`int x(5^(-x^2))dx` Find the indefinite integral

Indefinite integral are written in the form of` int f(x) dx = F(x) +C`

 where: `f(x)` as the integrand

         ` F(x) ` as the anti-derivative function 

          `C`  as the arbitrary constant known as constant of integration

For the given problem `int x(5^(-x^2)) dx` has an integrand in a form of exponential function.

 To evaluate this, we may let:

`u = -x^2` then  ` du= -2x dx or (-1/2)(du)= x dx` .

Applying u-substitution, we get:

`int x(5^(-x^2)) dx =int (5^(-x^2)) * x dx`

                            `=int (5^(u)) *(-1/2du)`

                           ` =-1/2int (5^(u) du)`

The integral part resembles the basic integration formula:

`int a^u du = a^u/(ln(a))+C`

Applying it to the problem: 

`-1/2int (5^(u) du)=-1/2 * 5^(u)/ln(5) +C`

Pug-in `u =-x^2` , we get the definite integral:

`-1/2 * 5^(-x^2)/ln(5) +C`

 or

`- 5^(-x^2)/(2ln(5)) +C`

What is the status of HRM in India?

HRM (Human Resource Management) in India has a status that is in many regards common to HRM in other countries. HRM in India shares with others the same factors that dictate HRM policies and practices relevant to skill sets and job competencies, corporate culture "mindset" (customs and values requisite for fit between employee and corporate culture), and mindfulness of legal requirements and restrictions governing HRM actions.

HRM in India has a unique element that regulates its status. It is acknowledged that in India the status of human resource management has a historical basis in Indian philosophy and religion. This background of largely Vedantic and Hindu influence continues to be a dynamic factor in Indian HRM status as these "enduring traditions" help define India's HRM status in the face of the "context of contemporary challenges."

In addition, the status of HRM in India is newly beginning a transition from Human Resource Management—a function that formerly was known as Personnel Management—to the emerging Human Resource Development (HRD). HRD expands HRM from managing "existing" employee potential into the realm of tapping and developing "hidden" employee potential.

What is a character sketch of one female and one male character (other than Kerbouchard) in The Walking Drum?

Mathurin Kerbouchard, the protagonist of Louis L'Amour's The Walking Drum, encounters a large range of women in his travels, many of whom he chooses to rescue. However, he is aided greatly by one woman, Safia, who helps him find a job as a translator in Córdoba.

Mathurin frequently chooses to describe Safia in detail, first as having:

...the body of a siren, the face of a goddess, and the mind of an Armenien camel dealer.

It is clear that Safia's intellect is incredibly sharp and that she plans on using Mathurin as a tool in aiding her own interests. Nevertheless, she persists in using her strange power to pull strings for him, helping him achieve a hearing with the scholars of the city with "but a word" from her mouth.

She is extremely educated (having been provided with a great deal of fine schooling as a girl) and manages to teach Mathurin Persian, as well as some Hindi. She was born in Basra as the daughter of an emir and a slave girl and was eventually promised in marriage to a Bengali prince, who died before their marriage was carried out. Instead, she married a member of the Abbasid dynasty in Baghdad and "engaged in intrigue to seize the caliphate of Córdoba for him." After she failed this task, she became a spy. In other words, she seems to have lasting allegiances to very few individuals, and her loyalty clearly has a price.

Safia is a wealthy and courageous woman who is invigorated by her travel, with "[r]iding in the fresh, clear air... raising color in her cheeks, and the dead, lackluster expression of her eyes... gone." It is not until Chapter 30 that Safia makes the decision to leave Mathurin's company. Safia discovers that Mathurin's father is at Alamut. She gives him this information, and the pair part ways as they reach Paris, with Safia remaining in the French city and Mathurin continuing on his quest. Perhaps he describes her best when he states that she is:

...unreadable, beautiful again, and a mystery forever. She was soft and lovely…yet quiet, with much of the queen in her presence. There was a steel in her, a command of herself and those about her such as I had seen in no other woman... 

A male character who serves an important role in the story is Mahmoud al-Zawila, the helper of Sinan who Mathurin initially meets in Córdoba in the Garden of Abdallah. Mahmoud is described as:

...[a] tall young man of twenty-four, vain of his pointed beard and mustaches. He was much of a dandy, but keen of wit and a ready hand with a blade.

Mahmoud, like Mathurin, is well-educated. He is a student of the law who shares an enjoyment of learning. Despite living in a Muslim city and keeping up appearances with the religion, Mahmoud indulges in some rather "untraditional" practices, like consuming wine. He is bold, brazen and impressive, and he and Mathurin talk about all sorts of complex topics:

...war and women, of ships, camels, weapons... of religion and philosophy, of politics and buried treasure...

Despite his wonderful intellectual qualities, Mathurin distrusts Mahmoud, questioning his "intense vanity," which comes out to play when Mahmoud claims that Aziza--who is betrothed to Prince Ahmed--is attracted to him. In an act of great dishonor and jealousy, Mahmoud ends up betraying Mathurin to Prince Ahmed, resulting in his imprisonment and a death sentence. Thankfully, Mathurin is able to escape. Mathurin bitterly describes Mahmoud as follows:

I feared the man. The weak can be terrible when they wish to appear strong, and he was such a man, darkly vengeful and unforgiving. If dying, he would strike out wickedly in all directions to injure all he could.

After a significant time spent apart, Mahmoud and Mathurin reunite in Alamut, as Mathurin has travelled widely. At this point, Mahmoud has been significantly worn down: "his features had coarsened, his eyes were harder." He was forced to kill Prince Ahmed after getting into trouble with the man--a further example of his dishonorable nature and selfish interests. Ultimately, he is killed by Mathurin in a duel at the end of the book.

What are a few examples of the lack of human dignity in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird?

Synonyms for and phrases defining the word "dignity" include: self-respect, appreciation for formality, and noble character. The first character that comes to mind who does not display any of these traits is Bob Ewell. This man shows no self-respect because he is drunk most of the time and can't hold down a job. As a result, he shuns any responsibility for his children by allowing them to run wild, find their food in the dump, and live without medical attention. 

". . . their relief check was far from enough to feed the family, and there was strong suspicion that Papa drank it up anyway--he sometimes went off in the swamp for days and came home sick . . . if you wanted to wash you hauled your own water; the younger children had perpetual colds and suffered from chronic ground-itch" (183).

Then, he has no appreciation for any formality because he shows no respect for others in public situations. For example, during his time on the witness stand, and in front of men, women, and children, Bob Ewell demonstrates a lack of manners and respect for others by the way he crudely speaks about the night and crime in question.

"Well, Mayella was raisin' this holy racket so I dropped m'load and run as fast as I could . . . and I seen . . . I seen that black ni**** yonder ruttin' on my Mayella!" (175).

There was no reason for him to be so graphic with his wording in a public situation such as a trial. One might argue that his lack of education is the reason he speaks so crudely, but it's more likely his lack of human dignity for himself and others.

Finally, Bob Ewell is not a noble character because he doesn't respect human life. Not only is he a bad father who seems not to care about the well-being of his own children, but his racist attitude drives down his own dignity and those of others by the way he speaks to Helen Robinson in chapter 27.

"Calpurnia said it was hard on Helen, because she had to walk nearly a mile out of her way to avoid the Ewells, who, according to Helen, 'chunked at her' the first time she tried to use the public road" (249).

After Link Deas tells him to stop doing that to Helen, he follows her all the way to work one day, which intimidates and threatens her. Deas threatens him with assault charges if he continues to harass Helen, but the fact remains that Ewell has no respect for anyone.

What does Montag mean when he says answering the call at the old lady's house is "inconvenient" while pulling down books in the attic in Fahrenheit...

Montag exclaims "How inconvenient!" because the woman who owns the books is still in the house when he and the other firemen answer the call.

How inconvenient! Always before it had been like snuffing a candle....The police went first and adhesive-taped the victim's mouth and bandaged him off...so when you arrived you found an empty house. You weren't hurting anyone, you were hurting only things!

Montag is clearly disturbed that the woman, the owner of the books, is still in the house when he and the other firemen arrive. This presence of the woman who owns the books and the house causes Montag discomfiture because he perceives the sordidness of the action of burning someone's home:

She made the empty rooms roar with accusation and shake down a fine dust of guilt that was sucked in their nostrils....

Because this owner of the house is present with all her books, Montag is disturbed, and he feels guilty for his part in the destruction of her possessions. Darkly suggesting what she is going to do, the woman quotes sixteenth British clergyman Hugh Latimer's words to Nicholas Latimer as they were going to be burnt alive for heresy. Like Latimer, the woman is willing to die for what she believes in--her books--and she later does. 

Why do we say that crime is a social phenomenon?

When we say that crime is a social phenomenon, we are reviewing the various interpretations that have been passed down to us ever since the Bible.  Some “moralists” contend that crime is the result of an individual’s “immorality” – that is, the criminal’s disdain of the Commandments, which are seen as an encapsulation of Man’s weaknesses – envy, sloth, avarice, anger, etc.  Another approach is the psychological stance – individuals are mentally deficient, and lack the mental capacity to weigh the rightness or wrongness of their actions.

    But the sociological approach contends that criminals are simply seeking what we all seek – sustenance, acceptance, status, comfort, relief from pain (especially hunger), etc. --  and, as such, society is to blame more than the individual, because society does not provide adequately for everyone, and consequently some individual must step outside the boundaries of the law to satisfy their needs, and these people are then called “criminals.”  A ready example is the book and play and movie Les Miserables, in which Jean Valjean becomes a “criminal” by stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family.  Modern sociological causes of criminality are drug addiction, unemployment, gang membership, etc.  So as long as Society is not allowing everyone to flourish, there will be crime and criminals.

`y(1+x^2)y' - x(1+y^2) = 0 , y(0) = sqrt(3)` Find the particular solution that satisfies the initial condition

This equation is separable: `x` and `y` may be moved to the different sides. The equivalent equation is

`(yy')/(1+y^2) = x/(1+x^2),`

and now we can integrate it:

`int(yy')/(1+y^2) dx = int x/(1+x^2) dx,`

`int(y)/(1+y^2) dy = int x/(1+x^2) dx,`

`1/2 ln(1+y^2) = 1/2 ln(1 + x^2) + C,`

`ln(1+y^2) = ln(1 + x^2) + C,`              (1)

where `C` is an arbitrary constant.

If `y=sqrt(3)` for `x=0,` then `ln(1+3) = ln(1) + C,` so `C = ln4 - ln1 = ln4.`

Finally, apply exponent to the both sides of (1) and obtain

`1+y^2 = e^(ln4)(1+x^2) = 4+4x^2,`  or  `y = sqrt(3+4x^2).` This is the answer.

From chapter 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird, please provide examples of imagery, personification, metaphor and dialect.

Chapter 11 discusses the Mrs. Dubose saga, which brings with it many opportunities to find examples in the text for imagery, metaphors, and dialect because it is full of verbal and physical drama. First, Mrs. Dubose likes to holler rude and crude things from her porch at Jem and Scout. This creates most of the drama. "Jem was scarlet" (102) is an example of a metaphor about how he reacts to Mrs. Dubose calling his father insulting names. Jem perpetuates the drama by chopping off the tops of her camellia bushes. The description of Atticus coming home after finding out what Jem had done that day includes images that have to do with the senses of sight and sound, as follows:

"Two geological ages later, we heard the soles of Atticus's shoes scrape the front steps. The screen door slammed, there was a pause--Atticus was at the hat rack in the hall--and we heard him call, 'Jem!' His voice was like the winter wind" (103).

Scout uses the words "scrape," "slammed" and "wind" to describe the sounds associated with how a father comes home after learning upsetting news about his son's behavior that day. She also adds a cold simile--"like the winter wind"--to accentuate what the atmosphere felt like when Jem was called to his father's attention.

Dialect has to do with the way people from a specific geographical area speak. For the South in the 1930s, for example, people didn't think twice before using the N-word in any form--politely or disrespectfully. Mrs. Dubose is a great example because she has no filter with that word at all. She's also not shy to use it when referring to the children's father, Atticus. Other trends in dialect can be seen when characters talk to each other in informal settings. For example, when some people in Maycomb talk casually to each other, they drop the last letters of their words. Lee places apostrophes where sounds of letters are dropped from certain words, such as "an'" for the word "and," "goin'" for the word "going," and then some words are changed completely like "ain't" for "isn't. This also helps the reader to detect the southern accent normally associated with people from the southern states.

Why does Jem tremble when he comes back from getting his pants in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

By the end of Chapter 6, Jem trembles because he has experienced a shock retrieving his pants from the barbed wire fence surrounding the Radleys' house. In the beginning of Chapter 7, Jem explains to Scout that his shock stemmed from feeling constantly watched.

In Chapter 7, Jem explains to Scout that, when he returned to the Radleys' property to retrieve his pants, he did not find them as he had left them. When his pants caught on the barbed wire fence, Jem had to get them off as quickly as possible and leave them in a tangled heap under the fence. When Jem went back that night to retrieve them, however, he found them "folded across the fence. . . like they were expectin' me." His feeling that someone had expected him to retrieve his pants makes him tremble that night.

Jem continues to explain that, not only had someone folded them neatly and laid them on top of the fence, someone had also sewn up the tear but in a crooked, disorderly fashion. Because Jem found his poorly-mended pants waiting for him, Jem felt like someone, namely Arthur (Boo) Radley, has been watching him:

Like somebody was readin' my mind. . . like somebody could tell what I was gonna do. Can't anybody tell what I'm gonna do lest they know me, can they, Scout?

If Arthur has grown to know Jem to the extent that he can predict that Jem will retrieve his pants to hide the evidence from Atticus of his misdeed, then Arthur could only have gained this knowledge by observing Jem and closely watching and listening to his conversations. This realization makes Jem feel spooked to the point that he trembles the night he finds his pants.

As the chapter progresses, however, Jem and Scout begin finding more and more things in the knothole, and Jem comes to realize they are gifts from Arthur. The realization that Arthur is leaving them gifts helps Jem see that Arthur is not observing Jem out of some malicious intent but because, in his own quiet way, Arthur wants to know the children and be involved in their lives.

Who sponsored an attempt to settle Virginia with English colonists in 1587?

The most likely answer to your question is Sir Walter Raleigh.  Raleigh was the man who recruited and sent a group of colonists to Virginia in 1587.  However, depending on what you mean by “sponsored,” the answer could be Queen Elizabeth I.

Queen Elizabeth was the ultimate sponsor of the colonization of Virginia.  In 1584, she gave Raleigh a charter giving him the right to colonize North America.  She stipulated that he had to establish a colony or lose the right to do so.  Raleigh sent some colonists out in 1585 to create such a colony.

By 1587, however, the colony was in bad shape.  Most of the colonists had returned to England.  At that point, Raleigh sent out another group of colonists.  These settled in an area that was then called Virginia, but which is now in North Carolina.  Raleigh was not able to send any further ships to contact the colony until 1590.  When the ship arrived, it found no one left in the former colony.  This colony has come to be known as the Lost Colony.

So, we can say that Sir Walter Raleigh sponsored this expedition as he was the man directly in charge of making it happen.  However, we could also say that Queen Elizabeth sponsored it as she gave Raleigh the right to send the expedition to Virginia.

In "Heart of Darkness," what attitudes are evident throughout the book, (besides racial attitudes)?

In Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," there are many different attitudes that are reflected in the text. Of course, racial attitudes are the most obvious and most prominent, for the text centers around the idea of African slavery and hostile native tribes. However, there are several other attitudes present in the text as well. 

Because "Heart of Darkness" is set during a time of colonisation, exploration, and imperialism, all these themes are relevant to the story. European explorers, sailors, and traders alike see the African jungle as their property because they "discovered" it and are using it for profit. They lack empathy or sympathy for the native people and the land, for the story occurs before Europeans believed that people of different races had reason and deserved equal rights.

The theme of darkness, evident even in the title, may refer to more specific themes of slavery, but also to the horror of death, the cruelty of colonisation, to humanity's lack of knowledge and empathy, to the harsh business of trading, and to the general exploitation of a country (the mining and ivory trades described in the text). Also, the darkness may refer to man's ability to remember and be haunted by memories (of Marlow's voyage), and to the darkness of lies, (when Marlow lies to Kurtz's Intended). "Heart of Darkness" is a complex novella in which many different attitudes are present. 

Review the idea of locus of control. Who in our society has demonstrated a great level of external locus of control? What are some qualities of...

Locus of control refers to people's ideas about whether internal or external factors determine the outcome of a situation. Some people believe their locus of control is internal, meaning the outcome of a situation is contingent on their behavior. These people tend to try to control situations and tend to be more motivated to achieve success. Other people believe that external factors are at work in producing the outcome of a situation. These people have a high external locus of control, and they often react with passivity to situations. They believe factors such as fate or destiny control the outcome of situations. People are often on a spectrum between external and internal locus of control and do not fall neatly into one category or another. 

Research cited in Kirkpatrick, Stant, & Downes, 2008, suggests higher performing students have a high internal locus of control. They believe their success is a result of their abilities and efforts. Students who are lower-performing or have learning differences have a higher external source of control, attributing their outcomes to factors such as fate or the challenging nature of the test. Perhaps you know someone with a high internal locus of control who has a committed and strategic approach to doing well in class. That person does his or her homework, meets with teachers, and asks a lot of questions in class, as he or she believes academic performance is under one's control. 

According to research by Shieman (2001), older people often have a high external locus of control. This research suggests people's experiences with aging and retirement often lead them to have a higher external locus of control. Education and financial well-being, on the other hand, are associated with a higher internal locus of control. Slagsvold and Sorensen (2008) found women generally possess a lower internal locus of control than men but this gap is closing because of more equal educational opportunities for women. People with a high external locus of control may be more seemingly passive about achieving professional or financial success and pursuing academic and professional opportunities because they feel the outcome of situations is beyond their control. 

References:

Kirkpatrick, M.A., Stant, K., & Downes, S. (2008). Perceived locus of control and academic performance: broadening the construct’s applicability. Journal of College Student Development, Vol. 49 (5), 486-496.

Schieman, S. (2001). Age, education, and the sense of control: a test of the cumulative advantage hypothesis. Research on Aging vol. 23 (2), 153-178.

Slagsvold, B. & Sorensen, A. (2008). Age, education, and the gender gap in the sense of control. International Aging and Human Development, Vol. 67(1), 25-42.

`dP - kPdt = 0 , P(0) = P_0` Find the particular solution of this differential equation that satisfies the given initial condition.

In the following answer, I assume that k and `P_0` are constants.

Then, the given differential equation can be solved by separation of variables:

`dP - kPdt = 0`

`dP = kPdt`

Dividing by P results in

`(dP)/P = kdt` .

Integrating both sides, we obtain

`lnP = kt + C` , where C is an arbitrary constant. We can now solve for P(t) by rewriting the natural logarithmic equation as an exponential (with the base e) equation:

`P = e^(kt + C)` .

So, the general solution of the equation is `P(t) = e^(kt + C)` . Since the initial condition is `P(0) = P_0` , we can find C:

`P(0) = e^(0 + C) = e^C = P_0` . Therefore,

`P(t) = e^(kt)*e^C = P_0e^(kt)`

The particular solution of the equation with the given initial condition is

`P(t) = P_0e^(kt)`

Why did Shylock nurse a grudge against Antonio?

Shylock clearly spells out his reasons for hating Antonio. He compares him to a “fawning publican,” indicating he sees Antonio as sanctimonious and hypocritical. On top of that, Antonio is Christian, while Shylock is Jewish. Antonio does not need to survive on usury, so he gives or lends money without charging interest. This “brings down / The rate of usance” for moneylenders like Shylock who make a living by charging interest. Antonio is also bad for business because “he rails, / Even there where merchants most do congregate, / On me [Shylock], my bargains and my well-won thrift.”

Most abhorrent to modern audiences is Antonio’s antisemitism. Shylock remarks that Antonio hates Jews, having called Shylock “misbeliever, cut-throat dog,” spat upon him, and kicked him. Instead of denying this, Antonio threatens to do it again. He compares Shylock to the devil and says that nothing is harder than “His Jewish heart.” It is true that Shylock fulfills many antisemitic characteristics, being greedy, duplicitous, and hard-hearted, but Antonio’s behavior makes Shylock’s grudge against him understandable.

On what topic are the animals divided in Orwell's Animal Farm? What's Snowballs platform? What is Napoleon's platform?

The whole farm was deeply divided on the subject of the windmill. 

The farm is divided on the issue of Snowball’s windmill.  Snowball believes that modernizing and electrifying the farm will be good for all of the animals.  He works out extensive plans.  Some of the animals are concerned, however, that the windmill will be too much work. 

Snowball did not deny that to build it would be a difficult business. … But he maintained that it could all be done in a year. And thereafter, he declared, so much labour would be saved that the animals would only need to work three days a week. (Ch. 5) 

The greatest opponent of the windmill is Napoleon.  He opposes all of Snowball’s ideas.  Snowball has all of the animals placed into committees and is trying to organize them.  He tries to teach all of the animals to read.  Napoleon thinks that all of this is a waste of time, but his greatest objection is the windmill. 

Napoleon, on the other hand, argued that the great need of the moment was to increase food production, and that if they wasted time on the windmill they would all starve to death. (Ch. 5) 

Snowball and Napoleon both try to convince the animals that they are right.

The animals formed themselves into two factions under the slogan, "Vote for Snowball and the three−day week" and "Vote for Napoleon and the full manger." (Ch. 5) 

Napoleon runs Snowball off the farm, saying that he is a traitor who was working with the humans.  Then, miraculously, it comes out that the windmill was his idea all along and he is going to do it.  Napoleon needs the windmill, now that Snowball is gone, to keep the animals busy.  His goal is to make sure it never gets finished so the animals are always building it and he can work them constantly.

The windmill, representing technology or innovation, is an example of how the animals idealized Animal Farm.  Napoleon used this idealism against them, making sure to take over all aspects of life.  All Napoleon cares about is power, but Snowball really did have the interest of the animals in mind.

Give an example of an allusion in the story "The Sniper."

An allusion is a brief reference to a person, place, thing or idea which is of cultural, literary, historical or political importance. In Liam O'Flaherty's short story "The Sniper" the third person narrator mentions the fighting surrounding the "Four Courts" building in Dublin. This is an allusion to governmental buildings which were highly significant in the Battle of Dublin during the Irish Civil War. The Republican army, of which the protagonist sniper was a part, briefly occupied the buildings before being eventually bombed to the point of surrender by the Free State army which had been supplied with "heavy guns" (also referred to in the story) by the British. Though never explicitly stated in the story, the sniper's task was to help protect the area around the Four Courts.

What are parent functions and inverse graphs?

Parent functions are the most basic, or "simplest" form of a given function with no transformations placed upon them.

For example, `y=4x^2+2x+5`

is a quadratic function. The parent is: 

`y=x^2`

The inverse graph is the graph that results from switching the (x,y) coordinates of the function.  Inverse graphs are graphs the are reflections across the y= x line.

The graphs above are inverses of each other.

What are some ways Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird forces the reader into the characters' shoes?

Harper Lee provides details of the background of Maycomb and provides a young narrator who is learning about the way things work. 

The two main ways that Harper Lee allows us to walk in characters' shoes is to provide us with a young narrator, Scout, who is very personable, and to provide us with background details of Maycomb through Scout.  Because Scout is getting to know the ways of the world, since she is young, we learn what Maycomb is like along with her. 

Scout tells us all about Maycomb, providing us background on its founding and its history up to the time the book takes place. 

Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. (Ch. 1)

Because she is young, she has to learn empathy.  As she learns empathy, the reader appreciates the experiences of others along with her.  She explains things to us without filters, and we understand what life is like for Scout, Atticus, Mayella, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson. 

An example of this is Scout’s reaction to Mayella during the trial.  Her father has been trying to get her to understand other people’s perspectives, and she looks at Mayella and is able to appreciate what she must be going through.  She puts herself in Mayella’s shoes. 

As Tom Robinson gave his testimony, it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley, who had not been out of the house in twenty-five years. (Ch. 19) 

Scout’s understanding of Mayella is very important for the reader, because it is easy to demonize Mayella since she is the one who accuses Tom Robinson of rape.  The reader is going to feel sympathetic toward Tom Robinson, so Scout’s empathy is helpful.  

The comparison to Boo Radley is significant, because Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are two plot lines that weave through the story. Through Scout’s interaction with these plot lines, the reader comes to understand the people of Maycomb and appreciate the circumstances.  We pass through Atticus’s story, and Tom’s, and Boo’s, as we experience Scout’s.

How is Odysseus powerful in The Odyssey?

Odysseus displays his power in several ways. We see his power when he overpowers the three men from his crew who desperately want to remain with the lotus eaters because they ate the lotus fruit. He knows that they, in their hearts, want to return home, so he muscles them back to the ship for their own good. 

We also see Odysseus's power when he clings to the rock and survives the terrible storm Poseidon sends to kill him after he's departed from Calypso's island. He clasps the rock so hard that he actually leaves behind some skin from his hands when the waves crash against him and force him off. 

Further, we see Odysseus's social power when he convinces his men to help him blind the Cyclops, Polyphemus, as well as the physical power such an act requires. This episode also helps demonstrate the power of Odysseus's quick mind when he tells the monster that his name is "Nobody" so the Cyclops will not be able to identify him to his friends when they rush to his aid.

How important are the roles of the nurse and Friar Lawrence?

The nurse and Friar Lawrence are both crucial to the play’s plot. The nurse is a wonderful character who supports Juliet. She loves to joke and laugh. However, she is also very protective of her ward. In terms of the play’s storyline, the nurse is one of the few people who is privy to the romance between Romeo and Juliet, so she serves as a go-between. She is the one who tells Romeo that Juliet wishes to marry him, warning him not to “lead her into a fool's paradise.” She also tells the friar about Juliet’s distraught state after Romeo kills Tybalt and is banished. The nurse’s final contribution to the plot is advising Juliet to marry Paris. At this point, all hope seems lost for the young lovers, and her advice is practical. However, this simply leaves the nurse out of Juliet’s final plans, in which she pretends to commit suicide in order to reunite with Romeo.

Friar Lawrence plays an incredibly important role in Romeo and Juliet. He is Romeo’s adviser, aware of his love for Juliet from the beginning. In spite of his misgivings about Romeo’s haste, the friar decides to marry the two in order to unify their warring families. It is he who suggests that Juliet pretend to kill herself. Unfortunately, his letter to Romeo is delayed, which he rightly realizes “May do much danger.” Friar Lawrence is too late to save Romeo, and he fails to convince Juliet to flee the tomb in which she awakens. In fear, he runs away, leaving her alone in the crypt where she stabs herself. Some, including the friar himself, blame Friar Lawrence’s machinations for the whole debacle, but the prince simply says, “We still have known thee for a holy man.” In short, both the nurse and the friar are counselors and confidants to Juliet and Romeo who do not harbor the prejudices of the feuding households. However, they are still unable to save the young couple from doom and even play a part in their deaths.

What are examples in The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton of a person vs. technology conflict ?

One example of a person versus technology conflict is the presence of guns.  Although most of the fighting in the story does not involve guns, their presence or potential presence elevates the conflict above normal fist fighting.  Guns are dangerous and they make regular neighborhood disputes more serious.

"A fair fight isn't rough," Two-Bit said. "Blades are rough. So are chains and heaters and pool sticks and rumbles. Skin fighting isn't rough. It blows off steam better than anything. There's nothing wrong with throwing a few punches. Socs are rough. …” (Ch. 2) 

The Socs and the greasers fight each other constantly.  As long as these fights are just using fists, they will not be deadly.  When a gun gets involved, especially in a large fight such as a rumble, there is a potential for serious danger or legal problems. 

Although we usually do not think of knives as technology, they are a type of technology.  It is a switchblade knife that helps cause all of the drama when Johnny kills the Soc Bob in the park.  Pony has no weapon. Johnny has a knife, and because he has it he uses it. 

Bob, the handsome Soc, was lying there in the moonlight, doubled up and still. A dark pool was growing from him, spreading slowly over the blue white cement. I looked at Johnny's hand. He was clutching his switchblade, and it was dark to the hilt. My stomach gave a violent jump and my blood turned icy. (Ch. 4)

Johnny and Pony have to go on the run after this, because they are afraid that the police will not understand what happened.  They think that the law enforcement officials will just see them as hoodlums and murderers.  The truth is that Johnny had the knife because he was scared and wanted to protect himself.  If it had not been a knife, Bob would have been alive.

How did refrigeration impact agriculture and society?

In 1805, inventor Oliver Evans invented a refrigerator system.  It was not until later, however, that refrigeration was widely used.  Other inventors and scientists continued to develop and build upon his invention.

Fred W. Wolf created the first refrigerator for domestic use in 1913.  In the following years, an electric refrigerator was invented.  In home refrigeration changed the way people ate.  Food could be kept much longer without spoiling.  In the warm summer months, food could be kept cool.  Previously, food would spoil from the heat unless it was in an icebox or cellar.

In agriculture, refrigeration was used for the storage and transport of goods.  Fruits and vegetables could be transported longer distances because of refrigeration.  Time constraints were loosened for transporting produce across the country.  This also meant that fresh fruits and vegetables could be enjoyed throughout the year.

According to Guns, Germs, and Steel, what are the four ways domesticated animals help feed larger populations?

The answer to this question can be found on p. 88 of Guns, Germs, and Steel. There, Diamond explains why domesticated animals (in particular, certain species of large domestic animals) can help feed large populations.  These four reasons are 1) that they provide meat, 2) that they provide milk and other sources of protein, 3) that they provide manure, and 4) that they can pull plows.

What this means is that there are two general ways in which large domesticated animals can help people.  First, they can directly provide people with food.  If people have abundant sources of fat and protein, they are more likely to thrive. Large domesticated animals provided this, thereby making it easier to support large populations. Second, they can indirectly provide people with food by helping them grow plants.  Large animals can pull plows.  When people can plow land, they can get better yields from that land. Domesticated animals can also provide manure that people can use to fertilize their fields.  This, too, allows them to get better yields. For these four reasons, domesticated animals can help support larger human populations.

What are some social aspects of Robert Parker's novel Double Deuce?

There are several important social aspects to Robert Parker's novel Double Deuce.

The inciting incident for the novel is a gang-related drive by shooting of Devona Jefferson. She's a teenage mother who is shot for her involvement with a gang. These are social problems that are all too common: street violence, gang violence, and teen mothers.

Throughout the novel, race plays a major part. Spenser (Parker's main detective) gets involved because Hawk (his best friend) is asked to bring the girl's killer, and Hawk asks Spenser to help. Hawk is black; Spenser is white, and he is very much out of place in the almost completely black environment of the housing project.

Beyond race, public housing is a major social issue. Public housing is meant to address several major social problems (a need for low cost housing, poor or crime ridden neighborhoods, etc.).

In attempting to deal with this problem, Spenser consults Erin Macklin, a former nun who had dedicated herself to trying to help kids in the ghetto. Like Spenser, she is effective in part because she works outside the question.

How did Bryon cope with Charlie's death?

In Chapter 5, Bryon and Mark get themselves into trouble after they hustle a couple of guys from Texas in several games of pool. Fortunately, Charlie saves them by pointing a sawed-off shotgun at the Texans. While Charlie, Bryon, and Mark are walking away, the Texans shoot and kill Charlie. After Charlie's death, Bryon is devastated and feels guilty for hustling the Texans, which caused the conflict. Bryon mentions that he would only speak to Cathy and Mark about what happened. Bryon then becomes introverted and starts acting differently. He mentions that he failed chemistry and attempts to talk to Mark about the incident. However, Mark doesn't understand the significance of their decision to dismiss Charlie's warnings and simply believes that "things happen." Instead of continuing to talk to Mark about Charlie's death, Bryon copes with the tragedy by speaking to Cathy about it.

How has the Fourth Amendment has affected law enforcement?

The Fourth Amendment has became famous, although sometimes misunderstood, with the advent of the police procedural genre in literature and television. Law enforcement is forever walking a  fine line between apprehending criminals and protecting individual rights. 

The Fourth Amendment protects Americans from illegal searches and seizures. However, this does not mean that the Fourth Amendment protects Americans from all searches and seizures. In fact, it does not even protect Americans from searches and seizures without a warrant, which is what many citizens believe. 

It's true that in many cases the police must obtain a court-issued warrant to search your person or residence. When they fail to do so, they risk losing the right to use seized evidence in court, which imperils their case against potential criminals. But in some cases, the police may, in fact, conduct searches and seizures without a warrant. 

If they believe they have what is known as "probable cause," like hearing a threat of violence, they can search without a warrant. Sometimes, however, what the police consider probable cause is not what a judge might consider probable cause, which can cause problems at trial. Also, if something is in "plain sight" they can search without a warrant. In movies and television you frequently hear arrested characters claiming that such evidence was planted by the police as a ruse. Hopefully that doesn't happen too often in real life!

Define economics using the following terms: allocation, distribution, goods, resources, production, and services.

One way to define economics using these words is to say that economics is the study of the allocation of limited resources to the production and distribution of goods and services that are produced in order to try to satisfy people’s unlimited needs and wants.  Let us examine this definition to see what the important words mean.

Resources are the things that can be used to make goods and services.  These are usually divided into three categories.  The categories are land (natural resources), labor (human work), and capital (things, like tools, that are used to actually make the goods and services).  Resources are limited.  There are not enough resources to produce everything that people could conceivably want.

Resources are used to make (produce) and distribute goods and services.  Goods and services are the two categories of things that consumers might buy.  Goods are tangible things that you can pick up and leave the store with.  An example of a good is a smart phone.  Services are things that people do for you.  For example, part of what you pay for in a restaurant is the service that the cooks do in preparing your food and the service that the wait staff does in delivering the food to you.  These are not tangible things as you cannot pick up the cook’s actions and take them home.

One of the things that we have to do in any economic system is to allocate resources.  If I have ten farm workers, how many will work raising cattle and how many will work growing corn?  If I have a certain amount of corn, how much of it will go to feed animals and how much will be made into ethanol?  Someone has to make these types of decisions.

Economics is the discipline that studies these issues.  It asks how resources get allocated.  It asks what sorts of decisions people make when trying to fulfill their unlimited wants and needs with the limited resources that are available to them.

What is an object, other than hair gel or grease, that represents Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders?

An object that could represent Ponyboy is a heart to stand for emotions and feelings. One of the ways that Ponyboy identifies himself and other Greasers is that they are all very emotional. In a conversation he has with Cherry in chapter three, he states that while Socs are aloof and unfeeling, Greasers experience feelings in very strong ways. He says that it is really the depth of emotion and feelings that separate the two groups.

Another object might be a book. Several times throughout the story it is mentioned that Ponyboy likes to read. In chapter three, Ponyboy and Cherry discuss that he likes to read. In the last chapter, it states that he cannot find a book to read anywhere at home because he has read them all repeatedly. Lastly, the story ends with Ponyboy beginning to write the story of what has happened to his friends during the course of the book.

What would Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun be like if it took place today, and why?

Since racism is still around, the basic premise of an African-American family trying to find its place in a predominately white community would be similar to that expressed in the play. However, the laws have changed, giving those who would want to keep out the Youngers little legal justification. The white residents’ fears would not be as widespread as in the play, since more neighborhoods are integrated. But because of recent racial conflicts, their fear would be based on the threat of violence, rather than just a black family in a white community. The Youngers might encounter racial profiling with a few police officers in some communities. Walter Lee would have more opportunities for self-improvement. Ruth would also have more job opportunities than just doing someone’s laundry. The problem with the head of the family not making the best choices and risking the family financial situation for the sake of an untrustworthy friend unfortunately is prevalent in any generation. Families, especially African-American families, still struggle to make their dreams come true.

Why is Educational Psychology considered a science?

While psychology is generally considered a “soft science” (meaning not provable by scientific means or physical laws), educational psychology has produced many years of data through experimentation and measurable results, and as such is not as susceptible to the criticism that human beings cannot be the subject of strict scientific analysis.  In modern times, the cycles of brain development in relation to age (see Piaget) have been thoroughly measured and substantiated both by exhaustive historical data and by neurological and brain-scanning measuring devices, so theories of education have risen above mere anecdotal evidence to provable results.  Many large programs have been constructed on various educational theories (Montessori, for example, which started as an educational experiment for Italian children, has proven its worth for a century), and these long-term results have been measured and proven viable "scientifically." 

What is the theme of "Harrison Bergeron"?

The primary theme in Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" is that human beings will always reject control and oppression of their individuality. The handicapper general, a woman by the name of Diana Moon Glampers, enforces this desire to reduce individuals to a generic person without individual thoughts in the name of "equality." However, the eponymous Harrison Bergeron rejects and strips himself of the "handicaps" placed on him by Glampers, but ends up dead.

In this story, Vonnegut is successfully able to weave two competing ideas: the human desire to be an individual and the political desire for control. Despite the fact that citizens seem to prefer control in order to be "equal" (George Bergeron tells his wife this when she suggests removing some of his handicaps: "If I tried to get away with it ... then other people'd get away with it—and pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn't like that, would you?"), there also seems to be the incorrigible human desire to express oneself. When Harrison arrives in the TV studio, he finds a dancer and musicians willing to remove their handicaps in order to create something beautiful. Even Hazel Bergeron, who has no handicaps because she is already at the lowest common denominator, cries when Harrison is shot because she understands that something "sad" has just occurred.

There are many sub-themes here, including the questions surrounding this idea of equality, but the primary theme is definitely the human desire to express one's individuality and talents regardless of oppression.

Did the Protestant Reformation lead to the Enlightenment?

Indirectly, yes. The Protestant Reformation began in 1517 when Martin Luther, a disaffected German monk and professor of theology, nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Catholic Church.

Luther was outraged by the Church's abuses of authority. He also believed that clergymen should not be the final and sole authorities on Scripture, but that all Christians should have access to the Bible (something which was made possible by Johannes Gutenberg in 1450 with the publication of the first printed Bible) and be able to interpret it. 

Martin Luther's democratic stance on the Bible, as well as his rejection of the Church's ceremonial excesses, could be considered precursors for the Enlightenment. By questioning its morals and encouraging people to think (a bit) for themselves, he was undermining the Church's absolute authority. With Lutheranism, the Protestant sect of Christianity he created, he encouraged a simple and direct communion with God. Unlike Catholic churches, which were ornate and filled with examples of material wealth, Lutheran churches were practically bare aside from the pews and the pulpit. He also allowed members of the clergy to marry. He, in fact, was wedded to a nun, Katharina von Bora.

Luther's encouragement of simplicity, his individualistic thinking about Scripture, and his acceptance of natural human needs for sex and companionship were quite "modern." These ideas also anticipate Enlightenment thinkers' quests for knowledge, as well as their considerations of the "natural rights" of man (e.g., John Locke). Luther's emphasis on simplicity reminds one of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's idea that people became corrupted by civilization (of which the Church was a part) and should return to nature in order to lead lives of integrity. 

What would be good titles for chapters 10, 11 and 12 of the book The Outsiders?

S.E. Hinton included no titles for her chapters, yet each one has a basic theme and series of events which could be summarized in a short phrase. Here are potential titles for chapters 10 through 12.

Chapter 10: "One Hero, One Hoodlum"—Throughout this chapter Ponyboy is occupied with thoughts of Johnny and Dally. Johnny had died in the hospital in chapter nine and Dally is killed by police under a streetlight not far from Ponyboy's house in this chapter. Ponyboy witnesses both deaths, but throughout the chapter he refuses to think of his two good friends as dead. The title is reflective of the two boys. Johnny had been considered a hero by the local newspaper which wrote an editorial praising Johnny's bravery in the rescue of the children from the church fire. Dally goes out a simple hoodlum who has just robbed a grocery store and seems to be begging for a fight and maybe even his own death as he challenges the police with a handgun.

Chapter 11: "Thinking of Bob"—At the beginning of this chapter Ponyboy is looking through some of Sodapop's old yearbooks when he comes across a picture of Bob Sheldon, the Soc who was killed by Johnny. Ponyboy begins to reflect on Bob and thinks of what Cherry Valance had said about him and how much she liked him. He begins to realize that Bob was just a kid not unlike Ponyboy and his brothers. Throughout the chapter he is also in denial about Johnny's death and continues to believe that he was the one who killed Bob and not Johnny. Even Randy's visit and assurance that he clearly saw Johnny kill Bob can't dissuade Ponyboy from believing that his friend was innocent.

Chapter 12: "Paul Newman and a Ride Home"—In this chapter Ponyboy goes to court and the judge rules that the three brothers can stay together. At first, Ponyboy is still upset and depressed about past events. He stops eating and is doing poorly in school. He is not at all like himself. Four things, however, bring him out of his trauma. First, he overcomes his fear of the Socs by standing up to them during lunch at the neighborhood grocery store. Second, he gets support and a second chance from his English teacher, who agrees to forgive Ponyboy's missing assignments if he writes a good theme paper. Third, he begins to see Sodapop as a real person and not just an idol as he realizes what his constant bickering with Darry is doing to his middle brother. In the end, the three brothers are united. Fourth, he finally picks up the copy of Gone With the Wind he and Johnny had bought in Windrixville with the note form Johnny urging Ponyboy to stay gold and hold on to his innocence and youth. It is then that he starts on his theme paper, which is the book itself, beginning and ending with a reference to Paul Newman and a ride home from the movies. The allusion to the beginning of the novel is symbolic in that Ponyboy's life will return to some normalcy and he will still be the smart, dreamy kid that is introduced in the opening lines of the novel.

What does Romiette's father do for a living in Romiette and Julio?

Romiette and Julio is a novel by Sharon Draper than modernizes William Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet for a more diverse and contemporary audience.

In the book, Romiette is a young African-American woman who has little interest in boys or dating until she meets Julio, a Hispanic teenager and recent transplant from Corpus Christi, Texas, in an online chat room. The pair discovers that they attend the same high school and eventually fall in love despite the disapproval of their families and the looming threat of gangs who dislike their interracial relationship.

Cornell Cappelle is Romiette's father, and he is employed as a reporter at the local news station in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a relatively minor character in the book, he is largely portrayed as a good father who is always willing to lend a sympathetic ear to his daughter when she needs it--a departure from the strict parenting style of Lord Capulet in the original Shakespearean text.

What is the meaning of the poem "On Killing a Tree"?

I don't know that there is a single, correct interpretation for a poem like this. As such, I believe it will be most helpful to look at the idea or principle the poem presents, and then see if it is relevant in other contexts apart from trees.

The poem has four stanzas (plus a couple introductory lines) and, coincidentally, also has four elements to it, each expressed by its own stanza. They are: 1) the tree itself, 2) the ineffective attempt at killing the tree, 3) the roots, and 4) the successful killing of the tree.

Working with these, the poem can briefly be summarized as: trees are quite resilient; even chopping them down isn't enough to kill them; as long as the roots survive, so will the tree; trees can only be truly killed by ripping the roots from the ground—the source of sustenance and safety.

With the poem simply summarized, it becomes pretty clear that the idea behind the poem is the durability and capability of living things to recover from even grievous wounds, so long as they have a safe, nurturing "root" intact.

There are a lot of directions you can take this. To me, the ones that jump out are things that could be described as "living" yet aren't organisms in the biological sense—namely, communities or the human spirit.

Communities, much like trees, slowly grow and expand over the years from just a small starting point (stanza 1). Further, removing some members of the community, though often devastating, is not so much that it cannot be recovered from, given time (stanza 2). Because communities are typically founded not by coincidence, but by a group coming to together with shared needs or beliefs, there is usually a root cause (see what I did there?) that holds the community together more than any single member (stanza 3). If one destroys these roots of the community, even if all the members remain, the community will eventually wither and fall apart (stanza 4).

The other interpretation I mentioned, the human spirit, can also be understood with regard to the idea Patel presents in the poem. People have suffered tremendously and needlessly throughout history—I don't imagine I need to give examples—but there are just as many stories of people in those situations that somehow endure and recover (not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well). Many have scars, just as a once chopped down tree would, but they have recovered nonetheless (stanza 2). To truly break someone, you must destroy their hope, crush their spirit. And that is not as easily done, especially if they have support from others. How much more difficult is it to endure when on your own? This system of nurturing and support is represented by the earth, and our connection to it is the roots (stanza 3). The world can be a terrible place, and without a connection to keep us sturdy and grounded, our spirit is exposed to the elements. And once we are separated, once we are alone:

Then the matter
Of scorching and choking
In sun and air,
Browning, hardening,
Twisting, withering,
And then it is done.

In the same way a tree is dependent on its roots to survive, so too is the human spirit dependent on others for support. The world is too taxing and painful to survive without it (stanza 4).

That turned rather grim. Whoops.

These are, of course, not the only possible answers. But hopefully they're enough to work from and to get an idea of what the author could have been talking about. 

How could a real-life person or a character be compared to Jay Gatsby?

A person who jumps to mind as sharing similarities with Jay Gatsby would be Donald Trump. Both are bigger-than-life figures about whom gossip swirls. Both like the grand gesture, the big house, the color gold. Both try to impress people with their wealth. Both have had colorful pasts (though Trump is not associated with criminal enterprises) and both see women as beautiful trophies they can acquire.

While Trump was born to wealth and Gatsby was not, Trump's jump into presidential politics can be seen as daring to aspire to a world to which he was not invited, just as Gatsby's acquisition of wealth was seen by people such as Tom Buchanan as an affront. Trump's rejection by old-line political families like the Bushes can be seen as similar to Gatsby's rejection by old-money, horsey people like Tom and the Sloanes. Both men, Gatsby and Trump, have dared to try to conquer new arenas, to be more than they were when they started out. Both are astonishingly ambitious. Both are seen by some as garish. Both are controversial figures.

What are some examples of antithesis in Martin Luther King Jr's "Letter from Birmingham Jail"?

Antithesis is the opposition or contrast of ideas or words in parallel structure.  Parallelism occurs when structures within sentences or parts of a sentence take the same form.  Parallelism is a grammatical repetition.

One of King's most quoted lines is an example of antithesis: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."  First, one must understand how this sentence is in parallel form.  If one were to break the sentence down to its parts of speech, it would follow this structure: noun, adverb, verb, adjective, noun, preposition, noun, adverb.  The two parts that are underlined show the two structures that are repeated, so one knows this is an example of parallelism.  Looking at those two parts in the sentence ("Injustice anywhere" and "justice everywhere"), one can see that the phrases are opposites of one another.

So what is the reason for antithesis?  King wants to show his audience (particularly the eight clergymen who sent him the letter to which he is responding) that his purpose in being in Birmingham is greater than Birmingham; it is about rooting out injustices across the country to protect and elevate justice for all.  It is not a Black or White issue; it is the country's issue.

Some other examples of antithesis (with the parallelism underlined):

1. "Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." (para. 5)


2. "...the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood." (para. 10)


3. "We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." (para. 13)


4. "One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." (para. 15)


5. "Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." (para. 16)


6. "An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. This is difference made legal. By the same token, a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow and that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal." (para. 17)


7. "Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."

What is an example of jargon from the story "The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin?

As a literary device, jargon consists of words that are broadly used within an occupation, subject, or business. For example, we have legal jargon, which may consist of stock phrases, definitions, or specific words that are used in courts or law offices. In the story, The Cold Equations, we can deduce that since the genre is science fiction, we will likely come across specific phrases or words indicative of such a designation.

An example of science fiction jargon in the story is the word "hyperspace." This is a reference to a region in an alternative universe (coexisting with our own), where it is possible to travel faster than the speed of light. In Star Trek, we would call hyperspace travel "warp speed travel." Of course, neither hyperspace travel nor warp speed travel exists in our current universe. However, the concept is extremely popular in science fiction stories.

Another example of jargon in the story is "hyperspace drive." This is a reference to technology that allows spaceships and other types of space vehicles to travel faster than the speed of light. So, in a science fiction world like the one on Star Trek, the battleships and space cruisers have been equipped with hyperspace drive technology, which allows them to travel at warp speed. In The Cold Equations, hyperspace technology has allowed Earth to install new colonies across space frontiers:

Galactic expansion had followed the development of the hyperspace drive, and as men scattered wide across the frontier, there had come the problem of contact with the isolated first colonies and exploration parties. The huge hyperspace cruisers were the product of the combined genius and effort of Earth and were long and expensive in the building.

What do paragraphs 3, 4, and 5 of "The Flowers" reveal about Myop's life?

Paragraphs 3, 4, and 5 reveal that Myop lives the simple life of a sharecropper's daughter. As sharecroppers, her family is presumably poor; so, Myop's play consists of her exploration of the natural outdoors behind her family's cabin.

In Paragraph 3, we follow Myop as she walks along the fence to the spring. This spring is where her family draws its drinking water; however, it is also where pigs root for food along its shallow banks.

Paragraph 4 reveals these woods are not strange to Myop. Her mother has often taken her there to gather nuts in the fall. Here, we see Myop's family relies on food they can harvest in the wild. This paragraph also reveals that the woods behind Myop's cabin are filled with sources of natural beauty; in her travels, Myop comes across pretty ferns, leaves, blue flowers, and the fragrant buds of a sweet suds bush.

Paragraph 5 begins to reveal an encroaching darkness into Myop's surroundings. The text tells us Myop has explored this area of the woods before, but the experience will prove different this time.

The strangeness of the land made it not as pleasant as her usual haunts. It seemed gloomy in the little cove in which she found herself. The air was damp, the silence close and deep.

The text betrays negativity and foreshadows a sense of dread. The change in atmosphere portends a change in mood. The mood shifts from one of carefree innocence to one of unease. By the end of the story, we know Myop has lost her innocence. Paragraphs 3, 4, and 5 reinforce the theme of the story: purity and innocence often fall victim to the ugly truths of life. Certainly, the three paragraphs paint a picture of Myop's idyllic life, but they also reinforce the notion that there is ugliness even in the midst of beauty.

What does Duncan call Macbeth when he hears Macbeth has defeated Macdonwald?

Duncan calls Macbeth valiant and worthy when he hears about his defeat of Macdonwald. 

Although we know that Macbeth becomes a murderer and a tyrant, at the beginning of the play he is a loyal and brave soldier.  The bloody sergeant tells Duncan about how Macbeth defeated the traitor Macdonwald in battle.  He calls Macbeth brave. 

For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name--
Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave … (Act 1, Scene 2) 

Duncan, the king, hears that Macbeth mowed through a bunch of soldiers to get to the traitor and then killed him, cutting him in half.  The king is very impressed by these actions, which are indeed the act of a brave soldier. 

DUNCAN

O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman! (Act 1, Scene 2)

It is because of these actions that Duncan awards Macbeth the promotion to Thane of Cawdor.  Under normal circumstances, I would think that that would be enough.  However, Macbeth has been told by three witches that he will be king.  He is unhappy to learn that he is still a thane.  His ambition has been aroused.

Duncan clearly has no idea who he is dealing with here.  He thinks of Macbeth as his kinsman and friend.  He goes to stay at his house!  He feels that Macbeth will be thrilled with this promotion, and thinks that no one would question his naming Malcolm his successor.  Malcolm is his son.  It makes much more sense, to everyone but Macbeth.

What is Banquo rewarded with by the king?

Not much! Just praise, and a warm hug.

In Act 1, Scene 4, it's clear that both Banquo and Macbeth have shown bravery in the conflict, and King Duncan readily acknowledges that. First, the king confers the honorable title and position of "Thane of Cawdor" on Macbeth. It's a major reward: it raises Macbeth up in status.

Next, the king addresses Banquo. We might expect a similar reward to be given to him, since the king says:

"Noble Banquo,
That hast no less deserved, nor must be known
No less to have done so..."

This means that Banquo deserves just as much as Macbeth, and everybody should know that. But then the king goes on to say:

"...let me infold thee

And hold thee to my heart."

In other words, "Come here, let me give you a warm hug." That might seem like a letdown, but Banquo is okay with it. He replies politely.

A moment later, King Duncan hints that Banquo might get a title of nobility, too:

"But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine

On all deservers."

However, we don't hear any more about it. Banquo seems honored just to be recognized and treated with warm kindness by the king. Because of this, you can see why he's Macbeth's opposite. Whereas Macbeth is greedy and ambitious, Banquo is selfless and content with what he already has in life. 

How is power subverted in Macbeth?

On the whole, I think it's fair to say that power is generally subverted in Macbeth by two means: violence and popular rebellion.

It goes without saying that Macbeth subverts King Duncan's royal power by violently murdering him. However, Macbeth then suffers a similar fate at the end of the play when Macduff kills him in single combat. Thus, it would seem that royal authority is often subverted in the play by violent means. Indeed, even the king isn't safe, as his nobles can easily remove him with violence if they choose to do so.

Along the same lines, popular rebellion effectively subverts Macbeth's tyrannical reign. For example, though Macbeth is theoretically the most powerful man in Scotland, he's no match for the combined forces of Malcolm and Macduff when they rise against him. As such, it seems that the power of kings can also be subverted if the masses rise up against it.

All in all, in Macbeth Shakespeare illustrates the fragility of power and the ways in which it can be subverted. More specifically, he focuses on the ways in which violence and popular rebellion defy and dismantle power structures.

In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, while at the trial Scout states: “…it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person...

In order to arrive at an accurate judgement of Mayella Ewell and determine whether she is worthy of compassion, it is essential to take an objective look at all the factors which had an impact on her and whether she could control them. Aspects which could be considered are whether she was a product of nature or nurture, her actual circumstances and her character.  

Mayella's living conditions were, to say the least, far from ideal: they were dirt poor and lived on the fringes of society. The Ewells were generally seen as the scum of the earth and received no respect. Being white, they were treated with the utmost contempt by others of their race and were looked down upon by them as it was believed that their poverty and chosen lifestyle brought dishonour to whites, especially since they had been living the same lives for generations and had made no attempt to improve.

... the Ewells were members of an exclusive society made up of Ewells. In certain circumstances the common folk judiciously allowed them certain privileges by the simple method of becoming blind to some of the Ewells’ activities. They didn’t have to go to school, for one thing. Another thing, Mr. Bob Ewell, Burris’s father, was permitted to hunt and trap out of season.

The tribe of which Burris Ewell and his brethren consisted had lived on the same plot of earth behind the Maycomb dump, and had thrived on county welfare money for three generations.

Every town the size of Maycomb had families like the Ewells. No economic fluctuations changed their status—people like the Ewells lived as guests of the county in prosperity as well as in the depths of a depression. No truant officers could keep their numerous offspring in school; no public health officer could free them from congenital defects, various worms, and the diseases indigenous to filthy surroundings. 

The descriptions above make it clear that the Ewells were living vicarious lives and survived by getting whatever useful they could from the town rubbish dump. Obviously, the family must have suffered under the yoke of criticism and disdain levelled at them, but it seems as if they could not care less. The text indicates that Mayella attempted to create some beauty in the squalor within which they lived. She planted geraniums in their yard which she carefully tended. The reference indicates that she had a quality in her that made her different from the rest of the family.

Against the fence, in a line, were six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums, cared for as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson, had Miss Maudie deigned to permit a geranium on her premises. People said they were Mayella Ewell’s. 

Since they had no mother, Mayella had to fulfill that role since she was also the eldest daughter. She clearly suffered continuous abuse at the hands of her father, who, it is suggested, also sexually molested her, when Tom Robinson testified that she had told him what her 'papa did to her don't count.'

Being part of a family of outcasts meant that Mayella had no friends and was, therefore, lonely. She obviously could not have had a boyfriend either, and that possibly explains why she sought attention from Tom Robinson. She had planned her meeting with him carefully and for a long time because she had saved up enough money for her younger siblings to go and buy themselves ice creams so that they would be out of the way when she lured Tom inside the house.

Clearly, circumstances for the young girl were definitely horrendous - she had been raised with prejudice and, in this sense, adopted those values. Furthermore, it does not seem as if she had much of a choice. Her father's violent nature and his constant abuse obviously made her fear him. She could, we might say, have left home, but where could she go? Her circumstances meant that she was trapped.

In this sense then, we can feel sorry for Mayella. Her prejudice, though, did not prevent her from seeking the company of a man she knew was prohibited. She knew her actions would be condemned and that she would be punished for them, but she went ahead anyway. She deserves our pity in this regard as well since she blinded herself to the irrational fear that her society persisted in. All she needed was to feel wanted and loved since it was lacking everywhere else.

Mayella lied in court to save herself from further ridicule and disdain. It was either him or me, as far as she was concerned. Her choice in the end to not save an innocent man deserves our condemnation, for if she had told the truth, what negative outcome would she have faced? She and her family had already been condemned by their society. Would further condemnation have made much difference? Her father's punishment would probably have been harsh - he might have even killed her for shaming her family but, whichever way one looks at it, her conscience would have been clean.

So, yes, we can have compassion for Mayella because she was, in the final analysis, a victim of her unfortunate circumstances. We cannot, however, have any compassion for her implicating Tom Robinson in an act for which she alone was entirely responsible. 

Who is the flat character in "Miss Brill" by Katherine Mansfield?

All the personages introduced into the narrative besides Miss Brill are flat characters. Specifically, there are only two other characters whose thoughts are revealed. They are the romantic couple who enter the narrative near the end. But, they do not change in their attitudes at all and remain flat.

Flat or static characters are simple characters; that is, they do not develop or change beyond the way that they are first presented; they remain the same throughout the narrative. In "Miss Brill," there is little characterization other than with the protagonist, Miss Brill herself. The only flat characters who enter the narrative for any length are the woman wearing the ermine toque and a gentleman in gray, whose brief interaction Miss Brill observes, and the boy and girl who sit down where an old couple has been on the bench on the opposite end of Miss Brill. When the boy attempts to be affectionate with his girlfriend, she protests, "No, not now....Not here, I can't." Her boyfriend protests,

"But why? Because of that stupid old thing at the end there? Why does she come here at all--who wants her? Why doesn't she keep her silly old mug at home?"

The girl laughs at Miss Brill's fur, then the boy tries again with her and she repeats, "No, not here..."

While their cruel words affect a change in Miss Brill, these characters remain the same, and are flat characters.

What are some open-ended questions prompted by the novel, Fahrenheit 451?

Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel that describes a future American society in which books are banned, and "firemen" are dispatched to burn any books that are discovered so that they can't be read. (The title of the novel names the temperature at which books burn.) In Ray Bradbury's world, books present a danger, because they make people independent thinkers through education, which could pose a challenge to social stability and to the control of people in power. 

Fahrenheit 451 presents the reader with many questions related to power, knowledge, and education. These include: 

• Why is knowledge a threat to power? 


• What are the roles of knowledge and education in society? 


• What effects does censorship cause? Why is censorship implemented? 


• Should knowledge ever be controlled?


• What are the characteristics of a society that result from censorship? 

What are the similarities and differences between the novels Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt) and Night (Elie Wiesel)?

Both books tell very powerful stories of suffering and survival from a young boy's perspective. While at first glance, they may seem quite different, they actually do have some similarities.

One of the key similarities between Angela's Ashes and Night is that both tales are about family tragedy. In Angela's Ashes, a young boy (the protagonist) suffers because of his family's poverty and his father's alcoholism. In Night, a young boy (the protagonist) suffers because of the family's persecution by the Nazis and his father's illness. Both stories are non-fiction memoirs and explore the obstacles the protagonists must overcome to survive. Another similarity is that there is a sense of community in both stories; other poor families in McCourt's story and other Jewish prisoners in Wiesel's story give support to the protagonists.

One of the key differences between Angela's Ashes and Night is the setting. McCourt's story takes place in Ireland, whereas Wiesel's take place primarily in Germany. Another difference is that McCourt's mother is a key character in his story, while Wiesel's mother and sister are separated from him early in the story, never to be seen again.  

How do you study history successfully?

Studying history is very important. There is so much a person can learn by studying history. One approach to studying history successfully is a philosophical approach. History teaches us about the past so we can make good decisions in the present and in the future. If you view history as a guide to your life to help you make good decisions now and in the future, it will help you view history in a positive way. You will see history as relevant in your life even if the events occurred a long time ago.

A second approach is to view the study of history as much more than memorizing names, dates, facts, and places. You should try to see how past events are related to events today, especially those events that impact you. If you view the study of history as a way to take what you have learned about the past to solve current problems, the study of history will have much more meaning to you. Try to view the study of history as if somebody is speaking to you personally about life lessons that you can learn and apply. This will help make the study of history come alive for you, and it will help you see how important the study of history is in your life. Memorization of facts is boring. Applying lessons to your life is relevant, exciting, and impactful.

If you follow these approaches, you will have a much better chance at studying history successfully. You may have heard the phrase that history repeats itself. If we learn from the past, we should be able to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. This is why the study of history is so important.

How did Hitler conquer so much of Europe in such a short time?

Hitler had a larger, more modern army than most of Europe in 1939.  The German military officer school encouraged them to act on the fly according to conditions on the battlefield and not wait for orders to be given out from headquarters.  German mechanized units and the infantry worked well together.  German aircraft moved in quickly to destroy the other country's air force while it was still on the ground.  German paratroopers landed behind enemy lines and helped to secure invasion routes.  The Germans also used aircraft in air-to-ground missions in order to support soldiers and to terrify civilians fleeing major cities.  Europe was very slow to mobilize its troops, as mobilization was partially what caused WWI and no one wanted a repeat of that war.  France stayed behind a series of forts called the Maginot Line, but these were no match for mechanized warfare.  

What are some character traits of the mob of men who meet Atticus at the jail in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Chapter 15 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, we learn from the group of men congregating on Atticus's lawn Saturday evening that the mob threatening to lynch Tom Robinson is made up of members of "that Old Sarum bunch," meaning members of the Cunningham family who live in Old Sarum. The members of the Cunningham family are generally decent church-going farmers but can apparently cause much damage when, as Sheriff Heck Tate phrases it, "they get shinnied up," meaning drunk, though they don't usually drink on Sundays. On the Sunday night that the Cunninghams gather as a mob in front of Maycomb's county jail, they had been drinking because they considered Robinson's ensuing Monday trial to be a special occasion.

In Chapter 16, when the Cunninghams are gathered in front of the jail, Scout makes some observations about them. First she notices that when they first arrive and ask Mr. Finch if Robinson is inside the jail, they begin speaking in "near-whispers" as a "sickeningly comic" response to Atticus's reply, "He is ... and he's asleep. Don't wake him up." Though the fact that they start whispering is absurd and sickening considering they were there with the intention of killing Robinson, their response also shows us something about their character. Just as Atticus believes, the Cunninghams are generally decent folks, and their whispering shows they have an instinctive drive to be respectful of others; they especially have a deep respect for Atticus.

Despite their instinctive drive to be respectful, the Cunninghams are also uneducated farmers, and their lack of education makes them have a tendency to behave in rough, ill-mannered ways. Their roughness is portrayed in the fact that Scout notes they smelled of "stale whiskey and pigpen." Their roughness is also demonstrated in the fact that they conned Sheriff Tate into chasing after a nonexistent sniper in the woods just to get him out of town so they could storm the jail.

Yet, despite their roughness, the Cunninghams are, as Atticus believes, generally decent people. Their decency is demonstrated in the fact that they are hard workers. We know they are hard workers because of the way they are dressed: "in overalls and denim shirts buttoned up to the collars," plus long sleeves covering their arms for protection from hard labors and hats to protect themselves from the sun. Scout further describes them as "sullen-looking, sleepy-eyed men who seemed unused to late hours." They are unused to late hours because, as devoted farmers, they are up with the sunrise to work all day on their farms and to bed by sunset in order to get enough rest to start their hard days of labor all over again.

Since they are generally decent men, it is not difficult for Scout to remind Walter Cunningham, their leader, of his humanity by conversing with him about his son and empathizing with him about his entailment.

`log_10(1000) = x` Solve for x or b

`log_10 (1000) = x`

To solve, express the 1000 in terms of 10.

`log_10 (10 * 10 * 10)=x`

`log_10 (10^3) =x`

To simplify the left side, apply the logarithm rule `log_b (a^m) = m*log_b(a)` .

`3* log_10 (10) = x`

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

`3 * 1 = x`

`3=x`

Therefore, the value of x is 3.

How does the novel Reservation Blues address Native American issues?

Reservation Blues by author Sherman Alexie addresses a variety of Native American issues. This imaginative story delves into life on the "rez" through the perspectives of its unique characters. Life on the reservation is blended with the Faust myth, creating a platform for Native American issues that has the benefit of realism as well as metaphor.

The Death of Dreams

One of the primary issues addressed in Reservation Blues is the death of dreams that is tragically common for occupants of the "rez." The musical group that forms on the "rez" experiences this death when they arrive in New York to find that they have been exploited by Phil Sheridan and George Wright. The two men have proven themselves to be volatile towards the Native American community and only interested in exploiting the musicians.

Stereotypes

Reservation Blues touches on many of the stereotypes that are harmful to Native Americans, including those that seem positive to outsiders. Groupies Betty and Veronica explain that they want to be part of Native American culture so they can be "wise and peaceful." This stereotype showcases the lack of understanding that outsiders have for the hardships faced by members of the "rez" as well as the discrimination they face from outside communities.

Diversity

Another major theme presented in Reservation Blues is the habit outsiders have of lumping all Native American cultures in together. The novel delves into the reality that each Native American nation has its own distinct culture, with even greater diversity between individual reservations. The characters in Reservation Blues find themselves in a world that flattens their multidimensional culture and renders it generic, ignoring both the good and bad aspects that make life on the "rez" unique, beautiful and often painful.

Poverty

Poverty is a major theme throughout Reservation Blues, even if it is often an unspoken one. The occupants of the "rez" face diminished economic opportunities because of where they grew up, and they often find the lack of expectations stifling. While there are many overtly oppressive and abusive characters, such as Wright and Sheridan, the "rez" is also forced to deal with the oppressive economic structures that prevent growth and lead to the continuation of poverty and other issues.

Genocide

While Reservation Blues has a relatively modern setting, it is clear that the Native American genocide of the past haunts the characters and continues to have a measurable impact on their lives. The fighting may have ended, but the new generation of Native Americans is left to pick up the pieces of their dreams and the diminished portion of land they have to call their own.

Throughout the novel, each of these issues is presented in a humorous, often satirical light. The humor in no way diminishes the severity of the issues but rather makes the narrative more relatable to the reader.

`tanh^2(x)+sec^2(x) = 1` Verify the identity.

Let's recall the definitions: `tanh(x) = (sinh(x))/(cosh(x)),`  `se ch(x) = 1/(cosh(x)).` Also, `cosh(x) = (e^x + e^(-x))/2`  and  `sinh(x) = (e^x - e^(-x))/2.`

Now the left side of our identity may be rewritten as

`tanh^2(x) + sec h^2(x) = (sinh^2(x) + 1)/(cosh^2(x)).`

While it is well-known that `sinh^2(x) + 1 = cosh^2(x),` we can prove this directly:

`sinh^2(x) + 1 = ((e^x - e^(-x))/2)^2 + 1 = ((e^x)^2 - 2 + (e^(-x))^2 + 4)/4 =`

`=((e^x)^2 + 2 + (e^(-x))^2)/4 =((e^x + e^(-x))/2)^2 = cosh^2(x).`

This way the left side is equal to `1,` which is the right side. This way the identity is proved.

Describe the character of the astrologer.

The protagonist in "An Astrologer's Day" is an interesting character because he is a survivor. He came to the big city from one of the many small villages in India and had to find some way to exist without having any formal education or marketable skills. We do not know how he obtained his astrological paraphernalia, but it is possible that he found it somewhere and decided to become an "astrologer" on the spur of the moment. His "professional equipment" consists of

...a dozen cowrie shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts on it, a notebook, and a bundle of palmyra writing.

The man who had owned the equipment before him may have been better versed in the pseudo-science of astrology, but he may have lacked the present owner's intelligence, glibness, personality, and "moxie." It is obviously very hard for any astrologer to make a living in this city because most people don't have any money to spare for anything but the bare necessities.

The astrologer's day is a long and precarious one. He has a wife and small daughter waiting for him at home. Even when he encounters Guru Nayak and his life is in danger, he resolutely insists on talking about money. Because of his brains and adaptability, he is able to bring home even more coins than usual. He lives from day to day. He doesn't even want to think about what he is going to do tomorrow. He has gotten through one day and that is enough for him.

"Time to sleep," he said, yawning, and stretched himself on the pyol.

The astrologer might be said to represent the millions of men who are migrating to the big cities of India from the villages. His story is just one of the many stories of these people, whose survival in the cities depends on their adaptability to very difficult living conditions.

He had left his village without any previous thought or plan. If he had continued there he would have carried on the work of his forefathers namely, tilling the land, living, marrying, and ripening in his cornfield and ancestral home. But that was not to be.

It is interesting to see how this nameless man has become transformed into a big-city dweller who deals with great numbers of people every day in order to eke out a living for himself and his tiny family. He needs money to survive and support his family, and he has to get that money from other people by providing something in exchange. The great subcontinent of India is changing in many ways because of globalization, expanding population, and other factors. "An Astrologer's Day" represents the macrocosm in a microcosm, which it what makes it such a memorable short story.

In chapter 10 of Lois Lowry's The Giver, what is different about the bikes after the twelve ceremony?

In Lois Lowry's The Giver, children receive a new responsibility each year during the ceremony days. At the beginning of the story, Jonas's sister turns eight, but she is mostly excited for the next year when she turns nine. Children who turn nine receive bicycles. The bicycles give children more freedom to travel around town, but they also require more responsibility because the must also take care of them. When Lily gets frustrated with her hair ribbons one morning in chapter six, Jonas reminds her she gets to start her volunteer hours at age eight and that there are many good things to receive each year. For example, Sevens receive jackets with buttons on the front rather than the back. The symbolism behind the jackets is explained as follows:

The front-buttoned jacket was the first sign of independence, the first very visible symbol of growing up. The bicycle, at Nine, would be the powerful emblem of moving gradually out into the community, away from the protective family unit (52).

The above passage also explains the meaning behind the bicycles given to children at nine years of age. By chapter 10, however, Jonas recognizes something different on his bike after receiving his calling in life during the Ceremony of Twelves the day before, as follows:

During the night the nameplate of each new Twelve had been removed by the Maintenance Crew and replaced with the style that indicated citizen-in-training (91).

The nameplates on all of the new Twelves' bikes now say "citizen-in-training." This means Jonas and his friends have, in a way, graduated from childhood and are now expected to act like adults. They still go to school, but instead of volunteer hours, they train in their decided fields of work for their future jobs. This is significant for the children because they now know which direction their lives will take; and for the community, these new citizens-in-training partially enter the workforce and contribute to society. Symbolically, Jonas and his fellow Twelves are considered adults after their ceremony and the bikes' nameplates help commemorate their rite of passage. 

While traveling in England, you purchase 8.91 gallons of gas (or petrol there). The price posted is €1.98 per liter. How many U.S. dollars...

I suppose the prices in England are listed in pounds £, not in euros €.

To answer this question we need the conversion ratio between pounds and U.S. dollars. I got it from the attached link, and it says  `1 GBP approx 1.328 USD.` 

Also we need to know how many liters are in one gallon, it is about  `3.785.`

Now we can perform the calculations: `8.91` gallons are about  `8.91*3.785` liters, they cost about  `8.91*3.785*1.98` pounds, and in dollars it will be

`8.91*3.785*1.98*1.328,`  which is equal to about  88.68 U.S. dollars.

Are there stages of mumps? It is more serious in children or adults?

Mumps progresses in stages. During the incubation phase, a person has contracted the virus but is asymptomatic (meaning he or she does not show symptoms). The average incubation phase is 17 days, and the range is about two to three weeks. During the next phase, symptoms develop. The main symptom is the swelling of one or both of the parotid glands (salivary glands), which lasts about 4-8 days. In addition, people suffering from mumps can have a headache, fever, fatigue, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and abdominal pain. Some people who contract the virus do not even show symptoms, which are usually fairly mild in children. However, teenagers and adults can develop some complications from having mumps, including swollen testicles in males, brain inflammation, hearing loss, or quite rarely, swelling of other organs such as the heart or pancreas. Most children who receive the immunization for mumps will not get it; however, people who get it should avoid contact with others as soon as they think they might have mumps until at least five days after their parotid glands start to show signs of swelling. 

Are leaders born to lead or do they learn to lead?

In my opinion, leaders are made, not born. There are some personality characteristics that are good to have to be a leader, but leadership is largely situational, which implies that different contexts require different kinds of leadership behaviors.  Let's look at a few different contexts to see how this bears out.

Some people say a good leader should be entrepreneurial. That is likely to be true in some situations, such as high-tech start ups. Being entrepreneurial implies having a risk-taking personality, though, and that does not always make for a good leader. There are many organizations who want someone risk-averse. No matter what kind of personality a leader has, he or she will have to learn to adjust to different industries, cultures, and economic times.

Some people are autocratic, rather than democratic, in their styles and personalities. If all that is needed is to keep things moving along on a production floor, that might be the best way for a leader to behave. in a creative endeavor, however, that style simply will not work. A leader must be able to discern the difference and understand how to motivate people to do their jobs. 

Some people seem to be born more introverted than extroverted. If they cannot adapt, they are not necessarily going to be successful in a sales-driven company or in a company in which they are expected to be the public "face" of the company with the expectations of being responsible for fund drives or press conferences. People can adapt, though; they can learn to do what is necessary to lead. 

Being born with a certain amount of flexibility and resilience is probably vital to a leader's success, since leadership today requires virtual shape-shifting, the ability to adjust one's style, and the ability to roll with the punches that modern-day business brings.

How does Saki provide imagery in the story "The Open Window"?

Most of the imagery Saki provides in "The Open Window" is in straight prose description. There are three especially striking images in the story. The description of the first two is understood to be from Framton Nuttel's point of view. These first two follow from Mrs. Sappleton's announcement that she sees the three hunters returning towards the open window. Nuttel turns to look at Vera to show he understands that her poor aunt is having an hallucination. But he is shocked to see Vera putting on an act for his benefit:

The child was staring out through the open window with a dazed horror in her eyes.

He immediately turns to look in the same direction, and:

In the deepening twilight three figures were walking across the lawn towards the window, they all carried guns under their arms, and one of them was additionally burdened with a white coat hung over his shoulders. A tired brown spaniel kept close at their heels.

This is the image that Vera has set Nuttel up to react to with terror. We can imagine how spooky it would look to see the three men in "the deepening twilight" and all carrying guns. These two images--Vera's "dazed horror" and the three hunters--lead to Framton's flight, which is understood to be seen from the omniscient narrator's point of view.

Framton grabbed wildly at his stick and hat; the hall door, the gravel drive, and the front gate were dimly noted stages in his headlong retreat. A cyclist coming along the road had to run into the hedge to avoid imminent collision.

Why does Ralph feel "fright and apprehension and pride" after hitting the pig?

In Chapter 7, Jack leads the group of boys on a hunting expedition and Ralph comes face-to-face with a charging boar. This is Ralph's first hunting experience, and he is excited at the opportunity to kill a pig. From a distance of five yards, Ralph throws his spear and successfully hits the boar on the snout. The spear glances off its nose, however, and the boar continues to run through the forest. After hitting the boar, Golding writes that Ralph was full of "fright and apprehension and pride" (162). Hunting is a dangerous activity, and Ralph is sure to feel some sort of fear when facing a wild boar that is charging at him. Ralph is apprehensive about killing the pig because he realizes it is a bloody affair. Ralph is also nervous about killing an animal for the first time. At the same time, he is proud of the fact that he struck the boar on his first attempt.