjected to. According to Gilman, in this era, when women showed symptoms of what we now call postpartum depression, physicians would prescribe a "rest cure" in which they were told to rest by remaining completely isolated from society, being completely forbidden to "touch pen, brush, or pencil again," just as Jane in the story was isolated and forbidden from thinking or writing. Jane was forbidden from doing anything but resting and taking in fresh air. Through the story, Gilman shows the destructiveness of such oppression since Jane's oppression sent her into a state of madness. Gilman clearly asserts her purpose in writing the story was to rescue people from such oppression by showing that such oppression could, quite literally, "drive people crazy" ("Why I Wrote").

In contrast, women in The Handmaid's Tale, such as the narrator and protagonist Offred, are treated as sex slaves. As sex slaves, they are imprisoned in the home of a man, and their sole duty is to have and raise children. If they fail to have children, they are arrested and sent to clean up nuclear waste until they die. Atwood's purpose in writing the story was to show what society would be like if we turned back the hands of time to when we imprisoned women in domestic roles as child-bearers, something Atwood thinks is a real possibility.

Though Gilman's and Atwood's purposes were very different, both relay the theme expressing the dangers of imprisoning women in subservient domestic roles. Plus, since their story lines are so very different, Atwood's novel does not lose any integrity in having been inspired by Gilman's story if it was so inspired.

Define an expression for distance travelled by a body with uniform acceleration.

Acceleration is the measure of velocity change, mathematically it is expressed as  `a(t) = v'(t),` where `t` is time, `v` is the velocity and `a` is the acceleration. Note that velocity is a vector quantity and therefore acceleration is a vector, too. Velocity, in turn, is the derivative of displacement `d` (also a vector quantity).

If the acceleration of a body is a constant vector, its velocity and displacement are collinear with the acceleration, so the movement is along a straight line. This line is suitable for projection as an axis. Denote the magnitude of the acceleration as `a,` the speed at `t = 0` as `v_0` and let the starting position to be zero.

Integrating the equality `v'(t) = a` we obtain `v(t) = at + v_0,` integrating `d'(t) = v(t) = at + v_0` we obtain `d(t) = (a t^2)/2 + v_0 t.` This is the distance travelled since `t=0.` The distance travelled between moments `t_1` and `t_2` is

 `a(t_2^2- t_1^2)/2 + v_0 (t_2 - t_1).`

What is the point of view in the poem "Genius Child" by Langston Hughes?

Point of view refers to the perspective from which the narrator tells the story or a speaker presents his thoughts in a poem. In this poem, Langston Hughes has adopted a first-person perspective. This means the speaker assumes a subjective stance and presents what he thinks of a particular situation, event, or idea.

In "Genius Child," Hughes' perception regarding the treatment of individuals who are seen as geniuses is that they are much maligned and even feared by society. He might be speaking about his own experiences and applies this to, what he believes, are the experiences of geniuses (especially in childhood) worldwide. This does not necessarily make his perspective true.

The speaker is clearly bitter and resentful about the manner in which society supposedly treats such children and shockingly suggests that the genius child should be killed because, in death, the child's soul can "run wild." The intimation is obvious. In life, such a child is restricted and not given the opportunity to exercise his or her genius. Since society cannot bear the open and free nature of such children, it purposely and forcefully binds them and hampers their development. Hughes feels death is the only thing that will free them from such bondage.

The poem clearly suggests that genius children are seen as a threat, for even the song, which the poem is, should be sung softly.

It is also evident that the speaker believes such children cannot be loved. He compares them to eagles and rhetorically asks if such a creature can be loved. It is significant that he chooses an eagle because they are seen as symbols of freedom, courage, and strength—admirable qualities—but he questions whether they can be loved. It is as if Hughes is mocking society's short-sighted attitude to child geniuses. Genius children possess all these qualities but are shunned, restricted, and ill-treated because society has an irrational fear of them. They are seen as monsters who generate fear at the mere mention of their names.

The repetition of the line "Nobody loves a genius child,"and its separation from the general text, emphasizes the speaker's sentiment that genius children are treated with disdain. The word 'nobody' powerfully suggests that such children are not even loved by their immediate families. This sentiment, more than anything else, indicates the poet's subjective perspective, as his claim definitely cannot be seen as a universal truth.

In the movie I Am Legend, how is the doctor injured after releasing himself from the trap?

Dr. Robert Neville, played by Will Smith, is injured in the movie shortly after falling prey to a trap presumably set up by "the infected," people who are infected with the zombie like virus that causes them to become allergic to sunlight.  The injuries occur as a result of his dog and only friend dying.

The trap is set up through the use of "Fred," a mannequin that Neville talks to at the movie store.  Driving through the city Neville sees Fred standing in the middle of the road, which causes Neville confusion and anger.  When he goes to investigate the matter he is caught up in an ankle spring trap. He wakes up hanging upside down in the growing darkness from his watch alarm. He frees himself from the trap and is immediately cornered by three infected dogs. In the following fight, Neville's dog Sam is bitten and infected.  After returning to the safe house, Neville has no choice but to euthanize Sam. The tragic death of his only friend forces Neville into a spiral. He charges into the night and recklessly attacks the infected.  He corners a large group at the end of a pier and uses his SUV as a weapon.  As the pack of infected fight against the SUV they flip it over injuring Dr. Neville. Only the sudden appearance of Anna saves him from being killed or being infected.   

Who was the intended audience for "Hip Hop Planet" by James McBride, and what was his purpose for writing it?

James McBride's "Hip Hop Planet" was published in National Geographic magazine in 2007, so his initial intended audience would have been its readership. The essay has been widely anthologized since then and read by a diverse audience of people interested in popular culture, music history, and rap and hip hop's global influence. McBride's research included his own history with a style of music that he took great pains to avoid even as it emerged around him when he was a young man in New York. His research took him from New York to West Africa to Dayton, Ohio as he sought to understand what informs hip hop and why it is so appealing to such a diverse audience all over the world. Ultimately, he developed an appreciation for rap and hip hop, and the essay makes a case for why it should not be dismissed as an art form.

What do you predict would have happened to West Berlin if the Berlin Airlift hadn't been created?

The Berlin Airlift began on June 24, 1948, when the Soviets, who occupied East Berlin, blockaded the western part of the city, which was occupied by the Americans, the French, and the British. Until May 12, 1949 (the date on which the Soviets lifted the blockade), the Americans and British flew in food and fuel to West Berlin. During the Airlift, the Allies brought 2.3 million tons of supplies into West Berlin. Without this assistance, it is likely West Berlin would have faced great hardship, including starvation, lack of fuel, and illness due to a lack of medicine. Over time, the Soviets might have decided to make inroads into West Berlin, as the people would have been desperate for aid and would have wanted the Soviets' help. West Berlin might have joined with East Berlin and become part of the Soviet sector. 

A roller coaster car rapidly picks up speed as it rolls down a slope. As it starts down the slope, its speed is 4 m/s. At the bottom of the slope,...

Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity. In other words,

a =  dv/dt

where a is the acceleration, dv is the change in velocity and dt is the change in time. This can also be simply written as:

acceleration = (final velocity - initial velocity) / (final time - initial time)

In this case, the final velocity = 22 m/s and the initial velocity of the roller coaster is 4 m/s. 

However, no time interval is given. Assuming that it takes the roller coaster 3 seconds to get to the final velocity, the time interval = 3 s.

Thus, average acceleration = (22 m/s - 4 m/s) / 3 s

= (18 m/s) / 3 s

= 6 m/s^2.

Thus, the roller coaster ride has an average acceleration of 6 m/s^2 over the given time duration.

Hope this helps. 

How is the human body plan and a fly body plan similiar?

Although they are in different phyla--humans in Chordata and flies in Arthropoda--both have a great many similarities in their body plans.

Both are bilaterally symmetrical; that is, there is one and only one axis that can "divide" their body in half. The right side of a human's body is the mirror image of the left; the same is true for a fly.

Both the human and the fly have cephalization--their major sensory organs for sight, hearing, taste, etc., are at one end of their bodies (the head).

Both humans and flies are coelomates (or eucoelomates, in some texts). These animals have a "true" coelom, or body cavity, that contains organs. They have three cell layers--ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. These embryonic layers become different cell types and organs. Other types of animals have no coelom, or a pseudo (false) coelom.

A difference between humans and flies in their body plans is that humans are deuterostomes, and flies are protostomes. This means that the first indentation into the developing embryo becomes the anus in humans, and the mouth in flies.

What are some strengths of Mark Antony in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar?

Mark Antony is persuasive, politically savvy, and ruthless. 

Mark Antony took advantage of Caesar’s death, even if he wasn’t complicit in it. He convinced Brutus he would go along with whatever the conspirators had planned, but then used the pulpit Brutus gave him to sway the people of Rome to his side. Antony also tried to get Octavius to follow his lead, but that was a little more difficult. 

When Caesar was killed, Antony acted immediately. He sent word to Octavius not to come into the city, and then arranged a meeting with Brutus. Over Caesar’s dead body, Antony shook hands with the conspirators and convinced Brutus let him speak to the public. 

Antony uses his speech to turn the people of Rome against the conspirators. He starts off by seemingly praising Brutus and the others, but it soon becomes clear he is actually accusing them. 

O masters, if I were disposed to stir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honourable men:
I will not do them wrong; I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I will wrong such honourable men (Act III, Scene 2).

Antony's speech works; the now-angry mob runs the conspirators out of town. Antony joins forces with Octavius and Lepidus, and the three of them begin a transcription. Antony feels he has the most military experience and should be in charge.

Antony demonstrates his ruthlessness with his callous reaction to his nephew’s conscription. 

LEPIDUS

Upon condition Publius shall not live,
Who is your sister's son, Mark Antony.

ANTONY

He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn him.
But, Lepidus, go you to Caesar's house;
Fetch the will hither, and we shall determine
How to cut off some charge in legacies (Act IV, Scene 1).

Antony tries to convince Octavius to agree to do what he says, but if Antony says to go left, Octavius wants to go right. Octavius's age — he is just a teenager — and relative lack of military experience does not convince Octavius to follow Antony’s lead. This will be a problem later, even though Octavius and Antony's side wins and Brutus and Cassius kill themselves.

What are three important quotes from Sodapop in The Outsiders?

Sodapop is the middle brother in the Curtis family. Throughout the novel, the younger Ponyboy often conflicts with his oldest brother Darry, but tends to idolize Sodapop. Ponyboy describes Sodapop as being "movie-star handsome" and seemingly always happy. Ponyboy says that Sodapop never drinks alcohol but he is usually "drunk on just plain living." Ponyboy also claims that Soda "understands everybody." Appropriately, Sodapop has some important lines during the course of the story.

One important quote which illustrates Sodapop's love for Ponyboy is in chapter six when Darry and Soda come to the hospital after Ponyboy has been injured trying to save the kids from the burning church. When Soda first sees Pony, he says, "Oh, Ponyboy, your hair... your tuff, tuff hair..." As explained by Ponyboy, the term "tuff" refers to something that is "sharp" or "cool" like a nice car. 

A quote in chapter nine helps to reveal Sodapop's free spirit. In this chapter, the boys are preparing for the "rumble" with the Socs and Ponyboy is curious as to why each boy fights. Soda says, "It's action, it's a contest. Like a drag race or a dance or something." Like everything in his life, Soda tries to make fighting something fun and desirable.

Finally, Soda reveals his vulnerability in the last chapter after he finds that his girlfriend Sandy has returned his letter unopened. He becomes upset with the constant bickering between Ponyboy and Darry. He finally can't take it anymore and storms out of the house. When Pony and Darry track him down, he says, "We're all we've got left. We ought to be able to stick together against everything." Afterward, Pony and Darry understand what they're doing to Soda and the relationship between the three brothers is strengthened.  

What is a possible theme and theme statement, along with supporting examples from The Giver?

A theme from the book is that emotions are necessary for the human experience.  This is supported by the fact that community has no emotions and commits atrocities without questioning them. 

The main lesson from The Giver is that you cannot create a perfect world where there are no emotions and everyone is the same.  While emotions may cause us pain sometimes, life just is not worth living without them.  In human nature, you have to take the good with the bad. 

In trying to create a utopia where everyone is always happy, and there is no poverty, war, or hunger, Jonas’s community commits many atrocities.  They regularly kill people who do not conform.  We would consider many of the moral choices made by Jonas’s community questionable, including killing people for minor infractions, killing the elderly, and killing babies. 

Jonas’s community enforces conformity very harshly. From a young age citizens are raised to follow the community’s expectations, and there is very little room for individuality.  There are no relationships like we have in our world.  Everything is very artificial, and there is no attachment.  Babies are born to anonymous birthmothers, raised in an institutional setting for the first year, and then assigned to “family units” that consist of pre-matched mother and father figures. 

The community keeps people in a chemically-induced pre-adolescent state.  All adults take pills for Stirrings, which is a euphuism for sexual feelings.  The community uses the Stirrings to determine when people are maturing so they can stop it.  Jonas begins taking the pills at first, but since he has experienced the memories he knows that this feeling-free existence is not right. 

And his new, heightened feelings permeated a greater realm than simply his sleep. Though he knew that his failure to take the pills accounted for some of it, he thought that the feelings came also from the memories. Now he could see all of the colors; and he could keep them, too, so that the trees and grass and bushes stayed green in his vision. (Ch. 17) 

Jonas finds out that his community has done more than make sure everyone looks the same and acts the same.  In addition to eliminating colors and feelings, the community also controls climate and landscape.  People are kept in line with release.  It controls the population because the elderly are released regularly and the only children born are planned.  People who do not conform are also released.  This even includes babies. 

Jonas is horrified when he learns what release means. He watches his father kill a newborn baby just because it has an identical twin.  When you have eliminated feelings from your society, this kind of thing can happen.  The Giver tells Jonas that they know nothing.  They do not even realize that what they are doing could be considered wrong, because having Sameness is their first priority.