What is the importance of mathematics in today's world?

I would say that there are practical, pragmatic, and poetic reasons to study mathematics.

Practical reasons: You will need to be able to compute areas for paint, carpet, sod etc..., compute interest payments and charges, keep a bank account including budgeting and investments, track changes such as your car's mpg, the rate of electric/water/data usage, etc... Statistical knowledge is absolutely necessary to vote for your best interests, to understand when a person or company might be giving you the wrong impression, to understand how to interpret scientific results outside of your field of expertise, etc...

Pragmatic reasons: For better or worse mathematics is used as a gatekeeper. Universities and colleges use math scores to determine who to accept as well as placement. Popular programs use mathematics to screen applicants. In large cities you would take a basic skills test in order to get into a trade union or be trained as a fireman, etc... In today's world math is used determine where you can live, what kind of things you can buy, the most efficient way to move stuff, and many applications of maximizing profits/ minimize costs.

Poetic reasons: Mathematics is a creative activity closely related to poetry and musical expression. There are rules but there are times/places to bend or break the rules. Understanding the beauty of a logical argument, a proof without words, or an organizational construct uplifts the human spirit.

You drop a stone down a well. You hear the splash 2.03 s later. How deep is the well? The speed of sound in air is 343 m/s.

A stone is dropped down a well and the sound of the splash when it strikes the water is heard 2.03 s later. The depth of the well has to be determined.

Let the depth of the well be L meters. The acceleration of the stone due to the gravitational force of attraction is assumed to be constant at 9.8 m/s^2. The speed of sound in air is 343 m/s.

As the stone falls it takes a time t to strike the water below. The equation `L = 0*t + (1/2)*(9.8)*t^2` shows the relation between the depth of the well and the time taken for the stone to fall.

After the stone strikes the water, the time taken by sound to travel upwards and be heard is `L/343` s. This gives us two equations.

`L/343 + t = 2.03` ...(1)

`L = 0*t + (1/2)*(9.8)*t^2` ...(2)

From (1)

`L = (2.03 - t)*343`

Substituting this in (2)

`(2.03 - t)*343 = (1/2)*(9.8)*t^2`

`2.03*343 - 343*t = 4.9*t^2`

Solving this equation gives `t = +-(21*sqrt(310)-350)/10` . The negative root can be ignored.

Substituting `t = +-(21*sqrt(310)-350)/10` in `L = (2.03 - t)*343` gives:

`L = (2.03 -(21*sqrt(310)-350)/10)*343`

L = 19.0998 m

The depth of the well is 19.0998 m.

What does Macbeth mean when he says “We hear our bloody cousins are bestowed in England and Ireland not confessing their parricide, filling...

This quote is from Act III, Scene 1 of Macbeth. Macbeth is speaking here to Banquo, and when he says "bloody cousins," he is referring to Malcolm and Donalbain, the sons of the murdered King Duncan. By using the adjective "bloody," he suggests that it is they who murdered the king. This, he and others have already said in the play, is why they must have fled to England and Ireland, respectively, in the first place. Of course, Malcolm and his younger brother Donalbain, Macbeth tells Banquo, are refusing to confess their involvement in the murder (which, the audience knows, Macbeth was actually responsible for). But even worse, they are involved in "strange invention," or spreading stories about the murder. We can assume, based on context, that they are rallying opposition to Macbeth by telling the truth—that he is Duncan's murderer. Macbeth correctly perceives this as a threat to his power.

What are the major changes Russel went through in Dogsong?

Dogsong is a coming-of-age tale of a 14-year-old young man, Russel. Russel is an Inuit who is caught up in a society that is slowly forgetting its Inuit traditions in favor of new ways of living and beliefs. At the beginning of the book, Russel could best be characterized as angry, restless, and confused. Perhaps confused is the best single word to describe him, because he doesn't understand why he is restless and angry.

Several things happen throughout the book that help Russel's demeanor and outlook change. In many instances, these changes are subtle. However, when the sum of all of these subtle changes is considered, it is obvious that Russel has significantly changed from the beginning of the book to the end.

 Some of the major changes include:

• At the beginning of the book, Russel feels there is something wrong with the way things are now, though he is not able to articulate it. As he comes closer to nature and to his cultural roots, he begins the realization process that he longs to live the way that Inuits used to live. 

• At first, Russel has difficulty trusting the dogs with whom he is traveling. When his lack of trust in them leads to the group getting lost, he instead chooses to trust them. As he does so, he finds that the dogs are able to guide him. Gradually, he and the dogs are on the same wavelength and he is essentially able to be of one mind with them.

• When Russel first leaves Oogruk and finds himself alone with just the dogs and his weapon, he is terrified. However, as Russel begins to trust the his own instincts, he begins to thrive in his surroundings. He finds that he can be the kind of man he wants to be.

The following sentence is ambiguous. Provide two explanations which illustrate the different meaning of the sentence. "They are visiting relatives."

The key word here is “visiting.” Is it used as a verb, or as an adjective?

If “visiting” is used as a verb in combination with the helping verb “are,” then this use is considered a progressive aspect of its form. The action is in progress. The visiting is going on right now. “They” refers to a group of people. This group happens to be in the process of visiting its relatives, somewhere. The implication is that at least a bit of traveling was involved in reaching the destination where these relatives live.

If “visiting” is used as an adjective, then it modifies the plural noun “relatives.” Now the main action switches to the other group mentioned in the sentence. “They” is a pronoun referring to the “visiting relatives.” The word “are” merely indicates a state of being. The sentence describes who these people are. They happen to be relatives who are visiting someone’s home. For how long, we don’t know.

How is a club good different from a common good?

When we discuss types of goods in economics, we have to look at two characteristics of those goods.  We have to ask if the goods are rival in consumption.  This means that, if one person consumes the good, there is less of it for someone else to consume.  We have to ask if people who do not pay can be excluded from consuming the goods.  Based on the answers to these two questions, we categorize the goods.  A club good is one that is excludable but not rival.  A common good is rival but not excludable.

A club good is a good that we can withhold from someone who does not pay for it.  An example of this would be a cell phone network.  Companies have technology that prevents consumers from making calls on their networks if those consumers have not paid for the right to do so.  However, a club good is not rival.  Looking at our cell phone example, if I pay a certain company to use their network, it does not prevent you from paying them for the same service.  I do not use up their network in any significant way, so consumption of this type of good is nonrivalrous.

A common good is just the opposite.  There is rival consumption, but we cannot practically exclude people from using the resource.  The classic example of this is fish in the ocean.  If I catch a certain bunch of fish in my net, you cannot catch those same fish.  If we catch too many, they will eventually run out.  In this way, the consumption of the good is rival.  However, if a company owns part of the ocean, it cannot practically prevent people from fishing there.  Only a government has the means to patrol large areas of ocean and prevent people from fishing there if they have not paid for the right to do so.  In other words, the fish in the ocean are nonexcludable.

The difference between these two, then, is that common goods are rival but not excludable while club goods are excludable but not rival.

What is the role of social media in education?

I would say social media has more than one role in education, and these various roles confer significant advantages and disadvantages. Educators have the responsibility to ensure students benefit from social media in a classroom setting.

Social media can be thought of as another technological tool in a teacher's toolbox. Social media can constructively be used in many ways. For example, a classroom project might be creating a Facebook page for a literary character by choosing favorite quotes, books, and music for the character and uploading photos of what the character might like.  Think about what a page for Jay Gatsby might look like! It might include photos of gangsters and flappers or a clip of people doing the Charleston. Many authors have a Facebook presence today, too, and students could comment on their pages, saying what they like or do not like about their writing. Many authors are happy to accept new Facebook friends. A group can be created on Facebook for group projects or for the entire class. Twitter can be used to summarize a story or to write poems such as haikus. LinkedIn, a form of social media used for professional networking, can be used to construct a student's professional appearance. Social media can also be used as object lessons in how not to bully others or how not to have uncivilized discourse online. These are just a few of the ways a creative teacher can use the resources of social media in education. 

The disadvantages of social media lie in its ability to distract, celebrate the trivial, present negative behaviors to others, and harm mental health and relationships. Students today often cannot seem to put down their devices and focus in their classrooms or on their homework assignments. Some teachers require all electronic devices to be off in the classroom, since it is difficult to control their use. There is little of educational value in learning what a classmate ate for breakfast or looking at more pictures of animals. They have also caused harm in the lives of students foolish enough to post pictures of themselves drinking alcohol or using illegal drugs. Relationships on social media, for teachers and students, can be fraught with risk. Feelings are frequently hurt on Facebook, I am told; people are bullied, and research supports the notion that young people who are users of social media can have feelings of social isolation and depression because of it. While this is not a direct educational harm, it can take away from the feelings of community that every classroom should ideally have. Teachers must be very careful, too, in their social media participation, since all of it can be scrutinized. The faces we present on social media must be above reproach!  

Social media is here to stay, I think. It can be a force for good or evil. It is up to educators to use social media in a way that enhances learning.

What are some flashbacks in the story "The Lottery"?

Flashbacks occur when the author or narrator takes the reader back in time to explain certain events connected to the story. Flashbacks play an important role in plot development, and the technique enhances the audience’s understanding of current events in connection to previous situations.

In The Lottery, there aren't any classic examples of flashbacks, but there are moments of recollection that are used to describe the objects and rituals performed during past events. Though there is typically a distinction between a flashback and a recollection, some might regard them as the same thing. The flashbacks are centered on how the lottery changed over time. An instance of flashback occurs when the present black box is described. In the story, the present black box is said to have been constructed using pieces of the first box, which was constructed by founders of the village.

Another instance of flashback occurs when the rituals following the event are described. It is claimed that the official of the lottery was expected to perform a chant as he stood or walked among the people. The flashback also describes a ritual salute, which was used to address each participant during the draw.

Why is Paul Revere's contribution important to our society?

Paul Revere made important contributions to our society, especially during the times of the Revolutionary War. Paul Revere’s most famous contribution occurred the night of April 18 when the British army began to move out of Boston and head toward Lexington. Paul Revere alerted John Hancock and Samuel Adams that the British were on their way to the countryside. The colonists knew the British hoped to capture both John Hancock and Samuel Adams because the British viewed them as the leaders of the colonial opposition in Massachusetts. Both John Hancock and Samuel Adams were able to escape because of Paul Revere’s warning. His actions reflected the resolve of the colonists to defeat the British.

Paul Revere did serve in the colonial army in the Revolutionary War. His role was an undistinguished one. After the war ended, Paul Revere successfully developed his business, which was a foundry and hardware business. Because of his business, the navy was able to develop copper-bottomed ships.

Who puts the blanket around Scout's shoulders and how does Atticus reach this conclusion? What is Scout's reaction when she hears this information?...

One cold night, Miss Maudie's house catches on fire.  Jem and Scout go outside to watch with the rest of the neighborhood.  The next morning, Scout realizes that a brown blanket is around her shoulders.  Atticus points out that the blanket looks unfamiliar and does not belong to them.  Jem confesses about the knot-hole gifts and about his mended pants.  Atticus does not understand everything that Jem is talking about, but he does realize that his children have been communicating with Boo Radley in a way.  He concludes that Boo was the one who put the blanket over Scout in an act of friendship.

Atticus tells Scout that someday she can thank Boo for covering her with the blanket.  She is shocked and her "stomach [turns] to water and [she] nearly [throws] up when Jem [holds] out the blanket."  She cannot believe that Boo Radley had gone right up to her the night before.

Where does the point of attack begin in the play Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire?

The point of attack in a play is a reference to the moment the play begins. There are essentially two types of points of attack. The first is the early point of attack, where events unfold organically, and we are able to witness the events as they happen. The second is the late point of attack, where the play begins after tumultuous events that occurred in the past.

In the late point of attack, the play begins long after the story begins. In Rabbit Hole, the point of attack is eight months after the death of Becca and Howie's four-year-old son, Danny. When the play begins, Becca is in conversation with Izzy, her sister. The sisters are quarreling, with Becca clearly angry at Izzy for engaging in a physical altercation with another woman at a bar. It eventually turns out that the woman had been upset when she discovered that her former boyfriend, Auggie, had gotten Izzy pregnant.

As the play unfolds, we learn Becca has been washing all of her deceased son's clothes in preparation for giving them away to Goodwill. Becca offers Izzy the clothes in case she has a baby boy. The clothes look like they will fit at least a three-year-old child. Izzy is uncomfortable with the prospect of dressing her baby in her dead nephew's clothes, even if the baby turns out to be a boy. She declines Becca's offer, and the play soon moves to an exchange between Becca and her husband, Howie.

Becca and Howie discuss Izzy's pregnancy, but the conversation is fraught with emotional conflict. Becca obviously feels ambivalent about her sister being pregnant, and she finds the topic of new babies difficult. The conversation soon turns to Danny's death and how different members of the family on both sides have coped with it. Eventually, we learn Becca and Howie have not been sexually intimate for eight months, essentially since the death of their four-year-old son. While Howie wants to begin to heal and try to move past their loss, Becca is hesitant.

On some level, Becca thinks enjoying a measure of intimacy with Howie would be a betrayal of Danny. For his part, Howie sees that his wife is hurting, and he wants to help. Becca is too upset to see any value in his efforts. She thinks they should move, but Howie would prefer Becca see a therapist to help her deal with her grief. The story began long before the play itself. The story centers on the events surrounding Danny's death, although the play begins eight months after Danny's death (this is the point of attack). The play itself documents Howie and Becca's journey through the healing process.

Source: The Architecture of Story: A Technical Guide for the Dramatic Writer by Will Dunne.

What is the resolution of the story "Scent of Apples" by Bienvenidos Santos?

The conflict in the story "Scent of Apples" is that the author feels a great sense of nostalgia for his native country, the Philippines. When he is giving a talk in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Santos meets a Filipino farmer named Celestino Fabia. When Fabia and the author are speaking, Fabia begins to think of home. The author observes many parts of Fabia's life in America, including his life on a farm with his pleasant wife, Ruth, and his son, Roger. In the end, Santos seems to wonder if Fabia also misses home and if homesickness is a conflict for him. When Santos bids farewell to Fabia, the author offers to visit Fabia's hometown in the Philippines and pass along greetings from Fabia. Fabia says he does not know anyone in his hometown anymore. This resolves the conflict, as it's clear Fabia's life is in the United States now, even if he at times feels nostalgic for the country of his birth.

What are the colors mentioned in "Games at Twilight" by Anita Desai? What do they describe?

The color red is mentioned in the story's opening paragraph.  It is being used to describe the children's faces.  The first sentence of the story tells readers that the day has been really hot.  It's been too hot to play outside, so the children have been cooped up inside all day.  They are straining with effort to get outside.  Their effort, combined with the heat, gives them red faces.  Red is also used to describe the color of the gravel rocks that mark the garden paths.  

White is mentioned a few paragraphs later.  It is used to describe the walls of the veranda as they shine in the bright sunlight.  

Purple and magenta are the two colors that are named to describe the bougainvillea plant and the color of the shade that it casts.  

White and purple are used to describe the eyes and eye sockets of the dog.  

White is again used to describe the color of the sky.  I'm not sure what that actually looks like, but that is what the story says.  

Then, perhaps roused by the shrieks of the children, a band of parrots suddenly fell out of the eucalyptus tree, tumbled frantically in the still, sizzling air, then sorted themselves out into battle formation and streaked away across the white sky.

Some of the kids are wearing white shorts with red sandals. 

The shed that Ravi hides in has a big green door. 

Yellow is used to describe the condition of the grass and the pollen in the air. 

What moral is Gary Schmidt trying to teach with the cream puff in The Wednesday Wars?

Mrs. Baker gives Holling the job of transporting cream puffs up to the classroom from the cafeteria. The cream puffs are supposed to be for a gathering of the Wives of Vietnam Soldiers. He brings 12 trays, one at a time, upstairs to Mrs. Baker's room.

Mrs. Baker then assigns Holling the task of pounding out erasers that are dirty with chalk. She promises to give him a cream puff if he does a good job; however, he pounds them out by the windows, causing the dust to float over the cream puffs. Holling sees the cream puffs are ruined, but he doesn't do anything about it. Instead, he is "hoping that the Wives of Vietnam Soldiers would not notice the chalk dust all that much." They do, of course, and they blame the woman who made them in the cafeteria, who eats a cream puff to prove they are safe and has to go to the hospital. Meanwhile, the other students in Holling's class beg him for cream puffs, which he can't deliver. The lesson or moral the author is trying to impart is that being dishonest makes a situation worse. By not telling the truth about what happened to the cream puffs, Holling allows several people to become sick or disgusted from eating them.

In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, what insight into the future does Maya Angelou seem to gain after recounting the past?

After recounting the past, Maya Angelou realizes she has the ability to thrive despite the insidious influence of racism and the dysfunction of her childhood.

Maya comes to see her past experiences strengthened her resolve to live victoriously and confidently. In the introduction to the book, we are told Maya wrote her story because of her grief at Martin Luther King, Jr.'s death. In recounting her past, Maya is able to make peace with the imperfections in her life and accept that her place in the future need not be defined by the mistakes or the trials of the past. Essentially, she can be as successful as she chooses to be; in this, she remembers her mother's advice:

On my way out of the house one morning she said, “Life is going to give you what you put in it. Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you can wait.” Another time, she reminded me that “God helps those who help themselves.”

In recounting her past, she realizes those who love her will always support and encourage her in her time of need, and she draws strength from this knowledge. In the book, she recalls how she was raped by Mr. Freeman, her mother's live-in boyfriend.

She was only eight at the time, and the experience was painful, humiliating, and dehumanizing. She recalls that Bailey managed to wrest from her the identity of her rapist. Maya relates how her brother wept at the side of her hospital bed when he discovered who raped his sister. She maintains it was fully fifteen years before Bailey cried like that again. During her recovery, her uncles guarded her, and Bailey read to her for hours.

Maya eventually manages to overcome her trauma, and she goes on to become the first black streetcar conductor in San Francisco at the age of fifteen. The book ends with Maya learning she has what it takes to be a good mother.

Mother whispered, “See, you don’t have to think about doing the right thing. If you’re for the right thing, then you do it without thinking."

So, in recounting her past, Maya realizes strength is gained from adversity, and each acquired victory is a testament to the power of the human spirit. This knowledge allows her to look forward to the future with confidence and courage.

What occupations, according to the housekeeper, do many of these people have?

The young man who has been searching for five months for a girl named Eloise Vashner asks the housekeeper:

“Do you have many theatrical people rooming here?” 

She tells him:

“They comes and goes. A good proportion of my lodgers is connected with the theatres. Yes, sir, this is the theatrical district. Actor people never stays long anywhere. I get my share. Yes, they comes and they goes.”

No doubt most of the "theatrical people" were vaudeville performers. They would rent furnished rooms because they were "booked" on "circuits" and were always on the move, traveling by train from city to city and from town to town, living out of suitcases and eating in diners. In many cases vaudevillians would have a succession of "one-night stands," meaning there were only enough theater-goers in smaller towns to sustain their act for one show and they then had to move on to the next town. Obviously, those who stayed in a rooming-house like the one described in "The Furnished Room" would not be stars. The housekeeper speaks highly of a married couple who went by the stage names of Sprowls and Mooney because they stayed for three full months. Husband and wife vaudeville teams often did "stand-up comedy" routines together.

Eloise Vashner must have come to New York with high hopes of becoming a star as a singer, but her career appears to have gone downhill "...from all-star casts down to music halls so low that he dreaded to find what he most hoped for." New York was a magnet for people with talents of every kind, but the competition was fierce.

When does the story of "By the Waters of Babylon" take place ?

The story takes place in the future.  There has been some kind of apocalypse called the Great Burning.  All we know about the Great Burning is that “fire fell out of the sky.”  We do know that John’s world is our world in the future because he lives in the area around what was once New York City.

 It is forbidden to cross the great river and look upon the place that was the Place of the Gods—this is most strictly forbidden. We do not even say its name though we know its name. It is there that spirits live, and demons—it is there that there are the ashes of the Great Burning. 

John’s people think that we were gods.  They are afraid to touch metal, and only priests are allowed to do so.  They are supposedly the only ones who can touch the metal without dying.  John’s father is a priest, and he is training to be a priest.

As part of this training, John goes on a quest to follow a dream to what was once New York City.  He sees the old buildings and technology, and realizes that the gods were once people.  These “gods” are the bodies of dead human beings.  He decides that this is the foundation of a lost civilization, and his society can rebuild it.

We shall go to the Place of the Gods—the place newyork—not one man but a company. We shall look for the images of the gods and find the god ASHING and the others—the gods Lincoln and Biltmore and Moses. But they were men who built the city, not gods or demons.

Like many post-apocalyptic societies, John’s is ruled by fear.  John, the new generation, decides that he wants to change things.  He will not be afraid.  He wants to reunite his people and build on the legacy of the past to renew the former society.

What was Jonathan Edwards trying to accomplish with his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"?

Jonathan Edwards's sermon was delivered in Enfield, Connecticut in 1741 during the religious revival movement known as the (First) Great Awakening. His aim was to bring as many people as he could back to Christianity as colonial society was becoming more secular and diverse. His goal was to convert the unconverted and revitalize the active faith of believers. His approach in this famous sermon was to strike fear into the hearts of his listeners as he detailed the horrors of Hell that await sinners who fail to take advantage of the opportunity to gain God's grace. The bulk of the sermon dwells on how tenuous man's relationship with God is and how God could drop sinners into Hell at any time—and how sinners should fear God's immense wrath.

How is the characterization of Jem changed in Chapter 23 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Jem is characterized as reflective and sensitive as he is growing up in this chapter. 

In this chapter, we see Jem as a young man who is trying to understand the world. Much of the chapter is about Jem and his reaction to recent events. Jem is coming of age, and facing racism and the fact that the world is not fair.

Jem reacts to Bob Ewell’s spitting in Atticus’s face. He is frightened, thinking that this was not all Ewell was going to do. This shows Jem is still sensitive. 

Jem is also still upset about the verdict in the Tom Robinson case. He was convinced that Robinson would be acquitted because Atticus proved that no crime was committed and Mayella’s injuries were most likely caused by her father.

Jem was sprawled on the sofa reading Popular Mechanics. He looked up. “It ain’t right. He didn’t kill anybody even if he was guilty. He didn’t take anybody’s life” (Chapter 23).

Jem reflects on circumstantial evidence and the rape statute, which makes rape a capital offense. He is trying to find a way to make everything that happened make sense to him, and to feel that justice has been done. He doesn’t feel that Robinson should have been convicted.

Atticus tells Jem that there is nothing wrong with making rape a capital offense and many people are convicted on circumstantial evidence alone. When Jem says maybe they should just get rid of juries, he is again trying to rationalize what happened and blame someone. In Jem’s mind, it was the jury’s fault.

When Atticus tells him Mr. Cunningham did not agree with the verdict, Jem is again confused.

“Golly Moses,” Jem said reverently. “One minute they’re tryin‘ to kill him and the next they’re tryin’ to turn him loose… I’ll never understand those folks as long as I live” (Chapter 23).

This shows Atticus has managed to change the minds of some of the people of Maycomb. Atticus tells Jem that he will understand as he gets older. Atticus came very close to getting a hung jury.

More proof of Jem's growing up is when he shows Scout that he is getting hair under his arms and on his chest.  Jem is proud of his maturity, and he wants to share the changes in his body with his sister. The two of them are still close, even as he is maturing while she is still young.

How did Mrs. Johansen, Annemarie, and Ellen get to Uncle Henrik's house in Number the Stars by Lois Lowry?

In Chapter Six, Mrs. Johansen, Annemarie, and Ellen take the train to Uncle Henrik's house in Gilleleje. When they step off the train at the station, they have to walk about two miles to Uncle Henrik's house.

As it is a nice day, Mrs. Johansen suggests they take the path through the woods; all three make their way to the outskirts of the village on foot. Along the way, Mrs. Johansen shows the girls where her Aunt Gitte and her best friend, Helena, used to live. Soon, they come to a dirt path leading into the woods. Mrs. Johansen tells the girls this is where her faithful dog, Trofast, used to wait for her every afternoon after school. Upon emerging from the woods, they then come upon a 'meadow dotted with cows.' As they walk along the path that skirts the edge of the field, they can see beyond to the sea.

More walking eventually takes the women into the woods again. Mrs. Johansen and the girls are relieved to eventually come to Uncle Henrik's home in a clearing just beyond the woods.

How did African-American lives change after 1865?

African-American lives changed after 1865 in several ways. The Civil War ended in April 1865. This had a huge impact on African-Americans.

The ending of the Civil War brought slavery to an end. The Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery. The plantation owners no longer owned their slaves. As a result, some African-Americans formally got married. Others went to search for family members that were living elsewhere. African-Americans built their own schools and their own churches.

The Freedmen’s Bureau was designed to help the freed slaves. African-Americans got medical care. Food and clothing were distributed to them. The Freedmen’s Bureau helped African-Americans get fair wages for the jobs they had.

Constitutional changes were made to help the African-Americans. African-Americans became citizens with the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment. They now had the rights that all citizens had. These rights couldn’t be taken away without due process of law. The Fifteenth Amendment prevented African-Americans from being denied the right to vote because they had been slaves. African-American males voted and held office.

For about ten to twelve years after the Civil War ended, African-Americans saw many areas of their lives improve. Unfortunately, once Reconstruction ended, some of those improvements were taken away.

Will African people ever be free from colonialism?

Technically, African nations which were once under European rule now have independence. This was decided during the Berlin Conference, also known as the Congo Conference and the West Africa Conference, of 1884-1885. At this meeting, the colonization of Africa was organized among European nations based on their economic interests.

Nearly every African nation was, at one time or another, under European rule. Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Liberia are exceptions. Ethiopia had successfully resisted Italy, but then went on to colonize Eritrea, which did not achieve its own independence until 1991 when soldiers from the People's Liberation Army seized the capital, Asmara, and defeated the Ethiopian military regime.

Liberia was formed in the mid-nineteenth century by former African-American slaves who had repatriated to West Africa. 

The last African nation to achieve independence was Zimbabwe. In 1980, the nation formerly known as Rhodesia, reclaimed its traditional name and made Robert Mugabe its Prime Minister. Rhodesia had been self-governing since 1923, but had been under the rule of white planters and still served the British crown.

Though African nations have achieved sovereignty, Western corporations maintain business interests in Africa. For several decades, there have been persistent concerns about economic and environmental exploitation on the African continent. The actions of companies as diverse as Royal Dutch Shell, which maintains interests on Nigeria's coastline, and the jeweler, DeBeers, have come under scrutiny over the years. 

More importantly, colonization is not only about the conquest of land, but also the conquest of people's minds. Colonizers worked to instill in African people a sense of their superiority over the presumed inferiority of African subjects. They created divisiveness among their subjects to help them retain power.

The bloodiest manifestation of this "divide and conquer" tactic occurred in Rwanda in 1993. The Hutus and the Tutsis are both tribes formed from the Bantu-speaking peoples of central and southern Africa. It is very possible that the Belgians created these groups, or drew significant distinctions between them, during their rule of the Congo, of which Rwanda was a part. 

The Belgians' better treatment of the Tutsi people created resentment among the Hutus. The Tutsis became associated with certain characteristics, such as lighter skin and tallness. When the Hutus began their massacre of the Tutsis, they sought out people with these traits. 

Though Rwanda is now a peaceful nation with a flourishing tourism industry, this facet of their history will remain, and it is linked to its colonial history.

It is impossible to know exactly how much wealth Africa has lost due to colonialism, and impossible to know how much the wealth of Europe and the Americas can be attributed to its exploitation of Africa, both during the Atlantic slave trade and the Age of Imperialism. The number is likely in the trillions.

Africa continues to feel the effects of hundreds of years of exploitation and will continue to feel those effects for some time. However, some African nations currently enjoy peace and are flourishing economically. Given what little time they have had to achieve this, their commendable efforts should not get lost in their dark history.

Who is a stereotyped character in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Dr. Wheeler defines a stereotyped character as one "who is so ordinary or unoriginal that the character seems like an oversimplified representation of a type, gender, class, religious group, occupation" (Literary Terms and Definitions, Carson-Newman University). They are the types of characters we recognize very easily when we see them such as the bully or the nerd.

One stereotype we find in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is the Southern belle, represented by Aunt Alexandra. The Southern belle is usually a young, unmarried woman of Southern high society who holds strong beliefs of social superiority and of proper feminine behavior, believing in particular that women should be in positions of subordination and subservience. They are often even racially prejudiced. Though a married woman herself, Aunt Alexandra was raised as a Southern belle and still holds those beliefs; she is even trying to raise Scout as a Southern belle. In terms of appearance, Southern belle's are often corseted, gloved, and carry fans. We particularly see Aunt Alexandra being described as a Southern belle in the following:

To all parties present and participating in the life of the county, Aunt Alexandra was one of the last of her kind: she had river-boat, boarding-school manners; let any moral come along and she would uphold it; she was born in the objective case; she was an incurable gossip. (Ch. 13)

Beyond her manners, Aunt Alexandra is described as being representative of a Southern belle when she is characterized as persistently wearing a corset and as being racially prejudiced.

A second stereotype we see in To Kill a Mockingbird is what today we might call white trailer trash, and the Ewells represent this social class. According to descriptions, the Ewells are uneducated, always dirty, extremely poor, and have never "done an honest day's work" in their lives; Bob Ewell lives solely off of relief checks. In particular, Bob Ewell's son, Burris, is described as having stereotypical dirtiness in Scout's following narration:

He was the filthiest human I had ever seen. His neck was dark gray, the backs of his hands were rusty, and his fingernails were black deep into the quick. (Ch. 3)

In general, To Kill a Mockingbird contains many stereotypes, but Lee uses many of them in more creative ways than average.

What is the most famous scene in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night?

It's debatable what scene is the most "famous" in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night; various audience members might have different preferences on this matter. Some people are more partial to the more sweepingly romantic scenes within the play, such as in Act One, Scene One, when Count Orsino declares his unrequited love for Lady Olivia and iconically proclaims, "If music be the food of love, play on..." Others prefer the comedic elements, like Sir Toby and Sir Andrew's drunken antics or the ridiculous duel between Sir Andrew and Cesario in Act Three, Scene Four.

That being said, perhaps one of the most loved scenes in the play is Act Three, Scene Four, in which the grumpy servant Malvolio gets his comeuppance at the hands of Maria, Sir Andrew, and Sir Toby. Tired of Malvolio's "better-than-thou" attitude and his eagerness to get the others in trouble, this crew decides to make a fool of Malvolio; they send him a fake love letter from Lady Olivia and convince him that he must appear to her dressed in yellow, cross-gartered stockings.

Malvolio does so and attempts to proclaim his love to a very confused Lady Olivia. This scene is full of miscommunication and hilarious sexual misinterpretations, such as when Olivia asks Malvolio if he'll "go to bed" (here meaning to go lie down and rest in his quarters), and Malvolio perceives it as an invitation to sleep with her, replying, "To bed! ay, sweet-heart, and I'll come to thee."

Malvolio is ultimately humiliated in front of his employer, which is a comedic payoff both for the characters in the play and for the audience who has had to listen to his dry, humorless talk. This scene also includes one of the most quoted Shakespearean lines of all time, which Malvolio repeats from the fake love letter he had received: "Be not afraid of greatness... Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."

What does the term 'wergild' mean in Beowulf?

The term wergild in Beowulf literally translates as 'man payment' or 'man compensation' but is usually translated simply as 'man price'. The concept of wergild was a legal principle under Anglo-Saxon law. Under the principle of wergild, a homicide could be compensated by giving money or valuable property to the family of the victim. This same legal principle was found throughout the Germanic world at that time, and it is a very important concept in several Icelandic sagas.

It is worth noting that the Germanic societies that employed the use of wergild often distinguished between two types of homicides: (1) a homicide that was part of a dispute or feud and was carried out openly and (2) murder, which was a homicide that was hidden and/or was committed outside the more acceptable context of a dispute or feud (e.g., in commission of another crime, such as theft). Wergild usually would be payable in both instances, but with respect to the open and more acceptable homicide, wergild alone might be sufficient compensation for the homicide (although a short period of banishment might also be included), and any revenge homicide would be seen as a separate action. With respect to murder, however, outlawry (and sometimes death) would also be part of the sentence, and a properly conducted revenge homicide against the outlawed murderer might not be subject to payment of wergild to the murderer’s family.

If a mother is 50% Italian, will the child get 25% of her Italian DNA?

While it would be very convenient if such mathematical principles applied to genetics and cultural inheritance, that just isn't the case. First, ethnic and national identity (like being Italian) are not inherited through genetic processes. These are cultural structures which are learned after birth. Second, there's  not really such a thing as "Italian DNA." The borders of Italy are not drawn in reference to what sorts of genetic traits people do or do not have-- in other words, Italian people aren't so significantly different in their genotypes from other nations that this is the basis for their being Italian. 

Even when we consider inheritance of traits that might be thought of as classic to Italian aesthetics or stereotypical of Italian phenotypes, there's no certainty that exactly half of either parent's contributed genes will be expressed. For example, if someone's mother is Italian-- either as an Italian national or identifying with cultural heritage-- and has stereotypical Italian features like curly hair, brown eyes, and olive skin, that doesn't necessarily mean her children will have such features. Her children will inherit half of their genes from her, but this does not mean all of her inherited genes will be expressed. Even if her children were to all have similar, stereotypical Italian features, these features do not belong only to Italian people. 

With that, I'm sorry to say that genetics are far messier than we'd like them to be, and culture has much more to do with being "Italian" than does any gene. It maybe of interest to you to look into something called the Founder's Effect. Some populations can be very distinctly traced to one person or place based on reduced variability in genotypes and phenotypes. It is possible that there are some Founder's Effects which may be traced to Italian territory or migration, but I do not know of any such variations.

How are the ballerinas handicapped?

The ballerinas in this story are handicapped with weights, masks, and noise-making devices to cancel out their strength, beauty, and intelligence, respectively.

First, we find out that the ballerinas are handicapped to hide their strength and beauty. Their bodies are weighed down with heavy objects, and their faces are obscured by masks. Here's how George first perceives these handicapped dancers on television:

They were burdened with sashweights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in.

We also know that mental handicaps have been imposed on at least some of the ballerinas. When George's thoughts are interrupted by a loud noise in his head that causes him to flinch, he sees some of the dancers on the screen also flinching in the same manner. This observation leads us to infer that they, too, have noise-making devices implanted in their bodies to prevent them from thinking too deeply or for too long. In fact, when George hears a subsequent, particularly painful sound in his head--of a "twenty-one-gun salute"--he sees a few of the ballerinas on screen actually collapse, presumably from the shock of the same sudden sound.

As the story reaches its climax, we see what happens when a ballerina's handicaps are removed to reveal her true intelligence, strength, and beauty, in that order:

Harrison plucked the mental handicap from her ear, snapped off her physical handicaps with marvelous delicacy. Last of all he removed her mask. She was blindingly beautiful.

How does Algernon treat Lane in Act One of The Importance of Being Earnest? How does this reveal the class discrepancies of the time period?

Lane is Algernon's butler. His primary role in The Importance of Being Earnest is to protect and support Algernon, who undertakes comic escapades that entail a great deal of risk. His role is much like the role P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves plays to Bertie Wooster.

The relationship between the two men in the context of class is complicated. Algernon, who is wealthy and upper-class, blusters, fumbles, and is often incompetent in pulling off his own schemes. Lane, who is poorer and of a lower class, is by contrast intelligent and capable. Nonetheless, Lane uses his own talents to help Algernon rather than advance personally. While Lane's demeanor and intelligence suggest that he has control in many situations, his obligations to Algernon as his employee complicate the extent to which this is actually true. 

Consider, for instance, the opening of the scene: 

Algernon: Did you hear what I was playing, Lane? 

Lane: I didn't think it polite to listen, sir. 

In his response, Lane lodges an objection to Algernon's performance (which may have been unskilled) with a response that cloaks irony with rectitude—a complicated mix of assertion and deferral. 

As the scene plays on, this dynamic continues. Algernon is grateful to Lane, and expresses his gratitude for helping him escape the ire of his aunt when he eats her cucumber sandwiches. While this gratitude makes Algernon indebted to his butler, he also retains control over Lane as his employer. 

How does an increase in mobility of labor affect elasticity of labor supply?

The elasticity of labor supply is defined as the amount that the labor supply increases in response to an increase in wages. We can look at the problem of how migration would affect this through a hypothetical example. 

If you imagine an isolated island with 1,000 potential workers, there might be a labor supply of 900 people working or looking for work. Of the remaining 100, some might be retired, some in school, some full-time parents, and some on social assistance. If wages rose enough, though, some of the students might decide to take part time jobs, pensioners might return to the work force, and so on. The upper limit to this elasticity on an isolated island would be the total number of people on the island not in work who had the requisite job skills. 

Even islands are not completely isolated, though. If wages rose on our hypothetical island, people from neighboring islands would migrate to take advantage of higher wages. These immigrants might consist of people inside or outside the labor force in their native lands. Thus, freedom of migration dramatically expands to potential supply of labor to a global population. 

An even more dramatic effect comes from skill matches. Imagine that Basket Island has a need for more basket weavers and raises wages for basket weavers to the point that all skilled basket weavers on Basket Island are employed. On neighboring Pottery Island, all people with pot-making skills are employed. Thus we would have two islands with no labor supply elasticity. There might, though, be unemployed skilled potters on Basket Island and unemployed skilled basket weavers on Pottery Island; removing obstacles to migration would create significant elasticity in the regional labor supply. 

How does Harper Lee present prejudice throughout the novel?

Harper Lee presents prejudice throughout the novel by depicting the thoughts and actions of the racist community members of Maycomb. Lee also depicts prejudice by illustrating how negative rumors adversely affect Boo Radley's life. Lee uses specific characters such as Mrs. Dubose, Mrs. Merriweather, and Bob Ewell to depict the prejudice against African Americans in Maycomb. Lee also uses characters like Miss Stephanie Crawford to portray the prejudiced feelings towards Boo Radley. The community member's racist comments and negative attitude towards Atticus also depict their prejudiced beliefs. Lee also portrays how the community's prejudice harms specific individuals. Tom Robinson becomes a victim of racial injustice and the rumors surrounding Boo Radley give him a negative reputation throughout Maycomb. Despite the overwhelming prejudice throughout the community, Atticus remains tolerant and morally upright. He teaches his children to treat others equally which aids in Scout and Jem's moral development.

What is the pH of an acid?

By definition, acids have a pH of less than 7, while bases have a pH of more than 7 and neutral water has a pH of exactly 7. The lower the pH, the stronger the acid, so usually strong acids have a pH of 0 to 2 while weak acids have a pH of 3 to 5. Solutions with pH of 6 are technically acidic, but only barely.

At the other end of the scale, strong bases have pH of about 12 to 14, while weak bases have a pH of about 9 to 11 and solutions with a pH of 8 are technically basic but only slightly. (The human bloodstream has a pH of about 7.4 normally.)

It's also possible in extreme circumstances for acids to go below 0 or bases to go above 14. These are very strong acids and bases respectively.

What pH is actually measuring is the negative log base 10 of the activity of hydrogen ions in the solution.

`pH = - log_10 (a_{H+})`

Indeed, you can actually put p on anything and that means the negative log base 10 of its activity; but mainly we just use it for hydrogen.

Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" is a tragi-comedy. Discuss.

There are certainly elements of O'Connor's story that are comedic.  For example, the grandchildren are so exceedingly awful to their grandmother that their behavior is somewhat funny in how terrible it is: they have smart mouths and are unbelievably rude to her and to Red Sammy's wife when the family stops to eat.  The grandmother, herself, is sort of a strangely comedic figure as well in her complete lack of self-awareness.  She goes on and on about the old days and how much better things used to be then, but she is, simultaneously, completely unaware of her own racism.  It's not laugh out loud funny; it's more like shaking-your-head-because-its-difficult-to-believe funny.  The irony, too, of her insistence that Red Sammy is a "good man," although he is physically gross and despite the fact that he demeans and degrades his wife is also shake-your-head comedic. 

 Further, even though we really aren't supposed to like the grandmother or her son's terrible family, being shot in the woods is a death most of us wouldn't wish on people even as irritating as they.  Their deaths, therefore, are also tragic, especially because they are the result of the grandmother's big mouth (when she identifies the Misfit).

What coincidence does Helen Keller speak of in the first chapter of The Story of My Life?

When Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama in 1880, her "life was simple and much like every other little life."  She lived as an ordinary baby until the age of one.  It was then that she contracted an "illness which closed [her] eyes and ears and plunged [her] into the unconsciousness of a new-born baby."  Helen was deaf and blind for the rest of her life because of the illness.  

In that time in history, some people believed that a person with the disabilities of blindness and deafness could not be educated or live a productive and happy life.  Helen's parents, however, did not feel this way.  They wanted their daughter to be educated and to have some level of independence.

On her father's side, Helen's ancestors were from Switzerland.  Among her "Swiss ancestors was the first teacher of the deaf in Zurich... [who] wrote a book on the subject of their education."  Helen described this as "rather a singular coincidence."  Not only did Helen become deaf herself, but she also received an education despite her disability.  Education of the deaf was the very thing that her ancestor had worked hard to improve.

Who is John Holbrook in The Witch of Blackbird Pond?

Kit meets John Holbrook on the ship on the way to Wethersfield.  He is going to Wethersfield to study with Reverend Bulkeley.  He is kind to Kit, and she finds him mild but pleasant.  She has enough trouble on the journey to Wethersfield, especially when she jumps into the water to retrieve Prudence’s doll.

… John Holbrook had been about to warn her. There was something strange about this country of America, something that they all seemed to share and understand and she did not. She was only partially reassured when John said, with another of those surprising flashes of gentle humor, "I shall sit with you at supper, if I may. Just to make sure that no one's food gets curdled." (Ch. 1)

John Holbrook spends a lot of time with the Woods, and Judith eventually becomes sweet on him. It is not until later that the family realizes that it is not Judith he wants to see, but the quiet and also mild-mannered Mercy.  With Kit and Judith vying for every young man’s attention, everyone forgot about Mercy!

Those great listening eyes were fastened on the face of the young man bent over his book, and for one instant Mercy's whole heart was revealed. Mercy was in love with John Holbrook. Faster than thought the shadows clarified Mercy again. Kit glanced hastily around the circle. No one else had noticed. (Ch. 11) 

John Holbrook is a good friend to Kit in Wethersfield, even though she is “forever astonishing him.”  He is patient and gentle, and she likes listening to him read.  Despite this, Kit is not in love with him.  Judith is, but Mercy is the one whose affections are returned.  Eventually, Kit ends up with Nat and Judith with William Ashby (whom she loved before Holbrook came), and Mercy and John can marry.

What kind of shelter did Brian make in Hatchet?

Brian makes a shelter up against a stone ridge. 

After the plane crashes, Brian realizes right away that he is going to need some kind of shelter.  His windbreaker is torn to shreds.  He is also at the whim of the wild animals.  Brian finds his priorities almost immediately. 

He had to have some kind of shelter. No, make that more: He had to have some kind of shelter and he had to have something to eat. (Ch. 5) 

Although Brian may be just a kid on his own, he does have some small measure of survival knowledge.  He remembers playing the park with his friend Terry and deciding that the best shelter in the wilderness would be a lean-to.  Brian decides that it is a good idea for him too. 

His eyes fell upon the stone ridge to his left and he thought at first he should build his shelter against the stone. But before that he decided to check out the far side of the ridge and that was where he got lucky. (Ch. 6) 

Brian uses the sun to determine that the far side of the ridge is the northern side.  The overhang makes an almost perfect roof for Brian.  It is the next best thing to finding an actual cave.  Brian is too weak to make proper walls, however.  Remembering a program about air force pilots taking wilderness survival training, Brian decides to look for berries. 

The gut-cherries were a bad idea, but the shelter works well.  Brian starts to think of it as home, and works to make it more comfortable and secure.  Little by little he gets strong enough to build on it. 

The brush made a fair wall, not weather tight but it cut most of the wind off. He hadn't done so badly at that. Maybe it wasn't much, but also maybe it was all he had for a home. (Ch. 7) 

Brian’s shelter is invaded by a porcupine, but generally makes him feel safe.  He decides to add a fire, and after some trial and error manages to get one going.  Brian is really surviving on his own.

In "The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde, what does Mrs. Otis want Mrs. Umney to do about the bloodstain?

Mrs. Otis wants Mrs. Umney to clean up and get rid of the bloodstain. 

In the first part of the story, Mrs. Umney is taking the Otis family on a brief tour of the Canterville Chase.  She leads them into the library, where tea has been set out for everybody to enjoy.  While taking the tea break, Mrs. Otis discovers the bloodstain on the floor and demands that it be cleaned up immediately.

"How horrid!" cried Mrs. Otis; "I don't at all care for blood-stains in a sitting-room. It must be removed at once."

Mrs. Umney explains that the bloodstain belongs to the former Lady Eleanore de Canterville, who was murdered by her husband.  The bloodstain has been on the floor for more than 300 years, and nobody can get rid of it. 

Washington Otis thinks that is all nonsense and pulls out some special cleaner.  Why he carries around special cleaning agents is beyond me, but I digress.  Washington drops to his knees and scrubs the floor clean.  No more bloodstain.  

"That is all nonsense," cried Washington Otis; "Pinkerton's Champion Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent will clean it up in no time," and before the terrified housekeeper could interfere, he had fallen upon his knees, and was rapidly scouring the floor with a small stick of what looked like a black cosmetic. In a few moments no trace of the blood-stain could be seen.

Unfortunately, Washington's extreme cleaning only works for that one day, because the bloodstain is back again by the following morning.  

What quotes from "The Pearl" both support and counter the claim "struggling does more harm than good"?

Your topic can be interpreted different ways, but my first thought is that if Kino had not been so desperate to improve his family’s situation with the pearl, things would have turned out better.  To say that something does more harm than good means that Kino did not help his family with the pearl but rather caused them harm.  The harm he caused is obvious.  He killed a man, went on the run, and got Coyotito killed.

Kino’s wife Juana also begins to think that the pearl is evil and tells him to throw it away.  She sees the influence the pearl has on those around them.  It has not been a positive thing.  People are either envious or try to get the pearl from them.  Juana says the pearl will destroy them all. 

"This thing is evil," she cried harshly. "This pearl is like a sin! It will destroy us," and her voice rose shrilly. "Throw it away, Kino. Let us break it between stones. Let us bury it and forget the place. Let us throw it back into the sea. It has brought evil. Kino, my husband, it will destroy us." (Ch. 3) 

She is right. Sometimes it is not a good thing to want more than you have.  Kino was happy with his life, and the pearl gave him delusions of grandeur.  He wanted to provide for his family in ways he could not before, but he did not see the danger the pearl was causing.

For the opposing side, I would say that Kino and Juana’s struggle to help their baby did more good than harm.  The baby did survive (until it was shot).  Juana did not just throw up her hands and wait for her baby to die when the scorpion stung him.  She acted, sucking the poison out. 

But Juana had the baby in her arms now. She found the puncture with redness starting from it already. She put her lips down over the puncture and sucked hard and spat and sucked again while Coyotito screamed. (Ch. 1)

She saved his life.  If she had not struggled, the baby would have died then of the scorpion poison.  Sometimes a struggle is the right thing to do.  If someone is in immediate danger, you should act.

What does Tom's reaction to Myrtle's death say about how he felt about her?

Tom's immediate response, after learning what happened to Myrtle, speaking with her widower, and seeing her body, is to cry.  Nick says, as they are driving speedily away from the scene of the gruesome accident,

"In a little while I heard a low husky sob, and saw that the tears were overflowing down his face."  

This emotional response seems to indicate that Tom did, on some level, actually care for Myrtle.  However, he also blames Gatsby for the accident, believing that Gatsby was driving at the time it occurred, and so one might wonder if he's crying over what happened to Myrtle or if he's crying because he believes that this one man, Gatsby, has threatened to take away both his women in one afternoon: he might have succeeded in stealing Daisy away from Tom, and Tom believes that Gatsby has killed Myrtle.  Nick seems to believe, however, that Tom's tears really were for his mistress, as he tells Gatsby that "[Tom] won't touch [Daisy] [...].  He's not thinking about her."  He believes that Tom genuinely did care for Myrtle.  

Which character seems to be the leader between Lennie and George and why?

Between the two characters, George would definitely be considered the leader because Lennie is unable to think for himself and make rational decisions. Aside from being Lennie's close friend, George protects Lennie from various characters and negative experiences throughout the novella. Lennie is mentally handicapped, naive, and innocent. He is essentially a helpless character who follows George's every move. George looks after Lennie several ways throughout the novella by telling him to avoid Curley and his wife, and speaks for him whenever Lennie is questioned. George understands Lennie's mental handicap and tries his best portray Lennie as a hard worker who listens to directions. Without George, Lennie would not have survived the incident in Weed, let alone find employment on the ranch in the Salinas Valley. As the story progresses, Lennie cannot avoid trouble, and George makes the moral decision to shoot his helpless friend rather than witness Lennie suffer a brutal death at the hands of a lynch mob. 

What were the outcomes and impacts of Marbury v. Madison?

Marbury v. Madison was a Supreme Court case in 1803 that helped define the role of the judicial branch of government. John Marshall, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, delivered the decision that the role of the court was to determine whether or not decisions made by Congress were in conflict with the Constitution or previously existing laws. This ability is also referred to as judicial review. Marbury v. Madison was a crucial court case because it defined the role of the judicial branch and outlined the future abilities and limitations of the Supreme Court. It decided that the court did not have jurisdiction to issue a writ of mandamus to the executive branch and that judicial review was its primary purpose.

How much power do you get from being a part of the United Nations? What is a country able to do? What can it not do?

A country does not gain any real power by becoming a member of the United Nations.  There is not UN Army that the country can call upon.  There are no special powers that UN countries have and others do not.  For example, Taiwan is not part of the UN (because China will not allow it).  This does not cause it to lose the ability to trade with other countries, to have its international boundaries respected, or anything else.  Membership in the UN simply does not bring with it any real powers.

If UN membership carries no power, why are essentially all of the countries in the world part of the organization?  First, it means that your country is a recognized part of the international community.  Kosovo, for example, would like to be in the UN because that would mean that the international community recognizes it as an independent nation.  However, this is a matter of prestige, not one of power. 

Second, being in the UN does give countries access to some money through UN programs that help countries develop.  A poor country might like to be in the UN because the UN will have programs that can give that country money for education, for health infrastructure, and the like. However, even this is not a really important reason to join the UN as the UN does operate in Kosovo even though Kosovo is not a member state.

Finally, being in the UN gives countries an easy way to talk to the governments of other countries.  One of the main purposes of the UN is to allow countries to interact easily so that they can resolve conflicts.  The idea is that countries that can talk to one another frequently will not end up going to war.

Because of the nature of the UN, there is no real power that comes with membership.  Countries belong to the UN more because there are a few benefits and because that is what is expected of all countries.  They do not join to gain any tangible power.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, on what page are Atticus's kids in danger?

Different publications of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird may have different page numbers, but the scene in question is found in chapter 28. This is the chapter where Jem and Scout are in danger because Bob Ewell follows them home after the Halloween festivities at the school. The children stay behind after everyone leaves because Scout is embarrassed for having missed her cue during Mrs. Merriweather's presentation of Maycomb's history. As a result, Scout forgets her shoes and has to walk home with bare feet and still dressed in her ham costume. Fortunately, she has her big brother, Jem, with her and he hears someone following them. Scout describes being in danger when they hear the stranger's footsteps:

"Our company shuffled and dragged his feet, as if wearing heavy shoes. Whoever it was wore thick cotton pants; what I thought were trees rustling was the soft swish of cotton on cotton, wheek, wheek, with every step" (261).

Soon after this passage, Jem tells Scout to run because the sound of slow footsteps turn to fast-paced running towards them. Everything happens pretty quickly once Ewell attacks the children; and because of Scout's costume, she can only perceive what is going on through sound, mostly. The description of the attack takes about three paragraphs. The full description of Bob Ewell's attack is on page 262 in the Warner Books publication. If you don't have that edition, start in chapter 28 to find the scene.

What is a published poem that is connected to some aspect of "Of Mice and Men"? I will need to write about a thought provoking question between...

A published poem that relates directly to Of Mice and Men is the poem To a Mouse, by Robert Burns. Published in 1785, the poem was, in fact, the inspiration for the title of Steinbeck's novel. 

But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane, 

In proving foresight may be vain: 

The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men 

          Gang aft agley, 

An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, 

          For promis’d joy! 

In the poem, a farmer is apologizing to a mouse for inadvertently destroying its nest as he harvests his field. He tells the mouse that he meant it no harm, and that he believes himself and the mouse to be mortal companions. He is sorry that man's dominance over the earth and its creatures has led them to being in their current situation. 

Some questions that could be asked about the novel and the poem could relate to common themes, the significance of the title of the book (and why Steinbeck chose that particular line from that particular poem), or the characters themselves. Given the presence of mice and other small, helpless creatures in the novel, it seems likely that Steinbeck took more than just the title from the stanza in the poem. 

`int_sqrt(3)^3 1/ (xsqrt(4x^2-9)) dx` Evaluate the definite integral

Make the substitution  `u = sqrt(4x^2 - 9),` then  `du = (4x)/sqrt(4x^2 - 9) dx.` Inversely, `dx =sqrt(4x^2 - 9)/(4x) du = u/(4x) du`  and  `4x^2 = u^2 + 9.` The limits of integration become from  `sqrt(3)`  to  `3sqrt(3).`

The indefinite integral becomes

`int u/(4 u x^2) du = int (du)/(u^2 + 9) = 1/3 arctan(u/3) + C,`

where `C` is an arbitrary constant.

Thus the definite integral is  `1/3 (arctan(sqrt(3)) - arctan(1/sqrt(3))) = 1/3 (pi/3 - pi/6) = pi/18.`

Why does Mars Bar run with Maniac Magee in Chapter 44?

Mars Bar and Maniac used to both jog in the morning, and since they both are in the same place they start to jog together. 

Maniac and Mars Bar jog together every morning.  At first, Maniac thought he heard someone else’s footsteps, but was not sure.  Then he realized it was Mars Bar, but neither boy said anything.  They just were in the same place at the same time, seemingly by coincidence. 

Although the two never speak, they actually are in tune with each other. 

Though each face showed no awareness of the other, they were in fact minutely sensitive to each other. If Mars Bar cranked up the pace just a notch, Maniac would pick it up within a stride; if Maniac inched ahead, Mars Bar was there. If one veered to the left or right, the other followed like a shadow. (Ch. 44) 

The two boys run together until they reach the end of the route, and then Maniac goes one way, and Mars Bar goes to his neighborhood.  Again, there is no communication or plan to meet.  They just meet. 

When the working people began leaving their houses, the daybreak boys diverged, Mars Bar to the East End, Maniac to wherever. A week passed. A second week. Morning after morning. Stride for stride, breath by breath. Never a word, never a glance. Each believing the other simply happened to be going where he was going. (Ch. 44) 

This is how Maniac and Mars Bar are together when Piper comes to them to tell them that his brother is in trouble.  The boys were playing on the trolley trestle when Russel froze, afraid to move back.  Manic does not want to go out on the trestle, because of the way his parents died.  

Mars Bar saves Russel, even though he is white and Mars Bar is black. He was a boy in trouble, and that was all that mattered.  Maniac’s attempt to bind the races seems to be working.

In "The Most Dangerous Game," what are some examples of imagery?

"The Most Dangerous Game" uses many types of imagery, including simile, metaphor, and personification.

Imagery is “the use of language to represent actions, persons, objects, and ideas descriptively” and includes sensory language, which are descriptions that appeal to the five senses. Authors use imagery to help the reader picture the setting, story, and the story's events. 

An example of imagery is this simile from the beginning of the story, where the author describes how dark the night is. 

"Nor four yards," admitted Rainsford. "Ugh! It's like moist black velvet."

This is a simile because it compares two things using “like” or “as." In this case, the night is compared to moist black velvet. This is important because Rainsford cannot see the island. This image appeals to how much humans value our sense of sight. It makes things mysterious and ominous.

A metaphor, by contrast, is “a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to a person, idea, or object to which it is not literally applicable.” A metaphor says that something is something, rather than saying something is like something. A metaphor used in the story compares the yacht’s lights to fireflies. 

The lights of the yacht became faint and ever-vanishing fireflies; then they were blotted out entirely by the night. 

The lights are not literally fireflies. They are small blinking lights that look like fireflies from a distance. Again, this image appeals to our sense of sight. It increases suspense because the yacht is leaving.

Personification compares something nonliving to a human.  It is “a figure of speech in which abstractions, animals, ideas, and inanimate objects are endowed with human form, character, traits, or sensibilities.” The sea is personified. 

Ten minutes of determined effort brought another sound to his ears—the most welcome he had ever heard—the muttering and growling of the sea breaking on a rocky shore.  

People growl and mutter, not oceans. Yet this image appeals to our sense of hearing. We can imagine the way the ocean sounded. It also relates to Rainsford’s state of mind; he is frightened because he falls off the boat into the ocean and this island has a bad reputation.

What did Sam name his rabbit?

Sam Gribley, the main character in "My Side of the Mountain," doesn't meet a rabbit in the Catskills. Are you thinking of the raccoon, Jessie Coon James? Sam and his trained falcon Frightful meet this young raccoon in the 12th chapter, called "In Which I Find a Real Live Man." The animal seems to be in need, and Sam names it Jessie Coon James and takes it home to feed it. Eventually Jessie accompanies Sam to the stream. The raccoon is good at digging up mussels. Sam soon figures out how to use Jessie's techniques to his own advantage. If Jessie digs up mussels and eats them immediately, she stops digging as soon as she is full. Sam lets Jessie dig up the mussels, but then he takes the food away so that she keeps on digging. In this way, they help each other. The raccoon's stash feeds Sam first, and then Jessie eats the rest of the mussels she finds. Readers probably assume at first that Jessie is a male name for a male raccoon. But Sam realizes in the spring that the raccoon is pregnant, making her a she-Jessie instead of a he-Jessie.

If there is a deck of cards containing 2 red cards, 3 blue cards, 4 green cards, and 1 yellow card, what is the probability of choosing a red card,...

Hello!

You should multiply these probabilities (you computed them correctly). So the answer is `2/10*3/9 = 1/5*1/3 = 1/15.`

This comes from the formula of the conditional probability,

`P(A | B) = (P(A and B)) / (P(B)),`

where `A | B` is the event "A given B", which means event A after it is known that the event B has occurred.

In our problem, B is the event "the first card is red" and A is "the second card is blue". Then `(A and B)` means "the first card is red AND the second card is blue", `(A|B)` means "the second card will be blue after it is known that the first card was red".

Obviously `P(B) = 2/10=1/5` and `P(A|B) = 3/9=1/3,` so `P(A and B)=P(A|B)*P(B)=1/15.`

How can I describe Romeo and Juliet?

Because Romeo and Juliet is a play rather than a novel,we do not have a narrator giving us an authoritative description of the two characters. Instead, much is left to the creativity of the actors and director; as readers we must use our own imaginations. Because of this, your description should be based on how you imagine these characters as you read through the play.

What we do know is that the play is set in late medieval Verona. We know Juliet to be 13 years old. In the Elizabethan theater the role would have been played by a man, although modern stagings usually cast women in the role. Romeo's age is not specified, though he is described as relatively young. He could be anywhere from his late teens to early twenties. 

Both characters were members of the nobility, from powerful, wealthy families with numerous servants. Neither of them has anything resembling a job. Both seem impetuous, likely to act on impulse without thinking. Both are willing to defy and lie to their families in order to have relationships with people they have barely met, and so we can surmise that they tend to act on emotions rather than thinking and to put their own immediate emotional desires above loyalty to family and friends. 

What is Mr. Dolphus Raymond’s reason for pretending to be drunk when he occasionally comes to town?

Mr. Dolphus Raymond is an enigma to the people of Maycomb. He is a wealthy white man who loves and has a family with a black woman. The couple live in the black section of town and have mixed-race children. Raymond was once engaged to a white woman; however, she committed suicide the night before their wedding. Though the exact reason for her decision is not known, the text suggests it's possible she became aware of his black mistress. Interracial marriages were outlawed at the time the story takes place. In fact, Mayella Ewell even goes so far as to accuse Tom Robinson of rape in order to hide the truth that she expressed sexual interest in a black man.  Because the town of Maycomb cannot understand why Mr. Dolphus Raymond would choose to carry on a relationship with a black woman, which goes against all social and legal norms of the time, Raymond decides to give them an excuse by pretending to be an alcoholic. If he were a low-class citizen like Bob Ewell, then the rest of Maycomb would not care about his life choices. However, Mr. Dolphus Raymond is wealthy and was once well-respected, so his faux alcoholism gives the rest of Maycomb a reason for him to live the way he does. They blame his drinking on the tragedy of his fiancé's death, and his choices thereafter are accepted as a result of the drinking. 

What evidence is there that Sadiku thought she caused Baroka's impotence in the play The Lion and the Jewel?

At the beginning of the third scene entitled "Night," Sadiku dances for joy after learning that Baroka is impotent. She says, "So we did for you too did we? We did for you in the end. Oh high and mighty lion, have we really scotched you? A---ya-ya-ya...we women undid you in the end" (Soyinka 32). The fact that Sadiku is using the pronoun "we" suggests that she believes that she is partly responsible for Baroka's impotence. Sadiku then proceeds to comment about how she "scotched" Okiki, Baroka's father, when she was younger and ridicules Okiki for his impotence too. Sadiku continues to dance and repeats the phrase, "Take warning my masters, we'll scotch you in the end" (Soyinka 34). The fact that Sadiku is so ecstatic about Baroka's impotence and continues to say "we" is evidence that she caused Baroka to lose his sex drive. However, Sadiku does not accept sole responsibility for his impotence like she did with Okiki. She acknowledges that it was a collective effort involving the other wives by using the pronoun "we." Sadiku continues to rejoice and tells Sidi about Baroka's embarrassing condition. 

Why does Mercutio make fun of Romeo after the Capulets' party in Romeo and Juliet?

Mercutio makes fun of Romeo in Act 2 scene 1 of Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo & Juliet. In Act 1 scene 5, Romeo meets Juliet and they profess their love for each other. Shortly thereafter, they share a kiss. After the kiss, the nurse calls Juliet away because her mother wants to speak with her. Romeo's cousin, Benvolio, beckons him to leave with him at this time. Romeo leaves with Benvolio and Mercutio but then sneaks off. Benvolio asks Mercutio to call for Romeo, and Mercutio says he'll do better than that, he'll conjure him, too. He means he'll call him forth like he would summon a spirit.

He calls out to Romeo:

Nay, I’ll conjure too!

"Romeo! Humours, madman, passion, lover!

Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh!

Speak but one rhyme, and I am satisfied.

Cry but “Ay me!” Pronounce but “love” and “dove.”

Speak to my gossip Venus one fair word,

One nickname for her purblind son and heir,

Young Abraham Cupid, he that shot so true

When King Cophetua loved the beggar maid.—

He heareth not, he stirreth not, he moveth not.

The ape is dead, and I must conjure him.—

I conjure thee by Rosaline’s bright eyes,

By her high forehead and her scarlet lip,

By her fine foot, straight leg, and quivering thigh,

And the demesnes that there adjacent lie,

That in thy likeness thou appear to us."

In this bawdy speech, he taunts Romeo with insults to get him to come out from hiding. Mercutio calls him "madman" and a "silly ape," hoping that Romeo will appear and give a rebuttal. When Romeo doesn't answer, Mercutio concludes that he must be dead, so he will make him appear by conjuring him. He begins talking about Rosaline's physical form, unaware that Romeo has fallen out of love with Rosaline and in love with Juliet. He begins by commenting on Rosaline's bright eyes and ends the speech with comments of a more sexual nature. 

The night of the Capulets' party has been one of joking, teasing, and laughter for Romeo and his friends. Mercutio continues the merriment with his taunting of Romeo. Mercutio begins playful banter with Romeo from his entrance in the play, telling him he's being too cautious and serious, like a night watchman, in Act 1 scene 4 in this speech: 

"Tut, dun’s the mouse, the constable’s own word.

If thou art dun, we’ll draw thee from the mire,

Or—save your reverence—love, wherein thou stick’st

Up to the ears."

Mercutio has a very different, and much more jaded view of love than Romeo does. His chiding of Romeo is meant to pull him out of his despair so that they can have the carefree fun that Mercutio values. His teasing of Romeo isn't based on cruelty or bullying. It's connotative of a young man who wants to have his friend Romeo engage in the fun escapades of youth instead of pining over unrequited love. 

How would you summarize Part Two of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury?

Part Two of Fahrenheit 451 opens with Montag and Mildred reading his hidden collection of books. Mildred is terrified Beatty might find out, but Montag believes books may contain the answers he seeks and he goes to see Faber, a retired professor he once met in a park, to find out more.

Faber is understandably nervous about Montag, a fireman, showing up at his door. During their conversation, however, Faber realizes Montag shares his negative views on censorship. Together, they develop a plan to destroy the fireman system. To protect Montag from Beatty, Faber gives him an earpiece which will enable the pair to converse without detection.

Back at home, Mildred is entertaining her two friends, Mrs. Bowles and Mrs. Phelps, when Montag returns from Faber's. Hearing their trivial conversation, Montag decides to read the poem, "Dover Beach," but the words prompt an unexpected outpouring of emotion from Mrs. Phelps. As the women verbally attack Montag for upsetting Mrs. Phelps, Montag launches an angry tirade in which he attacks the women's empty existences:

Go home and think of your first husband… and your damn Caesarian sections, too, and your children who hate your guts! Before I knock you down and kick you out of the door!

The women leave and Montag hides his books in the garden so Mildred cannot destroy them. With Faber in his ear, Montag returns to work, prompting Beatty to think Montag has seen the error of his ways:

 The sheep has returned to the fold.

While Beatty talks to Montag about the danger of books, a call comes in for a "special case." In an ironic twist, Montag finds himself and the other firemen standing outside of his own house, with the instruction to burn it just seconds away.

Is Romeo and Juliet's love for one another true love or just infatuation in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

Romeo and Juliet's love for one another is more than infatuation; yet, although they do love one another, theirs is a love that is essentially erotic, rather than being a higher, more spiritual love.

• In what he terms as an enquiry into the nature of love, The Art of Loving, renowned psychoanalyst Erich Fromm defines erotic love as 

...the craving for complete fusion, for union with one other person....Erotic love is exclusive, but it loves in the other person all of mankind, all that is alive.

After speaking to Juliet, under her balcony, Romeo emotionally exclaims,

How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night,

Like softest music to attending ears! (2.2.168-169)

Further, Romeo includes "all that is alive" as he tells Juliet that he wishes that he "...were thy bird" (2.2.185) because she could have him in her chambers all night and day. Earlier, Romeo remains in the orchard as the Nurse calls Juliet in, exclaiming, "Oh, blessed, blessed night!" (2.2.139), expressing his joy in the natural world, as well.

That Romeo loves as Fromm describes, "in the other person all of mankind," is exemplified in Romeo's actions and words to Tybalt in Act III when he demonstrates his new love as he tries to avert a dangerous sword fight between Mercutio and the fiery Capulet, Tybalt.

Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee   
Doth much excuse the appertaining rage...

I do protest I never injured thee,    

But love thee better than thou canst devise,

Till thou shalt know the reason of my love. (3.1.33-41)

Unfortunately, Mercutio angrily interprets Romeo's words as "vile submission," and Tybalt, too, becomes enraged, striking out at Mercutio.

• Fromm writes further that erotic love has but one premise:

That I love from the essence of my being--and experience the other person in the essence of his or her being.

In the final act of Shakespeare's tragedy, it is evident in the scene of the two lovers' deaths in Act V that Romeo and Juliet's erotic love demonstrates this love from the essence of their beings. For, they both wish to remain eternally with the other, "And never leave from this place of dim night...." (5.3.116).

Their desperate acts--Juliet's drinking of the potion to feign death and avoid marrying Paris, as well as her suicide, and Romeo's purchase of poison and his act of suicide--are evidence of their all-consuming erotic love for each other that leaves no other experience of value but that of the other person.
Tragically, however, this erotic love of Romeo and Juliet is meteoric as in its passion it ignites their entire beings and tragically burns out. That is, as Friar Lawrence expresses earlier in the play, "These violent delights have violent ends" (2.6.9-10).

How have the settings in Macbeth affected the tone and mood of the play? In what way does Shakespeare use these settings to enhance the advancement...

Macbeth, based on Holinshed’s historical Chronicles, is set in medieval Scotland. The play opens with three witches meeting amongst thunder and lightning. They discuss a battle, a “hurlyburly,” which seems to be taking place as they speak. This ominous scene, a mixture of natural and supernatural disorder, sets the tone for the rest of the play. The storm coincides with a military clash, suggesting the presence of both fate and flawed humanity in Macbeth.

Macbeth famously meets the witches “upon the heath,” a wild, open setting. They tell him that he will be thane of Cawdor and then king, a prediction that is made all the eerier because of the abandoned place where they tell him. Though much of the play is set outside, a number of scenes take place in palaces and castles, large, echoing chambers that once again contribute to the creepy atmosphere. The knocks at Macbeth’s door reverberate throughout the castle, startling Macbeth and reminding him of his guilt.

One of the most important ways in which setting plays a part is the premonition that Macbeth will be safe until “Birnam forest come to Dunsinane.” He finds relief at this impossibility, but his enemies meet “Near Birnam wood” and disguise themselves with the trees: “Let every soldier hew him down a bough / And bear't before him.” The prophecy comes true. Once again, the natural, occult, and human combine to drive the plot forward and set a dark mood.

Venkatapuram, S. (2010). Global justice and the social determinants of health . Ethics and International Affairs, 24(2). ...

The structure of this paper is actually a bit strange; rather than simply argue for his own position, Venkatapuram presents the argument as if he were summarizing or reviewing the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (CSDH). He does summarize and review that work, but he also goes considerably beyond it, presenting an ethical argument for why this new social approach to public health is vital for improving health around the world.

I will give him credit for this: Venkatapuram understands something I wish more economists did, which is that there is no such thing as a non-normative policy. ("normative" being about what we should do, as opposed to "descriptive" which is simply about what is.)

Couching your policy recommendations in supposedly "value-neutral" concepts like economic growth and national security as economists usually don't actually avoid making normative assumptions; rather they just make unfounded and unquestioned normative assumptions. The CSDH report is unique not because it makes normative arguments about what  ought to be done, but because it does so openly---actually making an ethical argument instead of subsuming it into some vague presumption that we all want to maximize GDP. (All other things equal, sure; but what if all other things are not equal? A policy that reduces GDP can still be a good policy if it has sufficient benefits in other respects.) They argue, and Venkatapuram expands upon their argument, that when we can easily reduce suffering of people around the world we have an obligation to do so. They make a very good case for this; indeed I find it difficult to see how one could disagree (though people seem to manage).

Furthermore, they argue that this new paradigm of social epidemiology is the best way to improve health around the world; they note (quite rightly) that health outcomes are wildly divergent between people in First World versus Third World countries, and point out that for some reason almost everything written in conventional epidemiology ignores this, instead attributing the causes of disease and ill health always to individual factors like genetics or risky behaviors. This is obviously correct: There's simply no other way to explain why people live so much longer in South Korea than North Korea. It has to be their political and economic institutions; before the divergence of those institutions in the mid-20th century they were culturally and genetically essentially identical.

Venkatapuram points to several empirical studies on the subject, all of which clearly point to social factors being important in human health, and argues that we need to start taking these factors into consideration whenever we do policy research in general.

He goes on to hypothesize why these recommendations are not being well-received:

First, healthcare specialists may not like it because it seems to disempower them relative to broader institutional forces;

Second, the recognition that health outcomes vary substantially within countries and not just between them based on social factors might seem like it is drawing needed attention from the world's poorest people who need the most help;

Finally, the complexity of these social factors makes it difficult to assign responsibility for them, and thus difficult to say who exactly should be held to account in fixing them.

I think of these the third is the most important; attributing effects to broad social causes, even when correct, can leave people feeling helpless and confused, unsure how to proceed.

In the final section, Venkatapuram discusses the work of Amartya Sen, a world-renowned Nobel Laureate economist who has worked to fundamentally change the paradigm of global economic development, from narrowly-defined economic measures like GDP to much broader concepts of social welfare (he is the one who brought us the Human Development Index, and was a leader in establishing the Millennium Goals).

Venkatapuram reviews Sen's ethical arguments for why these matters are so important, chiefly his point that "when one has the power to reduce injustice, one has sufficient reason to consider doing so". Honestly that seems too weak; I would say something like "one has sufficient reason to contribute to doing so." Your responsibility is not necessarily to do literally everything you yourself could do, but I don't think you just need to consider; I think you need to actually do your share of the work. Yet apparently even "consider" is strong enough for many policymakers to find Sen's arguments too extreme.

As far as surprising or confusing parts, what I find most surprising is the fact that instead of presenting the paper as its own argument Venkatapuram felt a need to couch it in terms of reviewing other work; I also find it somewhat surprising that so many people disagree with the basic conclusion that human health depends on social factors and we have a moral obligation to work to improve those factors.

How does the setting of A Christmas Carol portray the discrimination between the rich and poor?

In A Christmas Carol, the setting provides an accurate description of life in Industrial London during the mid-19th century when wealth was unevenly distributed and the poor experienced much discrimination. Arguably, the strongest evidence of this theme appears in Stave Four when Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come visit Joe's shop. Here, the setting illustrates the poverty and filth of the neighbourhoods of London's industrial poor:

In this den of infamous resort, there was a low-browed, beetling shop, below a pent-house roof, where iron, old rags, bottles, bones, and greasy offal, were bought.

In this shop, a charwoman and a laundress bring their bundles of stolen goods which they sell to Joe in order to supplement their meagre incomes.

Compare this with Scrooge's counting house in Stave One. Though it is cold and dismal, the counting-house is a symbol of financial wealth and prosperity. It is also the setting for Scrooge's refusal to make a charitable donation to the poor and where he utters the phrases which will haunt him later:

Are there no prisons?

And the Union workhouses? Are they still in operation?

In this setting, then, Scrooge represents the ignorance of the wealthier classes who believed that the industrial poor were lazy and immoral and thus created their own poverty. In reality, these people were simply the victims of circumstance and Scrooge's realisation of this fact is evidence of his great transformation.

Compare and contrast the characters of Coriolanus and Menenius as well as their relationship with each other.

In the play, Menenius Agrippa is a foil for Coriolanus. While Coriolanus is blunt and sometimes callous in his speech, Menenius is ever the smooth-talking, silver-tongued politician.

As an illustration, both men relate to the public in uniquely different ways. In Act 1, Scene 1, Menenius addresses the populace with consummate courtesy and grace. He addresses them as "good friends" and "honest neighbors." When he discovers that the citizens intend to revolt against their leaders, Menenius takes steps to calm the mob down. First, he assures them that the patricians' chief aim in life is to care for the people who rely on them. Then, he tells them a little story that appeals to their emotions (Menenius is, after all, a politician, and he is certainly well-versed in the art of rhetoric).

Basically, Menenius equates the patricians to the stomach in a body; its chief purpose, as the "store-house and the shop of the whole body," is to apportion the body's resources to the rest of the body. Contrast Menenius' skillful gallantry with Coriolanus' brash sullenness as the latter appears before the mob:

What's the matter, you dissentious rogues,
That, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion,
Make yourselves scabs?

What would you have, you curs,
That like nor peace nor war? the one affrights you,
The other makes you proud. He that trusts to you,
Where he should find you lions, finds you hares;
Where foxes, geese...

I'll make a quarry
With thousands of these quarter'd slaves, as high
As I could pick my lance.

And let me use my sword, I'll make a quarry
With thousands of these quarter'd slaves, as high
As I could pick my lance.

Coriolanus loses no time in insulting the populace; he calls them "curs" and insinuates that they are untrustworthy as well as fickle. If he had his way, he would have them all quartered and heaped into a mountain as high as he could pitch his sword. Meanwhile, Menenius tries to persuade Coriolanus to calm down, explaining that "these are almost thoroughly persuaded."

In other words, Menenius is quite willing to manipulate the people to further his own ends. He isn't any more inclined towards the common citizenry; he's just better at hiding his true emotions. Later, in Act 3, Scene 3, it is Menenius who covers for Coriolanus again when the latter insults the plebeians and their tribunes.

It should be noted that Menenius is an extremely ambitious character; he knows that his position as Coriolanus' informal chief public relations officer will benefit him in the long run. After all, to be an aide to a future consul is no small feat. So, Menenius convinces Coriolanus to swallow his pride and to submit himself to the will of the people. Coriolanus reluctantly agrees, and Menenius smooths the way by reminding the plebeians that Coriolanus is a soldier and that he's used to speaking bluntly.

Menenius advises the people not to interpret Coriolanus' "rougher accents for malicious sounds." In Act 2, Scene 1, Menenius draws attention to Coriolanus' war injuries, and in Act 3, Scene 1, he reminds the people that Coriolanus "has been bred i' the wars/ Since he could draw a sword, and is ill school'd/ In bolted language." Menenius tries to portray Coriolanus as a war hero who is worthy to be consul. In short, Menenius sees himself as Coriolanus' mentor; in his mind, Coriolanus needs a steady adviser to help him navigate his way through the political jungle. However, as can be seen in Act 5 (when Menenius tries to warn Coriolanus against invading Rome), Menenius' judgment regarding his protege sometimes proves faulty. He isn't as influential as he thinks he is, especially when Coriolanus is set on a particular path.

In all, the relationship between both men is complex, ambivalent, and sometimes contentious.