How does Boo Radley relate to the theme of prejudice in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

Although racial prejudice is important to the story, Boo Radley represents another type of prejudice.  People fear and do not accept anyone who is different.

The entire neighborhood is judgmental and critical of Boo Radley.  He’s an unusual man, because he has not been seen outside of his house since he was a teenager.  The adults told stories about him, and the children were afraid of him.

The Radley Place was inhabited by an unknown entity the mere description of whom was enough to make us behave for days on end … (Ch. 1) 

Arthur Radley was a fairly normal boy, but he had a troubled young adulthood.  He was somewhat of a juvenile delinquent.  His parents were very strict “foot-washing” Baptists.  This might have affected the fact that he turned on them.  The most famous (and perhaps apocryphal) incident was the scissors incident when Boo was thirty-three years old. 

According to Miss Stephanie, Boo was sitting in the livingroom cutting some items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities. (Ch. 1) 

Boo Radley was kept in the courthouse basement, and then returned to the custody of his family and never seen again.  Since this incident, the adults in the neighborhood gossiped about him.  People like Stephanie Crawford told stories about him, such as that he was peeking into windows at night. 

Actually, Arthur Radley was just quiet and shy and wanted to be left alone.  He did not leave his house because he didn’t want to.  Scout, Jem, and Dill shifted from thinking he was a monster to trying to be friends with him, and it paid off.

What is the role of an interest group in a democracy?

An interest group plays an important role in our democratic system. An interest group is a group of people who share a common view on a particular issue. They will hire lobbyists who will meet with elected officials on the local, state, and/or national level to share the viewpoint of their members on a particular issue. They will try to encourage and/or pressure the elected official to vote they way the group wants them to vote. The lobbyists might also testify at hearings to share the viewpoint of the group.

There are several types of interest groups. There are professional interest groups such as the American Bar Association or the National Education Association. There are public interest groups such as the Sierra Club, which works to advocate for issues that will help protect the environment. This group is working for what they believe is in the best interests of the public. There are also business interest groups that work to advocate for the interests of various businesses and industries.

Interest groups can be very powerful. They will contribute to the campaigns of people running for office. They will endorse candidates and encourage their members to vote for those candidates. The National Rifle Association is a very powerful and influential interest group because this group represents many Americans and is able to contribute lots of financial resources to races that are closely contested.

Interest groups play a big role in our political system.

In Night by Elie Weisel, how was Elie brave?

I believe that Elie exhibits a great deal of bravery in the face of overwhelming violence and despair during his yearlong imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps. After all, Elie was only fifteen when he entered Auschwitz. Elie, although he laments throughout the book that he couldn't do more, displays particular courage in helping his father. There are three concrete examples of this bravery. First, when Elie's father is apparently a victim of the selection in section five, Elie does all he can to keep up the man's spirits when he is told to stay behind in the camp at Buna, facing almost certain extermination. When his father insists that Elie take his knife and spoon, Elie says,

"Don't talk like that, Father." (I felt that I would break into sobs.) "I don't want you to say that. Keep the spoon and knife. You need them as much as I do. We shall see each other again this evening, after work." 

Second, during the forced march from Buna to Gleiwitz, Elie is on the verge of collapsing. He confesses that death might be better than the physical pain he is enduring because of his injured foot and the bitter cold. Instead, he realizes that he must go on living for his father:

My father's presence was the only thing that stopped me...He was running at my side, out of breath, at the end of his strength, at his wit's end. I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his only support.

Third, during another selection, Elie risks his life to save his father. When the prisoners were leaving Gleiwitz, the Nazis divided the men with the weak ones pointed to the left. Once Elie sees that his father is being sent to his death, he immediately runs after him creating a great deal of confusion. Amidst this chaos he is ultimately able to bring his father back to the right and safety:

I slipped in among the others. Several SS rushed to bring me back, creating such confusion that many of the people from the left were able to come back to the right—and among them, my father and myself. However, there were some shots and some dead.

What do clouds symbolize in the novel Feed by M.T. Anderson?

One of the main topics covered in the book Feed is that of consumerism and its effect on the population. In the book, there are many everyday objects, including things which occur in nature, that have been trademarked by corporations. Clouds are one of those things. The point of this is to show the extent to which consumerism can be taken, and the power that is being rapidly gained by large corporations. At first, it might seem ridiculous to trademark clouds, but if we look deeper, we see the implications of doing so.

People in this dystopian society have become so disconnected from the natural world that they see everything as a commodity, and in fact, everything has become a commodity, to the extent that they cannot imagine a world where one can enjoy these things for free, simply because they exist naturally in the environment. It really symbolizes the lack of political interest and awareness that people are beginning to exhibit. Not only that, but it symbolizes the lack of awareness that people have for the dangerous outcome of their constant indoctrination into this consumerist mindset. They are becoming insensitive to the environmental decline that is going on around them, which ultimately leads to a total obliviousness of the state of the natural world. 

How would you compare and contrast Bob Ewell and Mr. Cunningham from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Both Bob Ewell and Walter Cunningham are poor white fathers with many children's mouths to feed. Ewell lives on a plot of land near the dump, but Cunningham lives on a farm. Ewell can't hold down a job because he is too lazy, so he hunts out of season to feed his children. Cunningham does his best to keep his family fed, but the effects of the Great Depression hit him hard. As a result, both families are hungry most of the time and suffer from minor diseases associated with poverty. The greatest comparison between the two men is that they suffer financially, which makes it difficult to feed their families and enjoy a more comfortable lifestyle.

The major difference between these two men is work ethic and good character. For example, Ewell is usually drunk and unable to provide for his family, while Mr. Cunningham does his best to keep working his farm and paying off his debts. Cunningham lives by a moral code of ethics which Ewell doesn't care about. Cunningham pays his debts, honors his word, and remains loyal to people he respects. Ewell, on the other hand, would see his children suffer rather than keep a job to help them. 

The following is what Scout was taught about the Ewells:

"Atticus said the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day's work in his recollection . . . They were people, but they lived like animals" (30).

This passage shows that the Ewells don't value working for what they have. They are willing to go hungry rather than work. On the other hand, Mr. Cunningham goes hungry for the following reasons:

"Entailment was only a part of Mr. Cunningham's vexations. The acres not entailed were mortgaged to the hilt, and the little cash he made went to interest . . . he was willing to go hungry to keep his land and vote as he pleased . . . As the Cunninghams had no money to pay a lawyer, they simply paid us with what they had" (21).

Therefore, Mr. Cunningham values being a landowner so he can vote and participate in political issues, but he would also prefer to keep working than live like the Ewells.

Describe simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, and multistage random sampling.

Simple random sampling means that a researcher chooses a sample size from a population so that each member of the population is equally likely to be chosen. That means that there is no system dictating how members are chosen. For example, if a researcher, such as a psychologist or sociologist, wants to understand what students at a certain college feel about required courses, he or she would put all the names of the students into the pool and choose names at random (perhaps using software to do so). Using the phone book is not a good way to get a random sample in today's world, as many people have unlisted numbers, only have cell phones, or do not have a stable home. In order to get a truly random sample, the researcher has to consider variables that limit or bias his or her sample.

In stratified random sampling, the population is divided into strata, or groups, before members are chosen randomly from each strata. For example, if a researcher wants to understand what first-, second-, third-, and fourth-year students think about a certain course in college and get a sample of each class, the researcher could divide the sample into groups first before selecting members at random. Researchers are often interested in getting samples of different ethnic, racial, socio-economic, and gender groups, so they can divide the population into these groups before getting a random sample of each group.

Multistage random sampling involves dividing populations into groups twice (or more) before collecting a sample. For example, if a researcher wants to understand the effect of a reading program in urban schools, he or she can first divide the population into groups of different schools and then divide each school into groups of teachers before sampling from each group. This method is often used to reduce the cost of conducting the research. 

How can I create a metaphor or simile from my interpretation of Arrow’s character in The Cellist of Sarajevo?

An effective way to construct powerful metaphors and/or similes about a literary character is to do a brief character analysis before worrying about the creative part.

Using a graphic organizer or just taking notes on a simple list, scan through the story to find defining words/thoughts, feelings, and actions related to Arrow’s character.

A starter list could look something like this:

Arrow

Words/thoughts

• “does not want to pull her trigger...because she can see that he doesn't want to pull his”

Feelings

• Senses the cellist is important but is unsure why


• Learns that world still can be good

Actions

• Protects cellist with her sniper rifle

Once you are satisfied with your list, remember that a metaphor is a literary technique that connects two separate ideas with a comparison in order to make a surprising new or insightful meaning. A simile serves the same purpose, but always uses the words “like” or “as” to connect the ideas.

Scan through your list and brainstorm images that come to mind as you think about Arrow. For example, my note “learns that world still can be good” reminds me of a time that I saw a bright yellow dandelion growing in the middle of a pile of ash from a burned down house in my neighborhood. So I might write, “Arrow’s world seems to be covered in dark ashes, but her hope still lives, like a single bright flower struggling to the surface among the rubble.”

My advice would be to write four or five metaphors or similes and then choose the one that speaks the most to you and your assignment. Good luck!