An aqueous KOH solution has a hydroxide concentration equal to 0.02 mol/L. What is the KOH concentration in this solution?

An aqueous solution of KOH has a hydroxide (OH-) concentration of 0.02 mole/L.  The hydroxide ion is the OH- portion of KOH.  When KOH (potassium hydroxide) is dissolved in water is dissociates into its respective ions, potassium and hydroxide.  The ion dissociation is shown in the chemical equation below.

KOH ---> K+ + OH-

We can look at the above equation and learn that one mole of potassium hydroxide produces one mole of potassium cations and one mole of hydroxide anions.  So if we have a solution that is 0.02 mol/L in hydroxide ions, we know that it was originally 0.02 mol/L concentration in potassium hydroxide since they are related to one another on a one to one molar ratio.  The concentration of potassium ions would also be 0.02 mol/L as well.

How did General Zaroff first come to the island in "The Most Dangerous Game?"

General Zaroff bought the island after he got bored with hunting ordinary game. 

Zaroff was an aristocrat that got forced out of Russia with the revolution.  His family had been very rich, and he managed to hold onto his money despite the economic turmoil that followed.  

"After the debacle in Russia I left the country, for it was imprudent for an officer of the Czar to stay there. Many noble Russians lost everything. I, luckily, had invested heavily in American securities, so I shall never have to open a tearoom in Monte Carlo or drive a taxi in Paris.  …” 

Zaroff continued to travel the world hunting more and more exotic game, but it was boring for him.  He had been a hunter since he was a child, and it was the only thing he found exciting in life.  When Rainsford asks Zaroff what new animal he found to hunt, Zaroff explains the purpose of the island.

"I never joke about hunting. I needed a new animal. I found one. So I bought this island built this house, and here I do my hunting. The island is perfect for my purposes--there are jungles with a maze of traits in them, hills, swamps--"

The island had a reputation as dangerous among sailors.  It was called Ship-Trap Island.  Zaroff seeded the island with prey by placing lights to indicate a channel where there was none.  Ships would get grounded there and he would take the sailors prisoner.  These he forced to play his game.

Rainsford is horrified that Zaroff is actually hunting people on his island.  He knows that he is trapped on the island and has no way off.  He calls Zaroff’s activities murder, but Zaroff thinks he is being Puritanical.  In Zaroff’s world-view, only the strong deserve to survive.   He is strong, so he wins.

What are examples of alliteration in "God's Grandeur"? How do they contribute to the tone, color and meaning of the poem?

It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil / crushed.

In this line, the alliteration is happening on the stressed syllables.  ("Ooze of oil" is not quite a perfect alliteration, but it is close enough to have the desired effect, especially since visually, both words begin with the same letter.)  The main effect in this line is to slow the reader down.  The letter g is a heavily voiced sound, and the "oo" and "oi" sounds both require some effort to make, because they are long vowels and call for rounded lips.  Therefore the reader has to slow down a bit on these words, which gives them a slightly greater emphasis and a ponderous dignity, just like something gathering to a greatness.

Why do men then now not reck His rod?

The alliteration in this line has a very different effect.  It does not just slow the reader down, it actually makes the line very difficult to read, especially on the first pass.  The rhyme of "men then" sets us up to expect few effects, or at least easy effects, after it ... but instead we immediately get "now" coming before "not," which trips us up.  Then some difficult alliteration with r's, which is one of the hardest sounds in English to pronounce.  This is called cacophony, and it is very appropriate to have a difficult, cacophonous line here because the poet is telling us that something is not right.  The line also sounds really cool when it is mastered and read quickly and smoothly.  Because "now not" interrupts the rhythm of the line, the alliteration in this line actually encourages us to move through it quickly, though trippingly. 

... and all is seared with trade; smeared, bleared with toil,

In this line we have the unpleasant s sound in "seared" alliterating with sm sound in "smeared" (which is also difficult because we have to notice the addition of the m).  We also have a lot of r's, near the beginning of the word in "trade," and near the end in the other key words.  None of these words (except "toil") are particularly easy to say.  The effect is like a tongue twister.  It is, again, difficult to read aloud, and gives the reader the same unpleasant feeling that the poet gets when looking at this smeared, bleared world. 

What is the climax of Hope was Here by Joan Bauer?

Joan Bauer's Hope was Here follows the story of Hope Yancey, a teenager who was abandoned by her birth mother, Deena, and is now being raised by her Aunt Addie in Brooklyn. After the diner Hope and Addie work at closes down, the pair moves to Mulhoney, Wisconsin, to work at the Welcome Stairways Diner. Although the restaurant itself contains many lovely, friendly people, Mulhoney is riddled by political corruption.

The climax of the book occurs when G.T., the owner of Welcome Stairways, loses the race to become mayor of the city because Eli Millstone, the incumbent mayor, has rigged the election by 1) lying to the town and telling them G.T.'s cancer has spread to his brain, and 2) faking the votes under the names of townspeople who did not vote. Addie reveals this information, which results in the electoral decision being overturned and G.T. becoming the new mayor. G.T. marries Addie and adopts Hope, emotionally satisfying her lifelong search for her father.

How does the author of The Age of Innocence portray New York society in Book 1, Chapter 3?

In this passage from The Age of Innocence: American Literature, Edith Wharton describes New York society through the characters and setting. In the passage from Book 1, Chapter 3, Wharton alludes to many aspects of New York that help present it in context for the reader.

• In line 6, the author hints at the importance of wealth in New York society. Wharton first introduces the idea of "common" people and then goes on to describe Mrs. Beaufort as "a penniless beauty."


• Line 14 describes Mr. Beaufort as "...an important person in the world of affairs," after presenting him as agreeable, handsome, and witty. In fact, this part is extremely important in communicating what the author thinks the ideal man would look like: an Englishman.


• Lines 18-20 describe another critical component of New York society, which is evident in the importance of housing as a social statement. The author wrote, "...she had the most distinguished house in New York," which alludes to the weight the society placed on prestige and presentation.


• Lines 20-22 describe the ideal woman according to the author: blonde, wearing pearls, young, and "jeweled." These lines mirror the description of Mr. Beaufort.


• Lines 24-26 offer the reader a look into the lifestyle of the New Yorkers in this passage--they train servants, hire chefs and gardeners, and hosted parties with guests. This is another critical point that the author hones in on to describe a life in a New York society (at this level of wealth).


• Finally, the last paragraph hints at the secrecy behind New York's wealth and the complicated relationship between the social world (rumors) and social status (money).

Throughout this passage, the author presents New York lifestyle as something beautiful, wealthy, prestigious, sought after, and cunning. Of course, this is just one view of New York society--had the author focused on people in poverty-stricken areas, this story would look entirely different. In fact, the way the author presents this story may reveal quite a bit about her own perspectives or bias toward this time frame in New York and/or the romanticism of New York society.

Time taken to complete jobs of a particular type is known to be normally distributed with mean 6.2 hours and standard deviation 1.1 hours. What is...

Hello!

Each normal distribution with a mean `mu` and standard deviation `sigma` may be made standard normal distribution by the linear transformation `x-gt(x-mu)/sigma,` where `x` is any value we are interesting in. Here `x_1 = 5.9` (hours) and `x_2 = 7.2` (hours).

Then we can use a table of probabilities for a standard normal distribution, I attached the link to it. Note that any normal distribution is symmetric, and the probability of "value less than the mean" is 0.5 (and 0.5, too, for "greater than the mean").

For using `x_1=5.9` with this table, we compute

`z_1 = (x_1-mu)/sigma = -0.3/1.1 approx -0.27` (- means to the left of the mean).

For `x_2=7.2` we have `z_2 = (x_2-mu)/sigma = 1/1.1 approx 0.91.`

The table values for `|z_1|` and `z_2` are approximately `0.11` and `0.32.` Now we can answer our questions.

1. Less than `7.2.` It is the left half of values with the probability 0.5, and those between 1/2 and `z_2,` for which we know the probability from the table. So the probability is about `0.5+0.32=0.82.`

2. Less than `5.9.` It is the left half of values minus those between `5.9` and `6.2,` i.e. the probability is about `0.5-0.11=0.39.`

`3` . Between `5.9` and `7.2.` It is "between `5.9` and `6.2`" plus "between `6.2` and `7.2`", i.e. about `0.11+0.32=0.43.`

We can use more precise table or online solving tool for the more precise results.

How does Shakespeare use language to make Macbeth sound confident?

In Act 4, scene 1, Shakespeare presents a very confident Macbeth, in part, through his use of imperative (command) statements.  He does not ask questions or seek assurance as he did when he spoke with the witches for the first time.  No, now he demands answers, saying, "I conjure you by that which you profess / (Howe'er you come to know it), answer me [....] answer me / To what I ask you" (4.1.51-64).  The Weird Sisters respond differently to him now, allowing him to "Demand" things of them (4.1.66).  When they offer to call their "masters" for Macbeth so that he may speak to them directly, Macbeth, rather nonchalantly, says, "Call 'em.  Let me see 'em," as though he is completely unconcerned that he could be speaking with demons or devils (4.1.70).  Even when he's presented with the witches' "masters," he still attempts to make demands of them though the sisters tell him that these "will not be commanded" (4.1.86).  He is even somewhat irreverent and jokey when presented with the second apparition who calls his name three times, when he responds, "Had I three ears, I'd hear thee" (4.1.89).  Perhaps he's trying to exercise his wit in order to cover up some nervousness, but it makes him seem even more arrogant than his demands do.  

Finally, when he asks about Banquo's descendants and whether or not they will ever reign, the sisters tell him that he shouldn't try to learn any more, but he persists, "Deny me this, / And an eternal curse fall on you!" (4.1.119-120).  His confidence (and arrogance) reaches epic proportions here; he is no longer in awe or fearful of the sisters, and he's gone beyond making jokes and demands.  Now he actually threatens to curse them if they disobey them.

What is a short summary of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens?

David Copperfield’s mother is weak.  After she has her second child, she marries Mr. Murdstone while David is at the house of Pegotty, David’s nurse.  His mother moves in with him.  Both of them relentlessly abuse David’s mother emotionally, culminating in Mr. Murdstone beating David and sending him away to school.  The school is worse than home.  David becomes infatuated with an older boy named Steerforth, who reappears later to "ruin" Emily, Daniel Pegotty's niece.

When his mother dies in childbirth, David is sent to work at Murdstone and Grinby at the age of ten, where he pastes labels on wine bottles.  Poor David is miserable.

No words can express the secret agony of my soul as I sunk into this companionship; compared these henceforth everyday associates with those of my happier childhood—not to say with Steerforth, Traddles, and the rest of those boys; and felt my hopes of growing up to be a learned and distinguished man, crushed in my bosom. (Ch. 11)

David is a boarder with Mr. Micawber, who is kind but unlucky with money.  He is sent to debtor’s prison, and David goes to find his aunt, Betsy Trotwood.  She is kind to him, and stands up to the Murdstones.

David is sent to a real school, where he stays with Mr. Wickfield and his daughter Agnes.  David gets a job at the law firm Spenlow and Jorkins, hoping to be a lawyer.  He falls in love with Mr. Spenlow’s daughter, Dora.  They marry, and she dies in childbirth.  David later marries Agnes.

David Copperfield is Dickens's most autobiographical book.  He wrote it when he was young and successful, and still had his life ahead of him.  It covers events that were important in his life thus far, including going to work at an early age while his father went to debtor's prison.  However, Dickens still had a lot of living to do, and would revise his life a little in another semi-autobiographical work, Great Expectations.

What did the boys eat besides meat in Lord of the Flies?

In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, a group of British school boys are stranded on an island without any adult supervision. Their main objective is to survive until adults rescue them, for which they need food. A major plot point and tool of character development is the concept of meat. The characterization of someone as a "hunter" contributes greatly to certain conflicts and themes. 

Likewise, the other food sources on the island also have symbolic associations. Many of the boys eat fruit, nuts, and the occasional crab or fish. Each of these foods is easy to gather with little to no concerted effort or organization. This contrasts sharply against the militaristic connotations of Jack's hunters. The fruit in particular contributes a degree of chaos, as it causes many of the boys, particularly the littluns, to suffer from diarrhea. 

What does "Move over, Mr.Webster" mean?

On the front page of the Thursday morning edition of The Westfield Gazette, the headline was the following:

Local 5th Grader Says, "Move over, Mr. Webster"

The newspaper article was about Nick Allen and how he was "cleverly [raising] issues about free speech and academic rules."  Nick Allen and his classmates wanted to call pens "frindles."  Their teacher, Mrs. Granger, had forbidden them from saying the word in class.  The article referred to Nick as "the boy who invented the new word" because it had been his idea.  

It had all started when Nick prepared an oral report about the origin of words and how they got in the dictionary.  This started a discussion on who decides that a word means what it means.  Nick realized that he could invent a word of his own.  His word was "frindle."  This was where the reference to Mr. Webster in the newspaper article came from. Noah Webster, Jr. was famous for compiling and publishing dictionaries in the 1800s.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary became a famous and widely published book of reference.

What does the author tell the reader in his narration that makes Framton Nuttle appear silly and pathetic in "The Open Window"?

Throughout the narration of "The Open Window," Framton Nuttel is depicted as silly and rather pathetic in his efforts to endeavor to "duly flatter" one person while not "unduly discounting" another who is yet to appear, as well as in his terrified reactions to the fabricated tale of Vera.

Anxious and nervous as he talks with Mrs. Sappleton's niece, Framton Nuttel wonders whether Mrs. Sappleton will be "in the nice division." Further, he questions to himself whether or not this visit to the Sappleton's in the country will help him with his "nerve cure" which he is supposed to be experiencing. Clearly, in this part of the story, Framton seems more the child than Vera, the niece of Mrs. Sappleton, who has been sent into the room to talk with him until she is ready.

After Vera begins her narration of the supposedly tragic events that have occurred in the Sappleton family, she then breaks off "with a little shudder." Framton feels relief seeing Mrs. Sappleton finally enter the room. As she "rattles on" cheerfully, Framton relaxes. Believing that

...total strangers and chance acquaintances are hungry for the least detail of one's ailments and infirmities, their cause and cure

the nervous little man unloads his medical history to the uneasiness and boredom of his listeners. When Mrs. Sappleton gladly announces that the men have returned from their outing, unaware of the tale Vera has concocted, Framton shivers and feels "a shock of nameless fear." He quickly grabs his stick and hat and makes a "headlong retreat" across the hall, the gravel drive, and even the front gate. "A cyclist coming along...had to run into the hedge to avoid imminent collision." 

Framton Nuttel is a pathetic character; he is so tremulous that he cannot relax. Then, when Vera plays her practical joke upon him, he flees in terror.

What does Montresor admit is his motive for his crime in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Montresor has "vowed revenge" for what he calls the "thousand injuries" of Fortunato.

What these injuries are the reader never learns. Instead, Poe's unreliable narrator describes how revenge must be planned so that there can be no element of risk. According to Montresor, revenge is only complete when it is done "with impunity"; that is, there are no consequences felt by the avenger for his act. Yet, while the avenger must remain unknown to the authorities or any one besides the victim, the victim must be made aware of the avenger in order for the act to be truly revenge.

Poe's narrator enacts his revenge precisely according to his blueprint, luring the vain and arrogant Fortunato into the Montresor vaults where, supposedly, a large cask of Amontillado, a variety of sherry, is stored. Because it is the Carnival season, it is unlikely that any of the revelers will pay attention to Fortunato's departure; moreover, people are all in costume, so recognition of perpetrator and victim is difficult, if not impossible. In addition, Montresor's servants are gone, so they cannot know what their master has planned.

As they enter the vaults, Montresor picks up two lighted torches and gives one to Fortunato, pointing out to him the dampness of the walls and the niter upon them. When Fortunato coughs in this damp atmosphere, Montresor feigns concern, revealing a vague sense of his resentment while playing to his foe's ego: 

"Come...we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchesi--"

With dramatic irony Fortunato replies, 

"Enough! The cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough."

Finally, after a series of twists and turns through the niter-covered apertures, Montresor lures Fortunato into a small recess by furthering his intoxication with Medoc. Then, Montresor fetters his victim to the granite in which two iron rings hang. With stone and mortar, he walls up the entrance to this niche.
His revenge completed, Montresor boasts to his audience that for fifty years no one has discovered his crime. Therefore, he has achieved perfect revenge.

How would you analyze "Ligeia"?

Edgar Allan Poe's short story "Ligeia" contains many of the tropes that define Poe as a master of the macabre: the story focuses on a man's reflection on his mysterious, frail wife Ligeia and her tragic death. After she passes, the narrator marries Lady Rowena Trevanion, of Tremaine. They coexist in a loveless marriage until she too falls ill and dies. The narrator prepares her body, but witnesses a miraculous transformation as she comes back to life as Lady Ligeia.

This work has much in common with "Morella," another Poe short story. Both stories have an unreliable narrator discussing his fixation on a beautiful, frail, brilliant, and ultimately supernatural woman. Many critics attribute this archetypal female figure in Poe's fiction to his relationships with his mother and his wife. Both women died young, and this had an obvious impact on the writer. Critic Alvaro Salas Chacón aptly characterizes this archetypal figure in Poe's fiction:  

"An intelligent, sickly, young wife—an idealized asexual type of woman.... Women in Poe's life and fiction reveal a fixation on the figure of his dead mother" (76).

Another key aspect of the story is Poe's emphasis on liminality throughout the tale. The story has a dreamlike (or nightmarish) quality; Poe uses this to reinforce the liminal nature of the titular character. Ligeia is a woman between life and death, between fantasy and reality. Indeed, the narrator struggles to recall the first time he met her:

"I cannot, for my soul, remember how, when, or even precisely where, I first became acquainted with the lady Ligeia. Long years have since elapsed, and my memory is feeble through much suffering."

Moreover, this establishes the narrator as a typical unreliable narrator. Readers are expected to take his tale as the truth, but there are obvious gaps in his story, and he reveals more about himself and his various flaws than he intends to.

Another scene that reinforces Poe's use of liminality is Rowena's decline, death, and eventual resurrection as Ligeia. The following passage is told almost through an opium fog:

"She swallowed the wine unhesitatingly, and I forbore to speak to her of a circumstance which must, after all, I considered, have been but the suggestion of a vivid imagination, rendered morbidly active by the terror of the lady, by the opium, and by the hour."

Thus, "Ligeia" is a prime example of Poe's various tropes. It has the morbid trademarks of the author, including an unreliable narrator, a hauntingly beautiful supernatural woman, and a chilling ending.

I pulled my textual evidence from:

http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/ligeiag.htm

Chacón, Alvaro Salas. "Allusions to the Virgin Mary in Edgar A. Poe and Robert Lowell: An Unconscious Oedipal Process." Káñina: Revista de Artes y Letras. 22.2 (1998): 73-8.

In The Merchant of Venice, what does the lead casket's scroll that reads, "You that choose not by the view... claim her with a loving kiss" mean?

This scene portrays a theme central to the play: judging by appearances is wrong, just as judging by stereotypes is wrong. We see the stereotype theme in the insults aimed at Shylock; his resentment at being insulted for being a Jew is expressed in his anger at Antonio, who who serves as a sort of scapegoat for Shylock's response to the general prejudice aimed at him.

The silver and gold caskets are made from the more well-known precious metals; the association of quality or beauty with these metals means a potential suitor for Portia would feel reasonably confident in choosing one of these caskets. Portia is more than a beautiful woman, however; she is highly intelligent, compassionate, and creative. Her wealth and reputation for being beautiful attracts many suitors. The lead casket is less valuable and outwardly beautiful than the gold and silver. As a result, this quote refers to the "view" of physical beauty and an obvious look of value. By choosing the lead casket, Bassanio shows he knows qualities beyond beauty and wealth are important, proving himself to be her true suitor. He can "claim her" with a kiss. 

How and why did the Holocaust begin?

Historians generally feel that the beginning of the Holocaust was the date that Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany (January 30, 1933). This is a compelling argument because much of the reason for the Nazi party's success was its propaganda against the communists and the Jews even before their ascendancy. The Germans were very desperate for a leader that could solve the economic hardships, particularly unemployment and inflation.  The state of desperation the Germans were facing allowed them to be convinced that the Jews were the root of all of their problems. There also was an element of fear in opposing the viewpoints of the Nazis.  

Hitler was able to turn the propaganda into law in September of 1935 with the Nuremberg Laws.  This anti-Jewish legislation established a firm legal ground on which to persecute the Jews in Germany.

Where have the Wakatsukis been bussed to?

In "Farewell to Manzanar," the Wakatsuki family was bussed to the Manzanar Internment Camp. They were required to move after the attack on Pearl Harbor and President Roosevelt's signing of Executive Order 9066. 

Prior to the move, the family lived in Ocean Park, California, and faced little discrimination. However, after Pearl Harbor, Mr. Wakatsuki is arrested and taken to an interrogation camp in North Dakota. The remaining family moves to Terminal Island, where other Japanese are living before they are bussed to Manzanar.

Manzanar is located in the Owens Valley of California. The camp is situated between the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the White-Inyo Mountain Range. During the time of internment, this area is relatively uninhabitable. It once used to be a lush green area. The passage reads, "In Spanish, Manzanar means 'apple orchard.' Great stretches of Owens Valley were once green with orchards and alfalfa fields" (Houston 95). However, due to the redirection of water to Los Angeles, it is now like a desert. 

The Wakatsukis' new home is less of a suburban-style street and more of a military camp. There are barracks instead of houses and a mess hall instead of kitchens. The family struggles to adjust but makes do with each other.  

In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, why does Nick Bottom want to play all of the parts in the play-within-a-play?

In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Nick Bottom, the weaver, loves to be the center of attention. When he gathers with his fellow players at Quince's house in Act One, Scene Two, he is eager to derail the casting session with his silly demands. Bottom is happy to be cast as Pyramus in the players' production of "Pyramus and Thisbe," proclaiming that this tragic role will allow him to "move storms" in the eyes of his audience. At the same time, Bottom feels like he would be much more suited to play a tyrant or some role in which he could rant and rave. 

When Flute is cast as Thisbe, Bottom insists that he could play Thisbe as well by wearing a mask and speaking "in a monstrous little voice." When Snug is cast as the lion, Bottom demands, "Let me play the lion too," so that he may roar in a way that does "any man's heart good to hear me" and makes the Duke ask for him to roar again. Quince finally manages to convince Bottom to stick to his own part by claiming that Pyramus is the best looking man of all men. Flattered, Bottom seizes the role. 

This scene makes it clear just how pompous and self-absorbed Bottom is in believing that he could (or should) play all the roles in the play. It's a good insight into his character and a funny setup for the later payoff of the play when Puck turns him into the literal embodiment of his spirit: an ass!

What was Holden's Mom's reaction to Phoebe when Phoebe admitted to smoking?

Phoebe hadn't really been smoking. She just told her mother she had tried a puff on a cigarette to explain the smell of tobacco in her room and hide the fact that her big brother Holden has been there and has unwisely been smoking. In those days it would have been easy for Phoebe to find a cigarette in the big apartment. It was common to have fancy boxes of cigarettes and big lighters available for guests on coffee tables and elsewhere in living rooms. The conversation between mother and daughter does not show that either takes the little girl's experiment with tobacco seriously. If parents smoked, it should not surprise them that their children would imitate them.

"Phoebe, have you been smoking a cigarette in here? Tell me the truth, please, young lady."

"What?" old Phoebe said.

"You heard me."

"I just lit one for one second. I just took one puff. Then I threw it out the window."

"Why, may I ask""

"I couldn't sleep."

"I don't like that, Phoebe. I don't like that at all," my mother said. "Do you want another blanket?"

Phoebe is obviously as smart as Holden frequently says she is. She tells just the kind of story that will make her smoking seem harmless. Her mother believes her daughter's disingenuous story because it sounds true. A child as young as Phoebe might be curious, but she wouldn't smoke much of a cigarette because she wouldn't like the taste of tobacco. Her mother has already been through with raising three older children, D. B., Allie, and Holden, so she knows when to get concerned and when not to. She does not expect her little daughter to become a cigarette addict. Further, she does not seem to be the kind of woman who has strong control over her children. Her husband holds whatever parental power exists in the family. Both Phoebe and Holden are worried about how their father will react when he learns that Holden has been kicked out of another private school. They express no concern at all about their mother's reaction to his expulsion.

In a "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, is Emily a white woman?

Emily Grierson was, in fact, a Caucasian woman from an old, Southern respected family which was once wealthy, but had fallen into anonymity and poverty. 

The fullest description that we get in the story comes from when Emily received the Board of Aldermen in her home, after they came to discuss the deputation they had on her over the non-payment of her taxes. She was 

a small, fat woman in black... Her skeleton was small and spare; ..She looked bloated,.. Her eyes, lost in the fatty ridges of her face, looked like two small pieces of coal...

While none of these descriptors mentions the racial or ethnic background of Miss Emily, it suffices to know that she was the daughter of a man who was a Southern, imposing landowner with what once was a huge estate, now gone into ruin.

No African American could have been in possession of land or estate, particularly a large or grandiose one such as Emily's, during the time period that Emily lived in it. Therefore, based on historical facts, and using inferences and inductive reasoning, we can safely argue that Emily was, in fact, a Caucasian woman.

Another indication of Emily being Caucasian is that Emily's family had ties with Colonel Sartoris. Again, few to no families of African American descent would have been so well-acquainted with a town mayor of the Caucasian race, especially in the South, where blacks and whites kept socially separated. Moreover, to get favors from the mayor, such as the dispensation to quit paying taxes, would have been unheard of from a white mayor to an African American family, no matter how rich they would have been.

Clearly, there was an association between Mr. Grierson and Col. Satoris, presumably going back to their service in the Confederate States Army (CSA.) Even if Emily's father had been a black soldier serving in the CSA, (and over 6,000 blacks DID serve in the Confederate army as soldiers, ) he would have not been allowed to fraternize with a white Colonel. This is perhaps the strongest evidence of the type of family that Emily comes from, and proves that she is Caucasian. 

Why doesn't Scout want Uncle Jack to tell Atticus why she beat up Francis, and what does it demonstrate about their relationship?

Scout doesn't want Jack to tell Atticus about this because, in her words, Atticus made her promise "not to let anything I heard about him make me mad." She doesn't want him to know that she has punched Francis because he said Atticus was a "n----r lover," and that he would be the "ruination of the family" (114). Jack, who had been upset at Scout for her altercation with Francis, then determined to see that Francis was punished instead. At this point, Scout begs him not to let Atticus know about it. This is one of several times Scout is upset by other kids' comments about her father, and this foreshadows the strain that the trial of Tom Robinson will put on their little family. It also demonstrates that she is deeply concerned about keeping promises to her father, who she respects. She demonstrates her concern for her father's opinion even more later in the chapter, when she eavesdrops as her uncle discusses Scout (without revealing why she hit Francis). 

What is role of the Prince Escalus in Romeo and Juliet?

Prince Escalus, the sovereign of Verona, is a peripheral character in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He appears in three scenes, and his main role is to be the unsuccessful arbiter of the bitter feud between the Montagues and Capulets. In other words, he takes on a position of law enforcement during a violent and chaotic time. He is first introduced in Act I, Scene 1 when he arrives in the streets to break up the fight between the two families which was sparked by the insulting gestures of the Capulet servants and soon exacerbated by the presence of Tybalt. Escalus halts the violence and admonishes the two patriarchs while warning that future outbreaks will be met by extreme punishment:

Three civil brawls bred of an airy word
By thee, old Capulet, and Montague,
Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets
And made Verona’s ancient citizens
Cast by their grave-beseeming ornaments
To wield old partisans in hands as old,
Cankered with peace, to part your cankered hate.
If ever you disturb our streets again,
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.

The Prince appears again later in the play just after the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt in Act III, Scene 1. Rather than follow through with his original proclamation that death would result if the peace was again broken, he is wise and judicious in simply banishing Romeo rather than putting him to death, despite the pleas of Lady Montague. Finally, after more tragedy has ensued, Prince Escalus appears in the final scene of the play lamenting his leniency and condemning Lord Montague and Lord Capulet for the deaths of their children:

Where be these enemies?—Capulet, Montague,
See what a scourge is laid upon your hate,
That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love,
And I, for winking at your discords too,
Have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished.

How is genetic information stored?

DNA is short for deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is found in the nucleus of the cell. The nucleus is the control center, or the brain of the cell, so it would make sense that DNA is found here. DNA is a nucleic acid and it contains the genetic instructions for the function and development of living things. The role of DNA is to store genetic information. The genetic information is stored in the chemical structure of the DNA. There is a backbone that consists of a sugar and phosphate. Connecting the two backbones are the bases. The bases are adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). The order that these bases are in is how the information is stored. The sequence of bases forms genes. Genes are what make you who you are and what allows all systems in your body to function. Each gene is a blueprint for a specific protein. For all of this information to fit inside of the cell it must be compacted. It gets wound up tightly and forms a chromosome. When a cell divides it must replicate the DNA inside of each cell so that the DNA can be passed onto the next cell and onto offspring.

Who was King Louis XIV?

King Louis XIV was the monarch of France for almost seventy-five years. He ruled from the mid-1600s until the early 1700s. He was sometimes called the Sun King because he was one of the longest reigning monarchs in the history of Europe. Among major European powers, King Louis XIV was the longest reigning monarch in history.  

King Louis XIV became king of France when he was four years old. His age prevented Louis XIV from ruling his kingdom for many years. Instead, he relied upon advisors, ministers, and his mother (who served as regent) to govern France.  hen Louis XIV did gain power as a young man, he made it his mission to change many things in France. He focused on tax reform, the arts, and foreign policy. During his reign, he led his country through several wars. These wars were very costly for France. Overall, though, France became a stronger foreign power during his reign. King Louis XIV was a devout Catholic and persecuted those who were not, most notably the Huguenots.  

Describe Lakunle's initial reaction when he hears that Sidi has been seduced.

In Act Three of the play entitled "Night," Lakunle and Sadiku are arguing, when out of nowhere, Sidi runs into the village and falls on the ground. While Sidi is crying and rolling on the ground, Sadiku asks her what is the matter. Sidi is resistant and tells Sadiku to leave her alone. Lakunle attempts to comfort Sidi and is also denied the opportunity to show her affection. Lakunle immediately believes that Baroka has beaten Sidi and vows to tell the authorities. Sidi then explains that she is no longer a virgin and says that Baroka has lied to Sadiku. Lakunle initially acts upset and says, "Oh heavens, strike me dead!" (Soyinka 60). Shortly after his lamentation, Lakunle reveals his true feelings about Sidi losing her virginity. He says, "But you will agree, it is only fair that we forget the bride-price totally since you no longer can be called a maid" (Soyinka 60). Lakunle selfishly hopes to benefit from Sidi's misfortune by using the traditional custom to get him out of paying the bride-price. Lakunle's true intentions depict him as an insincere individual who turns towards tradition when he can benefit from it. At the end of the play, Sidi ends up choosing to marry Baroka instead of becoming Lakunle's wife.

How does Friar Laurence initially react when Romeo tells him of his plans to marry Juliet?

The Friar's initial reaction is to chide Romeo for being so wishy-washy and impetuous in love. Romeo has been weeping and moaning over his unrequited love for Rosaline, and so when the Friar hears of his new love for Juliet, he assumes that this will be another childish fling. Remembering "what a deal of brine [i.e., tears]" Romeo has spilled for Rosaline, he is reluctant to take his new love seriously. Even though he is skeptical, however, the Friar agrees to marry the two lovers because he hopes that the marriage may reconcile the two feuding houses of Capulet and Montague, which are, as we have already seen by this point in the play, tearing Verona apart. There is more than a little irony in the Friar's rapid change of heart--he is, in many ways, acting as impetuously as Romeo himself, and with disastrous consequences. He urges Romeo to be careful and proceed slowly, but he supports the "young waverer" in his new love despite his reservations. 

Peter Singer thinks that we should push the fat man. Why? What are the philosophical convictions underlying this judgment?

The context of this question is what is known as the "trolley problem," a thought experiment which addresses the problem of intentions in ethics.

The central premise of the problem is that you are the conductor of a trolley. The brakes on the trolley have failed and ahead of you on the track is a group of five workers that the trolley will kill if something is not done to stop the trolley. There are two main variants of the problem, a "spur" version in which you have the option of steering the trolley onto a spur where there is only a single worker, and the "fat man" variant in which you are given the choice of pushing a fat passenger in front of the trolley to slow it down and save the five workers. A third variant involves your standing on a bridge and having the option of jumping down yourself or pushing a fat stranger.

For most philosophers, these variants provide different moral dilemmas. Singer, though, removes your intentions from the moral equation, and argues that in both cases we are sacrificing a single life to save five lives and thus that the choices are clear and do not lead to a dilemma. Singer argues that our reluctance to push the fat man is sheer sentimentality, and that we should override our intuitions to behave in the manner that saves the greatest number of people.

There are two weaknesses in Singer's arguments. The first is that there seems to be an underlying size prejudice here; if you change "fat man" to "gay person" or "black person" it becomes apparent that part of the underlying premise is a sort of size prejudice. The second problem with Singer's argument is that it ignores the way your choices create your own moral character. Overcoming an innate prejudice against murder, even if the murder is logically justified, removes some of your moral inhibitions, something which is not necessarily good.

What does Macbeth's reaction to the news of his wife's death say about his state of mind?

Whatever else we might say about the Macbeths earlier in the play, there was no doubt that they were essentially a loving couple. By the end of the play, however, they seem to have "grown apart," as we might say today. Early in the play, Lady Macbeth is remorseless and cruel as she goads her husband into the murder of Duncan and urges him not to feel any guilt for doing so. By the end of the play, she herself has been overcome with guilt, as revealed in the first scene of Act V, when she attempts to wash imaginary blood from her hands while sleepwalking. In the meantime, Macbeth has become a bloody, murderous tyrant, without regard for human life. This development is underscored by this speech, in which he essentially expresses no grief whatsoever at his formerly beloved wife's death. Immediately before receiving the news, he says that after everything he has done, "direness...cannot once start me." He is immune, in short, to horror.

At the same time, Macbeth's speech reveals a sort of grim, existential resignation. Life, he says in reaction to her death, is essentially meaningless:

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

This is perhaps the bleakest passage in all of Shakespeare's plays, and it is obviously Lady Macbeth's passing that has evoked this profound sense of pessimism in her husband. If everything is meaningless--just a march toward "dusty death," then what was the point of everything they have done to seize the throne? In any case, Macbeth's state of mind, already astonishingly bleak, does not improve when he receives the news that Birnam Wood (Malcolm's men concealing themselves with tree boughs) apparently advancing on his castle, thus fulfilling one half of the witches' prophecy.

How does Sylvia Townsend Warner make the ending so effective for you in "The Phoenix"?

Sylvia Townsend Warner makes her ending of “The Phoenix” effective through the use of situational irony.  Situational irony, of course, is when something happens that is not expected.  Much of this irony has to do with Mr. Poldero in “The Phoenix.”  Mr. Tancred Poldero has only one desire:  to make lots of money.  He doesn’t care for the phoenix’s well being at all and simply desires to exploit the innocent for cash.  The irony is that it is Mr. Tancred Poldero’s greed that destroys him at the end of “The Phoenix.”  Throughout the entire story, Mr. Tancred Poldero abuses the phoenix.  Luckily, the phoenix survives due to its rebirth in the flames.  Sylvia Townsend Warner also presents a secondary irony that has to do with the audience.  The audience wants only to be entertained and enthralled.  This also leads to its fiery “death,” which is quite unexpected.  The phoenix, of course, is reborn through those same flames.

Use three situations or characters in Lord of the Flies to illustrate courage in the face of adversity.

The boys who crash land on the island in Lord of the Flies face a great deal of adversity, and some of them display a significant amount of courage as they do so. Simon, Piggy, and Ralph are the boys who exhibit courage to the greatest degree. Simon has the best insight about the beast. Knowing that the thing the boys really have to fear is each other, he tells Ralph during their search of the island, "I don't believe in the beast." This gives him courage, after his terrifying interaction with the Lord of the Flies in his vision, to climb the mountain by himself to discern exactly what Samneric saw. He sees "a humped thing suddenly sit up on the top and look down at him," but he keeps climbing until he reaches it. Despite the disgusting condition of the decaying body that causes him to vomit, he cuts it loose and then goes back to the boys, desiring to tell them the good news. Going on this lone mission, he displays more courage than the other boys who observed the fallen paratrooper.

Piggy, after his glasses have been stolen, has the courage to confront Jack with his crime. Although he has known for some time that Jack hates him and that Jack is dangerous, he still insists on confronting Jack face to face to demand his glasses back. He shows great courage in speaking truthful accusations to Jack and his tribe. Unfortunately, in his nearly blind state, he is unable to see the oncoming boulder soon enough to save himself, and he is killed by Roger. 

Ralph also shows courage. Like Piggy, Ralph is willing to confront Jack and demand he return Piggy's glasses. He, too, calls Jack out on his wicked behavior. Despite his fear, he manages to get information from Samneric as they guard the fire, and later, although he is in a state of panic, he shows courage by not giving up but by fighting back against those who are hunting him.

Simon, Piggy, and Ralph are all commendable for the courage they show.

How many states of matter are there?

Classically, matter is found in three states: solid, liquid, and gas with each having unique properties. A solid state occurs when the molecules of matter are locked in place in very close proximity to one another, generally blocking the movement of neighboring molecules. This state occurs when matter is below its freezing point for the given substance in question. The second classical state of matter is liquid. A liquid state occurs when matter in a solid state reaches a temperature above its melting point. While the particles of matter in a liquid are still relatively close together, the attractive forces between them are not able to hold a liquid in a definitive shape, and as such, liquids take on the shape of the container they are in. Despite this fact, liquids maintain a constant volume. The third classical state is the gas state. In this state, particles are spread widely apart. The higher the temperature, the further the molecules in a gas state will spread from one another. Because of this wide space between particles, the particles move virtually independent of one another. This movement fills whatever container the gas is in, and if the container contains no lid the gas will escape. Based on these three classical states of matter, scientists have debated and discovered various other forms of matter that fit into one or more of the classical states. These “other” states are found under various energy conditions and temperatures.

Hope this helps!

What does Tom tell Becky he plans to be when he grows up in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?

Tom tells Becky that he is going to be a circus clown when he grows up, and they make a lot of money. 

Tom is quite infatuated with Becky.  He tries to impress her.  He asks her if she has ever been to a circus, and then tells her his plans for the future. 

"I been to the circus three or four times—lots of times. Church ain't shucks to a circus. There's things going on at a circus all the time. I'm going to be a clown in a circus when I grow up."

"Oh, are you! That will be nice. They're so lovely, all spotted up." (Ch. 7) 

Apparently, Becky approves of circus clown as an occupation.  Tom tells her that they make “slathers of money,” almost a dollar a day, according to Ben Rogers.  Actually, back then a dollar a day was pretty good money. 

Tom asks Becky if she wants to get married right after telling her this.  Apparently, he thinks now that he has told her he is going to be rich when he grows up, she will think he is a pretty good catch.  She doesn’t understand what he means by “engaged,” and when he explains, she tells him "I reckon so. I don't know. What is it like?"

He tells her he loves her and she runs away.  Then he says it’s done, “all over but the kiss,” and she shouldn’t be afraid of that.  Becky is frazzled, and tells him she loves him but is never going to marry anyone and he shouldn’t marry anyone either. 

Tom offers her his best possession “a brass knob from the top of an andiron,” and she throws it on the floor.  He pouts and marches off, and she calls after him to come back.  Their engagement is not off to a good start.

What is an example of a market system in the United States?

There are three types of economic systems: traditional, command and market. The US economy is mainly a market system, although there is a large command sector in the form of government and the Federal Reserve--the Fed.  Command economies have a central authority that makes financial decisions.

The Federal Reserve is the central bank of the United States. It regulates other banks and financial institutions. It ensures liquidity in the money supply--meaning that it ensures that people can withdraw money from banks when they need it. It strives to control inflation--the scenario of "too little money chasing too many goods produced."  So it tries to prevent the prices of goods from rising too high and it increases the money supply by printing money. It also tries to prevent recession, which is a general economic decline marked by a drop in the stock market (value and profit of companies), an increase in unemployment and a decrease in the housing market.

I need help developing a proposal for a paper on the topic of the cultural effects of globalization. I need to come up with a thesis about...

A normal starting point for developing a thesis about a topic is to narrow the topic into something manageable. You cannot possibly talk about every cultural effect of globalization in every aspect of the lives of people in every country in the world; such a project would occupy several lifetimes rather than a single semester. This means that you should choose a single region and a single cultural area. 

For example, if you are interested in food, you could look at how globalization has effected the human diet, and especially whether the dietary changes in particular countries resulting from globalization have been beneficial or harmful to the health of local residents. Often the new diets, which might include fast food, are less healthy than traditional diets, but globalized food chains can also prevent or ameliorate famines. 

Another possible area you could study would be a genre that fuses western and local cultural traditions, such as the Indian film industry (Bollywood) or South Korean video gaming. You could then look at the specific effects of these genres on the local cultures.

To find reliable sources, you could search for articles about your topic on Google Scholar, a version of Google that only searches reputable sources such as peer-reviewed journals. Another excellent starting point for research is the scholarly databases available at your university library website. Most university libraries have reference librarians available to help students learn how to do research; many also offer short workshops on doing research for university-level papers. 

Why does Robert Frost use the word "sigh" in the poem, "The Road Not Taken"?

In the poem, Frost uses the word—in the final stanza—as follows:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

In context, the word is used both as a verb and as a noun. It is obvious that the speaker, at some future date, will reflect on the decision he made when encountering the fork in the road. He will then, he assumes, emit a sigh when he mentions the two diverging roads and the fact that he "took the one less traveled."

It is clear the "sigh" is an expression of regret. The regret would stem from the fact that the speaker will never know what difference the other road might have made. He will always wonder what the outcome would have been if he had chosen differently. He does not regret making the choice he did.

The fact that the poem is titled "The Road Not Taken" further supports this idea. The emphasis is NOT on the road which the speaker actually took, but on the other. Further emphasis for this lies in the evocative line:

Oh, I kept the first for another day! 

It is obvious the speaker will forever question what would be different if he had taken the other route. This line clearly emphasizes, through the exclamation, that he will always be haunted by this thought since he assumed, at the time, that he would have an opportunity to take this alternative route at some other time. He clearly never had the opportunity to do so and will, therefore, always wonder about it, expressing a sigh when he does so.

The "difference" the speaker mentions is that he had been given a choice and decided, no matter what the outcome. There also exists, however, a conundrum in this line: How can he know what the difference is if he never saw what the other road had to offer? I suppose that question would also evoke a sigh.

What are the differences between DNA and each of these 3 types of RNA: rRNA, mRNA and tRNA?

There are differences between DNA and the three types of RNA that involve location, structure and function. These differences are related to each other.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the molecule that stores genetic information; it is "read" by mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) in order to help tRNA (transfer RNA) bring the correct amino acids to rRNA (ribosomal RNA) to create proteins.

In eukaryotic organisms, DNA is found in the nucleus. It is double-stranded and its long strands, along with some proteins, make up the chromosomes. DNA uses a different sugar, deoxyribose, as one of its components than RNA (which uses ribose). RNA is single stranded. The other major structural difference between DNA and the different types of RNA is that the four bases utilized in DNA are adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine. RNA uses the first three, but instead of thymine uses the base uracil.

As the instructions for assembling proteins are in the nucleus, and the proteins are created in the cytoplasm, the instructions must be sent from the DNA to the cytoplasm; DNA is too large to travel through the nuclear membrane. This is the function of mRNA--it copies a relatively short section of DNA which corresponds to a protein that needs to be made. In the cytoplasm, the mRNA moves to the ribosomes. These are made of rRNA, and are where proteins are assembled. Once the mRNA is positioned on the ribosome, its bases are "read" in batches of three. The 3 base sequence codes for a specific tRNA molecule, which carries the correct amino acid for that code, to attach its amino acid to a growing chain of amino acids. When the amino acid sequence is complete, the finished protein (ie, the chain of amino acids) detaches.

The following sentences are ambiguous. Provide two explanations which illustrate the different meanings of each sentence. We need more empathetic...

'Ambiguity' means a lack of clarity or concrete detail, which can make it difficult to discern meaning. In the case of these two sentences, the lack of context and detail make it possible to interpret them differently.

The first sentence, "We need more empathetic leaders," can be interpreted in a couple different ways. First, though, let's find the word that makes this sentence ambiguous by asking ourselves what needs more clarification. In this case, I would say the word most lacking in clarity is 'more,' which could mean we need more leaders or leaders who are more empathetic.

An average person might say this about government leaders they don't find empathetic, for example, to mean our leaders need to exhibit more empathy. Alternatively, the same person could say this to mean we have some empathetic leaders, but we need more of them. Without hearing the stress a speaker might place on different words aloud or having additional context, it's hard to discern exactly what this sentence is trying to say.

The second sentence, "They are visiting relatives," has a similar problem. Again, I would start by identifying the words that are most ambiguous—in this case, 'visiting.' To understand the sentence, we need to know if 'visiting' is functioning as a part of the 'are visiting' verb phrase or whether it's being used as an adjective to describe 'relatives.'

With 'visiting' used in this way, there are two possible meanings for the sentence. 'They,' the subject of the sentence, may be visiting relatives, with visiting, in this case, being part of the verb phrase. 'They' can also refer to 'visiting relatives,' meaning the sentence subjects are relatives who are visiting, with 'visiting' functioning as an adjective. Again, we need context or emphasis from a speaker to understand what exactly is being said here, which is what makes the sentence ambiguous.

`lim_(x->oo)sechx` Find the limit

Given,

`lim_(x->oo)` sech(x)

to find the value of `lim_(x->oo)`sechx

we need to find the value of

`lim_(x->-oo)` sechx and `lim_(x->+oo)`sechx

so,

the value of

`lim_(x->-oo)`sechx is as x tends to negative infinity the sech(x) -> 0

and similarly as

`lim_(x->+oo)`sechx is as x tends to positive infinity the sech(x) -> 0

So,

`lim_(x->-oo)`sechx`=lim_(x->+oo)` sechx`=0`

the limit exits for`lim_(x->oo)`sechx 

and the value is`lim_(x->oo)`sechx=0

Which branch did the Framers of the Constitution feel was the most important? How we can tell?

The Framers of the Constitution felt that the legislative branch was the most important.  We can see this because it is given the most powers, because the article that deals with it is the longest of the articles, and because the article that deals with it is the first article.  All of this implies that the Framers thought that the legislative branch would be the most important branch.

Before the Constitution was written, the US was governed under the Articles of Confederation.  This constitution did not provide for an executive branch. The only law-making body for the national government was Congress.  When the Framers wrote the new constitution, they wanted to include an executive branch.  However, they were still wary of excessive executive power and they wanted Congress to be the most important branch of government.

We can see this in three ways. The first way we can see this is by looking at the order in which the Framers addressed the three branches of government.  The Framers dealt with Congress in Article I.  From this, we can infer that the legislative branch was the most important branch in their eyes. It makes sense that you would put the most important thing first when writing out a set of rules.

There are two more related facts that imply that the Framers thought Congress was more important than the other branches. The Framers gave Congress many more powers than the other branches.  All of Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution is dedicated to specifying the powers that Congress has.  This is a very long section.  Because Congress is given so many powers (and because Article I also specifies what Congress cannot do), Article I is much longer than the other articles. This, too, implies that Congress is more important than the other branches.

From these three pieces of evidence, we can infer that the Framers felt that the legislative branch was the most important branch of government.

Who do you think is the true hero (or protagonist) of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Portia or Antonio?

Your question is actually more complicated than it seems since it demands two interpretations of the term, 'hero.' In literature, the word normally refers to the lead character. Because the play is titled, 'The Merchant of Venice,' Antonio becomes the most obvious reference since he is the only merchant we read about from beginning to end. In this sense, he is, therefore, the protagonist.

Further support for him being deemed the true protagonist lies in the fact that all the major events revolve around his actions. The main theme of the play explores the antagonism between him and his opposition, Shylock, and delves into the origin and nature of their dispute, its development, and final resolution. The actions of most of the other characters are determined by events which he influences and by situations which have an impact on him. In essence, he is the core around whom almost everything revolves.

It is Antonio's decision to assist Bassanio by agreeing to act as surety that affects the major events in the play: Shylock's demand for restitution in the form of a pound of his flesh; Portia's decision to disguise herself as a lawyer; the trial scene. The major themes all have their origins in these particular situations. Although Portia's role is important, her actions later in the play are all affected by Antonio's dilemma.

In addition, your reference to 'true' suggests 'real' in the sense of, 'Who is the real hero in the play?' I suggest that this requires an alternative interpretation of the word. In this definition, a hero is someone who undertakes an arduous task and is admired for acting bravely in the face of adversity. A more common interpretation is a reference to someone who saves another from jeopardy. In this interpretation, Portia is a hero, for she saves Antonio from Shylock's vengeance. She becomes his savior and her deed is much admired and appreciated by her contemporaries.

Antonio, for all his magnanimity, does not accurately fit this definition. The fact that he extended assistance to Bassanio, against his advice, does not entirely qualify him. His attitude in accepting the harsh and punitive conditions of Shylock's bond was born from his naive overconfidence. He had no doubt that his merchant ships would dock safely and not come to harm. 

On the whole, you'll to weigh up the two definitions and determine which best suits the purpose of your task.        

Please explain how resource mobilization theory explain some social movements. Give examples

Resource mobilization theory was a significant departure from previous theories of social movements, which were based primarily on psychological factors. Resource mobilization theory abstracts away from most psychological factors and instead treats human beings as rational agents, who act in their own self-interest according to the resources available to them. (In this respect resource mobilization theory was heavily influenced by rational choice theory in political science and neoclassical rational agents in economics.)

Under resource mobilization theory, people will not join a social movement simply because they believe it advances collective interests; they will only do so if the benefit exceeds the cost to them specifically. This is a somewhat cynical view of human behavior: Essentially, people don't join social movements to make the world a better place; they do it to make themselves better off---in some formulations, literally because they get paid a share of the bounty at the end.

I think resource mobilization theory is actually best at explaining failed social movements---they failed because they were unable to establish a collective identity, so they dissolved as soon as the individual cost exceeded the individual benefit. It is also fairly good at explaining the so-called "iron law of oligarchy" (which is hardly so strong as it sounds); when one oligarchy is overturned by a popular movement only to be replaced by an even more repressive oligarchy, this looks a lot like what resource mobilization theory would predict.

This kind of revolution has occurred many times around the world; most countries in Africa have undergone at least one. Idi Amin in Uganda, Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, Mobutu in Congo/Zaire, and Hastings Banda in Malawi are all examples of leaders who overthrew oppressive colonial regimes only to establish their own new brand of oppressive regime. They and their closest supporters benefited enormously, making their actions "rational" in the narrowly-defined sense of resource mobilization theory. Similar results occurred in the Soviet Union; while ostensibly the revolution was supposed to benefit the common people, mainly it benefited the leaders of the Communist Party.

Yet it's quite hard to see how resource mobilization theory can account for more successful and positive social movements.

The suffragettes in the US who fought so heavily for the right of women to vote couldn't have been acting in their own narrow self-interest; they were beaten and abused for months, all for what, the chance to fill out a ballot every few years? Their actions only make sense if they believed in something---if they thought of themselves as fighting not for themselves, but for all the women in America and perhaps even many women yet unborn.

Similarly, resource mobilization theory has no way to explain why so many White allies joined the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and marched with leaders like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King; at least in the short run, it was hardly in the self-interest of White people to expand the rights of Black people. In fact, resource mobilization theory is even hard-pressed to explain the participation of so many Black people---because the costs of participation were immediate and personal while the benefits were delayed and widely shared. If resource mobilization theory were right, Martin Luther King would have had to essentially buy people off---pay them enormous wages to participate in the social movement, so it would be in their self-interest to bear the risk. That's a lot like what Robert Mugabe did, but it's nothing like what Martin Luther King did. MLK didn't pay people off; he persuaded them of the moral righteousness of the cause.

Some more positive changes may also be consistent with resource mobilization theory: The Magna Carta might be explicable in these terms, as the nobles who led the charge also benefited directly from the expansion of the rights of nobles, and there were few enough nobles that the benefits weren't too widely dispersed. Even the American Revolution makes some sense in these terms, as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson surely increased their own wealth and power as a result of the revolution. But even then, this explanation wears pretty thin; lower taxes were one goal of the revolution, but people rarely volunteer to fight and risk death simply to get slightly lower taxes. It was the representation part of "taxation without representation" that really seemed to matter to most people.

Resource mobilization theory may have been a necessary corrective to theories that assume that humans are perfectly altruistic and totally ideological, caring nothing for their own self-interest; but it clearly goes too far. Altruism and ideology clearly are major motivators for human behavior, as well as rational self-interest.

What is the irony of Miss Gates' statement?

Miss Gates was Scout's schoolteacher.  One day during an in class discussion, the topic of Adolf Hitler came up.  Miss Gates expressed her dislike for Hitler.  She also showed her empathy for the Jews in Europe.  She compared the dictatorship of Germany to the democracy of the United States.  Miss Gates told her students that:

'"Over here [people] don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced.'"

Miss Gates made it clear that prejudiced individuals treated groups of people badly.  She also stated that such things were against the beliefs of the United States.

Scout approached Jem one day with a question.  On the last day of the trial, she had overheard Miss Gates talking.  Her teacher had stated that it was "'time somebody taught [black people] a lesson, they were gettin‘ way above themselves.'"  She then expressed her disapproval of the idea that someday black people may want to marry white people.  

These statements were puzzling to Scout.  How could Miss Gates protest the persecution of the Jews, and yet speak to condescendingly of black people?  She wondered how Miss Gates could "'hate Hitler so bad'" and then speak of those in her own community in such a terrible way.  Miss Gates had stated that anyone who persecuted a group was prejudiced.  She also had said that such a thing was not tolerated in the United States.  Despite her words, black people in Maycomb and many other places were treated poorly.

In her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Harper Lee present the theme of growing up?

One conclusion that can be drawn is Harper Lee saw a parallel between a child coming of age and the South growing and changing. Therefore, Lee decided to present the need for the South to grow and develop by capturing Jem's and Scout's development as they matured as children. In paralleling the children's growth with the South's growth, Lee presents the theme of the need to mature in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Just as the children undergo many changes as the book progresses, the town of Maycomb, representative of all small Southern towns, also undergoes many changes even though these changes are just baby changes. At the opening of the book, Scout describes Maycomb as a "tired old town." It is tired for several reasons: (1) it is in the midst of the Great Depression; therefore, there is no money to produce a great deal of activity within the town; (2) being rural, the town looks a bit worn out and run-down with its grass growing on the sidewalks and its courthouse sagging; and (3) its people are very stuck in their ways. Scout characterizes Maycomb's people as being stuck in their ways when she describes the men as, despite the heat, persisting in wearing stiff collars that were "wilted by nine in the morning" and ladies persisting in bathing and napping traditions.

Author Lee also uses several characters to describe Maycomb as being stuck in its ways such as Aunt Alexandra, who persists in holding the racist and sexist views of a Southern Belle, and
Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, who is as equally racist as Aunt Alexandra and holds equally strict views about how children should behave. Interestingly, many of Aunt Alexandra's notions are rejected by Atticus, such as her view that Calpurnia should be dismissed because Finch children should not be being raised by an African-American woman, and Mrs. Dubose passes away. Aunt Alexandra's rejected notions and Mrs. Dubose's passing both symbolize the ensuing death of old Southern ways and beliefs. Hence, as the story progresses, the tired old town that is stuck in its ways begins to be challenged and to change a tiny bit.

The town's change is further symbolized by the children's success in disbursing the lynch mob and in the fact that Robinson's jury was out for so long before returning with the guilty verdict. Miss Maudie reflects on the subtle changes of the town after the trial when she says the following to the children:

[A]s I waited I thought, Atticus Finch won't win, he can't win, but he's the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I thought to myself, well, we're making a step--it's just a baby-step, but it's a step. (Ch. 22)

Hence, just as Scout and Jem mature a great deal as a result of what they experience due to Robinson's arrest and trial, Maycomb also matures just a tiny bit. Therefore, it can be said that Lee uses the parallel of the children's growth with the town's growth to point to the South's need to continue to grow and develop.

`int (dt)/(t^2 sqrt(t^2 - 16))` Evaluate the integral

`int1/(t^2sqrt(t^2-16))dt`

Let's evaluate the integral by applying integral substitution,

Let `t=4sec(u)`

`=>dt=4tan(u)sec(u)du`

Plug the above in the integral,

`int1/(t^2sqrt(t^2-16))dt=int(4tan(u)sec(u))/((4^2sec^2(u)sqrt(4^2sec^2(u)-16)))du`

`=int(4tan(u)sec(u))/(16sec^2(u)*4sqrt(sec^2(u)-1))du`

`=inttan(u)/(16sec(u)sqrt(sec^2(u)-1))du`

Now use the identity:`sec^2(x)=1+tan^2(x)`

`=1/16inttan(u)/(sec(u)sqrt(1+tan^2(u)-1))du`

`=1/16inttan(u)/(sec(u)tan(u))du`

`=1/16int1/sec(u)du`

`=1/16intcos(u)du`

Now use the standard integral:`intcos(x)dx=sin(x)+C`

`=1/16sin(u)+C`

We have used `t=4sec(u)`

`=>u=arcsec(t/4)`

Substitute back u in the solution,

`=1/16sin(arcsec(t/4))+C`

Simplify the above by assuming the right triangle with angle `theta=arcsec(t/4)`

Hypotenuse is t and adjacent side is 4, Opposite side(O) can be found by using pythagorean identity,

`4^2+O^2=t^2`

`O^2=t^2-16`

`O=sqrt(t^2-16)`

`sin(theta)=sqrt(t^2-16)/t`

Hence the solution is `1/16(sqrt(t^2-16)/t)+C`

I need help in writing an essay about chemical reactions.

A chemical reaction is said to have taken place when two or more molecules interact to form one or more new molecule/s. The interacting molecules are called reactants, while the new molecules are called the products. Chemical reactions involve chemical changes, which means the chemical composition of the reacting species change and the products have properties which are different from those of the reactants.

Chemical reactions can be represented by chemical equations using the chemical formula of various species involved. An example chemical reaction is the reaction involved in photosynthesis:

`6CO_2 + 6H_2O + sunlight -> C_6H_12O_6 + 6O_2`

Here, carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) are the reacting species and the products are glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen (O2). The bonds of the reacting species were broken and new bonds were formed to produce the products in this reaction. 

An important aspect of writing chemical equations for a reaction is balancing the equation, which means that the number of atoms of each species is the same on both the product and reactant side. Once that is done, we can use the well balanced reaction to solve numerical problems on the amount of product formed or reactant consumed.

Hope this helps. 

Money is not "everything," as it is often a source of much anxiety and trouble. How does this truth relate to the story "One Thousand Dollars" by...

The irony of O. Henry's story "One Thousand Dollars" is that the spendthrift nephew of the now deceased, wealthy Mr. Gillian has never been materialistic, and the greatest anxiety that he feels is how to be rid of money, not how to attain an inheritance from his uncle.

Young Gillian, who has lived in luxury without having to work, undergoes the task of spending $1000.00 that his uncle has stipulated in his will that he spend and report the manner in which it has been dispersed. Unable to think of a way to spend this money, Gillian goes to the men's club and asks the surly Old Bryson how he should dispense with a thousand dollars. Old Bryson sarcastically suggests that Gillian buy Miss Lotta Lauriere a diamond pendant and then go run a sheep ranch in Idaho.

Gillian then goes to the stage actress's dressing room and offers her "a little thing in the pendant line," but the materialistic Miss Lotta is uninterested in such a mere bauble when another actress has received a necklace valued at $22,000.00. Disappointed, Gillian departs; he asks people on the street outside how he can spend one thousand dollars, but receives only unethical answers. He then takes a cab to the law offices of Tolman & Sharp, who are handling his uncle's affairs. There he inquires if Miss Hayden, who has worked for his uncle, was left anything in the will besides the ring and the $10 that all the employees were given. "Nothing," says Mr. Tolman.

Gillian hurries to the mansion, places the one thousand dollars in an envelope and tells Miss Hayden that he has just come from the law offices where a codicil to his uncle's will was discovered and $1000.00 was left for her. "Oh," she exclaims, and Gillian professes his love for her. "I am sorry," replies Miss Hayden as she happily takes the money.

Greatly disappointed by this rejection, Gillian writes a note accounting for his expenditure of the one thousand dollars and places it in an envelope. He returns to the lawyers, informing them that he has completed his assignment of spending the money. However, the lawyers explain that the uncle wished to test Gillian to learn if he deserved any inheritance. If he has dispensed with the $1000.00 in an altruistic manner and not used it in "dissipation" as has been his habit, he can now receive $50,000.00.

Gillian cannot believe how much trouble money is causing him. He now has to be rid of a greater sum. So, as Mr. Tolman reaches for the envelope containing his explanation of his spending, Gillian quickly tears it into strips, saying that he has spent the money on gambling bets. Tolman & Sharp shake their heads "mournfully." 

Indeed, money is not "everything" to Gillian, who loves Miss Hayden. Even when he tries to give her some, it causes him trouble and anxiety. But he finally is rid of it, and he laughs as he departs.

How does Zaroff justify hunting humans in "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell?

Zaroff tells Rainsford he is bored and the humans he is hunting are inferior, which is how they end up killed. 

Zaroff is an expert hunter. He explains to Rainsford that he became so good at hunting that he could hunt any animal of any size and it was no longer a challenge. Perfection was a bore.

No animal had a chance with me any more. That is no boast; it is a mathematical certainty. The animal had nothing but his legs and his instinct. Instinct is no match for reason. When I thought of this it was a tragic moment for me, I can tell you.

This is the reason, he told Rainsford, that he developed a new type of game. Rainsford was confused by this. He was an avid hunter, too. He wrote books on the subject. He knew Zaroff could not just create a new animal.  

Zaroff explains he bought the island because it was perfect for this new type of game hunting due to its “jungles with a maze of traits in them, hills, swamps.” Zaroff says his new animal can match wits with him, and he is never bored. In Zaroff’s mind, that is also a justification because he is extremely egotistical and it is all about him.

Zaroff justifies hunting people because he is trapping ships and taking sailors. If he kills them, he believes that means they are weak and deserve to die. He uses the survival of the fittest argument, saying,

Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not? I hunt the scum of the earth.

There is a certain amount of racism here, too, since Zaroff claims that the "lassars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels" are worthless human beings. Because of their profession, class, and/ or race, they are thought by Zaroff to be inferior to him, meaning he can do what he wants with them. He is an aristocrat. He has money and power. They do not. 

What Zaroff fails to note in his argument is that he has all the advantages in the hunt. He knows the island. He also has a gun, and all he gives the person he is hunting is "a supply of food and an excellent hunting knife" and three hours' head start. It doesn't negate his advantage.

`dy/dx = (6-x^2)/ (2y^3)` Find the general solution of the differential equation

`(dy)/dx = (6-x^2)/(2y^3)`

This differential equation is separable since it can be rewritten in the form

`N(y) dy=M(x) dx`

So separating the variables, the equation becomes

`2y^3dy = (6-x^2)dx`

Integrating both sides, it result to

`int 2y^3dy = int (6-x^2)dx`

`2*y^4/4 + C_1 = 6x-x^3/3 + C_2`

`y^4/2 + C_1 = -x^3/3 + 6x + C_2`

Since C1 and C2 represent any number, it can be expressed as a single constant C.

`y^4/2 = -x^3/3 + 6x + C`

Therefore, the general solution of the given differential equation is `y^4/2 = -x^3/3 + 6x+ C` .

What different choice could Victor Frankenstein have made after the monster's request for a companion?

When the monster initially requests a companion, Victor agrees, feeling that he has some obligation to make this creature happy.  However, after Victor has some time to consider all the terrible damage this monstrous couple could do if they decided to be evil, he destroys the mate.  This compels the monster to vow that he will exact revenge on Victor by killing everyone he loves and rendering Victor as miserable as he feels himself to be.  Instead of resolving, in the end, not to give his creature a companion, Victor could have decided to do so.  His creature swears that he and his mate would leave the company of humankind forever and never injure anyone else, and it is possible that this is exactly what would have happened.  If Victor has created the female for him, it is possible, then, that Victor's best friend, wife, and father, at least, would have survived, and Victor's life would not have ended so early and tragically.

`(1+0.10/365)^(365t) = 2` Solve the equation accurate to three decimal places

`(1+0.1/365)^(365t) = 2`

In solving these kind of problems we need to use the logarithm.

Take the logarithm on both sides of the equation.

`log_(10)((1+0.1/365)^(365t)) = log_10(2)`

With logarithms we know that,

`log(a^b) = bloga`

using that rule;

`log_(10)((1+0.1/365)^(365t)) = 365tlog_10(1+0.1/365)`

`365tlog_10(1+0.1/365) = log_10(2)`

`log_10(1+0.1/365) = log_10(1.000274) = 0.000119`

`log_10 (2) = 0.3010`

`365txx0.000119 =0.3010`

`t = 0.3010/(365xx0.000119) = 6.931`

So the answer is t = 6.931

In the first five chapters of Bud, Not Buddy, where is Bud's mother mentioned?

Chapter five is your best bet for sentences that are about Bud's mom.  It is also the best chapter to find quotes that are spoken by Bud's mom.  Bud's mom is dead, so chapter five is mainly a flashback.  

One of my favorite lines from Bud's mother is the following:

She'd tell me, "Especially don't you ever let anyone call you Buddy. I may have some problems, but being stupid isn't one of them.  I would've added that dy onto the end of your name if I intended for it to be there. I knew what I was doing. Buddy is a dog's name, or a name that someone's going to use on you if they're being false-friendly. Your name is Bud, period."

I like the quote a lot because people are always shortening my name, which really bothers me.  My own mother actually uses the same argument that Bud's mom uses.  The line shows that Bud's mother was very intentional about her actions and choices.  She further explains why she chose "Bud" and not "Buddy."  

"A bud is a flower-to-be. A flower-in-waiting. Waiting for just the right warmth and care to open up. It's a little fist of love waiting to unfold and be seen by the world. And that's you."

Chapter five also contains a line from Bud's mother that is symbolic throughout the entire book. 

"And Bud, I want you always to remember, no matter how bad things look to you, no matter how dark the night, when one door closes, don't worry, because another door opens."

At that point in Bud's life, he thought that she was talking about an actual door.  But during the rest of the story, Bud realizes that his mother was talking about metaphorical doors.  The doors that she was talking about were opportunity doors.  For example, when the Amos family was going to send Bud back to the orphanage, it gave him the opportunity to begin searching for his father. 

`int 3/(2sqrt(x)(1+x)) dx` Find the indefinite integral

For the given integral: `int 3/(2sqrt(x)(1+x)) dx` , we may apply the basic integration property: `int c*f(x) dx = c int f(x) dx` .

`int 3/(2sqrt(x)(1+x)) dx = 3/2int 1/(sqrt(x)(1+x)) dx` .

For the integral part, we apply u-substitution by letting:

`u = sqrt(x) `

We square both sides to get: `u^2 = x` .

Then apply implicit differentiation, we take the derivative on both sides with respect to x as:

`2u du =dx` .

Plug-in `dx= 2u du` , `u =sqrt(x) ` and` x= u^2` in the integral:

`3/2int 1/(sqrt(x)(1+x)) dx =3/2int 1/(u(1+u^2)) (2u du)`

Simplify by cancelling out u and 2 from top and bottom:

`3/2int 1/(u(1+u^2)) (2u du) =3 int 1/(1+u^2) du`

The integral part resembles the basic integration formula  for inverse tangent:

`int 1/(1+u^2) du = arctan (u) +C`

 then, 

`3 int 1/(1+u^2)  du = 3 * arctan(u) +C`

Express in terms x by plug-in  `u =sqrt(x)` :

`3 arctan(u) +C =3 arctan(sqrt(x)) +C`

Final answer:

`int 3/(2sqrt(x)(1+x)) dx = 3arctan(sqrt(x))+C`

How does Juliet respond to two obstacles she faced in Romeo and Juliet?

Juliet does not really take no for an answer. The first obstacle she faces is that she falls in love with a man who is forbidden to her. Romeo is a Montague, which means he is the sworn enemy of the Capulets. Juliet responds by deciding that his name is not that important:

What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself (Act II, Scene 2).

Romeo is in love with her, too, and does not care what her name is or if her family will hate him. They decide to marry in secret. Juliet loves Romeo, and she thinks that is all that matters.

Juliet’s second big challenge is when Romeo kills Tybalt and is banished. 

That villain cousin would have kill'd my husband:
Back, foolish tears, back to your native spring;
Your tributary drops belong to woe,
Which you, mistaking, offer up to joy.
My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain;
And Tybalt's dead, that would have slain my husband (Act III, Scene 2).

Romeo is exiled, and the situation is even worse because her father decides to marry her off to Paris. Juliet is already married, her husband is banished, and she is supposed to marry someone else.

Again, Juliet does not just accept her situation. She goes to Friar Laurence and asks for help. He agrees to give her a potion to fake her death. Although she is nervous about being alive in a tomb, she agrees.

Things do not end well for Juliet. She wakes to find her husband dead. Romeo did not get the letter telling him what was going on. He found Juliet in her tomb, thought she was dead, and drank poison. Juliet is so devastated to find him deceased that she takes his dagger and kills herself. This again solves her problem, though tragically.

Why was waltzing with his father "not easy" for the narrator in "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke?

Waltzing is "not easy" for the boy in "My Papa's Waltz" because of the fear he has of his father.

The waltz in "My Papa's Waltz" could be seen as difficult because of the size difference between father and son. The "small boy" hangs on to his father "like death."  With this height disparity, "such waltzing was not easy." However, a darker vision might exist.  Many interpretations of the poem suggest that "My Papa's Waltz" depicts an abusive relationship between the father and his son. This makes the waltz physically and emotionally difficult for the boy.

As he begins the dance, the father's state makes it difficult.  The boy notes how "the whiskey" on his papa's breath "could make a small boy dizzy."  That represents one level of difficulty in the dance.  The father's inebriated state causes him to spin the boy and have no regard for the objects around them. This is why both father and son "romped until the pans / slid from the kitchen shelf."  

The father's physical force is so strong that the boy experiences a scraped ear from his father's buckle with every step he missed.   It is as if the father is "dancing" his abuse towards the son.  The father's "battered" hand "beat time" on the little boy's head with a "palm caked hard by dirt."  The father's "waltz" is an exercise in displaying power over the boy. The emotional difficulty of this dance is confirmed with how the mother's facial expression "could not unfrown itself" as she watches the spectacle unfold.  

This waltz is difficult because the father is a towering and dominating figure. He revels in his abusive display of power.  The boy is terrified as he clings to his father's shirt.  There is little chance he enjoys this nightly tradition.  The boy's fear of his father and the pain he experiences during this dance make it emotionally and physically difficult.  Such a realization underscores how this dance "is not easy."

How would I write a character sketch of Helen Keller?

Helen Keller was born with all of her senses, but contracted an illness as a child that left her blind and deaf.  Despite her disabilities, Helen Keller learned to read and write, went to college, and became an advocate for the blind. 

When writing a character sketch, you want to give details about the person that are included in the story. These can include physical and personality traits. You can support these with examples from the text and quotations.

Helen is determined, intelligent, and sensitive. These traits initially made it difficult for her teacher, Anne Sullivan, to teach her language. When she began to learn, though, there was no stopping Helen. She learned quickly and came to love knowledge.

In The Story of My Life, Helen describes how she felt at the end of the first day in which she learned words:

I learned a great many new words that day… It would have been difficult to find a happier child than I was as I lay in my crib at the close of the eventful day and lived over the joys it had brought me, and for the first time longed for a new day to come (Chapter 4).

Helen had existed in a state of darkness and ignorance, unable to communicate with anyone. Once she learned her first word, “water,” she was able to learn many more. Anne Sullivan spelled into her hand. Helen came to associate this with the words. 

Even after this, Helen did not have an easy life. The world was still sometimes foreign and difficult for her to navigate. For example, she loved nature, but was frightened when she climbed a tree and a storm hit. Without being able to see or hear, Helen sometimes found the world confusing and scary.

Helen was successful enough that she even went to Radcliff College. College was not easy for Helen Keller, since few of her schoolbooks were in braille and everything took her longer. Still, Helen persevered and became a writer and a successful advocate for the blind.

What happens in the poem "The Explosion"?

Philip Larkin wrote ‘The Explosion' after viewing an 1969 BBC documentary about coal mining. The specific event described may well have been the disaster at the Trimdon coal mine, near Durham in northern England on 15 February 1882 in which 74 people died, although many aspects of the poem are relevant to any coal mine explosion. 

The poem starts out on a ordinary day in which miners are headed into the mine. Above ground, the scene is pleasant and pastoral. One miner steals eggs from a lark's nest for food. They head into the mine. At noon, there is an explosion, kicking up dust that dims the sun. 

After the explosion, the speaker and the wives of the miners who died, shift to a religious viewpoint, momentarily lifted out of the mundanity of daily life by the enormity of the event. 

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what is Lee trying to convey regarding the concepts of Tom's conviction and death? How are these two concepts important...

Harper Lee was attempting to convey the message that both a broken judicial system and racial prejudice are deadly. Tom's death is a result of a prejudiced jury's decision to wrongly convict an innocent man of assault and rape for the simple fact that he was black. After Tom is convicted and serving his sentence in an Alabama jail, he attempts to escape by climbing the fence surrounding the yard during an exercise period. Tom is shot seventeen times and dies tragically. His death not only results from the prejudiced jury's verdict, but also the corrupt and broken judicial system which allowed the decision to stand. Throughout Atticus' closing remarks, he comments that the place where every man should be treated equally, regardless of class, race, or gender, is in a United States courtroom. Unfortunately, the justice system fails Tom Robinson, and he eventually dies in the prison where he was sentenced to stay.

The concepts of a fair judicial system and tolerant populace are significant aspects of a civil society. Courts should judge individuals based on evidence and truthful testimonies in order to avoid injustice. Wrongful convictions devalue a society's judicial system and can destroy the lives of those who are convicted of crimes they did not commit. Society, in general, should be tolerant of people regardless of differences in race, social class, religion, culture, or gender in order to have a peaceful, productive community. Through Tom's wrongful conviction and death, Lee emphasizes the importance of an effective and fair court system, as well as a tolerant, understanding society.

What is it that Valjean steals that turns him into "a slave of the law" in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo?

Jean Valjean was born into a poor family, and after the death of his parents he and his sister had to support one another. When his sister is widowed, Valjean's meager income is not enough to feed himself, his sister, and her many children. In an attempt to literally put food on the table, he steals a loaf of bread. Valjean is caught and initially imprisoned for five years, but after many attempted escapes, his sentence totaled nineteen years. Upon release from prison, as a parolee, Valjean is issued an identity card which marks him as a criminal. As part of his parole, he is supposed to go to Ponterlier and live in highly controlled circumstances, but he flees instead and tries to make a new life under a new name. Because he is marked as a criminal and an outcast everywhere he goes, Valjean feels barely more free outside of prison than he did inside. 

Why do the children make Boo's story into a game in Chapter 4 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird? Who plays the part of Boo? Why? Is the game...

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the children invent their Boo Radley game due to their strong curious drive to know the truth about their neighbor.

Their curiosity became piqued the summer prior to their invention of the new game, the summer they first met Dill. Dill is a very intelligent, creative child with an active imagination. Since Dill has such an active imagination, once Scout and Jem begin informing Dill about the mysteries and rumors surrounding their neighbor Arthur Radley, whom the children call Boo Radley, the more Dill hears, the more curious he grows about Arthur. Scout describes that Dill would stand, hugging the light-pole on the same corner of the street the Radley Place resides, "staring and wondering" (Ch. 1). Prior to meeting Dill, Scout and Jem had been content just staying as far away from their mysterious neighbor's house as possible; however, the more curious Dill grew about Arthur, the more curious Scout and Jem grew as well. It is during this first summer that Dill comes up with the idea to "try to make [Arthur] come out," an idea that fueled Jem's invention of the Boo Radley game at the start of the next summer. Hence, Jem invents the Boo Radley game because the children's curiosity has driven them to the point that they want to try and compel Arthur out of his house so that the children can confirm the rumors and myths they have learned.

All the children know about Arthur comes from Miss Stephanie Crawford, a very unreliable source of information since she is known as the "neighborhood scold" and gossip. Since their information comes from Miss Crawford, we can be certain that events the children are acting out in their game are not accurate representations of what happened in the Radleys' home. As the children act out the events, Scout is assigned to play Mrs. Radley; Dill is to play "old Mr. Radley, Arthur's tyrannical father; and Jem chooses to play Arthur (Boo) Radley. One can assume that since Jem invented the game and is essentially the group's leader, he chose to take the funnest, most active role for himself. Plus, Dill is best at playing the villain's part and is, therefore, assigned the role of the tyrannical old Mr. Radley.

The following paragraph ends Part One of Things Fall Apart and summarizes a number of the doubts that have begun to plague individuals in the clan....

This excerpt occurs at the end of Part One, and Obierika is considering Okonkwo's crime (inadvertently shooting and killing a young man of the tribe) and subsequent exile. In this paragraph, the reader sees Obierika begin to question the practices of the clan and their belief system, as he has trouble reconciling Okonkwo's position in the tribe and the lack of malice in his crime with the traditions followed by the community.

Rather than simply accepting that Okonkwo's punishment is appropriate because it is "the will of the goddess" and is the action required to satiate "the great goddess" and "the Earth," Obierika wonders why Okonkwo should "suffer so grievously" for something that was clearly accidental. Thinking about this only leaves Obierika with more doubts and questions: "He was merely led into greater complexities." The structure and tradition that the tribe has relied on for so long no longer provides the easy answers and assurance they perhaps once did (it seems that Obierika has not questioned punishments this way in the past). He questions the practice of throwing twins into the woods, a long established tradition in the clan. Obierika wonders, "What crime had they committed?" The fact that seeds of doubt have entered his mind signals that the hold of tradition is beginning to wear in the clan. This allows the missionaries to have influence over them later because the new religion provides the logic that counteracts some of the questionable practices (for example, the missionaries take in twins instead of having them thrown into the woods).

Toward the end of the excerpt, Obierika brings up the idea of the individual and community and how one person's actions can reflect badly on the others. The concern is that if the goddess is not satisfied with the punishment exacted on the individual, the whole tribe will suffer. For the greater good, Okonkwo must be exiled. Obierika remembers, "As the elders said, if one finger brought oil it soiled the others." Later, when the missionaries arrive and Okonkwo is back from his exile, the idea of community works a bit more in the missionaries' favor. Okonkwo wants to rebel, but the community is not willing to take the drastic action Okonkwo takes. Without the group effort, the missionaries maintain their hold over the community and it is again the individual, Okonkwo, who suffers because of his misdeeds (this time intentional).

The changes in the tribe that will continue during Okonkwo's absence can already be seen here in the thoughts of Obierika. When Okonkwo returns, the seeds have already been planted for the missionary/colonizer's influence to override the traditions of the clan.