How old is Jonas from the book The Giver?

As The Giver (Lowry) begins, Jonas is eleven years old. We know this because he is looking forward to the Ceremony of Twelve. This ceremony takes place annually, as does the ceremony for all the children at their various ages.  There are no birthdays in the community, just this one day, which is a kind of coming-of-age ceremony for each age. The Ceremony of Twelve is particularly important, though, because it is when the Elders decide the career path for each child. These include everything from being a Fish Hatchery Attendant to being a Birthmother. As Jonas enters his twelfth year, he is chosen as the Receiver, the one to whom the Giver will pass on all the memories of past times and the memories of feelings that are no longer available to those in the community—love, for example, or pain. Once Jonas becomes the Receiver, he is considered twelve years old, and by the end of the book, there does not seem to have been enough time for him to have turned thirteen. There is no subsequent Ceremony in the book, so it seems safe to say he turns twelve in the book and remains twelve until its end.

In "Two Kinds," what are some different characteristics the mother and Jing-mei have?

I think that the major difference between Jing-mei and her mother is the their view of status.  About halfway through the story, Jing-mei decides to be happy with who she is.  She will not be forced into becoming something that she is not.  She's happy how she is.  Jing-mei's mother, on the other hand, wants to force Jing-mei into being a child prodigy of some kind.  Part of her reason for pushing Jing-mei is so that Jing-mei can be can be famous.  That would make Suyuan famous by association.  

"If she had as much talent as she has temper, she'd be famous now."

Suyuan definitely believes that fame, fortune, and status is part of attaining the American Dream.  

My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. . . You could become rich. You could become instantly famous.

I believe that is a key difference between the two characters.  Suyuan feels this need to push herself and her family hard to achieve fame and fortune; however, Jing-mei doesn't see that as a worthwhile goal.  It's not that Jing-mei is lazy.  She simply doesn't feel an overwhelming need to mold herself into something else that might bring her fame and fortune.  Jing-mei believes that her own identity and happiness is ultimately more important than fame and fortune. 

Why are people bad these days?

Some people are bad for the same reasons they've always been bad: greed, jealousy, ignorance, hatred, hopelessness, mental illness, religious/political extremism, desperation, etc.

It isn't the reasons for bad behavior that have changed, it is the social/technological context in which this bad behavior occurs. Some of us (like me) are old enough to remember life without a) cell phone video, b) internet information saturation c) the proliferation of assault weapons, and d) splinter terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda. These are four factors that impact either the rise in high-profile violence or our awareness of that violence.

For example, before everybody had a video camera in their pocket, a police shooting was nothing more than he said/cop said, and everybody assumed the cop was the one telling the truth (which was probably usually true, but not always). But when we see video of such things on the news it has a more powerful impact on our perception of violence in society.

Terrorist groups can use a combination of video and internet distribution to recruit in a way that could not happen twenty years ago. 

The things we are seeing happen have always happened, and they're still happening for the same reasons, but we haven't always been aware of it, or had the ability to actually see it. These factors have probably led to the rise in events like shootings at schools, nightclubs, and gathering places. On the more positive side, it is also worth noting that while violence may be more visible than ever, the actual statistics on crime worldwide show that we are experiencing a global decline in crime.

Cite specific details that describe society in 2081. Infer how society might treat someone who is not average.

In this classic science fiction story, Vonnegut tells us some things directly about the society of 2081 and leaves the reader to infer others. The first detail given is about the equality. "THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way."

The second detail we see is that this society engages in continual monitoring to ensure people are equal. That's where the "unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General" comes in.

The third detail is that this is still technically the United States, and that rule of law still exists. This is indicated in the line "All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution."  This is an example of Vonnegut implying more than he says. If there are that many amendments to the Constitution, it is unlikely the country is still the same.

As for how society treats someone who is not average, we don't have to infer that as the story tells us directly. If you are above average in any way, the handicappers adjust your abilities. For example, they disguise the beautiful and disrupt the thinking of the intelligent.

What quotes from Lord of the Flies relate to the theme and main idea of the story?

A literary work can have many themes, but an obvious theme of Golding's Lord of the Flies is that human beings have a moral darkness inside of them that must be contained or civilization will degenerate into savagery. Golding builds this theme through several sections of the book dealing with "the beast." In chapter 5 during the evening meeting, after Ralph re-establishes the rules about the fire, he opens up discussion to the fears the littluns have about some sort of beast. The older boys try to put their fears to rest, but Piggy lets an idea slip that is met with laughter: "Unless we get frightened of people." After much more discussion, Simon rises to speak and says of the beast, "Maybe it's only us." He, too, is ridiculed. Golding summarizes what is going on in Simon's head: "Simon became inarticulate in his effort to express mankind's essential illness. Inspiration came to him. 'What's the dirtiest thing there is?'" Here Golding brings up the depraved nature of the human heart, and he reinforces the idea when Simon has his vision of the Lord of the Flies in chapter 8. At the very end of the chapter, during Simon's conversation with the personification of evil, the "pig's head on a stick" says to him,

"Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! ... You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?"

This quote captures Golding's point that the things that go wrong in society are not due to any outside environmental factors but are in fact the result of the moral failings of each individual human being.

Why was Spain able to dominate early settlement in the Western Hemisphere?

There were a number of factors that allowed Spain to dominate the New World. With the end of the Reconquista in 1492, the Spanish were a unified nation under a strong Catholic monarchy.  The Spanish, with the voyages of Christopher Columbus, were the first Europeans in this era in the New World which gave them a major advantage.  This leverage was used to benefit the boundaries that would be drawn with Portugal in the New World in the Treaty of Tordesillas.  This treaty granted the rights to most of the important lands in the New World, lands that had not even been explored yet.  With the wealth acquired by the new lands, Spain built a powerful navy to protect its holdings in the New World.  With the introduction of new pathogens in the Americas, the Spanish found it relatively easy to subjugate the populations of indigenous peoples that inhabited the lands that it claimed.

How does Owen use the sonnet form to effectively reflect on the losses of WW1?

Wilfred Owen uses the Italian sonnet form to reflect the losses of World War I by employing the first eight lines (or octave) to address the terrible cost of the loss of young men's lives in war and the last eight lines (or sestet) to address the effects of those losses on the men's homes and loved ones. Typically, with this form, the first eight lines introduce a problem or even a difficult question; then the last six lines resolve the problem or answer the question. One way in which Owen effectively uses this form to demonstrate the awful cost of war, especially this war in comparison with wars that came before, is that, while he introduces a problem in the octave, he does not solve the problem with the sestet. He cannot "solve" the problem of war because there is no solution. One of the messages of the poem, then, is that the loss of life in war can never be solved, can never be fixed. Once people have lost their lives, there is simply no way to redeem or mitigate that loss. Instead of attempting to solve the problem of war, the sestet only presents more problems and losses, compounding those presented by the octave.

How can you relate irony to the setting in "Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket" by Jack Finney?

Jack Finney provides irony in the setting of “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” by using two contrasting, but symbolic, settings. The story begins in the warm, cozy apartment that Tom Bernecke shares with his lovely wife. The apartment is symbolic of all that is good and stable in his life. In fact, Tom opened the window to let some of the warmth out, and that is when his coveted piece of paper blows onto the ledge of the apartment building. The ledge becomes the second distinct setting in the story. The irony of the second setting is that it is the location where Tom faces his death, but ultimately, it is where he learns to live.

Tom leaves the warm security of his apartment to climb onto the ledge eleven stories above Lexington Avenue in New York City. He is successful in retrieving his piece of paper, but as he tries to re-enter the apartment, the window slams shut, locking him out of his comfortable life.

Paralyzed with the fear of death, it became impossible for Tom to walk back.  As seconds pass, Tom yells "Help!" but no one hears.  Out of "utter necessity" Tom forces his feet to move. In slow, sidling steps he inches his way, then stumbles, smashing his right foot into his left ankle; he staggers and almost falls. With his fingers pressed onto the edging of his window and the full weight of his staggering body, the window slams shut.

He is on the outside looking in when he realizes his dreams of material wealth are inhibiting his enjoyment of the good life he already has. Once he makes his way back into the apartment, he immediately races out to find his wife, who went to the movies that evening. As irony would have it, as he opens the door to leave the apartment, the paper once again flies out the window.

What were the accomplishments of the Mayan priests?

In the hierarchy of the Mayan culture, only the king commanded more power and respect from the people than did the priests. Although the noble class often considered themselves to be above the priests, it was the sacred men who taught the sons of the noblemen.They taught math, science, writing, and religion to the sons of Mayan noblemen.

In Mayan culture, there was a belief the priests were able to speak to the gods, which gave them ultimate power over many aspects of daily life. They imparted wisdom, celebrated religious festivals, and dictated when the crops were planted and harvested according to their communication with the gods. Not only were they teachers, they were scholars who studied math, astronomy, and astrology. They had the ability to track the planets and the stars without telescopes. For this reason, they devised and kept scrupulous calendars. 

The Mayan priests were educators and scholars, they were advisers, and they were responsible for communication between the gods and men. This put them in positions of great influence in the Mayan culture.

With the aid of examples, explain how globalization has affected an industry of your choice.

One industry that has been significantly affected by globalization is the automotive industry. Originally, automotive manufacturers were vertically integrated and operated in individual countries or regions, exporting completed products to countries without indigenous car industries or with less sophisticated ones. The contemporary car industry has moved to a “design anywhere, make anywhere, sell anywhere” model.

In the 1960s, the "big three" (Ford, GM, and Chrysler) dominated the US car market. The first seismic shift to a more globalized model occurred in the 1970s when Volkswagen and Toyota began to challenge the oligopoly of the big three with inexpensive, fuel-efficient models. 

The 1990s saw full globalization of the automotive industry, with US car makers investing in foreign ones and automotive firms building plants across the world. Supply chains also became increasingly globalized.

In the 21st century, the automotive industry has become fully globalized to the point where an "American" car might be designed in Italy, built of Chinese materials and Canadian parts, and assembled in Mexico, and sold by dealerships relying on call centers in the Philippines and IT offices in India. 

Why is Tybalt responsible for Romeo and Juliet's deaths?

In many ways, it could be said that Juliet's hotheaded cousin Tybalt is responsible for Romeo and Juliet's deaths. In Act III, Scene 1, Tybalt challenges Romeo to a duel. Romeo refuses, but Mercutio accepts the challenge in an attempt to protect his friend's honor. Tybalt kills Mercutio, which goads Romeo into combat. Romeo kills Tybalt and is forced to flee the city. Later, we learn Romeo has been banished from Verona and will be killed if he is caught returning. 

Thus, Tybalt is essentially responsible for Romeo's exile, and Romeo's banishment sets up the elaborate death potion hoax that ultimately goes awry and results in the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet. As such, although Tybalt doesn't directly kill Romeo and Juliet, his decision to goad Romeo into a duel is indirectly responsible for the tragedy that unravels in the later acts of the play.

What are some symbols in The Call of the Wild?

A symbol is something that stands for something other than itself.  One of the symbols in the story is the club.  For Buck, the club is a symbol of man’s power over animals.  Buck learns the Law of Club and Fang from the man in the red sweater, a dog breaker.

When Buck is sent to Alaska to be on a sled dog team, he is miserable.

All was confusion and action, and every moment life and limb were in peril. There was imperative need to be constantly alert; for these dogs and men were not town dogs and men. They were savages, all of them, who knew no law but the law of club and fang. (Ch. 2)

Buck lived by the Law of Club and Fang after this. It meant that he would listen to whoever was stronger than him, whether dog or human.  It was all about who was strong and who was weak.  Thus the club is more than a club.  It is a symbol of strength.

Another important symbol in the book is the Call of the Wild itself.  The call is not a literal call, although it can refer to a wolf’s howl.  The actual Call of the Wild is the draw to return to nature.  Buck was a domesticated dog, but the longer he was in the wild the wilder he got.

Whereupon the old wolf sat down, pointed nose at the moon, and broke out the long wolf howl. The others sat down and howled. And now the call came to Buck in unmistakable accents. He, too, sat down and howled. (Ch. 7)

After Buck is rescued from the people, and then loses John Thornton, he returns to the wild.  Buck answers the call because he has learned the ways of the wild, and it is preferable to being answerable to humans.  He is strong enough to become like a wolf.

What quotes show what kind of leader Macbeth is??

First, when Macbeth hires the murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance, these men claim that their terrible lives have hardened them to the world.  One says, "I am one, my liege / Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world / Hath so incensed that I am reckless what / I do to spite the world" (3.1.121-124), and the other, "And I another / So weary with disasters, tugged with fortune, / That I would set my life on any chance, / To mend it or be rid on 't" (3.1.125-128).  In other words, these men's lives have become so wretched under Macbeth's rule that they are made reckless: they are willing to take any chance to strike back at the world that has beggared them or to improve their lots.  This is the Scotland of Macbeth's reign: she is ruined, and its people ruined with her.  He is a terrible leader.

Later, Lennox calls Macbeth a "tyrant" when he speaks to another lord in Act 3, scene 6 (3.6.25).

Then, when Macduff goes to the English court to try and convince Malcolm to return to Scotland and reclaim the throne, he says that "Each new morn / New widows howl, new orphans, cry, new sorrows / Strike heaven on the face, that it resounds / As if it felt with Scotland, and yelled out / Like syllable of dolor" (4.3.5-9).  In other words, Macbeth is so tyrannous that men seem to disappear in the night, leaving their wives to wake up husbandless and their children fatherless.  Life in Scotland is so bad that Macduff feels heaven must cry out as the Scots do under Macbeth's regime.

When Ross comes to tell Macduff about Macduff's murdered family (killed under Macbeth's orders), he says, "Alas, poor country, / Almost afraid to know itself.  It cannot / Be called our mother, but our grave  [...] Where sighs and groans and shrieks that rent the air / Are made, not marked" (4.3.189-194).  Macbeth has been such a terrible leader that Scotland has become a grave for the Scots instead of the nurturing mother she seemed to be under Duncan's reign.  People cry and scream, but nobody even pays attention anymore because those sounds have become so commonplace.

Why does Black Beauty get sick in Anna Sewell's story?

In Part 1, Chapter 19 of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty, soon after Little Joe Green replaces James Howard as the stable boy at Squire Gordon's Birtwick Hall, Mistress Gordon falls ill in the middle of the night. John Manly, the coachman, arouses Black Beauty, called Beauty for short, and rides him to fetch the doctor to save the mistress's life. Beauty rides with all his might and is soon safely returned to his stable. However, sadly, Joe, being new and ignorant, makes a terrible mistake with the care of Beauty that makes him ill, nearly to the point of death.

Not only does Beauty ride John to the doctor's, he also rides the doctor to Squire Gordon's. Upon Beauty's arrival back at Squire Gordon's, Beauty describes himself as having shaking legs, being able to do nothing but "stand and pant," and being completely soaked with sweat:

I had not a dry hair on my body, the water ran down my legs, and I steamed all over. (Ch. 19, Pt. 1)

Under the care of young Joe, whom Beauty is sure "did the very best he knew," Beauty was rubbed down, given nice cold water to drink, and fed hay and corn. But, thinking that Beauty was hot, Joe makes the terrible mistake of not covering Beauty up with his "warm cloth." Joe did not realize that, as a result of the sweat and cold water, Beauty would soon be freezing cold.

Left alone in his box in the stable, Beauty grows so freezing cold that he trembles, aches, and feels "sore all over." When John finally enters the stable that night, he finds Beauty lying down in his hay and moaning with pain. John quickly covers him up with multiple blankets and makes him warm gruel to drink. But the damage was already done; the next morning, Beauty has a lung infection so bad he "could not draw [his] breath without pain." But, luckily, with medicine and daily veterinary care, Beauty returns to health.

How would you describe the setting, atmosphere, and character development in "The Horla" by Guy de Maupassant?

Maupassant’s 1887 horror short story "The Horla" is written in the form of journal entries. The setting is the narrator’s large estate in the country outside Rouen, France. The atmosphere is one of increasing anxiety and unease over four days as the narrator notices strange occurrences that begin when he waves at a Brazilian boat. This seemingly innocent act ushers in an evil presence the narrator calls the Horla. The atmosphere progresses from tense and agitated to hallucinatory and desperate.

The character development of the narrator causes the reader to question his reliability. At first, the evil presence manifests in the form of physical complaints—fever, restless sleep, the feeling of being watched, the sensation of someone kneeling on his chest. The narrator himself questions his sanity as the Horla consumes his thoughts. Whether or not the reader agrees, the narrator concludes that he is sane but continues to feel threatened by the supernatural Horla. The narrator reads an account of strange phenomena in Brazil where people are being terrorized by supernatural creatures and realizes the origin of the creature that brought his suffering. The narrator attempts to cast out the creature by burning his own home and even considers suicide if that would destroy the evil being that may be inside him. This character development relates to themes of questioning reality, perception, and sanity.

What are the ethical issues involved with downloading pirated music or films?

Pirating music or films has some definite ethical implications and issues, and the ease of downloading these files makes it easy to miss them.

The most extreme ethical drawback of pirating these creations is that it is theft. The people who create these works put time and energy into their creations, and often spend years learning their craft. They make it available for sale, so when you pirate it, you steal that work.

Now, if we stop there, piracy seems purely wrong. There are other ethical issues that complicate this question. Most of the cost of an album does not go to the musicians, but instead to the record companies. Piracy is a way of striking back against corporate greed. Some people pirate works as a way of sampling it, the way they might read the first few pages of a book at a bookstore. They then buy later works or tickets to a concert. One study actually showed that albums that were pirated and shared sold (a few) more copies than those that weren't. That might seem practical, but funneling more money to creators is an ethical good.

What emoji would you use to describe/represent Juliet from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

While selecting an emoji (a digital icon) is an arguably subjective decision, there are several good arguments for choosing certain images to represent Juliet Capulet over others. The same guidelines for interpreting literature and forming an argument for an essay can be applied to selecting an appropriate emoji to represent a literary figure; that is, a good choice draws evidence and support from the text itself. It does not make sense to choose an alien or an octopus to represent Shakespeare's Juliet, and so the best method is one which surveys the many options available and selects one based on what is known from Shakespeare's play. (Integrating technology into the learning experience is both worthwhile and innovative, but we should not stray far from the educational objective.) Let's look at some examples:

The heart-eyes emoji seems to be a particularly representative example of Juliet's character, as within the play she falls in love with Romeo Montague. (View here.) A quote which supports this decision can be found in Act I, Scene V:

JULIET: Go ask his name: if he be married.
My grave is like to be my wedding bed.
NURSE: His name is Romeo, and a Montague;
The only son of your great enemy.
JULIET: My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me,
That I must love a loathed enemy (Shakespeare, Act I, Scene V).

The crying emoji is also a pick which can be supported with textual references, as Juliet, believing Romeo dead, mourns for him and takes her own life. (View here.) Evidence supporting this decision can be found in Act V, Scene III:

JULIET: What’s here? a cup, closed in my true love’s hand?
Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end:
O churl! drunk all, and left no friendly drop
To help me after? I will kiss thy lips;
Haply some poison yet doth hang on them,
To make die with a restorative (Shakespeare, Act V, Scene III)

The female emoji serves as a visual representation of Juliet Capulet as it features a youthful feminine figure, and from the play we know that Juliet is just shy of fourteen. (View here.) A quote which supports this decision can be found in Act I, Scene III:

NURSE: Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour.
LADY CAPULET: She’s not fourteen.
NURSE: I’ll lay fourteen of my teeth,—
And yet, to my teeth be it spoken, I have but four—
She is not fourteen. How long is it now
To Lammas-tide? (Shakespeare, Act I, Scene III)

Similarly, the bride emoji reflects Juliet's character in the play, as she secretly weds Romeo. (View here.) Evidence supporting this decision can be found in Act II, Scene VI:

FRIAR LAURENCE: Come, come with me, and we will make short work;
For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone
Till holy church incorporate two in one (Shakespeare, Act II, Scene VI).

Why did Leo Tolstoy use a rural setting and choose a peasant for the protagonist in "How Much Land Does a Man Need"?

One reason why Leo Tolstoy characterized his protagonist as a peasant in his short story "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" is because peasants always face difficult lives of labor, yet, at the same time, society was changing for the Russian peasant at the time Tolstoy published his story in 1886.

The year 1886 was in the midst of Russia's industrial revolution, which started in the middle of the 19th century. Modernized agricultural techniques were integral to industrial revolutions in all countries. As the peasants began improving their farming techniques for mass production, they also began increasing in wealth, as depicted in the story. Tolstoy saw that, just as the industrial revolution brought a materialistic viewpoint to the people of all nations, the industrial revolution was equally affecting the Russian peasantry with greed and materialism. Hence, Tolstoy set his story in an agricultural backdrop, in the midst of the industrial revolution, in order to warn of the dangers of materialistic greed that industrialization was bringing with it.

How can I improve the conclusion of my essay on Romeo and Juliet? Here's what I have: "The tragic ending to the lovers story is not solely a...

It looks like you have a good start there, although it's a bit hard to assess what particular ideas you might need to tweak without having the context of your paper's thesis; that being said, it would be a good idea to bring up the differences between the youths and adults within this play if that's what your teacher has suggested.

So, what are those differences? We might argue that the young people in Romeo and Juliet are much more authentic and spontaneous in their actions and beliefs than the adults, who seem bound to the rigidity of tradition. The adult characters in Romeo and Juliet's lives are inflexible, and it is that inability to adapt (say, to be able to abandon their attachment to the silly feud that has stretched on endlessly between the Montagues and Capulets) to modern circumstances that results in their meddling having a deadly cost: the lives of their children. The intentions of the young people are pure enough that their relationship may just have survived had those adults not intervened.

Also, please be mindful of all of the grammatical errors in your work! I have outlined some changes that should be made below:

- lovers story = lover's story

- Put a comma after "minor characters"

- Put a comma after "young teenagers"

- "there lives" = "their lives"

- Put a comma after "betrayal"

- No comma after "deceitfulness"

"A fish only discovers its need for water when it is no longer in it. Our own culture is like water to a fish. It sustains us. We live and breathe...

Fish cannot talk to other fish who are out of water because being without water would kill the fish.  Fish have no way of learning about other cultures.  Fish have no adaptation experience in living without water.  Humans, on the other hand, cross cultures all the time.  There are blended families of people from other countries who have married.  Even people of different socioeconomic levels can be in the same family.  While we often do see the world through the lens of our upbringing and culture, it is possible to change our points-of-view.  People move to other countries all the time, sometimes with the intention to experience another culture.  While our own native culture is important to us, people can adapt to their surroundings, unlike a fish, which cannot start breathing air at a moment's notice.  

Describe two times in the past when The Giver used his memories to advise the Committee of Elders in Chapter 14.

The Giver advised the committee on expanding the population and dealing with the jet plane that flew over the community. 

Jonas asks The Giver what the purpose of the memories is, because he has difficulty with the painful ones.  The Giver explains to Jonas that the memories give them wisdom, and that the community needs to be able to ask for advice. 

An example The Giver demonstrates is when the Elders considered adding more members to the population, and giving some family units an additional child.  The Giver reflects, and experiences memories of starvation and warfare.  He does not tell the Committee this, he just advises them. 

"They don't want to hear about pain. They just seek the advice. I simply advised them against increasing the population." (Ch. 14) 

The Committee members have no idea where the wisdom comes from.  They just know that the Receiver of Memory knows things they don’t.  It is a position of honor, but not power.  They listen to his advice, and then make their own choices. 

Another example is the jet plane that flew over the community.  It was an accident, because a pilot in training was lost.  The Committee had asked The Giver for advice then too. 

“… They prepared to shoot it down. But they sought my advice. I told them to wait."

"But how did you know? How did you know the pilot was lost?"

"I didn't. I used my wisdom, from the memories. I knew that there had been times in the past--terrible times--when people had destroyed others in haste, in fear, and had brought about their own destruction." (Ch. 14) 

In this case, the plane was not shot down.  The pilot was still released.  He committed an error the community considered unforgivable and had to be punished.  Since no one in the community has memories of death, they have no idea what they are doing when they release someone.

What exactly does LeRoi Jones mean by "the blues continuum" in his book Blues People: Negro Music in White America?

When LeRoi Jones, or Amiri Baraka, discusses "the blues continuum," he is applying the word "continuum" in dual contexts. The first context involves the history of African Americans and the survival of the ancient cultures that the early slaves brought with them from Africa. What Jones referred to as "the continuing evidence of surviving 'Africanisms' and parallels between African customs and philosophies, mores, etc., and the philosophies and the Afro-American continuum" was the physical and psychological evidence that African Americans, as with white Americans who traced their ancestry to Europe, did not magically materialize or, as he facetiously put it, "did not drop out of the sky." In other words, African Americans and the music they developed represented a historical continuum that stretched back centuries to the forced emigration of Africans from their tribal and ancestral homelands to North America.

The second context in which Jones applied the word "continuum" involved the evolution of the genre of music that provided the basis of his landmark study. Aficionados of jazz rightly connect historical dots from that uniquely American musical genre's origins in the African American experience to its present practitioners. In Blues People, Jones similarly traced the evolution of blues and "rhythm and blues" to the African American experience beginning with slavery and continuing into the "modern" Civil Rights era, circa the early 1960s (Blues People was published in 1963). The blues evolved over many years to include influences from across the African American experience, including the synthesis of the Southern blues tradition with the "musical traditions of the Northern Negro." In other words, "the blues continuum" merely refers to the evolution of that genre of music--an evolution hundreds of years in the making.

What advantages did European nations have over others in regards to colonization?

First, European nations developed or acquired, earlier than other peoples around the world, many of the technologies necessary for colonization. These included nautical innovations like the caravel (a vessel suited for long voyages,) the compass and the astrolabe (important tools for navigation) and special sails that made exploration possible. But Europeans also developed weapons, including steel and firearms, that facilitated the conquest of people around the world.

Another advantage was in many ways highly ironic. Europeans, having had many domesticated animals for thousands of years, had developed diseases, including smallpox, typhus, measles, and plague, most of which originated with these animals. Native peoples in places like the Americas and Australia had no such animals, and thus no exposure to such diseases. So when Europeans came in contact with these people, the germs they carried led to what are sometimes called "virgin-soil" epidemics that wiped out millions of indigenous peoples. The combination of disease and superior weapons enabled Europeans to conquer and colonize peoples in the Americas in particular. The Inca, for example, were among the most powerful empires in South America, but Spanish conquistadores, especially Pizarro, were able to conquer them because the Inca so depleted by a smallpox epidemic. Thus these diseases, whch had periodically ravaged Europe, proved to be potent "weapons," even if Europeans did not intentionally introduce them. One writer, Jared Diamond, has characterized these mutually reinforcing advantages as "guns, germs, and steel" in a book by that title. 

Once Europeans came in contact with Indian peoples, they were able to spread information about them through print. Where Native peoples were often taken by surprise, at least at first, by contact with Europeans, colonizers were armed with knowledge about other Indian peoples. This could prove, however, to be detrimental, as England's Jamestown colonists thought they could replicate the Spanish model of conquest and colonization among the Powhatan peoples. They were mistaken, and the approach they took was almost their undoing. But Europeans could share information about the peoples they colonized, a fact that facilitated their conquest. 

Finally, all of these things also enabled Europeans to eventually dominate Indian trade, even if they could not conquer Native peoples. Europeans were able to trade for slaves, foodstuffs, and desirable items like deerskins, a process that led to the subjugation of many Indian peoples. The economic changes led to even more social turmoil among Indians, a condition that eventually led to their subjugation in many cases. 

Who is involved in the conflict that begins Act One of Romeo and Juliet?

Act One of Romeo and Juliet begins with an example of the bitter conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues. We have already learned from the Chorus that the feud between the two families has divided the city of Verona for many years, and we see this play out in the first scene. An encounter between Sampson and Gregorio of the house of Capulet and Abram and Balthasar, servingmen of the house of Montague, leads to a violent struggle. When Benvolio (a Montague) arrives on the scene, he attempts to part the two, reminding them that the Prince has forbidden fighting in the streets. Tybalt, the hot-headed Capulet, then shows up, threatening and challenging Benvolio to a fight. The scene descends into chaos as a crowd of angry citizens arrives in advance of the patriarchs of the two families, who themselves are eager to join the fight. The Prince of Verona then shows up, parting the two quarreling parties and threatening death to anyone who started another such fight in the streets of Verona. This scene illustrates the extent of the hatred between the two families, highlighting the dangers inherent in Romeo and Juliet's forbidden love.

Why do crises lead to restrictions of civil liberties and rights?

Crises can lead to a diminution or suspension of civil rights and liberties because there is always a tradeoff between these and safety and security.  A democracy is always trying to strike a good balance between them, and in a crisis, the pendulum almost inevitably tips towards safety and security. 

The events of 9/11 are an excellent example of this.  The Patriot Act, which was passed by Congress in response to 9/11, was meant to make us feel safer and more secure, and in the process, we gave up various civil rights and liberties.  In particular, we gave up our right to privacy, allowing various agencies almost carte blanche to watch all of us in numerous ways, our banking transactions, our phone conversations, and even what books we check out from the library.  The pendulum tilted strongly away from our rights and liberties, and I see little sign that it is tilting back.

The European Union's (EU) response to the immigration crisis in conjunction with ISIS is another example.  The idea that one could travel freely from one country to the next and work in any country in the EU is likely to go in the dustbin of history soon.  Borders are closing, the United Kingdom is in the process of leaving the EU, and it won't be long before passports are needed from one country to the next as well as a bureaucracy meant to make getting working papers difficult or impossible.  The right to travel and the liberty of working are in the process of being sacrificed to safety and security. 

It is understandable that this would happen, given the normal human desire to be safe and secure.  But there are a number of troubling aspects to this.  First, there is no such thing as perfect safety and security, no matter how many rights are lost.  Second, there are administrations that use crises as an excuse to take away people's rights and liberties, which is happening as we speak in Turkey.  Third, once these are taken away, it seems it is very difficult to retrieve them.

What changes in the workplace during and after WWII reflected society's attitudes towards women?

Before World War II, a woman's role was traditionally to be a wife and mother.  Some women did choose to work, but most only did so if they were single.  Women typically held jobs as secretaries, factory workers, teachers, nurses, and maids.  When World War II began, the majority of men who were working age were sent away to fight in Europe and the Pacific.  Woman began doing jobs that had not been acceptable for them to perform before the war.  Women began driving taxi cabs and streetcars, doing skilled work at factories, and analyzing information for intelligence agencies.  They took jobs as mechanics, pilots, and laboratory technicians.  A lot of women worked in these roles for almost four years.  It became socially acceptable for women to hold these jobs because they were contributing to the war effort.  Women doing work traditionally performed by men was seen as sacrificial and patriotic.  The image of Rosie the Riveter helped promote the patriotic idea of women entering the workforce while the men were away at war.

Millions of men returned home after the war.  Most women had no option but to leave their wartime jobs.  Societal ideals shifted back to the way they were before the war.  Women were expected to be wives and mothers or to take jobs men found undesirable.  In the next two decades, it slowly became more acceptable for married women to work.

How does Brian try starting his first fire?

Gary Paulsen's novel Hatchet is a story of survival. Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson, traveling to see his father,  is stranded in the Minnesota woods when the pilot of the plane dies from a heart attack. Brian is left with no way to communicate, and very little hope for rescue. He must learn to survive on his own, with just a small hatchet and the clothes he is wearing, along with a few token items in his pockets.

Brian tries to create fire by rubbing two sticks together in chapter six, but he is unsuccessful. In chapter eight, he realizes that his hatchet may be the answer to creating fire. 

"The hatchet was the answer. That's what his father and Terry had been trying to tell him. Somehow he could get fire from the hatchet. The sparks would make fire. Brian went back into the shelter and studied the wall. It was some form of chalky granite, or a sandstone, but imbedded in it were large pieces of a darker stone, a harder and darker stone. It only took him a moment to find where the hatchet had struck. The steel had nicked into the edge of one of the darker stone pieces."

Brian found flint in the rock and was able to use it to create sparks. He still struggles to start a fire, though, even with the sparks. He tears up the twenty dollar bill he has, which is useless to him now. Then he eyes a birch tree and is able to use the papery bark as a fire starter. He has to shred the bark into threads and make a sort of nest out of it, so the sparks will catch the bark and still have enough air to survive. It takes him several hours, but he successfully makes his first fire in chapter eight. 

What led to the rise of the US as a superpower policeman?

There were two main factors that led to the rise of the US as a “superpower policeman.”  These factors were World War II, which made the US into a superpower, and the Cold War, which motivated it to try to act as a policeman for the world in at least some circumstances.

World War II made the United States into a superpower. The US built its military capabilities up tremendously to fight in this war.  Moreover, the war destroyed all other powers in the world except the Soviet Union.  The war devastated Germany, Japan, France, and to some extent Great Britain. This left the US and the USSR as the only countries that could really become dominant powers in the world. Before the war, the US was no superpower.  After the war, it became one of only two superpowers in the world

After WWII, the US engaged in the Cold War with the Soviet Union.  In this conflict, the US was the leader of the “free world.”  Because it was the superpower that led the non-communist world, the US was expected to maintain some degree of order in that “world.”  The US also wanted to do so as it wanted to keep its allies unified in order to effectively compete with the Soviets.

After the Cold War ended, the US was the world’s only superpower.  As such, it felt responsible for making sure that the world ran properly.  It felt that it was the only country that could maintain peace and order so that the world economy could continue to run smoothly.

In these ways, WWII and the Cold War led the US to become a “superpower policeman”

How do others' actions before the race starts affect Squeaky?

Squeaky generally likes to arrive just before the May Day race starts, as she does not like the rest of the May Day program and only wants to lie in the grass before her race is announced. While waiting for the race to start, she notices other kids participating in May Day events and carrying their instruments. Mr. Pearson, who is organizing the race, comes by to sign up Squeaky, and he asks her if she is going to let someone else win this year. He begins to say it would be nice if Gretchen and Squeaky both win the race, but Squeaky fixes him with a stare that makes him silent. Squeaky thinks to herself, "Grown-ups got a lot of nerve sometimes."

Even though she doesn't see Gretchen, her main rival, until right before the race, Squeaky feels "so burnt" from talking to Mr. Pearson and realizing he wants her to share the glory of winning the race. Right before the race, Squeaky sees Gretchen stretching "like a pro," and she sees Raymond bending down like he knows how to run. During the race, she realizes Raymond could be a good runner, so she thinks about what she has noticed before the race while she is running.

Discuss two factors that may threaten or limit the democratic functions of the media.

One way of the democratic functions of the media is the function of “watchdog.”  In this role, the media watches the government and alerts people when the government is doing things wrong.  For example, the media might expose corruption in the government where officials are taking bribes in return for favors. 

One factor that can limit or threaten this role is government pressure.  The government might threaten to arrest or fine journalists who write articles that it does not like.  It might order officials to refuse interviews to media outlets that write or air stories critical of the government.  It might order government agencies to crack down on such media outlets by doing such things as constantly claiming that the outlet is behind on taxes, getting people to make complaints about sexual harassment by bosses of the company, and other such things. In these ways, the government could put significant pressure on the media to look the other way instead of reporting on government abuses.

A second role of the media is to make sure that people know what they need to know.  As the link below says, the media should “provoke public debates leading to greater public participation in important decisions.”  Here, the media is supposed to give us high quality information about important events and issues.

A factor that can limit this is the media’s need to make a profit.  Many people are not interested in important topics and issues that have to do with government. People would rather watch or read stories about sports, celebrities, or other topics that are not particularly important.  They do not want to watch or read things that are meant to educate them, for example, on things like tax policy or the impact of free trade.  Because the media wants to make a profit, it needs to produce stories that people are interested in.  This can push the media towards reporting exciting stories on unimportant topics and ignoring important stories that would give people the information they need to help make decisions in a democracy.

What passages show envy in Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace"?

Passages all throughout Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace" indicate just how much Mathilde Loisel envies the wealthy class.

One of the best passages is found on the first page in a description of her sitting down to dinner with her husband, a dinner of Scotch broth she had probably prepared herself. Scotch broth is a hearty lamb soup that is seasoned with Scotch whisky, a soup made popular in Scotland. Instead of having Scotch broth for dinner, she "imagined delicate food served in marvelous dishes, murmured gallantries, listened to with an inscrutable smile as one trifled with the rosy flesh of trout or wings of asparagus chicken." In other words, she imagined herself at fancy expensive dinner parties with expensive multiple course meals served on silver dishes. The fact that she imagines herself in places other than in her home eating things other than what she can afford is a clear sign that she is very envious of those in a socioeconomic class above hers.

A second passage that clearly describes her envy is found at the start of the second page. The narrator states, "She had no clothes, no jewels, nothing. And these were the only things she loved; she felt she was made for them." Her belief that she was made for things that are far too expensive for her to purchase as a woman in the middle class shows us just how much she envies the upper class. In addition, the narrator explains that Mathilde has a wealthy friend she met at school that she does not visit because seeing how her friend lives makes Mathilde so envious that "she would weep whole days, with grief, regret, despair, and misery" (p. 2). The fact that seeing her friend makes her cry clearly shows just how much Mathilde envies her friend.

Did Mein Kampf have anything to do with the techniques Hitler would use to rise to power?

Hitler mainly used Mein Kampf to outline the ideological foundations of what became known as the National Socialist Workers' Party, or Nazis. In this sense Mein Kampf was itself a tool for Hitler's rise, as it was quite widely read in the early 1930s, as Nazis were beginning to win seats in the Reichstag and Hitler was becoming a nationally prominent politician. In Mein Kampf Hitler elucidates his views on the so-called "stab in the back" that led to German surrender in World War One, his virulent brand of anti-Semitism, and his bizarre racial theory of history. He did describe, in great detail, how propaganda should be used to facilitate the Nazi rise to power. Propaganda, he told his readers, was not intended to "weigh and ponder the rights of different people." Rather, its purpose was to:

...emphasize the one right which it has set out to argue for. Its task is not to make an objective study of the truth, in so far as it favors the enemy, and then set it before the masses with academic fairness; its task is to serve our own right, always and unflinchingly.

So Mein Kampf emphasized the importance of propaganda, the centrality of race, and the supposed need for totalitarian leadership to restore Germany. In this way, it anticipated the methods that Hitler would use in his rise to power and many aspects of his policies once he seized control of Germany.

What process caused Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains to no longer be among the tallest mountains in the world?

A process that can change the size and shape of mountain ranges is weathering and erosion.  

Once among the tallest peaks in the world, the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia have been weathered and eroded down to their current size. Weather affects rocks. It may not seem like there is much friction between wind and rock, but there is a considerable amount. The same goes for rainfall that flows down rocky mountain sides. Those frictional forces, while not drastic, are present all of the time. Given enough time, weathering can greatly change the landscape. Freezes can create cracks within surfaces as well. That gives more surface area for weathering to work upon. As the surface is ground into smaller and smaller bits of sediment, erosion carries those materials away. After enough time, even mountain ranges no longer look the way they used to. 

In addition to the mechanical weathering discussed above, chemical weathering also plays a part. In chemical weathering, chemical reactions break down the bonds that hold rock together. That will cause them to fall apart and form increasingly smaller pieces. Common forms of chemical weathering are oxidation, hydrolysis, and carbonation.

Do you think children would have any class distinction if they have been let alone by their parents? Justify your answer.

For better or worse, I think that children will make distinctions based on something that could arguably be called class, even if "left alone" by their parents.  Children are products of evolution and environment.  However, "left alone" seems like a rather imprecise term we should look at first. 

Children can be left alone on a deserted island, as they are in Golding's Lord of the Flies, but I doubt that is what is meant in this context.  Certainly, very young children are not left alone to this degree most of the time. There is always some adult to watch over them, in the room or nearby.  I am going to assume that this term is meant to be about situations in which parents provide no overt cues to their children to suggest class differences, and really, that is usually the case, I think.

But children are astute little observers and learn quite early to notice differences in those around them and to discern attitudes on the part of their parents.  They may not consciously consider these differences, but they do absorb them. Some children are not invited over to play.  A mother has a frown of disapproval on her face as she looks upon a certain family in the neighborhood.  A father has a certain tone when he talks about a fellow worker.  If the family, nuclear and even extended, cares about class differences, a child's behavior and preferences will reflect that. During a child's teenage years, these preferences might be in the form of rebellious behavior, for instance, spending time with other teens from the wrong side of the tracks. 

You can see this reflected as children encounter one another at school.  Even when schools require uniforms, children find a way to make distinctions, with jewelry or shoes, for example.  Children are picked on for not being up to snuff with the latest iPhone or when picked up by an old Ford instead of a new Lexus. There is a competitive aspect to even after-school activities. Children are well aware of who gets to go to gymnastics, piano lessons, and dance class.  In the classroom, it is often painfully clear which children reap the benefits of books at home, art on the walls of their houses, and trips to the museum.  Children may not be able to articulate any of this very well, but they do know and they do judge.  There are at least as many cliques based on class as there are based on common interests.

Bear in mind that it is human to make some sort of distinctions.  We are evolutionarily primed to do so.  Recognition of "the other" saved many an early human group.  And wanting to be better than others is what motivates much human striving and accomplishment. That these differences are often class differences makes a great deal of sense in a way, since it combines protection against the threat of the other with motivation to excel. 

Be that as it may, we send our children to school to socialize and democratize them or at least we tell ourselves we do.  We expect them to be able to get along with others well, the whole All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (Fulghum) philosophy.  This has not always been successful, though, for any number of reasons, such as racial segregation and the segregation of physically or mentally disabled students.  Today, this democratization and socialization has new challenges in the ongoing effort to privatize public education.  To the degree that this is successful, children will become even more class-conscious, missing out on the irreplaceable experience of sitting in a classroom and a lunchroom with people who are not like them.

That there is no class division in America is a myth, I'm afraid. We have no formalization of class, as England or as India once did, but we have classes. And our children reflect this fact, even if we leave them to their own devices. We could solve this problem if we chose to, by searching our hearts and minds and working on, not tolerance for others, but respect and appreciation for others, modeling this for our children, and investing our time and energy in truly public education. 

What government factors contributed to the growth of interstate corporations?

There were several factors that contributed to the growth of interstate corporations. One factor was the creation of laws that made it easier for businesses to incorporate. Many states passed laws in the 1800s that allowed big businesses, such as trusts and holding companies, to legally form. 

Another factor that helped interstate corporations grow was an improved transportation system. As the government provided funding to build more roads and more railroads, it became easier for businesses to get supplies they needed to make products. It was also easier for them to transport their products. People found it easier to get to work as the transportation system improved. Businesses began to expand their operations into more than one state.

The government created a climate that encouraged innovations and inventions. As a result, improved communication helped businesses grow. As communication improved, it was easier to receive orders and to make business decisions quickly. These decisions could be communicated more easily with improved methods of communication such as the telephone. 

There are several factors that explain why interstate corporations grew.

 

When the reaction was carried out, the calculated yield of sodium bromide was 162 grams, but the measured yield was 150 grams. What is the percent...

The calculated yield or theoretical yield of a reaction is the maximum amount of product that would be formed under the given conditions (amount of reactants, temperature, etc.). This can be determined using a balanced chemical equation and the quantities of the reactants. 

The actual yield or measured yield is the amount of products actually formed in a reaction. Actual yield is generally less than the calculated yield or theoretical yield, because the reaction may not go to 100% completion, some reactant may be lost, etc. 

The percentage yield gives us a quantitative idea of how much completion we achieved. In other words, it is a measure of the % of theoretical yield that was actually achieved. Mathematically,

Percentage yield = actual yield/theoretical yield x 100%

= 150/162 x 100 = 92.6%.

Therefore, the % yield of the given chemical reaction is 92.6%.

Hope this helps.

`(0, 2) , y'=x/(4y)` Find an equation of the graph that passes through the point and has the given slope.

We need to find the equation of the graph that passes through the point (0,2). The slope of the tangent line to the graph of y(x) is the derivative y' and it is given by the equation

`y' = x/(4y)` .

This equation can be solved by the method of separating variables. First, rewrite

`(dy)/(dx) = x/(4y)` .

Now, multiply by 4y and dx:

`4ydy = xdx`

Now both sides can be integrated:

`4y^2/2 = x^2/2 + C` . Here, C is an arbitrary constant.

From here,

`4y^2 = x^2 + 2C`

Since the graph of the equation has to pass through the point (0, 2), we can find C:

`4*2^2 = 0 + 2C`

C = 8.

So the equation of the graph is

`4y^2 = x^2 + 16` , which can also be written as

`y^2/4 - x^2/16 = 1` . This is a hyperbola that opens up and down, with the vertices at the points (0, 2) and (0, -2).

`y^2/4 = x^2/16 + 1`

` y^2 = x^2/4 + 4`

` y = +-sqrt(x^2/4 + 4)`

Compare and contrast the characters of Walter and Beneatha in A Raisin in the Sun.

In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, the characters of Beneatha and Walter Younger share the traits of being determined and ambitious. Walter, as we discover in Act I, Scene I of the play, wants to improve his family's financial situation by investing in a liquor store. Unsatisfied with his job and his quality of life, Walter dreams of success and the comforts it might bring, and he does so with a desperation that frequently makes him combative. For instance, his interactions with his wife, Ruth, in Act I of Hansberry's play reveal an ongoing conflict: Walter and Ruth have been arguing over money for quite some time (Hansberry, Act I, Scene I).

Similarly, Beneatha Younger is driven and goal-oriented, though her path is not one of business; rather, she pursues education. Beneatha is attending medical school to become a doctor, and by doing so she challenges the restrictions of both race and gender within the context of the play (Hansberry, Act I, Scene I).

In terms of differences, Beneatha spends a good deal of time attempting to understand herself and develop her own interests, which other characters often (gently) poke fun at throughout the play. For instance, we find that she has recently started guitar lessons after abandoning the pursuits of play-acting and horseback-riding (Hansberry, Act I, Scene I). Later, after we meet the character of Asagai, we see that Beneatha takes a keen interest in Nigerian culture, and by doing this, steps closer to elements of her own African-American identity (Hansberry Act I, Scene II). In this regard, Beneatha is a character who recognizes both the importance of pursuing one's interests and the importance of identity.

While Beneatha moves closer to her own identity within the play, Walter initially appears eager to step away from his. Both racial and wealth inequality act as forces of oppression for the main characters in A Raisin in the Sun, and Walter struggles profoundly with feelings of inadequacy and failure. For Walter, hobbies and interests do not dominate his vision, but success and independence. It is important to note, however, the Walter experiences a shift in his thinking during the course of the play, and by the conclusion, we see him embrace his identity by asserting his family's right to move into a white neighborhood (Hansberry Act III).

Does George have anything to do with the theme of death in Of Mice And Men?

In Of Mice and Men, the theme of death is presented as instances where love kills, beginning with Lennie and ending with George. Lennie loves to pet soft things, as is exhibited in his hiding the mouse in his pocket. He had captured it and petted it, but he pet too hard, killing the mouse. Still he kept it, petting its soft fur. In the same way, he wanted to feel the softness of the hair of Curley’s wife, at her invitation. His touch was too hard, and Curley’s wife tried to pull away. Lennie panicked and grabbed hold, breaking her neck. Neither death was through Lennie’s malice, only his love for soft things. Candy also must allow his dog to be killed out of love, not wanting him to become a burden on others or to suffer from the infirmities of old age. With George, it is his love for Lennie that forced him to kill him. He knew that Lennie had at last done something that they could not escape from. Lennie would always do something like this, so rather than let the law capture Lennie and execute him, George decided that, out of love, he would kill his friend himself.

What exactly does the green light on the dock mean to Gatsby?

The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) begins with the green light in Chapter I, as Gatsby "stretched out his arms in a curious way, and. . . was trembling" (26-27), and it ends with the green light, too, as "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us" (189). Thus, the green light represents not just Daisy, but the hopes and dreams of all who came and come to America in search of that American dream, including all of us who are descended from those who immigrated here. The "new world" represents a clean slate, people no longer mired in the machinations and hierarchies. They believe they can love, thrive, and fulfill all their dreams. People can reinvent themselves, as Gatsby has done, giving himself a new name and, once he finds Daisy, a quest. The green light represents all of this for Gatsby, but as he moves toward it, it recedes. The closer he gets to Daisy, the more she eludes him. The American dream, a staple of our mythology, remains intact, I think, with many believing in it no matter how elusive it proves to be.

Write a monologue for Bill's character in "The Ransom Of Red Chief."

The first thing to figure out for your monologue is when Bill is going to be speaking his monologue. Bill is a very different character at the end of the story from what he is at the story's start. I would place the monologue toward the front end of the story because I believe you can move Bill through a wider range of emotions. If it's right after little Johnny Dorset is kidnapped, I would have the monologue start out a little bit angry. Bill and Sam do successfully kidnap Johnny, but Bill takes a brick to the head during the attempt. The story even has Bill make an angry comment about the incident.

“That will cost the old man an extra five hundred dollars,” says Bill, climbing over the wheel.

I would expand on his feelings from there. Have him vent his anger and frustrations for a bit, and then have him calm down as he considers what the imagined ransom money will do for him. At this point in the story, Bill still believes that their kidnapping will be a success. End the monologue with Bill being very hopeful about the next 24 hours.

Which habitats and foods do stink bugs prefer?

Stink bugs (also known as shield bugs) are insects in the order Hemiptera and the family Pentatomidae. The common name, stink bug, comes from the foul odor of a defensive chemical they emit when threatened. 

Pentatomids are extremely variable in their biology and habitat preferences, and are found throughout the world, primarily in open habitats such as fields, meadows and gardens. Like all insects in the order Hemiptera, they have piercing/sucking mouthparts which they use to feed on plant materials, such as sap or fruit. The particular plant host preferences of stink bugs vary between species, but many are considered pests of agricultural crops.

One notorious pentatomid pest is the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, an Asian species that was accidentally introduced to the United States and is now an invasive pest causing considerable damage to fruits and vegetables, as well as being a house pest.

However, not all stink bugs feed on plant material. Some species are predators that attack other insects by piercing them with their sharp beak and feeding on body juices. Predatory stink bugs often feed on herbivorous larvae that can be pests of crops and garden plants, and therefore can serve as beneficial insects and biocontrol agents to limit pest damage to plants. 

All stink bugs undergo simple metamorphosis. Eggs hatch into nymphs, which resemble adults but lack wings. Immatures undergo a series of molts, until they become a winged adult, at which point they no longer molt. Most stink bugs overwinter as adults, taking shelter under leaf litter, stones and logs, or inside homes and other structures. 

How do the characters Tom and Jeff change in Firegirl?

Although the narrator, Tom, changes significantly over the course of the novel, his best friend Jeff does not change--in fact, Jeff loses his chance to change, and the fact that Tom proves to be a dynamic (developing, changing) character while Jeff remains static helps illustrate one of the novel's main ideas. That is, when you have the chance to make friends with someone very different, or someone who's suffering, like Jessica in this story, you can either take advantage of that chance and grow from it (like Tom does) or you can let that opportunity pass you by and learn nothing as a result (like Jeff does).

Let's take a closer look at how Tom changes while Jeff remains the same.

Both boys start off being obsessed with classic sports cars from the sixties. They anxiously await the chance to ride in Jeff's uncle's Cobra, a snakelike machine that's all about speed and flash. But by the end of the novel, after Tom has befriended Jessica despite her disfiguring burns, Tom doesn't care much about that Cobra anymore. He chooses to spend time with Jessica instead, even when he finally gets the chance to ride in that incredible machine. Jeff, however, scoffs at Tom and his decision. Jeff doesn't understand that friendship and helping others in need may actually be more important than taking an exciting ride in an expensive car. Tom, however, does understand this.

Speaking of helping others, Tom also learns to become less selfish, while Jeff never learns this lesson. At the beginning of the story, when Tom's mother suggests that he go over to Jessica's house to befriend her, he wonders how that could possibly help him. You can just see Tom's mom roll her eyes at him when she tells him that it won't, but that it will help Jessica. At that point, it's as if Tom only cares about himself. But by the end of the story, after making friends with Jessica and listening to her as she works through her grief and pain, Tom learns to sacrifice his own comfort and his free time (and his time with his best friend Jeff) to help Jessica. He understands that helping others is worthwhile, and the right thing to do.

How do Lyddie's actions affect other people in the story?

That's an interesting question.  I often think of Lyddie only helping herself or doing things that will help her earn money in order to pay off her family debt; however, that just isn't true.  Lyddie is constantly helping people despite her single minded focus of pursuing money.  

Lyddie's actions in the very beginning of the story save the lives of her entire family.  They are all sitting together in their home when a bear comes in.  Lyddie springs into action and bravely stands up to the bear, and the bear leaves.  

While returning home from Cutler's Tavern, Lyddie comes across Ezekial, a runaway slave.  She gives him her earnings, which help him to escape to free territories.  

Lyddie once again springs into action during the coach ride to the city.  The coach is loaded with men that can't get the coach out of the mud.  It is Lyddie who gets herself dirty and gets the coach unstuck.  

Lyddie is also the person that fends off Mr. Marsden's sexual advances from Brigid.  

I would say that Lyddie's actions throughout the story end up benefiting and protecting many other characters.  

How does the family treat Rikki-tikki after he kills Karait?

The family has always liked Rikki-tikki. When the family first meets Rikki-tikki, he is half-drowned. Teddy even thinks Rikki-tikki is dead; however, the mother and father decide to nurse Rikki-tikki back to health. Even by the first night, Rikki-tikki goes to bed with Teddy. The mother is a little worried about the situation, but the father states that Teddy is safer with the mongoose than without.  

"I don't like that," said Teddy's mother. "He may bite the child."

"He'll do no such thing," said the father. "Teddy's safer with that little beast than if he had a bloodhound to watch him. If a snake came into the nursery now—"

Rikki-tikki proves his value as a protector and snake killer by killing Karait. The family then treats Rikki-tikki even better than before. They let him wander around the dinner table while they are eating. He gets to sit on Teddy's shoulder at the dinner table, and Teddy's mother has taken to petting Rikki-tikki.

That same night, Rikki-tikki once again goes to bed with Teddy. This time, there Teddy's mother does not argue. Rikki-tikki has essentially become a full member of the family. 

What conditions gave rise to India's decolonization?

India, once the jewel of the British empire, had by the twentieth century become less profitable and more expensive to manage than it had once been. It's important to note that during the first part of the twentieth century, England had been hammered by two worlds wars that exhausted it financially. World War II was especially hard on Britain. By the end of the war, the country had to acknowledge that it no longer would be, as it had been for more than a century, the world's preeminent superpower. It passed that baton to the United States and began to pull back from the world stage.

By the mid-20th century, classic colonialism had become expensive and outdated as a way of extracting wealth from other countries, but factors other than the financial prodded England to free India. First, having embraced a rhetoric of freedom and democracy in the fight against Hitler and the Nazis, the English found it more and more intellectually difficult to justify ruling India: old notions of the "white man's burden" and white racial superiority had become embarrassing and were increasingly challenged. Finally, British betrayals of various Indian groups had united formerly rival territories in India into one whole, with the shared goal of ridding the country of their foreign ruler. This, along with Gandhi's galvanizing work to free India, let to an upsurge of Indian nationalism that added to the English impetus to get rid of colony that was becoming more trouble than it was worth. 

The following sentence is ambiguous. Provide two explanations which illustrate the different meaning of the sentence: Visiting relatives can be...

The sentence is unclear because one is unsure if the speaker is talking about the act of visiting relatives being problematic or if relatives who are visiting can be problematic. Let's break each possibility down grammatically.

The first possibility focuses on the act of visiting relatives. "Visiting" in this case is a gerund referring to an action -- the thing that is being done. "Relatives" are the direct object here, or the group being visited. The modal phrase "can be" is epistemic -- that is, it will lead us to the adjective that will tell us more about what it is like to visit relatives. In this case, the adjective is "problematic."

The only thing that is consistent between the two possibilities is the negative connotation of "problematic." Now, let's consider the second grammatical possibility. The phrase "visiting relatives" could be a subject clause. "Visiting," in this case, acts as a present participle adjective, modifying "relatives." The modal phrase "can be" now takes the form of a linking verb. Linking verbs connect the subject to parts of speech, such as adjectives, that will tell us something more about the subject. In this case, "problematic" is used to describe "visiting relatives."

This sentence could be clarified by beginning instead with an infinitive clause, though that can be awkward in modern speech: "To visit relatives can be problematic." One could also begin with a more specific gerund: "Going to visit relatives can be problematic." Finally, if one wants to focus on the relatives themselves one could write, "Relatives who are visiting can be problematic." The relative clause "who are visiting" describes the relatives to whom we are referring.

A student is observing the motion of an ant. Which pair of tools is he most likely using?

There are a variety of tools which a student may find useful to observe the motion of an ant. The selection of tools depends on what type of information the student wishes to gather. 

For example, if the student is merely interested in the total distance traveled by the ant, a ruler is sufficient. However, if the student is interested in the ant's speed (rate of travel) a stopwatch will also be required. If the student is interested in the direction of the ant's motion, a compass will be needed. If the student is interested in a record of the ant's movement, a video capture device may be helpful, or a paper on which to track the ant's path with a pencil.

If the student is interested in ant movements other than walking (antenna wiggling, mouth usage or feeding, grooming (self-cleaning) behaviors, interaction with other ants or insects, etc.) then a magnifying glass will be a useful tool.

Why can't we form an alliance with Russia now that the Soviet Union no longer exists?

There is nothing preventing us from forming an alliance with Russia. There also was nothing that prevented us from forming an alliance with the Soviet Union. During World War II, we had a military alliance with the Soviet Union. However, after World War II ended, we had so many differences and disputes with the Soviet Union, many over the spread of communism, that we found it hard to make alliances with them.

What makes it difficult to form an alliance with Russia is that we seem to constantly be at odds with them. Just like with the Soviet Union, we have major differences of opinion with Russia on significant issues. For example, we don’t agree on how Syria should be handled. Russia has been a long-time ally of Syria while we view that government as a sponsor of terrorism. Russia would like to support the Syrian government while the United States would like to replace it with a different government. We also don’t agree with Russia’s policy of expansionism in areas bordering Russia. These differences make it harder to form an alliance with them since both sides lack trust in each other. However, it is possible to overcome these barriers in order to make mutually beneficial alliances.

What were the men in "The Interlopers" quarreling about?

Georg and Ulrich are fighting over a piece of land. Their ongoing feud goes back three generations. In order to settle the matter, Ulrich's grandfather took Georg's ancestors to court. The lawsuit was settled and the courts decided that Ulrich's grandfather owned the land that Georg's ancestors were illegally poaching on. However, Georg's ancestors did not abide by the court's ruling. As a result, each successive generation continued to fight over the narrow piece of land in question. 

The narrator notes that this piece of land is not that valuable in terms of game and hunting. This suggests that the ongoing feud has persisted because of stubborn family traditions. In other words, although the men are fighting over a piece of land, their feud is really about their refusal to be sensible and end the pointless fight: 

The feud might, perhaps, have died down or been compromised if the personal ill will of the two men had not stood in the way . . . 

Put in a dire situation, together, Georg and Ulrich finally agree to consider a friendship. It takes this kind of dramatic situation to break them out of this tradition of the feud. 

What discussion did the three friends have about their stay at night?

After J., George, and Harris decide to go on a boat trip along the River Thames (in Chapter I), they must determine how they are going to travel and what supplies they will take along. In Chapter II, they debate the issue of whether or not they should “camp out” at night. This would involve taking a tent along and setting it up in a different place each afternoon. The alternative would be to sleep in local inns along the way. Narrator J. waxes poetic about how wonderful and relaxing it would be to make a late dinner over a campfire and sleep under the stars. Then Harris asks, “How about when it rained?” J. quickly imagines a scene where two people struggle to put up a tent in a driving downpour. They may eventually be successful, only to have the tent collapse and fall on the sleepers in the middle of the night. The three friends therefore reach a consensus “to sleep out on fine nights; and to hotel it, and inn it, and pub it, like respectable folks, when it was wet, or when we felt inclined for a change.” They end up using a canvas and hoops tent that covers the boat.

What were the pros and cons of the Cariboo Gold Rush?

The Cariboo Gold Rush occurred in British Columbia, Canada from 1860-1863—the same period of time when Canada's neighbor to the south (United States) was entrenched in a brutal Civil War. This period of time in British Columbia was met with much excitement and led to the establishment of new communities with booming economies in previously mostly uninhabited places, such as Richfield, Camerontown and Barkerville.

Though the establishment of these three cities led to a significant increase in commerce, the downside of this was that the boom for the gold rush only lasted about three years. By the time the gold was mostly gone, prospectors left most of the mining communities, leaving their economies in poor shape. Some of these mining communities never recovered.

Despite this, the gold rush allowed for a real infrastructure to be established in British Columbia, which included rivers, bridges, steamboat routes, and an increased government presence.

How would you describe Paul's relationship with his Uncle Oscar in D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner"?

In D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner," Paul is a young boy who has grown up with a mother who is never satisfied with the family's finances. When Paul asks his mother why they are poor (when she describes them as such), she explains:

"Well—I suppose," she said slowly and bitterly, "it's because your father has no luck."

His mother unfairly believes they have no money, not because his dad cannot find a better job, but because they lack good luck. Paul tells his mother that he has luck, but she does not really believe him.

Absorbed, taking no heed of other people, he went about with a sort of stealth, seeking inwardly for luck. He wanted luck, he wanted it, he wanted it.

It is at times like these that Paul rides his wooden horse.

He would sit on his big rocking-horse, charging madly into space, with a frenzy that made the little girls peer at him uneasily. Wildly the horse careened, the waving dark hair of the boy tossed, his eyes had a strange glare in them. 

When he got off the horse, he would demand that it take him where there was luck, and he would hit the rocking-horse with the whip his uncle bought for him. 

One day when he is riding, Paul's mother and Uncle Oscar look on. His mother tells Paul he is too old to ride the horse, but he ignores her. When he finally slides off the horse, he notes that at least he made it to where he was going. His uncle encourages him:

Don't you stop till you get there.

Later, while spending time with Uncle Oscar, Paul mentions the name of his horse when it won a race (though he explains that his horse's name changes). Oscar recognizes the name as an actual winner in a recent horse race. Paul's sister Joan tells Oscar that Paul talks about the races with Bassett, the gardener. Oscar speaks with Bassett, but the other man is reticent to share anything about the races and Paul, and suggests that perhaps Oscar could talk to Paul about it.

Oscar is amazed, and not just a little skeptical, when Paul not only talks of making bets through Bassett with large sums of money, but also tells his uncle who he favors for the next race—and it is obvious that his uncle does not believe Paul's choice will win. Uncle Oscar takes Paul to the races and as the boy foretold, Paul's choice comes in first.

Paul takes the entire situation very seriously—he has already earned 1,500 pounds on the races, and is a partner with Bassett, who places the bets. The reader discovers that Paul sees everything about his success related directly to luck. If the house is ever going to stop "whispering" to Paul about needing more money, he knows he must continue to be lucky and win races. He offers to allow Oscar to join Bassett and him in their partnership:

Only, you'd have to promise. . . uncle, not to let it go beyond us three. Bassett and I are lucky, and you must be lucky, because it was your ten shillings I started winning with.

Bassett, Oscar, and Paul become partners and wait for Paul to come up with the next name. Paul rides his horse furiously, madly, so that the name of the winner will come to him for upcoming race, the Derby.

A day before the race, Paul's mother returns home from a party, and her intuition tells her that something is wrong with Paul. She enters his room, frightened to see him so crazed, as he calls out the name of the next winner, and then collapses.

Oscar and Bassett make their bets as instructed by Paul, but the child is very, very ill. When Bassett comes to report their success, Paul tells his mother than he did it for her, that he was lucky.

But the boy died in the night.

It is Oscar, Paul's uncle and friend, who admonishes Paul's mother.

And even as he lay dead, his mother heard her brother's voice saying to her, "My God, Hester, you're eighty-odd thousand to the good, and a poor devil of a son to the bad. But, poor devil, poor devil, he's best gone out of a life where he rides his rocking-horse to find a winner."

Do you think the old man is trying to trick or cheat Alan in the story "The Chaser" by John Collier? Why or why not?

The old man who sells potions seems to have a very casual attitude about business. He does not seem especially concerned about making money, although he probably makes plenty of money in the long run with his "chaser." He is not at all anxious to sell the "love potion" Alan Austen has come there to buy. Instead of talking about that magic potion, the old man warns Alan about its long-term effects.

"She will want to know all you do," said the old man. "All that has happened to you during the day. Every word of it. She will want to know what you are thinking about, why you smile suddenly, why you are looking sad....How carefully she will look after you! She will never allow you to be tired, to sit in a draught, to neglect your food. If you are an hour late, she will be terrified. She will think you are killed, or that some siren has caught you."

This hardly sounds as if the old man is trying to trick or cheat Alan in the story. As a matter of fact, it seems as if the old man would find it impossible to talk the impetuous young man out of buying the love potion. Money is not a consideration with the seller, since he doesn't make any profit off the love potion but has to look to the future, when the purchaser may become so bored with marriage that he will take the drastic step of buying the "glove cleaner" or "life cleaner," which is an undetectable poison.

It seems impossible to Alan that he should ever want to escape from the loving, clinging attention and affection of his Diana, but the old man has a thoroughly cynical attitude about love and marriage. He knows that many of his first-time clients will come back to him and pay for the antidote to his powerful love potion. When Alan finally asks the price of the wonderful elixir he has come there to buy:

"It is not as dear," said the old man, "as the glove-cleaner, or life-cleaner, as I sometimes call it. No. That is five thousand dollars, never a penny less. One has to be older than you are, to indulge in that sort of thing. One has to save up for it."

"But the love potion?" said Alan.

"Oh, that," said the old man, opening the drawer in the kitchen table, and taking out a tiny, rather dirty-looking phial. "That is just a dollar."

So the old man collects only one dollar, which is not enough to pay for the ingredients in the little bottle. He may or may not collect five thousand dollars from this young customer in the far-distant future, but that is uncertain. The old man can hardly be thinking of tricking or cheating Alan. He has told him everything and given him fair warning.

What is an analysis of "Why Did You Go" by E. E. Cummings?

On the surface, the narrator is speaking to a little kitten who has fallen asleep with its eyes open. But the poem also speaks of spring, and in combination these images reflect Cummings’ interest in the reader’s relation to nature and to the “non-human” elements in the universe that are beyond logical explanation. Nevertheless, the connection, however ineffable, that we have with the rhythms of the universe can only be extracted in the poetic idiom, where words do more than simply signify. A central stanza is the comparison between the two images—kittens and spring:

little kittens who
are called spring,
is what we stroke
maybe asleep?

By comparing these images—kittens are like leaves that open in the rain—Cummings has captured the mysterious connection between Man and the intuitive rhythms of Nature. When recited aloud, this poem evokes the softness of kittens and rain, and gives the poetic equivalent in words. The final stanza then universalizes the Romantic idea that humans have lost their connection to Nature’s presence. (See Wordsworth’s “Intimations of Immortality.”)

In Tuck Everlasting, what suggestion does Jesse make to Winnie?

Jesse offered to have Winnie drink the spring water so she could become immortal when she was seventeen. 

When Jesse first meets Winnie, there seems to be a big age gap between them.  She asks how old he is, and he tells her the truth—he is one hundred and four years old.  She doesn’t believe him, of course, because he looks like a teenager. 

"Well then," he said, "if you must know, I'm seventeen."

"Seventeen?"

"That's right."

"Oh," said Winnie hopelessly. "Seventeen. That's old."

"You have no idea," he agreed with a nod. (Ch. 5) 

Despite the age difference, Winnie and Jesse seem to get along.  Jesse is very lonely for someone close to his age that he can talk to that understands him.  He can’t have friends for long because they would age and he wouldn’t, so he has to keep to himself or keep moving. 

Jesse gets close enough to Winnie that he makes her a rather extraordinary offer. 

But the thing is, you knowing about the water already, and living right next to it so's you could go there any time, well, listen, how'd it be if you was to wait till you're seventeen, same age as me—heck, that's only six years off—and then you could go and drink some, and then you could go away with me! (Ch. 14) 

Making a marriage offer to an eleven-year-old when you are seventeen may seem a little creepy, but from Jesse’s perspective it makes sense.  When is he ever going to have a chance to meet a girl who knows about his secret?  Winnie found out by accident.  Maybe he thinks it is fate.  She already knows about his family.  He thinks if she waits until she is seventeen, they could be a good match. 

Winnie chooses not to drink the water.  At first she doesn’t drink the water Jesse gave her because she tells herself she can always get more.  She still chooses not to.  Eventually, the spring is destroyed and the chance is gone, but she lives and dies a natural life and the Tucks understand.