Why is the play named Julius Caesar and not Marcus Brutus?

Brutus seems to be a much more important character in the play than Julius Caesar. Caesar not only has few appearances in the opening acts, but he is assassinated in Act 3, only halfway through the play. Yet Shakespeare chose to call the play Julius Caesar. No doubt this was because Julius Caesar was one of the greatest names in history, while Brutus was not well known to the general public, including the playgoers of Elizabethan England. Brutus really does seem like a tragic figure. Caesar, in Shakespeare's play, seems like a minor character by comparison. We find it hard to pity Caesar because we hardly get a chance to know him.

On the other hand, the play may not feature Caesar but it is all about Caesar. There is hardly a scene or a page which is not concerned with Caesar. In Act I, Scene 2, we see Cassius and Brutus talking about Julius Caesar. Then they are joined by Casca, and he has a lot to say about Julius Caesar. If you open the play anywhere at random, you will very likely to see that whatever is going on has something to do with Julius Caesar. For example, I open my Pelican Shakespeare of Julius Caesar more or less in the middle--and what do I find? Marc Antony is about to speak at Caesar's funeral on page 67.

When the play opens, a group of working men are honoring Julius Caesar, and two tribunes break them up because these officials are against Caesar. In fact, the whole city of Rome seems to be for or against him. Julius Caesar as a character may not be appearing frequently in the play, but his power, his influence, his ambition, his popularity, his plans for Rome, his secrets, his gravitas, and his will are felt consistently, which is undoubtedly the way Shakespeare planned it. Everything in the play has to do with Julius Caesar. He is so powerful and so important that he hardly even has to make appearances.

In Act III, Scene 1, Marc Antony addresses Caesar's dead body in terms that suggest the unstoppable will of this mighty man.

Over thy wounds now do I prophesy
Which like dumb mouths do ope their ruby lips
To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue,
A curse shall light upon the limbs of men;
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy;
Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects so familiar,
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter'd with the hands of war;
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds,
And Caesar's spirit ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice
Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war,
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

When Cassius and Brutus commit suicide on the battlefield at Philippi, they both acknowledge the omnipotence of Caesar in causing their defeat and their deaths. In Act V, Scene 5, Cassius says:

Caesar, thou art revenged,
Even with the sword that killed thee.

And Brutus says:

Caesar, now be still.
I killed not thee with half so good a will.

Antony and Octavius have won the battle, but they are only fighting Brutus and Cassius over the right to inherit the empire which was virtually the property of Julius Caesar. Octavius becomes one of the triumvirate only because he was Julius Caesar's nephew and his heir. Antony was Caesar's best friend and most loyal follower. 

Shakespeare had a problem writing a play about Julius Caesar. He could not cover all over Caesar's long and eventful life, so he focused on Caesar's assassination and its aftermath. But if Caesar dies, isn't the rest of the play anticlimactic? This was what Shakespeare must have had in mind when he decided to give so much importance to the character of Brutus. Brutus provides a thread to follow from the beginning to the very end. This probably helps to explain why we feel more sympathy for Brutus than for Caesar. But Caesar was a far more important figure. As Cassius says to Brutus early in the play:

Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
To find ourselves dishonorable graves.     Act I, Scene 2

How are the themes of warfare, search for identity, and jealousy used in A Separate Peace by John Knowles?

When the action of the book starts, Gene is a high school student faced with an identity crisis, and he is filled with fear. He writes of that time, "We were in shaky transit that summer from the groveling status of Lower Middlers to the near-respectability of Upper Middlers." Even Gene's status in the school, caught between the youngest kids and the oldest, is unclear. Gene, an intellectual, is unsure of his identity, and he befriends Finny, a popular boy, in part to cover up for his own insecurities and to feel less afraid. 

Part of Gene's fear has to do with the war, as the book's action starts in 1942, during World War II. He says:

"The class above, seniors, draft-bait, practically soldiers, rushed ahead of us toward the war. They were caught up in accelerated courses and first-aid programs and a physical hardening regimen."

While Gene and his classmates are still "numbly reading Virgil," students just a bit older than them are preparing to enter the war and to leap into the unknown, worsening Gene's fears. 

While Gene admires Finny, he is also jealous of his friend's ability to get away with behavior none of the other boys would dare exhibit. For example, when Finny wears a bright pink shirt, the teachers only find it funny, not punishable. Gene thinks:

"I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn’t help envying him that a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying even your best friend a little."

Gene's insecurity and confused identity, worsened by the coming war, makes him more and more jealous of Finny until he decides to deliberately shake the branch of the tree on which Finny is climbing. 

What effect did World War II have on the political dispensation of America?

World War II affected American politics in complex ways. For one thing, it essentially ended the strong isolationist strain in American politics, relegating it to the fringes of the American political spectrum. The war, along with the Great Depression, also created what has often been called a "liberal consensus" that the government had a major role to play in the economic well-being of its citizens. Most Democrats and even most Republicans supported such programs as the GI Bill and others that promoted economic expansion. The war also created increasing momentum for civil rights for African-Americans, who served with distinction in the armed forces and achieved significant economic gains at home. Finally, the end of the war brought about the Cold War, which altered the landscape of American politics in profound ways. The nation was put on an anti-communist footing after World War II, a condition that led many Americans to accept and even embrace the rapid expansion of the American military, the development of increasingly destructive weapons, and the emergence of what President Dwight Eisenhower, speaking in 1960, called the "military-industrial complex." These are just a few of the complex and often contradictory changes in postwar American politics.

Discuss the term "industrialization before industrialization" or the phase of "proto-industrialization" and examine the problems faced by the...

"Proto-industrialization" is a term historians use to describe the phase of economic production between feudalism and capitalism. During this phase, there were no machine-based factories; instead, rural populations produced goods in their own houses in a system referred to as "putting out." In this system, merchant capitalists provided capital and goods, and workers finished crafts or products in their own houses, generally according to their schedules. Some of the workers were farmers who produced crafts or other goods during the times they were not working on their farms, while other workers were not farmers and relied on surrounding areas for their food. Women and children gained access to money that did not come from their work on farms, and many workers became specialized in their crafts. Merchants were able to accumulate capital, facilitating the growth of full-scale industrialization. The problem faced by merchants during this time was that when there was an increased demand for products in the market, the peasants working to produce the goods could not always meet this demand. The merchants found it difficult to encourage workers to produce more goods to meet demand.

What does Miss Kinnian do to help Charlie in Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes?

In Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, Miss Kinnian does much to help Charlie. She is his teacher at a school for adults with learning disabilities, and she sees his potential. Though he has a very low IQ, he has a lot of motivation to learn. Charlie had found the school himself and had the desire to follow through.

Because of this, Miss Kinnian recommends Charlie for the surgery in Dr. Strauss' and Dr. Nemur's experiment. After Charlie has the operation, Miss Kinnian continues to work with Charlie and to encourage him along the way. At some point Charlie surpasses her, and she sees it coming before Charlie does. Miss Kinnian says,

"'I can only see a little bit of that, Charlie, and I won't go much higher than I am now, but you'll keep climbing up and up, and see more and more, and each step will open new worlds that you never even knew existed'" (Keyes 22).

Miss Kinnian helps Charlie throughout, but when she realizes he is going to lose everything he worked for, she is very upset. Later, Charlie shows back up at her class because he has completely regressed, and Miss Kinnian runs out of the room crying.

In Macbeth, is Macbeth a victim or aggressor?

Both.  It does seem as though, in the beginning, the Weird Sisters plan to manipulate Macbeth.  When they meet in Act 1, scene 1, they chant, "Fair is foul and foul is fair / Hover through the fog and filthy air" (1.1.12-13).  They appear to imply that they are going to make good things seem bad and bad things seem good, and this is designed to trick Macbeth into believing that something is good when it will really lead to his ruin.  In this sense, then, he is a victim.

On the other hand, once Macbeth's terrible ambition is sparked by the Weird Sisters' "prophecies," he becomes an aggressor.  He not only murders the king, Duncan, but he also plans the murder of his former best friend, Banquo, as well as Banquo's young son, and Macduff's innocent wife, children, and servants.  Once Macbeth starts on his path of destruction, he continues to become worse and worse, changing from a somewhat sympathetic figure to an awful and ruthless tyrant. 

Calculate the mass of 2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 molecules of aspirin.

Aspirin has a chemical formula of C9H8O4. We can calculate its molar mass by accounting for all the atoms of different elements that are there. In other words,

Molar mass of aspirin = number of carbon atoms x atomic mass of carbon + number of hydrogen atoms x atomic mas of hydrogen + number of oxygen atoms x atomic mass of oxygen 

= 9 x 12 + 8 x 1 + 4 x 16 = 180 g.

A mole of a substance has an Avogadro's number of molecules, which is equal to 6.023 x 10^23 molecules.

In this case, we have 2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 molecules or 2 x 10^24 molecules. 

Thus, the moles of aspirin are:

moles = number of molecules / Avogadro's number 

= 2 x 10^24 / (6.023 x 10^23) = 3.321 moles.

Since the molar mass is 180 g, the given number of molecules will be contained in

3.321 moles x 180 g/mole = 597.8 g.

Thus, 597.8 g of aspirin will contain the given number of molecules.

Hope this helps. 

In the 1870s, how did Reconstruction end?

After the Civil War ended, the South needed to be rebuilt or reconstructed. There was a great deal of damage done in the South.

There were several plans developed to deal with how the South should be rebuilt. The plan that was followed was a harsh plan developed by the Radical Republicans in Congress. This plan involved dividing the South into five military districts. African-Americans also received more freedoms and rights. The southern states had to write new constitutions that abolished slavery and approved the Fourteenth Amendment.

In the election of 1876, there were disputed results in four states, which totaled twenty electoral votes. Since Samuel Tilden led Rutherford B. Hayes by nineteen electoral votes, the disputed results needed to be resolved. Congress created an independent commission to resolve the issue. The commission consisted of seven Democrats, seven Republicans, and one independent person. When the independent person chose not to serve and was replaced by a Republican, the Democrats threaten to block any results regarding the counting of the votes in the disputed states.

This led to the Compromise of 1877. The Democrats agreed to allow Hayes to become President. They also agreed to respect the rights the African-Americans had gained. In return, the Radical Republicans would remove the military from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction. This would allow the white southerners from the Democratic Party to control politics in the South. President Hayes agreed to have a southerner in his cabinet and agreed to support the building of a transcontinental railroad through the South. The Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction.

What is a problem and solution in Number the Stars by Lois Lowry?

One problem is that the Rosens are Jewish, and the solution is for Henrik to smuggle them to Sweden.

The story is set during World War II in Denmark.  Denmark is a very small country, so it could not do much to stop the Nazi occupation.  This did not mean that Denmark did not fight back.  The Resistance helped get Jewish people to safety so they would not be captured by the Nazis and sent to concentration camps or killed.

Annemarie’s friend Ellen is Jewish.  Annemarie is old enough to understand that the Nazis are targeting Jews, and that soon it will not be safe to be Jewish in Denmark.  She is aware that Sweden is still free, and that Ellen has to get to Sweden to be safe. 

"Oh, Ellen," she went on. "You will love it there. It is where my grandparents lived, where Mama and Uncle Henrik grew up. It is so beautiful—right on the water. You can stand at the edge of the meadow and look across to Sweden!" (Ch. 6) 

Although everyone is affected by the war, Annemarie is aware that the situation is more serious for Jews.  She only vaguely understands the movements of the Resistance.  Uncle Henrik and her father talk about fishing, and he says that her mother is going to bring Henrik cigarettes.  Annemarie knows there are no cigarettes, and it is Ellen that her mother is going to bring.  Henrik will smuggle her to Sweden. 

For Annemarie, the knowledge that her friend in danger is confusing and depressing. 

Annemarie felt a surge of sadness; the bond of their friendship had not broken, but it was as if Ellen had moved now into a different world, the world of her own family and whatever lay ahead for them. (Ch. 10) 

She doesn’t fully comprehend how Ellen and the Rosens will be rescued at first.  However, she does contribute to the Resistance effort by playing messenger, because she is young and no one will suspect her.  Annemarie learns that she can be brave because she has to be.

Why did the U.S. become involved in the conflict in Indochina?

The short answer to this question is that policy leaders in the United States feared the spread of communism. Operating under a concept often described as the "domino theory," they thought that if Indochina, and after the overthrow of French colonialists South Vietnam, fell under communist control, the path to communist dominance in places like Thailand, Indonesia, and even India would be opened. The United States initially supported France in its struggle against the independence movement in Indochina, and when the newly-free nation was divided by the Geneva Accords, the support for anti-communist South Vietnam against communist insurgents backed by communist North Vietnam continued in the form of military "advisers" sent by the Eisenhower and Kennedy Administrations. But the struggle against communism faltered, and when the US-backed South Vietnamese leader Ngo Dinh Diem was overthrown and assassination (with some US complicity) the country descended into civil war. The true military buildup began in 1964, when an attack on American destroyers off the coast of North Vietnam became a pretext for the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which authorized President Lyndon Johnson to use whatever force he deemed necessary against North Vietnam. Johnson authorized a bombing campaign, and when Vietcong forces attacked American airbases, he began a steady military buildup that poured American troops into the conflict. By 1965-66, the United States was fully committed to the conflict.

In Silent Spring, Carson describes the kitchen and the garden as poisoned places. What particular implications do these observations have for...

The impacts of poison in the kitchen and garden are more focused toward women, at least in the home setting. Silent Spring was published in 1962, when women usually worked in kitchens, gardens, and the home. Few were allowed to work or seek a higher education. As a result, women prepared almost all meals and took care of the front and back garden.

At work, however, these issues would affect primarily men. Almost all farm workers were men, and as such were exposed to much higher doses of chemicals than most housewives. Being a chef was also a male-dominated career, and these workers were exposed to more concentrations of chemicals than women preparing meals for their families.

While I have never met or talked with Carson, I would assume she was more aware of the effects on women than the effects on men, as she was a women and was more attuned to dealing with issues affecting her gender. Also, although the men working in the farming and cooking industries were significantly affected by the chemicals Carson discussed, they proportionally affected more women because most men did not work as farmers or cooks.

Is Hamlet going crazy?

There is no good reason to think that Hamlet is actually going crazy. After his meeting with the Ghost, he tells Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo that he plans to act mentally unbalanced and gets them to swear to keep his intended behavior, as well as his meeting with the Ghost, strictly secret. 

But come!
Here, as before, never, so help you mercy,
How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself—
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on—
That you, at such times seeing me, never shall,
With arms encumber'd thus, or this head-shake,
Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase,
As “Well, well, we know,” or “We could, an if we would,”
Or “If we list to speak” or “There be, an if they might,”
Or such ambiguous giving out, to note
That you know aught of me; this is not to do,
So grace and mercy at your most need help you,
Swear.                                                  I.5

Then in Act III, Scene 4, when he is having his violent confrontation with his mother, he tells her:

It is not madness
That I have utt'red. Bring me to the test,
And I the matter will reword; which madness
Would gambol from. 

And a little later when she asks him what he wants her to do, he says:

Not this, by no means, that I bid you do:
Let the bloat King tempt you again to bed;
Pinch wanton on your cheek; call you his mouse;
And let him, for a pair of reechy kisses,
Or paddling in your neck with his damn'd fingers,
Make you to ravel all this matter out,
That I essentially am not in madness,
But mad in craft.

Hamlet ought to know whether he is mad or not. Where is there a clear instance in which he definitely seems mad and not faking? When he runs away from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern pretending that they are playing a game like Hide and Seek, he is obviously only acting mad. The same is true when he is talking to Claudius in Act IV, Scene 3. The fact that he killed Polonius is no proof of madness. He thought he had walked into a trap and that he was in imminent danger of being captured by the palace guards and thrown into a dungeon. At that time he suspected that his mother had been involved in the death of his father and was now scheming with Claudius against her own son. He has his mother crying for help in front of him and someone in hiding, possibly Claudius himself, crying for help behind him. His mother believes he is mad and that he intends to kill her, but he doesn't understand that she fears for her life when he grabs her wrist and says:

Come, come, and sit you down. You shall not budge.
You go not till I set you up a glass
Where you may see the inmost part of you.

She takes his metaphor literally. She thinks he means to cut her open with his sword and make her look at her own intestines as she bleeds to death. His pretended madness has backfired on him. She calls for the guards. Polonius calls for the guards. Hamlet thinks he has been set up--that his mother has summoned him to her chambers in order to have him apprehended by Claudius's guards, perhaps even executed on the charge that he tried to kill her. 

Hamlet insists that he is completely sane, and there is no clear-cut evidence that he is not. His behavior at the play-within-a-play seems somewhat crazy, but he has told Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo that he plans to act crazy in the future. He acts crazy with Claudius, Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern, but all of it can be interpreted as pure pretense. If Hamlet is truly mad, then it seems strange that he could also be acting mad. How would we know when he might be only acting sane?

`f(x,y) = 2ln(x/y)` Determine whether the function is homogenous and if it is, determine its degree

A function `f(x, y)` is called homogenous (homogeneous) of degree `n,` if for any `x,` `y` we have `f(tx, ty) = t^n f(x, y).`

The given function is homogenous of degree 0, because

`f(tx, ty) = 2ln((tx)/(ty)) = 2ln(x/y) = f(x, y) = t^0 f(x,y).`

The difficulty is that this function is not defined for all `x` and `y.` The above equality is true for all `x` and `y` for which it has sense.

What are some examples from the text that show how power is used in Fahrenheit 451?

In Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, the amount of power that a person possesses is based on a combination of two things: individual depth of knowledge about the issues and the person's position of influence. For example, Captain Beatty is knowledgeable because he is a well-read, highly-skilled fireman who has his position as captain to make him powerful. Not only does he have knowledge that other people don't have, but he also has the authority to enforce the government's agenda. When Montag asks what happens to a fireman who happens to take a book from a fire scene, Captain Beatty demonstrates his power by making threats in a polite, professional tone as follows:

We don't get overanxious or mad. We let the fireman keep the book twenty-four hours. If he hasn't burned it by then, we simply come burn it for him (62).

Even though Captain Beatty sounds objective in the above quote, he is threatening Montag. If Montag does not burn the book, Captain Beatty will burn down his house. Needless to say, Beatty can back up any threat he gives because he has the knowledge, authority, and power to do so.

Another way that power is used in the society of Fahrenheit 451 is to control the population's mindset through government-controlled public education. For example, when Montag asks how a girl like Clarisse can escape the clutches of society's system of brainwashing, Captain Beatty responds with the following:

Heredity and environment are funny things. You can't rid yourselves of all the odd ducks in just a few years. The home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school. That's why we've lowered the kindergarten age year after year until now we're almost snatching them from the cradle (60).

By lowering the age that kids start going to school, the government can reach into children's brains earlier to counter anything that they might learn at home.

The Mechanical Hound is another way the government controls people and demonstrates power. A person's chemical makeup can be entered into the Hound's database, which gives it an increased advantage when hunting down criminals. Not only does the Hound's existence represent the power of the government to enforce the law, but it is also used to demonstrate its ability to make examples out of people. For instance, when the Mechanical Hound cannot find Montag during its hunt, the authorities turn it on another man. This keeps people thinking that no one can escape the Hound, and it serves as a way to flex its political and powerful muscles of intimidation. Granger explains the use of the Hound as he and Montag watch the end of the chase as follows:

They're faking. You threw them off at the river. They can't admit it. They know they can hold their audience only so long. The show's got to have a snap ending, quick! . . . So they're sniffing for a scapegoat to end things with a bang. Watch (148).

Granger brings up one more example of power that the government uses to control the populace—the power of mass media, entertainment, and distraction. If no one likes to read, and if reading is illegal, then people turn to television and radio to keep them entertained and happy. If people are happy watching television all day and driving their cars too fast all night, then they won't become upset with political issues. Captain Beatty explains in the following passage:

It didn't come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship, to start with, no! Technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick, thank God. Today, thanks to them, you can stay happy all the time. . . People want to be happy, isn't that right? . . . Don't we keep them moving, don't we give them fun? That's all we live for isn't it? For pleasure, for titillation? And you must admit our culture provides plenty of these (58-59).

From what Beatty says, a hedonist culture has taken over the lives and thoughts of everyone in society. As a result, the government only steps in to control the "odd ducks" and largely keeps society moving without much controversy. Still, the government keeps men like Captain Beatty in power to enforce the laws, creates killing machines like the Mechanical Hounds to intimidate and kill criminals, and makes technology and entertainment readily available in order to stay in power and keep control of society.

What are some major events in Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin?

Some major events in Black Like Me include the following:

• George Levitan, the publisher of Sepia magazine, gives Griffin money to conduct his research on what it's like to be a black man in the south (page 3).


• Griffin, the author, looks in the mirror and does not recognize himself with his dermatologically darkened skin (page 11).


• Griffin goes out in New Orleans as a black man (page 12).


• Griffin decides to work with the shoeshine man in New Orleans, who knows Griffin is really a white man from the hairs on his hands (page 23).


• The author visits his friend, P.D. East (page 73), a white writer and newspaper man who is sympathetic to Griffin.


• The author arrives in Biloxi, Mississippi (page 83).


• The author goes to Mobile, Alabama (page 96) and then hitchhikes to Montgomery, Alabama (page 102). He stays in a backwoods shack with a black family (page 108). 


• The author finds a spirit of hopefulness in Montgomery (page 120), where Martin Luther King had been preaching. 


• The author returns to being white (122) and then returns to have dermatologically darkened skin (page 126) and heads to Atlanta (page 132).


• The author visits a Trappist monastery (page 135).


• The author returns to New Orleans (page 145) and then returns home to his family in Texas (page 147).


• The author is interviewed on a TV show that is aired about his work (page 149). He appears on several other TV shows and in several articles, provoking a negative response in his hometown and the environs. He is hanged in effigy (page 159), but he also receives many positive letters, even from the south. 


• The author decides to move to Mexico in response to the hatred he has received; his parents have already moved (page 162).

What role did the United States play in the world picture during the Cold War, and how did this role manifest itself domestically and internationally?

The Cold War was an ideological clash between democratic capitalism and socialism. Each side had a large nation which took the role of figurehead; the United States served as the figurehead for democratic capitalism, as did the Soviet Union for socialism. This role pervaded both international and domestic affairs.

Internationally, the United States did much to promote global democracy. Both the Korean and Vietnam wars were fought to prevent the spread of socialism into new nations, and the U.S. provided copious amounts of foreign aid to democratic nations at risk of converting to socialism.

Domestically, the United States sought to remain pure from socialism. During the "Red Scare," Congress investigated potential infiltration of the U.S. government and prosecuted numerous people it believed were communist sympathizers. The government also pressured the American film industry to produce films which opposed socialism. One example I watched recently is The 300 Spartans, which overtly portrays the war between Greece and Persia as a war between freedom and slavery. The inference, of course, was that the Greek fight for freedom was like the American fight for democracy and that socialism was slavery.

Why did Dill run away from home back to Maycomb?

Dill is a storyteller. When Scout finds him underneath her bed in chapter 14, he first tells her that he left Meridian because his step-father chained him up in the basement and left him to die. Once he pulled himself free from the chains, he left and found a small animal show where he was retained to wash a camel. When he came near Maycomb, he walked over and hid under Scout's bed. The real story, though, is that he took thirteen dollars from his mom's purse and took a train for most of the way. He walked about ten miles and hopped the back of a cotton wagon, too.

When Scout and Dill get some time alone away from adults, she asks him why he left his home. Dill had told her the previous summer that he and his new dad were going to build a boat together and things were happy. Unfortunately, Dill said that the boat never got built, but that his dad had only mentioned it. The fact is, Dill felt neglected. His mother seemed to be more interested in her new husband rather than Dill. The couple would go out on dates for a really long time and leave him all alone at home. Or, his parents would lock themselves in their room and not come out. Dill even feels like his parents are happier without him there, so he left. He decided to go to Maycomb where he would feel accepted and loved--not neglected like at home with his mother.

What are the effects of Robert Walton's epistolary frame story?

By having Captain Walton provide the narrative frame for Victor Frankenstein's story, the reader has the opportunity to see the shattered Victor through someone else's eyes.  We can truly see the tragic effects of his incredible pride when we see Victor from Walton's sympathetic perspective.  It might be tempting for us to villainize Victor utterly, but Walton's characterization of him as an almost divine being of sorts helps to soften our judgment. 

Further, we are able to see the way in which Victor reflects on the story's events at their conclusion. The fact that he is unable to learn from his mistakes is key. He claims to have been reflecting on his past conduct and he does not find it "blameable," as he tells Walton. His pride, even now, renders him a tragic figure because he never really realizes the full extent of his responsibility. 

However, readers do get to see how Walton responds to having heard Victor's story. When his crew approaches him with a request to return home, their mission unaccomplished, he feels that he cannot take their lives into his hands if they are unwilling. In this way, then, he has learned from Victor not to jeopardize others in order to fulfill his own ambitions. His ability to take this lesson away throws into greater relief the fact that Victor never does.

What were the symbols of God's wrath in "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"?

Jonathan Edwards uses many symbols in this 1741 sermon to express the extremity of God's wrath for those unfortunate souls who will, according to Edwards, suffer eternally unless they reform themselves quickly. Edwards relies, in part, on natural elements to symbolize and put into layman's terms the experience of God's anger. Below are six quoted examples from the sermon.

1. "the glowing Flames of the Wrath of God"


2. "black Clouds of God’s Wrath now hanging directly over your Heads"


3. "his rough Wind"


4. "like great Waters that are dammed for the present"


5. "fiery Floods of the Fierceness and Wrath of God"


6. "The Bow of God’s Wrath is bent"

The people living in New England in the 1700s lived very close to the natural world. Flames, black clouds, rough winds, and floodwaters were all destructive forces that could imperil earthly lives, and so Edwards chooses these phenomena to speak in terms that people could understand as terrifying and destructive when thinking of their afterlives. The final example, the bow, would have been a familiar and deadly weapon to a group of people who could easily imagine one wielded by an angry God.

How has Nien Cheng's Life and Death in Shanghai helped us to understand China during the Culture Revolution?

Nien Cheng's memoir of life in her native China during the tumultuous period of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution has a great deal to teach about that period of time in China. The "death" in the title Life and Death in Shanghai does not, obviously, refer to the author, as Cheng survived her ordeal. It does, however, refer to her daughter, who did not survive, a victim of Mao's brutal policies and the destruction the dictator inflicted on his own nation.

The Cultural Revolution was one of Mao's more spectacular and physically and emotionally devastating efforts at protecting his position atop the Communist Party while securing the "gains" of his revolution—a continuous process that would end only with his death. Cheng's memoir is a good, first-person narrative of the ordeals faced by those deemed to be enemies of the Revolution and the Party. The soul of Life and Death in Shanghai is Cheng's description of her relentless interrogation by Red Guards and other revolutionaries, a process intended to self-implicate those already judged guilty. During the manifestly unjust proceedings to which she was subjected, she recalls a young girl shouting at her in an effort at sparing the author a fate to which thousands had already been condemned: "Confess! Confess quickly! They are going to take you to prison!"

Cheng had nothing to confess, and refused to play the regime's game. The price she paid were years in solitary confinement, with beatings and subhuman conditions a daily reality. As a microcosm of the excesses of the Cultural Revolution, Cheng's memoir serves to illuminate the horrendous conditions under which millions existed for the benefit of one dictator. Life and Death in Shanghai teaches us a lot about what China was like during the Cultural Revolution, and it was all bad.

How does the theme "accepting others for who they are" appear in the book A Separate Peace?

In chapter 4 of A Separate Peace, Phineas and Gene argue about their differences rather than embracing them. The argument arises when Phineas wants Gene to stop studying and go for a swim with him. Gene already feels jealous of Finny's charisma and athleticism, so he feels burdened to have to always do what Phineas wants to do. It seems as though Phineas is jealous of Gene's academic achievements and Gene is jealous of Finny's athletic ones. If they simply had accepted each other for who they are, they could have avoided the next scene where Gene jounces his friend out of the tree and breaks Finny's leg. Because of this tragic incident, Phineas loses the ability to be an athlete and they both must accept the reasons behind the accident--an unaccepting nature and jealousy. 

Gene admits responsibility for breaking Finny's leg in chapter 5, but Phineas can't accept that his best friend would do something like that on purpose. As a result, they both live in denial about Gene having been ugly to his friend and Finny being forced completely out of sports, and out of the war, forever. It isn't until Phineas breaks his leg again in chapter 11 that the boys are forced to accept each other and themselves completely. For example, once Phineas breaks his leg for the second time, it is closer to the end of his senior year and the time when he would be allowed to enlist in the military. This second break drives home the reality in Finny's mind that he is too injured to go fight in the war--something he really wanted to do. Then for Gene, the second break allows him to revisit his responsibility for the first break with his friend. He and Finny both have to accept the ugliness Gene felt inside that forced him to jounce the limb like he did. Finny says the following about Gene's state of mind at the time:

"It was just some kind of blind impulse you had in the tree there, you didn't know what you were doing. Was that it?" (191).

Gene claims that Phineas analyzed the situation correctly, but that he is also very sorry about it all. Phineas shows a merciful and generous nature by forgiving Gene for breaking his leg. As a result of this final conversation between the boys, they are each able to accept each other as well as themselves for the mistakes. It is alway so much better to accept others (and ourselves) for who they are; otherwise, we are bound to make mistakes and presumptions that cause everyone unnecessary drama.

“The look in his eyes, as they stared into mine, has never left me.” What does that mean?

This happens at the very end of the story, when the narrator is finally looking at himself in a mirror. This is after he's been rescued, but he's recently spent two weeks with a serious illness--and now he looks like a corpse.

So, that quote means that he will never forget what he looked like when he first took a glimpse of himself after surviving the horrors of the Holocaust as well as his own long illness. In other words, the image of himself as a haunted and emaciated (deathly skinny) version of who he once was will never leave his mind for as long as he lives.

Further, take a look at how the narrator is separating himself from his reflection here: he calls the eyes in his reflection "his eyes" (not "my eyes") which presents them as if they belong to someone else. This means that the quote also reveals how Eliezer has become a completely different person because of his experiences. He may even feel as if he is two separate people at once: both the damaged man in the mirror as well as his own real self trapped inside that suffering being.

How can it be ensured that individual rights are protected against government intrusion?

There are a few different ways to protect individual rights against government intrusion.  Let us look at three of them.

First, we can protect individual rights by clearly stating what rights the people have that the government cannot take away.  The US Constitution does this, particularly in the Bill of Rights.  The Constitution proper protects Americans from being held without charge (right to writs of habeas corpus) or from having the government make laws (ex post facto laws) that criminalize actions that they took before the law was passed.  However, it was the Bill of Rights that really laid out rights that the government could not infringe upon.  The Bill of Rights specifically guarantees that the government (it now applies to both national and state governments) cannot take away our freedom of speech or religion.  It says government cannot search our homes or our persons without warrants.  It protects our right to carry firearms.  By specifically making rules that say the government cannot do these things, we protect our individual rights.

But what if the government wants to ignore these rights?  One way to guard against this is to create a system of separation of powers and checks and balances that makes it harder for the government to do things.  If you feel that gun control infringes on your right to bear arms, you should be happy that we have a system of checks and balances where Congress can reject President Obama’s gun control proposals.  If you feel that Donald Trump’s proposals to crack down on Muslims violates freedom of religion, you should take comfort in the idea that the Supreme Court (or Congress) would probably reject such actions.  When we divide up the government’s powers, we make it much harder for the government to act in ways that would take away our rights.

Finally, and most importantly, we must protect our individual rights by caring about them.  In a democratic system, the ultimate guardian of rights is the people.  If we believe that gun rights are important, we need to make our voices heard and elect pro-gun and punish anti-gun leaders.  If we believe in gay rights, we need to vote for leaders who support gay rights and vote against those who try to curtail such rights.  If we, the people, do not care about our rights, the government can take them away.  We can never set up a system that will absolutely prevent the government from intruding on our rights.  We have to remain vigilant and use our power of popular sovereignty to prevent government intrusions.

What does the village physician most likely represent in The Minister's Black Veil?

The village physician seems to represent the voice of empirical reason and rationality.  Physicians deal with the tangible, what can be seen with the eyes and touched with the hands, but the minister is dealing with an issue that cannot be understood or helped in the same way that a doctor can assist someone with a physical ailment.  Mr. Hooper's illness is a spiritual one.  We cannot, then, expect the doctor (as a symbol) to understand the minister's spiritual illness.

The doctor says,

Something must surely be amiss with Mr. Hooper's intellects [...]. But the strangest part of the affair is the effect of this vagary, even on a sober-minded man like myself.  The black veil, though it covers only our pastor's face, throws its influence over his whole person, and makes him ghostlike from head to foot.

He, thus, identifies himself as a "sober-minded man" who one would not expect to be affected by this veil in any kind of irrational or fanciful way, and, yet, he is.  He feels as though the minister has become "ghostlike" as a result of covering his face.  As the town's voice of reason then, it should strike us as unusual that the doctor, a man of science, is so affected.  The effects of the veil are so extreme that they even bother a man like this (it doesn't just bother the old or the young, or the superstitious, for example).

Why does Pip keep his promise with the convict in Great Expectations?

This is a question that would naturally occur to an intelligent reader. Why doesn't Pip promise the convict everything he asks for and then go straight home and report the incident to his family, particularly to his good friend and protector Joe Gargary? The reason can only be that the ten-year-old boy is so thoroughly terrified that he doesn't dare to think of double-crossing the convict. Pip has also sworn an oath.

I said that I would get him the file, and I would get him what broken bits of food I could, and I would come to him at the Battery, early in the morning.

“Say, Lord strike you dead if you don't!” said the man.

I said so, and he took me down.

So Pip is not only afraid of the two escaped convicts, but afraid of the Lord as well. Dickens knew that his whole long novel depended on Pip's keeping his promise and bringing the convict the food and the file the next morning. It was because of this that the convict, Abel Magwitch, would send money to make Pip a gentleman after he became a wealthy man in Australia. So Dickens stresses both that Pip is badly frightened and that he is highly sensitive and impressionable. The author attributes Pip's vulnerability to the harsh and unjust treatment he has received from his sister during his years of being brought up "by hand." In Chapter VIII Pip tells the reader:

My sister's bringing up had made me sensitive....Through all my punishments, disgraces, fasts and vigils, and other penitential performances, I had nursed this assurance; and to my communing so much with it, in a solitary and unprotected way, I in great part refer the fact that I was morally timid and very sensitive.

It is because the little boy is so thoroughly intimidated that in Chapter III he brings Magwitch more than he actually promised. Pip's generosity symbolizes his fear. Along with some other tidbits, he brings him about a half-bottle of brandy and a whole pork pie. To the hungry, shivering, frightened convict this must seem like a feast out of the Arabian Nights. Pip's terror is therefore directly responsible for Magwitch's undying gratitude. Years later when he comes to see Pip in the wonderful Chapter 39, he shows the gratitude which Pip knows he did not deserve.

He came back to where I stood, and again held out both his hands. Not knowing what to do—for, in my astonishment I had lost my self-possession—I reluctantly gave him my hands. He grasped them heartily, raised them to his lips, kissed them, and still held them.

“You acted nobly, my boy,” said he. “Noble Pip! And I have never forgot it!”

In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, how is Ezeudu's son killed during the funeral?

Ezeudu's son is killed during the funeral from an accidental firing of a gun. It is Okonkwo's gun that goes off unexpectedly, lodging "a piece of iron" in the poor boy's heart.

This happens in Chapter 13. Ezeudu's funeral merits a grand celebration, since he was such a respected man in the community. The narrator explains that he was the oldest man in the entire village, as well as a noble warrior, and one of the very few of them who had ever claimed three of the four available titles. So his funeral involves loud drums, clanging machetes, and both gunfire and cannon fire at his funeral. 

Toward the end of the ceremony, as darkness is approaching and the celebrations are reaching a fever pitch, there is dancing, the salute of guns, and the firing of the cannon. The narrator describes all this cacophony as a kind of "delicious fury."

But then the fury turns to shock and horror as Ezeudu's son, a boy of only sixteen years old, is struck by the bullet from Okonkwo's gun, which had "exploded" accidentally.

Can someone please name 5 different meteorological instruments?

A barometer measures atmospheric pressure, which is the amount of weight with which the atmosphere is pressing down on a given location of water or land. An anemometer measures wind speed as well as the direction in which the wind is blowing, while a hydrometer measures relative humidity, which is the amount of moisture present in the air. A pyranometer measures the amount of solar radiation at a given location, and this is helpful for indicating how quickly one might expect to get a sunburn, and how harmful the amount of solar radiation is at a given time. People use pyranometers to measure the UV index, among other things. Devices called rain gauges are used to measure how much rain is falling in a given location.

These are some pretty basic meteorological tools. More complex instruments which are engaged in remote sensing include weather satellites, as well as radar and lidar. Satellites take photographs of earth's atmosphere from great heights (from outer space) and mostly measure cloud cover and wind. Radar is good for collecting information about the types and amount of precipitation present in various locations (snow, hail, rain) and for measuring the characteristics (speed, direction, patterns) of wind currents. A lidar is basically a radar for measuring light, but it is also very good at creating detailed, three dimensional maps that give granular views of various topography.

What would be some strong theses for Jane Eyre, and the character of Helen Burns?

Helen is a great character. Any thesis you would make about her would necessarily have to place her in the context of a larger reading of the novel. This isn’t as hard as it might sound – here are six possible ways to go (there are many others):

• 
  Jane Eyre as Bildungsroman (or novel of education): in this context, you could argue that Helen is Jane’s most influential teacher; the lessons Helen teaches about forbearance, humility, and forgiveness allow Jane to form a relationship with Rochester and ultimately become his wife.


• 
  Jane Eyre as religious novel: Helen is a kind of spiritual antithesis to Mr Brocklehurst. Her ability to endure constant humiliation is an expression of true Christian piety, one that also stands in contrast to the overbearing religion of St John. As such, Helen comes to represent an alternate, essentially feminist, kind of faith.


• 
  Jane Eyre as feminist novel: Helen can be seen to represent a person of very great gifts of imagination and intellect that the male-dominated institution she is part of tries at every opportunity to stamp out. Her ability to resist this humiliation, to find solace in reading and the imagination, and to bring together like-minded friends (Jane and Miss Temple), is an attempt to define a uniquely feminist response to patriarchal power, one we see Jane adopt for her own uses later in the book.


• 
  Jane Eyre and “queer” reading: Helen is Jane’s first lover, if not in a physical sense, then in an emotional sense. Their “sisterhood,” and Helen’s “doctrine” of the “equality of souls,” forms a baseline for Jane’s later relationships with Rochester and St John.


• 
  Jane Eyre and civil disobedience: Helen “Burns” with a passion to assert her individuality. Her humility and acquiescence in the face of unjust treatment is a kind of non-violent civil disobedience and a silent indictment of the hypocrisy of Lowood and Mr Brocklehurst.


• 
  Helen as angel: Helen can be discussed within the context of Bronte’s larger ideas of “heaven” and “hell” as represented in the book; Helen and Jane’s tea with Miss Temple can be cast as a representation of heaven, while St John’s attempt to persuade Jane to become his wife is akin to being tempted by the devil.

Of course, any paper developed out of one of these theses would need to examine the text closely, and use textual evidence to support the reading.

How did the U.S. affect East Asia in the 1800’s and 1900’s?

The US has had very different effects on East Asia at various points in the two hundred years that this question spans.  These effects have been felt through both trade and war.

The US started to impact East Asia in the mid-1800s.  At the time of the first Opium War, in the 1840s, the US (with British help) forced China to grant it special privileges within China.  The US was to have trade privileges in China and its citizens were exempt from Chinese laws.  Not long afterwards, the US had a major impact on the other main power in East Asia, Japan.  In 1853, American warships forced Japan to open itself to foreign trade.  For the rest of the century, the US mainly impacted East Asia through its trade.  Trade exposed East Asians to ideas from the US and Europe, changing the cultures of East Asian countries to some degree.

American trade with East Asia continued to affect the region throughout much of the 20th century.  This is particularly true of Japan, which was heavily influenced by American culture in the pre-WWII 1900s.  Japanese started to wear Western clothes and enjoy American music.  They started to play baseball.  They watched American movies.  Many English words entered the Japanese language.  This trend towards Westernization broke for a while during WWII, but then continued through much of the 20th century.

The US also affected East Asia militarily, mostly during WWII and the Cold War.  The US, of course, devastated Japan with bombing raids towards the end of WWII.  It then used its military might to impose a new constitution on Japan and to occupy the country for a few years after the war ended.  The US impacted Korea by dividing the country with the Soviet Union and then by fighting a war there.

After WWII, the US has mainly impacted East Asia as a trading partner.  US trade helped both Japan and South Korea boom in the post-war era.  At the very end of the 20th century, trade was starting to help China rise to greater wealth.  As the US has traded with these countries, it has created a complex relationship with them where the US impacts the Asian countries culturally and intellectually while running trade deficits with them and boosting their economies.

In these ways and many others, the US deeply affected East Asia during the two centuries that you mention here.

`int (x-2) / ((x+1)^2 + 4) dx` Find the indefinite integral

We have to evaluate the integral:`\int \frac{x-2}{(x+1)^2+4}dx`

Let `x+1=u`

So, `dx=du`

Hence we have,

`\int \frac{x-2}{(x+1)^2+4}dx=\int \frac{u-3}{u^2+4}du`

                       `=\int \frac{u}{u^2+2^2}du-\int\frac{3}{u^2+2^2}du`

First we will evaluate `\int \frac{u}{u^2+4}du`

Let `u^2+4=t`

So, `2udu=dt`

Therefore we can write,

`\int \frac{u}{u^2+4}du=\int \frac{dt}{2t}`

                `=\frac{1}{2}ln(t)`

                 `=\frac{1}{2}ln(u^2+4)`

Now we will evaluate,  `\int \frac{3}{u^2+4}du`

`\int \frac{3}{u^2+2^2}du=\frac{3}{2}tan^{-1}(\frac{u}{2})`

Therefore we have,

`\int \frac{x-2}{(x+1)^2+4}dx=\frac{1}{2}ln(u^2+4)-\frac{3}{2}tan^{-1}(\frac{u}{2})+C`

                       `=\frac{1}{2}ln((x+1)^2+4)-\frac{3}{2}tan^{-1}(\frac{x+1}{2})+C`

                        `=\frac{1}{2}ln(x^2+2x+5)-\frac{3}{2}tan^{-1}(\frac{x+1}{2})+C`

How would "The Interlopers" be different if it was told from the points of view of Ulrich and Georg?

The sequence of events (plot) might be similar if the story was told from the dual perspectives of Georg and Ulrich. However, if Saki had chosen this kind of narration, he might have used flashbacks to give more backstory about the feud. For instance, the story begins with both men stalking each other in the woods. Perhaps the story could then shift to Ulrich's thoughts as he searches for his enemy. In narration, he goes back in time (in his mind) and revisits when and how their feud began. The narration might then shift to Georg who has a similar flashback. Saki might then bring the story back to the present. If this continued to be a dual (or "dueling") narration, the story would have an interesting "back and forth" effect. If the story is written from the perspective of both men, each man would use "I." For example: 

By law, these are my lands. It is irrelevant that the hunting is so poor. I will chase him off again. Will I ever have to resort to violence? If he shows aggression, so will I.

The law is unjust. Why should one man own so much land? It is greed, pure and simple. I hesitate but long for a confrontation. If he shows any aggression, I will act and claim self-defense. I see him amidst the trees.

This shows the two men narrating (first Ulrich and then Georg). This style might be useful in humanizing the two men. If Georg and Ulrich show, at least in their own thoughts, their own doubts and frustrations about the ongoing feud, it might make them more sympathetic. Any time you get into the mind of character, there is the possibility of uncovering something more human. Then again, if Saki stuck to the structure of his story, he would not reveal any humility or generosity in either perspective until the men are forced to consider friendship.

How would you describe the relationship between Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade in S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders?

Dally and Johnny have a unique relationship throughout the novel, and each of them displays mutual respect and admiration for one another. They both come from broken homes and Dally sees Johnny as a younger brother. Johnny looks up to Dally and views Dally as his hero. Johnny thinks Dally is a "gallant" individual because Dally selflessly sticks up for his friends in the most desperate situations. While Johnny openly voices his admiration for Dally, Dally lets his actions depict his feelings for his friend. In chapter 6, Dally expresses his concern for Johnny after Johnny tells him he is going to turn himself into the police. Dally says, "you get hardened in jail. I don't want that to happen to you. Like it happened to me" (Hinton 76). Dally's comments portray his true feelings about Johnny and show he deeply cares about Johnny's well-being. Dally also risks his own life pulling Johnny's body from the burning church later in the chapter. When Johnny dies, Dally loses his mind because he lost the only person he truly loved.

Was Columbus responsible for the behavior of his men?

Upon reaching the New World, Christopher Columbus' men committed many atrocities against the indigenous peoples. As their leader, he should be held responsible for the human rights violations his men committed, even if he was not physically involved in the acts. Leaders set the tone for how a mission will be carried out. Had Columbus had concern for the treatment of the indigenous peoples, he would have set very clear expectations for how his men would treat them and punishments for violating those expectations. Instead, he gave his men license to behave badly and did not punish them when they did so (although in many other respects he was a very strict leader). Columbus receives credit for the achievements which would not have been possible without his men (most notably orchestrating the first permanent European presence in the New World), so it is only fair that he should receive blame for the failure of his men to treat the indigenous Americans with dignity.

Analyze the following text in terms of audience, purpose, and context: "Mr. President, Members of the International Olympic Committee. I'm Denise...

To analyze the audience, purpose, and context of this speech, we actually need a bit more background information. We can find this speech both published and analyzed in Jon Steel's book Perfect Pitch: The Art of Selling Ideas and Winning New Business.

Through some basic research, we can discover both the context and purpose of this speech. Olympic champion Denise Lewis gave this speech as part of a lobbying effort to win the bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. In terms of more specific context, the speech was given at the Raffle City Convention Centre in Singapore on July 6, 2005. Lewis was chosen to seek in order to establish "ethos" (or credibility) for London's bid, as she had participated (as she states) in the Games in Atlanta, Sydney, and Athens and knows what athletes want. Lewis uses her time in the spotlight to discuss London's plan for giving future Olympic athletes the best possible experience by centralizing the location of the Olympic Village. This establishes London as a great geographic candidate for hosting. 

We can note that Lewis identifies her audience right at the beginning of the speech by directly addressing the President and Members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who was responsible for voting on who would host the 2012 Olympics. 

Finally, the good news is that this was obviously an effective speech! The IOC did indeed choose London to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. 

What is the meaning of the beginning phrase "The world is too much with us" in the poem "The World is Too Much with Us" by William Wordsworth?

"The world is too much with us" can be interpreted as meaning that people have become too concerned with worldly, material things and are now unconcerned with the natural world.

The renowned social psychologist and humanistic philosopher Erich Fromm wrote in 1955,

We live in a world of things, and our only connection with them is that we know how to manipulate or to consume them.

Fromm's words echo the meaning of the first line of Wordsworth, a Romantic poet who stressed the importance of emotion and connection to Nature. In fact, Romanticism meant a return to nature and an escape from the contamination of modern civilization. Like other Romantics, Wordsworth was concerned that people were becoming materialistic during his time. Industrialization was occurring, thus causing people to "give their hearts away." In this poem, then, since their only connection to life is through consumption of the "world of things," people have become "out of tune" with the beauty of the natural world that even the "Pagan suckled in a creed outworn" knew how to appreciate.

Where is West Egg ?

West Egg is on Long Island Sound, about 20 miles east of New York City. It is the less fashionable of two land masses divided by a bay. Across the bay from West Egg is the fashionable East Egg, where Tom and Daisy live in one of the "white palaces" that line the shore that Nick can see from his West Egg cottage. 

Nick describes East Egg and West Egg as both shaped like ovals (hence the name "Egg") but each smashed flat on one end. 

Geography is important to this novel. Although West Egg is less fashionable than East Egg, it is far more comfortable and desirable than the desolate Valley of the Ashes that Nick passes by on the train on the way to work, and where Tom's girlfriend Myrtle lives. 

Living on East Egg allows Nick to leave New York City for a more peaceful setting but to have an easy commute to work in the big city on the train. 

Piggy comes up with the idea to make a list of the boys on the island. What does this reveal about his character?

In Chapter 1, Piggy suggests to Ralph that they make a list of names of the boys on the island. After Ralph blows the conch, the remaining boys on the island group together and hold an assembly. During the assembly, Piggy tries desperately to get everyone's name but is unable to do so. Piggy's suggestion to make a list of names illustrates his affinity for structure and civilization. Piggy is the most intelligent boy on the island and understands the importance of maintaining order. Creating a list of names also demonstrates that Piggy has his priorities in the right order. Piggy is pragmatic and attempts to organize the boys. Unfortunately, he is not able to list the littluns, and a young boy goes missing after they accidentally set the forest on fire. As the novel progresses, Piggy's representation of civilization, structure, and intelligence becomes more evident.

What are two different readings of Act 5, scene 2 of Hamlet by Shakespeare?

In this scene, Hamlet has something of a premonition that things are not going to go well for him in the duel to which Laertes has challenged him.  Horatio encourages Hamlet not to go through with the fight if he's having these feelings, but Hamlet says, "We defy augury.  There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow.  If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come.  The readiness is all.  Since no man of aught he leaves knows, what is 't to leave betimes?  Let be" (5.2.233-237).  He means that God has a hand even in the death of something as small as a sparrow, and so death will come to him when it should come.  It is possible, then, to read Hamlet's feelings toward death as either resignation or acceptance.  He senses that the duel will end badly, but he will not back out of it.  He says that it is not possible for a man to know what he leaves behind, and so it makes no matter if he leaves his life early; this sounds like a sort of hopeless resignation.  On the other hand, it sounds as though he's come to accept death as part of life, as something providential, and this sounds like healthy acceptance.

Then, when Hamlet does perish as a result of his involvement in the duel with Laertes, we might read it as a tragedy: the life of a man who'd shown such promise has been cut short.  Or, we could read his death as a natural and providential outcome, as something which was supposed to happen when it did, as a result of the events that came before.  We might see it as necessary to the cleansing of Denmark that must occur in order for the country to move forward with new leadership into a better, less corrupt, era.

What are the differences between Sidi and Sadiku?

There are several notable differences between the characters of Sidi and Sadiku in the play The Lion and the Jewel. Throughout the play, Sidi is a young, attractive maiden who is yet to make her decision on who she will marry. Sadiku is Baroka's chief wife who is much older than Sidi. Sadiku is a traditionalist who submits to the Yoruba culture by accepting her position as the Bale's head wife. Unlike Sadiku, Sidi challenges Ilujinle's traditional belief that women should submit to males. Sidi brags about her beauty, dismisses Lakunle, and even mocks the Bale. Sadiku is more refined and presents herself as the typical head wife while Sidi is portrayed as a young, brash, conceited woman. The two characters also differ in their behavior towards Lakunle and Baroka. Sidi tolerates Lakunle and even considers marrying him at the beginning of the play, while Sadiku continually criticizes Lakunle and argues with him. Sadiku also openly respects Baroka, while Sidi is not shy about her negative feelings towards the Bale.

Do planets rotate in circular or elliptical orbits around the Sun?

All known planets rotate in an elliptical orbit around the sun.

An ellipse is essentially an oval, although it is more specifically described through geometry. It can also be thought of as an "imperfect" circle. The essential point, with regard to planetary orbits, is that elliptical orbits are evidence of the complicated gravitational interactions between the planets and the sun. In past centuries, they were also evidence that the planets were not perfect, which cast doubt on the geocentric model of the solar system. 

One way we can tell planets have elliptical orbits without going into space is to look at how quickly planets travel in their orbits. As a planet—or any other orbiting object—approaches the main body it orbits around, it will speed up. In a circular orbit, there is no need, or even the possibility, for a planet to speed up while maintaining that circular orbit. Thus, any change in the speed of a planet would indicate it has an elliptical orbit.

Discuss the two techniques that the poet has used to evoke a sense of the supernatural in the poem "The Listeners."

"The Listeners" by Walter De la Mare is a poem which does a superb job of evoking an atmosphere of brooding melancholy and diffuse fear. The supernatural is more a matter of a sense of the uncanny than of an overt portrait of anything lacking a naturalistic explanation.

The first way that De la Mare evokes this uncanny atmosphere is by deliberate vagueness and omission of details. The Traveller of the poem does not have a name. We know of his feelings but not any practical details about what he is trying to do, who he is, what events of the past led up to his journey, or why he decided to travel at night rather than at a more sensible time with better light. 

Next, the setting evokes mystery and strangeness. It is night time, and the world is in shadows. The house is lonely and isolated in a dark wood and only illuminated by "faint moonbeams". The world is described as eerily silent except for the noises made by the Traveller. All these sensual details evoke an otherworldly atmosphere. 

What are social positives of western expansion?

From a social standpoint, there were positive aspects of our expansion to the West. Westward expansion refers to the movement of the American people to western regions. This occurred in the 1800s.

When we expanded westward, we were able to spread our way of life. Americans were known for their ingenuity and for their ability to settle and to develop new lands. As we moved to the West, our economy began to grow. Farming spread to the western regions. This helped to increase the food supply. We also spread the American culture and ways of doing things from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Because of westward expansion, we were able to unite and connect people who lived in remote regions. It became easier to reach those people. It also became easier to transport products to these regions. The transcontinental railroad was a big factor in supporting the positive aspects of our westward movement.

With our expansion to the western regions, people from different parts of the world came to settle and to get land. Some of these people settled in the West. The people who came to our country brought new ideas and new ways of living. These ideas and ways of living enhanced our culture.

There were some social benefits to westward expansion.

What is the reason for Martha's hiding in A Christmas Carol?

Martha, the oldest daughter of Bob Crachit, hides in order to surprise her father, who entertains the hope that she can come for Christmas dinner because, like him, she must work this day.

When the ghost of Christmas Present surprises Scrooge as it sits in one of his rooms, surrounded by the fruits of "the Plenty's horn," he bids the old miser to enter and touch his robe. Then, all the meats and puddings and pies disappear as they travel through London past shops of all kinds to the Crachit house. But, just before they arrive, the oldest daughter who works in a milliner's shop, Martha Crachit, arrives.

"Why, bless your heart alive, my dear, how late you are!" said Mrs. Crachit, kissing her a dozen times, and taking off her shawl and bonnet for her with officious zeal.
"We'd a deal of work to finish up last night," replied the girl, "and had to clear away this morning, mother!"

Just then the youngest Crachits hear their father coming, so they urge Martha, "Hide, Martha, hide!" For, they hope to play a childish prank upon their dear father. Just as soon as Bob, little Bob, and Tiny Tim enter, Mr. Crachit looks around and asks, "Why, where's our Martha?"And, Mrs. Crachit cannot resist teasing him, "Not coming," she says. "Not coming!" he exclaims, with a sudden decline in his high spirits.
Hearing the disappointment in Bob's voice, Martha cannot hide any longer; she comes out from behind the closet door and runs into her beloved father's arms as the others hurry off to the wash-house.

Scrooge watches this loving family in some amazement as they partake of their humble Christmas dinner as though it were a feast. At its end, Bob stands and toasts his family, "A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us!" The family echoes his words, and little Tim adds "God bless us every one!"

What is the condition when the magnitude of velocity and the speed of an object are equal?

Speed and velocity are used to describe the motion of a body. While speed is a scalar quantity, velocity is a vector quantity. Speed is defined as the ratio of distance traveled to the time taken. In other words,

speed = distance / time

Velocity is the ratio of displacement to the time taken for the motion. In other words,

velocity = displacement / time

For the speed and velocity of an object to be equal, the distance traveled should be equal to the displacement of the object.

That is, distance traveled = displacement.

Note that distance traveled is a measure of the path taken by an object, while displacement is the difference between the initial and final positions of the object.

For speed and velocity to be equal, the object needs to travel along the shortest path.

Hope this helps.

In "Harrison Bergeron" by Vonnegut, in what passages is Harrison superhuman? How are the results of Harrison's efforts ironic?

In Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron," when Harrison takes over the studio where the ballerinas and musicians are performing, the narrator describes several "superhuman" qualities about him. Here are several:

1. He is described as "seven feet tall" and has so many handicaps on him it'd be impossible for an ordinary human to function:

"Nobody had ever born heavier handicaps. He had outgrown hindrances faster than the H-G men could think them up. Instead of a little ear radio for a mental handicap, he wore a tremendous pair of earphones, and spectacles with thick wavy lenses. The spectacles were intended to make him not only half blind, but to give him whanging headaches besides." 

2. When in the studio, Harrison demonstrates incredible strength by tearing "the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper, [...] straps guaranteed to support five thousand pounds."

3. After grabbing the ballerina who would become his "empress," she and Harrison abandoned "the law of gravity and the laws of motion." They leaped to the ceiling and kissed it where, "neutralizing gravity with love and pure will, they remained suspended in air inches below the ceiling, and they kissed each other for a long, long time."

The superhuman efforts are ironic in how easy it is for the handicapper general, Diana Moon Glampers, to kill him ("She fired twice, and the Emperor and the Empress were dead before they hit the floor."). It shows that despite the extraordinary abilities that we think separate us from the rest of the world, it is still relatively easy for the powers that be to destroy those with these qualities. In addition, no one will remember the efforts of Harrison, as illustrated by his parents inability to remember what had just happened on screen.

How is Daisy affected by materialism in the novel The Great Gatsby?

Daisy is attracted to wealth and material objects throughout the novel and makes significant life decisions based on her future financial security. Despite the fact that she does not love Tom Buchanan, Daisy marries him because he comes from a wealthy family and is rich. Instead of marrying someone she loves, Daisy's decision is based on her financial security. Jordan Baker even tells Nick that when Daisy got drunk, she revealed her true feelings about Tom and said that Daisy changed her mind about marrying him. When Daisy takes a tour through Gatsby's home, she is in awe of his material wealth. Daisy even cries when she sees Gatsby's collection of expensive shirts. Daisy risks ruining her marriage to Tom when she decides to have an affair with Jay Gatsby because she realizes that he is also wealthy. Standing outside of her home, Gatsby comments to Nick, "Her voice is full of money" (128). Even Gatsby realizes Daisy is infatuated with money. At the end of the novel, Daisy decides to remain unhappily married to Tom after finding out Gatsby acquired his fortune by bootlegging. Again, Daisy does not follow her heart but chooses financial security over love. 

What is the attitude of Thomas Jefferson toward the majority?

Thomas Jefferson supported a democratic state that made decisions on the basis of majority rule voting by its citizens, and opposed the concept of minority rule as tyrannical. Jefferson argued that a majority vote should be treated as unanimous rule, because dividing decision-making abilities between different groups within a society would fracture it to the point of not existing as a single nation. However, Jefferson also felt it was important to protect the rights of minorities; decisions made by the majority that denied minority groups their access to equal rights were invalid decisions and could not be enforced by law. Ultimately, Jefferson argued for a democratic system of government based on majority-rule voting, and felt that any decision made by the majority and which didn't violate the rights of minorities should be made law. The role of the minority would be to accept and conform to the ruling of the majority.

Are the Socs a bigger disgrace and menace to society than the Greasers in The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton?

The Socs’s actions are more accepted by society because they come from wealthy families. In general, the actions of the Socs and greasers are the same.  They are kids who fight each other and sometimes commit acts of vandalism or pretty crime.  The Socs do this for fun, while the greasers often act out of need or anger. 

Pony explains the difference between the Socs and the greasers.

We're poorer than the Socs and the middle class. I reckon we're wilder, too. Not like the Socs, who jump greasers and wreck houses and throw beer blasts for kicks, and get editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace one day and an asset to society the next. (Ch. 1) 

It seems clear that while greasers may steal things and “hold up gas stations,” their main issue is that they are poor.  They do not have many options in life.  The Socs have greater access to opportunities.  Society accepts their youthful indiscretions, and then they go off to college and become upstanding citizens. 

It is apparent that the Socs target the greasers.  Pony is afraid of them.  He feels that he is in danger, and needs the other greasers to protect him. 

Greasers can't walk alone too much or they'll get jumped, or someone will come by and scream "Greaser!" at them, which doesn't make you feel too hot, if you know what I mean. We get jumped by the Socs. (Ch. 1) 

When Cherry and Pony are talking, she tells him that Socs have problems too.  “Things are rough all over.”  Some of the Socs’s problems just come from having money.  An example is Bob, whose parents are over-indulgent and let him drink and cause trouble.  He never had any boundaries, and it is a significant cause of his death.  His parents were not aware enough or strong enough to stop him.

Thus, the public perception that greasers are the problem is really just prejudice.  The two groups are always fighting each other, which is a never-ending cycle.  Neither one is singularly to blame.

Why does Nathan Radley filling the hole in the tree with cement contribute to Boo's misery?

When Nathan Radley fills the tree knothole, it distances Boo from Scout and Jem.

Boo Radley is not a normal person.  He is very reclusive, and never even comes out of his house.  Scout, Jem, and Dill begin to bring him out of his shell with their efforts to contact him.  He strikes up a friendship with them through the simple means of leaving presents in the knothole of his tree.

The children do not know who the gifts are from at first, but Boo keeps leaving them.  The little trinkets are his way of connecting with them.  He gives them gum, pennies, twine, and even a watch.  The best present and the most personal is the soap dolls.  They are perfect miniatures of Scout and Jem.

Nathan Radley, Boo’s older brother, is almost as quiet as Boo.  However, he does not seem to want Boo to interact with the neighborhood kids.  Maybe he feels it is inappropriate.  Nathan tells Scout and Jem that the tree was sick.

“Mr. Radley, ah—did you put cement in that hole in that tree down yonder?”

“Yes,” he said. “I filled it up.”

“Why’d you do it, sir?”

“Tree’s dying. You plug ‘em with cement when they’re sick. You ought to know that, Jem.” (Ch. 7)

The children ask Atticus if the tree is sick and he doesn’t think it is.  Jem in particular feels very badly about this.  He knows that Boo Radley meant no harm, and that now he has no connection to the outside world.  When Boo leaves a blanket on Scout’s shoulders, Jem insists that Atticus not return it.  He doesn’t want Nathan to know that Boo was there.

“…Mr. Nathan put cement in that tree, Atticus, an‘ he did it to stop us findin’ things—he’s crazy, I reckon, like they say, but Atticus, I swear to God he ain’t ever harmed us, he ain’t ever hurt us, he coulda cut my throat from ear to ear that night but he tried to mend my pants instead… he ain’t ever hurt us, Atticus—” (Ch. 8)

Jem and Atticus both understand that Boo needs his connection to the kids.  He has no one else.  Cementing the tree was cruel, in Jem’s mind, because Boo did nothing wrong. He thinks Boo is harmless, but Nathan must not have thought so.  Still, cementing the hole made poor Boo even lonelier.

In the book Passages from Antiquity to Feudalism by Perry Anderson, what are the main points in pages 107-142? What were the main characteristics...

In this section of From Antiquity to Feudalism, Perry discusses the two Germanic invasions of Rome and the West. The first wave started in 405 and involved the sack of Rome by the Visigoths in 410. While the Roman Empire's economy and society was destroyed by these invasions, the invaders nonetheless upheld many aspects of Roman management and traditions. The author states that the Germanic tribes were far too primitive to take over Rome and the west without co-opting many of the practices of the people they had conquered (page 113). For example, the Ostrogoths in Rome kept the Roman civilian bureaucracy while imposing their military structure on top of it. Therefore, this first wave of barbarian invasions was in some ways very limited. 

The next wave of invasions had more significant results. As Perry writes, "It was the next wave of Germanic migrations which determined the later map of Western feudalism profoundly and permanently" (page 120). These invasions included the Frankish takeover of Gaul, the Anglo-Saxon conquest of England, and the Lombard takeover of Italy. By this point, organized resistance to invasions had been lessened by the first wave of invasions.

By the 6th century, the dual system of old and new systems had given way to a new system, feudalism. Villages developed as agricultural units in France and elsewhere. By the 7th century, a hereditary aristocracy had developed in Anglo-Saxon England. Western countries also began to adopt Christianity. Feudalism developed as what Perry calls a "synthesis" of Roman and Germanic systems (page 128). Many of the features of feudalism, such as serfdom, came from both legacies. The Christian Church played a vital role in the transition of western societies to feudalism. As Perry writes, "the Church was thus the indispensable bridge between two epochs" (page 137). For example, the Church was the supporter of the Carolingian Monarchy, the first feudal dynasty. After this time, feudalism was the dominant system in Europe.

What are three examples the describe how people fear what they do not understand from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

At the beginning of the novel, Jem, Scout, and Dill fear Boo Radley. They believe the false rumors that surround him and view him as the malevolent phantom. They do not fully understand the reason why Boo Radley is confined inside his home and choose to fear him. As they mature, they realize that Boo is simply a shy, misunderstood individual.

In Chapter 24, Mrs. Merriweather expresses her concern for J. Grimes Everett, who is a missionary in Africa working with the Mrunas tribe. She tells Scout, "you are a fortunate girl. You live in a Christian home with Christian folks in a Christian town. Out there in J. Grimes Everett’s land there’s nothing but sin and squalor" (Lee 141). Mrs. Merriweather does not understand foreign cultures and views any society whose populace is not predominately Christian as barbaric and uncivilized. She fears the Mrunas tribe because she is culturally ignorant.

Once Tom is charged with assaulting and raping Mayella Ewell, fear spreads among the prejudiced community of Maycomb. The majority of Maycomb's citizens believe that the African American population is dangerous and fears that they will attempt to harm white citizens. In Chapter 14, while Scout is walking past the drugstore she hears someone say, "They c’n go loose and rape up the countryside for all ’em who run this county care" (Lee 84). The ignorant, racist citizens do not understand the importance of tolerance, nor do they attempt to improve race relations throughout the novel.

How is the Federal Reserve System structured?

The Federal Reserve functions as the central bank for the United States. This means that it is in charge of the country’s monetary policy. It is supposed to keep the US currency stable and maintain a money supply that helps the US economy grow at a good rate. There are two main parts to the Federal Reserve System.

The broader part of the system is made up of Federal Reserve Banks that are located in various cities around the country. There are twelve of these banks. There are also twenty-four branch banks, each of which is controlled by one of the twelve Federal Reserve Banks. Not all of the twelve Federal Reserve Banks has branch banks. The purpose of these banks is to serve private banks, doing things like storing currency, keeping track of transactions, and processing checks for those banks.

The other part of this structure is the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. There are seven members of this board, each of whom is appointed to a fourteen-year term in office.  The Board of Governors sets policy for the Federal Reserve. The President of the United States appoints members of the board, who have to be confirmed by the Senate. However, there is no direct political oversight of the Board of Governors. In other words, they answer to no elected official and no elected official has the right to tell them what to do. This is meant to allow the Board of Governors to base their decisions on economic conditions, not on political expediency.

This is the basic structure of the Federal Reserve System.

Why is Roy so interested in the boy he sees running in Hoot by Carl Hiaasen?

There are several possible reasons why Roy, the main character in Carl Hiaasen's novel Hoot, is interested in the running boy. One of the main reasons is that Roy's interest in the running boy is how Hiaasen advances the plot. Without Roy's interest in the running boy, he wouldn't meet Beatrice Leep or her step-brother Napoleon Leep, also known as Mullet Fingers. If he hadn't met those two, he wouldn't have known about the burrowing owls on the property where the new Mother Paula's restaurant is being built.  

Roy attracts Beatrice's attention when he develops an interest in the running boy and begins asking questions about him, as well as following him. This is how he discovers Mullet Fingers is a runaway. Mullet Fingers vandalizes a construction site because he knows about the burrowing owls and wants to protect them.  

Roy forms a friendship with Mullet Fingers. With Beatrice's help, they uncover the truth: Chuck Muckle and the construction foreman, Curly, hid the environmental impact report. At the groundbreaking ceremony, Roy, Beatrice, and Mullet Fingers tell the town about the owls, prompting Officer Delinko to arrest Chuck Muckle, which stops construction.  

Another reason Roy is so interested in the running boy is that he sees him out of the window of the bus when Dana Matherson is choking him. His interest in this strange boy gives him a distraction from Dana's torments. It also gives him something to focus on, since the move to Florida was not his choice. He loved living in Montana and did not want to leave.  

Another reason the running boy piques Roy's interest is that the boy is breaking the rules, and Roy is a person who follows the rules. Mullet Fingers should be in school, but he ran away from the boarding school he is supposed to attend. When Roy gets involved in saving the owls, he is the one who wants to find a legal way to help them. This contrasts with the methods of vandalism that Mullet Fingers uses.

In the play The Lion and the Jewel, describe a situation in which one character portrays the idea of tradition and the other character portrays and...

Throughout the scene entitled "Night," Sadiku argues with Lakunle about Sidi's decision to visit Baroka, and Lakunle discusses the future of their village. Sadiku promotes traditional African culture and mentions to Lakunle that he should work on a farm for one season like the other men in order to earn enough money to pay the bride-price. She then ridicules him for not being man enough to smell the wet soil before commenting on how he plans to convert the entire village so he can avoid paying the bride-price. Lakunle is a proponent of modernity and responds by telling Sadiku that in two years the entire village will change. Lakunle comments that women will one day be treated equally, roadways will be built, cars will replace horses, and Ilujinle will eventually become modern like the rest of the world. Lakunle then calls Sadiku simple and says that she should join his class of twelve-year-old children. Lakunle and Sadiku's conversation portrays two characters who have opposing views of traditional African culture and modernity.

What are the challenges and trends facing retailers? Give practical examples.

Targetjobs.co.uk lays out some of the challenges and trends facing retailers for 2016, which will be useful as the foundation of your discussion. These include the challenges of (1) finding ways to adapt to changes in government policy, such as insurance requirements or minimum wage increases, and of (2) finding ways to adapt to increasing ethical and environmental demands, such as transparency about suppliers, manufacturing, and sourcing. These also include the trends of (1) finding ways to adapt to the competition of online e-commerce entrants into previously physical-location shopping activity, like grocery purchasing, and of (2) finding ways to adapt to retail entrants who sell at discounted prices, such as adapting by broadening product range.

One example of challenging changes in government policy is the on-going concern in United States retail about dealing with Affordable Care Act regulations. One adaptive strategy has been to limit retail clerk employment to less than full-time and split shifts between two employees. Another example of challenging changes in government policy is the introduction of a higher minimum wage in the United Kingdom. One strategy for adapting to higher wages has been to enter into partnership with Amazon marketing, which is what the United Kingdom's Morrisons Supermarket did in February of 2016. HelloLife.net in the U.S. also entered into an adaptive Amazon partnership in homeopathic health supplements in 2016.

One strategy used by grocery stores adapting to trends in e-commerce retail in the United Kingdom is the introduction of "smaller, food-based outlets to meet the needs of commuters, such as in train and petrol stations." One strategy used by clothiers adapting to trends in retail is to scale back in new store openings, as Uniqlo of Japan has done in its U.S. market; with 44 U.S. stores by October 2015, it scaled back its plan for an additional 15 stores per year to only 5 additional stores per year.

In Pride and Prejudice, is Mr. Bennet a good father, a good husband, and a good man? Why or why not?

Mr. Bennet isn't a particularly good anything, including father, husband, or man.  While he's not a villain, he is lazy and not nearly as astute as he seems to believe.  He is constantly putting down his daughters -- Mary, Kitty, and Lydia, at least -- without regard for the fact that he's done nothing to raise them to be anything other than "silly."  Although Elizabeth warns him that allowing Lydia to go to Brighton is a truly irresponsible move, he disregards her advice and allows his youngest daughter -- a girl who he knows to be vapid and vain -- to enter into a situation that nearly results in the ruination of his family.  Further, he knows that he should have been putting money away to sustain his daughters and provide for their dowries, but he never did it.  He is not a great father.

Mr. Bennet is not a good husband either.  He married his wife too quickly, without having an accurate understanding of her character, and thus saddled himself with a ridiculous woman for life.  Now, he avoids her as much as possible by holing up in his den, and this means that he spends little time with his daughters as well.  Mr. Bennet purposely taunts his wife; consider the time she wants him to visit Mr. Bingley to make the new neighbor's acquaintance, and he swears he will not go -- and then he goes behind her back and tells her about it later, but only after she worries about it.  He seems to enjoy stretching her "nerves": hardly characteristic of a good husband.  He's not made any provisions for her life after his death either.

In the end, Mr. Bennet is selfish.  He may be funny, he may even be right -- his wife is totally ridiculous and irritating -- but the fact that he's made no attempt to take care of his family once he's gone shows just how selfish he is.  Again, he isn't evil, but his laziness and willingness to forget about whatever problems his family might face have created a difficult situation and a great deal of anxiety for them. 

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, why did Mayella think Atticus was making fun of her? What does this tell you about her upbringing?

That scene takes place in Chapter 18, which is one of the trial scenes.  Mayella Ewell is on the witness stand to testify against her alleged rapist.  

First, she is interviewed by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Gilmer. At first, she is hesitant to testify at all, and even bursts into tears.  It emerges that she is afraid of Atticus, because she has just seen him trap her father into admitting that he is left-handed.  

Atticus begins to cross-examine her in a very polite and reassuring manner, calling her "Miss Mayella" and even "ma'am."  

"Won't answer a word you say long as you keep on mockin' me," she said.

"Ma'am?" said Atticus, startled.

"Long's you keep on makin' fun o'me."

Judge Taylor said, "Mr. Finch is not making fun of you.  What's the matter with you?"

"Long's he keeps on callin' me ma'am and sayin' Miss Mayella.  I don't hafta take his sass, I ain't called upon to take it."

In other words, it was Atticus' polite words that Mayella took for mockery.

Obviously she has never been treated with respect or courtesy.  In fact, she has always been treated with such great disrespect that the only way she can interpret respect, when it is shown to her, is as sarcasm.  

This shows that, not only do her father and siblings never show courtesy, she has also never been treated with courtesy by anyone in Maycomb.  This might be because she and her family are such outcasts, but it is more likely because she never has any reason or means to go into town. 

I was just wondering if this was an example of free indirect discourse in Pride and Prejudice? "How differently did everything now appear in...

Free indirect discourse refers to narration that technically originates with a third-person narrator; however, that speech sounds an awful lot like a particular character in the story.  To put it differently, free indirect discourse presents the thoughts and feelings and even voice of a character through the actual narration presented by that third-person narrator.  Therefore, yes, the passage you have quoted is an example of free indirect discourse because it is the speech of the novel's third-person narrator, but that speech sounds so very much like the voice of Elizabeth Bennet that one might be tempted to assume or to state that it is actually her speaking.  The major clue that she is not the speaker is that she is referred to with the third-person pronoun just as other characters are.

What are some examples of the mother's past behavior in the story "The Leap"?

That's an interesting question. Most of the mother's actions in the story are in the past. The main ones in the present show her in her old age, with her eyesight fading. Almost all the rest of the story is set in the past.

Some of these past behaviors define both the mother and the narrator (her daughter). For example, when the mother was half of "the Flying Avalons," the trapeze act, she engaged in two striking behaviors repeatedly. First, of course, is the fact that she was enough of a daredevil to be in a trapeze act at all. She was willing to risk her life for her profession (or art). Second, she and her partner "laughed and flirted openly" as they did their act. This indicates a willingness to display affection in public, and a kind of showmanship.

Another behavior, very different, can be seen when the mother rescues the narrator from a fire. She is bold and daring, and leaps from a tree to the gutter of the house. She's like a superhero, except that her tap on her daughter's window is tentative and quiet. That's very striking.