In what ways do the animals in the novel Animal Farm act like humans?

Since Animal Farm is an allegory or representation of the Russian Revolution's descent into tyranny under Stalin, the animal characters represent either specific humans or human types. Napoleon, for example, is modeled on Josef Stalin and represents the ruthless individual bent on amassing personal power and willing to sacrifice the ideals of a revolution as well as innocent lives to do so. The pigs as a class represent the human will to power and greed that will cause some groups to take far more of the world's goods than others because they can. A horse like Boxer represents the human type of the hardworking true believer who will sacrifice to support a cause. Molly, the horse who flees after the Rebellion, represents the person who wants pretty things and an easy life and isn't interested in politics or trying to better the world. The dogs represent the group of people who benefit by becoming the muscle behind a regime. They will support it as long as it offers them advantages, and again, they will not be very interested in the political ideology of a regime as long as they are taken care of. Animals like the hens are those people who are not very smart, but who have loyally believed the promises of a political movement only to be betrayed. Any type of animal in the novel is analogous to a human or a human group, and Orwell hopes the reader will use his or her imagination to make that connection with the human world.  

On a more basic level, the animals act like humans by talking, making rules, organizing themselves into a society, defending their turf, singing, forming friendships, caring about the young (especially the hens), supporting and betraying each other, envisioning a rosier future and trying to better themselves. 

In Cofer's "American History," what does Eugene represent for Elena?

Elena is a teenage girl who lives in a Puerto Rican apartment block with her family. She also attends a public high school with a student population of mostly African Americans. She has a difficult time fitting in at school because the other students mock her culture and call her "Skinny Bones." When a white boy named Eugene moves into the house next to her apartment building, she hopes to become his friend for a few reasons. First, Elena would like to have a friend. Second, he's cute, and once they become friends, she finds out they both enjoy reading books. Finally, Eugene lives in a house that she would love to visit so she can experience what it is like to live there. Elena describes how she feels about Eugene as follows:

But after meeting Eugene I began to think of the present more than of the future. What I wanted now was to enter that house I had watched for so many years. I wanted to see the other rooms where the old people had lived and where the boy spent his time. Most of all I wanted to sit at the kitchen table with Eugene like two adults, like the old man and his wife had done, maybe drink some coffee and talk about books.

From the above passage, it seems as though Elena is more in love with the fact that Eugene lives in the house next door than she is interested in him. He does represent friendship and companionship, and she may be infatuated with him for who he is, but he is also a way to get into the house that she loves so much. She has dreamed of what it might be like to read books at the kitchen table and experience what it feels like to live in a house and not an apartment. Her dreams are usually about living in a house, not an apartment, at some time in the future; but as she says in the above passage, her mind sees an opportunity to enter the house at present, which excites her. For the first time in Elena's life, she feels hopeful and happy about life. If she can get into the house and share some time at the kitchen table with Eugene, then Elena will have lived out a dream that she has had for a long time.

A 250 N boy exerts 5000 Pa of pressure when standing on the floor. Calculate the area of the soles of his shoes?

By the definition, pressure is the force over the area on which it is exerted, `P = F/A.` If we cannot be sure that this ratio is the same for all parts of the area, then the force divided by the area is the average pressure. Also the force in the definition is supposed to be perpendicular to the area, which is true for horizontal floor and the gravity force.

The unit for pressure is Pascal, abbreviated Pa. It is equal to one Newton over one square meter.

In this problem both the force and the pressure are given, it is simple to find the area: `A = F/P = 250/5000 = 0.05 (m^2).` I hope the boy has two soles, so the area of one of them is twice less, `0.025 m^2,` or `250 cm^2.`

In the story Flowers For Algernon, why is Algernon's behavior a bad sign for Charlie?

Flowers for Algernon was originally a science fiction short story by Daniel Keyes. It got made into a movie called "Charlie" and Keyes expanded the short story to become a novel. 

The story is about Charlie Gordon who has an intellectual deficit (the wording in the story reflects standard wording of the era in which it was written, but that wording now is offensive to many, so this response will use language appropriate for the current era). He tries hard to learn and because of that he is offered an opportunity for an operation that would improve his IQ. One measure of his intellectual progress is the occasional race he has with a mouse named Algernon who has also had the operation. 

Charlie becomes really intelligent and becomes a researcher in the area of intelligence improvement. Because of this, he observes that Algernon is regressing and the mouse dies. Charlie dissects the mouse and sees that the mouse's brain reflects a loss of intelligence. 

The significance, then, of Algernon's behavior is that it causes Charlie to realize that his intelligence is also temporary. He realizes that he will regress, too, and will lose all the mental faculties he has enjoyed. 

The change in Algernon's behavior is the turn in what is essentially a tragedy. While the beginning of the story, which is told in the form of "Progress Reports" that Charlie writes, up to this point was about Charlie's improving intelligence and learning, after Algernon regresses, the Progress Reports show Charlie losing his ability to think. The irony is that only when Charlie begins to fail, he first laughs at an intellectually disabled man and then, in horror, realizes what he has done and he defends the man. 

Charlie's loss of intelligence also leads to changes at the factory in which he worked and then goes back to when he needs a job. Two men at the factory initially teased him and set him up; when Charlie returns to the factory, they defend him. 

Why did Jess awake with a feeling of dread on Wednesday night?

In Chapter 11, after waking from a nap on Wednesday night, Jess feels overwhelmed with a vague sense of dread because he partially remembers that his best friend Leslie has just died. Her death seems to him like a frightful dream, something that he surely imagined and something that could never truly happen, and yet the feeling that she may have actually died is gnawing on Jess's subconscious.

Earlier that day, he'd heard the news of Leslie's death, but he'd reacted with strong disbelief. It is this disbelief mixed with the dreadful realization that Leslie may actually be gone that bothers Jess in his half-awake, groggy state:

It came into his mind that someone had told him that Leslie was dead. But he knew now that that had been part of the dreadful dream. Leslie could not die any more than he himself could die. But the words turned over uneasily in his mind like leaves stirred up by a cold wind. If he got up now and went down to the old Perkins place and knocked on the door, Leslie would come to open it, P. T. jumping at her heels like a star around the moon.

Still, as Jess wakes up, he tries to push the idea of Leslie's death out of his mind, trying to convince himself that it's impossible. He imagines how he'll go and find her, how they'll visit Terabithia together, and how he'll apologize for failing to invite her along on his trip to Washington with Miss Edmunds. As readers, we sadly witness Jess's denial of Leslie's death.

Why is Mr. Fridley important in Beverly Cleary's Dear Mr. Henshaw?

In Beverly Cleary's Dear Mr. Henshaw, when Leigh is in the sixth grade, he writes a series of letters to the author Mr. Henshaw responding to a list of questions Mr. Henshaw wrote Leigh in his last letter to Leigh. In the letter dated November 27th, Leigh answers the question about who his favorite teacher is by saying he doesn't have a favorite teacher but really likes the school custodian Mr. Fridley because Leigh sees Mr. Fridley as a kind and caring person.

One example Leigh gives of Mr. Fridley being a kind and caring person is that Mr. Fridley does not "even look cross" anytime he has to clean up after a kid who has gotten sick. Another example concerns Mr. Fridley's treatment of Leigh before school starts.

In a letter dated December 1st, Leigh explains there is a school rule that no one is allowed on campus until 10 minutes before the first bell. Leigh hates the rule because his mother must leave for a class she's taking well before Leigh's school starts, leaving Leigh all on his own in their cottage that "seems dark and damp" in the mornings because of the fog. Because Leigh is lonely, Leigh leaves for school soon after his mother does but must walk very slowly in order to try to get there no sooner than ten minutes before the bell. He usually gets to school much too early and feels he must hide behind the bushes so he is not seen by Mr. Fridley. One day, Mr. Fridley does "something nice" for Leigh by getting him out from behind the bushes. Leigh explains in his letter dated December 12th that he had been watching from behind the bushes as Mr. Leigh raised the U.S. and California state flags up the school flagpole. Leigh noticed that Mr. Fridley had raised the California state flag upside down, hanging the bear upside down. When Leigh comes out from behind the bushes to point out the error, Mr. Fridley invites Leigh to fix the flag himself and raise it "right side up." Mr. Fridley then suggests Leigh "come to school a few minutes early every morning to help him with the flags." The wise reader will recognize that Mr. Fridley raised the flag upside down on purpose, out of the kindness of his heart, to get Leigh to stop hiding behind the bushes and to make him feel comfortable with his need to come to school early. By inviting Leigh to help with the flags, Mr. Fridley gives Leigh some much-needed attention, as Leigh notes when he says to Mr. Henshaw, "It was nive to have somebody notice me."

Why would a slave whose life on a plantation was very bad fear being sold to a slave-trader?

There are a couple of reasons for which a slave might express such a fear.

Firstly, there was the possibility of being forced away from one's family, never to see them again. Though slaves were not allowed to marry legally, they still partook in marriage ceremonies, referred to as "jumping the broom," and retained as much love and dedication to their loved ones as those who were free. Being sold meant being forced to live on a plantation or a small farm far away from one's spouse or children, sometimes even in another state.

Being obedient did not always help to avoid this. Because black men and women were regarded as property, they were usually assessed according to monetary value. Slave owners who required revenue might have been inclined to sell off a man or woman who was an exceptionally good field hand. An exceptional house slave (e.g., a cook, a wet nurse) might have gotten the same treatment. A slave's stability was always uncertain.

A second reason for fearing sale was that, no matter how bad one's master was, there was always the possibility of being sold to someone much worse. Even when a slave was subjected to a cruel master, living with him or her for long enough allowed the slave to anticipate the worst moods and to adapt to them; being sold to someone else required new modes of adaptation. While it was unlikely that a slave master would murder a slave (though, as Douglass demonstrates in his narrative, not at all impossible), due to fearing loss of revenue, one could be subjected to forms of cruelty that would make death seem preferable.

How and why does Robert Louis Stevenson explore the duality of human nature in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

Stevenson explores the duality of human nature, meaning that we have the capacity for both good and evil, by presenting Dr. Jekyll, a man who has struggled in vain with the darker side of himself that he wishes to suppress or eliminate. Unable to conquer it through the force of his own willpower, Dr. Jekyll has determined to try to separate his less scrupulous side out so that it can be eliminated and he will feel no longer feel a compulsion to do the immoral things it has previously driven him to do. Tellingly, however, the evil side of Dr. Jekyll proves to be more powerful than the good side, and it becomes impossible for him to control it.

Dr. Jekyll tries to look for an easy way out: he doesn't want to struggle with his baser impulses, he just wants them to disappear altogether. Stevenson seems to be making a statement about the necessity of the struggle and the terrible things that can happen when we feel the need to hide this part of ourselves. The incredible repression of this era, sexual and otherwise, only forces people to find new ways to gratify their less acceptable desires. It is better, perhaps, to accept that our baser natures are as necessary to us as human beings as our better natures are.

What three protest movements drove significant change in the 1960s?

In the Sixties, women burned their bras, activists marched against the Vietnam War, and civil rights protesters risked their lives integrating lunch counters. The feminist movement, the anti-war movement, and the civil rights movement helped to transform American society in many ways.

Many young people today do not realize that equal treatment for women is a recent development.  We did not even get the right to vote until 1920!  Men were nearly always preferred over women for employment.  And even when women were employed, they did not receive equal treatment. For example, employers routinely refused to provide them with health insurance. Even now, women make less than men for the same or similar work.  Feminists such as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan led the way in a protest movement, to gain equal rights for females, with their writing, their marches, and their lobbying.  They were not successful in gaining an equal rights amendment to the Constitution, but sex was included as a protected class in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the inroads they made and that continue to be made have been meaningful enough to make women nearly equal to males in many fields, to make nearly as much money, and to be more respected voices in business and politics.

The anti-war movement began largely on college campuses, as students began to take note of how many young American men were dying halfway around the world for what looked like a very bad cause.  At this point in American history, these young men did not even have the right to vote for the leaders who sent them to war, something that was addressed in direct response to this in a constitutional amendment.  Because there were deferments for college in the early years, it was mostly poor young men and young men of color who were being drafted to go fight this war, dying in jungles because of someone's theory about Communism. The movement destroyed the presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) and Nixon ran on a promise to end the war but did not extricate the United States for five years. The power of protest was heady, though, an important exercise of our First Amendment rights that did eventually lead us out of the war and that continues to this day to have an impact as we assess whether or not we want to enter into "another Vietnam."

The civil rights movement did not begin in the Sixties, but rather, in the Fifties, I think, with the momentum of Brown v. Board of Education, the murder of Emmet Till, and the example set by Rosa Parks' bravery on the bus.  Martin Luther King, Jr. was a primary force in the movement, with his ideas on civil disobedience  and his powerful rhetoric, and I would say that the movement did reach its fullest momentum in the Sixties.  By 1964, LBJ, who was probably one of the best presidents we have ever had domestically, had strong-armed Congress into passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and then the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These were transformational statutes, giving people the wherewithal to sue for discrimination and to ensure the right to vote.  We are by no means a perfect society insofar as civil rights are concerned, but the Sixties protests were of great importance to the cause. 

It was an unusual era, with these downtrodden groups getting up and complaining loudly and publicly, organizing themselves to have as large an impact as they could. We have them to thank for a great deal for women, for all the wars we did not fight, and for the civil rights we do have. 

What does it mean when Benvolio said to Romeo "I will show you shining at this feast" in Romeo and Juliet?

Benvolio is telling Romeo that there are better girls for him if he will just look around for them.

Romeo is upset because Rosaline does not return his feelings.  He is in a deep depression, feeling that there will never be another girl for him.  His cousin Benvolio tries to convince him otherwise.  Mercutio and Benvolio are planning to go to the Capulet ball, and they think Romeo might meet a girl there who will turn his head.

But in that crystal scales let there be weigh'd
Your lady's love against some other maid
That I will show you shining at this feast,
And she shall scant show well that now seems best. (Act 1, Scene 3)

Romeo is skeptical.  He agrees to go to the party.  When he saw the invitation list and realized that Rosaline might be there, he hoped to catch a glimpse of her.  Instead, Romeo sees Juliet and she completely changes his mind.  He earlier spoke of Rosaline's incomparable beauty, but when he sees Juliet he is stunned.

O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! (Act 1, Scene 5)

Romeo’s head was turned.  Benvolio was right.  He forgets completely about Rosaline.  He basically pines for Juliet from then on, even climbing into the Capulet orchard to see her.  He does not care that she is a Capulet and he is a Montague.  He is determined to win her heart.

Juliet seems to fall for Romeo too.  She decides to risk it, because she personally has nothing against him and his name does not make him who he is.  He may be her mortal enemy, but she fell in love with him at first sight and the rest is history. 

How did the imperialist system work for Great Britain?

Great Britain believed in the concept of imperialism. They wanted to control land beyond their borders so they could benefit economically, politically, and militarily.

When Great Britain established colonies, they wanted to profit from having these colonies. Great Britain wanted to use the resources found in their colonies to make products in their factories. They knew they could get the resources cheaper from their colonies than they could by purchasing them from other countries. The British would pass a series of laws requiring their colonies to buy certain products from Great Britain. These laws also required products to be transported on British ships. These laws would help the British benefit economically from having their colonies.

By controlling lands in different areas of the world, Great Britain would benefit politically and militarily. Great Britain would have control of areas around the world. This enhanced their status as a world power. They could also use these colonies as military bases if needed during times of war. The colonies also allowed the British to protect their world trade. British ships could stop and refuel and resupply in the ports of their colonies.

The British colonies served many purposes for Great Britain. The development of an imperialistic system was designed to benefit the British in many ways.

What are some techniques used during Juliet's monologue when she found out Romeo killed her cousin in Act 3, scene 2, Romeo and Juliet?

When Juliet learns that Romeo, her husband, has slain Tybalt, her cousin, she personifies her heart and her eyes, saying, "O break, my heart, poor bankrout, break at once! / To prison, eyes; ne'er look on liberty" (3.2.63-64).  She orders her heart, which she now feels to be bankrupt or empty, to break (and, it is implied, kill her), as though her heart could hear her and obey, and she tells her eyes that they'll never be free to look on anything else, that she will keep them imprisoned (again, because she wants to die).  She wishes to give her body back to the earth so that she will not have to feel this pain any longer.

Juliet also uses a number of oxymora (compact paradoxes made up of pairs of conflicting or incongruous words) to describe Romeo and capture her conflicting feelings about the man she loves who is at once her new husband as well as her cousin's murderer.  She calls him a "Beautiful tyrant, fiend angelical! / Dove-feathered raven, wolvish-ravening lamb! [...] / A damned saint, and honorable villain" (3.2.81-85).  This shows how very conflicted she is in her feelings toward Romeo at this point: he seems to her a combination of opposites, like something that looks beautiful and wonderful but is actually terrible and violent.

In your opinion, are there any negative incidents Hellen Keller's autobiography, The Story of My Life?

Helen Keller had many challenges in her life, which she wrote about candidly in her autobiography, The Story of My Life.  I will highlight some of those challenges below.  You will have to decide for yourself if you find those challenges to be bad or negative.

-  Helen became blind and deaf due to a childhood illness when she was a toddler.  She described this incident as one which "closed [her] eyes and ears and plunged [her] into the unconsciousness of a new-born baby."  As Helen grew into a little girl, she struggled to communicate with those around her.  She often could not, and became frustrated.  This frustration caused her to have fits of rage.

-  The winter when Helen was eleven "was darkened by one cloud in [her] childhood's bright sky."  Helen wrote a whimsical story called "The Frost King."  She was accused of plagiarism because her story was very similar to another one.  Helen had not intentionally plagiarized, and she was devastated by the accusations.

-  When Helen was sixteen, her father died.  His passing was her "first great sorrow--[her] first personal experience with death."

-  A dear friend of Helen's, Mr. John P. Spaulding, died when she was fifteen.  She described his death as being "the greatest sorrow that [she had] ever borne, except the death of [her] father."

Who is the current “Deputy National Security Advisor” to President Obama? Explain why he has been the recent subject of criticism.

I wonder if the wording of this question might be somewhat imprecise.  The current Deputy National Security Advisor is a woman named Avril Haines.  Your question implies that the current holder of this office is a man.  In addition, Haines has not been particularly controversial.  For these reasons, I think your question may be intended to refer to a person holding another position.

I think your question is probably meant to refer to the current Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications.  This is a different office than the Deputy National Security Advisor.  This office is essentially a speech writing and public relations job.  The man who currently holds this office is named Ben Rhodes.

Rhodes has been the subject of controversy within the past few weeks.  On May 5, 2016, the New York Times Magazine ran a profile of Rhodes.  In that profile, he seemed to brag about misleading reporters (and, thereby, the American people) about the Obama administration’s negotiations with Iran over that country’s nuclear program.  The administration made a deal with Iran that many conservatives, in particular, felt was too weak.  They felt that the administration let Iran off too easily.  When Rhodes seemed to say that he had misled reporters and the public about the negotiations, critics of the deal seized on that as evidence that the administration was trying to trick people into accepting an agreement that was bad for the US and its allies.  It is for this reason that Ben Rhodes has been the recent subject of criticism.

`y*(x+1) + y' = 0 , y(-2) = 1` Find the particular solution that satisfies the initial condition

This differential equation may be expressed as

`(y')/y = -x - 1`

and then integrated:

`ln|y| = -x^2/2 - x + C, or y = Ce^(-x^2/2 - x),`

where `C` is any constant.

To determine the specific constant, we use the given condition `y(-2) = 1,` which gives

`1 = C e^(-2 + 2) = C,`

so the final answer is  `y(x) =e^(-x^2/2 - x).`

What current events could be related to the quote in Macbeth, "Wither should I fly? / I have done no harm [...]."

In this tragedy, Shakespeare tells the story of Macbeth, a Scottish general who, prompted by witches' prophesy, kills the King of Scotland and takes the throne. Macbeth is then forced to commit more murders, in order to protect his power and prevent the secret of his own crime from being known. 

Lady Macduff appears only briefly in this play, in Act IV, Scene II. Macbeth has heard from the witches at the beginning of Act IV that he should beware of Lord Macduff. Macbeth finds that Macduff has fled the country, but he still orders that his wife, Lady Macduff, and their unnamed son be killed. 

A messenger arrives at the castle to warn Lady Macduff of this threat. She replies to his message, "Whither should I fly? / I have done no harm [...]", meaning, "where should I escape to? I've done nothing wrong." She is killed at the end of the act.

Lady Macduff's situation in this scene could be related to a number of current events involving dictators who order their opponents to be assassinated. For instance, as one example, The New York Times has reported on a number of assassinations of enemies of the Kremlin in Russia, including the death of opposition leader, Boris Y. Nemtsov. 

`12yy' - 7e^x = 0` Find the general solution of the differential equation

For the given problem: `12yy'-7e^x=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` .

 Then, `12yy'-7e^x=0` can be rearrange into `12yy'= 7e^x`

Express `y'`  as `(dy)/(dx)` :

`12y(dy)/(dx)= 7e^x`

Apply direct integration in the form of `int f(y) dy = int f(x)dx` :

`12y(dy)/(dx)= 7e^x`

`12ydy= 7e^xdx`

`int12ydy= int 7e^x dx`

For the both side , we apply basic integration property: `int c*f(x)dx= c int f(x) dx`

`12 int ydy= 7int e^x dx`

Applying Power Rule integration: `int u^n du= u^(n+1)/(n+1)` on the left side.

`12int y dy= 12 *y^(1+1)/(1+1)`

               `= (12y^2)/2`

               `=6y^2`

Apply basic integration formula for exponential function: `int e^u du = e^u+C ` on the right side.

`7int e^x dx = 7e^x+C`

Combining the results for the general solution of differential equation:

`6y^2=7e^x+C`

or 

`(6y^2)/6=(7e^x)/6+C`

`y^2 = (7e^x)/6+C`

`y = +-sqrt((7e^x)/6+C)` 

In Sara Teasdale's poem "There Will Come Soft Rains," how does the mood change dramatically?

Sara Teasdale’s poem “There Will Come Soft Rains” describes nature’s lack of response to the sad vestiges of war.

In the first three stanzas, the author creates images of nature during the spring. The mood is light as the reader envisions a gentle drizzle wetting the sweet-smelling earth. The birds fly around freely, the frogs sing their song, and the wild plum trees show off their blossoms. Teasdale paints an idyllic spring image, which sets the initial tone of the poem.

After the reader is lulled by the spring time description, the mood of the poem changes as the poet describes how nature will not care if man is destroyed by war:

And not one will know of the war, not one

Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,

If mankind perished utterly;

The reader is thrust from the beautiful spring image and associated mood to the image of mans’ demise, which dramatically changes the mood of the poem. The light, enjoyable mood changes to sobering thoughts of the aftermath of war.

What request does the monster make of Victor that he promises, if granted, will ensure he will leave Victor and his family alone?

In the novel Frankenstein, the monster requests that Victor create a mate for him in exchange for the monster leaving Victor and his family alone. When the monster escapes from Victor's laboratory, he finds a very lonely world into which he has entered. People flee from him, and he watches a family who demonstrates companionship and love. While watching, the monster begins to find a deep sorrow inside of himself due to his loneliness and inability to live among the public successfully. He meets Victor and makes a pact that if Victor creates a mate for him, he will not harm Victor or any of his family. In a state of panic, Victor agrees to this in order to ensure safety for him and his family. Victor does not think about the consequences of a second creation. He believes the monster will stay true to his word, so he makes arrangements to create a second living creature as a mate for the monster—but later changes his mind.

What is the difference between the terms endemic, epidemic, pandemic?

To understand the difference between the terms endemic, epidemic, and pandemic, one must first understand why these terms are used. These terms are commonly used in epidemiology to describe the current state of a disease within a population. Each one varies in the amount of a disease present within a certain population or community. Endemic levels of disease refer to the amount of disease that is normally present within a specific population. It is important to note that this endemic level does not mean that no disease is present, but rather represents the expected normal, or baseline, amount of people that will be afflicted by a disease. The term epidemic is used in reference to an increase in a disease within a population. This increase may be rapid, and represents a higher number of cases relative to what would typically be seen in that respective population. When an epidemic spreads, leading to an increased disease rate over a larger population or group of populations (like several countries), the term pandemic is used.  

Hope this helps!

`y = arctanx + x/(1+x^2)` Find the derivative of the function

Recall that the derivative of y with respect  to is denoted as `y'` or `(dy)/(dx)` .

 For the given equation: `y = arctan(x) +x/(1+x^2)` ,

we may apply the basic property of derivative:

`d/(dx) (u+v) =d/(dx) (u) + d/(dx)(v)`

 where we take the derivative of each term separately.

Then the derivative of y will be:

`y' = d/(dx)(arctan(x) +x/(1+x^2))`

`y' =d/(dx)(arctan(x)) +d/(dx)(x/(1+x^2))`

To find the derivative of the first term:`d/(dx)(arctan(x))` , recall the basic derivative formula for inverse tangent as:

`d/(dx) (arctan(u)) = ((du)/(dx))/1+u^2`

With `u = x` and `du=dx ` or `(du)/(dx) =1` , we will have:

`d/(dx)(arctan(x)) =1 /(1+x^2) `

For the derivative of the second term:`d/(dx)(x/(1+x^2))` , we apply the

Quotient Rule for derivative: `d/(dx) (u/v)= (u' * v- v'*u)/v^2` .

Based from`d/(dx)(x/(1+x^2))` , we let:

`u = x ` then `u' = 1`

`v = 1+x^2` then `v'=2x`

`v^2= (1+x^2)^2`

Applying the Quotient rule,we get:

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

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

Combining like terms at the top:

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

For the complete problem: 

`y' =d/(dx)(arctan(x)) +d/(dx)(x/(1+x^2))`

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

From Nick's viewpoint, are women in The Great Gatsby portrayed negatively?

Fitzgerald's portrayal of three principal female characters in The Great Gatsby through Nick's narration is indeed negative.  

Daisy Fay Buchanan emerges as a shallow, spoiled, and selfish woman.  Her less- than-admirable actions include abandoning Gatsby when she finds a wealthy man to marry, neglecting her child, engaging in an adulterous affair, and contributing to the deaths of Myrtle and George Wilson and Gatsby.  

It is fair to call Jordan Baker cold, self-absorbed, and dishonest. She is known to cheat in golf tournaments, and Nick observes her lying and gossiping from the first evening he meets her.

Myrtle Wilson--and her sister Catherine--are portrayed as cheap and vulgar. Myrtle is cruel to her husband in his presence and talks badly about him in his absence. She carries on an affair with Tom Buchanan, knowing that he is a married man with a child.

How are Phillip's parents misguided about the details of Phil's suspension in Nothing But the Truth by Avi?

In Nothing But the Truth by Avi, Philip's parents are misguided because they never really seek out the truth. They believe what Phil tells them--that his teacher, Miss Narwin, is out to get him and has forbidden him from being  singing "The National Anthem." He tells them she will not allow him to be "patriotic."  Phil leaves out the fact that he is purposely being disrespectful to Miss Narwin. He leaves out the fact that he is not following the rule to "stand at respectful silent attention" (Avi 1) during the anthem. Phil's parents, like so many others, feel they don't have any reason to doubt what their son is telling them, so they believe him rather than going to the school to speak with his teacher and attempting to get to the real truth. Phil has left out some very important details, and because of him, a number of unfortunate and damaging events take place. 

`r = 8%, t = 35` Find the principal P that must be invested at a rate r, compounded monthly, so that $1,000,000 will be available for...

The formula in compounding interest is

`A = P(1 + r/n)^(n*t)`

where

A is the accumulated amount

P is the principal

r is the annual rate

n is the number of compounding periods in a year, and

t is the number of years.

Plugging in the values A = 1000000, r = 0.08, and t = 35, the formula becomes:

 `1000000=P(1+0.08/n)^(n*35)`

Since the r is compounded monthly, then n=12.

`1000000=P(1+0.08/12)^(12*35)`

Isolating the P, it yields

`1000000/(1+0.08/12)^(12*35) = P`

`61377.75=P`

Therefore, the principal amount that should be invested is $61,377.75 .

Why did you like "A Mother in Mannville" and what caught your attention in this story?

The first thing that attracts me to this story is the beautifully descriptive language Rawlings uses. She describes the Carolina mountains in such detail that I feel like I've been there. Below is one of my favorite descriptive passages:

Other days they ran with common ecstasy through the laurel, and since the asters were now gone, he brought me back vermilion maple leaves, and chesnut boughs dripping with imperial yellow.

I love the imagery of the boy and dog running with joy through the laurel, and of the rich fall colors of the leaves. Below is another line I particularly like: 

The human mind scatters its interests as though made of thistle-down, and every wind stirs and moves it.

This is such a poetic way of saying that humans are often fickle in their attention and affections. 

Secondly, I like the character Marjorie Rawlings has drawn in the boy Jerry. She describes him through physical description, his actions, and dialogue. She describes him as a young boy who has a special quality. The narrator of the story calls it integrity. She says it's more than just being honest or brave. 

I also like the relationship the narrator develops with Jerry. It begins as a business relationship, but it grows into something more. She admires Jerry and begins to care about him deeply. She wasn't planning on developing any type of friendship, however, as she was only there to write. I like the description of a relationship that only lasts for a short season, as many relationships do in life. This brief relationship really affects the narrator, as she describes in the story. It reminds me of the following quote by Flavia Weedn: 

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.

What catches my attention about this story is the ending, when the reader finds out Jerry does not have a mother in Mannville, although he told the narrator he does. This is a dichotomy—Jerry is described as so honest and full of integrity that it is surprising to find out that he lies about something so important. This is a boy who was going to forego his earnings chopping wood when the ax handle breaks, assuming responsibility for its breaking. This dichotomy leaves room for the reader to ponder why Jerry would make up such a story. I love stories that leave room for readers to make inferences.

Find the arc length from (0,3) clockwise to `(2,sqrt(5))` along the circle `x^2+y^2 = 9`

Use the arc length formula,

`L=intds`

`ds=sqrt(1+(dy/dx)^2)dx` , if y=f(x), a`<=` x`<=` b

Given `x^2+y^2=9`

`=>y^2=9-x^2`

`y=(9-x^2)^(1/2)`

`dy/dx=1/2(9-x^2)^(1/2-1)*(-2x)`

`=-x/sqrt(9-x^2)`

Plug in the above in ds,

`ds=sqrt(1+(-x/sqrt(9-x^2)))^2dx`

`ds=sqrt(1+x^2/(9-x^2))dx`

`ds=sqrt((9-x^2+x^2)/(9-x^2))dx`

`ds=3/sqrt(9-x^2)dx`

The limits are x=0 and x=2,

`L=int_0^2 3/sqrt(9-x^2)dx`

`=3int_0^2 1/sqrt(9-x^2)dx`

Now let's first evaluate the indefinite integral by using integral substitution,

Let `x=3sin(u)`

`dx=3cos(u)du`

`int1/sqrt(9-x^2)dx=int1/sqrt(9-(3sin(u))^2)3cos(u)du`

`=int(3cos(u))/sqrt(9-9sin^2(u))du`

`=int(3cos(u))/(sqrt(9)sqrt(1-sin^2(u)))du`

`=int(3cos(u))/(3cos(u))du`

`=int1du`

`=u`

substitute back u and add a constant C to the solution,

`=arcsin(x/3)+C`

`L=3[arcsin(x/3)]_0^2`

`L=3[arcsin(2/3)-arcsin(0)]`

`L=3arcsin(2/3)`

`~~2.19`

What are some foreign and domestic issues that President Washington faced during his presidency?

President Washington faced several foreign and domestic issues while he was President. On the foreign policy front, we had to deal with Great Britain and with Spain pushing us around. Great Britain and Spain were interfering with our trade. Great Britain and Spain were also encouraging the Native Americans to attack us. The British wouldn’t leave the forts in the West. President Washington preferred diplomacy to war. This led to Jay’s Treaty being signed with Great Britain and Pinckney’s Treaty being signed with Spain to try to resolve these issues that existed.

At home, there were also issues. We needed to develop a plan to pay our debts to other countries. Alexander Hamilton, the Secretary of Treasury, developed a plan that allowed us to combined debts from the state governments and from the federal government. New bonds were issued to help pay the debt. We also had to deal with people who wanted to rebel against government policies. When the farmers of western Pennsylvania refused to pay the tax on whiskey, President Washington sent the military to the area to restore order. This sent a strong message that our government would not tolerate lawlessness.

President Washington faced several problems at home and abroad while he was President.

How did the Entrepreneurs of the Gilded Age and their strategies change the American industry? Which "captain of industry" as you would see it had...

The entrepreneurs of the Gilded Age profoundly changed the way Americans did business.  Some such as John D. Rockefeller managed to buy out his opponents and to intimidate railroads into giving him discounts to haul his product all over the country at reduced rates.  By buying out opponents, he could make the oil industry more efficient by using his money to better streamline the refining business. Andrew Carnegie controlled the iron and coal mines needed to make steel--he also controlled the smelting industry and the industries which made and sold steel girders and railroad supplies to builders.  These two men employed millions of people, albeit at low wages and in dangerous conditions.  They also created much of the materials needed to make modern cities.  If I had to pick one captain of industry who changed America the most, I'd have to go with Carnegie.  Without him, modern skyscrapers and railroads would be more expensive.  His suspension bridges were in use for over one hundred years.  His work in the coal industry, while controversial in terms of environmental damage and worker hardships, developed the Allegheny region of the United States and brought jobs to the area.  Also, Carnegie gave money to libraries and symphony halls which still bear his name today.  

Is the play The Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare a tragicomedy?

Yes, Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice could certainly be categorized as a tragicomedy. Although the vast majority of the characters within this play wind up with happy endings, one character faces his own personal tragedy.

Bassanio and Portia enjoy a happy ending when Portia is successfully able to defend Bassanio's friend, Antonio, when he is tried for defaulting on a loan. They end the play happily married, as do their friends Gratiano and Nerissa and Jessica and Lorenzo.

Shylock, on the other hand, is the tragic element of the play; he loses his daughter, Jessica, gets tricked out of the "pound of flesh" he is owed, and is on the whole mocked and subjected to anti-Semitic attitudes from the other characters. While Shylock is able to escape with his life, he is forced to convert to Christianity and leave his estate to the daughter who abandoned him and her new Christian husband. The treatment of Shylock is abusive and bigoted, a subject not so much of prosecution, but rather persecution.

What is the meaning of the following line from "Vanka" by Anton Chekhov?"'Dear Grandad when they have a Christmas tree at the big house take a...

That line appears in the letter that the despondent child Vanka is writing to his grandfather. Recall that the child is using the letter to describe how horrible his life is and how he wishes for his grandfather to come take him away, back to the house where he used to live, which is full of happy memories.

In that line, the child remembers what he and his grandfather used to do at Christmas time, and he appeals to his grandfather, asking him to set aside a delicious morsel of holiday food for him. Vanka wants to be able to arrive at his grandfather's house, dig out the "gilded nut" from the green chest, and savor it--not only as a treat to satisfy his hunger after being starved in his present home, but also as an indication that his grandfather has been making preparations to save Vanka from his misery and to give him a life filled with love and comfort.

You can also understand that line as one in which Vanka is struggling to convince his grandfather to come get him. The child is making an emotional appeal, reminding the old man of happy times, attempting to inspire him to one small action of generosity and love that will lead to the larger decision to rescue Vanka from his current living situation.

Who is Selden in The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle?

Selden is the “Notting Hill Murderer,” an escaped convict and Mrs. Barrymore’s brother.

Watson learns that there is a killer on the loose on the Moor.  Mortimer and Henry Baskerville discuss the issue.  There is a reward of five pounds for his capture, but he is so dangerous that even that does not seem worth it.

Holmes had taken an interest [in the case] on account of the peculiar ferocity of the crime and the wanton brutality which had marked all the actions of the assassin. The commutation of his death sentence had been due to some doubts as to his complete sanity, so atrocious was his conduct. (Ch. 6) 

Watson is a little nervous about this “fiendish man” hiding out in the moor.  It would be very hard to find an escaped criminal in the desolate landscape.  This adds even more suspense and danger to the problem of someone targeting the Baskervilles and the spectral hound. 

While he is staying at Baskerville Hall, Watson notices that the Barrymores are acting strangely.  He sees them up at night at a window.  He realizes that they are using a candle to signal someone.  Thinking this is related to the plot against Sir Henry, he confronts them.  Mrs. Barrymore assures him that the candle is not related. 

“My unhappy brother is starving on the moor. We cannot let him perish at our very gates. The light is a signal to him that food is ready for him, and his light out yonder is to show the spot to which to bring it.”

“Then your brother is—”

“The escaped convict, sir—Selden, the criminal.” (Ch. 7) 

According to Mrs. Barrymore, her brother really isn't that bad.  He just fell in with a bad crowd.  It turns out that Selden was a red herring, or a false clue.  He has nothing to do with the Baskervilles other than the fact that his sister is employed there.  She feels sorry for him and is helping him.

How is Montag greeted by Beatty upon his return to the firehouse after calling in sick in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury?

Understanding how Beatty behaves is of little consequence if we don't first analyze his motives concerning Montag. Captain Beatty is clearly a well-read man. Sure, he might claim that as a fire captain he has to be full of bits and pieces, but his continual quoting of literature to make points suggests Beatty has analyzed and absorbed the content of the books he's read. Why, then, is he so all-in with his job of enforcing this shallow, unthinking way of life?  Perhaps Beatty feels he is superior to everyone else because he can handle the knowledge gained from books but no one else can.  He also may have realized the value of the books and the terrible mistake their society has made, but believes it would be impossible to undo the damage now. Perhaps Beatty does not worry about public access to books because, as a fire chief, he can legally read books.  This selfish view would be consistent with Beatty's willingness to let the woman choose to be burned alive with her books.  

Either way, deep down Beatty knows society's way of life is wrong, yet he is defensively stubborn about upholding the rules.  As a result, Beatty is insulted one of his own firemen suddenly develops a conscience about the many problems with their way of life, since he is unwilling to risk his life and take a stand.  When Montag returns back to work after a day of soul-searching (and book reading), Beatty is ready for him.

When Montag enters, the captain is standing there, pretending not to be waiting.  He openly tells the other firefighters that Montag is a fool. Not looking Montag in the eye, he nonchalantly holds out his hand for the stolen book, then throws it in the garbage without even looking at the title. This must feel horribly ironic to Montag, who agonized over whether to hand over the actual book he smuggled out that day, the Bible, or a less historically important title. Ultimately, Montag worried giving a lesser book would make Beatty suspicious. It turns out Montag could have saved that Bible.  Why doesn't Beatty look at it?  We soon learn Beatty already knows Montag has more books; the firemen will burn his house shortly.  Beatty's real goal here is to make an example of Montag in front of the other firefighters, which will allow the captain to save face and keep control of the other men.

That's why Beatty invites Montag to play cards.  He can lecture him in front of the men, show them what an intellectual snob sounds like.  He quotes Alexander Pope: "A little learning is a dangerous thing... shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again." Beatty explains his belief that gaining a little knowledge makes a person ready to go out and conquer the system, change it all.  He says, "I know, I've been through it all."  So Beatty did try to balk the system, and apparently failed.  He couldn't beat them, so he joined them.  All the men know what has happened with Montag and they have listened to Beatty's lecture. So when the alarm goes off and the Salamander stops in front of Montag's house, no one protests, not even Montag.  For the moment, it seems, Beatty's plan has worked.  

What is a quote that shows how Victor was filled with grief and sadness due to the deaths that the monster caused, or that the deaths weighed very...

While he witnesses the trial of Justine, who is accused of the murder of little William Frankenstein, Victor knows that she is innocent and that his brother was killed by the monster.  He says,

"The tortures of the accused did not equal mine; she was sustained by innocence, but the fangs of remorse tore into my bosom, and would not forego their hold" (Vol. I, chapter VII).

Here, Victor's conscience weighs on him so heavily that he believes that he feels even more tortured than Justine, because she is innocent and he, on some level, knows himself to be responsible for this crime.  

In the same chapter, he says,

"I, the true murderer, felt the never-dying worm alive in my bosom, which allowed of no hope or consolation [....].  Anguish and despair had penetrated into the core of my heart; I bore a hell within me, which nothing could extinguish."  

In other words, Victor feels that he is to blame for the deaths of both William and Justine, and there is nothing that can make him feel hopeful when he is so filled with sadness and sorrow. Again, these feelings seem to torture him as one would be tortured in hell. But instead of him being in hell, he feels that hell is inside him, that it is his own personal hell in which he suffers.

Later in the story, as Victor is relating the story of his travels with Clerval, he speaks to his now dead friend's soul, saying,

"your form so divinely wrought, and beaming with beauty, has decayed, but your spirit still visits and consoles your unhappy friend" (Vol. III, chapter I).  

Victor feels responsible for his friend's death as well, as it is the monster that strangles him, and he claims to be, still, quite unhappy as a result of all of these deaths.  They haunt him.

In the book 1984, how are the dystopian society roles defined?

1984 by George Orwell is a novel that fits very well into the literary genre of speculative fiction. Speculative fiction differs from science-fiction in that it does not rely upon scientific or space-age conceits but instead draws its ideas from contemporary society and culture. The idea of a dystopia, or a society that is dysfunctional and based upon oppressive principles and tyrannical rulership, is usually inspired in part by contemporary conditions. 1984 was written in 1948; George Orwell was suggesting that the world he portrays in his novel has somehow grown from the seeds planted in his own day. In this novel, oppositional and contradictory statements are the basis of government and societal rules, and these statements are used as political slogans. For example, War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, etc.

The ways in which this society defines roles is connected to the way this society defines human relationships, functions and emotions. Orwell consistently emphasizes the irony and absurdity of having Government agencies, called "ministries," named in ways that seem contradictory to their functions. For example, the Ministry of Love is a place where torture occurs. Winston works for the Ministry of Truth, which is involved with propaganda, and his specific function includes rewriting records to conform to Party standards. In other words, the Ministry of Truth is involved in perpetrating lies. Therefore, societal roles are defined in ways that suit and serve the dominant political party; workers are considered inferior to government officials and are expected to do what they are told to serve the aims of their government.

What are benefits of foreign workers for the supplying country?

When people leave their home country to work in another country, their home country benefits in two main ways. 

First, the home country benefits because workers in foreign countries tend to send money back home.  This money that they send back is usually known as remittances.  As you can see in the links below, some countries depend very heavily on remittances for their national income.  The home economy is not very strong, so it benefits greatly when people go work in foreign countries and send part of their wages back to their relatives at home.

Second, the home country benefits because the workers take some pressure off the home country when they leave.  If all those workers stayed home, they might be angry about lack of jobs and about the problems of their country.  Their pent-up anger might help cause social unrest.  When they leave the country, there are fewer people competing for jobs in the home country, making for less anger among the people who remain at home.

In these two ways, foreign workers benefit the country that supplies them.

What are the current economic conditions in the United States and how do these conditions affect businesses?

As of 2016, the United States has seen a general improvement in economic conditions. Full records are obviously only available for the previous year, but most economic trends have remained relatively stable.

Perhaps one of the most significant conditions is the end of the mortgage and housing crisis that dominated the second half of the previous decade. Housing prices have recovered from the crash of 2006, but the housing market is showing no signs of a bubble (except, it could be argued, in specific regions of the country). Instead, across most regions of the United States, houses are showing gradual appreciation. Although affordability is declining slightly, house sales are still strong, although real estate is not the investment bargain it was a few years ago.

Annual GDP growth has been averaging approximately 2 percent for the past few years, and inflation has remained under 2 percent, aided in part by low oil prices. Interest rates remain at historic lows and unemployment remains at or slightly under 5 percent, leading to a slight upward pressure on wages.

Low interest rates create favorable conditions for investment, and consumer confidence remains relative strong. A high dollar increases the price of American exports but decreases the price of exports. 

Why did the American colonies revolt against military occupation?

The American colonists had long enjoyed salutary neglect and limited self-rule.  After the French-Indian War, Britain became more serious in trying to enforce navigation acts and tax laws--the rationale was that the colonists should pay more for being part of the empire.  The colonists protested and found ways to skirt the laws and intimidate tax collectors.  When Britain sent in troops to protect customs houses and to ensure that the taxes were collected, the colonists objected because to them Britain only used troops against subjugated people, and the colonists thought of themselves as on the same social plane as the people living in England.  There were also instances of violence, such as the Boston Massacre, so the colonists felt threatened by the use of troops to collect taxes.  After the Boston Tea Party, Parliament made it legal to quarter soldiers in New England meeting houses; these buildings were the governmental and religious centers of the communities.  Soldiers were also allowed to arrest those whom they thought were flouting the tax laws and stirring dissent and to take these people to trial in England.  Trial by one's peers is a traditional English right, and the colonists did not appreciate this attempt at making them second-class citizens.  

What does "fair is foul and foul is fair" in Macbeth mean? How is it significant to the play?

We encounter this quote twice early in the play. The witches chant "what's fair is foul, what's foul is fair / hover through the fog and filthy air" when they leave to meet Macbeth after the battle. Shortly before meeting the witches in Act I, Scene 3, Macbeth says to Banquo that he has never seen "so foul and fair a day." He means, essentially, that they have won a great battle, but at a horrible cost, with blood and death all around them. The witches' meaning is less clear, but their rhyme (reinforced by Macbeth's observation) establishes a crucial theme for the play. Appearances will be deceiving, and what appears to be good will in reality be evil. We see this in several instances. Lady Macbeth, for example, plays the dutiful hostess to Duncan, who she and her husband are plotting to kill. Macbeth's rise to the throne is made possible by a trail of murder. The witches' prophecies, while apparently very fortuitous to Macbeth, in fact lead him largely unsuspecting down a path to his own destruction. So the idea that what is "fair" is "foul" runs throughout the play.

How is personification used in the short story "A&P"?

John Updike's 1961 short story "A&P" contains many examples of figurative language. Simile and metaphor are the most commonly used, but there are several examples of personification, as well. 

The story is told in the first person point of view and describes the narrator's experience when three girls in bathing suits enter the grocery store and are chastened by the manager for their inappropriate clothing. The narrator, Sammy, decides to take a stand and quit his job in defense of the manager's treatment of the girls. 

When Sammy makes his grand exit after announcing that he is quitting, there are three examples of personification:

"One advantage to this scene taking place in summer, I can follow this up with a clean exit, there's no fumbling around getting your coat and galoshes, I just saunter into the electric eye in my white shirt that my mother ironed the night before, and the door heaves itself open, and outside the sunshine is skating around on the asphalt." 

The first example in this quote is the door "heaving" itself open. Heaving, or raising or lifting with effort, is something only a person or animal could do. An automatic door simply opens or closes, it doesn't strain with the effort. The effect this word choice creates is that the A&P is more than just a building, it's a type of microcosm or heartbeat of the town. 

Another example of personification in this quote is the sunshine skating on the pavement. This suggests that the sun is wavering, the heat rising from the asphalt. It is also a playful word choice for the sun, skating is a graceful and fun activity. It suggests that the narrator is pleased with his choice to stand on principle and quit because of the way the manager treated the girls. 

In the last paragraph, the narrator states: "My stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter."  It could be argued that the narrator has personified the world in this quote, describing it as a taskmaster, or an enemy. The narrator is realizing that growing up presents many challenges. He is understanding that his actions have consequences, harder consequences than when he was very young. This is evidenced in the manager, Lengel, telling him how his parents are going to be displeased with his actions. By looking back, he sees that the A&P will go on without him, and he hasn't made a big difference by taking a stand. 

What kind of perceptions would Edwards's audience have about him as their speaker?

Though he delivered the sermon twice, not much is known about the first time with his own congregation in Northampton, MA. When Edwards delivered it as a visiting minister in 1741 in Enfield, CT, it was a sensation and caused great outcry among the people who heard it that day, July 8. The audience would have known Edwards by reputation as one of the colonies' most prominent theologians--a superstar in those days--as New England was in the throes of the (First) Great Awakening religious revival movement.

Recorded history from that day indicates that despite the terrifying content of the sermon, Edwards never raised his voice. However, there are accounts of people interrupting him by asking what they could do to be saved, with much wailing, moaning and obvious fear.

In the lengthiest part of the sermon, Edwards utilizes compelling imagery of God's wrath and the horrors of hell. In a brief section at the end, Edwards declares that God stands ready to forgive sinners who seek his forgiveness, but that the time to do so will be limited.

What are examples of tragedy, simile, idiom, dramatic irony, personification, blank verse, metaphor, and suspense from Julius Caesar.

Julius Caesar is Shakespeare's historical tragedy recounting the events surrounding the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. As in all of his plays, Shakespeare employs a variety of literary devices to tell the story.

Tragedy: Tragedy deals with sad and often terrible events and usually ends with the death of at least one of the main characters. In the end of Julius Caesar, Brutus commits suicide and is the third main character of the play to die (Caesar and Cassius precede Brutus in death). Brutus's death is tragic because, as Antony suggests at the end of the play, Brutus was "the noblest Roman of them all."

Simile: A simile is a comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as. In Act V, Scene 1, Antony uses similes in his description of the conspirators who killed Caesar. He compares them to apes and dogs:

Villains, you did not so when your vile daggers
Hacked one another in the sides of Caesar.
You showed your teeth like apes and fawned like
hounds
And bowed like bondmen, kissing Caesar’s feet,
Whilst damnèd Casca, like a cur, behind
Struck Caesar on the neck. O you flatterers!

Idiom: An idiom is common expression that may be figurative ("Break a leg") but could also have a literal meaning. A common idiom which is both literal and figurative is "The early bird gets the worm." In Julius Caesar, one of the most famous idioms is offered by Casca in Act I, Scene 2 when he says, "it was Greek to me" to describe what Cicero is saying to Caesar. The phrase is literal because Casca could not understand Greek. It's also figurative because Shakespeare suggests that Cicero's words were beyond the limited thinking of Casca.

Dramatic Irony: Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows more than one or more of the characters on stage. The entire premise of Julius Caesar is based on dramatic irony as the audience already knew what fate awaited Caesar and that he should have given more attention to the warning "Beware the Ides of March."

Personification: Personification is when a non-human subject is given human qualities. One example occurs in Act II, Scene 2 when Caesar gives human qualities to danger by suggesting that "Danger knows full well/That Caesar is more dangerous than he."

Blank Verse: Blank verse is defined as unrhymed verse written in iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter, the preferred mode of speech in Shakespeare's plays and sonnets, involves alternating stressed and unstressed syllables. Lines of verse usually contain five stressed and five unstressed syllables (Dr. Seuss uses iambic pentameter in his famous children's story Green Eggs and Ham). Probably the most famous line of blank verse in Julius Caesar is in the opening of Marc Antony's funeral oration:

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears

Metaphor: Metaphor is a comparison of two unlike things in order to give greater meaning to one of those things. In Act V, Scene 3, Titinius compares Cassius, who has just committed suicide, to a setting sun. He also likens the end of the Roman Republic to that same setting sun:

But Cassius is no more. O setting sun,
As in thy red rays thou dost sink to night,
So in his red blood Cassius’ day is set.
The sun of Rome is set. Our day is gone;
Clouds, dews, and dangers come. Our deeds are
done.
Mistrust of my success hath done this deed.

Suspense: Suspense is the feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of events in a piece of literature. Shakespeare establishes suspense in Act I by having the soothsayer utter the words "Beware the Ides of March" and direct them at Caesar.

What are three ways the Three Witches deceive people in the play Macbeth?

In Act 1, scene 1, the Weird Sisters discuss their future meeting with Macbeth, saying, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" (1.1.12).  What they mean is that good things are actually going to look bad, and bad things are going to seem good.  Therefore, when they tell Macbeth that he is going to be king, it seems really good.  However, it actually turns out to be quite bad because it drives Macbeth to find a way to make it come true.  Banquo hits the nail on the head when he says that sometimes "to win us to our harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray ’s / In deepest consequence" (1.5.125-129).  In other words, the witches have told Macbeth one small truth -- that he will be named Thane of Cawdor (which has actually already happened; Macbeth just doesn't know it yet) in order to convince him to believe that the larger prediction is also true.  In this way, they can deceive and manipulate him.

Later, when the witches conjure three apparitions, knowing that Macbeth is returning to them for information, two of the apparitions are absolutely deceptive.  The second one says, "Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn / The power of man, for none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth" (4.1.81-83).  This makes it sound as though Macbeth can never be harmed by anyone because every person alive was born of a woman.  He takes it as an assurance when, really, it is just a craftily worded statement of fact. 

Then, the third apparition says, "Macbeth shall never vanquished be until / Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him" (4.1.96-98).  Again, this statement is designed to make Macbeth feel invincible because it seems impossible that the trees could uproot themselves and move of their own volition to Macbeth's castle.  Therefore, he takes it as an assurance of safety when it is really just enigmatically worded.  The sisters purposely deceive him in order to get him to let down his guard. 

What is the use of Mg/ether?

What you are talking about is a Grignard reaction.  This is a chemical reaction where an alkylmagnesium halide is reacted with an electrophile like a carbonyl group.  The alkylmagnesium halide reagent is often called the Grignard reagent.  It is an organometallic species that is composed of a hydrocarbon (alkyl group) and a charged magnesium species.  Ethylmagnesium bromide (EtMgBr) is a common example.  The magnesium bromide is basically a cation and the ethyl group is basically a carbanion which can act as a nucleophile in a chemical reaction.  Mg/ether is a common way in organic chemistry to denote solid magnesium metal in ether.  This is a classic way to prepare a Grignard reagent.  An alkyl halide like ethyl bromide (EtBr) is dissolved in diethyl ether as a solvent.  Solid magnesium is added to convert the ethyl bromide to ethylmagnesium bromide.  In writing a chemical reaction, the phrase "Mg/ether" is often written above the reaction arrow to denote this reaction.

In The Crucible, what ideas could I put in a monologue as Elizabeth Proctor?

If Elizabeth Proctor were to deliver a monologue, I think that she would talk either about her ambivalence toward her husband in Act II or about her own guilt in Act IV. In Act II, Elizabeth seems to want to move beyond her distrust of her husband John, distrust that was formed as a result of his extramarital affair with Abigail Williams. She is eager to please him, as we see with the stew she's carefully prepared, but she is also struggling to forgive him; when he kisses her, she merely "receives it," discouraging him a great deal. Elizabeth seems to feel emotionally torn, and so this would likely appear in such a monologue.

Further, in Act IV, Elizabeth admits to John that she feels some guilt, some responsibility for the affair he had. She says, "I have read my heart this three month, John. I have sins of my own to count. It needs a cold wife to prompt lechery." One can imagine Elizabeth, in her prison cell, reflecting on her own role in John's affair, and so this information would likely come up in a monologue as well.

what were the negative effects of the Cold War between America and the Soviet Union?

There were numerous negative effects of the Cold War.  First, look at it in terms of war dead.  Even though the war never became a "hot war," it did have several proxy wars and both nations helped launch revolutions.  From the American side alone there were interventions in Korea, Cuba, Guatemala, Vietnam, Iran, and Afghanistan.  The Soviets sent advisers and pilots to fight in the Vietnam War.  Not only did this war cost American and Soviet lives, but it cost far more for the people who lived in the countries affected by these proxy wars.  Millions of Vietnamese died during the Vietnam war and the period after it was the Communists "reeducated" the South Vietnamese.  In Castro's Soviet-backed Cuban revolution, many people who were not direct combatants died too.  

Look at it in terms of financial cost too.  Both sides built up huge nuclear arsenals--money that could have been spent on social programs.  Both sides also sent money to their respective governments in client states, essentially "paying them off" so they would not turn to the other side or giving them the means to wage war on the other side.  This misguided foreign policy on both sides was a return to the militarization which was a cause of WWI and WWII.

Finally, look at it in terms of foreign policy today.  Both America and the Russian Federation do not fully trust each other, even now.  Russian politicians denounce America's stance as a human rights watchdog even as the public opinion on America's place in the world becomes more negative due to its role in the Middle East.  American politicians complain of Russia's corruption and its expansionist policies in Eastern Europe.  Even today the Cold War still poisons the relationship between these two nations.  

What false promises is Beatty referring to?

In Part Two of Fahrenheit 451, Montag shows Mildred his stolen copy of the Bible and she tells him that he must hand it over to his boss, Captain Beatty. Montag doesn't want to, prompting Mildred to shriek that he must make a choice between her and the Bible. It is in this melee that Montag hears the voice of Captain Beatty, encouraging him to relinquish his collection of books:

"All the silly things the words mean, all the false promises, all the secondhand notions and time-worn philosophies."

In other words, Beatty wants Montag to stop believing in the power of books and to accept that books will not make him happy or satisfied with his life. To convince Montag of this, Beatty tells him that books contain "silly things" and "false promises." In Montag's thoughts, Beatty says this while "perspiring gently" which suggests that Beatty is nervous because he is lying. In truth, Beatty knows that books contain the answers which Montag seeks and that there is little he can do to stop him from reading.

What is the penalty for murdering a ship's officer?

In The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Charlotte finds herself assuming the role of a member of the Seahawk crew rather than remaining a passenger in order to atone for revealing the crew's assassination plans to the malicious Captain Jaggery.

During a particularly heavy hurricane, My. Hollybrass (the ship's first mate) turns up dead, stabbed in the back with the dirk (a type of dagger) that was given to Charlotte by Zachariah when she boarded the ship. Under these suspicious circumstances, Charlotte is taken to brig and later tried for murder.

Despite the fact that she was framed and did not kill the man, Captain Jaggery finds Charlotte guilty and let's the crew act as the jury. The sentence for killing a ship's officer is death by hanging--a threat that Captain Jaggery tries to use to manipulate Charlotte into returning to her previous position as a female passenger on the ship. 

Why did Mrs. Beale extend her friendship and hospitality to Maniac?

Mrs. Beale knows that Jeffrey Magee has nowhere to go, and she does not care that he is white.

Amanda brings Jeffrey home, and he just sort of stays. He stays for dinner, and then does not leave. When Mr. Beale tries to drive him home, he asks to be let out in the East End. Mr. Beale knows that is not his house, because Maniac is white and the whites live in the West End. 

Mr. Beale made a U-turn right there and headed back. Only Mrs. Beale was still downstairs when they walked into the house.  She listened to no more than ten seconds' worth of Mr. Beale's explanation before saying to Maniac, "You're staying here." (Ch. 12) 

Maniac is thrilled to be staying with the Beales. They are good people. They have a stable home. For the first time since he ran away, Maniac has a real address. He finally has a family again. 

Amanda gives Maniac her room, and she does not mind at all. She would much rather sleep with her little brother and sister. They bother her during the day, but she likes cuddling with them at night.

Amanda was happy to give up her room to Maniac. It gave her an excuse to sleep with Hester and Lester every night. ... [At] night, the best thing was to have them snuggled up on both sides of her. It made no sense, but that's how it was. (Ch. 13)

Unfortunately, not everyone is as happy as the Beales that Maniac is staying with them. Many people just do not understand a white boy living in the East End. Maniac leaves, reluctantly. He lives with an old man, Grayson, at the zoo bandshell for awhile. When Grayson dies, he goes back to live with the Beales for good.

Are there any examples of euphemism in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne?

A euphemism, of course, is a positive (or indirect) word that is used instead of a negative (or direct) word when referring to something especially harsh or horrible.  The best examples of euphemism in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas involve the theme of innocence in regards to the character of Bruno.  Probably the most important euphemisms in the book are "Out-With" and "the Fury." 

As the young son of a Nazi commandant, Bruno is innocent of the horrors going on around him.  As a result, Bruno uses words that are euphemisms to the ears of the reader in order to label the name of the Nazi concentration camp and the name of the German leader.  Bruno's euphemism for the famous Nazi Concentration camp called Auschwitz is Bruno's milder term "Out-With." This euphemism is also ironic in that Jews are often killed or "outed" within this concentration camp.  It is yet another irony that Bruno is "outed" himself after donning the "striped pajamas."  

A second euphemism is a reference to the self-proclaimed label of Adolf Hitler, otherwise known as the Führer (in order to seem scarier).  Bruno innocently calls Adolf Hitler "the Fury."  This takes some of the fear away from Adolf Hitler's title.  Further, Bruno immediately dislikes Hitler; however, Bruno is not quite sure why.  The other irony here is similar to the irony stated in the previous paragraph.  It is Hitler's "fury" or anger that has caused him to hate the Jews and put them into these camps.

These euphemisms can also serve as dramatic irony (when a character does not understand something that the reader does understand).  Bruno has no idea of the true meaning behind the euphemisms he uses.  In fact, they are simple mispronunciations of the negative terms used in Nazi Germany.

How to write analyses on short stories and dramas? How to take good marks? How to use good vocabulary?

There is no easy way to become a good writer. It takes practice. The best way to become competent is to keep a journal or diary and to write a certain quota of words every day. Then when you have an assignment requiring writing, it won't seem like such an ordeal. Keeping a journal or diary can be a pleasure. You can write about anything you feel like writing. You don't have to show your journal or diary to anybody. You aren't going to get graded or criticized. Your daily word quota doesn't have to be very big. One hundred words per day would be adequate if you always met your daily quota. That means that if you get carried away and write several hundred words in one day, you still have to write the minimum of one hundred words the next day.

I was taught this many, many years ago in an introductory English class in college. It was just about the best thing I ever learned in school. A good model to follow is Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Her diary has become a classic read by millions in many different languages. I hope you will try keeping a journal or diary for a reasonable length of time, say a month or two, and see how you feel about it. I also recommend reading The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr., and E. B. White.

Stephen Crane reveals Jack Potter's character set against two very different backdrops. What are they? How does he conduct himself in each setting?...

In “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky” by Stephen Crane, the reader experiences Jack Potter’s character on the train as a newlywed, and in the rural Texas outpost town named Yellow Sky.

When the story opens, Jack Potter is riding the train back to Yellow Sky with his new bride. Earlier in the day, the couple was married in San Antonio. Jack shows his wife how worldly he is by explaining things about train travel, and treating her to a meal in the dining car. He is a bit shy in his new role as a husband but shows concern for his bride as they travel back to Yellow Sky where he is the town marshal. His speech is quiet but informative.

"You see, it's a thousand miles from one end of Texas to the other, and this train runs right across it and never stops but four times." He had the pride of an owner. He pointed out to her the dazzling fittings of the coach, and in truth her eyes opened wider as she contemplated the sea-green figured velvet, the shining brass, silver, and glass, the wood that gleamed as darkly brilliant as the surface of a pool of oil. At one end a bronze figure sturdily held a support for a separated chamber, and at convenient places on the ceiling were frescoes in olive and silver.

At the beginning of the trip, Jack is chatty, but as they approach the town, he becomes more introspective as he considers how his constituents will react to his marriage.

Once they are back in Yellow Sky, Jack hurries his new wife through the back streets to his home, trying not to meet any of the townspeople along the way. He has an air of self-importance which causes him to worry about how he will tell the townsfolk he is a married man. He has an image as the marshal to protect. When he approaches his house, the opportunity to see how the people will react presents itself. The town troublemaker, Scratchy Wilson, appears at his door looking for a gun fight. Knowing he has to keep up appearances and control, Jack deals with Scratchy by telling him he is unarmed because he is returning home with his bride. While talking to Scratchy, Jack reverts to the language he uses when dealing with men.

His enemy's face went livid. He stepped forward and lashed his weapon to and fro before Potter's chest. "Don't you tell me you ain't got no gun on you, you whelp. Don't tell me no lie like that. There ain't a man in Texas ever seen you without no gun. Don't take me for no kid." His eyes blazed with light, and his throat worked like a pump.

Jack stays levelheaded as he deals with Scratchy, who is dumbfounded by the fact Jack Potter is a married man. That changes everything.

What is the climax of "Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket" by Jack Finney?

Jack Finney creates a suspenseful situation in his short story “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket.” The climax of a piece of literature is the highest point of the conflict or crisis and precedes the resolution and falling action.

In “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket,” Tom Benecke climbs out his apartment window onto the building’s ledge in order to retrieve a document that flew out the open window. The document contains the evidence of market research he hopes to use to advance his career; therefore, it is extremely important to him. Tom nervously makes his way along the narrow ledge of his apartment building, which is perched eleven stories above Lexington Avenue in New York City. After he successfully rescues the paper, he struggles to make his way back to the apartment window. Unfortunately, he accidentally slams the window shut, making it impossible for him to climb back into the apartment. This is the climax of the story. Tom has his prized paper, but he cannot access his apartment. He will either figure a way to get back in or die trying, as foreshadowed by the title of the story.

His right foot smashed into his left anklebone; he staggered sideways, began falling, and the claw of his hand cracked against glass and wood, slid down it, and his fingertips were pressed hard on the puttyless edging of his window. His right hand smacked gropingly beside it as he fell to his knees; and, under the full weight and direct downward pull of his sagging body, the open window dropped shudderingly in its frame till it closed and his wrists struck the sill and were jarred off.

For a single moment he knelt, knee bones against stone on the very edge of the ledge, body swaying and touching nowhere else, fighting for balance. Then he lost it, his shoulders plunging backward, and he flung his arms forward, his hands smashing against the window casing on either side; and—his body moving backward—his fingers clutched the narrow wood stripping of the upper pane.

After this point, the crisis is resolved, the action falls, and the story comes to its conclusion.

What does Okonkwo and Obierika's argument at the beginning of chapter 8 reveal to us about Okonkwo?

The argument between Okonkwo and Obierika reveals that Okonkwo is a man who believes in traditional Ibo definitions of manhood. Also, the argument highlights Okonkwo's combative and stubborn nature. He is a man who rationalizes his ruthless actions because they support his entrenched attitudes about masculinity and fatherhood. Above all else, he is most afraid of appearing weak and effeminate.

In Chapter Eight, the only reason Okonkwo goes to visit Obierika is because he is still grieving for Ikemefuna. Since the harvest is over and the new planting season has not yet begun, Okonkwo cannot hide his misery in his work. So, he resorts to conversation. However, his old friend admonishes him for participating in Ikemefuna's death. Okonkwo tries to defend his actions by arguing that it was the Oracle who had ordered the young boy's death and that he was merely carrying out orders.

Obierika asserts that, if he was Ikemefuna's guardian, he would have respected the Oracle's order but declined to participate in the killing. Meanwhile, Okonkwo himself is too vested in being right to agree with Obierika; he is so focused on protecting his masculine identity that he is not able to admit any wrongdoing on his part. The argument highlights Okonkwo's deep need to be unlike his father, a man Okonkwo had considered effeminate during his time on earth. In fact, Okonkwo is so deeply ashamed of his father's memory that he will not entertain the thought that he has wronged both Nwoye, his son, and Ikemefuna, the young man who had looked to him as his guardian.

Do you think that impediments in Harrison Bergeron push the characters to greater heights? Why or why not?

In Harrison Bergeron, the restrictions placed upon people certainly do not elevate them. In the story, those with natural strength, talent, and intelligence are deprived access to their positive traits by government-mandated restrictions. The titular character, Harrison, is one example of a person heavily restricted by law: he carries three hundred pounds of scrap metal to restrict his strength, wears giant earphones blaring static to interrupt his thoughts, and wears thick glasses that make him half-blind and unable to focus. Although Harrison shows fantastic skill and strength once he removes his handicaps, and even declares himself the "Emperor," this triumph is short-lived. Harrison is denied access to his natural talents for most of his life due to his handicaps, and after the brief period in which he is freed from his restraints, he is shot dead on television by a government employee. In this story, the impediments people experience greatly limit them, rather than improving them.

What does it mean when Norman says, "I am haunted by waters" in A River Runs Through It?

This quote appears at the end of A River Runs Through It, after Norman has spoken of the death of his brother, Paul, and of his old age, when he fishes alone (though some people warn him he shouldn't). Norman sees in the waters the remnants of history, as the rocks at the bottom of the river are from "the basement of time." Atop these rocks are "timeless raindrops," which are also ancient. Norman is haunted by waters, just as he is haunted by the ancient unanswerable questions, such as why he couldn't help his brother Paul in his suffering and why he couldn't prevent Paul's death. The waters remind Norman of the ancient sources of the river and rocks, and they also remind him of the eternal mysteries of the earth that make it hard for him to understand the ways of people, including his brother. 

Solve the following, with step-by-step to show your work: (4x^2 y^3)^4

We are asked to simplify the expression `(4x^2y^3)^4 ` . (Note that we are not asked to solve since this is not an equation or inequality; simplifying produces an equivalent expression where solving produces solution(s).)

We will use the exponent rules:

(1) Use the power of a product rule: `(ab)^n=a^nb^n ` .

` (4x^2y^3)^4=4^4(x^2)^4(y^3)^4 ` ** The equals sign here indicates equivalent expressions, not an equation with solution(s). This will be true for any x,y in the domain.

(2) Now use the power of a power rule: `(a^m)^n=a^(m*n) `

So we have `4^4(x^2)^4(y^3)^4=256x^8y^12 `

This is simplified as there are no negative exponents and no parantheses.

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`(4x^2y^3)^4 ` is equivalent to (or simplifies as) `256x^8y^12 `

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How did the railroads help industry during Reconstruction in the West and South?

The growth of the railroads affected the development of industries in the South and West during and after Reconstruction. Prior to the Civil War, most industries were located in the North. During and after Reconstruction, industries also developed in other parts of the country.

Railroads helped industries grow in several ways. One factor was that the expansion of the railroads in the South and West allowed for the easier transportation of materials needed to build the industries. Additionally, the railroads made it easier and quicker to transport the products the industries produced. This allowed industries to sell more products. The ability to get the products to market is necessary for any industry.

Railroads also made it easier for people to move to the South and West. Workers were needed to work in the factories. As more people moved to the South and to the West, the factories had a decent supply of workers to make the products they produced. The increasing population also created a demand for the products they were making.

The railroads helped industries grow in the South and West during and after Reconstruction.

Does Goodman Brown really attend a witches' Sabbath or does he dream about it?

The short answer is this: we don't know for sure.  When Goodman Brown implores his wife, Faith, to "'Look up to Heaven, and resist the Wicked One!,'" he is snatched away from the scene.  He finds himself alone, in the woods; the night is calm and everything he'd seen and heard moments earlier has vanished.  The next morning, he walks back into Salem, looking around at everyone with suspicion, though they all act precisely as they had before he had seen them (or dreamed he saw them) in the forest.  The narrator asks, "Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest, and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meeting?"  However, the narrator seems to imply that it really doesn't matter because, even if the Sabbath wasn't real, Brown believes that it was, and he is profoundly and negatively affected by it for the rest of his life.  He no longer takes pleasure in his wife, Faith, and he avoids her as much as he can.  Brown can never trust anyone again, and he has -- figuratively -- lost his faith, and so "his dying hour was gloom."

What is the setting of the age ceremonies in The Giver?

The age ceremonies take place in December of every year in a community meeting hall. 

Everyone in the community attends the yearly ceremonies.  They are a very big deal to the community.   There are a few very important things that happen during these ceremonies.  All of the children that are Elevens become Twelves, get their assignments, and are considered practically adults.  Newchildren (babies) are assigned to family units.  

There is a ceremony for every age between One and Twelve.  After Twelve, age does not matter.  All children born in a year are considered the same age and turn the same age on this day, regardless of when they were actually born.  There are fifty children born each year. 

Jonas is nervous about his ceremony because he does not know what to expect.  He talks to his parents about it and imagines what it will be like.  He has witnessed many Ceremonies of Twelve, and has taken part in all of the other age ceremonies.

Jonas shivered. He pictured his father, who must have been a shy and quiet boy, for he was a shy and quiet man, seated with his group, waiting to be called to the stage. The Ceremony of Twelve was the last of the Ceremonies. The most important. (Ch. 2) 

At the community’s ceremonies, each age group has some kind of special presentation.  Some of these just involve things like new clothes or haircuts.  The Nines get bicycles, which is a big deal because it makes them more independent.  If any child died in an accident, a Ceremony of Loss takes place and the family may get a new child. 

The hall must be pretty big, because the entire community can fit in it.  We know that it has a stage as well.

The entire community attended the Ceremony each year. For the parents, it meant two days holiday from work; they sat together in the huge hall. Children sat with their groups until they went, one by one, to the stage. (Ch. 6) 

The Ceremony of Twelve involves a special presentation where the Chief Elder describes the group.  Then each child is called up and a little life story is told.  The child is assigned a job.  Children are assigned jobs in order.  When it is Jonas’s turn, he is skipped.  He thinks he has done something wrong, but it turns out he has a very unique and special assignment, the Receiver of Memory.

How is William Golding's Lord of the Flies an allegory for World War Two?

William Golding served in Great Britain's Royal Navy during World War II and published Lord of the Flies in 1954, nine years after the end of the war. It can be seen as an allegory of the war through its representation of senseless jealousies, brainwashing, and senseless murders. In the words of Golding, "Lord of the Flies ... was simply what it seemed to be sensible for me to write after the war, when everyone was thanking God they weren't Nazis. And I'd seen enough to realize that every single one of us could be Nazis" (Wagner, "William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' Adapted for the Stage," Ohio University).

In Lord of the Flies, Ralph, the good looking, intelligent boy who strives to rule democratically, represents democratic Western civilization, especially such powers as Great Britain, France, and America who had just finished fighting the first world war started by Germany and Austria-Hungry. As a result of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles ending World War I, Germany lost many of its territories. Previously German-owned Alsace-Lorraine went to France; parts of West Prussia and Silesia went to Poland; parts of East Prussia went to Lithuania; Germany's Hultschin district went to Czechoslovakia; Germany's city of Danzig became protected by the League of Nations; and, Germany lost all of its colonies ("Map: German Territorial Losses, Treaty of Versailles, 1919," United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). The desire to regain lost territory and power was one of the greatest driving motives for Hitler's decision to invade countries, leading to the start of the Second World War. Hence, it can also be said that Germany was jealous of the power seized by other countries, and this jealousy was a major driving force behind the start of World War II.

In Lord of the Flies, Golding captures that same jealousy in his character Jack. Jack first becomes jealous of Ralph in the opening chapter when Ralph is chosen as chief. Jack had nominated himself as leader, saying, arrogantly, "I ought to be chief ... because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing a C sharp." But when the other boys vote for Ralph, except for the choir boys, who "with dreary obedience ... raised their hands" for Jack, Jack feels furious and humiliated. Golding describes Jack's feelings of furor, humiliation, and jealousy in his narration:

Even the choir boys applauded; and the freckles on Jack's face disappeared under a blush of mortification. (Ch. 1)

This power battle between Ralph and Jack, with Ralph emerging triumphant, represents the power struggle between Western democracies and Germany that led to World War I and soon to World War II.

As the story continues, Jack's character flaws continue to show and develop, resulting in the murders of two boys. The senseless murders of Simon and Piggy are representative of Hitler's Holocaust. Moreover, Jack influences most of the boys on the island to follow his insane lead, showing us just how easy it is for human beings to be persuaded to give into their more evil natures, to be brainwashed into giving into their evil natures, just as Hitler's regime brainwashed millions into following his lead, before and during the war, through propaganda. Golding uses Jack's influence over the boys to show his readers just how easily human beings can become influenced, how easily human beings can, as Golding phrased it, "be Nazis."

Explain the various kinds of research that scientists do to answer a question or solve a problem.

Research, broadly speaking, is the process of gathering and analyzing data to answer problems, understand a concept, or discover something. It is something done that can solve an existing problem, understand and explore an idea, and/or make arguments grounded on facts. In science and scientific research, there are two broad categories: applied or basic.

Basic research refers to the kind of research that primarily aims to understand a concept. It involves experimentation and analysis of data obtained from experiments involving the understanding of mechanism and working of certain things. For instance, understanding the mechanism by which DNA is replicated is considered basic research - or basic science. In short, it aims to understand the fundamentals of a discipline.

Applied research refers to the kind of research that has direct effects to human life. The main thrust of applied research is the progress and development of technologies that will make life easier. For instance, drug discovery researches and research involving engineering are considered research.

In brief, basic research contributed to the increase of knowledge, while applied research aims to solve a given problem. These research categories, however, are in no way exclusive. Most scientists are involved in both. Understanding how two proteins interact with each other is considered a basic form of research. Creating drugs that will interfere with these two proteins - like those involved in cancer - can be considered applied research as it solves the problem of cancer. It can also be referred to as translational research - bridging the basic sciences and the applied sciences.

Aside from these broad categories, research can be qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative research is descriptive and aims to explain things, while quantitative aims to quantify something. For instance, qualitative basic research can include understanding and describing the interaction between proteins, while quantitative basic research could be quantifying the strength of these interactions, or for instance, quantifying how much of a drug would have enough of an effect to disrupt these interactions. In a clinical research, another broad type of research that may be classified as applied research, qualitative would simply be looking at the relationship between two factors - i.e. exercising more increases brain activity - and quantitative would be measuring the magnitude of these effects, and using statistical tools to describe them.

---In summary,

To solve a problem, scientists do applied research. Drug discovery is a form of applied research as one tried to treat or cure a diseases. Most engineering researches are also applied researches as one tries to develop and improve existing technology. To answer questions and understand the fundamental principles underlying certain concepts, scientists do basic science. Identifying and understanding proteins involved in a disease is a kind of question a basic scientist answers. In general, these do fields often intersect with each other as the fundamental understanding of nature will often result to a technology that betters human life - or a problem usually warrants understanding of a basic concept.

In the prologue of Guns, Germs and Steel, why does Diamond suggest that Yali's question has "overwhelming practical and political importance?"

The phrase that you mention is found on p. 16 of Guns, Germs, and Steel.  To understand why Diamond says this, you would need to read a little bit further.  Diamond argues that Yali’s question has “overwhelming importance” for us today because the different rates of human development that Yali asked about have shaped and continue to shape our world.

Yali wanted to know why Europeans and their descendants were so much more wealthy and powerful than non-white people like his own.  Diamond says that the disparity between the wealthy and powerful countries on the one hand and the poor and weak ones on the other has shaped our world. He notes, for example, that Africa has been colonized until relatively recently because Africans were among the world’s “have-nots.”  The legacy of this colonization continues to shape African lives today as well as the relations between African and Western nations.  He points out that many languages are dying out today because the people who speak them are not rich and powerful enough for people to care to learn their tongues.  In these ways, the factors that Yali is asking about have shaped our world today and continue to shape many of the issues that we experience.  Because of this, his question (or at least its subject matter) has “overwhelming practical and political importance.”