In the 1996 film version of Romeo and Juliet, what is one character and one setting that are enhanced by the symbols Luhrmann chose? How does this...

What an interesting question! Let me suggest that you consider the swimming pool just below Juliet's balcony, a potentially meaningful symbol that adds to the drama, tension, and intensity of the film scene corresponding with Act 2, Scene 2 of the original play. This pool makes the setting of the scene more dynamic and exciting, allowing the characters to move in and out of the water instead of just standing around talking to each other, and it helps reveal more about both Romeo and Juliet as individuals as well as their budding relationship.

Of course, there's no mention of a swimming pool or other body of water in Shakespeare's original text for this scene! But the director of the 1996 film, Baz Luhrmann, used the image of the pool as a symbol for risk, haste, and the potential for metaphorical drowning, by having his characters leap into the pool together, hide there, and, yes, kiss there also.

We know that Romeo was admonished not to rush into things, and that Juliet herself claims that it's way too early for their relationship to move toward marriage. As you view that scene in the film, notice how Juliet tries to climb out of the pool, but Romeo wants to pull her back in--this is a fairly straightforward representation of a relationship as a dangerous yet thrilling situation. Seeing these characters leap into the water together though they're improperly dressed for swimming, viewers realize that the characters really are jumping into the deep end of a dangerous new situation. The message is clear: like a swimming pool, young love can be thrilling and fun--and extremely dangerous.

While we're on the topic of danger, notice how tense we (the viewers) become while Romeo has to stay hidden under the water to hide from the staff members of Juliet's home. How long can he hold his breath? We don't know, but the tension foreshadows the young couple's willingness to take risks as well as their eventual deaths.

Finally, the pool adds sex appeal to the scene. (Clothes are clinging to the actors' bodies; there's water dripping off their faces; there are embraces and kisses both below and above the surface of the water.) The young couple's physical attraction and eagerness to express it may be something perhaps missing from the original text; it has to be conveyed by the actors themselves, and Luhrmann takes that attraction and desire one step further by including the pool. To put this more directly, if we were simply reading Act 2, Scene 2, we might not get the sense that Romeo and Juliet are attracted to each other. But the film director's choice to place them in a swimming pool together makes that attraction extremely clear, which enhances the viewer's understanding of the teens' intense relationship. The pool also makes the experience of watching the film more engaging.

How did the Enigma (a rotor machine used during World War II) help the Allied forces? What was the impact and significance?

The Enigma machine was a type of rotor ciphering machine used by the Nazis during World War II.  Nazi military leaders communicated secret messages using Enigma code.  The Nazi use of the Enigma machine was discovered by the Allies and they were able to use it to their benefit.  The British government established a large secret compound for decoding Enigma codes at Bletchley Park.  The code changed daily, which proved to be a challenge for those who were seeking to decode it.  At times, the code was broken by the codebreakers.  The Germans then made changes to the codes they used, which the Allies had to learn how to decode.  For example, Alan Turing developed an early computation machine called the bombe to help decode messages sent using the Enigma machine.  After that, the German Navy altered their method of code communication.

Enigma codes used by the Nazis were not perfect, and therefore could be cracked.  When the decoders at Bletchley Park were able to decipher the Enigma code, military leaders discovered the plans and movements of the Nazis.  The Italian Navy also communicated via Engima code.  When these codes were broken, the Allies were able to make military decisions that protected troops.  

The British Royal Navy was able to sink many German ships because of the intelligence they received via Enigma code.  The war would most likely have lasted longer if not for the decoding practices at Bletchley Park and among other departments of Allied intelligence.  The use of computing machines, such as Turing's bombe, paved the way for the development of future computers.

How does George influence/affect three other characters in Of Mice and Men?

Though he is a small man, Georg Milton, who possesses the name of kings and a metaphysical poet, is intelligent and very discerning about people; therefore, he is able to influence others.

Here are three people upon whom George has an affect or some influence:

Lennie is virtually George's ward because he is mentally-challenged and is very childish in his thinking. George plays the role of a big-brother/parent who must constantly watch out for Lennie. Furthermore, he dominates Lennie as much as possible so that Lennie will not endanger others or threaten his and Lennie's own welfare.
In Chapter 1 as George and Lennie camp out, George scolds Lennie as though he is the bigger man's parent when Lennie has a mouse in his pocket; George then orders him to throw it away. When Lennie whines about not having ketchup for his beans, George scolds him, again. But, later, like a loving parent, George acquiesces to Lennie's request to recite their dream. This recitation soothes Lennie; afterwards, George then instructs Lennie to remember the place where they are in case he gets into trouble. If this happens, Lennie can just follow the river from the ranch where they are going to be working to the clearing and wait for George.

Once they are at the ranch, George gives Lennie strict instructions to let him do the talking, and to stay away from Curley, who is very pugnacious. Since Lennie was almost charged with rape in Weed where they worked previously, George tries to keep Lennie under control. Certainly, George tries very hard to keep Lennie away from females. So, frequently Lennie tells others, "George don't want me to ------" as he tries to follow George's orders.

When Lennie and George arrive at the ranch and they are in the bunkhouse, Candy is respectful to George as he answers the newcomer's questions. George also inspires enough ease in old Candy that the swamper feels comfortable enough to tell him in confidence about Curley. He adds,

"Don't tell Curley I said none of this. He'd slough me. He just don't give a damn. Won't ever get canned 'cause his old man's the boss."(Ch. 2)

Also, after Candy loses his dog and he hears George recite the dream to Lennie, he is revived from his depression by a hope that he can be a part of the farm that they are going to have; in fact, he offers his savings to the men. After George accepts and says that now owning a farm is a real possibility, Candy becomes much happier, and proudly boasts to Crooks that he and George and Lennie are going to own a ranch and have a future.

The mule skinner is a tall man with "God-like eyes" who is highly respected by both bosses and the ranch hands alike. Yet, he engages George in conversation and is interested in his history. When he first talks with George, Slim moves back out of the light in order to give George a "calm invitation to confidence." As they talk, Slim is "quiet and receptive" (Ch. 3), displaying a respect for George. Further, he asks George about "going around" with Lennie because most men are loners.
Of course, he later befriends George after Lennie's death, consoling him by saying, "You hadda, George. I swear you hadda. Come on with me" (Ch. 5).

How can I diagram the main argument and the sub-arguments of a piece like this? Look around today and you can see for yourself that most of the...

Often, you can get a good idea of an author's argument by picking out where they begin and end. As in an essay, a paragraph argument will have an introduction, supporting points, and conclusion. In an essay, the "main argument" is called a thesis. In this example, we're looking for the thesis of the paragraph first and the supporting points (sub-arguments) second.

Main argument

To diagram the main argument of this paragraph, take a look at the first and last sentences.

• Look around today and you can see for yourself that most of the organisms you come across are not making it into the fossil record.


• Thus, it is not at all surprising that there are “missing links” in the fossil record, and this is not good evidence against evolutionary transmutation. 

The author is saying that the fossil record is not a complete picture of the evolutionary history of organisms. (We'll call the author and people who agree with the author group 1.) Based on this paragraph, the author is arguing against another group of people (group 2) who say the opposite: that the fossil record should show a complete history of evolution if transmutation is real. A critical part of this paragraph is that the author wants to explain why the people in this second group are misguided--they are making a poor assumption about the nature of the fossil record.

Group 2 made the first argument. IF transmutation is real, THEN we should see it in the fossil record.

Group 1 argued that group 2's logic is flawed--since we should not expect to see a full evolutionary history in the fossil record at all, the premise "transmutation is real" can stand with or without the qualifying statement.

Sub-arguments

The sub-arguments mirror body paragraphs in an essay. The sentences that come after the intro but before the conclusion are all possible sub-arguments. We're looking for the sentences that best support the main argument. Let's look at each one:

• It takes a rather special combination of physical factors—usually those of swamps or estuaries where remains can be buried in sediment, be compacted and, if lucky, remain undisturbed for millions of years—for the bones or imprints of an organism to achieve a measure of immortality in stone (2).

This sentence is describing how unrealistic group 2's assumption is. The author is saying it's silly to assume that the fossil record is a complete picture of every organism's evolutionary history because preservation of any record is so rare! In fact, this author is saying that fossilization is so complicated that most of the time it doesn't occur. Does that mean an organism didn't exist? No, of course not. What it means is that it's not in the fossil record.

• To then become part of the scientific body of evidence, they have to erode in such a way as not to be destroyed and then found by someone who recognizes their importance (3).

This next argument points out that, even if an organism is preserved in the fossil record, we might not know it. In fact, there are sure to be fossilized organisms that we haven't discovered. Does this mean those organisms don't exist? No, of course not. What it means is that we haven't seen them yet.

• Furthermore, from what we know of evolutionary mechanisms, speciation events are likely to occur in isolated populations (4), and competition will quickly eliminate the less fit of closely similar forms (5).

This next argument points out that even if organisms are fossilized AND even if we find them in the fossil record, we might not understand how they relate to one another. The author points out that organism A might not lead in a straight path from A to B to C to D and so on... In fact, organism A might lead to organism B and C at the same time and organism B might lead to D, whereas C leads to E. In other words, the web of evolution is not a straight line.

• Both processes make it even more unlikely that there will be a smooth, continuous fossil record of intermediaries (6).

Finally, this sentence (not a sub-argument) re-caps the previous points to transition the reader into the conclusion. This sentence serves to say, "Now that you know these things, you can understand why I'm saying what I'm saying next."

What is the main point of the chapter "Gender equity: Perspectives on maternal and child heath" in Tolhurt, Raven, and Theobald's Maternal and...

This article explores how gender inequalities intersect with socio-cultural factors (class, race, education etc.) to impact the health and well-being of women and children. Because of socio-economic inequalities that favor men and disadvantage women, such as gender-based violence, lower social value of women in certain cultures, religious taboos about pregnancy and abortion etc., women typically have more limited access to adequate health care; this, in turn, negatively impacts the health and well-being of children whose mothers are unhealthy and not receiving sufficient care. The accepted solution to this problem is known as "gender mainstreaming". In essence, this is the practice of implementing gender awareness at every phase of health planning and policy so that gender-balanced access to health care can be achieved. 

As stated under the section titled "Research Priorities", it is surprising that there is such limited research to date examining the social impact of gender roles on maternal and child health. Given broad awareness that gender inequality negatively impacts women's health, and by association, children's well-being, there ought to be detailed research involving gender analysis so that more solutions to the problem can be implemented. Such research ought to be conducted at national and regional levels for different countries given the vast differences in the ways gender shapes health practices and policies across cultures.

Although gender mainstreaming sounds great on paper, it is a little confusing that this could be a truly effective way to address maternal health and healthcare. From the article, it seems that all socio-cultural factors impacting health are correlated. If this is the case, it is hard to imagine certain religious or cultural practices that limit women's agency ever changing if those practices are rooted in deep-seated traditions and beliefs; just as some people advocate creationism and reject scientific evolutionary theory, certain communities will undoubtedly always endow men with higher social value, and by association, grant them better access to health resources.

What are some character traits of Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird?

Scout is intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate, adventurous, and cautious. Her intelligence does not only include book learning, though she does read well for her age. Her intelligence shows wisdom beyond her years. This also shows her thoughtfulness. For example, when Walter Cunningham refuses to borrow Miss Caroline's quarter, Scout knows why. She recalls that Mr. Cunningham paid her father in firewood, turnip greens, and other items because he does not like to owe anyone anything. Scout shows compassion toward Boo Radley at the end of the novel. She reaches out to him in friendship. Scout also shows compassion to Walter Cunningham by befriending him. 

Dill, Jem, and Scout often go on adventures together, such as the night when they sneak into the Radley yard to peer through the window. This shows Scout's adventurous spirit. Despite this, Scout does exercise caution. When Atticus tells the children that he hopes their game is not about the Radley family, Scout becomes hesitant to play. Jem taunts her about it. Scout is sometimes hesitant about Jem's ideas to communicate with or see Boo Radley. This causes her to stay "aloof from their more foolhardy schemes" for a time (Chapter 5).

What evidence from today demonstrates the effects of early modern globalization?

Globalization is a complicated concept. In its strictest sense, Globalization is the movement of products, ideas and cultures between nations due to well developed transport and telecommunication systems. It is not merely an economic process, it also entails exchange of ideas, people, culture and language.

Music, cars, trade, religion, wine and fashion are all examples of goods and services that have been impacted by globalization.

The first events that started this process can be seen in the colonization of many African and Asian nations by European powers since the 16th Century. For example, the British colonized the nations of India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand. In the case of India, resources were acquired and then transported back to Britain to fuel the growing Industrial Revolution. Since the British operated and controlled this trade, many British people lived in India, bringing aspects of British Culture to India such as British government, sports and architecture. That is, cultural and economic exchange took place between the nations as an example of Globalization.

This is one of the earliest explanations of Globalization. The same relationship between colonial countries and the colonies they exploited can be seen around the world (the Spanish in South America, the Portuguese and Germans in Africa to name a few).

Over time, this colonizer/colony relationship has changed. The patriarchal relationship of control that did once exist no longer does. Unfortunately, for many once colonized countries what remains is a cause for concern.

Firstly, the level of resources that can be utilized by these countries. The non-renewable resources that once did exist are no longer present and this causes problems for nations attempting to improve living standards for their populations.

Secondly, once the colonizing nation departed, they left an untrained and dependent population. The usual role of the indigenous population was as a cheap work force. The skills to continue existing industries in many of these nations were in low supply, again impinging the growth of these nations.

African nations seem particularly hard hit by these problems.

Globalization has existed for many centuries, but growth in globalization rocketed after World War 2 and the subsequent growth in technology. Despite this, the evidence of early globalization still clearly exists.