What was the bet in Anton Chekhov's "The Bet"?

The bet is between the lawyer and the banker. The subject matter of their bet is over the morality of the death penalty. The banker believes the death penalty is more humane than life in prison, but the lawyer disagrees. The lawyer believes life in prison is a more humane option because he believes that some life is better than no life. He then says, 

The death sentence and the life sentence are equally immoral, but if I had to choose between the death penalty and imprisonment for life, I would certainly choose the second. To live anyhow is better than not at all.

The banker then bets the lawyer 2 million rubles that the lawyer couldn't stay in solitary confinement for 5 years. The lawyer agrees to the bet, but oddly increases his confinement time to 15 years for no increase in possible winnings. The bet begins at noon the following day.

Why is there tension between the Necessary and Proper Clause and the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?

Perceived tension between the so-called Necessary and Proper Clause and the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution is largely illusory. The perception that such tension exists comes from a misconstrual of the scope of the clause.

The United States Constitution forms a federal government of enumerated powers. What this means is that the powers of the federal government are limited to those powers granted to the federal government by the Constitution itself. Thus, every clause of the Constitution is constrained by the very nature of the document itself, and thus each clause must be understood within the limitations of the powers granted under the document. The so-called Necessary and Proper Clause is no exception.

At the time the Constitution was in the process of being ratified, the clause in question raised concerns regarding its seemingly sweeping nature. However, the Federalists argued that the clause was merely a catch-all to make sure that the U.S. Congress, and by extension the federal government, could effectively wield the powers enumerated in the Constitution. Given the actual language of the clause itself, the Federalist position proved to be persuasive.

The Necessary and Proper Clause (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18) reads:

[Congress shall have the power] To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

The clause does not, nor was it ever intended to, give the Congress the power to pass laws it feels are necessary and proper in a general sense. Rather, the clause gives Congress the power to make laws that are “necessary and proper” to exercise “the foregoing Powers” and “all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States”. Thus, the clause is constrained by the powers listed above Clause 18 in Section 8 of Article 1, as well as the powers, and restrictions, of the rest of the Constitution.

One such restriction is the Tenth Amendment. The Tenth Amendment reads:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

The Tenth Amendment serves to strengthen the already existing grants of powers and limitations thereof as provided in the rest of the Constitution. It helps ensure that the principle of enumerated powers is held strictly against the federal government so that it does not exceed its power. With regard to the Necessary and Proper Clause, the Tenth Amendment becomes part of the constraints of that clause, namely that the clause allows congress to pass laws necessary and proper for the exercise of powers granted under the Constitution.

What makes Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing entertaining?

The play is entertaining because it is a comedy about love with an element of drama. 

Most of the entertainment value from the play comes from the squabbles of the lovers Benedick and Beatrice.  Both of them claim to be not interested in a serious relationship, but they enjoy bickering and they have been in love before.  When Beatrice’s cousin Hero plans to wed Claudio, it seems to spark their interest. 

Hero and Claudio supply the play’s drama.  They are supposed to marry, but on the wedding day Claudio condemns Hero as untrue.  The play’s villain, Don John, has convinced him that he saw Hero cheating on him with another man.  It was actually not Hero, but Margaret.  Beatrice protests this slander, but the men, including Hero’s father Leonato, seem to accept what Claudio says at face value. 

The play also has comic relief in the form of Dogberry, the hapless constable.  He is hilarious, because he is completely inept.  He mixes up his words and does not do a very good job investigating the case of Don Pedro and his minions. 

Watchman

If we know him to be a thief, shall we not lay
hands on him?

DOGBERRY

Truly, by your office, you may; but I think they
that touch pitch will be defiled: the most peaceable
way for you, if you do take a thief, is to let him
show himself what he is and steal out of your company. (Act 3, Scene 3)

Shakespeare is playing on words here, of course, with "thief" and "steal."  The audience would have found it funny, even if Dogberry does not mean to be so.  In the end, everything works out and Don Pedro is punished for trying to ruin Hero’s reputation.

Most entertaining plays will have a satisfying ending.   In the end, Hero and Claudio are able to marry after all, so that crisis is averted.  Beatrice and Benedick are also in love.  It is a tidy little wrap-up. 

Examine and explain an important idea in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

Rebellion is the strongest idea expressed in The Catcher in the Rye, although author J.D. Salinger explores multiple social themes throughout the work. As a young man who is left with an important decision to make after failing his prep school classes, Holden is saddled with the pressures of other people's expectations. He must choose between returning home and facing his parents after his failure or setting out on his own.

Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, it clear Holden can either take the path of least resistance by returning home or choose to rebel against the expectations of his parents and society. Without fully knowing his own mind, he asks Sally, a girl he dated previously, to run away with him. This arc in the story demonstrates Holden's rebellion is contingent upon having another person to join him, validating his choices as a result.

The idea of rebellion is also expressed through Holden's misanthropy and his excessive use of foul language. Holden is also seen abandoning his family's 1950s values by hiring a prostitute at a hotel, but he ultimately decides not to go through with the encounter. Holden himself acknowledges his rebellion likely stems from the fact that he feels society has already rejected him as a misfit.

It has been suggested that Holden's hunting hat is a physical symbol of his rebellion. While he otherwise dresses appropriately for a young man in his era, Holden is consistently seen wearing a hunting hat that is notably out of place. By wearing the hat, Holden is rebelling against society's expectations in a significant way, even if he meets them in most others.

How did containment lead to the Cold War?

"Containment" was name given to the strategy formulated by American policy leaders in response to what they perceived as Communist aggression. This policy was first suggested by American diplomat George Kennan, whose "Long Telegram" painted the Soviets as implacable expansionists. In response, Kennan recommended (in a later article in Foreign Affairs) "long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies." Whether this caused the Cold War is open to debate, but it certainly helped shape the contours of the conflict. Within half a decade of Kennan's article, the United States committed to resisting communism by providing economic and military aid to anti-communists (as in Turkey and Greece,) by maintaining a large military presence to counter the Soviets (as in the divided Germany) and even by invasion (as in Korea). Containment assumed that the Soviets would always behave aggressively, and that the United States needed to maintain a firm response. Pursuing this policy contributed to many of the Cold War's early crises, beginning with the Berlin blockade and airlift in 1948. It would continue to shape American foreign policy until the end of the Cold War.

What are some reasons Friar Lawrence is admirable in Romeo and Juliet?

Friar Lawrence is admirable because he does his best to help Romeo and Juliet and he has some very impressive skills. 

Friar Lawrence does seem to be the one person who really cares about Romeo and Juliet and the people of Verona. He is a good friend and advisor to Romeo. He does his best to make sure Romeo and Juliet can be together. He also has some skills with plants and potions. Despite the disastrous consequences, the sleeping potion he gave Juliet was clever and a good solution to a tricky problem. 

Friar Lawrence has the interest of all of Verona at heart.  When Romeo comes to him and tells him he has fallen in love with a Capulet, he sees it as a potential way to end the feud between the two families. He agrees to help Romeo with the hope that Romeo and Juliet's marriage would end the feud, saying,

O, she knew well
Thy love did read by rote and could not spell.
But come, young waverer, come, go with me,
In one respect I'll thy assistant be;
For this alliance may so happy prove,
To turn your households' rancour to pure love (Act II, Scene 3).

Friar Lawrence again comes to the rescue when Romeo is banished. Romeo fought and killed Tybalt. Romeo should have been executed because of this, but Prince Escalus takes pity on him and banishes him instead. Friar Lawrence scolds Romeo for crying about this, and gives him a plan.  He tells him “the world is broad and wide” (Act III, Scene 3). Romeo is to go and wait; Juliet will soon join him.

After preventing Romeo from killing himself, Friar Lawrence has to deal with Juliet. She is upset because she is being forced to marry Paris, but she is already married. Friar Lawrence gives her the potion as a way to fake her death.

To-morrow night look that thou lie alone;
Let not thy nurse lie with thee in thy chamber:
Take thou this vial, being then in bed,
And this distilled liquor drink thou off;
When presently through all thy veins shall run
A cold and drowsy humour, for no pulse
Shall keep his native progress, but surcease (Act IV, Scene 1).

In the end, it did not turn out well for Romeo and Juliet, but it was not Friar Lawrence’s fault. His messenger did not get to Romeo because of a plague. Fate was against them. Friar Lawrence does admit what he did, though, and takes responsibility. In the end, he accomplishes his main goal: the families, united in grief, end the feud.

What are two main instances in the life of David Copperfield?

A significant event came in David’s childhood, when Mr. Murdstone sent him to London, to “live life on his own.” The humiliation of having to work in a blacking factory, usually reserved for those of lower socioeconomic station, stayed with David for quite some time. This is a reference to Dickens’s own time working in such a factory, when his father was sent to debtor’s prison. The humiliation and the bitterness he felt for the rest of his life is evident in the description in David Copperfield. It changed David, making him more understanding of those who did not have the advantages that he himself had. He managed to turn that humiliation into compassion.

Another event was the death of Dora. She was the wife of his childhood, a foolish infatuation which they both realized at the end of her life. As with the blacking factory, David’s marriage to Dora was a realization that he needed to grow up, to accept life with more maturity. Her death opened him up to viewing Agnes as the more appropriate bride for him, with whom he found complete happiness and fulfillment.

How did Plato Teach ?

Plato was one of the most important educators in history. This should come as no surprise, considering his mentor was Socrates, who many consider the greatest teacher in history. In c. 387 BC, Plato founded a school known simply as the "Academy." Located in Athens, this school was likely the first "university" in the Western world.

Plato's Academy exhibited Socratic teaching methodology. Plato and the other "senior members" of the Academy would present questions and problems to their students, and it would be their mission to solve them cooperatively, through discussion. Often called dialectic, Plato taught using the same inquisitive discourse which Socrates uses in Plato's dialogues. However, historians note that there is some evidence that teachers would give occasional lectures to their students.

Who had lived in the house in "There Will Come Soft Rains"?

The house was inhabited by a family of four before the nuclear blast killed them. 

The house in the story is fully automated.  Its job is to take care of its family, which consists of a mother, a father, a boy, and a girl.  Unfortunately, by the time the story starts the family is dead.  Some kind of disaster turned them into nothing other than spots in the paint. 

The five spots of paint—the man, the woman, the children, the ball—remained. The rest was a thin charcoaled layer.

It seems that when the blast hit, it incinerated the people as they were doing their everyday activities in the yard.  It immortalized and memorialized them as shadows on the wall.

The McClellan family’s house goes on without them.  It cooks them breakfast and gives them reminders.  It activates the nursery to entertain the children, who are now dead.  The family dog almost survived, but by the time it came back to the house it was in poor shape. 

The front door recognized the dog voice and opened. The dog, once huge and fleshy, but now gone to bone and covered with sores, moved in and through the house, tracking mud. Behind it whirred angry mice, angry at having to pick up mud, angry at inconvenience. 

The robot mice clean up after the dog's corpse, and at that point there is no living thing left in the house.  The house itself acts almost alive.  It makes sure everything is in order.  When there is a fire, the house tries to put it out.  It does not succeed, and the house “dies.” 

The fire starts by accident.  A tree bough breaks a window and knocks solvent onto the stove.  Since there are no people left to intervene, the house cannot save itself.  It tries to activate sprinklers, but the fire is out of control by that time.

What is the universal theme in the story "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?

One of the universal themes in the story is the supremacy of love over money. The two characters, Jim and Della, sell their most valuable possessions—Della's hair and Jim's gold watch—to buy the other a Christmas present. Della regards her long hair as her most beautiful asset, and covets a pair of hair combs she cannot afford. Jim regards his gold watch, inherited from his father, as his most prized possession. He is proud of the watch because he lives an otherwise shabby life without an adequate coat or gloves. In the end, their gifts are useless, as Jim buys Della the hair combs she wants, while Della buys Jim a watch chain. Although they cannot use the presents they receive, their willingness to sacrifice what is most dear and precious to them symbolizes their love for each other. When they sacrifice what they love most, they are not angry or upset; instead, they reaffirm their love for each other and the power of their love over the importance of physical possessions.

What are the problem and the solution in Chapters 8 and 9 of Number the Stars?

The problem is that Ellen and other Jews need to get out of the country away from the Germans. The solution is that Uncle Henrik is going to smuggle them out.

Annemarie is staying on Uncle Henrick’s farm.  Annemarie is glad that Henrik has a cow, so he has milk, cream and butter.  Her mother says that even Henrik doesn’t usually have butter, because it is requisitioned by German soldiers.  While Henrik is out, Mama cleans his house and Ellen and Annemarie play outside and pick flowers.

Uncle Henrik comes back and tells Mama, "Tomorrow will be a day for fishing," which means that he will be able to get Ellen out.

Annemarie was puzzled by the references to fishing and weather at first.  Fisherman did not wait for sunny days, she knew.

Mama looked at him. "The weather is right?" she asked.

Henrik nodded and looked at the sky. He smelled the air. "I will be going back to the boat tonight after supper. We will leave very early in the morning. I will stay on the boat all night." (Ch. 8) 

Henrik tells Annemarie that Great-aunt Birte died and "it is a sad event, but not too sad, really, because she was very, very old.”  It is the custom to put the coffin in the house and have people come sit with the family.  This is good cover, because the German soldiers will not bother them. 

Annemarie confronts Henrik about lying to her about this “death.”  He asks her if she is brave.  She tells him she isn’t, and he says she is brave. 

"But," he added, "it is much easier to be brave if you do not know everything. And so your mama does not know everything. Neither do I. We know only what we need to know.” (Ch. 9) 

When Ellen tells Annemarie’s mother she is sorry Birte died, Annemarie says nothing and feels bad that she is lying to Ellen. 

The soldiers do not look in the coffin because Annemarie’s mother tells them Birte died of a contagious disease called typhus.  Inside the coffin, there is no woman.  It is clothing and blankets for the Jews who are escaping Denmark.

A quiz consists of 10 multiple-choice questions, each with 4 possible answers. For someone who makes random guesses for all of the answers, find...

This is a great question, and one that you will probably see several times in a Probability and Statistics class.

The main thing you will need is the Binomial Probability formula, shown below:

`P(k)=nCk*p^k*(1-p)^(n-k)`

The first part is “n choose k”, where n is the total number of questions and k is the number of questions you want to consider.  So you are starting by finding all the possible combinations of choosing 7 random questions out of the 10.  That is then multiplied by the probability of getting a question right 7 times and by the probability of getting a question wrong 3 times.

So, to start, let’s consider the probability you need to find.  You want to find the probability of all possibilities of passing the quiz, which includes scores of 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% totaled.  This is where you will need the Binomial Probability formula.

For our problem, n is the number of questions, 10, and k is the number of correct answers, 7 through 10.  The probability p of getting a question right is  and the probability of getting a question wrong is  or  . 

So, the probability of getting a score of exactly 70% is `10C7*(1/4)^7*(3/4)^(3)`

The probability of getting a score of exactly 80% is `10C8*(1/4)^8*(3/4)^(2)`

The probability of getting a score of exactly 90% is `10C9*(1/4)^9*(3/4)^(1)`

The probability of getting a score of exactly 100% is `10C10*(1/4)^10*(3/4)^(0)`

We now just add up all these probabilities for our answer:

`P(>= 70%) = 10C7*(1/4)^7*(3/4)^(3) + 10C8*(1/4)^8*(3/4)^(2) +10C9*(1/4)^9*(3/4)^(1) + 10C10*(1/4)^10*(3/4)^(0)`

``If you type this CAREFULLY into your graphing calculator, your final answer is:

`919/262144~~0.0035057`

` `

What is Zinn's main argument in Chapter 2 of A People's History of the United States?

In "Chapter Two: Drawing the Color Line," Howard Zinn seeks to find answers to two questions: where did American racism originate and what--if anything--can end it. Zinn's main argument is that American racism originated in the political, economic, and social systems the colonial elites established in America and which still, to a great extent, remain today. He explains that colonial conditions were ripe for the enslavement of the African race:

We see now a complex web of historical threads to ensnare blacks for slavery in America: the desperation of starving settlers, the special helplessness of the displaced African, the powerful incentive of profit for slave trader and planter, the temptation of superior status for poor whites, the elaborate controls against escape and rebellion, the legal and social punishment of black and white collaboration.

The colonial elites exploited these factors to their own advantage and profit, and the elites have continued to exploit them throughout the history of the United States. Zinn proposes that if the nation truly hopes to mend race relations, it must:

eliminat[e]...that class exploitation which has made poor whites desperate for small gifts of status, and has prevented that unity of black and white necessary for joint rebellion and reconstruction.

In plain terms, poor whites must recognize that their true enemy is not African-Americans, it is the powerful and wealthy elites who have used racism to distract the white lower class from recognizing the elites as the true source of their problems.

When was the Declaration of Independence signed?

The Declaration of Independence declared that we were no longer being ruled by Great Britain. It stated that we were an independent country. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. This is the day that we celebrate our independence from Great Britain. However, the Declaration of Independence wasn’t signed on July 4.

Most people signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776. It took some time to write the Declaration of Independence in a clear hand. Some delegates weren’t authorized to vote for independence until after July 4. Some people signed the Declaration of Independence after August 2. Two people never signed the Declaration of Independence at all. If you want to see the signed parchment copy, you can view it at the National Achieves in Washington, D.C.

Thus, most people who signed the Declaration of Independence signed it on August 2, 1776.

What does Timothy do to prepare Phillip for fishing in Theodore Taylor's The Cay?

In Theodore Taylor's The Cay, Timothy makes many preparations to teach Phillip how to fish, and learning to fish becomes critical when Timothy is afflicted with malaria. Though he gets better, there is a great chance he could be afflicted again due to his old age.

Timothy's first preparation is to shape many nails into fish hooks for Phillip to use and to attach those hooks to strands of a life line from the raft to use as fishing lines. A second preparation Timothy undertakes is finding an excellent fishing hole that is also very safe because it is on the reef. Every two feet along the reef, Timothy had "driven a piece of driftwood deep into the coral crevices so that [Phillip] could feel them as [he] went along" (p. 94). Another important preparation is teaching Phillip to get used to the fishing hole. He teaches Phillip how large it is and lets him feel along the ledge. He also teaches him what to do should he fall in to the hole.

To fish, Timothy teaches Phillip how to grab mussels, open the shells, and use a knife to pull out the mussel meat to use as bait on the hooks. Phillip then drops the line and baited hook into the water of the hole and, within a moment, he feels a "sharp tug" and flips the fish over his shoulder onto the reef (p. 96).

How does absorption take place in the small intestines?

Food that was in the stomach was mechanically churned, mixed with the protein enzyme pepsin as well as hydrochloric acid. At this point in the digestive process, it is a liquid called chyme and is passed into the small intestine.

The small intestine is the site for most of the chemical digestion or hydrolysis of food as well as the absorption of nutrients into the circulatory and lymphatic systems.

The small intestine has villi, which increase surface area for the process of absorption. These are tiny finger-like projections which allow absorption through the intestinal lining. They can do this because they are thin-walled and diffusion can occur through these tiny structures.

Within each villus is a lymphatic vessel called a lacteal, which absorbs fatty acids and allows them to circulate through the lymph and eventually return to the bloodstream.  There are also blood capillaries inside the villus to absorb amino acids and glucose and other nutrients.

The combination of approximately 23 feet of small intestine lined with villi makes the process of chemical digestion and absorption very efficient and greatly increases the surface area for the important work of getting necessary nutrients to the cells of the body.

Why does Scout describe the wait for Atticus to come home after the bush incident as "geological ages later" in To Kill a Mockingbird?

"Geological ages later" is a more poetic — and hyperbolic —way of saying, "That took a long time." You may also hear of things moving at a "glacial pace," which is another geological means of indicating an extremely long and slow process. Saying, "We didn't get in until geological ages later because the line was moving so slowly" is an example of using this in a modern context.

Geologic time is used to emphasize the extraordinary length, or duration, of an event or process. We often cannot comprehend the amount of time a geological process takes. For instance, the universe came into being about 13.7 billion years ago. Our Milky Way galaxy formed about 13.2 billion years ago. The difference between 13.7 and 13.2 may seem insignificant, but it accounts for 500 million years! Our solar system, which contains the sun, the Earth, and the rest of the planets, came into being around 4.6 billion years ago. This means it took about 8 billion years for our sun to form. The Earth itself is considered to be 4.5 billion years old. Thus, the earth took about 100 million years to form from the dust and rock orbiting the new sun. Scientists confirm that primitive, single-celled life forms were present on the earth 2.7 billion years ago. Early Humans evolved around 6 million years ago, but the modern form of humans evolved only around 200 thousand years ago. Human civilization itself is only about six thousand years old. Think about how long ago one hundred years seems. 1916 is very different from 2016. The average human lifespan is around 80 years. Thus, compared to life of the universe, the existence of a human would barely register on that scale. 

How did propaganda play a role in encouraging men to enlist in World War I and World War II?

Propaganda efforts during the world wars exerted extreme pressure on men that were of fighting age.  Posters, speeches, and even films were created to motivate men to enlist and fight.  The propaganda efforts focused on appealing to patriotism and nationalism.  The message was that you were basically a coward if you did not enlist and fight for your country.  The propaganda efforts also attempted to paint the enemy as cruel and barbaric.  This method seemed to communicate that it was necessary for you to sign up and fight against evil. In World War I, the term "Hun" was a derogatory term used to dehumanize and demonize the Germans.  During World War II, the focus was on the "unprovoked" attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor.  Whatever method or message of propaganda that was used, a great deal of peer pressure was exerted on men of enlistment age to sign up and volunteer for military service.  

What is an allusion in the first two paragraphs of "The Scarlet Ibis"?

There is an allusion to a familiar children’s lullaby in the first paragraph of “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst. An allusion is a brief, usually indirect, reference to a something familiar. Often an author will allude to another piece of literature, a movie, a song, or a historical event.

In “The Scarlet Ibis,” James Hurst alludes to the English children’s lullaby “Rock-a-Bye Baby.” He makes this allusion in the third sentence of the first paragraph.

The five o'clocks by the chimney still marked time, but the oriole nest in the elm was untenanted and rocked back and forth like an empty cradle.

The children’s song contains a similar thought.

Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop,

When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,

When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,

And down will come baby, cradle and all.

This use of allusion can be considered to be foreshadowing of events in the story. Doodle is born with developmental disabilities, and dies in a storm which is too much for his frail body to endure. Brother does not accept Doodle's physical limits, which causes him to "rock the cradle" by pushing him to do things that tax his heart. Doodle's death leaves Brother with a feeling of emptiness as he reminisces about his younger brother.

What enzymes are present in pancreatic juice and intestinal juice?

When food is being consumed, digestion begins in the mouth.  Chewing or mastication helps to increase the surface area of food so that enzymes can act more quickly to digest the food.  Starch digestion begins in the mouth with salivary amylase.  

The food then travels as a bolus to the stomach.  In the stomach the parietal cells secrete HCl that activates pepsin from its inactive form pepsinogen.  Pepsin digests proteins in the stomach.  Also found in the stomach is gastric lipase, which aids in the digestion of fats.

The chyme then enters the small intestine.  Upon entering, juices from the pancreas are secreted into the first section of the small intestine, the duodenum.  These juices include bicarbonate, trypsin, pancreatic amylase, pancreatic lipase, and nucleases.  Bicarbonate changes the pH of the chyme to one that is basic, as pancreatic enzymes work best at a basic pH.  Trypsin aids in protein digestion.  Pancreatic amylase helps to digest starches down to disaccharides.  Pancreatic lipase, like gastric lipase, helps to further digest lipids.  Finally, the nucleases help to digest nucleic acids like DNA into their component nucleotides.  The pancreas is very important in the digestive process as it secretes enzymes responsible for the digestion of all four macromolecules (proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and nucleic acids).

Again, the pancreatic juices are secreted into the small intestine so they are active within the small intestine.  However, there are other enzymes, called brush border enzymes, attached to the lining of the intestine that break macromolecules down into their monomers so that they can be absorbed across the wall of the intestine.  One example of a brush border enzyme is lactase.  People with a functional version of this enzyme are able to break the disaccharide lactose (milk sugar) into two monosaccharides that can be absorbed: glucose and galactose. People without this enzyme are lactose intolerant.

How can I start on an English assignment to compose a script in which Friar Lawrence reflects upon his actions and his part in the tragedy of the...

Perhaps, the scene could open at the end of Act V as the mourners depart and Friar Lawrence remains behind, reflecting upon his own words and deeply regretting his actions. That is, a soliloquy could be created as the major part of the script.

Taking from his monologue these lines--

She wakes, and I entreated her come forth,
And bear this work of Heaven with patience.
And then a noise did scare me from the tomb,
And she too desperate would not go with me,
But, as it seems, did violence on herself. (5.3.275-279)

--the student can begin the soliloquy. The key words here are "this work of Heaven," which means, of course, fate. For, throughout the play, Romeo and Juliet have tried to defy fate (Romeo even declares, "Then I defy you, stars!" (5.1.24). The friar, too, has essayed to manipulate circumstances so that Romeo and Juliet can be married and happy while he works to reconcile the feuding families because their beloved children have acted in love, thus setting the example.
But, of course, the friar has committed the cardinal sin of pride in thinking that he can ameliorate the antagonism between the Capulets and the Montagues. Moreover, he has broken one of the vows that he has taken as a priest: the vow of humility.

Therefore, as he stands alone, reflecting upon his sin of pride as he has thought himself god-like in that he could manipulate circumstances and relationships, the priest must berate himself for his sins against Heaven and the breaking of his priestly vows. Indeed, his acts of pride have wrought the deaths of two of God's creatures. In this soliloquy, too, he may cry out to Heaven, asking why he could not have died instead of the innocent Juliet.

Perhaps, the student can begin in this manner,

Death, dismay, grief, loss have I alone caused in my pride!
How have I thought myself so designing that I could deceive man and Heaven both?
I once asked Romeo if he were not "uproused by some distemperature" (see 2.3)
When it was I who wast swelled with arrogance
Oh! shame and sin must I now bear forever.....

[Here Friar Laurence can remember certain things that have happened and think what he should have done, instead. The end of his speech can be his exclamation that he has betrayed, rather than helped the families. He has been a Judas.]

In Great Expectations, how does Pip's relationship with Estella change over the course of plot? What causes this change, and what significance does...

Pip’s relationship with Estella begins as playmates, arranged by Miss Havisham. Pip learns eventually that Miss Havisham’s plan is to train Estella to break men’s hearts as a means of revenge for her own broken engagement on the day of her wedding. Estella treats Pip cruelly, making fun of him for his working class ways. Yet Pip falls in love with her, despite the hurt he feels.

When they have grown up and Pip goes to live in London and become a gentleman, Estella treats him more kindly but only as a friend. Pip sees her as his ideal, but she is more interested in finding a gentleman, which she cannot accept that Pip is becoming. It is possible that, since the two of them have now become friends, Estella does not want to break his heart, despite Miss Havisham’s intentions.

After Pip finds that Miss Havisham is not his benefactor, nor did she ever intend for him to be Estella’s husband, Pip and Estella move apart. Pip no longer feels that he can be the type of gentleman that Estella desires, and Estella marries Bentley Drummle. After several years, Estella and Pip meet. Estella’s marriage, which had been abusive, is ended with Drummle’s death. This gives a hint of a promise that Estella and Pip will get together, accepting each other for what the other is, perhaps with a happy ending.

What are Candy's strengths and weaknesses, as well as his external and internal conflicts in Of Mice and Men?

The "old swamper," Candy is a handyman who has lost one hand in an accident on the ranch. Much like his old sheep dog, Candy has outlived much of his usefulness. But, he is a kind man and offers friendship to George and Lennie.

Strengths

• Candy is a likable man; he knows the gossip of the ranch, and he enjoys talking to the men. For instance, when George and Lennie arrive, Candy informs them that the boss expected them last night and "[W]as sore as hell when you wasn't here to go out this morning." Later, however, he tells them that the boss is "a pretty nice fella" because he brings all the workers a gallon of whisky at Christmas time.  


• He is loyal, as is his old dog, and he is fairly trustworthy. When Candy re-enters the bunkhouse after the boss departs, he tells the pair that he was just outside, scratching his dog and not eavesdropping.


• Candy offers his friendship and fraternity as he advises George about Curley, mentioning his abilities and his weaknesses. He also informs George about Curley's wife. Candy is excited about the idea of owning a little farm; he offers his life savings, giving George hope for the first time of making the dream farm a reality. So firm is Candy in his desire for this farm, that even after Curley's wife is killed, he begs George to continue to plan with him.

Weaknesses 

• Candy is handicapped and old. In the harsh times in which he lives, Candy worries that he may be fired for no longer being useful.


• If the men do get a farm, there will be little that Candy can do.


• He has no influence in deterring Curley's wife from staying in the barn when she intrudes upon the men as they talk in Crooks's room.

External Conflicts

• Candy does not really want to have his dog put down, but Carlson is too big and strong for him to oppose the man's taking the dog outside and shooting it.


• When Crooks argues that the dream farm will never materialize, Candy becomes angry: "...we're gonna do it. George says we are. We got the money right now." 


• When Curley's wife comes into the barn, Candy opposes her intrusion into their little brotherhood, 

"Maybe you just better go along an' roll your hoop. We ain't got nothing to say to you at all. We know what we got, and we don't care whether you know it or not."

However, he loses against her as she threatens Crooks by saying that he better keep his place, and when Candy tells her that he and Lennie will verify that he has not done anything, Curley's wife laughs and says, "Tell an' be damned....Nobody'd listen to you an' you know it."

Internal Conflicts 

• Candy worries that he will be declared useless, much like his old dog, and sent away from the ranch.


• When he stops outside Crooks's room, Candy struggles with whether he should enter after never having done so before. When Crooks irritably invites him, Candy feels embarrassed. 


• He is very anxious about what the rest of his life will be like, especially after Curley's wife dies and the hope of the dream is threatened.

When does Jem apply one of Atticus's lessons in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Jem applies one of his father's lessons from Chapter 3 when he learns of Dill's having run away from home and he alerts his father that Dill is in Scout's bedroom.

Earlier in the narrative, Atticus advises Scout,

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view....until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." (Ch.3)

In Chapter 14, Dill Harris runs away from home in Meridian, Mississippi, and hides in the Finch house in Scout's bedroom. When she and Jem are made to retire early for the night, Scout steps on something by her bed that is "warm, resilient, and rather smooth." So, in fear she goes to Jem's room, saying she thinks there is a snake under her bed. Jem rises and gets a broom from the kitchen so he can sweep under Scout's bed. He makes a couple sweeps under the bed, and hears a grunt. It is no snake; it is Dill, all brown with dirt and caked mud.

After requesting food, Dill concocts a tall tale about having been chained to the basement wall by his step-father who wants him to die. "How'd you get here?" Jem asks, interrupting Dill's tale. In truth, he has taken the train and ridden on the back of a cotton wagon to Maycomb's outskirts; then walked the rest of the way. Once at the Finches' house, Dill entered and hid under Scout's bed.

"They must not know you're here," said Jem. "We'd know if they were lookin' for you..."
"Think they're still searchin' all the picture shows in Meridian," Dill grinned.
"You oughta let your mother know where you are," said Jem. "You oughta let her know you're here..."

Scout is appalled when Jem "broke the remaining code of our childhood" by walking down the hallway and calling to his father. For, Jem is mature enough to realize that Dill's mother must be very worried about his whereabouts. Now, he has followed his father's advice of considering things from another person's point of view and "walking in [her] shoes." Certainly, Jem has "climbed into the skin" of Dill's mother and understands the worry and concern she must have for Dill's safety, so he alerts Atticus, who can get in touch with her. Indeed, he has applied one of Atticus's valuable lessons.

A butterfly can mate with another butterfly to produce fertile offspring only if the two butterflies belong to the same _____.

This question is referring to the concept of speciation and the definition of what makes a particular group of organisms its own species. There are various ways to define a species, but the biological species concept is a widely accepted and commonly used method. The biological species concept states that a species is a group of individuals that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. This means that if two individuals are not of the same species, they either cannot breed at all or cannot produce fertile offspring. 

This brings me to one of my favorite examples. When a horse and donkey mate, the offspring is called a mule. Mules are sterile and cannot produce their own offspring. Therefore, even though the horse and donkey produced offspring, it's not fertile offspring, so the horse and donkey are considered two separate species. Two horses, however, are of the same species because they can produce fertile offspring. Butterflies would be no different. They would only be able to mate and produce fertile offspring if they are of the same species.

However, it seems that there are always exceptions to the rules when it comes to speciation. The article I linked to below describes how the Appalachian tiger swallowtail butterfly is officially its own species, but genetic analysis has shown us that it is indeed a hybrid between the Eastern tiger swallowtail and the Canadian tiger swallowtail. 

Speciation is a fascinating topic that is full of unique stories of how species recognize each other, who can mate with who, how environment plays a role, and how groups separate and become their own species.

What is the turning point of The Fighting Ground by Avi?

There are arguably many turning points in Avi's young adult novel The Fighting Ground, which follows twenty-four hours in the life of thirteen-year-old Jonathan, a boy who joins the military forces in the fight for American Independence from the British. 

The first turning point happens when Jonathan--who was previously very eager to fight in the war--sees horrific carnage and the death of a family friend during battle, causing him to flee to the woods in fright. It is at this time that another turning point occurs: Jonathan is captured by three Hessian soldiers, who take him to a cabin in the woods. Jonathan doesn't exactly like these men, but he learns to tolerate them. 

Later on, Jonathan manages to escape and returns to the American side of the battle, where he is asked by the Corporal to reveal information about the enemy's location. In the third turning point, Jonathan sneaks to the cabin where the Hessians are resting, wakes them, and encourages them to escape before the Americans reach them. Unfortunately, one of the soldiers tries to use him as a human shield, and the Hessians are killed by the American minutemen.

The result of all these turning points is a huge change of heart for young Jonathan; he realizes that the violence of war is senseless and destroys the gun that he has borrowed for battle.

What is the sequence of Puck's love juice victims in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream? Whom did Puck anoint and when?

In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, while Puck uses his own magic on Bottom to give him the head of a donkey, Puck actually only uses the love juice of the flower on one person throughout the play--Lysander. Oberon uses the love juice otherwise.

In act 2, scene 1, Puck is requested by King Oberon to find the magic flower that was hit by Cupid's stray arrow. While Puck is away, Oberon witnesses Helena following Demetrius through the wood and begging for his love. When Puck returns with the flower, Oberon next requests Puck to anoint Demetrius's eyes with the love juice, saying only, "Thou shalt know the man / By the Athenian garments he hath on (263-64). In scene 2 of the same act, while Oberon is anointing Titania's eyes as she sleeps, Puck goes off looking for Demetrius. He thinks he has found him when Lysander and Hermia enter the scene and lay down to sleep in the woods, giving Puck a chance to anoint Lysander's eyes. Yet, of course, Lysander is awakened by Helena and promptly falls in love with her, forgetting all about Hermia. Hence, Puck anoints Lysander, causing greatest conflicts in the play, whereas Oberon anoints Titania.

In act 3, scene 2, Oberon realizes the mistake Puck has made and sends him off to find Helena while Oberon himself anoints Demetrius's eyes. Helena enters while being pursued by Lysander, and their quarreling awakens Demetrius so that, upon seeing Helena, he too falls in love with her.  

Finally, also in act 3, scene 2, Puck stops Demetrius and Lysander in the middle of a duel and tricks them until they are so tired that they fall asleep. While they are asleep, Puck anoints only the eyes of Lysander, leaving Demetrius alone to remain in love with Helena.

Hence, as we can see, Lysander is actually Puck's only love juice "victim."

How has the US changed socially from the 1950's until current times?

The US has changed dramatically since the 1950s in social terms.  The greatest changes have been in race relations, gender relations, and attitudes towards traditional values.  All of these are much different than they were 60 years ago.

Sixty years ago, the United States was definitely dominated by white people much more than it is today.  The white population was larger.  Many African Americans lived in places where they did not have equal legal rights and, at least de facto, lacked the right to vote.  White supremacy over other races was simply assumed to be true by most people.  Most professional and college sports teams were all-white.  White people generally did not listen to black musicians.  Black actors only appeared in subservient roles in movies and television.  Hispanics were essentially invisible.  Today, all of this has changed.  Non-whites have not achieved full equality with whites, but they do have full legal equality.  The US, of course, has a president who is half-black.  Black athletes dominate sports and there are many black entertainers of various sorts.  American society is much more diverse than it was in the 1950s.

Sixty years ago, America was a man’s world.  Women were expected to be subservient to men in almost all ways.  While many women had to work, people felt that the right place for a woman was in the home.  Women were less educated and few women worked in high-status jobs.  Because women had few career opportunities, they generally depended on men economically.  Again, things are much different now.  There is a good chance that a woman will be our next president.  Most people do not think it is acceptable to treat women as “the weaker sex” which would have been commonplace in the 1950s.  Women are generally better educated than men.  Many women are economically equal to their husbands and are therefore not economically dependent.  While there is by no means true equality between the sexes, men and women are much more equal today than in the 1950s.

Finally, the America of the 1950s was very traditional.  This was a time when America was rather straight-laced.  Women wore very conservative clothing and men dressed up to go out to eat or to a movie or sports event.  There was no nudity in movies and suggestive lyrics were absent from songs.  Americans generally accepted authority figures.  Parents did not generally argue with teachers and students certainly did not.  Today, all of this is very different.  The US is a very sexualized society.  Women typically wear much more revealing clothing than ever would have been acceptable in the ‘50s.  Men and women both will wear short pants and t-shirts in almost any situation when the weather allows.  There is nudity everywhere in movies and even on cable TV.  Songs openly refer to sex.  Americans are much less likely to accept the authority of teachers, clergy, police, and other traditional sources of authority.

In all of these ways, the United States is very different today than it was in the 1950s.  

What is the plot of Black Beauty by Anna Sewell?

Anna Sewell's Black Beauty is a coming-of-age story written as an autobiographical account of a horse's life. The story's purpose is to comment on the dually good and evil nature of humanity while educating readers about how the evil nature of humanity manifests itself in the cruel treatment of innocent animals.

Sewell's story begins with an account of Black Beauty's days as a colt being raised by Farmer Grey and of the gentle training he received from Farmer Grey. Though his training, or breaking in, was far more gentle than other horses receive, Black Beauty still voices complaints concerning what mankind subjects horses to such as forcing disgusting "cold hard steel" bits into their mouths, driving iron shoes into their hooves, and making them wear cruppers (Ch. 3, Pt. 1).

As the story progresses, Black Beauty gives accounts of the various masters he is sold to. Aside from Farmer Grey's, his dearest home was the first home he was sold to, Squire Gordon's Birtwick Park. It is here that he is given the best care. When Mistress Gordon falls ill and must move to warmer climates, Squire Gordon must sell his home and horses; therefore, Black Beauty is sold to his first unhappy home, where is he forced for the first time to wear the fashionable check-rein, which forces horses' heads into a high, fixed position, preventing them from moving their heads and even making it difficult to breath. This is also the first home in which he is mistreated by grooms, leading to the injury of his foot and knees. As the story progresses, his homes get worse and worse, creating the conflict of the plot. He has a moment of reprieve when he is bought by a kind cab driver, but the work Black Beauty must do for the driver is very difficult. When the cab driver falls ill, Black Beauty is sold to his worst home yet--a "corn dealer and baker" (Ch. 46, Pt. 4). The man is a good man himself, but those who work for him are cruel. The story comes full circle and reaches its climax when, after being severely injured in an accident, he is sold once again at a horse fair and purchased by a kindly farmer and his grandson, ready to give him plenty and care and rest to build up his strength. Upon arriving at his new home, he discovers his new groom is Joe, a kindly groom from Squire Gordon's. In the resolution, Sewell paints Black Beauty as happy at the new farm and as knowing he'll never be sold again.

What causes bubbles to form in a muffin?

The reaction that causes bubbles to form in muffins is a chemical reaction, not a physical reaction. Bubble/gas formation is one sign of a chemical reaction, as is the one-way action of the process--we cannot easily separate the ingredients back into the components.

The bubbles that form when muffins bake, and cause the batter to rise, are caused by a chemical reaction--carbon dioxide gas is released during the reaction between baking powder and the liquid in the recipe. Baking powder itself is composed of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3) and cream of tartar (KHC4H4O6). In the presence of the water component of the liquid added, these two react to produce KNaC4H4O6, water, and carbon dioxide gas.

These bubbles of gas are produced as soon as the ingredients are mixed, and the muffins must be baked quickly before the bubbles escape the batter. This type of leavening is different from that used in yeast bread. That reaction is the result of yeast, a microorganism, using sugars to produce carbon dioxide; this reaction takes more time than the immediate reaction of baking powder.

What were some similarities between the European and Pacific theaters during WWII?

In the European and the Pacific theaters, the United States faced a well-trained, well-disciplined, and initially well-equipped enemy. Both the Japanese and to a somewhat lesser extent the Germans (many of whom, by the end of the war, were conscripts) were fanatically devoted to their cause and reluctant to surrender. This was especially true of the Japanese, who had a strong cultural bias against surrender, which made them both difficult to defeat and especially brutal toward American captives. Strategic air power was important in both theaters, as the Allies reduced almost every major city in Japan and Germany to rubble before finally forcing surrender. Indeed, the Japanese were forced to surrender by the devastating might of American air power without the necessity of a ground invasion. Obviously the Pacific war was more of a naval war, but both theaters witnessed massive amphibious assaults on such beachheads as Anzio, Normandy, Saipan, and Iwo Jima. Some of the city-to-city fighting that characterized the conquest of France and Belgium was also witnessed in the Philippines. Obviously, there were many differences between these two conflicts—World War II for the United States was in reality two different wars—but in terms of human loss and the amount of military power that had to be brought to bear in order to achieve victory, they had much in common.

Who is Randy and what does he do for the boys?

Randy is a long-haired hippie who gives Mark and Bryon a ride to the hospital in his Volkswagen bus. In Chapter 2, the two boys hitch a ride with Randy, who tells them that he went to college in town, majoring in English. He explains to Mark and Bryon how he rents a house with a bunch of friends who live in peace and harmony together. Bryon mentions that the idea of living with other people doesn't appeal to him, but Mark seemed interested and began asking Randy numerous questions about what it was like to live with a bunch of people. When Randy drops them off at the hospital, he puts up his two fingers and says, "Peace" (Hinton 11). Randy Adderson was also a character in S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. He was one of the most understanding Socs who chose not to fight in the rumble against the Greasers after his close friend, Bob Sheldon, died. In the novel That Was Then, This Is Now, Randy traded his old lifestyle as a preppy Soc to become a peace loving hippie.

What bruises does Harpo have in The Color Purple?

Harpo has bruises because he tried to beat his wife, Sofia.  His father has told him that it's the only way to make a woman mind what her husband says because wives are like children.  Even Celie has advised Harpo to beat Sofia in part because she is jealous of their marriage (when hers is so awful and abusive) and in part because she feels that Sofia pities her, and she thinks that getting beaten would take Sofia down a peg.  

However, the next time Celie sees Harpo, his face is covered in bruises.  He says the bruises came from his mule going crazy in the field, and then he says he walked straight into the door frame and hurt his face there too.  Further, he claims that he accidentally shut the window on his hand, but Celie knows that all the bruises came from Sofia beating back on Harpo when he tried to beat on her. 

How does Atticus seek to instill consciences in his children in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus teaches his children to treat people with empathy and respect.

Atticus tries to teach his children to treat people with dignity and respect. He leads by example. Atticus is respectful of everyone, regardless of the person’s age, race, or class. He also takes his job as a lawyer seriously, believing in defending his client to the best of his ability. 

When Scout asks Atticus why he is defending Tom Robinson even though it is unpopular with many people in Maycomb, he explains that he has to do the right thing: 

“For a number of reasons,” said Atticus. “The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again” (Chapter 9).

As a father, Atticus tries to be there for his kids. He works a lot, and often lets his kids run around loose. That was pretty common in that time period. Atticus tries to make sure Jem and Scout learn not to prey on the weak. 

Atticus said to Jem one day, “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Chapter 10).

Atticus tells his children that, even if something is difficult, you should do it if you believe it is right. He tries to teach his children moral courage. When Mrs. Dubose is fighting her addiction, Atticus sends Scout and Jem to read to her. He tells them later that she died of withdrawals, and explains he wanted them to go there so they could learn what “real courage” looks like. Atticus thinks it means you keep fighting even if you don’t think you will win. 

What are Nick's thoughts on Gatsby having been in the war?

When Nick first meets Gatsby (in Chapter 3), the first thing they talk about is that they were both in the War.  Apparently they had even seen each other, briefly, in the War, for Gatsby finds Nick's face familiar.  "We talked for a moment about some wet, gray little villages in France."  This is before Nick even knows who Gatsby is.

In Chapter 4, Gatsby takes Nick for a ride in his car, and says that he is going to tell Nick "God's truth" about his life. He then launches into a history of his wealthy family, his education at Oxford, his high life in Europe, and his heroics in the War, that is so full of cliches that Nick can barely keep from laughing.  At this point Nick is sure that Gatsby is lying.  Gatsby finishes by telling Nick, "every Allied government gave me a decoration [a medal] -- even Montenegro." 

At this point, Gatsby reaches into his pocket and produces the medal given to him by Montenegro, which to Nick's astonishment, looks real and has Gatsby's name on it.  He then pulls out a picture, also apparently authentic, of himself at Oxford.  So Nick decides, with disbelief, that Gatsby must have been telling the truth after all. 

Finally, in Chapter 8, after Tom has exposed Gatsby as a fake, Gatsby tells Nick the true story of his life.  He did not grow up wealthy, he attended Oxford only for a few months after the war, and he had no money when he and Daisy first met.  But he did go to the War.  In fact, that was what separated Gatsby and Daisy for the first time, five years ago.  Now Nick does not doubt Gatsby's story, but, in his narrative, says simply, "He did extraordinarily well in the war."

What are some of the qualities of the nurse in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and why are they important to her character?

The nurse is incredibly loyal and loving to Juliet, though not particularly intelligent. She still seems to think of Juliet as a child, as she fails to recognize the strength of Juliet's devotion to Romeo.  With the nurse, it seems that what you see is what you get, and her loyalty to Juliet allows the love between Romeo and Juliet to reach fruition when she agrees to be their go-between.  Juliet depends on her and trusts her implicitly, at least until she advises Juliet to marry the County Paris after Lord Capulet threatens to throw her out if she disobeys him.  Even then, however, the nurse is trying to advise Juliet as she thinks best, but it is that crucial moment -- when she fails to recognize the strength of Juliet's loyalty to Romeo -- that severs something between them.  If the nurse were a little smarter or understood the strength of Juliet's loyalty to Romeo a little better, she would have advised her differently and not completely alienated Juliet.  The tragedy of Romeo's and Juliet's deaths might have been averted if the nurse had not sided with her father.

How accountable are the boys for their violent actions in the context of their situation on the island in William Golding's Lord of the Flies? How...

The above is actually a very complex question deserving a very complex answer. We must first take into consideration the fact that, in Lord of the Flies, William Golding chose to use children as characters, rather than adult men, for a reason. Children, who are still growing both mentally and physically, are much more vulnerable and more easily influenced than adults. Since they are so vulnerable and easily influenced, in Western courts, children are never held accountable, tried, and punished as adults. It can be said that Golding used children as characters to show just how easily human beings can be influenced to yield to our evil natures and also to show how little we are accountable for our evil actions.

The majority of the children are influenced to behave immorally by Jack, but even Jack is not without his influences. The novel is set during a war, and prior to the children's plane crash-landing on a deserted island, an atomic bomb had apparently wiped out all of England, as we learn when Piggy asks Ralph, "Didn't you hear what the pilot said? About the atom bomb? They're all dead" (Ch. 1). Golding wrote Lord of the Flies soon after serving in Great Britain's Royal Navy during World War II. Golding sets the novel during a major war, probably a world war, in order to show just how much war influences us to act upon our evil natures. He uses the boys' decay into wild, immoral behavior to show that all, even children, have good and evil natures, and our good natures can only be cultivated by civilization. In Golding's view, in the absence of civilization, such as during a war, mankind will naturally yield to its evil nature, just as millions became so easily influenced by and yielded to the Nazis, leading to the Holocaust.

In this sense, the only thing the children, even Jack, are truly guilty of is being deprived of civilization, leading to their moral depravity, which according to Golding, is a very natural consequence of being deprived of civilization. To punish such vulnerable children could be seen as yet a further fall from civilization. Just as the juvenile justice system does not punish children who commit crimes but rather, ideally speaking, strives to educate and mentor children into better behavior, it can be argued that the boys on the island also require the same education and mentoring, not necessarily punishment. Jack, above all, requires the most education and mentoring.

Hence, though we can, like Ralph and the rest of the boys, including Jack, weep "for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy," it can be said we should not rally for the boys' punishment because such a call for revenge would only further yield to the "darkness of man's heart" (Ch. 12).

How could I compare Catherine Petkoff's description of a cavalry charge with that of the fugitive Swiss soldier?

The first thing you should do as you work on this assignment is think about the differences between the two characters.

Catherine Petkoff is an upperclass Bulgarian woman with no personal experience of military conflicts. As you discuss her background, you should pay particular attention to the ways the arts and patriotic enthusiasm may have colored her understanding of the events she describes. Her understanding of Sergius leading the charge and its magnificence is based on second or thirdhand evidence.

Captain Bluntschli is a Swiss mercenary. As you discuss his understanding of the charge, you should explain that he was an eyewitness and evaluating it from a purely professional perspective, in terms of its tactical effectiveness. You should also note that while Petkoff is romantic, metaphorical, and enthusiastic, the Swiss is literal, pragmatic and cynical.

Another key point you discuss is the difference between the breathless, disconnected hyperbolic language of Petkoff and the dry understatement of the soldier. Petkoff describes:

... our gallant splendid Bulgarians with their swords and eyes flashing, thundering down like an avalanche and scattering the wretched Servian dandies like chaff ...

Her language is redolent of Romantic poetry rather than of literal precision.

Why does Shakespeare use so much foreshadowing throughout Romeo and Juliet? How does the reader benefit knowing that they will die?

Shakespeare's use of foreshadowing to let readers know that Romeo and Juliet are destined, as "star-crossed lovers," to fall in love and die creates dramatic irony, increasing suspense and tension for the audience, and ultimately making the emotional catharsis upon the play's resolution that much more fulfilling.  Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows more than the characters, and its main function is to increase tension. 

Consider the end of the play when Romeo is in Juliet's tomb, about to drink poison because he does not know that she is really alive.  However, we, the audience, do know.  This moment is so stressful for us because we know that Juliet will wake up any minute, and if Romeo would just delay a moment or talk a little longer, then she would awaken and they could be together.  Then Romeo dies, and we see Juliet wake up, not knowing that her husband is dead.  It is such a near-miss, and we see it all unfolding, knowing how it must, and this quintessential example of dramatic irony shows how this device increases audience tension, heightening the tragedy.  This also intensifies the emotional catharsis (the purging of the tension created by the irony) we feel when everything is finally revealed to the other characters.  Though the Capulets and the Montagues only just now come to understand that it was their hate that ended their children's lives, the audience has understood this from the beginning.  It is not a surprise, then, to us, which allows us to appreciate fully the surprise it is to them.

What huge achievement has Bernard accomplished in Death of a Salesman? Why does Bernard not brag?

In Act Two of Death of a Salesman, Willy comes Charley's office to borrow more money and runs into Charley's son Bernard, who is now a lawyer and on his way to Washington, D.C. As Bernard is about to leave for the train station, Charley puts his arm around his shoulder and says to Willy:

How do you like this kid? Gonna argue a case in front of the Supreme Court.

Bernard, protesting: Pop!

Willy, of course, is very impressed. Bernard had not said a word about the purpose of his trip to Washington, D.C. because he knows how Willy will be comparing him with his own son Biff, who has never amounted to anything. This surprise is particularly painful to Willy at this time because he has just been fired from his job and is here to beg yet more money from Charley.

Bernard is still characteristically modest and considerate. He knows Biff from boyhood and tried his best to get Biff to prepare himself at school for some kind of future career. But Biff was enjoying an early success as a football hero, and Willy was not encouraging his son to think about scholastic achievement. Willy was teaching both his sons to be "well liked" as the key to success. Neither Willy nor his sons had much respect for young Bernard. But Bernard's obvious success in his chosen career as a lawyer who is permitted to argue in front of the U.S. Supreme Court is proof that Willy's philosophy was wrong and his advice worthless. As Arthur Miller once wrote: 

The essence of all drama is this: The chickens come home to roost.

In Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, what is Maniac Magee's address when he is staying with old man Grayson?

Maniac’s address with Grayson is 101 Band Shell Boulevard. 

Maniac is obsessed with having an address.  Ever since his parents died and he ran away from his aunt and uncle, he has wanted a real home.  When he lived with the Beales, he had one, briefly.  He made sure to check the address.  He had to leave the Beales because he was white and they were black.  That made him on his own again.

The zoo was comfortable enough, so Maniac found himself sleeping in the buffalo pen.  It had been a deer pen, so it may not be as strange as it sounds.  However, the buffalo pen is not a safe home and there is no address. 

Grayson, the zoo’s groundskeeper, finds Maniac and takes him in.  He is surprised that Maniac does not have a home or go to school, and also that the last place he lived was in the East End with a black family.  Grayson does not know anything about black families and is very curious about how they are similar or different.

Grayson lives at the Y, but he moves in with Maniac into the baseball room of the band shell.  Maniac feels more comfortable there, and they make themselves a happy home.  Maniac decides to give it an address.

"Fine," said Maniac. He opened the can, stirred the paint, put a jacket on, grabbed the brush and went outside. Grayson followed. He watched the kid paint on the outside of the door, in careful strokes:

101

Maniac stepped back, admiring his work. "One oh one," he proclaimed. "One oh one Band Shell Boulevard." (Ch. 29)

It is a very good Christmas, and Maniac and Grayson are happy.  Maniac has a family again.  He even teaches Grayson how to read.  The happiness is short-lived, however, as Grayson dies soon after.  Eventually, Maniac goes back to the Beales.

In Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, what is Tybalt's physical appearance?

Tybalt's appearance is not really described. We know that he is young, and a bit of a hothead, eager to defend his family's honor and his own against perceived insults. For example, he is restrained by Lord Capulet at the family masquerade when he attempts to fight Romeo, who has showed up in costume. But the only description of Tybalt comes from Mercutio, who says he is "a very tall man." But even Mercurio is more focused on Tybalt's skills as a duellist. He describes him as a "very butcher of a silk button," and a gentle man (i.e., a skilled duellist) of the first house." Of course, Tybalt is as good as Mercutio thinks he is--he winds up killing Mercutio after Romeo initially refuses his challenge to a duel. Given his skills with a rapier, it is likely that Tybalt would have been portrayed as a tall, slender, and most important, young man. 

`f(t) = t^(3/2)log_2sqrt(t+1)` Find the derivative of the function

We shall use:

Product rule

`(u cdot v)'=u' cdot v+u cdot v'`

Chain rule

`(u(v))'=u'(v) cdot v'`

`u` and `v` are both functions of arbitrary variable over which we are differentiating. 

First we apply product rule.

`f'(t)=(t^(3/2))' log_2 sqrt(t+1)+t^(3/2)(log_2 sqrt(t+1))'=`

Now we apply the chain rule on the second term.

 `3/2 t^(1/2)log_2 sqrt(t+1)+t^(3/2) 1/(sqrt(t+1)ln 2)cdot1/(2sqrt(t+1))=`

Now we simplify the obtained derivative to get the final result.

`3/2 sqrt(t)log_2 sqrt(t+1)+t^(3/2)/(2(t+1)ln2)`                                                         

In Perry Anderson's Passages from Antiquity to Feudalism (pg. 229-264), how did feudalism in Eastern Europe differ from the Western European...

According to Anderson, feudalism arose in Eastern Europe for mainly economic reasons, without the intermediary step of what he calls "antiquity" (which included slavery and the development of urban areas). Instead of feudalism arising naturally in Eastern Europe, it was transported there from Western Europe and imposed on what was a very primitive agrarian society. Slowly, these societies produced an agricultural surplus and developed political hierarchies and urban centers. The formation of states in the East arose as a result of outside influences from Western Europe and from the Church. In several places, such as Poland, tribal and clan structures remained in existence until much later than in Western Europe. As Western Europe exercised its influence on Eastern Europe and Russia, feudalism developed in these lands in a somewhat different way than it had in the West. As Anderson states, there was at first "greater mobility and equality" (page 243). The peasants had a better status than they did in the West.

However, the crisis that struck feudalism had different effects in the East than in the West. Feudalism was imposed later in the East than in the West and was at first less structured than in the West; therefore, the crisis that struck Western feudalism, in the form of peasant revolts, struck the Eastern areas less severely, in part because the eastern areas were less populated. However, the effects of these revolts and agrarian crises were in some ways more lasting in the East than in the West, as the Eastern states resorted to instituting policies of strict and rigid serfdom that tied peasants to the land. 

In The Wednesday Wars, what are some events that happen in October?

The novel The Wednesday Wars is organized into months, spanning the whole of Holling's academic year from September to June.

In October, for the sake of his father's job, Holling behaves in a quiet, helpful manner with Mrs. Baker, keeping the chalk boards and the coat room clean. He carries trays of pastries for her up from Mrs. Bigio's kitchen, but then he accidentally lets the dust from the erasers he's cleaning float up and settle on the pastries, which ruins them. Because the chalk dust just looks like sugar, no one notices until they try to eat them, and Holling never actually gets in trouble for this incident.

Holling's sister, though, gets in trouble with her parents for trying to be a "flower child" who protests the Vietnam War, and Holling's friends get angry at him for being the only kid who got to take one of the cream puff pastries from the trays he carried. They don't realize that Holling didn't actually eat the pastry. He knew it had chalk dust on it.

Mrs. Baker decides to make Holling read Shakespeare with her instead of doing chores. But before they start, Holling has to clean the pet rats' cage--and he accidentally lets them loose and they both escape into the walls. The school staff makes Holling swear to keep the rats' escape a secret from the other students (presumably so they don't go nuts about it).

Holling and Mrs. Baker then read Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, which Holling assumes will be boring, but he actually enjoys it.

What were the most important things about foreign policy and politics during the Expansion/Pre-Civil War (1829-1859) era?

This is a vast subject, one on which many books could and have been written.  I will only be able to give you the bare details in this space.

The most important political issue during this entire time was the issue of slavery and how far it would expand.  There was also the connected issue of states’ rights.  Practically all of the politics of the time centered around these issues.  Let us look at some of the major events that occurred during this time period that had to do with these issues.  They include:

• The Nullification Crisis of 1832-3.  This had to do with whether states could ignore laws made by the national government if they thought those laws were unconstitutional.  This was the first time a Southern state made serious moves towards seceding from the Union.


• The domestic conflict over the war with Mexico that started in 1846.  While the war itself was a foreign policy issue, there was great conflict over the meaning of that war in the US.  Anti-slavery people felt that the war was being fought to expand slavery.  A term to know here is Wilmot Proviso, which tried to stipulate that slavery would be barred from any land taken from Mexico.


• Compromise of 1850.  This was supposed to solve the problem of slavery in the Mexican Cession.  However, it enflamed tensions between the North and the South, largely because of the Fugitive Slave Act, which was part of the Compromise.


• Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which threw out the Missouri Compromise and opened up the debate over slavery in the territories.


• The violence in “Bleeding Kansas” over the issue of slavery from 1856 to 1858.


• The Dred Scott decision of 1857, which said, among other things, that Congress could not regulate slavery in the territories.

These are the most important events that occurred during this time period with regard to the issue of slavery.  All of these episodes served to drive the North and the South further apart, making the Civil War more likely.

There was not that much going on in foreign policy during this time.  The two most important events were the war with Mexico and the deal with the United Kingdom with regard to the Oregon Territory.  The US and the British had jointly controlled the Oregon Territory since 1818.  They agreed to hold it jointly until they could agree to a boundary.  By the early 1840s, American migration to the Oregon Territory forced the two sides to try to agree on the boundary.  This brought some amount of conflict as some Americans wanted to fight unless Britain agreed to give the US the entire Oregon Territory.  This was eventually settled in 1846 with the two sides agreeing to a border at the 49th parallel.

The other major foreign policy issue was the dispute with Mexico.  This started when Texas, which was mainly populated by Americans, broke away from Mexico in 1836.  Texas asked to join the US, which Mexico strenuously opposed as it still refused to accept that Texas was independent.  This led to tension between Mexico and the US.  These tensions came to a head in 1845 when the US annexed Texas.  This led to war between the two countries in 1846.

These are the main issues in politics and foreign policy during this time.  However, please note that this is a terribly brief summary of what happened during a most eventful time in US history.

Why do you think the islanders find the voice of the cuckoo bird thrilling?

The lines you're referring to in William Wordsworth's "The Solitary Reaper" can be found below:

A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard 

In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird, 

Breaking the silence of the seas 

Among the farthest Hebrides. (13-16)

By referring to islanders, I assume you mean inhabitants of the Hebrides, which is a collection of islands off the coast of Scotland. We can't be sure exactly why the song of the cuckoo might be thrilling to these people but, since the cuckoo (like the nightingale) was often used in Romantic poetry because of its beautiful song, we can guess that the song of the bird is thrilling simply because it has a beautiful sound. Moreover, the song can be seen as an example of the pure beauty of nature in general, which would also explain its thrilling aspects.

However, it's important to note that Wordsworth is actually saying that the reaper's song is more thrilling than the cuckoo bird's. As such, though the bird's song might be enjoyable to listen to, the reaper's song is far more beautiful. By making this claim, Wordsworth highlights the transcendent beauty of the reaper's song, as he claims it trumps one of nature's most beautiful qualities: the cuckoo bird's song. 

In Elie Wiesel's Night, what are the lives of Sighet's Jews like before the German invasion?

Night is a harrowing memoir of a young man attempting to survive the Holocaust. In its first chapter, Night reveals much about the Jewish community where Elie spends his youth. These observations teach the reader about what daily life was like in Sighet and the countless other Jewish communities destroyed by the Nazis during the Second World War.

Day to day life in Sighet is something to which many readers can relate. “The shopkeepers were doing good business, the students lived among their books, and the children played in the streets.” This sentence is timeless and placeless. It applies to civilizations from thousands of years ago just as well as it does to today.

One thing the reader learns early on is that for the Jews of Sighet, their religion plays a large role in their daily lives. Even Elie, still a child in the memoir’s opening pages, dutifully studies the Torah. His father, though not a rabbi, is a highly respected member of Sighet’s Jewish community. Wiesel notes that his father “was more involved in the welfare of others than that of his own kin.” Though one can interpret this statement as negative, it shows the degree to which Elie’s father is an active member of his community.

Though religion ties Sighet’s Jewish residents together, these ties are not unbreakable. When foreign Jews, including Elie’s mentor Moshe the Beadle, are deported by the Hungarian police, they are quickly forgotten. “What do you expect,” someone in the crowd says as the train car full of foreign Jews pulls away. “That’s war.” Even Elie moves on, only to be surprised later when Moshe reappears in Sighet after escaping the Nazis' death squads.  

How is The Merchant of Venice a perfect blend of comic, tragic and romantic elements ?

This play is certainly one of Shakespeare's best-loved plays, and, due to its themes of bigotry and suggested violence, one of his most controversial. Perhaps one of the reasons for its popularity is that the play does indeed combine elements of comedy, tragedy and romance.

The comic elements are perhaps most clearly seen during the segments when Portia's suitors choose the gold and silver caskets. In these scenes the two suitors are shown that their own personality flaws are magnified by the choices they make, and this provides comic relief. There is also a bit of comedy in the friendship between Bassanio and Graziano, as the former teases the latter about his womanizing.

The tragedy of the play lies in the deep anger and hatred that Shylock feels towards Antonio; likewise, Antonio's deep sadness and depression could be said to have a somewhat tragic overlay. Some productions of this play include the suggestion that Antonio is in love with Bassanio, and this is tragic because, despite their friendship, Bassanio cannot return Antonio's affection.

The play's romantic elements are expressed most thoroughly in Portia's determination to help Antonio escape Shylock's cruel justice. She does this in order to please Bassanio, with whom she has fallen in love.

In Philbrick's Freak the Mighty, what is the difference in behavior between the first time Max meets Iggy and the second time?

The first time Max meets Iggy is in chapter 11 when he and Kevin return Loretta's wallet to her. When Loretta first sees the boys, one very large and the other small, she calls to Iggy to come see the circus that's in town. When Iggy shows up, Max sees a big hairy guy and says they must have gotten the wrong house because he's afraid. Loretta and Iggy continue to mock and laugh as the boys explain how they found her wallet and want to return it. Iggy forces the boys to enter the home and asks their names because Loretta says Max looks familiar. Iggy is behaving very aggressively with the boys until Loretta realizes Max is Killer Kane's boy. Then he is all in favor of finishing the interview because he doesn't want Killer Kane figuring out he messed with his son. 

The next time Max meets Iggy is in chapter 16 after he's been kidnapped from his grandparents' house by his father. Killer Kane takes him straight to Iggy's. Once there, Iggy behaves like a paranoid criminal by frantically locking all the doors and closing all the curtains. He's tense and willing to do anything that Killer Kane says because this time, Iggy's scared. Max is scared, too, but Iggy is completely different from the first time Max met him because he knows that Killer Kane is the boss, now. Iggy has been asked by Killer Kane to help him escape with his boy and Iggy is too scared to say no. In fact, it seems as if Iggy just wants to help Kane on his way so he can avoid being put in jail. 

In S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders, what are some events that show how Ponyboy struggles with his identity, but ultimately, remains true to himself?

Pony worries about being a greaser, but he finds a way to be true to his friends and still sensitive and intelligent. 

Pony explains early on that he is not like the other greasers, but he still feels a deep connection to them.  He is not a fighter, and not a high school dropout.  He is more sensitive and considered deeper than the others. They care about him and want him to follow his ambitions. 

I'm supposed to be smart; I make good grades and have a high IQ and everything, but I don't use my head. Besides, I like walking. (Ch. 1) 

So Pony often seems different from the other greasers.  For example, when Two-bit hands him a broken bottle when the Socs drive by, he says he would never use it.  The other greasers feel like Pony is a little more delicate and inside his head. 

Yet Pony does fight when he needs to.   He participates in the rumble, even though he is still recovering from his injuries from the fire.  He wants to do it because he wants to support his greaser friends.  

"Ponyboy, listen, don't get tough. You're not like the rest of us and don't try to be..."

What was the matter with Two-Bit? I knew as well as he did that if you got tough you didn't get hurt. Get smart and nothing can touch you... (Ch. 12) 

He survives, again with an injury.  He does feel proud of himself for participating.  He feels like he is pulling his own weight.  He also likes the fact that the greasers won.  It makes him proud. 

Johnny tells Pony to stay gold.  He wants him to stay in school and get an education. The other greasers, especially his Brother Darry, agree.  They know that Pony has a chance to make something of himself.

Calculate speed when light in a vacuum is 300,000 km/s. If the index of refraction of water is 1.33, what is the speed of light in the water?

Q: 

Assume the speed of light in a vacuum to be 300,000 km/s. Assuming the index of refraction of water to be 1.33, what is the speed of light as it passes through a medium of water? 

A:

This is a case of refraction of light as it enters a medium. In the process of refraction, light is bent or curved as it passes from one medium into another. The index of refraction allows us to quantify this change in light's velocity. Although light technically moves ever so slightly slower in air, we can consider the speed of light through air to be essentially equal to the speed of light within a vacuum. 

The following formula defines the index of refraction:

`n = c/v`

Here, `n` is the index of refraction (a ratio which has no units), `c` is the speed of light in a vacuum, which for our purposes is `300,000 (km)/s`, and `v` is the velocity of light as it passes through the medium in question (in this case, water).  

Therefore, we will solve for `v` in the above equation.

Plugging in the known values from the question, we now have the following:

`1.33 = (300,000 (km)/(s))/v`

After multiplying both sides of this equation by `v`, we obtain the following:

`1.33*v = 300,000 (km)/(s)`

We can now divide the right side by 1.33 to obtain the value of `v`.This gives us `225,563.9098 (km)/(s)` , which if rounded to three significant digits will be`226,000 (km)/s` . This is our final answer. This makes sense as an answer because light will be slowed down as it enters water. 

Which naturally made metal is the strongest and heaviest?

It depends a little bit on what you mean by "heaviest" (atomic weight or weight of natural ore) and "strongest" (compression or tensile strength), but the usual answer to this question is tungsten, which has the heaviest weight of natural ore and the strongest tensile strength of any naturally-occurring metal. Its compression strength is also the strongest. Tungsten is also notable for its extremely high melting point, which is why it's useful for incandescent lightbulbs.

If you meant atomic weight, the answer is plutonium, which is the heaviest element that occurs in nature in any appreciable quantities. But it's not really especially strong.

Tungsten was actually named for its high ore weight; tung sten means "heavy stone". Because it's so heavy and difficult to melt, tungsten was not widely used until the 19th century.

What makes Margot different from the other children? Why does this cause the other children dislike Margot?

Margot is different from the other children because of her looks, her personality, and her experiences. Margot is "frail," and she is fair-haired and white-skinned, so much so that she looks colorless, like a washed-out photograph. Margot is quiet and withdrawn--she doesn't have the boisterous personality that many of the other children have. Her voice is soft, and often she doesn't speak at all. She keeps her distance from the other children rather than joining in their antics. In fact, she is a very sensitive girl who seems to have some deep-seated emotional issues. When she screamed when the water touched her in the showers, that confirmed to the others how odd she was. Because she can remember living on Earth where the sun shone often, she finds the constant rain on Venus oppressive, and she seems to be depressed. That's why her parents plan to send her back to Earth soon. She doesn't fit in on Venus.

Despite all those differences, the one thing that seems to set the children against Margot more than any other is that she has experiences they don't share. All the other children have a homogeneous background: They have been raised on Venus and know nothing of life outside the underground complex they live in. That Margot remembers seeing the Sun and that she knows about life on Earth first-hand makes the children jealous of her, even though Margot doesn't act like a know-it-all. Beyond that, the children know that she will have a chance to go back to Earth soon, a chance that evades the others. Her past experiences and her future plans set her apart from the others.

Why the other children dislike Margot is a strong theme in the story. Bradbury creates a scenario that allows modern Earth-bound readers to examine their prejudices. Margot represents the "other," and human beings instinctively despise those outside their own tribe. Perhaps her rich and varied experiences caused them to wish they could escape their underground home, so they became jealous. The fact that she wouldn't join their games might feel like an insult to them, so they lashed back to give her pain. But part of their dislike stems from a simple lust for power: Margot is weak and alone; they are strong and have numbers on their side. Such a condition spurs bullying, and that's what happens in the story.

Although the story is overtly about children on a different planet in the future, it makes all readers, children and adults, think about how they treat others and whether they allow prejudices to mar their behavior.

`ylnx - xy' = 0` Find the general solution of the differential equation

For the given problem: `yln(x)-xy'=0` , we can evaluate this by applying variable separable differential equation in which we express it in a form of `f(y) dy = f(x)dx` .

to able to apply direct integration:  `int f(y) dy = int f(x)dx` .

Rearranging the problem:

`yln(x)-xy'=0`

`yln(x)=xy'`  or `xy' = y ln(x)`

`(xy')/(yx) = (y ln(x))/(yx)`

`(y') /y = ln(x)/x`

Applying direct integration, we denote `y' = (dy)/(dx)` :

`int (y') /y = int ln(x)/x`

`int 1 /y (dy)/(dx) = int ln(x)/x`

`int 1 /y (dy)= int ln(x)/x dx`

For the left side, we apply the basic integration formula for logarithm: `int (du)/u = ln|u|+C`

`int 1 /y (dy) = ln|y|`

For the right side, we apply u-substitution by letting `u= ln(x)` then `du = 1/x dx` .

`int ln(x)/x dx=int udu`

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

`int udu=u^(1+1)/(1+1)+C`

          `=u^2/2+C`

Plug-in `u = ln(x)` in `u^2/2+C` , we get:

`int ln(x)/x dx =(ln(x))^2/2+C`

Combining the results, we get the general solution for differential equation `(yln(x)-xy'=0)`  as:

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

The general solution:` ln|y|=(ln|x|)^2/2+C` can be expressed as:

`y = C_1e^((ln|x|)^2/2)+C` .

I need help writing a short essay about the topic of whether religion changes lives.

Your main task in this essay is to narrow your topic. There are over 7 billion people currently alive in the world, and there is no way you could know how religion has affected all of their lives, much less the lives of all the people who have lived since the invention of writing some 5,000 years ago. Instead, you need to look at some particular aspect of some people's lives. 

If you have been studying the history of religion, you could look at examples of conversion experiences. For example, St. Augustine and St. Francis both had intense conversion experiences which caused them to abandon their earlier life styles and devote themselves to religion and charitable causes. You might argue that conversion experiences are generally positive, causing people to change their lives for the better. Another type of example you could cite would be Alcoholics Anonymous and how belief in a "higher power" has helped addicts on the path to recovery.

Alternatively, you could look at the negative side of religion, and talk about how religious wars and intolerance have caused massive amounts of human suffering. You could give as examples the religious wars in Europe in the seventeenth century or the current situation in the middle east. 

How does Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird experience growth and maturity? How does Scout remodel herself?

Scout Finch grows into a young lady who empathizes with others. 

Most of us change when we grow up. Scout experiences a lot during the years this book takes place. Throughout the course of her childhood she grows and matures into someone who considers the feelings of others as well as her own. 

Scout’s father Atticus tries to teach her empathy from a young age. He impresses upon her the importance of not making fun of the Radleys or spewing their family business in the yard for all to see. He also asks her to think about things from others’ points of view when she has trouble with her teacher. Atticus tells Scout to get inside another person’s skin and walk around in it to see things from the other person’s perspective. 

Atticus said I had learned many things today, and Miss Caroline had learned several things herself... We could not expect her to learn all Maycomb’s ways in one day, and we could not hold her responsible when she knew no better (Chapter 3).

This growing sense of perspective is evident in Scout’s perception of the trial. She becomes upset when people insult her father and asks him what he is doing that people take such an issue with. Atticus explains he is just defending a black man, and that is unpopular in Maycomb but he has to do it because it is the right thing to do and it is his job. 

During the trial, Scout watches the proceedings with growing understanding. Mayella Ewell, the white girl who accused Tom Robinson of rape, seems very lonely to Scout. She realizes things are not always as they seem. 

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

Scout understands there are issues of class at work here. Dolphus Raymond can live with his black woman and their kids, and people say it is just his way because he is from a good family. Mayella lives by the dump, and her father drinks away the Ewell family's welfare money. No one just accepts her the way she is.

Understanding her brother is sometimes harder for Scout.  As they get older, Scout and Jem grow apart. Scout does not understand Jem's behavior or perspective all the time, and she feels lonely. She always wants to be on equal footing with Jem, but there always seems to be a difference, either because of her gender or age. 

Scout comes full circle when she and Jem are rescued by Boo Radley. Bob Ewell attacks them and Boo saves them. Scout gets to live out a childhood fantasy by taking the gentle man’s hand and walking him home. Once on the Radley porch, Scout reflects on perspective: 

Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough (Chapter 31). 

Scout has turned into a little lady. She went from wandering around in overalls and climbing trees to helping her aunt host ladies' church meetings. Scout has an understanding of her place in society, and she has slowly come to accept it.

According to Scout, how can a person know that a jury has found the defendant guilty or not before the verdict is read in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Scout tells the readers of To Kill a Mockingbird that an attentive person can discern if the jury has found the defendant guilty: The jurors never look at the defendant as they return to their seats in the courtroom.

Crediting her knowledge to "something only a lawyer's child could be expected to watch for," Scout notes that not one man on the jury looks at Tom Robinson on the return from Jury Room. As the verdict is read, Scout closes her eyes and Jem grasps the railing so tightly that his knuckles turn white. With each "guilty," Jem jerks his body as though he is hit by something.

There is a sense of unreality for the children as they see Judge Taylor speaking, but do not know what he says. "Dimly," they see their father gathering his papers into his briefcase, and they numbly watch as he moves to the court reporter, and then to Tom Robinson, to whom he whispers something while touching him on the shoulder. Then, Atticus throws his coat over his shoulder and departs the courtroom by the shortest way. But, as he walks down the middle aisle, all the African-Americans in the balcony stand in respect, for they recognize that he has done his best to defend Tom, despite the outcome, which probably does not surprise them. For, the Reverend Sykes has told the children earlier that he has not witnessed a white jury decide "not guilty" before.

In "The Postmaster" by Rabindranath Tagore, what do we come to know about Calcutta?

The postmaster sees Calcutta as more desirable than Ulapur.

The opening description of Calcutta reveals how the postmaster feels out of place in Ulapur.  The postmaster "felt like a fish out of water in this remote village." Calcutta is seen as cosmopolitan, full of insightful and well-read people that more closely mirror the postmaster's predispositions.  The postmaster cannot appreciate Ulapur's people, whom he saw as "hardly desirable companions for decent folk."  

The postmaster also sees Calcutta as more hygienic than the village.  When he gets sick from the rains, the postmaster "at once wrote off to Calcutta an application for a transfer, on the ground of unhealthiness of the place."  The postmaster sees Ulapur as the reason for his illness.  This emphasis on the hygiene of Calcutta can be seen on the last day of the postmaster's stay. Unlike most people of Ulapur, who bathe in the local river, the postmaster "had stuck to his Calcutta habit of bathing in water drawn and kept in pitchers."  

When the postmaster tells Ratan that he is leaving, he says he is "going home."  Calcutta is where the postmaster's heart lies.  The postmaster's references lead us to see Calcutta as a place with more physical and cultural conveniences than than Ulapur's rural setting.