In Spiegelman's Maus, why does Vladek keep a 14 karat gold cigarette case and a lady's powder case from Srodula, Poland?

In chapter five, "Mouse Holes," Vladek tells his son Artie about surviving in the ghetto with Anja, giving their son away, and hiding the 14 karat gold cigarette case and lady's powder case in Srodula. While Vladek is telling the story, he and his son are walking to the bank where he has a safety deposit box. He asks the banker to give his son a key for the box so that he will have it when he dies. Then, Vladek takes Artie to the box to show him what he has stored inside. There in the box are the gold cigarette case and the lady's powder case! Vladek explains that when the Gestapo came for them while they were hiding in the chandelier bunker, he quickly stored these items in the chimney. Vladek then explains that after the war, he went back for them.

"I sneaked back to Srodula and--at night, while the people inside slept--I digged these things out from the bottom of the chimney" (128).

It's a wonder that Vladek would go through all that trouble to save a couple of items that he could have sold for food after the war. Vladek proves that he values saving things for the future. He learns to become resourceful and not to spend anything if he doesn't need to. For example, on the way to the bank with Artie, he sees a piece of telephone wire on the ground and keeps it. Artie is flabbergasted as to why his father would keep something that is garbage.

What Artie doesn't understand is that the war demoralized people to the point that they learned to live in survival mode. During the war, many people, but mostly Jews, were constantly starving and fearful they would lose their lives. They used anything of value that they could find to trade for food. Habits like these, which are formed during traumatic events, are not easily broken. After the war, Vladek found work which supplied him with income, so he didn't need to sell the cigarette and powder cases. The cases were then kept as memorable items from the war. In fact, the cases could be survival symbols. It's as if these cases are symbolic for both Vladek and Anja surviving the Holocaust. Therefore, Vladek couldn't sell them because they represented every struggle for survival kept him alive and Anja alive.

What are some "key facts" of "Death, be not proud," like the exposition and resolution?

"Death, be not proud" is a sonnet by the iconic English metaphysical poet John Donne. The fourteen-line poem, which is also referred to as "Holy Sonnet X,"deals with the fear of death, overcoming it, and the prospect of eternal life after death. 

Poems aren't necessarily traditionally discussed in terms of "exposition" and "resolution." However, we can examine the opening and closing of the poem instead. 

The sonnet opens with the speaker/poet addressing Death by telling it that it should not be proud and claiming that it is neither mighty nor dreadful, contrary to what some people have claimed. The poet/speaker goes on to state that Death is the slave of "Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men," and that it resides with negative entities (such as war and sickness). Thus, Donne derides death and tries to strip it of its power over mankind. 

The sonnet closes with the speaker/poet proclaiming that Death is not permanent, as human wake to their eternal afterlife after Death has claimed their mortal one. Thus, Death itself "shalt die," with Donne reaffirming his belief in a more transcendental realm operating as the final destination of human life. 

What about the boarding house rules make it hard for Lyddie to have Rachel with her?

When Lyddie's uncle Judah brings Rachel to Lyddie for her to take care of, Lyddie introduces her to Mrs. Bedlow, the keeper of the boarding house. Immediately she sees the warning in Mrs. Bedlows's eyes that Rachel will not be able to stay there. The boarding house is owned by the Concord Corporation specifically for the purpose of housing the female factory workers. No men or children, other than the keeper's own children, are allowed to stay in the boardinghouse. Lyddie suggests that Rachel could work for the factory as a doffer, and in that case, she would be allowed to stay. Mrs. Bedlow replies that Rachel is not old enough nor physically strong enough to do even the easiest jobs at the factory. Mrs. Bedlow agrees to bend the rules to let Rachel stay for no more than two weeks. She says that Rachel can't go outside--no one must see her, or Mrs. Bedlow could get in trouble for breaking the rules of the corporation's boarding house. Lyddie has to pay Mrs. Bedlow full room and board for her to keep Rachel, but even so, Mrs. Bedlow is terse with Rachel because she is "just scared to break a rule," as Lyddie explains to Rachel. Lyddie knows she is taking a risk as well. If she breaks the rules of the corporation, she can be fired from her job, and then, as she says to Rachel, "then what would we do, ey?" 

Explain how Hurston uses the snake both literally and symbolically in the story, "Sweat."

In Hurston's story, "Sweat," Delia is a hardworking woman who is constantly tormented by her husband, Sykes. One of the ways he torments her is by taking advantage of her fear of snakes. He does this in the literal sense when, at the start of the story, he pretends his whip is a snake and scares her with it. Later, he brings home a real snake and keeps it in the house, enjoying her fear of it being there. In the end, the snake, ironically, kills Sykes; therefore, it worked against him. Delia hears his cries for help after the snake bites him but refuses to save him.

Symbolically, the snake represents evil. Because Sykes is the one bringing snakes into the house with the intent to upset his wife, the reader must associate evil with him. He wants to get rid of Delia so he can be with his girlfriend, and he goes about this in malicious ways; like the snake, his actions are sneaky and poisonous. In having Sykes killed by the snake, Hurston is showing that evil ways will not be rewarded. By the end of the story, Delia is freed from her husband and the evil that the snake represents.

How many time does the word bear appear in the book Lyddie?

The word “bear” appears 39 times in the book, referring to the bear that broke into Lyddie’s house.

The prevalence of the use of the word “bear” demonstrates how significant it is in the book.  The bear serves a symbolic purpose for Lyddie.  It reminds her of everything she lost, because the bear coming into their house is what caused her mother to leave.  Lyddie feels like things were never the same after that.

The bear is obviously mentioned a lot in Chapter 1, which is where it first appears.  The book essentially begins with the bear coming in and trying to get the porridge or other food.  Lyddie’s mother is terrified, and although Lyddie is scared too, she is the one who acts.  She gets everyone safely into the balcony.

The book actually begins with Lyddie explaining the bear’s significance to her life.

The bear had been their undoing, though at the time they had all laughed. No, Mama had never laughed, but Lyddie and Charles and the babies had laughed until their bellies ached.  Lyddie still thought of them as the babies. She probably always would. (Ch. 1) 

Lyddie’s mother was not mentally stable to begin with, since before her father left to go west.  She could not handle living alone on a farm with four children.  Saying the bear was a sign, she left to go stay with Lyddie’s aunt.  Lyddie and her brother Charles took care of the farm for a while, until they got a letter from their mother telling them that they had to go to work. 

Later, Lyddie would say that the bear was the beginning of the end, and she felt the curse of the bear that her mother was talking about.  Lyddie worked at the tavern until she was fired, and then got a job at a factory.  Eventually, her mother was institutionalized and her brother took her other sister in, while the youngest one died. 

The bear had won. It had stolen her home, her family, her work, her good name. She had thought she was so strong, so tough, and she had just stood there like a day-old lamb and let it gobble her down. (Ch. 22) 

Despite all of this, Lyddie remained strong.  She held her own at the factory, becoming one of the most successful workers.  She was fired for standing up for Brigid.  With nowhere to go, Lyddie decided to try to go to college.

`int_0^2 dx/(x^2-2x+2) ` Find or evaluate the integral by completing the square

To be able to evaluate the given integral:` int_0^2 (dx)/(x^2-2x+2)` , we

complete the square of the expression:`x^2-2x+2` .

To complete the square, we add and subtract `(-b/(2a))^2` .

 The `x^2-2x+2` resembles the `ax^2+bx+c` where:

 `a=1` , `b =-2 ` and `c=2 ` .

Then,

`(-b/(2a))^2 =(-(-2)/(2(1)))^2`

             ` =(2/2)^2`

             ` = (1)^2`

             ` =1`

Add and subtract 1 :

`x^2-2x+2 +1-1`

Rearrange as: `(x^2-2x +1) +2-1 = (x-1)^2+1`

Plug-in` x^2-2x+2 = (x-1)^2+1` in the given integral:`int_0^2 (dx)/(x^2-2x+2)` .

`int_0^2 (dx)/(x^2-2x+2) =int_0^2 (dx)/((x-1)^2+1)`

This resembles the basic integral formula for inverse tangent function:

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

Then  indefinite integral F(x)+C,

`int (dx)/((x-1)^2+1^2) =1/1 *arctan((x-1)/1)+C`

                                `=arctan(x-1)+C` 

For the definite integral, we apply: `F(x)|_a^b= F(b)-F(a)` .

`arctan(x-1)|_0^2 =arctan(2-1) -arctan(0-1)`

                    ` =arctan(1) -arctan(-1)`

                    ` =pi/4 -(-pi/4)`

                    ` =pi/4 +pi/4`

                    ` =(2pi)/4`

                    ` =pi/2` 

What caused Manifest Destiny?

Manifest Destiny refers to the desire of the United States to spread from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. In the 1800s, the United States began to grow as a country.

Once the Louisiana Purchase was made, the United States controlled most land from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains. People began to move to these new lands. As we moved westward, we believed we were helping our country grow and our economy grow. We encountered different groups of people, mainly the Native Americans and the Mexicans, who lived very differently than we did. We believed these groups were holding back our country’s progress.

The people of our country believed our way of living was superior to the way of life of the Native Americans and the way of life of the Mexicans. We believed the Native Americans were slowing down the growth of the country. We knew the Mexicans controlled much of the land in the West. We knew we needed to control that land in order to fulfill our goal of controlling the territory between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

As a result, we pursued policies to help us control this land. The Native Americans were moved to lands west of the Mississippi River. Eventually, they were placed on reservations. We supported the people of Texas in their fight against Mexico. We were looking for a conflict with Mexico that would allow us to gain the southwest part of our country. The Mexican-American War allowed this to occur.

By 1854, we had achieved our goal of spreading from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Manifest Destiny was now complete. People who believed that is was our duty to control these areas were happy with that we gained control of these lands.

Why did John McNab take in Maniac Magee?

John McNab takes in Maniac Magee out of gratitude for making John look admirable to his little brothers.

More generally, John takes Maniac in because Maniac had looked out for John's little brothers, Piper and Russell, getting them fed and taking them back home when they had been intent on running away to Mexico.

But the more immediate reason that Maniac was invited to John's house is an interesting story. Remember that Maniac and John have met before: that Maniac, with his excellent baseball skills, had made John look foolish in front of the other neighborhood kids. Now check out that conversation near the beginning of Chapter 35, when Maniac is returning Piper and Russell to John.

Right then, Maniac invents a tale about himself and John in order to make the big brother seem to the little ones like a very dignified, very skillful baseball player. Maniac gives the young ones an entirely made-up account of John's magical "stopball" move that made Maniac look foolish on the baseball field. When he's done with this story, Russell and Piper look up at John with adoring eyes and say "Wow."

It's only then that Maniac is invited to the McNab home.

In the novel Monster, describe how Myers suggests that good and evil can be blurred and life is not "black and white."

Throughout the novel, Steve Harmon struggles to justify his actions. He is essentially a good person who has made several terrible decisions and regrets his past actions. Myers purposely leaves Steve's participation in the crime ambiguous but suggests that Steve did enter the store for the purpose of acting as the crew's lookout. Whether or not Steve gave the signal that the coast was clear does not exclude the fact that he knew James King and Richard "Bobo" Evans were attempting to rob the store. However, Steve not giving the signal to James or Bobo suggests that he had a change of heart in the store. While Steve made the right decision not to give them a signal, he did make the wrong decision to agree to participate in the crime. By displaying Steve's duality, Myers suggests that life is not "black and white." Many of our decisions have both positive and negative effects on those around us. Very few decisions in life are purely good or evil. As humans, we tend to justify our actions to make ourselves feel better about circumstances similar to the way Steve contemplates his actions during his incarceration.

What is the Giver's appearance in the book The Giver?

In The Giver, we are not provided with a great deal of physical description of the Giver.  He wears the same "special" (Lowry 75) clothes as the Elders in the community wear.  We can infer that he has eyes that are not brown, since Jonas sees "pale eyes that mirrored his own" (75). Jonas cannot see color, yet, with the exception of occasional shimmers of red, but paleness suggests eyes that are blue, green, gray, or hazel.  Jonas tells the Giver he can see the Giver is "very old" (75), with wrinkles, "sagging flesh" (75), and dark circles under his eyes. The Giver tells Jonas that he is not as old as he looks, but being the Giver has aged him. And of course, Jonas is twelve, and when we are young, we often tend to think that adults are much older than they actually are. 

In what ways are Sir Toby and Sir Andrew similar and different in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night?

Toby and Andrew are alike in that they both like to get together and have a good time.  Sir Toby is an unrepentant drunkard, and Sir Andrew is a friend who is looking to marry Toby’s niece, Olivia.  Both are in love, but the situation is quite different.  Andrew wants to cement his fortune by marrying Olivia, and Toby marries a servant, Maria.

Sir Andrew is not very intelligent, and not good with his money.  In the conversation between Maria and Toby, it is clear that while Toby is trying to talk up his friend, he is not exactly all he is made out to be.

SIR TOBY BELCH

Why, he has three thousand ducats a year.

MARIA

Ay, but he'll have but a year in all these ducats:
he's a very fool and a prodigal. (Act 1, Scene 3) 

Sir Toby, on the other hand, is pretty set.  He can mooch off of Olivia without too much trouble.  Although Malvolio complains that Toby is about to be expelled at any moment, Olivia is actually pretty tolerant of his carousing.  Sir Toby does not need to marry up to be sure to have enough money.

Andrew and Toby are alike in that they enjoy drinking, singing, dancing, and messing around with the fool.  The fool understands what they are about, and he does not mind keeping them entertained.  Andrew and Toby stay up late singing and drinking, and it irritates Malvolio to no end.

My masters, are you mad? or what are you? Have ye
no wit, manners, nor honesty, but to gabble like
tinkers at this time of night? Do ye make an
alehouse of my lady's house, that ye squeak out your
coziers' catches without any mitigation or remorse
of voice? Is there no respect of place, persons, nor
time in you? (Act 2, Scene 3)

In the end, Toby manipulates Andrew into dueling with Cesario.  Andrew is hopeless at that too. He is not the dueling sort, and Cesario certainly is not.  Toby and Maria think it is funny.  Things turn out pretty well for the two of them, because they get married.

Why did Fitzgerald link the behavior of the characters to the hottest day of the summer?

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, tensions come to a head between Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby in New York City on the hottest day of the year. 

There are several symbolic connotations behind this. First of all is the obvious association that readers will draw from his imagery-laden descriptions of the sticky, suffocating heat. Such incredible and inescapable physical discomfort contributes directly to the heated interactions, and readers would find these developments understandable. 

Secondly, there is a correlation between the inescapable oppressiveness and discomfort of the weather and the social situation that the characters find them in. They leave East Egg to try and escape not only the heat but the unbearable tension that exists between the different characters - their lust, anger, jealousy, and betrayal all hang in the air like the tangible humidity. 

Finally, this scene offers a striking contrast to the initial introduction of Daisy and Jordan in their white, light, and airy room, further contributing to the heaviness and darkness of this one. 

Could you explain the epic conventions of Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock?

Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock is a brilliant example of the mock epic, a style of writing that uses conventions of epic literature in a satirical setting, often to expose the foibles and absurdity of contemporary society. The poem chronicles a gentleman's theft of a lady's lock of hair, and it is based on a similar event that caused a quarrel between two prominent families of Pope's day. The poem references major epic works, such as The Iliad and Paradise Lost, and it includes many classic characteristics of epic literature, such as supernatural beings, war, heroes and heroines, and even a trip to the Underworld. However, Pope translates these tropes to high society, and so epic warfare becomes a card game, heroes become vain gentlemen, and the exciting climax becomes the theft of a lock of hair. By using epic conventions in such a setting, Pope pokes fun at the high society of his day, exposing its ridiculousness by juxtaposing it with epic literature. 

How is the King initially portrayed in "The Lady or The Tiger"?

The story "The Lady and the Tiger" is set in late antiquity. The King is portrayed as semi-barbaric, meaning that he belongs to a culture that is not part of the Roman Empire but instead lives in one of the areas that has contact with Latin culture, speaks a vernacular language in everyday life, but considers Latin culture a "prestige" or "civilized" culture. It is implied that the King lacks the sort of education, culture, and self-restraint he might have achieved in a more civilized environment. 

The King is portrayed initially as a relatively benign autocrat, albeit somewhat self-centered. His main fault is that having absolute power means that rather than consulting the wishes or ideas of other people, he simply acts on his own whims. As one reads through the paragraph, one is led to doubt the accuracy of the King's self-image. The narrator's ironic tone suggests that the King's self-image as a genial fixer who solves problems according to his innate benevolence differs from how others might view him. Other people might well view the king as a capricious autocrat.

In A Christmas Carol, what is the meaning of the quote, "Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die?"?

The Ghost of Christmas Present says these words to Scrooge after he has shown Scrooge this Christmas at the Cratchit family's home.  Scrooge has begun to soften, especially having seen Tiny Tim and becoming aware of the young boy's illness.  Earlier in the story, however, Scrooge had told some men collecting money to help the poor that if the poor would rather die than go to the poorhouse or the workhouse, then they should just go ahead and die. 

Now, the spirit throws these words back in Scrooge's face to admonish him for his callousness and selfishness, and he utters the line you've cited in your question.  It's a rhetorical question that the spirit asks Scrooge; of course it is not up to Scrooge who lives and who dies.  He has no right to decide who's life is worth living or who's life is of greater or lesser value than another's.  The spirit attempts to put Scrooge in his place by reminding him that he isn't God.

Winston describes Emmanuel Goldstein's treatment as "..... an attack so exaggerated and perverse that a child should have been able to see through...

Winston observes the treatment of Emmanuel Goldstein during the Two Minutes Hate, a program in support of the Party that appears on the omnipresent television screens. The "attack" referenced in the quote is the tirade delivered by a facsimile of Goldstein on the screens against the Party and its values, and in favor of personal liberty. Winston characterizes the speech as "exaggerated and perverse" because Goldstein's style of speech sounds like a parody of Party representatives, due to its "rapid polysyllabic" nature and excessive use of Newspeak. The nature of the attack is also absurd because in less than thirty seconds the image of Goldstein rapidly states every opinion banned by the party; he denounces the Party, Big Brother, and the war with Eurasia, while promoting the old Revolutionary values and a wide variety of freedoms. Other "exaggerated and perverse" features of the speech include Goldstein sobbing in hysterics and the image of endless Eurasian soldiers marching behind him. Winston finds the speech absurd and unconvincing because of Goldstein's characterization, Party-like speech patterns, and the background of Eurasian soldiers, but concedes that one less "level-headed" than him might be fooled into genuinely believing (and experiencing rage at) the video.

What is the dramatic irony in Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace"?

In Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace," the dramatic irony—if, in fact, it is dramatic irony—rests in Mathilde's desire to have more than she does, and the lengths to which she is willing to go to achieve what she wants.

Dramatic irony...

...(the most important type for literature) involves a situation in a narrative in which the reader knows something about present or future circumstances that the character does not know. 

Mathilde Loisel is of the lower-middle class. She has the appeal of a young woman who would have done very well for herself had she been born to the upper-class.

The girl was one of those pretty and charming young creatures who sometimes are born, as if by a slip of fate, into a family of clerks. 

And...

…she was unhappy as if she had really fallen from a higher station.

It does not occur to Mathilde that she should be satisfied with her life. Her husband works hard to provide for her and make her happy. He does not complain. For example, when he sits down to dinner, he is delighted with what has been prepared. She can only notice that the tablecloth on which their dinner rests has been used three days in a row.

Mathilde does not have all that she believes she should have. Her husband is very patient and kind. However, no matter what he does, it is not enough for Mathilde. She is forever unhappy—critical and unrealistic—and always grasping for more.

One evening her husband comes home from work with an invitation to a ball being given by the company for which he works. He tells her it was difficult to get the invitation; he expects her to be beside herself with joy. Rather than responding with pleasure, she starts to cry, noting that she has nothing to wear. Her husband offers up money he had saved, so she can buy a dress, even though he had hoped to buy something for himself.

As the day approaches, Mathilde is still not pleased. Now she complains that she has no jewelry. Her husband suggests that she could adorn herself with flowers that are in bloom. Mathilde is not interested in flowers: she must have jewelry so she does not (as she sees it) look like a pauper among the rich.

Mathilde's husband suggests she borrow jewelry from her friend:

Go look up your friend, Madame Forestier, and ask her to lend you some jewels.

Mathilde is delighted with the suggestion. Upon visiting, she asks if she might borrow something for the ball. Her friend is glad to help. She offers up her jewelry box, but Mathilde is not satisfied.

She kept asking:

         "Haven't you any more?"

Finally Mathilde sees a black velvet box containing a diamond necklace; she asks to borrow that piece. Madame Forestier agrees and Mathilde takes it home.

The reader is aware by now that Mathilde will be going to the ball pretending to be something she is not. She has a lovely dress and a beautiful necklace. Only these things bring her joy. She does not appreciate her husband's work and enduring patience. She does not consider herself blessed to have a home and the opportunity to be well-provided for—even having a servant and being able to attend the theater. She is shallow and ungrateful.

They go to the ball and she has a lovely time. When they return home, she is sad that the evening is over. Upon preparing to remove her dress, she notices that the necklace is gone. They search everywhere. Her husband tries to find the carriage they took home, and even visits the police station. They will need almost forty thousand francs to replace it. Monsieur Loisel has some money that his father left him: the rest he will need to borrow.

And so the money is borrowed. They have to release their servant and move to a very small apartment. Monsieur Loisel takes on extra work and Mathilde does all the housework—even the heavy duties—herself. All this happens because she was not satisfied with what she had. Her husband ages more quickly than his actual years. Even Mathilde begins to look "strong, hard and rough." They continue living so for ten years. During this time Mathilde wonders:

What would have happened if she had not lost that necklace? Who knows? Who knows? How strange and changeful is life! How small a thing is needed to make or ruin us!

When the debt is finally paid, Mathilde and her husband take a walk one Sunday and run into her friend Madame Forestier, still young and beautiful. She does not recognize Mathilde at first because Mathilde is now so hard-looking. Mathilde explains what had happened with the necklace and how they had paid back all the money for the jewels.

And she smiled with a joy that was at once proud and ingenuous.

Madame Forestier is amazed, and it is in her comment that we see the depth of the story's irony:

Oh, my poor Mathilde! Why, my necklace was paste! It was worth at most only five hundred francs!

If there is dramatic irony in the story, it is that Madame Loisel pretends to be what she is not. In this way, the reading audience is aware that Mathilde is doing nothing more than playing dress up. It is also ironic (though it is not dramatically ironic) that the necklace is also not what it seems to be. Both Mathilde and the jewels appear to be beautiful and of great worth. Mathilde is poor and the necklace is worthless—made of paste. As with Mathilde on that most special evening, appearances were deceiving. The reader is aware that Mathilde was not who she purported to be. She was a woman of a class lower than the one to which she wishes she had been born.

There is also situational irony:

Situational irony...is a trope in which accidental events occur that seem oddly appropriate, such as the poetic justice of a pickpocket getting his own pocket picked. However, both the victim and the audience are simultaneously aware of the situation in situational irony--which is not the case in dramatic irony. 

Because of Mathilde's endless desire to be rich, her actions cause her and her husband to lose all they have. In an example of true "poetic justice," the imagined poverty Mathilde believes she lives in at the start of the story becomes a reality when the necklace is lost. Had Mathilde been satisfied with her circumstances (as she wondered to herself), how differently life might have turned out to be.

How did the Constitution create a stronger unity between the citizens and the states?

The Constitution helped to create a sense of unity between the citizens and the state governments. Because the Constitution gave certain powers to the states, the people believed they were able to help shape state policies. The people were able to elect representatives to the state government. These representatives made the laws in each state. Since the people elected them, the representatives needed to listen to the wishes of the citizens. Also, by granting the states certain powers, they were able to control, to some degree, what the federal government was doing.

Additionally, the people were able to elect representatives to the House of Representatives. These elected officials also had to listen to the people they represented. This furthered the idea that the power remained in the hands of the people and reflected the idea that government is based on the consent of the governed.

People in each state felt a closer connection to the government than they had when the British ruled them. The colonists believed the British Parliament and King didn’t listen to or represent them. This changed with the adoption of the Constitution and created a stronger sense of unity than had existed in the past. The people believed that the government represented our collective voice, which was an improvement from the days of British rule.

`dy/dx = xsqrt(x-6)` Use integration to find a general solution to the differential equation

The general solution of a differential equation in a form of  `y’ =f(x,y)`  can be 'evaluated using direct integration. The derivative of y denoted as ` y'` can be written as`(dy)/(dx) ` then `y'= f(x,y)` can be expressed as `(dy)/(dx)= f(x,y)` .

 That is form of the given problem:`(dy)/(dx)=xsqrt(x-6)` .

We may apply the variable separable differential in which we follow `N(y) dy = M(x) dx` .

Cross-multiply `dx` to the right side: `dy=xsqrt(x-6)dx` .

Apply direct integration on both sides: `intdy=int xsqrt(x-6)dx` .

For the left side, we apply basic integration property:

 `int (dy)=y`

For the right side, we may apply u-substitution by letting: `u = x-6` or `x = u+6` then `dx = du` .

`intxsqrt(x-6)dx=int (u+6)sqrt(u)du`

                        `=int (u+6)u^(1/2)du`

                         `=int(u^(3/2)+6u^(1/2))du`

Apply the basic integration property: `int (u+v) dx= int (u) dx + int (v) dx` .

`int u^(3/2)du+ int 6u^(1/2)du`

Apply the Power Rule for integration : `int x^n= x^(n+1)/(n+1)+C` .

`int u^(3/2)du+ int 6u^(1/2)du=u^((3/2+1))/(3/2+1)+ 6u^((1/2+1))/(1/2+1)+C`

`=u^(5/2)/((5/2))+ 6u^(3/2)/((3/2))+C`

`=u^(5/2)*(2/5)+ 6u^(3/2)*(2/3)+C`

`=(2u^(5/2))/5+ 4u^(3/2)+C`

Plug-in `u = x-6` , we get:

`intxsqrt(x-6)dx=(2(x-6)^(5/2))/5+ 4(x-6)^(3/2)+C`

Combining the results, we get the general solution for the differential equation: 

`y=(2(x-6)^(5/2))/5+ 4(x-6)^(3/2)+C`

In Arms and the Man, what advice does Catherine give to Raina at the beginning of the first act and why?

In the first act, Catherine advises Raina in two areas.

The play actually begins with Catherine imploring Raina to go back to bed before she catches her cold. Later, Catherine advises Raina to stay in bed after the maid, Louka, announces that Serbian fugitives are on the loose. To make sure that Raina is safe, Catherine orders Louka to close the shutters in Raina's bedroom.

Catherine also advises Raina to treat her fiance, Sergius, with a greater measure of respect when she sees him. She scolds Raina for making Sergius wait a year before she would consent to be betrothed to him. In Catherine's mind, Sergius deserves better from Raina because he has just proven himself in battle. Apparently, Sergius is 'the hero of the hour.'

In supposed defiance of his Russian commanders, Sergius has led a charge against the Serbians and scattered the enemy. When Raina hears of Sergius' exploits, she becomes starry-eyed and implores her mother not to tell Sergius about her previous doubts of his military prowess. Catherine, for her part, advises Raina to never doubt the courage or the fortitude of their Bulgarian forces. She tells them that, although the Serbians have Austrian officers, the Bulgarians have managed to defeat them in every battle.

How is Duncan's rule over his people different from Macbeth's?

Duncan's rule over his people is quite different from Macbeth's because the two use vastly different methods of motivating people. Duncan seems to use positive reinforcement; for example, he rewards Macbeth for his great service to Scotland during the battles with which the play begins by giving him a new title. Duncan rewards people for their loyalty and friendship to the crown. Macbeth, on the other hand, tends to use negative reinforcement. He does not trust his countrymen and subjects, and actually employs a spy in all the nobles' homes. Further, when they behave in ways that he does not like, he punishes them, but does not reward them for their loyalty to him. Duncan rules with kindness; Macbeth, with fear. Duncan gives to Scotland; Macbeth takes all he can from it.

Define "bread line." During what time period were these common in America?

Bread lines were lines on which people waited to receive free bread, usually given out by a church or other religious institution or a charity. Bread lines and soup kitchens were common during the Great Depression, which started with the stock market crash of 1929 and lasted until about 1939. By 1933, one quarter of Americans were unemployed, and the federal government had not yet stepped in, as it would under Franklin D. Roosevelt starting in that year, to help provide jobs and money to Americans. People were largely reliant on private charities to dispense free food, such as on bread lines or in soup kitchens. Asking for public charity was a new experience for most Americans at that time, and one that many people found deeply shaming, though it was necessary. Many wanted jobs but could not find any. 

How does Achebe vividly convey Obi's changing feelings towards Nigeria in No Longer at Ease?

The answer to your question has to do with Achebe's ability to use both direct and indirect characterization. Achebe uses these methods of characterization to highlight the character of Obi and how he changes throughout the course of No Longer at Ease. Achebe sometimes directly tells us about Obi’s changing feelings about Nigeria (which is part of direct characterization). Other times, Obi speaks and acts accordingly (which is part of indirect characterization). With direct characterization, we are told about the personality of the character. With indirect characterization, we are shown the personality of the character.

Obi is enamored with Nigeria at the beginning of the novel. Achebe uses both indirect and direct characterization to show this to the reader. Obi is happy to be in London studying to better his life and his education; however, he misses his homeland. The narrator directly tells us about Obi’s feelings:

Four years in England had filled Obi with a longing to be back in Umuofia. This feeling was sometimes so strong that he found himself feeling ashamed of studying English for his degree. He spoke Ibo whenever he had the least opportunity of doing so. Nothing gave him greater pleasure than to find another Ibo-speaking student in a London bus. But when he had to speak in English with a Nigerian student from another tribe he lowered his voice.

Through this direct characterization, the reader can see that Obi "longs" to be back in Nigeria. This example of direct characterization is especially pertinent in that Achebe actually uses the word “feeling” multiple times in regards to Obi. Obi even feels "ashamed" when he considers himself to be studying English instead of Law. Obi is so proud of his idealistic Nigerian ideals that he lowers his voice when speaking English to another Nigerian student. This is an example of direct characterization. Achebe tells us of Obi’s exact feelings here. Achebe describes all of this to the reader instead of using Obi's own words. However, there are some examples of indirect characterization when Obi recites his own poetry about Nigeria. These poems reveal Obi’s idealism about Nigeria through Obi’s own word choice. In these poems, Obi focuses on Nigeria's natural beauty and the honorable values among its people. At this point in the book, Obi truly wants to believe that the corruption among the learned in Nigeria can be overcome.

By the end of No Longer at Ease, Obi has lost his idealism completely. Obi has gone back to Nigeria and become one of those corrupt academics by accepting bribes. Obi has set aside his idealistic poetry and has just tried to "get by." Obi tries to convince himself that his financial situation excuses the "necessary" practice of accepting bribes. At one point, Obi tells the reader about his disillusionment and lack of idealism that he once had:

The impatient idealist says: "Give me a place to stand and I shall move the earth." But such a place does not exist. We all have to stand on the earth itself and go with her at her pace.

Obi, in fact, is only an idealist at the beginning of the novel. His poetry and his actions at university prove this. However, here we are shown Obi’s feelings only through his own words instead of being told directly that Obi has lost his idealism. However, with the help of Obi’s own words and indirect characterization, he tells us that this idealistic "place" actually "does not exist." Obi has given up and become a passive character who accepts the corruption as it comes. The rationalization here is that Obi attempts to "stand on the earth" by going "with her at her pace." In this case, the earth's "pace" now requires Nigerian academics to participate in the corrupt practice of bribery.

Is the overall tone in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream humor or irony?

Tone is a somewhat subjective topic when referring to plays. Certainly tone can be found in language, but theatrical texts also derive a great deal of tone from the specific elements of production. A theatrical production is usually mounted under the supervision of one person's vision (the director or an artistic director), and that person's artistic interpretation of the text can go a long way toward influencing the tone of the production.

With this particular play, one of Shakespeare's most well-loved comedies, the tone can be very light-hearted, or very dark, or somewhere in between. I have seen two productions of it, one in the United States (at the Hartford Stage Company), and one at Stratford in England, and the overall tone of both productions was markedly different.

The Stratford production certainly played up the laughs; the fairies had fake prosthetic ears and were all dressed in ill-fitting public school uniforms; they acted like bratty adolescents. The production design was very eclectic, taking design cues from several eras, including the 1930s and the Edwardian era. The lovers all dressed in comfortable Edwardian style summer clothes and Doc Marten boots. Puck was portrayed as a sort of wise-cracking Big Man on Campus that the other fairies admired. These eclectic elements gave the production a very fresh and humorous tone.

But the Hartford production, done with contemporary costumes and settings, often had a melancholy tone; the music chosen for the scene where the lovers are charmed with fairy dust was "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel, and it was used again when the lovers are reunited, which lent a very romantic air to the production. The melancholy felt by Titania and Oberon at the beginning (as Titania stared into a huge cracked mirror wearing a wedding gown) was echoed at the end when the lovers switch partners while dancing; there is hint of the confusion and love spells that took place earlier. Audiences can interpret this as a commentary on love and marriage in general, as if we might as well all be under the manipulative magic of fairies. This could be said to be an ironic interpretation.

In The Chrysalids, what were the two books left to form a society? What kind of society have they created?

In The Chrysalids, there are two books owned by David's grandfather, Elias, to form the basis of this dystopian society. The first is the Bible, and the second is called Repentances, authored by Nicholson. The former, of course, exists, but my research shows no real book entitled Repentances, which seems to be a book invented by Wyndham for the purposes of his tale. The Bible is used for the proposition that man was created in God's image; thus anything or anyone who was somehow deviant must be ungodly and banished or killed. The Repentances contains a series of "commandments." These are displayed prominently in the Strorm household and include "KEEP PURE THE STOCK OF THE LORD" (18) and "WATCH THOU FOR THE MUTANT" (18). These commandments and a selective reading of the Bible create a society, which, in the aftermath of what appears to have been some sort of nuclear war or accident, is obsessed with rooting out any possible mutation or difference in animals, plants, or people, no matter how unimportant the difference is. David, for example, is concerned even about being left-handed, and when he comes to understand that he is able to communicate with others with his mind, he realizes that this is a mutation of even greater concern, one that finally forces him to flee from his community.

Why is the work a scalar quantity?

A scalar quantity is a quantity that can be measured by one number. This is in contrast to a vector quantity, that has to be represented by two, or more, numbers. For example, velocity is a vector quantity because it indicates how fast an object is moving, and in what direction.

Force is also a vector quantity, because it represents the strength of the push or pull, and also the direction of that push or pull. Work, however, is a quantity that indicates the result of the force's action: it combines the force with displacement that occurred in the direction of that force. Mathematically, it is expressed as follows:

`W=vecF*Deltavecx`

This is called a scalar product of the two vectors: the force vector and the displacement vector. It is a scalar because the result of it is just one number, calculated as follows:

`W =|vecF||Deltavecx|*cos(theta).`

So, work is the product of the magnitudes of the force and the displacement, and the cosine of the angle between them (`theta` ).

Work can also be thought of as a change in the kinetic energy of and object. The kinetic energy is

`K = 1/2mv^2` , where m is the mass and v is the speed of the object. Since mass and speed are scalar quantities (speed is a magnitude of velocity, and this a scalar), kinetic energy is also a scalar quantity, so the work, which equals the change in kinetic energy, is also a scalar quantity.

How does Shakespeare present the relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the first two acts of Macbeth?

In the first two acts of the play, Shakespeare largely presents that Macbeths as equals within their relationship, companions who are very well matched and suited to one another.  When Macbeth writes a letter home to his wife, he calls her his "dearest partner of greatness" and says that he's written to her so that she "might'st not lose the dues of rejoicing by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee" (1.5.11, 12-13).  Thus, he considers her to be his partner, his equal, something that would be fairly unusual during the era in which the play is set (the first half of the 11th century) or the era in which Shakespeare is writing (the first half of the 17th century).  Further, he cares a great deal about her feelings and her happiness, and he wouldn't want to deprive her of any reason to feel glad, as he's sure she will when she's learned of his new title and the Weird Sisters' prophecies.

Even after Macbeth has murdered Duncan, the Macbeths seem to complement one another.  When he panics, she remains calm.  When he is too afraid to return the daggers to the room, she is willing.  When he feels his conscience is too laden, now, with guilt, she assures him that "A little water clears [them] of this deed" (2.2.86).  Then, when Duncan's death is discovered, and Macbeth breaks from the plan and kills the chamberlains that he and Lady Macbeth were attempting to frame, others begin to look somewhat suspiciously upon Macbeth, questioning his actions.  Lady Macbeth distracts them by pretending to swoon, crying, "Help me hence, ho!" so that attention will be drawn away from him and on to her (2.3.138).  In all, the couple seems to work well together because they have a genuine care for one another and are relative equals within their relationship.

In Romeo and Juliet, where are some key examples that prove the two are in love, or, on the other side, examples that prove they only feel lust?

The night that Romeo and Juliet first meet, he comes in secret to the garden beneath her balcony.  If the pair only felt lust for one another, it seems like they would have tried to do more than just talk.  Instead of engaging in some sort of conversation about sex, or Romeo attempting to climb up to Juliet's window, and so forth, Romeo only desires "Th' exchange of [Juliet's] love's faithful vow for [his]" (2.2.127).  Further, if he were only interested in Juliet sexually, it seems unlikely that he would be willing to marry her.  He lusted after Rosaline, but making her an offer of marriage never seems to have crossed his mind.

Moreover, if Romeo and Juliet felt only lust and not love, it doesn't seem likely that they would be willing to die for one another.  If Romeo were only interested in sex, I'm sure there are a number of women in Mantua that he could hook up with, but he loves Juliet, and so he is unwilling to live when he thinks that she is dead.  Further, if Juliet were only interested in sex, if she only felt lust for Romeo, then she wouldn't kill herself upon learning that Romeo has poisoned himself.  Lust doesn't cause people to feel that they cannot live without one another; only love can do that.

Who did Agamemnon leave in charge of Clytemnestra and what did Aegisthus do with this person?

In Book 3, Agamemnon left the family minstrel in charge of his wife, Clytemnestra.

Nestor tells Telemachus that Aegisthus had had his eye on Clytemnestra ever since Agamemnon went away to war. To win over Clytemnestra, Aegisthus constantly plied her with words of love. Eventually Clytemnestra succumbed to his attentions, and the two became lovers.

Meanwhile, Aegisthus lured the minstrel (or bard) to a desert island and abandoned him to birds of prey. With the minstrel dead and out of the way, Aegisthus had complete sway over Clytemnestra. In due time, Aegisthus killed Agamemnon as well. In revenge, Orestes (the son of Agamemnon) killed Aegisthus and his mother, Clytemnestra. Nestor holds up Orestes as a good example for Telemachus to follow, and he advises him not to stay away from his home for too long, especially when his property and all that he holds dear are in jeopardy.

What are some of the problems that women who are on Medicaid have with family planning? Why is it so important to address this issue of economic...

The repeated attempts to defund Planned Parenthood by the Republican party have put in place many de facto barriers to access for family planning for women living in poverty. This is a problem because lack of access to family planning results in increased rates of teen pregnancy and unintended pregnancy. This leads to two negative outcomes. The first is an increase in abortion rates and the second is an increase in unplanned pregnancies, especially among teenagers. Unplanned pregnancies, especially in teens, contribute to a cycle of poverty. Pregnant teens are less likely to complete school and get good jobs. While daycare can help with some of these issues, it is not always available in poor neighborhoods and daycare fees are not always affordable. Even worse, when drug addicts or alcoholics are confronted with unplanned pregnancies, the resulting babies may be affected by fetal alcohol syndrome or other issues interfering with their physical and mental development.

Some barriers to family planning for people on Medicaid are practical and others cultural. On a practical level, clinics that accept Medicaid may not be easily accessible outside work hours and people on Medicaid may lack access to transportation. The GOP on both a state and nation level has tried to limit funding for family planning and defund health care providers who offer family planning services, making such services much less accessible to people living in poverty. Lack of medically sound sex education in public schools in many states means that many people living in poverty, and especially blacks and Hispanics, are unaware of safe and effective forms of birth control or even of medically sound information about how people get pregnant and how to prevent it. 

How old is Erica Crow in The Westing Game?

Crow is fifty-seven years old, but seems much older. 

Crow is Sam Westing’s ex-wife.  She is working as a maid at Sunset Towers, but obviously she also has a Westing connection.  She is often described as very old, when she is really only fifty-seven years old.  Life has been hard for her though. 

Crow’s clothes were black; her skin, dead white. She looked severe. Rigid, in fact. Rigid and righteously severe. (Ch. 3) 

Sandy McSouthers’s entry on Crow is telling.  It tells the tale of a lonely woman and an unhappy life.  Crow married young, but when her daughter died that was the end of the marriage.  Sandy uses Westing’s other alias in the entry. 

BERTHE ERICA CROW. Age: 57. Mother died at childbirth, raised by father (deceased). Education: 1 year of high school. Married at 16, divorced at 40. Exhusbands name: Windy Windkloppel. (Ch. 19) 

Poor Crow.  The record includes “chronic alcoholism” and arrests for vagrancy.  The eccentric maid of Sunset Towers seems to have quite a past.  She has been prematurely aged by alcohol and sadness.  She seems to relate to Angela well, seeing her daughter in the girl who is about to get married.  Like Crow, Angela is misunderstood and underestimated.

While Crow's odd behavior and checkered past seem to make her a prime suspect, she is really just a grieving mother.  She did not kill Sam Westing, of course, since he is not dead.  Yet despite what she knows and has been through, she pretty much keeps to herself and bumbles around throughout the game.

Discuss the positive and negative impact of acid rain on humans and the environment.

Why acid rain is harmful to humans and the environment.

1) Acid rain can contribute to respiratory diseases and exacerbate existing medical conditions. For example, the nitrogen oxide in acid rain leads to the creation of ground-level ozone, which in turn can contribute to respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and bronchitis.

2) Acid rain can increase levels of aluminum in the soil, which prevents trees from taking up adequate water. What is even more troubling is that the higher levels of aluminum can eventually end up in streams and rivers. This in turn can prove fatal to aquatic as well as forest wild-life.

3) Acid rain has contributed to lower pH levels in streams and rivers across the United States, especially in the Northeast region. Most bodies of water have pH levels of about 6.5. Lower pH levels mean that the water is more acidic rather than alkaline. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that pH levels of water be between 6.5 to 8.5 for drinking purposes. Bodies of water with lower pH levels may have higher iron and sulfur deposits, which in turn can prove harmful to the health of wildlife and humans. Sensitive species of wildlife may experience higher than normal mortality rates if the pH levels of water move away from the optimum range.

The advantages of acid rain.

It has recently come to the attention of the science community that acid rain may have a positive impact on humans and the environment.

As a rule, carbon dioxide and methane contribute significantly to what is considered global warming. However, the sulfur dioxide in acid rain suppresses some portion of methane production in the atmosphere. Methane results from bacteria breaking down organic compounds, and the sulfur in acid rain appears to suppress up to 30 or 40% of methane production in wetlands areas. For example, tests by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center show that the sulfur in acid rain will continue to suppress methane production until at least 2030.

Other studies have shown that a rise in temperature, along with greater concentrations of nitrogen in the atmosphere, can contribute to higher growth in forests. For example, the nitrogen in acid rain allows the trees to store more carbon. This process is called carbon sequestration and is quite beneficial: higher carbon reserves allow a tree to produce the optimum level of sugars and carbohydrates necessary for growth. The National Institute for Climatic Change Research's Midwestern Regional Center has performed studies concluding that acid rain can contribute to forest growth.

For more, please refer to the links below.

What specific moment is the climax of "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty?

The climax is the highest point of interest in the plot of a piece of literature. In Liam O'Flaherty's "The Sniper," the plot revolves around the actions of a Republican sniper on a Dublin rooftop during the Irish Civil War. After revealing himself to the enemy by killing an old woman and armored car commander in the street below, the sniper is confronted with an enemy sniper who is out to kill him. The climax of the story comes when the Republican sniper kills his opponent after tricking him by pretending to be dead and dropping his rifle into the street. When his adversary comes into the open, the Republican sniper shoots him with his pistol. Everything after this point in the story must be considered the falling action and resolution, in which the sniper discovers the man he killed was his brother.

What are examples of personification in "There Will Come Soft Rains" and how does that personification affect the story?

Bradbury makes frequent use of personification, attributing personal or human-like traits to a number of inanimate objects in the story.

In some cases, Bradbury describes inanimate objects as if they possess body parts, and he characterizes their physical actions and reactions in human terms. We can see this when the house is burning:

"The house shuddered, oak bone on bone, its bared skeleton cringing from the heat, its wire, its nerves revealed as if a surgeon had torn the skin off to let the red veins and capillaries quiver in the scalded air."

In other cases, Bradbury attributes mental and emotional states to objects, as in this description:

"…it had shut up its windows and drawn shades in an old-maidenly preoccupation with self-protection which bordered on a mechanical paranoia."

How does personification affect the story?

A good way to approach this question is to ask how different the story would feel if Bradbury had portrayed his inanimate objects without making any reference to human traits.

Clearly, personification invites us to feel a certain empathy for these objects. It's one reason why this story evokes an emotional response in the reader.

But these elements of personification do more than lend immediate emotional color to an action. Psychologists argue that when we attribute human characteristics to an object, we are encouraging the mind to tap into our broader understanding of how human beings think, feel, and behave.

If the house is merely an automated house, then its behavior is simply a series of mechanical operations, and the story is just a tale of a machine left running because nobody turned it off. But if we think of the house as a person, then it has a psychology, and its behavior can be perceived in many other ways  --  as confused, irrational, or uncomprehending in the wake of abandonment. It keeps making meals that nobody eats; it reads poems that nobody hears. What kinds of human situations does this evoke? How do the events of the story relate to things we have experienced or witnessed?

So Bradbury's use of personification doesn't just make us respond to the immediate meaning of his metaphors ("the fire was clever"). It also leads us to go beyond the words he uses, and associate his objects with a wider range of thoughts, motives, and feelings.

What is a good thesis statement about compensation for college athletes?

Your thesis statement is going to depend on the nature of your assignment and most likely on your opinion on this issue.  If you are meant to write an informative essay, your thesis statement will let the reader know that, while if you are expected to write an argumentative or persuasive essay, your thesis statement is going to let the reader know what your argument is. 

For any essay, an thesis statement has to purposes, to let the reader know your main idea and to let the reader know what points you are going to develop to support that idea.  So, for example, if I were writing an informational essay on amnesty for immigrants in the United States, I could have this as my thesis statement:

Amnesty for unlawful immigrants is a controversial issue in the United States, and it is important to remember that those for and against amnesty have some compelling arguments to make. 

This allows the reader to see that my essay is simply presenting both points of view.  If your essay is informational, this could be a model for you.

However, if you are meant to make an argument, your thesis statement must state what that argument is.  If you think that college athletes should be compensated beyond what they receive right now, you need to say that. If you think that they should not be, you need to say that, too.  You must take a stand in your thesis statement. 

You must also explain how you support your position.  For example, if I were writing a persuasive essay on the issue of amnesty for immigrants, this is how I might write a thesis statement :

Amnesty for unlawful immigrants should be allowed because the United States needs their labor, their good ideas, and their taxes. 

I have stated my position and listed three reasons that I will use to support that position. 

What is your position on this matter? Once you decide that, think about how you are going to support your position. Put these together, and you will have a good thesis statement!

What quote shows that Macbeth is finally convinced to kill Duncan?

It takes Lady Macbeth to convince her wavering husband to go ahead with the murder. Here are the lines at the end of Act I where Macbeth commits to the act:

I am settled, and bend up/Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.

Macbeth is saying I am convinced ("settled") and will throw every part of my body ("each corporal agent") into this murder ("terrible feat"). 

Up until this moment, Macbeth has been back pedaling. While alone, waiting for Lady Macbeth, he offers himself many reasons not to murder Duncan. These include the idea that violence begets more violence, that it is doubly wrong to murder someone to whom you are offering hospitality, that Duncan has been a good and compassionate ruler, and that ambition, his only motivation for the act, can backfire and lead to trouble. 

When Lady Macbeth enters, Macbeth tells her, "We will proceed no further with this business" and gives as his reason wanting to bask in the glow of becoming the Thane of Cawdor. Lady Macbeth tells him she would go so far as to dash her baby's brains out if she had said she would and that he has to go ahead with the murder as he promised. She also reassures him twice that they can't fail. At this point, he decides to go ahead and murder Duncan, clearly against his better judgment. 

What is Howard Zinn's problem with the way historians have reported history in the past?

Howard Zinn wrote an important account of America's past with A People's History of the United States.  He felt compelled to write the book because he believed that history was being taught incorrectly.  Zinn felt that history was being presented from the perspective of the oppressor.  He presents this idea in the first chapter of his book and uses the story of Christopher Columbus as his first evidence.  Zinn believes that the story of history should be presented through the eyes of the oppressed. Zinn felt that presenting Columbus as a heroic explorer and conqueror was a grave injustice to the populations of indigenous people that he exploited and wiped out. Zinn feels that historians deliberately mention the negative aspects of oppressors in passing and focus on the great deeds.  

What characters best exemplify courage, and what point does Harper Lee want to make about courage through her use of these characters in To Kill a...

Using Atticus Finch's definition of courage-- 

"It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what"--

Mrs. Dubose, of whom Atticus speaks in this quote, is courageous, and, of course, Atticus is also courageous, as well as Boo Radley.

• Mrs. Dubose

Jem is assigned to read to Mrs. Dubose after he angrily destroys her camellias because she has insulted his father by saying,

"Your father's no better than the n****rs and trash he works for."

During these visits, Mrs. Dubose lies in a semi-conscious state as Jem reads. But sometimes she utters "blood-curdling inventions." It is not until after her death that Jem learns that Mrs. Dubose has been a morphine addict; however, before she passed away, she bravely decided to die aware of the world in her last moments by withdrawing from this powerful drug. Atticus tells Jem,

"According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew."

• Atticus Finch

Knowing that it will certainly be surprising if Tom Robinson is declared innocent of the charges brought against him by Bob and Mayella Ewell, Atticus takes the case and becomes the attorney for the defense in Tom's trial. Atticus is brave because he also knows he is "licked" before he begins, but he begins anyway and "sees it through no matter what."

Atticus takes this brave move as he feels he must. He explains to his daughter Scout that Tom Robinson's case goes to "the essence of a man's conscience." Further, he allows others their opinions, but he says that he must live with himself. For, "[T]he one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."
And, so, he tells his children to be prepared for vituperation, but not to lash back. Atticus bravely protects Tom at the jailhouse and endures the insults and affronts by many in community before and after the trial. 

• Boo Radley

When the reclusive Boo hears the frightened cry of Jem as he is attacked by Bob Ewell, Arthur Radley bravely rushes out of the house which he hardly ever leaves. He rushes Ewell and saves the lives of Jem and Scout by wrestling Bob's knife from him. Without question, he risks his life to save the Finch children.

(a) How is Bruce, Alceé's manservant, important and what information does Alceé give him that he provides to Clarisse? b) What is the...

In Chopin's short story "At the 'Cadian Ball," Bruce, the manservant of the Laballières, tells Mademoiselle Clarisse that Alceé Laballière has gone to the Cajun (Acadian) ball. He explains that because of the destruction of his rice fields by the storm, as well as the rejection by Mademoiselle Clarisse, Monsieur Laballière said he needs to have a "lit'le fling" in order to forget his misery. Later at the ball, the appearance of Clarisse dramatically changes the lives of the characters. Although Alceé whispers into the ear of the seductive Calixta in his desire and she is responsive, when Clarisse appears, claiming that he must come home because something of "serious import" has happened, Alceé leaves with her, and she tells him that she loves him. After hearing this, Calixta is "like a myth now" to Alceé. Afterwards at the ball, Calixta agrees to marry Bobinôt.

(a) When Mlle. Clarisse goes to the moonlight window to say her evening prayers, she notices that Bruce, their "negro servant," stands holding her cousin's horse. Then, she witnesses Alceé come out with two full saddlebags, quickly mount his horse, and depart. In haste, she opens her door and demands of Bruce to know why he has been outside waiting with Alceé's horse saddled, and why her cousin has two saddlebags filled. The servant is hesitant about revealing anything. But, Mlle. Clarisse insists, so Bruce explains that Monsieur Labellière is distraught over losing the rice crop to the terrible storm: "He 'low he come back in couple weeks o' so." Bruce adds that M. Labellière has said, 

"But w'en God A'mighty an a 'oman jines fo'ces agin me, dat's one too many fur me." [When God and a woman join forces against me, that's too much for me.]

This statement alludes to the rejection of Alceé by Clarisse a day or two before the cyclone has struck. At that time he came in directly from the rice field and "panted a volley of hot, blistering love-words in her face," but she refused his advances. So, from the information that Bruce gives her, Mlle. Clarisse realizes that Alceé feels that he needs to run away from his responsibilities and possibly his personal attachments, as well.

(b) Worried that she will lose Alceé to the seductive atmosphere of the 'Cadian ball, Clarisse has her own horse saddled and arrives there; first, she has a servant address Alceé, but he pays no heed to what this man says. Then, Clarisse draws near in the dark as Alceé and Calixta sit together speaking in low and soft tones, "as lovers do." She calls his name.

It was not the negro's voice this time; but one that went through Alceé's body like an electric shock, bringing him to his feet.

Clarisse stands there, dressed in her riding-habit, and for an instant Alceé feels confused, as though waking from a dream. He senses that something "of serious import" has brought Clarisse to this ball in the middle of the night. Therefore, he asks her what her sudden appearance means. She tells him that something has happened at home and he must come at once. Immediately, he becomes anxious about his mother, but she assures him that "nénaine is well, and asleep." Again, she insists that he come with her, and recognizing Calixta, Clarisse politely greets her.

Alceé follows Clarisse without even glancing back at Calixta. But, when Clarisse whispers to him, he turns to say "Good-night, Calixta," and offer his hand; however, Calixta pretends not to see it. 
Later, Bobinôt finds Calixta alone, and to his delight, Calixta alludes to his many proposals for marriage, and now agrees to marry him: "Well, if you want, yet, I don' care, me." Clearly, she finally accepts Bobinôt because of Alceé's rejection.
Then, as Alceé and Clarisse ride homeward, her saddle girth loosens, so she must stop and have it tightened. As Alceé readjusts it for her, he asks Clarisse what is wrong:

"Is it misfortune?"
"Ah, Dieu sait! [God knows!] It's only something that happen' to me."

Clarisse reveals that when she saw him ride off the previous night, she realized that if he did not return, "I couldn't stan' it,--again." She states that she loves Alceé, and when she declares her love, Alceé "thought the face of the Universe was changed," just as the world has changed for Bobinôt.

What does Faber tell Montag about books in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury?

When Montag visits Faber at his apartment, he expresses his newfound belief that books might be the answer to his (and society's) miserable state. When Montag says this, Faber is quick to point out something important about books:

It's not books you need, it's some of the things that once were in books.

In other words, the book, as a physical object, is not important; a book is nothing more than paper and ink. It is the words written on the paper which really matter. These "pores of life," as Faber calls them, encourage the reader to think and question the world.

Moreover, for books to achieve their potential, people must have enough "leisure" time to digest their message. They must also have the intellectual and social freedom to "carry out actions" based on what they have learned from reading.

For Faber, then, it is not the books which are important but rather the ability to read and absorb the information without interference from the rest of society.

The phantom disappeared into Scrooge's bedpost. Has Scrooge in A Christmas Carol really traveled with the ghosts?

We actually cannot know with certainty whether or not Scrooge really encountered the four ghosts (including the ghost of Jacob Marley, his former business partner) or whether he only dreamed that he did.  He certainly believes that he really did travel from his bedroom into his past, into the streets of London, and into the future. 

Ultimately, does it really matter whether or not Scrooge actually met the ghosts?  I don't think so.  Because he believes that he did, he's been inspired to change the way he lives his life, to treat his employee, Bob Cratchit, more nicely, to foster a relationship with the only family he has left, and to respond to the needs of the poverty-stricken with humanity.  Maybe Scrooge only dreamed that the ghosts visited him, but the point is that he has learned that the most important part of being alive is helping and enjoying other people, and this lesson is valuable regardless.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what signs show that Boo Radley isn't a monster?

There were several times in the novel when Boo Radley showed kindness and acts of friendship toward Scout and Jem.  At first, they viewed their mysterious neighbor with suspicion.  They had heard rumors about Boo being a violent person.  They started discovering gifts in the knothole of an old tree.  They found gum, carved soap figurines, a spelling medal, and other things.  Scout and Jem later came to realize that the gifts being left there were from Boo to them.

One night, Miss Maudie's house caught on fire.  Jem and Scout went outside into the cold evening to see what was going on.  Later, Scout realized that she had been covered in a blanket that did not belong to her. Jem is the one to eventually realize that Boo had covered Scout with the blanket.

Near the end of the book, Mr. Ewell attacked Jem and Scout with a knife while they were walking home one night.  Boo came to their rescue.  Jem was injured in the scuffle.  Scout watched Boo "walking with the staccato steps of someone carrying a load too heavy for him... He was carrying Jem."  When she got home and realized that it was Boo who had saved them, Scout extended her hand to him in friendship.  She realized that Boo was their friend.

In the book Unwind, why is Connor an important character?

Connor is an important character, because he is one of the three main protagonists.  The other two main protagonists are Lev and Risa.  Most of the chapters in the book are focused on one of those three characters, so Connor is important simply because he has a lot of page time.  

In terms of plot, Connor is important because his actions propel the story forward.  He might not see himself as a leader for most of the novel, but he can't help but drive events and force characters to adapt to his actions.  For example, Connor forces Lev to begin evaluating the unwind process and the parental practice of tithing their children.  Connor does this by "kidnapping" Lev.  Connor forces Risa into similar difficult circumstances when he "adopts" the storked baby.  

By the end of the novel, Connor has become the leader of the Unwinds that support the Admiral.  That puts him in direct conflict with Roland, and drives the book toward its ultimate climax.  At the end of the novel, Connor returns to the Graveyard and becomes the new Admiral, which effectively sets up a sequel novel. 

How did Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye help bring mental illness to the public eye? How did it help raise awareness?

The entire novel The Catcher in the Rye is told from the confines of a mental institution. Holden reveals this in the opening paragraphs of this work when he says he wants to tell "you about "this madman stuff that happened to me round last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy." J.D. Salinger's use of second-person point-of-view should be taken in this way: the "you" refers to a psychologist or a psychoanalyst Holden is required to talk to at this place in California.

In all of his writing, Salinger often makes use of psychoanalysis, particularly in his short story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish." But he makes more use of this idea in The Catcher in the Rye than in any of his other works. Holden discusses how he had to see a psychiatrist after he smashed the windows in the garage with his bare hands when his brother died. In addition, Salinger makes it clear that Holden does get something out of his treatment. At the end of the novel, Holden states that he thinks he'll apply himself at school the next school year and then he acknowledges that he sort of miss[es] everybody I told about. Even Stradlater and Ackley, for instance." 

There are other famous characters who have used psychology in their works—Betty in Mad Men and Tony in The Sopranos are two immediate examples—but Holden is probably the most famous literary character to discuss his use of psychology.

Why does Othello become angry at Desdemona in Shakespeare's play Othello? Who are Iago and Cassio?

Othello was angry at Desdemona because he believed that she was cheating on him by having an affair. He had been manipulated into believing a lie. Othello had fallen in love with her when she asked him to repeat, to her only, the dramatic stories of his past that he had been telling her father, Brabantio, on his numerous visits to their house.

Desdemona eavesdropped on Othello's conversations with her father and was enthralled by his tales. She fell in love with his stories and, consequently, with him. Othello was impressed by her deep interest and her empathy and, likewise, fell in love with her, as he states in the following extract from Act 1, Scene 3: 

She loved me for the dangers I had pass'd,
And I loved her that she did pity them.

The two lovers decided to elope since there seemed little chance that Desdemona's father would agree to their marriage, since Othello was a foreigner and much older than her young and beautiful self.

Iago was Othello's ancient in the Venetian army, which meant that he was not much more than a messenger or manservant. Iago sought promotion to be Othello's lieutenant, which meant that he would be the general's second in command. His request was turned down even after three senators had approached Othello and made an appeal on his behalf.  

Othello appointed another person, which infuriated Iago. He was bitter and resentful and used Othello's snub as a reason to seek revenge against him. At the beginning of the play, he told his friend, Roderigo, that he would appear to remain loyal to the general to win his trust just so that he could avenge himself. He told Roderigo in Act 1, Scene 1:

I follow him to serve my turn upon him.

Iago manipulated and mislead Othello to such an extent that he believed his wife was having an affair. Othello's jealousy eventually drove him over the edge and he murdered Desdemona in their bed by smothering her. When he later discovered that he had made a foolish mistake, he took his own life.

Cassio was a young and handsome Florentine soldier who Othello appointed as his lieutenant. Iago was extremely resentful of him since he believed that Cassio had no experience and was more of a mathematician than a soldier, whilst he, Iago, was battle-hardened and experienced. He had been loyal to Othello and had been at his side in many a battle. Furthermore, Cassio was an outsider, which, as far as Iago was concerned, added insult to injury. His hatred for Cassio was so deep that he promised to also take revenge against him.

Cassio was the one Iago told Othello Desdemona was having an affair with. It was easy to convince him because Cassio was good-looking and something of a ladies' man, whilst Othello was practically middle-aged and dark-skinned. Iago played on his insecurities in this regard. Cassio was discharged from duty by the general because of Iago and Roderigo's manipulation, which compromised his position. He was later advised by Iago to seek Desdemona's help in asking Othello for his reinstatement.

Cassio became ensnared in Iago's web of lies and deceit and Othello soon made a pact with Iago to have him killed, too. Fortunately, Iago's attempt to execute him failed. In the end, Cassio was given the deceased Othello's title and Iago was removed and incarcerated to face torture and further sanction. 

Atticus compares the mob to what?

Atticus compared the mob to "a gang of wild animals" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 16).  Scout and Jem expressed their concern about the mob the morning after the group confronted Atticus in front of the jail.  They were concerned that the mob members could have hurt or killed Atticus.  Atticus gently dismissed their fears.  He reminded his children that the mob was made up of friends and neighbors from in and around Maycomb.  He told them that "a mob's always made up of people, no matter what."

Scout had a hard time grasping this concept.  She recalled that Mr. Cunningham had been considered a friend of the Finch family.  Despite this, he had at first behaved in a threatening way with the mob.  Atticus reminded Scout that even though Mr. Cunningham was part of the mob, he was still a human being.

Atticus also reminded his children that they had helped disperse the mob.  Scout had spoken to Mr. Cunningham with friendliness.  Atticus tied this in with his belief that mobs are made up of people:

"So it took an eight-year-old child to bring 'em to their senses, didn't it?" said Atticus.  "That proves something—that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human."

How do the main characters of Macbeth develop?

To answer this question, I'll focus on a few of the main characters: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Macduff, and Banquo. There are certainly other characters that could be included but, for our purposes, I believe these to be the major characters who also show the most development.

Macbeth: initially the Thane of Glamis, Macbeth begins the play as a noble warrior leading the armies of Scotland to victory. However, fueled by his own ambition and his wife's encouragement, Macbeth murders the king of Scotland and becomes a power-hungry tyrant. By the time of his death, Macbeth has become paranoid and half-crazed, and so he is a far cry from his originally virtuous self.

Lady Macbeth: the wife of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth initially shows herself to be a hardened, ambitious, and even ruthless partner to her husband's crimes. However, as the play progresses, the weight of Lady Macbeth's crimes grows heavier, and she becomes distraught and maddened before her death late in the narrative.

Macduff: the Thane of Fife, Macduff is consistently brave. However, once Macbeth kills his family, Macduff becomes more than a courageous warrior. Indeed, by the time he kills Macbeth on the battlefield, Macduff has transformed into a bloodthirsty individual bent on vengeance.

Banquo: the commander who serves alongside Macbeth, Banquo begins the play as Macbeth's devoted friend and companion. However, once he realizes his friend murdered King Duncan, it's clear that Banquo becomes nervous and uneasy in Macbeth's presence. Overall, Banquo comes to regard his former friend as a villain, and it is this change that undoubtedly drives Macbeth to kill him. 

In "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry, what is the irony of describing Madame Sofronie as "large, too white, chilly," of and that she "hardly...

In the story, the irony is that Madame Sofronie does not live up to the possibilities in her name. Due to the foreign character of the name 'Sofronie,' images of elegance or even mystery come to mind when we imagine what the proprietor is like. Perhaps, part of this is due to our presumptions and preconceived notions about names.

When Della meets her, Madame Sofronie is 'large, too white, chilly.' In other words, she is unfriendly, overweight, and definitely very common. She exhibits neither charm nor manners. The pretty Della receives a cold reception from Madame Sofronie. Because Della is also poor, the hair dealer thinks that she can get away with her contemptuous treatment of the young woman. Her very abrupt 'Take yer hat off and let’s have a sight at the look's of it' is both business-like as well as patronizing. Her brusque manner demonstrates her petty attitude and her callous disregard for her customer. Madame Sofronie hardly looks 'the Sofronie' to Della, and she doesn't seem to care.

Her practiced business acumen leads her to announce that she will only give Della twenty dollars for her beautiful brown hair. Della has no choice but to accept the offer. Madame Sofronie is the complete opposite of everything her name implies; therein lies the irony.

Where did the kidnappers take the boy in "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry?

In “The Ransom of Red Chief,” the two kidnappers take the little boy to a cave on a mountain. We are not told much more about the place where they take him.

According to the narrator, this story takes place in Alabama, near to a small town called Summit. The two men, one of whom is narrator (we find out later his name is Sam) and the other of whom is named Bill, pick out the target of their kidnap plot. They then prepare the place where they will take the kidnapped boy. Here is what the narrator tells us about the place:

About two miles from Summit was a little mountain, covered with a dense cedar brake. On the rear elevation of this mountain was a cave. There we stored provisions.

After they store the provisions, they go into town to kidnap the boy. He puts up quite a fight, but they eventually get him into their buggy. At that point, the narrator says,

We took him up to the cave, and I hitched the horse in the cedar brake.

From this, we can see that the two kidnappers take “Red Chief” up to a cave on a small wooded mountain about two miles from the town where the boy lives.

What effect did the Spanish have on the American Indians?

The Spanish had an impact on the American Indians. The Spanish first came into contact with the Native Americans when they arrived in Central and South America as well as the Caribbean area. They enslaved the Native Americans and exploited their lands. They took many minerals from the lands on which the Native Americans lived. Gold and silver were mined and sent to Europe.

Eventually, the Spanish moved into North America, especially into the southwestern and the southeastern parts of the United States. They converted some of the Native Americans to Christianity. However, many of the Native American tribes kept their own religions and religious practices. They also brought diseases with them that led to the deaths of many Native Americans throughout the Americas. In some places, the Spanish also established forts.

Generally, the Spanish interaction with the Native Americans, including the American Indians, was not a positive one.

How does Gretel portray innocence throughout the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

Perhaps, Gretel is more naïve than she is innocent as she lacks judgment and does not deduce what goes on behind the wire fences, the kind of person Lieutenant Kotler is, what transpires between her mother and the lieutenant, and what her father's role is in the German government. 

In Chapter 3, after Bruno's family arrives at "Out-With," Bruno talks to his sister about how unpleasant their new home is, and she agrees. Being three years older, she explains to her younger brother that Out-With is the name of the house in which they now will live. "Out with the people who lived here before us."

"It must have to do with the fact that he [the former commandant] did not do a very good job, and someone said 'out with him and let's get a man in here who can do it right,'" (Ch.3) she tells Bruno.

As they talk, Bruno mentions that the children do not look very good, either. Gretel has no idea what he means, so Bruno invites her to look out his window. When she does, Gretel does not like what she sees. There are wire and sharp spikes all around the fence. While Gretel wonders why anyone would build such "a nasty place," she concludes that it must be the countryside where food is raised somewhere. When Bruno questions her, she tells her brother that she learned in school about the countryside where there is so much land. So, this is where they must be. Then, she "shivers and turns away" and tells her brother that she is going back to her dolls in her room where the view is much nicer.

Further, Gretel enjoys feeling older as Lt. Kotler flirts with her; as a result, she naively believes that he is nice because she lets her emotions rule her. In fact, she does not really assess what a cruel, sadistic young man he is. When Gretel is with Lt. Kotler, she "...laughed hysterically and twirled her hair around her fingers...." (Ch.9)

Gretel's mother talks privately with Lt. Kotler, calling him affectionate terms, but Gretel does not seem to notice, while Bruno catches her.

"Oh, Kurt, precious, you're still here," said Mother....I have a little free time now if--Oh! Bruno! What are you doing here?" (Ch. 15)

Of course, Gretel knows nothing of mother's "afternoon naps" and is also innocent of why Lt. Kotler is transferred. Also, she does not know what lice is when she finds an egg in her hair. Later, when her father finally decides that the children must depart from "Out-With," but it is mainly because Mother wishes to return to Berlin, Gretel is unaware of this, as well.

Why did Montresor feel sick at the end?

Montresor does not experience satisfaction with the perfect crime he has committed. Instead he says:

My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so.

He has called to Fortunato several times without getting a response. He is now all alone in the Stygian catacombs. This is perhaps the first indication that he feels any guilt or pity. He does not appear to want to admit that he feels anything but hatred for his victim and satisfaction for his accomplishment. So he attributes the heart-sickness he feels to the dampness of the catacombs. But the reader might feel that this is nothing more than a rationalization. Montresor has been down in these catacombs for a long while and didn't feel any such sickness before. It seems appropriate that Montresor should say that his heart grew sick, since the reader would be experiencing a similar feeling at this point in the story.

The author, Edgar Allan Poe, has achieved the "single effect" he was aiming for. Now it seems like he wants to end his story as quickly as possible. The "heart-sickness" he attributes to his protagonist enables Poe to "wrap up" his story in a few words. Montresor says:

I hastened to make an end of my labour. 

We might think that Montresor just wants to get away from the ghastly and oppressive scene of his crime. In only three more sentences he finishes the wall-building, plasters the entire wall over with mortar on the outside, and replaces the rampart of bones he had previously torn down. Then in only one more sentence he leaps forward fifty years and informs the reader that his victim's body has never been discovered. Did Montresor's own abhorrence at his crime cause his heart to become sick, and did that sickness motivate him to finish the job as quickly as possible? Or did he truly not feel guilt or remorse? Ultimately, it's up to the reader to decide.

How do you model a linear equation when there's no apparent pattern between x and y? For example x=30, y=134, x=31, y=155, x=33, y=165, x=35,...

Hello!

It is obvious that there is no linear formula exactly connecting these x's and y's, if we consider the slopes between neighbor points:

`(155 - 134)/(31 - 30) = 21,` `(165 - 155)/(33 - 31) = 5,` `(167 - 165)/(35 - 33) = 1.`

For a single line, all these slopes must be the same.

But this isn't the whole story. We may seek such a line `y=ax+b` that would be the closest to all these points. The simplest criteria of such a proximity is the least squares one, which means we try to minimize

`sum_(k=1)^n (y_n-(ax_n+b))^2.`

This problem has the exact unique answer (see for example the link attached). We have to compute the numbers

`p=sum_(k=1)^n x_k^2,`  `q=sum_(k=1)^n x_k,`  `r=sum_(k=1)^n x_k y_k`  and  `s=sum_(k=1)^n y_k.`

In our case  `p=4175,` `q=129,` `r=20115` and `s=621.` Then we solve the linear system for the unknowns a and b,

`pa+qb=r,`  `qa+nb=s`  (here n=4).

I hope you know how to solve such systems, the solution for this is `a=351/59,` `b=-2160/59.`

Why did the Civil Rights Act of 1875 have little impact on conditions in the South?

The Civil Rights Act of 1875 had little impact on the South. This law was designed to allow all people to have equal access to public accommodations. This included access to theaters, restaurants, and public transportation. However, this law had very little impact on the South.

There were a few reasons why this law had so little impact on the South. One reason was that the law was not enforced. Another reason was that it was declared illegal by the Supreme Court in 1883. After Reconstruction ended, the southern states began to pass laws, called the Jim Crow Laws, which allowed segregation to exist. The Supreme Court ruled in the Plessy v Ferguson case in 1896 that segregation was legal as long as the facilities were equal. The South remained legally segregated for many years after this ruling. As a result, the Civil Rights Act of 1875 had little impact on the South.

What is the thesis or main idea of "Democracy in America?"

Democracy in America--first published by Alexis de Tocqueville in 1835--argues that the political transition from monarchy to democracy is inevitable.  Believing this, Tocqueville sought to examine the nature of democracy in the United States, the country which had the most robust and stable democratic government. Tocqueville intended these observations to help future democracies combat threats to liberty.

Tocqueville believed equality was the greatest threat democracies faced. The egalitarianism of democratic governments promotes a like spirit among its citizens and causes them to seek not just legal equality (equality under the law) but also equality of condition (equal wealth, etc.).

Unfortunately, Tocqueville asserted, pursuing equality of condition often leads to a decrease in liberty--the cornerstone of democracy. To achieve equality of condition, one must give the government more power; power, for instance, to take wealth from one person and redistribute it to another. As government power increases, so does the risk for tyranny--the antithesis of democracy.

What is a summary for The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan?

The Dreamer is a fictional biography of the author Pablo Neruda, the poet.  It is about a shy boy (originally named Neftali Reyes) who is born in Chile and who deals with his pessimistic father. Neftali is always dreaming and using his senses to experience poetry all around him; from the time he is very young, this is often through a "mysterious voice" he hears. The children living near Neftali always taunt him for being dreamy. Neftali's father ridicules him as well. Both of these things cause Neftali to doubt himself and his abilities as a poet. Luckily, Neftali's uncle and stepmother encourage him (and teach Neftali about the Mapuche tribe and the rights they deserve). "The voice" Neftali hears leads him into the rain forest, the ocean, and the Chilean rain to give him the sensory experiences he needs to become a great poet. When Neftali becomes a teenager, he finally takes on the name he is famous for: Pablo Neruda.

Why does gravity exist? And how does it work to be good at football?

The question of why gravity exists is not a scientific inquiry, rather it is a religious line of questioning.  Although science can explain the theory of gravity well, it cannot fully explain the entire concept of gravity or its uniqueness in the universe.  Science can basically answer how it works and when it should be expected to occur, but it cannot answer why it exists no more than science can answer why the universe exists.

Gravity is the force of attraction. It is the measurable amount of pull between two objects in the most basic sense. It is theorized that everything with mass has gravitational pull when acting in concert with another object with mass.  This is because the mathematical formula for gravity includes mass as an integral part. The mathematical formula for gravity is:

Fgrav = Gm(1)m(2) / r^2

Using the gravitational constant (G), it is possible to determine the gravitational pull (or force) based upon the mass of two objects. While gravity is understood and widely accepted as a universal force, it does have its own unique properties. For example, the speed of gravity is not fully understood. The theory of relativity suggests a curvature of space-time limiting the speed of gravity to that of light.  However, if operating on theories where such an indent is not accepted, then gravity must travel faster than the speed of light.

Gravity does not help or hurt any part of the game of football (American or European). Gravity is part of the game. However, understanding gravity can help a player improve at any given moment in the game. In additional to understanding gravity, understanding geometry and physics will aide a player. 

Football has a ball with a defined weight parameter to be accepted by the league (supposing it is played professionally). Therefore, the ball will continue to act in the same manner every time unless another parameter changes. Gravity is a constant force on the ball and cannot be changed by the players, therefore limiting the actionable parameters. To best understand let's look at a scenario of kicking the ball. Once the ball is kicked gravity will continue to pull the ball downward. This creates an arc when the force of the kick propelling the ball is overcome by the force of gravity pulling back toward the ground. Even a mediocre player can calculate the landing zone for the kick based on the first half of the arc. The ball will continue on an arcing path downward which will mirror the ascending arc. The only parameter affecting the ball which will greatly affect the landing zone is wind resistance pushing the ball. Mastering the art of arc calculation will help any football player.

Another area where gravity is important is the one-on-one struggle in football. American football has a lot more contact than European football (soccer), but there is still some contact. Because gravity is always working to pull bodies down, people will naturally fall if gravitational pull overcomes our muscular-skeletal ability to hold an upright posture. When two people collide the person who is able to manipulate the other into a position of compromise will win by forcing the other person to fall or slow down to compensate for the gravitational pull on the body.

In The Outsiders, why doesn't Cherry want to see Dally again?

In this novel by S. E. Hinton, two different social groups of adolescents are at odds with one another: The Socs, who come from wealthy families, do well in school and are expected to become productive, influential members of society; and the Greasers, from poorer families, who don't have strong family role models and who tend to be rebellious and do poorly in school. Cherry is with the Greasers, Dally or Dallas is with the Socs. When the two meet there is immediate tension and Dallas flirts with her, while Cherry is rude and insulting. To complicate matters, Dally's younger friend Ponyboy has a crush on Cherry.

In the film version by Francis Ford Coppola, Dally is played by Matt Dillon and Cherry by Diane Lane. In the scene being discussed, Cherry yells at Dally and he mocks being offended, but seems to know that she likes him. After Dally walks off, and Cherry is standing with Ponyboy, she states firmly, "I hope I never see Dallas Winston again!" After a pause she roll her eyes and says more softly, with a frustrated air, "If I do, I'll probably fall in love with him." She walks off, and Ponyboy looks dejected. This dialogue is slightly changed from the book (Cherry says  "I could fall in love with Dallas Winston... I hope I never see him again, or I will.", but even more effective.

Dally and Cherry come from different worlds, but there is a sense of the forbidden in their attraction to one another. Dally is more reckless and exploits this attraction by flirting; Cherry is more hesitant even though it's clear she is interested in him.

2 ways how globalisation affects a normal 14 year old boy?

Well, it very much depends on where said 14-year-old boy lives.

If he lives in China (which, statistically, would be the most likely), globalization might, eventually, provide a source of income. For example, he may get a job at a factory making iPhones and video game consoles (which is better than it sounds, since his other options might have been poverty). If he lives in the US, globalization affects him by giving him the ability to buy said iPhones and video game consoles.

The poorer the country he lives in, the more he depends upon globalization for access to medicine and healthcare; the US and Europe have had vaccines for a long time, but India only recently started getting them and still many places remain highly under-vaccinated.

In general globalization may also allow him to move to another country where his opportunities are better (though in practice immigration is one of the few areas were very strong international barriers---sometimes quite literal walls---remain in place).

In general it is probably beneficial to him, but not always, and often in quite different ways. In First World countries globalization gives us access to a wide variety of products from around the world at low prices; in Third World countries, globalization gives people access to jobs in factories and call centers that may not seem that great to us, but are often much better wages and working conditions than were available otherwise.

Globalization also has a number of cultural impacts, which may be particularly influential on teenagers trying to establish their own identity. An obvious example is anime, which I hear is still popular among teens (it certainly was when I was a teenager---wow, was that really over a decade ago?); anime is really neither American nor Japanese but a synthesis of the two, combining American animation techniques with the Japanese tradition of manga. It is thus a direct product of globalization. Similarly, American mass media is viewed in over a hundred countries thanks to globalization, and thus American books, magazines, films, and TV shows are popular and influential around the world. More recently "Bollywood" films from India have begun to achieve popularity in the US and Europe, making the cultural exchange more of a two-way street---and this would also have been impossible without globalization.