What are quotes in the second part of Great Expectations that show Pip is unhappy?

Pip is really a fish out of water in London. When he first gets there, he finds the city dirty and disturbing. It does not at all live up to his expectations. 

We Britons had at that time particularly settled that it was treasonable to doubt our having and our being the best of everything: otherwise, while I was scared by the immensity of London, I think I might have had some faint doubts whether it was not rather ugly, crooked, narrow, and dirty (Chapter 20). 

Pip has other disappointments. Pip finds Jaggers and Wemmick confusing. Jaggers refuses to tell him anything, and Wemmick is enigmatic and contradictory. Off work, Wemmick does give Pip some guidance, but he basically just lets Pip dig himself into a hole. 

So now, as an infallible way of making little ease great ease, I began to contract a quantity of debt. I could hardly begin but Herbert must begin too, so he soon followed (Chapter 34). 

Pip and Herbert are helpless when it comes to money.  Never having had any, Pip does not know how to manage it. Wemmick and Jaggers do not intervene. Pip really should not have debts since he can get money from Wemmick. Still, he just keeps buying things on credit. 

By far the greatest misery Pip has is related to Estella. He assumes that, when he was elevated to a gentleman, he was designed for her. This relationship never really materializes, though. Estella tells Pip she likes him more than most people, as a friend, but can never love him or anyone else. When Drummle says he is with Estella, Pip gets angry. It turns out to be true, though. 

But, Estella, do hear me speak. It makes me wretched that you should encourage a man so generally despised as Drummle. You know he is despised (Chapter 38).

Ultimately, Pip will lose everything he gained or thought he had gained. Estella marries Drummle. Magwitch turns out to be his benefactor, not Miss Havisham. He loses the money and Magwitch, and ends up in debtors' prison.

How does the naval officer react when he finds the boys?

At the end of the novel, Ralph is being chased by Jack's band of savages as the entire island is on fire. As Ralph staggers onto the beach, he looks up to see a naval officer peering down at him. The officer says, "Hullo" and squirms a little at Ralph's filthy appearance (Golding 200). The officer then asks Ralph if there are any adults with him, and Ralph shakes his head. Behind Ralph, the group of painted savages appear and stand behind him in a semi-circle. The officer comments, "Fun and games" (Golding 200). The officer then grins at Ralph and says that they saw the smoke. He jokingly asks Ralph, "What have you been doing? Having a war or something?" (Golding 201). The officers seems shocked when Ralph mentions that two boys were killed. The officer finds out that Ralph is in charge and asks him how many boys are on the island. When Ralph tells him that he doesn't know, the officer says,

"I should have thought that a pack of British boys---you're all British, aren't you?---would have been able to put up a better show than that---I mean---" (Golding 202).

Ralph tries to explain how things drastically got worse, and the officer dismisses Ralph's comments by saying, "I know. Jolly good show. Like the Coral Island" (Golding 201). When the boys begin to weep, the officer looks away and stares at his battleship.

The naval officer is ignorant of the fact that Ralph was actually being hunted, and the boys chasing him were acting like brutal savages. The officer is also disappointed at their appearance and comments that he thought British boys would "put up a better show." His comments are hypocritical given that he is participating in a World War which is equally inhumane. The officer also believes that the boys were engaged in fun and games. He alludes to the British novel The Coral Island, which depicts several children shipwrecked on an island who experience fun adventures. He tragically misinterprets the boys' experience which was much more sinister than the fun and games described in the novel The Coral Island.

What are some traits of Mars Bar in Maniac Magee?

Mars Bar is tough, used to getting his own way, and easily offended.  He likes to be feared.

Mars Bar is one of the kids that Maniac meets in Two Mills.  He is a tough guy, and also happens to be black.  Mars Bar finds Maniac puzzling.  He expects him to cower and back down, like everyone else does.  Maniac doesn’t, and Mars Bar is not sure how to react.

The first baffling encounter occurs when Mars Bar offers Maniac a bite of his candy bar, and the boy actually bites.  All of the neighborhood kids are shocked.  Such a thing is simply not done.

The kid had done the unthinkable, he had chomped on one of Mars's own bars. Not only that, but white kids just didn't put their mouths where black kids had had theirs ... And the kid hadn't even gone for the unused end; he had chomped right over Mars Bar's own bite marks. (Ch. 10) 

Mars bar gets angry, because “when Mars Bar got confused, he got mad.” He tries to get Maniac to tell him he’s “bad,” to confirm that he intimidates him, but Maniac does not comply.  They fight over Maniac’s book, but even that doesn’t get much of a rise out of the boy.  Mars Bar has a reputation to uphold. 

Mars Bar glared up at her. There wasn't an eleven- year-old in the East End who could stand up to Mars Bar's glare. In the West End, even high-schoolers were known to crumble under the glare. (Ch. 10) 

Amanda stands up to Mars Bar.  She and Maniac seem to be the only ones who do.  Amanda is tough, though.  Mars Bar tries to get his reputation back, but Maniac makes a fool out of him when he races him and runs backward.  Maniac is not trying to insult Mars Bar.  He is just a bit odd.

In the poem "Out, Out--," how does Robert Frost bring about the tragic death of the boy?

In his poem "Out, Out--" Robert Frost uses the juxtaposition of positive, warm details to emphasize the horror and unexpectedness of the boy's sudden death. The poem begins:

The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard

And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood,

Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.

The first line contains the negatively charged words "snarled" and "rattled." The associations to danger and bones create a frightening atmosphere. However, that atmosphere is quickly contrasted with the "sweet-scented" dust created by the saw. This creates a confusing tone - should the reader be frightened or not? That confusion heightens the suspense.

And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled,

The repetition here of the snarling and rattling begins to confirm the suspicion that the poem is going to have a bad ending.

Call it a day, I wish they might have said

To please the boy by giving him the half hour

That a boy counts so much when saved from work.

The inclusion of "I wish" foreshadows that something will happen to the boy that would have been prevented if they had given him "the half hour," or in other words, let him off early. This is immediately followed by another warm moment, as "His sister stood beside him in her apron / To tell them ‘Supper.’" This addition of a family member makes the incident that follows even more horrific, as the addition creates another layer of sympathy for the family who loses their son.

The boy subsequently accidentally cuts off his hand, and dies from the injury. This horrific moment is characterized by his plea to his sister:

‘Don’t let him cut my hand off—

The doctor, when he comes. Don’t let him, sister!’

This plea is darkened by the fact that his hand is already off. He perishes and then the doctors move on to other patients quickly, as quickly as the boy suddenly cut off his hand and lost his life.

Frost's juxtaposing of frightening details and warm moments creates a suspenseful atmosphere that is heightened by the ending where the doctors move on from the boy - dead and without a hand.

Hope this helps!

In "Thank you, M'am," why does Roger offer to go to the store?

Roger wants Mrs. Jones to trust him, and he wants to show his appreciation to her.

Mrs. Jones reacted in a very unusual way to an attempted purse-snatching.  When she realized that the boy who tried to steal her purse was young and not a hardened criminal, she decided to teach him a lesson herself.  Instead of calling the cops, she took him home.

When Roger first gets there, Mrs. Jones tells him to wash his face.  He is trying to decide whether or not to bolt.  Being taken home by a strange woman must have been a little scary.

“Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face,” said the woman, whereupon she turned him loose—at last. Roger looked at the door—looked at the woman—looked at the door—and went to the sink.

Roger asks her if she is going to take him to jail.  He doesn’t run away, but he is uncertain of her motivations.  She tells him she isn’t taking him anywhere, and comments that they will have something to eat together.  He tells her he wanted blue suede shoes, and she says all he had to do was ask.

The longer they spend together, the more Roger wants to be trusted. She is a nice lady, and she just wants to help him.  She tells him she was young once, and implies that she made some choices she would rather not have made.  Roger wants her to see the good in him.

He did not trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.

“Do you need somebody to go to the store,” asked the boy, “maybe to get some milk or something?”

“Don’t believe I do,” said the woman …

Roger’s time with Mrs. Jones does not last long.  When he leaves, you can tell that Mrs. Jones has made an impression on Roger.  He is not going to steal anyone’s purse any time soon.

What does the release of a contributing citizen represent?

Basically, the release of a contributing citizen represents death. In the story, we are first introduced to the notion of 'release' in Chapter One, when a pilot-in-training flies too low over the community. Accordingly, the pilot had 'misread his navigational instructions and made a wrong turn.'

For punishment, the voice over the loudspeakers proclaims that the offending pilot will be released.

For a contributing citizen to be released from the community was a final decision, a terrible punishment, an overwhelming statement of failure.

In Chapters 18-20, we finally discover what 'release' means. The Giver admits that he thinks about release when he is in a lot of pain. However, he tells Jonas that he cannot be released until a new Receiver has been trained. In Chapter 18, The Giver admits that the last Receiver, Rosemary, had requested her own release. All Jonas knows at this point is that the Giver was greatly saddened and affected by Rosemary's release.

In Chapter 19, Jonas watches his own father release one of the twin Newchildren. Initially, Jonas thinks that a release is a special ceremony of sorts. So, he isn't especially worried about the baby's safety and is only mildly curious when his father takes out a syringe, fills it with a clear liquid, and injects the baby's forehead. However, Jonas starts to panic when the child eventually stops crying and moving his limbs. To his horror, he recognizes that the blank look on the Newchild's face almost directly mirrors that on a dead soldier's face he once saw. Numb with fear and anguish, Jonas now understands that release means death.

His horror is compounded by the fact that he saw his own father nonchalantly place the Newchild's corpse into a box before shoving it down a waste disposal chute. After seeing this, he also comes to realize what Rosemary's own release had meant: she had basically committed suicide.

Provide a quote from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird that depicts Atticus accepting Tom Robinson’s case even though he knows he will not win.

At the beginning of Chapter 9, Scout asks Atticus why Cecil Jacobs said that he defended niggers. Atticus explains to Scout that he will be defending a Negro named Tom Robinson and encourages her to keep her cool and not react with violence when provoked. Scout then asks Atticus if he is going to win the case, and Atticus responds by saying, "No, honey" (Lee 49). Scout is confused at his answer and asks why he chooses to defend Tom. Atticus says,

"Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win" (Lee 49).

Towards the end of Chapter 9, Atticus has a conversation with his brother, John Hale Finch, about accepting the Tom Robinson case. Uncle Jack asks Atticus how bad the case is going to be because Atticus hadn't said much about it. Atticus tells Jack that it couldn't be worse. He says that there is no evidence, and it is simply a black man's word against the Ewells'. Atticus comments, "The jury couldn’t possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson’s word against the Ewells'" (Lee 55). Atticus knows that he doesn't have a chance to win the case, but mentions that he wants to "jar the jury a bit" before the trial is over. However, Atticus does think he has a reasonable chance on an appeal.

Atticus then mentions that he hoped to get through life without a case like this, but he was chosen to defend Tom and plans on representing him to the best of his ability. Atticus says, "I’d hoped to get through life without a case of this kind, but John Taylor pointed at me and said, ‘You’re It.’" (Lee 56). When Jack asks if Atticus will let the case pass from him and not defend Tom, Atticus responds by saying,

"Right. But do you think I could face my children otherwise? You know what’s going to happen as well as I do, Jack, and I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease" (Lee 56).

What is a good chapter title for Chapter 8 in The Outsiders?

Chapter 8 is not all that exciting of a chapter compared to other chapters in Hinton's book The Outsiders.  Most of the chapter occurs within the halls of the hospital as Ponyboy and Two-Bit check in on Dally and Johnny.  The chapter weaves lots of reminders about the upcoming rumble, and as the chapter continues, the readers sees Ponyboy get more and more worried about the rumble itself.  He has a sick feeling that something bad is going to happen.  Based on Ponyboy's feelings, an appropriate chapter title might be "Premonition."  A premonition is a strong feeling that something bad or unpleasant will happen soon.  

In addition to Ponyboy not looking forward to the rumble, the reader learns that Randy has decided not to fight in the rumble.  Cherry shows up in the chapter as well and expresses her negative feelings about the fight too.  Because of all of these questioning thoughts about the rumble, I believe a good chapter title might be "Rumble Rumblings."  The dictionary defines rumblings as "general but unofficial talk or opinion often of dissatisfaction."  I feel that word is quite appropriate in the context of this chapter.  

In Rules of the Game, what does Mrs. Jong's response to the accusation that Chinese people use torture reveal about her personality?

Mrs. Jong's response suggests that she is a proud person, and that she's eager to maintain for herself and her family a strong identity as Chinese. Her response also hints that she's a bit gullible, probably because she's less comfortable with English than her children are and has to expend mental energy to understand words; she has less energy left over to read between the lines. Either that, or she uses her apparent discomfort with English as a manipulative tool.

This discussion of Chinese torture is brought up by Waverly near the beginning of the story. Mrs. Jong is styling her daughter's hair with bobby pins and being rather rough, when Waverly slyly asks her mother what Chinese torture is. Her mother responds "without a trace of knowing how wicked [Waverly] was being," and gives a literal answer, indicating that she doesn't realize her daughter is implying that the rough hairstyling is perhaps that torture:

"Chinese people do many things," she said simply. "Chinese people do business, do medicine, do painting. Not lazy like American people. We do torture. Best torture."

As you can see, Mrs. Jong's answer reveals that she's quick to turn the conversation to the difference between American and Chinese cultures. 

However, I should add that there's an alternate way you can interpret this passage and Mrs. Jong's response. Notice how she sticks a bobby pin into Waverly's hair in an especially sharp manner right before answering the question about Chinese torture. Immediately afterward, Mrs. Jong gives no indication that she's aware her daughter is being sly. You could interpret these actions to mean that Mrs. Jong does realize what Waverly's doing and that she's fighting back in her own way: with the sharp nick of the bobby pin and the redirection of the conversation to Chinese cultural strengths, Mrs. Jong has deftly stifled Waverly's devious behavior. 

What's ironic in "Everything that Rises Must Converge" by Flannery O'Connor?

One of the most important ironies in the story is that Mrs. Chestny's very expensive and unique hat is also worn by an African-American woman on the bus.  Mrs. Chestny proudly says multiple times that she "wouldn't meet [herself] coming and going" while wearing this hat, and there are a few reasons for this: first, it is quite distinct, and, second (and more importantly), it is expensive.  Mrs. Chestny is proud of her ability to purchase such a costly hat, and she believes that her financial position makes her somewhat unique among her neighbors.  She is also white and a racist.  Thus, when she sees another woman and, even more upsetting to her, a black woman, wearing that same hat, it signals to her that the world is no longer the place she's known her whole life and that her position in that world is not what it used to be (two ideas that her son, Julian, has been trying to impart to her throughout the text). 

Mrs. Chestny then tries to give the black woman's son a penny, as if to try to reinstate this old world and position herself above the other woman, but her action backfires when the other woman strikes her.  The irony of this other woman, a woman Mrs. Chestny perceives as being beneath her in both racial and socioeconomic status, wearing the same hat as Mrs. Chestny really symbolizes the title of the story: as the races begin to become more equal, legally and financially, it is inevitable that they will converge, and this convergence will create problems for those who are unwilling to accept this new, more equal, world. 

How does foreshadowing detract from the plot of Julius Caesar?

A problem with foreshadowing is that you usually don’t fully recognize the clues until after you know the outcome. For this reason, a second reading is usually most beneficial. The prophecies that other characters present to Caesar reveal that Caesar is going to die. These foreshadowing clues more directly focus on how the main character refuses to take warning, much as Caesar refused to listen to his wife’s dream and the soothsayer’s warning to “Beware the ides of March.” It highlights Caesar’s arrogance and pride.

In general, foreshadowing deprives the reader of the element of surprise. This is usually not the purpose of foreshadowing; instead, it usually aims to portray a character’s blindness of his or her approaching doom. Foreshadowing can still warn the reader something bad is coming, much as the music in movies intensifies the audience’s emotions about what is coming or occurring.

In Chapter One of Charles Dickens's Bleak House, what are "maces, bags, and purses"?

Metonymy is a figure of speech in which an attribute or characteristic is substituted for the thing meant. A couple of modern-day examples include calling businessmen ‘suits’ or thugs ‘hoods.’ Charles Dickens uses metonymy masterfully in his novel Bleak House, and this is what is at play when he writes, “[T]here are two or three maces, or petty-bags, or privy purses, or whatever they may be in legal court suits” (Dickens, 1853, p. 7), essentially describing the types of lawyers present in the chancery in terms of the clothes they wear. In court-related terms, a ‘mace’ is a ceremonial staff that represents authority. (Probably the closest thing we have, at least in the U.S., to something like this anymore is in some highly ritualized religious ceremonies.) So Dickens’s referral to ‘maces’ probably meant lawyers who led the processional of court officials into the chancery. A ‘petty-bag’ was a type of lawyer who specialized in a sort of internal affairs law, dealing with lawsuits for and against members of the Lord Chancellor’s staff. The term is a truncated form of the Anglo-Saxon ‘petite baggage;’ these lawyers were often identified by the small bags they carried. ‘Privy purse’ is a term used to denote an allowance taken from public revenue to pay for the British sovereign’s private expenses. The one assigned to manage household and private finances for the royal family is called The Keeper of the Privy Purse, so it is likely that the lawyers to whom Dickens refers by this term specialized in monetary matters. The most significant issue about his use of these terms, however, is that he uses them sarcastically; he has no respect for the legal system or those who serve it, and he is essentially name-calling.

What is the difference between plasmolysis and de-plasmolysis?

Although both plasmolysis and de-plasmolysis occur in plant cells based on the amount of water inside their cell walls, they produce opposite reactions.

Plasmolysis occurs when a plant does not receive enough water, causing outward osmosis, or the movement of water out of the cell. Within the cell walls, the cytoplasm and plasma membrane shrink due the lack of water in the vacuole, causing them to pull away from the wall. Ultimately, this process causes the plant to shrink and wilt.

De-plasmolysis is the opposite of plasmolysis. When a plant takes on water, which is held in the vacuole, the cytoplasm and plasma swell within the cell wall. The pressure, which is caused by the influx of water, is called turgor pressure. As the pressure within the cell walls rises, the plant returns to its upright state.

What are Jem's views about the trial?

As the trial progresses, Jem becomes more and more confident in the possibility that Tom Robinson will be acquitted. After Atticus' final speech before the jury, Jem reassures Reverend Sykes that Tom will very likely be found innocent; he tells the minister not to "fret."

For his part, Reverend Sykes cautions Jem against over-confidence; he asserts that he's never seen a jury "decide in favor of a colored man over a white man." Despite the minister's warnings, Jem remains confident that his father's logical arguments will win the day. So, when the jury unanimously pronounces Tom Robinson guilty, Jem is shocked, dismayed, and angry. Scout relates that Jem's face is "streaked with angry tears" as the siblings make their way out of the courtroom.

At home, Jem tearfully asks Atticus how a jury could have ignored the clear evidence before them and pronounced a guilty verdict. Atticus answers:

 “I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it—seems that only children weep..."

The morning after the trial, Atticus tries to comfort Jem by mentioning the possibility of an appeal. Later, Miss Maudie assures Jem that, although Atticus didn't win the case, he managed to keep the jury out longer than anyone had anticipated. Miss Maudie tells Jem that Atticus' small victory is a "baby-step" in the right direction for Maycomb.

So, Jem is initially hopeful about the trial, but he later changes his view about it after the verdict against Tom is announced. Like Atticus, Jem had hoped that justice would prevail. When Tom was pronounced guilty, however, Jem began to question the efficacy of Maycomb's court system. He became disillusioned and angry that prejudice had ruled the day.

Which ideas most influenced the founding fathers of the USA?

The Founding Fathers were the intelligent men who were able to draft the constitution that has endured for the last few centuries. The ideas that influenced them have equally endured.

First and foremost, they were religious men and saw religious freedom as a fundamental basis for a functioning society. Though they didn't believe in a God-given right to rule (as was the case with the English monarchy of the time), they believed all men were created equal before God and accordingly, rights were given. As it is stated in the Virginia Bill of Rights, Article 16 dated June 12, 1776,

[R]eligion, or the duty which we owe our creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and this is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.

Note that the last part of the quote mentioning that all should practice Christian values means exactly that. It does not call for all to be Christians. Rather, the Founding Fathers called for a moral that could be found under the Christian heading.

The works that greatly influenced the Founding Fathers in their enterprise include John Locke's philosophical writings. His social contract in particular was of great use – ideas on property, where money came from and its moral use, and where possessing firearms to defend and possibly overthrow an unrighteous government is acceptable and necessary. (The relevant works include “Two treatise of Government” - arguably the most influential -, “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”, “Reasonableness of Christianity”, and “Letter Concerning Toleration” among others.)

Another key document which influenced the Founding Fathers is the Magna Carta (its rightful name being Magna Carta Libertatum). The Magna Carta was a charter which was agreed to in 1215 by King John of England and a band of rebel barons. It guaranteed protection of church rights, illegal imprisonment of said barons, access to rapid justice, and allowed for a reduced and limited feudal payment to the Crown. The Magna Carta eventually served as the basis for English common law and became a symbol of freedom from oppression to Englishmen – including the Founding Fathers who found inspiration in it.

There are other authors and works that influenced the Founding Fathers such as the Bible, Montesquieu, Sir William Blackstone, and David Hume.

The first link gives good historical background and references at the end other documents that were influential.

This second link emphasizes the religious background and education of the Founding Fathers.

What is the resolution to the story "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe?

In the opening paragraph, Montresor explains his motive for wanting revenge against Fortunato for a thousand injuries and a recent insult. Then Montresor specifies what he will accept as complete revenge.

At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely settled--but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.

The resolution to the story will therefore come when Montresor achieves his revenge and makes himself known as such to Fortunato. The main story is about how Montresor lures his victim to his catacombs and keeps him drunk and befuddled until he succeeds in chaining him to the granite and building an elaborate stone wall to conceal him from ever being discovered. The resolution is reached when Montresor completes his wall.

Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat!

He has accomplished what he intended. Fortunato has shown that he is well aware of the identity of the avenger when he cries out, "For the love of God, Montresor!" And, since fifty years have passed, Montresor knows he has committed his murder with impunity. He has cleansed himself of the bitter feelings he had about Fortunato. When he says, "In pace requiescat!" it shows that he no longer hates his victim but actually feels some pity for him. He is not being sarcastic. He sounds relieved because he has successfully achieved "closure" without ever having been suspected of being involved in the disappearance of his "good friend" Fortunato. Montresor has not only tricked Fortunato, but he has tricked everyone who knew Fortunato and everyone in Venice.

Please describe the poem "A Poison Tree," by William Blake. Focus on the wrath ending/continuing, the title, and on the devices used.

William Blake's poem "A Poison Tree" focuses on wrath and how it can be either settled or grown. By telling your friend that you are angry with them, and by talking about it, a resolution can be reached and you can make amends. However, if you do not tell your friend, amends cannot be made so your anger will continue to fester and grow. This is discussed in the first stanza:

I was angry with my friend; 

I told my wrath, my wrath did end. 

I was angry with my foe: 

I told it not, my wrath did grow. 

The poem continues to describe the growth of the wrath by using a tree as a metaphor. The narrator waters the tree with tears, and suns it using smiles. That represents secretly being upset, but pretending not to be upset.

In the second stanza, the words "soft deceitful" are used as juxtaposition. Soft has a positive connotation, while deceitful does not. This follows the theme of the poem as a tree (often associated with nature and health) is used to represent wrath. That explains the title, "A Poison Tree." The poem is about someone not telling their friend that they are angry, which makes their anger grow until the friend finally discovers the narrator's wrath. All of the narrator's anger and wrath could have been saved if he had just told the friend he was upset in the first place.

Hope this helps!

In what specific ways is Mercutio a foil to Romeo?

A foil is a character who highlights some quality or qualities of a main character through contrast.  Mercutio's playfulness emphasizes Romeo's relative seriousness.  Mercutio does not take Romeo's feelings for Rosaline at all seriously.  When Romeo is miserable about his unrequited love, Mercutio advises him, "If love be rough with you, be rough with love. / Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down" (1.4.27-28).  In other words, he counsels Romeo to go and have sex and this will help lessen his feelings of sadness about his love.  Romeo, meanwhile, feels as though he has "a soul of lead / [That] So stakes [him] to the ground [that he] cannot move" (1.4.15-16).  Romeo is relatively serious and seems to feel things quite deeply, especially compared to the lewd and boisterous Mercutio.

We might be inclined to think that Romeo is pretty impulsive as well, but through his contrast with Mercutio, we see that he could be a great deal more rash.  When Tybalt comes to challenge Romeo, Romeo will not fight him because he has just married Tybalt's cousin, Juliet, that morning.  When Tybalt insults Romeo, Romeo keeps his cool, though Mercutio interprets his refusal as a "dishonorable, vile submission," and he jumps in to fight Tybalt instead (3.1.74).  Romeo continues to try to stop the fight, crying out, "The Prince expressly hath / Forbid this bandying in Verona streets. / Hold, Tybalt!  Good Mercutio!" (3.1.89-91).  He tries to beat down their weapons and eventually steps in between them.  He tries to be reasonable and law-abiding, and his behavior is accentuated by Mercutio's rash impulsiveness.

What stops the boys from beating up a black man in That was Then, This is Now?

M&M stops the boys from beating up a black man by calling them weird for jumping people simply because a person is different.

Shortly after coming to M&M's aid by attacking Curly Shepard and his friend, Mark pokes Bryon and asks if he still is in the mood for a little action. Mark motions towards a black guy who is standing on the corner, waiting for the light to change. Mark suggests that they jump him, but M&M speaks up. M&M tells the boys that they make him sick and says, "You just rescued me from some guys who were going to beat me up because I'm different from them, and now you're going to beat up someone because he's different from you" (Hinton 23). M&M then calls Mark and Bryon weird and begins to cry. Bryon and Mark are shocked that M&M is bawling, and out of nowhere, M&M takes off running. Bryon thinks about running after M&M, but Mark stops him. Mark picks up M&M's peace medallion, and the two boys walk back to Charlie's to give him his three dollars instead of jumping the black man.

How does Shakespeare's The Tempest explore the theme of discovery?

In a sense, the theme of discovery is at the heart of Shakespeare's The Tempest. On the one hand, you have the shipwrecked crew stranded by the storm at the beginning of the play. Much of the rest of the play is concerned with the stranded characters discovering the strange and exotic island, complete with magic, spirits, and strange creatures. Likewise, another major component of the play focuses on Miranda's discovery of human society. Stranded on the island with her father and few other companions, Miranda has little knowledge of civilization or human nature. However, with the arrival of the shipwreck (and especially Ferdinand, her future husband), Miranda gradually discovers the intricacies of human society and relationships. 

Though you certainly don't need to make this connection, it's possible to link the play's theme of discovery to colonization. In some ways, Prospero can be seen as the prototype for the European who discovers and colonizes native populations, as he arrives on the island and presses Caliban into his service. Thus, though the theme of discovery is often exciting and fantastical within the context of the play, it also comments on the burgeoning European tendency to discover and exploit new lands.  

What is a summary of the poem "I Have a White Rose to Tend"?

José Julián Martí Pérez's poem "I Have a White Rose to Tend," originally written in Spanish, is rather short, only spanning a total of eight lines, and yet this simple poem has resonated with readers for well over a century because of its powerful message on empathy, compassion, and loving thy neighbors equally.

The first stanza reads as follows:

I have a white rose to tend

In July as in January...

This first stanza introduces us to the speaker's devotion in tending his white rose, be it a literal rose or a metaphor for something else, such as compassion or empathy. We can gather through subtext that he tends to it with the same unwavering commitment in the month of July as he does in January and likely throughout the rest of the year.

The second stanza reads:

I give it to the true friend

Who offers his frank hand to me.

In other words, this white rose that the speaker so carefully tends to is given generously to those whom the speaker trusts and regards as friends based on their own acts of kindness and generosity. 

The third stanza reads:

And for the cruel one whose blows

Break the heart by which I live,

Neither thistle nor thorn do I give:

It is easy to assume that the speaker will not share any part of his white rose with those who have committed acts of cruelty against him or have in some way abused his trust. However, this assumption is negated in the final line of the poem, which reads:

For him, too, I have a white rose.

This implies that despite anyone's ill-will toward him, the speaker will equally share his white rose with friends and enemies alike.   

What three quotes show friendship in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In chapter 5, Jem and Dill become closer friends because they are on a mission to get Boo Radley to come out of his house. Scout, on the other hand, has been reluctant to do anything related to Boo Radley since Atticus caught them playing a game about his life. As a result, Scout is left out of some of the boys' planning and scheming. Scout explains Jem's and Dill's friendship as follows:

Dill was becoming something of a trial anyway, following Jem about. He had asked me earlier in the summer to marry him, then he promptly forgot about it... said I was the only girl he would ever love, then he neglected me. I beat him up twice but it did not good, he only grew closer to Jem. They spent days together in the treehouse plotting and planning, calling me only when they needed a third party (41-42).

This passage shows the decline of one friendship and the emergence of a new one. Other than Cecil Jacobs, Scout has no other friends to play with, so Scout visits Miss Maudie when the boys are playing together. Miss Maudie is an adult friend who treats the children with respect and kindness. When she bakes cakes, she will bake three little ones just for Scout, Jem, and Dill. Scout describes her appreciation for Miss Maudie's friendship as follows:

Jem and I had considerable faith in Miss Maudie. She had never told on us, had never played cat-and-mouse with us, she was not at all interested in our private lives. She was our friend (44-45).

Another time when friendship is finally realized is in chapter 8, during the night of Miss Maudie's house fire. While Jem and Scout watch the fire from across the street at the Radleys' house, Boo Radley comes out and slips a blanket around Scout's shoulders without her knowing. This act of kindness comes after Jem and Scout find gifts from Boo in the knothole of the oak tree on the Radleys' lot. When the children get home after the fire and discover the blanket, Jem tells his father and sister, respectively:

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.

...Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when he put the blanket around you (72).

This is a fun passage because Jem feels he has enough evidence to declare Boo Radley is not an enemy, but a friend. Boo Radley has never done anything but kind things for the children, such as mending Jem's pants, giving them anonymous gifts, and watching over them during the night of the fire. Boo is very quiet and shy, but that doesn't mean he isn't one of the children's friends. In fact, he later proves to be one of the best friends they have because he saves their lives. 

Why does the poet repeat the words “for ever” several times in lines 22-30 of "Ode on a Grecian Urn"?

First, there is no way that we can know precisely why Keats wrote the words he did. Given that time travel is not possible and he did not write an essay explaining his intentions, all we can do is discuss how the choices he made (whatever his reasons for making them) may contribute to the effect the poem has on its readers. 

The central contrast in the poem is between the eternal present of the scene captured on the urn (probably in reality the Parthenon frieze, not an urn) and the fleeting nature of real life. In actual life, as opposed to art, a musician performs for a set time and them stops, leaving only with memories. Young people age and die (Keats was dying of tuberculosis). Trees shed their leaves every season and then eventually die. In contrast, these images on the urn remain intact and unchanging "fore ever". It is this durability that the repetition of the word emphasizes. 

What are some quotes that shows why Piggy is the best leader in the group?

From the very first chapter, readers can see that Piggy has unique problem-solving and administrative abilities that would make him an excellent leader for the boys. He is the one who says of the conch, "We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear us." Piggy immediately begins to get all the names of the boys: "Piggy muttered the name to himself and then shouted it to Ralph, who was not interested because he was still blowing." Although Ralph initially mocks and disregards Piggy, he comes to understand Piggy's talents as being better than his own:

Only, decided Ralph as he faced the chief's seat, I can't think. Not like Piggy. Once more that evening Ralph had to adjust his values. Piggy could think. He could go step by step inside that fat head of his, only Piggy was no chief. But Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains.

Here the only reason given for Piggy to not be chief is his body; he is asthmatic and heavy-set. 

When Ralph feels defeated because the "beast" is preventing them from keeping the signal fire on the mountain, Piggy suggests to move the fire to the beach, displaying "intellectual daring" not seen in any of the other boys. Piggy displays great courage and a strong sense of right and wrong when he insists that they confront Jack; he intends to say, "I don't ask you to be a sport, I'll say, not because you're strong, but because what's right's right." 

Piggy's intellect, his administrative skill, his problem solving ability, his courage, and his commitment to morality are all qualities that would make him an excellent leader for the group. Unfortunately, among the boys on the island, Piggy's asthma and physical condition made him less respected. If the boys could have respected him, he would have been the best chief of any of the boys. 

Why is Waknuk the most dangerous place in The Chrysalids by John Wyndham?

Waknuk is dangerous because it is a hotbed of religious intolerance.

The people of Waknuk believe that anyone or anything that does not conform to the True Image is an abomination.  The True Image is a narrow, dogmatic interpretation of religious mandates about what things should look like.  They have determined, for example, exactly how long a person’s arm should be.  Anyone who does not conform is expelled.  Animals and plants are destroyed.

It appears that David’s grandfather founded Waknuk as a place where he could enforce his particular brand of worship to God.

Elias Strorm came from the East, somewhere near the sea. … He himself maintained that it was the ungodly ways of the East which drove him to search for a less sophisticated, stauncher-minded region; though I have heard it suggested that there came a point when his native parts refused to tolerate him any longer. (Ch. 2) 

David’s father Joseph seems to have taken over the religious enforcement.  He is very strict and narrow-minded.  When David’s aunt had a baby that somehow did not conform to the True Image, he refused to acknowledge it despite the desperate mother’s protests.  His wife agreed. 

No one, indeed, would dream of mentioning the matter openly until the inspector should have called to issue his certificate that it was a human baby in the true image. Should it unhappily turn out to violate the image and thus be ineligible for a certificate, everyone would continue to be unaware of it, and the whole regrettable incident would be deemed not to have occurred. (Ch. 7) 

When a baby is born in Waknuk, it has to get a certificate called a Normalcy Certificate that declares it appropriately formed.  People without them are relegated to the Fringes, a dangerous savage area.  Part of the treatment is sterilization, so a person who does not conform to the True Image cannot breed. 

David befriends a girl with extra toes, Sophie.  Her parents have been hiding her.  However, eventually she is seen and sent to the Fringes.  David is unable to protect her.  His father beats the information out of him.

David and the other telepaths may look normal on the outside, and in fact have been certified as normal, but they are not.  They have the ability to read one another’s minds.  David’s Uncle Axel warns him to be careful, but eventually he and the others are found out and have to flee.

How do 2 chemicals react together to make another, like hydrochloric acid (HCl)?

When chemicals react with each other, chemical changes take place. In chemical reactions, the chemical composition of the reacting substances are different from those of the products. The chemical changes may also be accompanied by a generation of gases, a change in temperature or color, etc.

Two or more compounds can react with each other by breaking the existing bonds and forming new ones. There are two types of bonds: ionic and covalent. While the former is made between two species, one of which donates electrons and the other of which accepts, the latter is made between species that share electrons. 

For example, the following reaction yields hydrochloric acid:

H2 +Cl2 -> 2HCl

Here, the covalent bonds between the hydrogen atoms in the hydrogen molecule and those between chlorine atoms in the chlorine gas molecule are broken. These atoms then undergo ionic bonding to form the hydrochloric acid. 

Thus, the rearrangement of bonds or breaking and formation of bonds results in the formation of new products.

Hope this helps. 

When does a period of the periodic table end?

The periodic table is the diagram used to organize all of the elements discovered in groups depending on a number of different factors. Elements, or atoms with different numbers of protons and electrons, are arranged in rows referred to as "periods." The first period begins with Hydrogen, the second with Lithium, and so on. 

Each element as the period progresses has one more proton and one more electron than the previous element, and these extra protons and electrons give different electronegetivities, weights, and other properties. A row will start over once these properties repeat themselves, thus the element directly under each element shares similar properties as the one above them. This creates columns of similar elements such as the 2nd column which is made up by the Alkaline Earth Metals (all shiny, silvery-white, full S-electron orbital).

Another way to tell a row is about to start over is when you get to an element that has all of its valence electron orbitals filled. This means there is no more room for an electron to bond to in any orbital and it is considered a Noble Gas (Krypton, Neon, Helium, etc.). This marks the end of a row and the next element begins a new orbital as it fills an S orbital spot with an electron to match the one extra proton. 

Once again, a row will start over officially once similar properties start to repeat themselves. All of the first elements in the 1st column have similar qualities, thus they are organized as such, just like the 18th column which all mark the end of a row. Hope this helped!

In the story Philbrick's Freak the Mighty, how does the setting of chapters 4 through 8 affect Max and Kevin's relationship and friendship?

In chapter 4 of Philbrick's Freak the Mighty, Kevin is introduced to Max's makeshift basement bedroom. The boys like hanging out in Max's room because it is as dark and as private as a cave. It's Max's own space that usually isn't interrupted by adults, so this setting allows the boys to talk about going on quests, watching TV, and reading books.

The setting in chapter 5 is centered around the fact that the two boys live next door to each other. This provides them with close proximity to each other so they can hang out whenever they want. For example, Max can readily accept an invitation to dinner at Kevin's house because he lives right next door. Having dinner at Kevin's house helps to build their friendship, too, as described in the following passage:

"We sit out in the back yard eating from paper plates, and Freak tells robot stories that are so strange and funny I'm laughing like a maniac and then I'm choking and Freak is pounding me on the back" (27).

These next door friends can build upon their relationship because they are not hindered by traveling across town for visits. Without living so close to each other, Max and Kevin may not have had the opportunities to get to know one another as much as they do. 

Then in chapters 6 and 7, the boys are able to attend the Fourth of July fireworks together because the festivities are at the millpond, which is walking distance from their homes. Since Max walks with Kevin on his shoulders to get around more easily, the boys have an opportunity to bond and become partners against bullies. When Tony D. and his gang challenge Max and Kevin, at the millpond, the two friends are able to figure out a way to avoid conflict by running into the pond. The setting in this chapter provides a venue for Max and Kevin to solidify their cooperative powers against bullies. It also helps them learn how to conquer life together as a team. 

Finally, by chapter 8, Max and Kevin are back at their homes enjoying a typical summer together. Again, because their homes are close in proximity, the setting provides opportunities for the boys to interact with each other on a regular basis. The setting gives them time to learn more about each other and grow closer as friends. For example, Kevin won't let a minute of summer vacation go wasted on sleeping:

"Each and every morning the little dude humps himself over and he bangs on the bulkhead, wonka-wonka-wonka, he may be small but he sure is noisy. 'Get outta bed, you lazy beast! There are fair maidens to rescue! Dragons to slay!' which is what he says every single morning, exactly the same thing, until it's like he's this alarm clock" (44).

Kevin wakes Max up every morning during summer vacation and gets the "lazy beast" out of bed to experience life, not sleep it away. Kevin also gives Max a reason not to spend the whole summer watching TV. If it weren't for the fact that Kevin can get to Max's house easily, the boys probably would not have had the opportunity to become such close friends. 

In The Bronze Bow, what was the password Daniel and his friends used to talk about Romans?

Even though Daniel has moved to the village to take care of his sister, he has not given up on his desire to overthrow the Romans, and he has not renounced his allegiance to Rosh. He begins to build a band of young men in the village who will work in conjunction with Rosh. His first recruits are Nathan, Joel, and Kemuel. As they discuss recruiting additional members, they realize they can only take in people they can trust. When Nathan suggests they brand themselves to show they are all part of the group, Kemuel reminds them that making marks on their bodies is forbidden in the law. Joel then suggests that they "carry the sign of the bow in our minds." They will use the bow of bronze--a symbol Joel and Daniel have already claimed as representing God's victory--as their password. They agree and begin to use their code word to build solidarity among themselves. It gives them "pride and pleasure." Eventually the group grows to 21 boys who all crowd into Daniel's smithy--all committed to throwing off Roman oppression.

What is Hughes's poem "Song" about? I had previously assumed it was an ode to Sylvia Plath, but then found out that he had written the poem before...

Hughes wrote "Song" when he was only nineteen, which means that it's one of his earliest poems. The poem shows Hughes's longstanding interest in mythology and ancient depictions of goddesses (he studied archaeology and anthropology at Cambridge). Similar to ancient Greek poetry, "Song" is a kind of invocation to a goddess-like "lady" or muse. Hughes uses this muse to explore the uncertain and mercurial nature of artistic inspiration and the writing life, and the power that writing holds over him. The speaker says, "The difficult stars swam for eyes in your face; / You stood, and your shadow was my place: / You turned, your shadow turned to ice O my lady." Like "difficult stars" or a shadow that can quickly turn to ice, a writer's inspiration is depicted as a strange and hard-to-grasp phenomenon. The lines "You were a marble of foam, but dumb. / When will the stone open its tomb? / When will the waves give over their foam?" describe the beautiful, intoxicating, and yet maddening and inaccessible nature of writing and artistic inspiration.

The poem's lady could also represent the fickle and passionate nature of romantic relationships. The poem's final lines, "And my head, worn out with love, at rest / In my hands, and my hands full of dust, O my lady," leave us with images of emptiness and fatigue. These lines work for both interpretations of the poem--the lady as muse or as romantic lover. The poem's speaker is left with a worn-out head and "hands full of dust," just as an artist and a lover are left alone with their grief when their lady leaves.

This poem is also a strong representation of Hughes's style. While most other poets of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s wrote in styles rooted in the modern, Hughes's style often bordered on the Shakespearean in tone and language. Many critics dismissed "Song" as overwrought. However, the poem still features classic imagery that represents a dramatic departure from the work of other poets during this time.

What are the similarities between Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and Angie Heimann's hit song "What's to Become of the Mockingbird"?

Angie Heimann's song "What's to Become of the Mockingbird" is essentially Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird shortened into a song.

The first stanza of Heimann's song speaks of a southern town's courtroom filled with spectators "white and black and brown / come to see the falling down / Of a mockingbird." The courtroom refers to Tom Robinson's trial in Maycomb, and Robinson is the innocent mockingbird that will fall when he is sentenced to death. In both the song and the book, Robinson is seen as a mockingbird because all he has ever done is strive to bring pleasure, just as mockingbirds bring pleasure by singing all day long. Robinson strove to bring pleasure by being an upright Christian citizen and by being empathetic towards Mayella. Due to his empathy, he helped Mayella with any odd jobs she needed help with, a decision that sadly led to his downfall.

In the third stanza, the song also speaks of "two eggs among the ebony" sitting "[h]igh up in the balcony" of the courtroom. Since eggs can be seen as a symbol to represent children, this is clearly a reference to Jem and Scout, who, against their father's wishes, sneaked into observe the trial and sat with Reverend Sykes, minister of the African-American church, up in the balcony reserved for African Americans. However, one difference between the lyrics in this third stanza and the novel is that Dill is present in the novel, whereas the lyrics of the song only speak of "two eggs," meaning two children, not three.

Finally, the song asks, "When's this world gonna be a place / Where the innocent go free," which closely resembles a central theme Harper Lee expresses in her book. Lee uses her book to show that a tiny bit of progress has been made towards freeing the innocent of the damages caused by racism while also asserting that much more still needs to be done.

"Oh, that I had forever remained in my native wood, nor known nor felt beyond the sensations of hunger, thirst, and heat!" How does this statement...

This passage enlightens the theme of creation by Man as God. As God created Adam, gave him life, and placed him in the Garden of Eden, Victor Frankenstein brought his Creature to life, allowing him sensations as well as a spirit, and the Creature eventually finds himself alone in the woods, his own Garden of Eden. But in Victor’s case, he deserted his creation. As Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Creature learned to know what kind of world he lived in, and what fellow creatures were in that world with him. However, in keeping with the Enlightenment theory of tabula rasa, that people are born a “blank slate” and it is the environment and society that teach us good and evil, the Creature started out as blank though basically good. He expected good in the world, but all he found was rejection and hate. In other words, it is Victor Frankenstein who is the monster, not the Creature. The Creature simply reflected back on the world what the world gave him. He recognizes that it would have been better if he had never been brought to life, both for himself and for others.

In George Orwell's Animal Farm, how are the conditions in the barnyard for the pigs and dogs?

At first, under the rule of Farmer Jones and his men, the pigs and the dogs are in the same situation as all the other animals on the farm. Their lives, says Old Major, are miserable, filled with hard labor, and short. They, like the other animals, are given as little as the owners can get away with offering them. Also like all the other animals, the pigs and dogs will be killed when it is more useful for the owners to end their lives. As Old Major puts it: 

You young porkers who are sitting in front of me, every one of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year. To that horror we all must come — cows, pigs, hens, sheep, everyone. Even the horses and the dogs have no better fate. You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker, who will cut your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds. As for the dogs, when they grow old and toothless, Jones ties a brick round their necks and drowns them in the nearest pond.

But after the Rebellion, the pigs and dogs, who are more intelligent, form a different and superior caste, with more privilege than the other animals. They soon move into the farmhouse, with the pigs in the superior position, the dogs functioning as guards and servants, but still living more comfortably than those left behind. 

How can I write a successful essay on Joyce Carol Oates's novel Wonderland?

One way you can write a successful essay on this novel is to look at how Oates's Wonderland parallels Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland because it is obvious Oates uses Carroll's novel as the framework for hers. Like Alice, Jesse finds new worlds and meets zany characters that parallel characters we find in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and like Alice, Jesse discovers worlds and characters that are out of proportion, where emotions, ideas, and appearance are all grossly exaggerated. 

Another way to approach an essay on this novel is to look at the themes that run through it. One theme that is predominant is that of identity. Jesse's identity is always in question and seems to hinge on whether or not he is involved in a meaningful pursuit. In addition, his last name changes frequently, and since so much of our identity is tied to what we are named or name ourselves, this is significant. Last, as a doctor, Jesse has the power to cure his patients, but he does not seem to be able to 'cure' himself. A diagnosis for what ails him is elusive. You can tie this to identity, as well.

Another theme is the idea of what shapes a life's path, personality or fate? In many ways, Jesse's life's path twists and turns in ways over which he has little, if any, control. But in other ways, it is his personality that leads him to make certain decisions, which in turn lead to consequences and circumstances he may have avoided were he to have made a different choice. 

Another approach you can take is to examine the novel to see if/how it meets (or not) the criteria to be called a Gothic novel. There are many who critique Oates's work through that lens. Most Gothic novels contain a number of similar characteristics, including a gloomy or decaying setting, many with secret passages, trapdoors, or other mysterious architectural features; a damsel in distress who is rescued by a romantic hero; romance; ancient curses or prophecies; and a supernatural element. 

A concise, focused thesis that makes a clear argument and solid research from credible sources will help you make the most of your argument. Good luck!

Would John Stuart Mill support reproductive freedom?

I believe Mill would have supported reproductive freedom, since his support for the equality of women in all spheres of life, including business, intellectual pursuit, religion and social relations indicated his belief that women (indeed, in Mill's view, all people) should be able to stand on their own, without the patronage of men or institutions. Mill's treatise The Subjection of Women (which Mill claimed was co-written with his wife, and perhaps even his daughter), lays out the notion that women historically had been little more than slaves to men, and should be emancipated from that condition immediately:

"That the principle which regulates the existing social relations between the two sexes — the legal subordination of one sex to the other — is wrong itself, and now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement; and that it ought to be replaced by a principle of perfect equality, admitting no power or privilege on the one side, nor disability on the other."

Mill believed that a woman's life, including her body, should belong only to her, to be used as she saw fit to earn an income, enter into marriage, or produce children, without censure from religious, societal, or male influence, so her retention of reproductive abilities aligns with that overarching principle.

Why does everyone call Jeffrey "Maniac" in the book Maniac Magee?

The title character in Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee is born Jeffrey Magee and lives roughly the first decade of his life being called Jeffrey. Upon coming to the town of Two Mills after leaving the home of his aunt and uncle, Magee accomplishes a series of significant athletic accomplishments that lead to him earning the nickname of Maniac.

One of the significant events occurs when Magee shows up on a football field and intercepts a pass intended for the super-talented James "Hands" Down. Another of the accomplishments occurs when Magee shows up at the Little League field and subsequently hits multiple home runs off of the previously "unhittable" John McNab. Lastly, Magee rescues a kid who is being bullied by high school students and dumped into the yard of Finsterwald—who everybody is afraid of, except for Magee.

With Magee's sudden and dramatic burst into the town of Two Mills, the nickname Maniac seems to be appropriate.

What are some significant examples of doubling throughout the story, other than the opposed doubles of Lucie Manette and the alike doubles of...

The beginning paragraph sets up the theme of doubles (“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times,” etc.). The family friends, the solicitor Mr. Stryver and Jarvis Lorry, are also doubles. Mr. Stryver looks to Lucie as a possible romantic attachment and wife, while Mr. Lorry looks on her as a surrogate daughter. While both intend the best for her, their motives are different, one being self-serving and the other being selfless.

Monsieur Defarge and Mr. Lorry can also be seen as opposites. Both have been in positions of service to Doctor Manette. Monsieur Defarge’s loyalty to the revolution can be seen as of a pair with Mr. Lorry’s loyalty to Tellson’s bank. While this loyalty is strong, they do not go as far in defending these institutions as does Madame Defarge. There is a limit to their defense of these institutions.

Another example of doubling can be found in Miss Pross and Madame Defarge. Miss Pross is willing to give her life to save Lucie, while Madame Defarge is willing to give her own life to destroy Lucie. Madame Defarge is killed by Miss Pross, while Miss Pross loses her hearing because of the gunshot that killed Madame Defarge.

What is Ralph frustrated about?

In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, one of the protagonists, Ralph, deals with a series of frustrations over the course of the novel. However, the root of his frustration, regardless of the frustration itself, tends to be the behaviour of the other boys on the island. 

He is frustrated by Jack's immaturity and short-sightedness. Jack cannot relinquish his belief that he should be the leader of their little tribe, and as such continuously challenges Ralph's decisions. He also diverts the boys' attention from a long-term solution, tending the fire to attract attention to be rescued, to a short-term diversion, hunting the pigs. 

Piggy also frustrates Ralph with his timidity and his inability to understand the other boys or to emulate their social interactions. Despite the fact that Ralph benefits from Piggy's knowledge, he becomes frustrated by Piggy's awkward nature. 

What is the effect of the personification in the following sentence from "To Build a Fire" by Jack London?"The cold of space smote the...

In this passage we see that nature is violent and indifferent to the fate of the man, the dog, or any creature that happens to be in its way. This is a common theme in Naturalism. One could argue that in this story nature is a character, just like the man and the dog. Nature, or more specifically "the cold of space," is personified in this passage as seen in the use of the word "smote." To smite or strike something shows intention and volition; thus nature is acting with its own will, and nature will not stop to consider the ramifications of its actions or make concessions for the man who gets in its way. The weather and nature here seem a bit more fearful when one views them as acting with intention and when one sees that they have no concern for the man or other life. In fact, it becomes clear as we read that the man's fate is sealed, and there is no escape from the harsh conditions.

Where did Curley meet his wife in Of Mice and Men?

Curley met his wife at the Riverside Dance Palace.

Curley’s wife is a very lonely person.  Her character is not even given a name.  Sadly, Curley is very jealous and tries to keep her away from other people.  Most of the company she has on the ranch is farmhands, and he doesn’t want her socializing with them in case she might cheat on him.  They avoid her too, because they do not want trouble with Curley.

Curley is violent, crude, and grumpy.  He is always looking for his wife to make sure she is not doing something she should not be, and she is always wandering around the ranch pretending to look for him just so that she can come in contact with people. 

When Curley’s wife finds Lennie alone in the barn, with his dead puppy, she just really wants someone to talk to.  She tells Lennie most of her life story.

“’Nother time I met a guy, an’ he was in pitchers. Went out to the Riverside Dance Palace with him. He says he was gonna put me in the movies.…  I never got that letter. …. So I married Curley. Met him out to the Riverside Dance Palace that same night.” (Ch. 5) 

It does seem as if Curley’s wife wanted more out of life, but she found it difficult to get anywhere.  She thought that the man she met was going to get her into movies, and he never wrote to her like he promised.   She decided she might as well just get married, and she settled on Curley. 

Unfortunately, things do not end well for Curley’s wife.  She gets her neck broken because Lennie wanted to stroke her hair. He did not mean to kill her, but as with the puppy he just did not know his own strength.  It was a tragic accident.

In chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird, who put the blanket around Scout?

Boo Radley placed the blanket over Scout's shoulders.

In Chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird, on a bitterly cold night, especially for southern Alabama, Scout is awakened by her father because Miss Maudie's house has caught fire. Since this fire is raging right across from their home, Atticus instructs the children to stand in front of the Radleys' front gate away from the fire.

The fire begins to devour Miss Maudie's house. Finally, the children see the old fire truck, which has been "killed by the cold," being pushed from town by a large group of men. When the men hook the hose to the hydrant, the old hose bursts and water shoots into the air. The men carry out what they can for Miss Maudie, and they call to Mr. Avery to get out.

Shortly thereafter, the fire truck from a nearby town arrives and pumps water on the Finch house and others close by. All that can be done is to protect the nearby homes. It is nearly dawn when the children return to their house. As they enter, a perplexed Atticus looks at Scout; then, he becomes stern, growling, "I thought I told you and Jem to stay put." Scout tries to explain that they have obeyed, but Atticus interrupts, "Then whose blanket is that?" Unaware that she possesses such an item, Scout glances down and sees she has been clutching a brown woolen blanket.

Jem discloses their interactions with Boo and the little things he has done or made for them. This information assists Atticus in his conclusion: 

"We'd better keep this and the blanket to ourselves. Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up."

"Thank who?" Scout asks.

"Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when he put the blanket around you."

Scout is shocked to think that Boo sneaked out of the house to place a blanket around her.

In Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, what change occurred around Thanksgiving?

The major change that occurs in Spinelli's Stargirl around Thanksgiving is when students start to treat Stargirl better. First, Stargirl becomes popular for her cheerleading antics during the high school football season. Then, the student population's mental attitude towards Stargirl shifts from bewilderment and disgust to one of support and acceptance. Leo describes the change as follows:

"No longer did Stargirl eat lunch--or walk the hallways or do anything else at school--alone . . . Whatever the reason, by the time we returned from Thanksgiving break, it was clear that the change had occurred" (38).

Leo goes on to say that students stop viewing Stargirl as dangerous. For example, girls don't feel threatened by her different style of clothing, and they aren't even jealous of her for her cheerleading success. In fact, students from every clique in school begin to embrace her! As a result, students "honored her by imitation" (38). Suddenly, students bring ukuleles to school and play them in the cafeteria just like she does. They talk to her like she is one of the popular kids, and everything seems to be looking up for her as far as being accepted by her peers is concerned.

What are three strong reasons that free will, not fate, is responsible in Romeo and Juliet? I'm having trouble coming up with ideas (that have...

In Romeo and Juliet, free will is exhibited strongly through Juliet’s choice to marry Romeo and stand by him after he kills Tybalt, Juliet’s favorite cousin. She reasons with herself about what her choice should be: to support her family and reject Romeo, who by law is now a murderer because of the Prince’s decree, or to follow Romeo, her husband, the man she loves. She has not followed her father’s wish for her, making her own decision as to whom she should marry. By choosing Romeo, she also chooses the possibility of following him into exile, perhaps even death. The missed message to Romeo about her simulated death may be seen as an example of fate overriding her free will, but it is her free will that set her up, as well as Romeo, for the tragedy that would follow. She chose her death, as did Romeo. It was not thrust upon them.

I have been asked to write a short story focusing on one of the characters in Macbeth. I would like to choose a woman as I feel that women often...

Lady Macduff is an interesting character, although she only appears in the one scene when the soldiers invade her castle at Fife. That is in Act IV, Scene 2. You might be able to make an exciting short story out of Lady Macduff. She goes through a lot of stress in a very short time but manages to act with courage and dignity. She tries to carry on a conversation with her little boy in spite of her terrible anxiety and distractions. She doesn't want her son to be affected by her fears. First she is anxious because her husband has fled to England. Then she is warned of impending danger by Ross. Finally a soldier appears with orders to murder her and her son. One of her most striking observations is the following:

Whither should I fly?
I have done no harm. But I remember now
I am in this earthly world, where to do harm
Is often laudable, to do good sometime
Accounted dangerous folly.

The three witches are also women. It would be quite a challenge to write a short story about one or all of them. 

And then there is the Waiting Gentlewoman who is watching over Lady Macbeth during the famous sleepwalking scene in Act V, Scene 1. The advantage of writing about this scene would be that you could include two women in your story: the Waiting Gentlewoman and Lady Macbeth.

What does Montag do with the Bible in Fahrenheit 451? Why does he do it?

In Part Two: "The Sieve and the Sand," Montag visits Faber's house to seek his help understanding what he has read. When Montag arrives, Faber notices Montag holds a copy of the Bible. Faber's eyes light up, and he asks Montag if he can hold it. Faber flips through the pages and says, "It's as good as I remember. Lord, how they've changed it in our 'parlors' these days" (Bradbury 77). Montag then tells Faber why he came, and Faber calls Montag a hopeless romantic. After Faber explains the significance of books, Montag tells him he thought they could print more copies of books and circulate them throughout society. Faber suggests they might be able to hide the copies in firemen's homes and destroy the structure from the inside. Faber then tells Montag the whole society and culture would have to be revamped because people enjoy their superficial existence. Montag then asks Faber if he will help him, and Faber says, "Good night, good night" (Bradbury 84). Montag picks up the Bible and asks Faber if he would like to have it. When Faber says that he would give his right arm for the copy of the Bible, Montag begins ripping the pages out of it. Faber yells, "Idiot, what're you doing" (Bradbury 84). Montag continues to rip pages from the Bible until Faber sinks in his chair and agrees to help Montag. Montag knew that destroying such a rare book would force Faber to act because he is so passionate about books and preserving knowledge. Faber agrees to help Montag by giving him a two-way communication device and offering him moral support. Faber is Montag's mentor and helps Montag escape from the city after he kills Captain Beatty. 

What was the primary reason for the economic boom that occurred in the United States after World War II?

The economic boom following World War II was the result of pent-up demand.  During the war, most production was directed to the war, weapons and ammunition, uniforms for soldiers, vehicles to move troops. For example, no vehicles for private consumption were produced during the entire war.  This meant that after the war was over, production of consumer products could resume, and people were more than ready to buy cars, appliances, and clothing.  At the same time, soldiers returning from war were getting married, settling down, and having children.  This meant there was a need for new housing. There was a dreadful housing shortage during the war, and I know that my own parents were thrilled to find a studio apartment to start their marriage.  Various programs for benefits helped returning soldiers to purchase their homes, and educational benefits allowed them to go to college.  This generation, having fought a war and done without for so long, was ready to consume!

Why are Johnny and Ponyboy not scared while they are inside of the burning church?

Throughout their time spent hiding out in the abandoned church, Ponyboy and Johnny grow closer as friends by bonding over the novel Gone With the Wind. After Ponyboy reads about how the Southern gentlemen gallantly road into battle despite knowing that they were surely going to die, Johnny mentions that they remind him of Dally. Johhny then tells Ponyboy a story about how Dally took the blame for breaking out windows at the school, even though he didn't, just to keep Two-Bit out of trouble. Ponyboy mentions that he finally understands Johnny's hero-worship for Dally after hearing the story.

In Chapter 6, the boys return from eating at Dairy Queen to find out that the church is on fire, and several children are trapped inside. Without hesitation, Ponyboy runs into the burning building, and Johnny follows. While they are inside looking for the children, Ponyboy mentions that he isn't scared, which is odd considering he is inside a burning church. Pony then says,

"Johnny wasn't behaving at all like his old self...He wasn't scared either. That was the only time I can think of when I saw him without that defeated, suspicious look in his eyes. He looked like he was having the time of his life" (Hinton 79).

Ponyboy and Johnny are not scared because they finally have a chance to act out their fantasies of being gallant Southern gentlemen. Just like the heroes they read about in Gone With the Wind who risk their lives for the Southern cause, they too bravely enter a dangerous situation for noble reasons. The sheer excitement and thrill of participating in a noble cause is enough for them to overcome their fears. They are also feeling the effects of adrenaline which gives them increased energy and an almost invulnerable sensation.

How many times did the book mention a bear? And on what pages?

The bear is a recurring image in the book Lyddie, beginning with the literal bear in chapter 1 and recurring as a metaphor several times. In the first chapter, a bear gets into the cabin and Lyddie makes sure all her family members are safe in the loft while she stares it down. The bear then gets a pot of hot porridge on its head and runs out of the cabin, but the incident is the last straw for Lyddie's mother, who takes it as a sign that she should leave the cabin. This incident happens on pages 1 - 4. On page 88 Lyddie receives a letter from her mother about Agnes' death, and Lyddie remembers Agnes as being only 4 during the "winter of the bear." On pages 97-98 when Lyddie is working in the factory, she thinks of the looms as bears. She motivates herself to cope with the increasing speed of the machines by remembering how she faced down the bear. On page 126 just after Lyddie has taken responsibility for Rachel, she has a nightmare about the bear and dreams she can't "stare him down," revealing how worried she is for Rachel and their future. On page 169 after Lyddie gets fired, it seems as if "the bear had won." Here the factory supervisor and the system at Concord Corporation is likened to a bear that seeks to destroy her and succeeds. On page 181 she determines to "stare down all the bears" that are in "her own narrow spirit" that might keep her from the life she wants. She decides to go to college. 

What is the significance of Myers using the term "monster" throughout the novel Monster?

Walter Dean Myers titles the novel Monster after the name that prosecuting attorney, Sandra Petrocelli, calls Steve Harmon at the beginning of the story. In the Prologue, Steve Harmon explains the terrible situation he is in and expresses his wish to make a movie about his experience being on trial for his life. He says he'll write his screenplay down in a notebook and "call it what the lady who is prosecutor called me. Monster" (8). Throughout the novel, Steve struggles with his identity and the fact that he is accused of being involved in the robbery and murder of Aguinaldo Nesbitt. Steve notices that he looks similar to the other inmates and questions his values and morals. Myers explores how the judicial system impersonally judges minorities and portrays them as "monsters," rather than human beings. At the end of the novel, Steve is found not guilty and turns to hug his attorney, Kathy O'Brien. Instead of hugging Steve, O'Brien distances herself and turns away of from him. Steve Harmon questions what made her turn from him because she looked at him like he was a "monster."

`tanh^-1 x = 1/2 ln((1+x)/(1-x)) , -1

Given to prove

`tanh^(-1) x =1/2 ln((1+x)/(1-x))`

so let

`tanh^(-1) x =y`

=> `x= tanh(y)`

       `x =(e^y - e^-y)/(e^y + e^-y)`

=> `(e^y + e^-y)*x = (e^y - e^-y )`

=> `xe^y + xe^-y = e^y - e^-y`

=> `(xe^(2y)+x)/e^y = (e^2y -1)/e^y`

=> `(xe^(2y)+x)= (e^(2y) -1)`

=>`(xe^(2y)+x)-e^(2y) +1=0`

=>`e^(2y)(x-1)+x+1=0`

=>`(x-1)(e^(2y)) =-(x+1)`

=>`e^(2y) = -(x+1)/(x-1)`

=>` e^(2y) = (1+x)/(1-x)`

=>` e^(2y)=(1+x)/(1-x)`

=> `e^(2y) = ((1+x)/(1-x))`

=>`2y=ln (((1+x)/(1-x)))`

=>`y=1/2 ln (((1+x)/(1-x)))`

so,

`tanh^(-1) x =1/2 ln((1+x)/(1-x))`

What do we know about Gortsby's mood from lines 1-3 in "Dusk" by Saki?

The scene depicted of Gortsby is that of a solitary figure in an almost deserted place. This scene suggests that Gortsby is, perhaps, despondent or embittered because he seems to desire no human company.

In the first lines of Saki's story, the reader finds Norman Gortsby sitting with his back to a "sward," which is an open area of short grass that is fenced off; before him is the street [Row, when capitalized, means street as in Church Row]. This is separated from Gortsby by a "wide stretch of carriage drive."

Apparently, then, Gortsby is feeling cynical about his fellow man and separate from them. He sits alone at dusk, a time when people who move about seem mere shadows of human beings, with outlines or form and possessing no distinguishable features. They are but silhouettes that glide past, static representatives of people without individuality or dimension. Since he feels himself a part of this tableau, Gortsby counts himself among "the defeated."

Certainly, Saki's subtle descriptions of setting create a mood to which the story returns at the end with Gortsby's failed attempt to rehabilitate his cynicism. For, when he sees the soap under his bench after the young man departs angrily because his tale was discredited, Gortsby scolds himself, "It's a lesson to me not to be too clever in judging by circumstances." But, then, when the old gentleman returns to retrieve the bar of soap which he dropped while sitting on the same bench, Gortsby realizes that he is yet among "the defeated," remaining with his back to a bush-planted sward and apart from the Row.

What is microalgae biofuel?

Unlike fossil fuels, biofuels are created from biological processes (such as fermentation) instead of geological ones. Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms. The microalgae particularly important to biofuel production are eukaryotic microalgae. These organisms have membrane-bound organelles. The biofuel itself is composed of triacylglycerols.

One of the benefits of microalgae biofuel over macroalgae (seaweed) is that they aren’t used as a food source for humans and most livestock. Another benefit is that they are found in nearly all aquatic environments. This means that they could potentially be grown in environments not suitable for other forms of agricultural production. Lastly, every microalgae cell will yield biofuel. Macroalgae can only produce biofuel from specialized cells. So they also produce a greater biofuel yield relative to biomass.

What are the conditions that must be met in order for a war to be considered just? Was the 2003 war the United States waged against Iraq just based...

There are two basic criteria for a war to be justified under just war theory, which are usually given in Latin (for no reason I can think of other than to sound impressive): jus ad bellum, "justice toward war", and jus in bello, "justice within war".

Jus ad bellum requires that the reasons for war are justified. The usual standard is that the war must:

1. have just cause,


2. be a last resort,


3. be declared by a proper authority,


4. possess right intention,


5. have a reasonable chance of success, and


6. the end must be proportional to the means.

The Iraq War does not do very well on these criteria.

If Saddam Hussein had actually had weapons of mass destruction (particularly nuclear weapons, which are far more destructive than other weapons of mass destruction), that might have been just cause, but he didn't. US authorities did not have sufficiently reliable intelligence to believe he did.

The war doesn't seem to have been a last resort, as many US allies recommended other alternatives but the US government refused to take those alternatives.

It was almost declared by a proper authority — the US did seek a UN Security Council resolution, but the resolution was vetoed by France, who argued there were still better options available.

The war does seem to have possessed right intention; despite conspiracy theories to the contrary, I'm not aware of any credible historical evidence that the Bush Administration actually launched the war for personal gain or any other reason besides honestly trying to defeat Saddam Hussein's tyrannical regime and improve security in the Middle East.

Whether the war had a reasonable chance of success depends on what you mean by success. Simply defeating the Iraqi Army in combat and unseating Saddam Hussein was virtually guaranteed, and indeed happened almost immediately. The long-term goal of establishing a legitimate democratic government in its place and maintaining security in the Middle East was always a longshot, and the US did not have a particularly compelling plan for doing so at any point.

The ends do seem proportional to the means. Saddam Hussein was a murderous tyrant. If he really had access to weapons of mass destruction, he would have posed a serious threat to the lives of thousands if not millions of people in the region. It would be entirely reasonable to use full-scale military force to combat such a threat.

As a whole, then, the Iraq War does not seem justified in terms of justice toward war, jus ad bellum.

Jus in bello requires that the war itself be conducted justly. It has two basic criteria:

1. Discrimination between legitimate combatants and innocent civilians


2. Proportional and necessary force used to subdue enemy combatants

The Iraq War actually does quite well on these criteria, especially by historical standards. While US troops did kill thousands of people directly, and the war and its aftermath killed hundreds of thousands, these are actually remarkably small figures compared to past full-scale wars. US forces took care to use high-tech precision weapons, rather than the carpet bombing and napalm strikes deployed in Vietnam. US forces swiftly targeted key military infrastructure rather than seeking widespread destruction. They often tried to protect civilian populations from danger and avoided attacking densely-populated areas. The military even targeted buildings and facilities at night to minimize the number of people likely to be inside them.

It could be argued the military should have used even more careful discrimination, or the military force deployed was still heavier than necessary, but US military forces certainly did a lot better in Iraq than in Vietnam. A total failure of jus in bello would have been for the US to deploy some of its thousands of high-yield nuclear weapons; millions of Iraqis are alive today because they did not do that.

Therefore, I tentatively conclude that the Iraq War does actually satisfy the criteria for justice within war, jus in bello.

What reason did the Supreme Court give for ruling as it did in Vernonia School District v. Acton?

The case of Vernonia School District v. Acton had to do with the drug testing of student-athletes in the public schools.  Acton argued that requiring all student-athletes to be tested violated the 4th Amendment prohibition against illegal searches and seizures.  The Supreme Court ruled against Acton by a 6-3 vote, saying that mandatory drug testing was constitutional.  Their basic reasoning was that the students do not have a legitimate expectation of privacy and that the degree to which their privacy is violated is outweighed by the school’s interest in preventing drug use.

The Fourth Amendment only protects against searches and seizures where someone has a reasonable expectation of privacy.  If, for example, you have a four-foot fence around your yard next to a sidewalk, you have no reasonable expectation of privacy in that yard because anyone can see over the fence and into the yard.  The Supreme Court ruled that the student-athletes had very little expectation of privacy.  Students in general already have a lower level of expectation of privacy because they can, for example, be required to have vaccinations, to have their hearing tested, and to have their vision tested.  Athletes have even less expectation of privacy because, among other things, they have to have physical exams to play and they have to change in front of everyone in locker rooms.  Because of all of this, student-athletes have very little reason to expect privacy.

Even if someone has a reason to expect privacy, that expectation is overridden if the government has a very strong need to do so (the technical term is interest in doing so).  In this situation, the Court ruled that the school had a very strong interest in keeping students from doing drugs.  Since the students had little right to expect privacy and since the school had a strong interest in drug-testing, the Court ruled that the drug tests were constitutional.

In Animal Farm, what are Snowball's views on education for the animals?

Snowball believes that all of the animals should try to learn to read at least a little. 

After the animals expel the humans from the farm, the pigs are in charge.  The two main factions are those of Napoleon and Snowball.  Napoleon is much more interested in gathering power to himself, but Snowball is actually interested in bettering the lives of the animals on the farm. 

Before the humans left, the animals all pretty much acted like animals.  However, the pigs are intelligent enough to use old books left on the farm to teach themselves to read.  Then it is the other animals' turn.  Some of the animals on the farm are more successful at this than others. 

Snowball is the best writer.  He tries to organize the animals into committees, which is not too productive.  He also tries to get as many animals reading as possible, even if they can only recognize the letters in their names. 

The reading and writing classes, however, were a great success. By the autumn almost every animal on the farm was literate in some degree. (Ch. 3) 

The dogs and Muriel learn to read pretty well, and Mollie learns to spell her name.  Boxer gets up to the letter “D.”  Most of the other animals do not get farther than the first letter of the alphabet. 

While Snowball tries to help the animals become literate, Napoleon has a plan of his own. 

Napoleon took no interest in Snowball's committees. He said that the education of the young was more important than anything that could be done for those who were already grown up. (Ch. 3) 

What Napoleon really does is take the puppies and train them in secret to be his guard dogs.  He is not really interested in the education of the young.  He just wants a group of fierce, loyal dogs to do his bidding and frighten the other animals into submission.

Why was Elie's father struck by a gypsy in Night?

In their concentration camps during World War II the Nazis often used prisoners to guard other prisoners. On their first night at Auschwitz, Elie and his father are supervised by gypsies. In Hitler's twisted philosophy, the gypsies were an inferior group and he had them deported from Germany. 20,000 went to Auschwitz where most were eventually gassed. In section three, while they are in the barracks, Elie's father is struck with a case of colic. Colic is upper abdomen pain and can last several hours. When he asks the gypsy who was supervising them where the bathroom was located, the gypsy hits him, probably with a truncheon (a short thick stick). It is an example of the extreme brutality which went on in the camps and also a signal to the Jews that their gypsy guards were not to be taken lightly. Quite simply, the gypsies wanted to demonstrate their superiority over the men they were guarding. In the concentration camps, violence tends to breed more violence. Throughout the book, Elie is witness to inhumane acts performed by men who would have never considered such cruelty in their normal lives. Even though Elie's father is very polite, the gypsy reacts negatively to a simple question:

The gypsy looked him up and down slowly, from head to foot. As if he wanted to convince himself that this man addressing him was really a creature of flesh and bone, a living being with a body and a belly. Then, as if he had suddenly woken up from a heavy doze, he dealt my father such a clout that he fell to the ground, crawling back to his place on all fours.

It is the first of several times that Elie's father is the victim of violence and it is also the first time that Elie stands paralyzed, unable and unwilling to do anything to help his father. The situation would recur and is similar to the situation toward the end of the novel when Elie's father is struck by an SS officer and is soon dead. Again, Elie stands by without saying anything, helpless and apathetic in the face of savagery.

What are individuals' responsibilities to the community?

One story illustrates that responsibility to the community lies in being honest and direct, not permitting yourself to hide in subterfuge, and in having the perceptiveness to get involved with events beyond your own four walls, outside your windows, when needed, as when a woman's life may depend upon it.

The final segment of "Getting By" describes a party Gary Soto and his wife Carolyn throw to celebrate the release of his first poetry collection. With their cottage filled with friends and relatives not seen "in nine months--or years!" Soto's sister Debra drags him to a bedroom window where she points at a woman on top of a "tin shed in the back yard" yelling obscenities in self-defense at a man waving a steak knife at her. Soto pulls down the shade. He contemplates calling the police.

Pulling down the shade, I felt inclined to telephone the police. I hesitated, however, and went over to tell Carolyn about what was happening outside. She rushed ... and peeked through the shade. They were gone.

A moment later Debra tugs on Soto's sleeve saying the woman is at the front door. When he opens to her, she pretends to have a broken-down car and asks to use the phone, refusing to meet his stare. He watches her and wonders if he should directly tell her that he knows it was trouble with a man and a steak knife, not trouble with a broken-down car, that brought her to his door.

Not wanting to embarrass someone so clearly in need of comfort, not wanting to get involved, he waits, walks her to the door, and wishes her luck with her car. She thanks him.

But I said nothing, for fear of getting involved, and when the young woman was off the telephone I walked her to the door and--very stupidly--wished her luck in getting her car started. On the steps she half-turned to me and ... said, "Thanks."

Although Soto does not draw morals and lessons at the conclusions of his stories, there is a clear implication that he would have done well to have acted on his inclination to intervene in trying to rescue her from violence and that he did poorly in engaging in subterfuge with her. For the young woman, there would have been a natural inclination to hide the truth as people tend to shy away from strangers who are in danger: homes and families are instinctively protected from invasion by dangerous elements.

But for Soto, there was that half-turned-toward inclination to intervene on her behalf. He would have done well to respond to it if for no other reason than that she may have seen a new pattern of being. Two of an individual's responsibilities to the community are (1) to follow beneficial inclinations that have the potential to lead to good and (2) to reject the inclination to hide in subterfuge.

Gary Soto Biography

Why doesn't Scout recognize Boo Radley when she first sees him?

In Chapter 29, Scout recounts her story about Bob Ewell's attack to Sheriff Tate. She admits that she was unable to identify the person who helped them out and said that she thought Atticus had come to save them. When Tate asks Scout who saved them, Scout points to the shy man standing in the corner and says, "Why there he is, Mr. Tate, he can tell you his name” (Lee 165). Scout then looks at the man and notices that he has extremely pale skin which made it seem like he had never seen the sun. Scout then examines his hollow face, thin frame, and gray eyes. Whenever he flashes a timid smile, Scout realizes that she is looking at her neighbor, Arthur Radley. Scout's eyes swell up with tears as she says, "Hey, Boo” (Lee 165).

There are several reasons why Scout did not initially recognize Boo Radley when she first sees him. Boo Radley is the most reclusive individual in the neighborhood, and Scout had never seen what he looked like before. During the struggle, Scout was wearing a cumbersome ham costume which impaired her visibility. Also, it was extremely dark outside which is why she was not able to get a clear look at who saved them. While Boo is quietly standing in the corner of Jem's room, Scout has no idea who he is because she is incapable of identifying a man she has never seen before. Only after noticing his skin and demenour, does Scout realize that she is staring at the reclusive Arthur “Boo” Radley.

`arccos(x) = arcsec(x)` Solve the equation for x

The function at the left side, `arccos(x),` is defined at `[-1, 1],` because it is the range of `cos(x).`  The function at the right side, `arcsec(x),` is defined at `(-oo, -1] uu [1, +oo],` because it is the range of `sec(x).`

Thus there are only two points at which both sides are defined, `x_1 = -1` and `x_2 = 1.` Let's check whether they are the solutions: `arccos(-1) = pi` and `arcsec(-1) = pi,` `arccos(1) = 0` and `arcsec(1) = 0.`

Yes, they are the solutions. The answer: `x_1 = -1,` `x_2 = 1.`