Identify two personality traits that Antonio and Portia have in common and give an example of each.

Portia and Antonio share certain traits in “The Merchant of Venice”. The most obvious one is that they are both profoundly in love with Bassanio. Nerissa speaks very highly of him to Portia and Portia instantly recalls his name, though she quickly tries to play down her feelings: “Yes, yes, it was Bassanio! As I think…so was he called.” Meanwhile in Venice, Antonio is also tremendously in love with Bassanio, though he is very careful of how he expresses it until he is about to die when he urges Bassanio to:

Commend me to your honorable wife,

Tell her the process of Antonio’s end.

Say how I loved you; speak me fair in death,

And, when the tale is told, bid her be the judge

Whether Bassanio had not once a love.

Many scholars, directors and actors work from the assumption that Antonio is a deeply closeted gay man who feels he can’t express his true feelings for Bassanio safely. Bassanio himself seems completely oblivious to how Antonio feels about him despite the fact that he allows Antonio to go to incredibly dangerous lengths to give him money and protect him. Bassanio can therefore come across as rather coldhearted and clueless toward Antonio, and Antonio a sad, emotionally repressed man unable to truly be himself.

Another characteristic they share is deeply unpleasant: they're both racists. Both harbor serious hatred towards Jews: Shylock tells the story about when Antonio “spet upon my Jewish gabardine” and Portia refers to him dismissively as “Jew” many times throughout the trial scene. Earlier, when she is unsuccessfully courted by the prince of Morocco she contemptuously sneers “let all of his complexion choose me so” almost as soon as his back is turned. Shakespeare takes what is typically considered one of his great heroine roles and makes her ugly, and also takes the title character at the center of the play, who mostly elicits sympathy, and makes him in some ways ugly too. Shakespeare creates complex human beings who are sad and relatable and sympathetic and also quite ugly and unlikeable at the same time.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what does Jem notice about the way Calpurnia speaks at church?

In Chapter 12, Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to First Purchase African M. E. Church. It is the first time the children visited an African American church, and they gain valuable insight into the black community of Maycomb. Later on the chapter, Calpurnia explains how she taught her son Zeebo to read using Blackstone's Commentaries. Jem is awestruck because Blackstone's Commentaries is a very challenging book to read. He says to Calpurnia, "That's why you don't talk like the rest of 'em...Rest of the colored folks. Cal, but you talked like they did in church..." (Lee 167) Jem and Scout both notice that Calpurnia speaks differently around her community members. Calpurnia speaks informally and uses a Southern African American dialect that is typical of that region during the early 1900's. Scout mentions that Calpurnia lived a "modest double life" and has "command of two languages." Calpurnia explains to the children that if she talked formally then her neighbors would think she was "puttin' on airs to beat Moses." (Lee 167) Calpurnia tells Scout that it's not lady-like to tell people all you know, and that people don't like being around others who know more than they do. Scout and Jem learn important lessons in manners and human relations on their visit to Calpurnia's church. 

"Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced." How can I interpret this quote in my own words?

There are many ways to interpret these words.  One interpretation underlines the importance experiencing everything that life has to throw at you, good and bad, especially the bad. If we try to solve all of our trials, then we might not learn valuable lessons. For example, how do we learn grit? We need to persevere when times are difficult.  How do we learn to forgive, which is important in a broken world? When we are wronged, we forgive. How do we learn to see things from the perspective of another person?  We need to come out of our places of comfort. This is why religious traditions do not always shun hardships. Instead life must be embraced. Here is a quote from St. Paul.

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Romans 5:3-4)

St. James says the same thing but in a more colorful way:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

If we go back to the quote, the experience of life, good and bad, helps us mature.  Of course, no one likes to suffer at the time, but often people look back and learn that they have matured. Here is an example from To Kill a Mockingbird. When Atticus took on the trial of Tom Robinson, hardships resulted. Scout and Jem experienced the frustration of the prejudiced community and their peers. But if we look at the end of the novel, we see that both Scout and Jem emerged as amazing people. Scout learned to walk in another person’s skin. Jem learned what it meant to be courageous.

In conclusion, we need to learn from life. Learning by experiencing is the best way. When we are too busy trying to find a solution, we miss these golden opportunities that may only come once in a lifetime.

What are the underlying and immediate causes of the Civil War?

The immediate cause of the Civil War was the attack on Fort Sumter by Confederate batteries in April of 1861. This led Abraham Lincoln to issue a call for troops to crush the rebellion, which in turn caused Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Arkansas to secede from the Union. After this event, the Civil War was on. 

The underlying causes of the war were more complex, but can be traced to the divisive issue of slavery. Long a simmering issue, it became particularly toxic in the aftermath of the Mexican War, which raised the question of the expansion of slavery into the western territories. This political issue was increasing powered by the moral force of the abolitionist movement in the North. While most Northerners were not abolitionists, many were beginning to resent what they saw as the South's attempts to control the nation's politics. In the South, on the other hand, there was a fear that Northern sentiment was turning against them, and that if the federal government fell into the hands of antislavery men, they might move against slavery. The fact that the industrial North and the agricultural South were drifting apart culturally and economically exacerbated matters--slavery, in fact, was a leading cause of this divergence as well.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act, which permitted popular sovereignty (a vote) on the issue of slavery in Kansas, where slavery was previously prohibited, destroyed the so-called second two-party system, introducing a new party, the Republicans, devoted to resisting the expansion of the institution. When Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, was elected in 1860, South Carolina led the states of the lower South out of the Union, which set the stage for the more immediate causes. 

In a few words, the immediate cause was secession and firing on Fort Sumter, and the underlying cause was the political issue of slavery.

How do we perceive differences in color?

The physics answer is that color is only dependent on wavelength frequency. There's a difference between the scientific use of the word 'color'--which could mean one or a range of wavelength frequencies--and that used in every day life. For instance, the sky is 'blue', but a 'blue' filter for a telescope has a specific frequency, which is standardised across the discipline.

The human eye combines hue, saturation, and brightness in order to perceive color.

The time of day/night that you are seeing in also changes your perception of color. The rods and cones that make up our visual sensors are sensitive to different amounts and different colors of light. Chances are your cones will work slightly differently compared to someone else's, which will cause changes in the perception of color.

A few years ago, an online, science themed, web-comic did a color-name survey. This is a very interesting way to test individuals' perceptions of color. The results are visualised courtesy of Luminoso.com.

There are many interesting results from that survey. It was shown that what media you are watching (and how that changes the color), and what gender you are will change the way you perceive (or at least, name) colors.

What is Scout's perspective on Boo Radley in Chapter Eight of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Her perspective changes from the beginning of the chapter to the end, but only slightly because she is still confused about what to make of the information she has. She has perceived him as a threat, and while she is still spooked by him, she now sees he may not be as scary as she thought.

At the beginning of the chapter we learn that Old Mrs. Radley has died and Scout seems certain that Boo was responsible. She and Jem are disappointed to find out that she actually died of natural causes AND that when Atticus visited the house after her passing, he did not see Boo. This shows that Scout views Boo as a bad guy, a psychopath, and a villain. Or at least she hopes he is for the sake of the stories they have been telling themselves. She is also genuinely a little spooked by the guy.

By the end of the chapter, it is obvious that Boo has snuck out of his house and put a blanket over Scout while she was watching Miss Maudie's house burn. When Atticus tells her it was Boo who wrapped the blanket around her, she felt sick:

"My stomach turned to water and I nearly threw up" (Ch. 8).

She, Jem, and Dill have all been telling stories about how crazy Boo is and up to this point she had no reason to disbelieve them. However, if he really did put the blanket over her, he might not be so scary. She's still nervous, though, about how close he got to her, given what she has felt about him.

What are some of the things people say about Stargirl in Leo's presence?

Because Stargirl is eccentric and refuses to conform to the status quo of Mica Area High School, a lot of the more "popular" girls, like Hillari Kimble, don't like her and attempt to put her down. 
 
Leo, on the other hand, has a strange type of infatuation with Stargirl. First, he's merely curious about her, then they become friends, and not too long after that, they enter a romantic relationship. It doesn't last long, though, because people start ignoring Leo the same way they do Stargirl.
 
Unable to handle the rejection from his peers, Leo asks Stargirl to try to be more "normal." She tries for a while but, ultimately, breaks up with Leo when she realizes she can't, and doesn't want to, be normal. 
 
That said, while Leo is still in the friendship phase of his relationship with Stargirl, he asks her to appear on the school's television show, Hot Seat, as a result of mounting pressure from his peers, especially that of his best friend, Kevin. Eventually, Leo gives in to the request and asks Stargirl to make an appearance on the show. Being Stargirl, she agrees. 
 
While Stargirl's actual interview on Hot Seat goes well, things start to get uncomfortable when Hillari Kimble and her friends start criticizing her on-air. Hillari refers to her as "goofy" and "crazy" while her friends ask her questions about why she dresses the way she does and why she doesn't wear makeup. They refer to her as "weird" and question why she can't just be "normal."

The group continues to harass her until the faculty adviser, Mr. Robineau, steps in on her behalf. Soon after, he destroys the tape and Stargirl's Hot Seat episode is never aired.
 

What events took place in Belle's home in A Christmas Carol?

Belle, Ebenezer's ex-fiancee, first appears in a distant memory, as Scrooge travels through his early years with the Ghost of Christmas Past.  In that particular memory, we see Belle break off her engagement, citing that Scrooge has changed, and that he is now more in love with money than he is with her.

In Scrooge's second encounter with Belle, he visits a more recent scene -- one that he had not previously known of.  In the second scene, Belle appears in her home, with her doting husband and children.  There, she recounts her early romance with Scrooge.  Her husband remarks that the present day Scrooge must be lonely now that Marley has died.  The implication is that Scrooge has nothing else in his life.  In Belle's life, Scrooge sees firsthand the kind of existence that his own love of money has kept him from.

In A Christmas Memory, Buddy's cousin declares, "My, how foolish I am!" What does she believe she has been foolish about?

Buddy's cousin says this when the two are outside flying the kites they have given one another as Christmas gifts. The moment is tense and excited:  

"My, how foolish I am!" my friend cries, suddenly alert, like a woman remembering too late she has biscuits in the oven. "You know what I've always thought?" she asks in a tone of discovery and not smiling at me but a point beyond.

She then says that she had thought one had to be sick and dying to have a vision of God. She thought that vision would be beautiful, like stained glass in a church lit by the sun, and that the bright sunlight would take away that "spooky feeling" of death and meeting God. Then she says she thinks people nearing the end will realize that they have already seen God, in their daily lives and all the things around them. She says God is in "the things as they are" and gestures with her hand to include the pasture, the kites in the sky, the clouds, the dog Queen gnawing her bone. She then says "I could leave the world with today in my eyes."

It is powerful moment and the first one where any kind of personal connection to religion is mentioned overtly, letting us known that Buddy's religious upbringing was unusual. The next paragraph is one sentence: "This is our last Christmas together." From that point on we know the memoir will be more about looking back than describing events taking place in the moment they are lived.

What is the treatment the children receive from Culpurnia and Aunt Alexandra based on pages 207-208 and 277-278 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Chapter 21 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the children receive similar treatment from Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra once both caretakers learn the children had been watching the trial all day long. One difference is that Calpurnia scolds them whereas Aunt Alexandra is shocked into hurt silence.

When Calpurnia finds the children in the courthouse and marches them back home, she scolds Jem for having taken Scout to the trial and says he should be "perfectly ashamed of [himself]." Her main concern seems to be that the trial dealt with matters young children shouldn't hear about, especially children as young as Scout. In contrast, Aunt Alexandra is described as nearly passing out when she learned the children had been at the courthouse, and Scout describes that Aunt Alexandra must have felt hurt once she learns Atticus had said they could return for the verdict. Scout judges Aunt Alexandra's hurt feelings based on the silence she displays during dinner. In Contrast to Calpurnia, Aunt Alexandra's main concern seems to be a point of pride. She has always objected to Atticus's decision to defend Tom Robinson because, due to her own prejudices and her belief in staying within the confines of social restraints, she feels it is neither dignified nor justifiable for a white man to defend a black man.

Hence, as we can see based on this scene, while both Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra act as mother figures, their differences in ideals make them treat the children differently.

What is the Coriolis Effect and how does it work?

The Coriolis effect was first explained by the French mathematician Gustave Coriolis in the early 1800s. This inertial effect describes the movement of an object in a rotating system. In a rotating system, a moving object, following Newtonian laws of motion, is also acted on by any rotational forces present. These forces must be taken into account in order to determine the final position of the object. This is important on the earth, where the poles rotate slower than the equator. Over a large distance, this difference in rotation speeds causes the object to move eastward, because the earth rotates from east to west as it moves. This is especially important when the object is moving directly longitudinal. 

It is important to note that the Coriolis effect is due to the rotation of the object, in this case the earth, and not an actual change in the motion of the moving object, which continues in a straight line from its initial point. This means that the "deflection" of the object to its actual final position is due to the rotating force alone.

The practical application of the Coriolis effect is not trivial, and these forces must be taken into account by pilots when charting long flight paths, or when trying to predict weather phenomena such as prevailing winds or storms. The Coriolis effect also comes into play in the military, and must be accounted for when launching long range missiles. In the case of a sniper attempting a shot outside of range of around 100 meters, the effect is small but present.

Hope this helps! 

When I make a cup of coffee by mixing coffee and hot water to make a solution is there a process where I can get the coffee back? How does it work?

Yes. You are describing the process of preparing a cup of instant coffee. When you mix water and instant coffee, a physical change occurs. The coffee solids are dissolved and suspended in the water. Physical changes can often be reversed, while many chemical changes cannot be reversed. 

You have two options for recovering the coffee. You could filter the coffee solids out of the water or you could allow the water to evaporate, leaving the coffee solids behind. The coffee particles are very small. You would likely have a hard time finding a filter fine enough to remove everything. Gently heating the solution to evaporate the water will likely be more effective. You should be careful not to heat the coffee too much, as excess heat might cook the coffee. Cooking is a chemical change that cannot be undone.

Should Scout and Jem have gone to the trial of Tom Robinson in To Kill A Mockingbird? What did it teach them?

I believe that Scout and Jem should have attended the trial of Tom Robinson. One of the main themes throughout the novel deals with children losing their innocence. Harper Lee uses the wrongful conviction of Tom Robinson as the critical moment that the children lose their innocence. Jem and Scout witness an innocent black man, convicted at the hands of an all-white jury. Prior to the verdict, Jem believes that Tom will win the case based on the lack of evidence, conflicting testimonies of the Ewells, and Tom's obvious handicap. After the verdict is read, Jem weeps and laments that "it ain't right." (Lee 284) Although Scout witnesses injustice, she is not jaded and suspect about the citizens of Maycomb the way that Jem is. Despite Scout being younger, she also develops perspective into the prevalent racism throughout her community. Later on in the novel, Scout mentions that she still believes there is only one type of "folks" in Maycomb, while Jem believes there are several. By witnessing the Tom Robinson trial, the children lose their innocence and gain perspective into the nature of their community members. If Jem and Scout were not in attendance during the trial, their moral development would not be complete, and their perspective on life would not have changed as drastically as it had.

Why would Mayella accuse Tom Robinson of assaulting and raping her?

There are several reasons as to why Mayella Ewell chose to falsely accuse Tom Robinson of assaulting and raping her. After Mayella's father had witnessed her kiss Tom, he beat her badly. She not only felt ashamed for breaking the taboo of tempting a black man but also wanted to protect her father. If she would have stated that her father assaulted her for kissing Tom Robinson, Bob would have gone to jail, and her reputation would have been ruined throughout the community. Atticus addresses Mayella's motivation for fabricating the story by mentioning that she felt guilty for breaking the "time-honored code" of society. Her first reaction was to destroy all of the evidence, so she lied about Tom Robinson raping her. Mayella also felt confident that the jury would accept her testimony for the simple fact that she was white.

What are the correct forms for past simple, past perfect simple and past perfect continuous tenses?

Great question! English verb tenses are notoriously difficult to master. Here's a chart I made up to help you:

Past

Present

Future

Simple

I ate pizza.

I eat pizza.

I will eat pizza.

Continuous

I was eating pizza.

I am eating pizza.

I will be eating pizza.

 Past Perfect

I had eaten pizza.

I have eaten pizza.

I will have eaten pizza.

Past Perfect Continuous

I had been eating pizza.

I have been eating pizza.

I will have been eating pizza.

Past Simple

As you can see, simple past is the most basic form of past tense. Usually in English, the past ends in -ed, like "cooked" and "helped." But just to make life more difficult, many verbs in English have irregular past tense forms like "ate" and "ran." These just have to be memorized.

Past Perfect Simple

The past perfect simple is simply "had" + the past simple. 

E.g. I had discovered uranium!

E.g. I had loved the book!

The past perfect is used to communicate an action that is more past than another action, like in this example:

After we had eaten dinner, we went out for ice cream.

Both actions happened in the past, but the dinner happened first, so it's in the past perfect.

Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect continuous is "had been" + the -ing form of the verb.

E.g. I had been eating!

E.g. I had been swimming.

Like the Past Perfect Simple, it is more past than another past event, but in this case it's continuous, i.e. going on for a long time.

Good luck with your study of English grammar, I know that it's very challenging!

What does Odysseus talk about his gifts? How is this foreshadowing?

When Odysseus and his men find Polyphemus's cave, the crew just wants to take some food and go, but Odysseus refuses.  Instead, he wants to stick around until the Cyclops returns home in the hopes that Polyphemus will offer Odysseus a gift.  Odysseus might expect a gift because of the Greek notion of hospitality.  They believed that Zeus protected travelers, and so everyone had a responsibility to be hospitable, and this often included the host giving the guest some kind of a gift.  This is why Odysseus would speak of gifts here.

One way in which his speech foreshadows what is going to happen is that Odysseus says that, rather than refusing his crew's request, it would have been "far better had I yielded [...]."  This lets us know that the outcome of his decision is negative because he would, knowing what he knows now, have wished to avoid it.  Before he even tells us the story of the men's time there, he says that it would have been better for him to have taken his crew's advice.

What are some examples of personification in Act 2 of Romeo and Juliet?

Personification is a figure of speech where human qualities are given to non-human things like ideas, objects or animals. (It seems like a metaphor, but it is actually the opposite!) Act 2 has many examples of personification, but there are great examples in the speeches in the famous balcony scene (Act 2, Scene 2). I'll outline three examples and explain how they use personification. 

ROM: Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, /
Who is already sick and pale with grief /
That thou her maid art far more fair than she. (II.ii.4-6)

Here, Romeo gives the moon human qualities, imagining the moon to be jealous of Juliet because Juliet is more beautiful than the moon. 

ROM: My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself, /
Because it is an enemy to thee. (II.ii.59-60)

Romeo gives his name human qualities when he describes it as hateful and his enemy. Of course, a name is only a name - Juliet goes into this idea in her own speech - but Romeo imagines his name as a literal enemy.

JUL: My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words /
Of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound. /
Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague? (II.ii.62-64)

In this section, Juliet describes her ears as being able to drink words. Of course, the function of an ear is to hear, not drink. A person can drink, not an ear. Furthermore, sometimes a person drinks so much they become drunk or bloated. This is similar to how she believes her ears react when they hear Romeo. 

How does the second law of thermodynamics relate to how cells work?

Living things require energy in order to do cellular work. Fuels like sugar contain stored energy which can be utilized by living things in a process called respiration.

All of an organism's chemical reactions that occur are known as its metabolism. There are different types of chemical reactions. In catabolic reactions, energy is released by breaking bonds of more complex molecules into simpler products. In anabolic reactions, energy is used in chemical reactions where simple molecules are combined to build more complex molecules.

Since energy is needed for some pathways and is released for others, one needs to understand how energy is transformed. Cells can transform energy from one type to another. 

Since organisms are open systems, energy and matter can be transferred between organisms and their surrounding environment. The First Law of Thermodynamics states that the energy of the universe is constant. This means it can be transformed from one form to another and it can be transferred, but never created or destroyed.

An example of the first law is when someone burns wood in a fireplace. The energy in the wood is chemical energy, and by the process of combustion, it will be transformed into heat and light energy along with smoke and ashes. 

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that every energy transformation adds to the entropy of the universe. Entropy is a measure of disorder or randomness. Therefore, in the example above, the energy in the log was stored energy in organized chemical bonds, but once it was burned, it produced both heat and light. Most of the increased entropy in the universe is heat (less organized) which is going to dissipate. Every time energy transfers occur, when heat is produced, it adds to the entropy of the universe. Heat energy is unavailable do work once it is released.

During catabolic chemical reactions like respiration, the chemical energy found in the organized bonds of the glucose molecule is broken down to the lower energy products of carbon dioxide and water with the release of heat which is a less organized form of energy.

In order to perform cellular work such as movement, growth, or synthesis, a cell requires energy. By carrying out respiration, a cell will add to the amount of heat being released to the environment and thus will add to the entropy of the universe. This illustrates the relationship between how a cell works and the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

What type of research is more applicable in modern research?

There are various types of research studies circulating within and beyond the modern academy. For the social and natural sciences these include descriptive research, exploratory research, explanatory research, action research, survey research, cross-sectional research, longitudinal research, experimental research, case studies, pilot studies, ethnographic/field research, meta-analysis and synthesis research, observational research, and causal studies, among others. Common for the humanities are archival research, theoretical research, comparative research, interpretive (semiological, deconstructive, phenomenological) research.

Yet note that these general research types are only one part of thinking through the research process. All research projects also require clearly conceptualized and explicated epistemological frameworks (theoretical paradigms), literature reviews (existing knowledge about the topic), a formulated object of analysis including questions/hypothesis and the types of evidence necessary to answer such questions, methods for gathering said evidence, and tools for analyzing the data collected. 

In terms of which of these types of research are most applicable to modern research, there is no clear cut answer—beyond the explicit presence of all the components (laid out in paragraph above). This is because evaluating applicability should be based on how well your type of research matches your research questions. Explaining how research method A is the best way to answer research question B, and why such question is of intellectual (and other, such as social, environmental, or commercial) significance, is the only standard protocol for determining the applicability of one's research practice in the modern academy.

While there are trends in which quantitative data analyses are becoming more popular, the reasons aren't necessarily due to applicability but rather to funding and career related opportunities. Although one could argue that the sheer proliferation of accessible big data does make particular types of research (e.g. those that engage big data) a quite historically apropos research practice.  

In The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963, what kind of dog is Toddy?

In The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963, Mr. Robert calls his dog, Toddy, a “coon dog.” Toddy is a type of dog called a coonhound. Coonhounds were specifically bred in America to be hunting dogs. Although Mr. Robert claims that Toddy was once the best raccoon (coon) hunter around, Toddy does not hunt anymore. He has gotten too old and does not have the heart for hunting anymore. Mr. Robert illustrates Toddy’s prowess as a hunter as he tells Dad, Kenny, and Byron a story about the time Toddy was almost drowned by a raccoon in the river. Toddy would have died, but Mr. Robert jumped into the water, dragged Toddy out, and gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, which saved his life.

Please help me understand the poem "Winter Saturday" by Earle Birney.

In his poem “Winter Saturdays,” Earle Birney uses simile and metaphor to compare the farmers to the stages of the moth’s life cycle. A winter storm is over and the farmers emerge from their homes to go into town. He says that they come out of the wood in other words, they leave their homes and move to their vehicles which the author compares to cocoons. The vehicles encircle the farmer’s while they drive into town. As dusk is arriving they are driving toward the lights of town being drawn as moths are to light. They see the landmarks such as the water tank along the way. When they arrive in town they “hatch” from their vehicles to meet others, see a movie or perhaps dance to the music in a bar. The night was not all that they anticipated and the farmers make their way back in chrysalis form, surrounded by the hard outer covering of their vehicles. They go home, where once again the wind is bringing in snow, perhaps not to emerge again until spring.

Azucena is willing to accept her fate, but Rolf is not. Why does Rolf work so hard to keep Azucena alive?

There are several reasons why Rolf Carle tries so desperately to keep Azucena alive.  First of all, Rolf had a sister who died from abuse.  Katharina was disabled, and Rolf would hide her to avoid their father’s abuse.  Katharina dies, and Rolf feels overwhelming grief for “abandoning” her.  Rolf feels empathy for and has a personal connection with Azuneca because of his sister’s life. 

In addition, as Rolf sits with Azucena over the course of the three days, he begins to also remember the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father.  His father would whip him with a belt and lock him in an armoire for hours. His also saw his father abuse his mother.  Rolf says that he realizes that “he was Azucena”, and unlike Azucena who is physically trapped by the mud, Rolf has been trapped by his own memories and life.  That is why he has chosen to detach from the world and view it through the lens of a camera until he meets Azucena.

Rolf has also seen death and once had to bury the dead in a concentration camp.  He knows what it means to die and be buried with no one there to give solace or love. He wants to save Azucena to show her that she is loved.  Unfortunately, Azucena dies and sinks into the mud when Rolf finally lets go of her hands.

In a way, by saving Azucena, Rolf is saving himself. At the end of the story when he is journeying through his grief over her death, he is also coming to grips with his own life experiences.

What was Cleopatra's biggest goal in life?

Cleopatra's main goals were to be the sole leader of Egypt and to expand the kingdom's land area.  

Cleopatra took the throne of Egypt at age 18.  She also shared the throne with her younger brother.  Soon there was conflict between them.  She fled to Syria and established an army there.  Her goal became to take back power of Egypt for herself.  She wanted to be the only ruler of Egypt.  She soon met Julius Caesar.  He used his resources and helped her to fight to regain power of Egypt.

Years later, Queen Cleopatra turned her attention to gaining back the eastern empire of Egypt.  Modern day Syria and Lebanon were part of this land area.  This plan became less important when the Romans threatened to claim parts of Egypt for their own.

In A Christmas Carol, what does Scrooge initially value the most in his life? How does his view contrast with Fred or Bob Cratchit?

In Stave One of A Christmas Carol, Dickens makes Scrooge's priorities in life very clear to the reader. He is greedy, for example, and places a high value on creating and maintaining his personal wealth. We see this through the fire in Bob Cratchit's office which is so small that it appears to consist of only "one coal." Scrooge is too miserly to pay for additional coal so Bob has to warm himself with a "white comforter." In addition, Scrooge's miserliness is also expressed by his refusal to donate any money to the men seeking a charitable donation. Scrooge would rather see the poor in a prison or the "Union workhouse" than hand over of any his money.

Secondly, Scrooge highly values his own company and does not enjoy spending time with others. He is the only resident of his apartment's building, for example, and turns down Fred's offer to dine with him on Christmas Day. This is one of the most striking differences between Scrooge and Fred: Fred enjoys the company of his others, especially at Christmas. For Fred, this season is about being grateful for what you have and considering those in need (which further contrasts with Scrooge):

Christmas...the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.

Similarly, Bob Cratchit does not share Scrooge's desire to be alone, preferring to spend the whole of Christmas Day at home with his family.

But meeting with the spirits will change Scrooge dramatically and he will soon come to value friendship and family above all things, just like Fred and Bob. 

What happens in the "dance of the lost traveler" in Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel?

At the beginning of the "dance of the lost traveler," Lakunle plays the role of the foreign photographer who is driving through the jungle. The four girls who are miming and acting as the wheels of the car stop to represent how the foreigner's car breaks down. After attempting to fix his car, Lakunle gives up and begins to walk through the jungle. When Lakunle rests his back against a tree, a snake slithers down and scares him. Lakunle then runs until he is a safe distance away and takes a swig from his flask. Then a monkey hops out onto the path, and a roar is heard throughout the jungle. Lakunle drinks copious amounts from his flask to restore his nerves. While he continues to walk through the jungle, he hears the voice of a girl. After drinking the rest of his whiskey, Lakunle throws his flask in the direction of the voice and hears a splash. He slowly creeps through the brush to see where he threw his flask, and his eyes begin to widen. He then takes out his camera and snaps several pictures until he accidently slips. Lakunle loses his footing and falls into the pool of water where Sidi has been bathing. Sidi then appears wearing nothing but a towel, and Lakunle is soaked when he returns to the stage. Sidi runs off the stage and returns with a group of angry villagers. They then take the lost traveler to see the Bale, who is behind the Odan tree in the center of the village. Instead of punishing the lost traveler, Baroka holds a feast in his honor and gets the photographer drunk. Baroka allows the foreigner to take pictures of Sidi before he gets too drunk and leaves the party. Lakunle then exits the scene, which signifies the end of the "dance of the lost traveler."

Describe how Antigone’s perception of fate and destiny affects her actions. How do you feel the play would be altered had Antigone not been...

In Antigone, Antigone says both to Creon and to her sister Ismene that she is destined to die because of the curse on the family, so she is happy to at least die a death with the honor that will come from burying the body of her brother Polynices. Antigone's perception of fate and destiny is directly tied to her recognition of her father's wrongs. However, Antigone may have still made the same decision regarding the burial of her brother had her family not been cursed. Antigone says over and over again throughout the play that her major reason for burying her brother's body is because she feels required to follow the law of the gods which states that each person must receive a proper burial in order for his or her soul to enter the underworld. Antigone says that the laws of kings do not trump the laws of the gods, and she plans to act in a manner of common human decency. Her perception of her life as being fated to end early is more of an afterthought, not the motivating factor behind her decision, so it is likely that Antigone would have made the same decision even if her family had not been cursed.

Explore Foucault's idea of panopticism and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this theory.

In the beginning of Discipline and Punish: Birth of the Prison, Michel Foucault describes the public torture of an attempted regicide in the mid-18th century. The extreme and spectacular way in which this man was humiliated, brutalized, and killed typifies, in Foucault's view, the pre-modern logic of punishment—that is, punishment as spectacle, or a public re-assertion of the total ruler's power (in this case, the French King).

Next, Foucault argues that such spectacles of punishment have been replaced, in modern nation-states, with a mode best encapsulated by the notion of the panopticon. The panopticon is a prison designed so that a prisoner can always be seen, but cannot see the warden. The prisoner is aware of the warden's presence; he is also aware of his own ability to see that person, who could be anywhere, at any time, ready to dispense his awful power. Hence, the prisoner will police himself; he internalizes this (hidden, yet so very palpable) panoptic power. He will "behave" even in the (visual, physical) absence of those who imprison him.

This transition—from pre-modern to modern, from spectacle to panopticon—is linked to, and necessitated by, the emergence of nation-states. In pre-modern times, entire populations were, in Foucault's terms, illegible; their lives, deaths, and activities were quite unknown to ruling elites, who had no need of such information. Of what interest would the health of a peasant be to a (divine) French King, safe in his opulent, well-guarded castle?

All of this would change with the rise of nation-states, which, by definition, require bureaucracy, order, and (well-kept, in-depth) knowledge. Let's take, for example, a budding nation-state whose wars demand a standing army. In order to consolidate such a group, government officials, bureaucrats, and military generals would have to know the following: 

1) The total number of young, healthy men in the country

2) The total number of generals, or otherwise experienced men, available to train these new recruits

3) The availability of weapons, and machines with which to build them

4) The cost of such weapons

5) The nation-state's capacity to build such weapons (in factories, and so on)

6) The amount of skilled workers needed to run these factories

7) The type, and scale, of education needed to train these workers

These figures, if collected, would constitute only a tiny fraction of the information needed to create and maintain a standing army, much less engage in trade or diplomacy with other nation-states. We see that, in order for a nation-state to thrive, or even exist, it must collect information; it must render all of its assets, human and non-human alike, legible and ready for use.

Thus, modern governments collect and store data in the form of birth, death, and public health records; they also build schools, hospitals, prisons, all of which constitute, for Foucault, the "panoptic society" in which citizens police themselves. Gone are the days of the public torture-spectacle; they have been replaced by the hidden, palpable, and nearly omnipotent power of the panoptic society.

Foucault's notion of the panopticon is incredibly powerful in the sense that it shows how modes of punishment and power can change in response to broader social transitions (that is, the transition from pre-modern to modern, from secluded village to bustling city). It also helps us conceive of how power is distributed throughout society, and how individual people respond to (and internalize) that power.

Critics, however, have pointed out that Foucault's discussion of the panoptic society does not explain how, and why, that society often fails to subjugate its citizens. There are always rebels, criminals, and countless other people who challenge the status quo, and who even succeed in toppling institutions. Clearly, the panopticon is not as all-seeing as it—or Foucault—believes.

What is a summary of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley?

Frankenstein is the story of two men's, Victor Frankenstein's and Captain Robert Walton's, pursuit of fame and greatness. Frankenstein tells his story to Walton, looking back on the past events that have led to his present situation.

As a young man, Frankenstein longs to render humankind invulnerable to death by disease, but he also hopes to win the gratitude of the world for doing so. Victor's early education is sparse, as he is allowed to choose subjects for himself, and when he goes to university, he befriends a professor who inspires him to study biology. Victor creates a very large human being out of parts from dead people that he steals from fresh graves and morgues. He means it to be beautiful, but instead it is hideous, and he abandons it immediately after its "birth." The creature grows up, hated and alone, and eventually returns to take his revenge on Victor, telling Victor the long story of the two years in which he's been alive. He kills Victor's brother and frames a family friend for the murder, and then kills Victor's best friend and his wife because he is so miserable and alone, a life for which he blames Victor. The novel ends just after Victor's death, the result of having vowed revenge on the creature and chasing him through the Arctic. The creature then mourns his lost creator and all the evils he has committed in order to exact revenge on that creator, and he promises Walton that he will kill himself and burn his body so that no one can find him and try to create a being like him.

Walton hopes to discover the secrets of the compass and find a northwest passage, and so he undertakes a difficult journey to the Arctic—a voyage on which he nearly dies. He finds Victor on the ice one day and picks him up, and this is how he learns Victor's story. Walton has longed for a friend, and he believes he's found one in Victor. However, in the end, Victor dies because he has been so weakened by his experiences. Walton's crew longs to return home for their own safety, and though he does not want to, he agrees to do so because he cannot take their lives into his hands when they are unwilling that he should. Walton, at least, learns from Victor's experiences.

What do people in town generally think of Miss Strangeworth?

Miss Strangeworth is proud of the fact that, in her seventy-one years of life, she has never been outside of this town for more than one day. She knows everyone in town and it follows that most people know her. When she goes to the store, many people stop to say hello: 

When she came into the grocery, half a dozen people turned away from the shelves and counters to wave at her or call out good morning. 

Outwardly, Miss Strangeworth is very polite and amiable with those she encounters. To everyone else, she is a nice, old woman who has been living in town for nearly a century. She exchanges pleasantries with Mr. Lewis and Mrs. Harper. It is only in her own mind that she expresses criticism of other people. Miss Strangeworth tells Helen Crane not to worry about her baby, but she will later compose a letter criticizing the Crane's for even having a baby. She writes anonymous letters criticizing all of these people. Given that she is always friendly and pleasant in person, no one in town suspects that she might be the one writing these letters. It is not until she drops a letter and the Harris boy delivers it to Don Crane that anyone in town knows that she is behind these letters. Miss Strangeworth looks for the "possibility of evil" in others. But when the Cranes discover she is the author of the letters, they finally discover the possibility of evil in her. 

In Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 Scene 2, Romeo compares Juliet to a bright angel. What are the connotations of this?

Romeo's adoring and unrealistic metaphor, which is a part of the beautiful light/dark imagery of the play, connotes his romantic and unrealistic concepts of love and life.

When Romeo sees Juliet in Act I, Scene 5, he is so stunned by her beauty that he reacts emotionally, rather than rationally. Feeling that he must speak to her, although he knows he is in the home of his family's enemies, Romeo rushes up to her, wishing to kiss her immediately. Then, still filled with his overwhelming infatuation, he risks his very life to climb over the orchard wall to stand beneath her balcony.

As he stands waiting for her to come out, Romeo speaks dreamily, never contemplating the danger or the consequences of his infatuation with Juliet. He simply delights in being in love with a beautiful girl, whom he elevates to the ethereal regions, calling her an angel;

Oh, speak again, bright angel! For thou art
As glorious to this night o'er my head,
As is a winged messenger of Heaven
Unto the white -upturned wondering eyes
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him... (2.1.26-30)

Then, later on in this evening, Romeo calls her "dear saint." Truly, Romeo is in love with the lovely, romantic image of Juliet that he has created. He does not consider the reality of this love and the situation that it places him in.

`xy = 1, x = 0, y = 1, y = 3` Use the method of cylindrical shells to find the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the region bounded by...

The shell has the radius y, the cricumference is `2pi*y` and the height is `1/y` , hence, the volume can be evaluated, using the method of cylindrical shells, such that:

`V = 2pi*int_1^3 y*(1/y) dy`

Reducing like terms yields:

`V = 2pi*int_1^3 dy`

`V = 2pi*y|_1^3`

`V = 2pi*(3-1)`

`V = 4pi`

Hence, evaluating the volume, using the method of cylindrical shells, yields `V = 4pi.`

In the book Hoot, what do Roy, Dana, and Beatrice have in common?

I had to read the question over a couple of times to make sure that Dana Matherson was actually included in the character comparison. It is fairly easy to compare the similarities between Roy and Beatrice, but adding in Dana makes it a bit tougher. The difficulty with Dana is that he is the story's antagonist, and he is a caricature of a school bully. He's overweight, aggressive, and dumb as a post.  

Beatrice and Roy do happen to share one of those characteristics. All three characters are aggressive. All three characters will not back down from a challenge. Roy attempts to find Mullet Fingers with a single-minded focus, and then later, in his attempts to save the owls, he is unwilling to give up. Beatrice is even nicknamed "The Bear" because of how rough and tough she can be. She is that way as a result of her rough home life.  

I would also claim that all three characters are somewhat of loners. Roy starts out this way right from the start of the story. He does make friends as the story progresses, but I would never call him a character that could be popular enough to win homecoming king. Beatrice is a self-inflicted loner, because her home life has hardened her, and her focus is always on making sure her brother is safe. Lastly, Dana, too, is a loner, because he is the school bully. He is not Mr. Popular. In fact, most people avoid Dana, because they don't want to get caught in his crosshairs.

When was "A Rose for Emily" published?

"A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner was first published in 1930 in an issue of The Forum, a literary magazine. It has since been published in numerous collections, and is used for many high school English courses. It is a great tale of people ignoring many, many danger signs of what has been going on in the house of Emily Grierson. She is the last remaining member of a family held in high regard in her Southern town. Emily did not acknowledge her father's death for three days. She had been very sheltered by him; she was not allowed to date, even though at the time she was thirty years old. After her father's death she is attracted to a Northern man traveling through town, who informs his friends that he is not the marrying kind. Emily buys a silver toiletry set, which is assumed to be an engagement present for Homer, the man she loves. She also buys enough arsenic to kill an elephant. Her house presently begins to emit a horrible smell, but rather than actually investigate a possible death, the aldermen spread lime around the front yard. Forty years later Emily dies. Homer's skeleton is found in a bed in her house, with one of Emily's "iron-gray" hairs on the next pillow. She has apparently been sleeping next to the decomposing corpse of the man who rejected her until her death, as the gray color of the hair indicates.

Why would King Claudius want to believe Polonius's version as the cause of Hamlet's disturbing behavior?

Polonius attributes Hamlet's erratic behavior to Hamlet's love for Ophelia, Polonius's daughter. Polonius says Ophelia has confided in him that Hamlet is in love with her. Because Claudius murdered Hamlet's father, he worries that Hamlet's strange behavior means Hamlet has heard a rumor that his father died an unnatural death. Claudius knows that if Hamlet discovers the murder, he will be honor-bound to avenge his father's death by killing Claudius.

Claudius, naturally, would be greatly relieved if Hamlet's stange behavior could be traced to being in love. He could then rest easy, knowing that Hamlet's bizarre actions had nothing to do with his father's murder but rather were the course of normal lovesickness. This is not the case, but Polonius is doing his best to try to find the reason for Hamlet's "madness,"  and Claudius would be happy for his solution to be true.

What effect does it have on the reader if Lady Macbeth is depicted as evil?

One of Shakespeare's primary purposes in depicting Lady Macbeth as evil and malicious is to motivate the reader to have sympathy and understanding for the plight of Macbeth.  As Macbeth evolves as a character, there are two primary forces that usher him towards the evil deeds that he commits.  First, the three weird sisters plant prophecies that lure Macbeth towards his evil ways and then Lady Macbeth serves as a cunning and manipulative force in forcing Macbeth into his eventual evildoing.  For the reader, it is evident that Macbeth is coerced by Lady Macbeth and tricked by the weird sisters, which in part absolves him of the guilt that he eventually acquires from committing many murders throughout the play.  Moreover, these acts fuel Macbeth into madness and he loses all self-control and rationality, leading to his eventual ruin.  It is in seeing that these forces push Macbeth to his eventual demise that Shakespeare creates a tragic character in Macbeth.  Without these outside sinister forces the reader would not be able to see Macbeth in a tragic light and feel sadness at his downfall.  

What are the physical features of the USA?

The United States has many physical features. We have several mountain ranges. These include the Rocky Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the Cascade Mountains. We have several major rivers. These include the Mississippi River, the Ohio River, the Missouri River, the Colorado River, and Rio Grande River. We have many lakes, including the five major Great Lakes. These include Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Lake Ontario. Three oceans border the United States. These are the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean. We also have the Great Plains and the Mojave Desert. Finally, we have canyons, such as the Grand Canyon, bays, such as Green Bay and Tampa Bay, and peninsulas, such as the Florida Peninsula.

Physical features are important because the may affect travel, climate, and economic factors such as the jobs people do. They may also serve as a form of defense. Being surrounded by two oceans has made it more difficult to invade the United States. Physical features are important and can’t be ignored.

In what chapter does Cecil Jacobs jump out of the dark and scare Jem and Scout?

Cecil Jacobs jumps out and scares Scout on Halloween night in Chapter 28.

Cecil Jacobs is a neighbor of Scout and Jem.  He is sort of a friend of theirs, because they live on the same street and are around the same age.

Cecil Jacobs, who lived at the far end of our street next door to the post office, walked a total of one mile per school day to avoid the Radley Place and old Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose. (Ch. 4)

Scout and Cecil sometimes fight.  She wallops him in the schoolyard one day because he made an announcement to all of the kids at school that her father “defended niggers.”  Scout does not really understand what the big deal is, but she knows it’s an insult.

For the Maycomb County pageant on Halloween, Cecil Jacobs is dressed as a cow and Scout is a ham.  The purpose of the pageant is to showcase the agricultural wealth of Maycomb County.  That night, Cecil rides to the school with his parents and then comes out in the dark to find Scout and Jem.

A circle of light burst in our faces, and Cecil Jacobs jumped in glee behind it. “Haa-a, gotcha!” he shrieked. “Thought you’d be comin‘ along this way!”

“What are you doin‘ way out here by yourself, boy? Ain’t you scared of Boo Radley?” (Ch. 28)

The children are not afraid of Boo Radley at this point.  He is their friend, and they have had a few clandestine communications like notes on Boo's porch, gifts left in a tree and a blanket on Scout's shoulders.

Because of this incident, when the children hear someone following them later they assume it is Cecil trying to scare them.  It is actually Bob Ewell trying to kill them.  Boo Radley sees what is going on and comes out to rescue them, killing Bob Ewell.  Jem gets his arm broken in the struggle, but Scout comes out relatively unharmed.  Boo goes back to their house with them, and Scout gets to walk him home later.

What character would a Golgi body play the part of in a mall? (cell analogy)

Cell analogy questions require us to compare the cell with a system or process in physical world. We can compare a cell to a school, supermarket, mall, etc. An easy way to do that is to consider the role played by a cell organelle and then see who or what plays a similar role in the analogy. 

The Golgi body has the function of modifying, sorting and packaging proteins. This is something akin to a post office. If we consider a mall, a similar function is played by a storeroom. The storeroom receives materials, sorts and packages them and then sends them to various departments as per their needs. Thus, a storeroom in a mall is analogous to the Golgi body in cells.

Hope this helps. 

How did Frederick Douglass help end slavery?

“This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn...”  --Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass, who was born a slave and escaped, was a relentless abolitionist. It would be hard to argue that many abolitionists had a greater impact than Douglass. He was a prolific and gifted writer that penned three autobiographies that are very important for history's understanding of life on the plantation. They were important contemporary works in that they popularized the abolitionist movement. Douglass was also the editor of an important newspaper that was heavily involved in ending slavery.

Despite his gift as a writer, Douglass was even better known for his oratory abilities. He gave speeches railing against slavery all around the world. Frederick Douglass was so respected in 19th Century racial politics, that he even had the ear of President Lincoln as an advisor.  

How does love affect Lady Macbeth?

Unlike many marriages among the nobility, who often marry for money or political connections, it does seem as though there is real love between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.  When he writes to her, he calls her "my dearest partner of greatness" and expresses his desire to acquaint her with what the Weird Sisters told him so that she "might'st not lose the dues of rejoicing by being ignorant of what greatness is promised [her]" (1.5.11, 1.5.12-13).  In calling her his "partner," Macbeth signals the equality in their relationship, and in expressing his wish that she feel all the joy of his news as soon as possible, he shows how much he truly does care for her feelings.

When he arrives at their home, he refers to her as "My dearest love," and they have a very familiar exchange (1.5.67).  It is clear that each knows what the other is thinking, and they do not even have to speak their intentions aloud in order to know that the other is on the same page.  When she asks when Duncan will leave their home, Macbeth says, "Tomorrow, as he purposes" (1.5.70).  In other words, Duncan will leave tomorrow -- or so he thinks.  Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are two peas in a ruthless pod.  She tells him, "Leave all the rest to me," assuring him that she will take care of the entire plan (1.5.86).

Their love seems to affect her insofar that it makes her want to take care of him.  She is concerned that he is too gentle and compassionate to find the quickest way to the throne, and so she nudges him to do whatever is necessary for their mutual success.  It is difficult to determine how much of this can be imputed to her desire for power or to her desire to see him in power.  In a twisted way, however, she wants power and she wants it with Macbeth, and it is only after he begins to make plans without her (such as arranging for the murders of Banquo and Fleance as well as the Macduff family) that she seems to give in to her guilt.  After the banquet scene, we no longer see this once-happy couple together; we only find out her response to the murders of the Macduff family when she sleepwalks.  Her love for Macbeth essentially leads her to create a monster she can no longer control, and she ends up killing herself as a result of it.

In Amy Tan's short story "Two Kinds," what sacrifice does the mother make for her daughter?

In Amy Tan's short story "Two Kinds," the mother makes many sacrifices for her daughter, the protagonist in the story. The mother has come to San Francisco from China, where she lost all of her family, and she tries to teach her daughter that she can be anything she wants to be. The mother has sacrificed her own life, while contending with painful memories of her dead children in China, to try to make her daughter's life great.

The mother does not make much money cleaning houses, but she is able to gather magazines from the houses she cleans to find stories of amazing children to motivate her daughter to achieve greatness. Later, the mother is convinced her daughter can be a musical prodigy, and she manages to have her daughter take piano lessons, even though she has no money. Tan writes, "She had talked to Mr. Chong, who lived on the first floor of our apartment building. Mr. Chong was a retired piano teacher, and my mother had traded housecleaning services for weekly lessons and a piano for me to practice on every day, two hours a day, from four until six." The mother works hard to provide music lessons to her daughter. 

The daughter is worried that her mother wants her to be a genius, but the mother responds, "'Who ask you to be genius?...Only ask you be your best. For you sake.'” The mother wants her daughter to work as hard as she can--something the daughter has a hard time doing. After the daughter does badly at a recital after failing to practice her piece, the mother wants the daughter to continue to practice piano. However, the daughter refuses, and that's the end of her lessons. It's only many years later, after the daughter inherits the piano from her parents, that she realizes that she has cheated herself by not working hard enough and that what her mother wanted was only hard work, not perfection. 

How did the Industrial Revolution affect immigration and the economy?

The Industrial Revolution affected immigration and the economy. When the Industrial Revolution began, our economy experienced growth. More products were being produced at a faster rate by the factories than were being produced when the products were made by hand. As more products were produced, more workers were needed. Some people moved from the countryside to the cities to get jobs in the factories. Other people came to the United States to work.

There were stories throughout Europe how the United States was a land of opportunity. Many Europeans were struggling economically and decided to come to the United States in pursuit of a better life economically, as well as politically and religiously. Since there were plenty of jobs available in the factories, many immigrants began to work there. Unfortunately, many immigrants didn’t see significant improvement economically because of the low pay. However, they did experience religious and political freedom. The increasing immigration to the United States also helped the economy grow. The immigrants not only provided the labor to do the work, they also bought products that were being manufactured. Thus, the Industrial Revolution helped both the economy and immigration to the United States grow.

How should businesses with inelastic demand decide the price of their product?

Demand elasticity is the measure of how much the quantity of a good will be demanded for a price change. If demand is inelastic, the quantity demanded will not drop very significantly with an increase in price. If the demand is perfectly inelastic, consumers will demand the same quantity, regardless of price. For this reason, businesses that produce a product with an inelastic demand tend to charge higher prices.

That being said, the business is still restricted by its supply curve. For this reason, even with a perfectly inelastic good a business cannot set prices at will. Once the market has been saturated, the consumer will not buy more of the product. For this reason, the price of the product is still determined by the intersection of the supply and demand curves, regardless of elasticity.

Explain what a mixed economy is.

The majority of the economies in the world should be considered a mixed economy. The mixed economy blends elements of a market model with characteristics of a command economy. It is an amalgamation of capitalism and socialism. The mixed economy affords private citizens the right to own private property and enterprise but attempts to control resources through regulation policies of some variety.

There are a number of ways that government can intervene on the private sector in a mixed economy. It may try to redistribute wealth by taxation policies aimed at corporations or entrepreneurs. Governments may heavily regulate industries that it views as essential for the public good. These industries are often associated with utilities or transportation.

In the United States, there are a number of government agencies that intervene in the capitalist system. Their intervention has been determined to protect the welfare of its citizens. The Department of Commerce, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Environmental Protection Agency are just three of many examples of government regulation of the American economy.

21. If an object’s speed is doubled, how does its Kinetic Energy change?

Hello!

For an object with a mass `m` and a speed `V` its kinetic energy is defined as

`E_k=m V^2/2.`

So if a speed is doubled, `V_1=2V,` and a mass remains unchanged, then

`(E_k)_1=m (V_1)^2/2 = m (2V)^2/2=4*(m V^2/2)=4E_k.`

Thus the kinetic energy will be quadrupled (4 times greater than the original).

In The Great Gatsby, what do you know about Gatsby's job?

It's important to note that Nick Carraway, our omniscient (and somewhat unreliable) narrator throughout this novel, is never explicit about what Gatsby did. It's because he didn't really know either. We're led to think, through certain context clues, that Gatsby made his fortune in bootlegging and Wall Street speculation. Both pursuits were common ways of acquiring wealth in the 1920s. 

The bootlegging is brought up by Tom Buchanan, Gatsby's husband and rival for Daisy's affections. Buchanan also works well in the story as an example of "old money," in contrast to Gatsby -- an upstart from a simple, modest background.

Buchanan reveals that Gatsby did business with a guy named Meyer Wolfsheim. He says that they ran "'drug-stores' here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter." The name "Meyer Wolfsheim" has a number of connotations: "wolf" suggests someone predatory; and "Meyer" is a reference to the associate's Jewish heritage. Bootlegging was considered a dishonorable way to make a fortune (though we know now that many prominent people became wealthy doing it). Also, upper-class white Americans did not generally associate with Jews in the 1920s. All of this is revealed to highlight Gatsby's status as an outsider, despite his immense wealth. Buchanan, during his exposure of Gatsby, refers to him as a "swindler."

In the novel, much of Gatsby's life and career remain unclear. Nick Carraway does not begin to learn much of the truth about him, including Gatsby's claims of being an Oxford alum, until the end of the novel when Gatsby's father, Mr. Gatz, comes to claim his son. 

What is the function of the right auricle? This is a question for grade 8.

When using the term auricle in terms of biology, there are two possible things you could be talking about.  One is the external portion of the human ear, and the other is a part of the heart.  Since you are specifically are talking about the right auricle, that leads me to believe that you must be referring to the heart since it has four different basic chambers.

The right auricle is really an older term for the right atrium.  As I stated earlier, the human heat has four basic chambers, the left and right atria and the left and right ventricles.  The atria (plural for atrium) are the top two chambers of the heart and the ventricles are the lower two chambers of the heart.  The right atrium (auricle) is the chamber where incoming blood from the major vein of the circulatory system (vena cava) brings deoxygenated blood into the heart.  The right atrium (auricle) receives the blood and pushes it into the the right ventricle, which then transports the blood to the lungs for oxygenation.  The freshly oxygenated blood then is pumped through the left side of the heart (atrium and ventricle) before it re-enters the circulatory system to bring oxygen to the rest of the body.

Who was Adolf Hitler?

“The best way to take control over a people and control them utterly is to take a little of their freedom at a time, to erode rights by a thousand tiny and almost imperceptible reductions. In this way, the people will not see those rights and freedoms being removed until past the point at which these changes cannot be reversed.”
― Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) is one of the most reviled figures in the history of mankind.  He is routinely mentioned with the likes of Genghis Khan and King Leopold as the greatest practitioners of death in all of recorded history.  As dictator of Germany, he was the antagonist of World War II, the deadliest conflict ever conceived.  Hitler rose through the ranks of German politics as a member and leader of the Nazi Party.  He exploited the desperate economic and political situation of Germany to acquire absolute power in the state.  He railed against the unfair treatment Germany received at the end of the Great War (Treaty of Versailles).  His two major goals were to restore Germany to greatest in the world while destroying the Jewish "influence" in Europe.  His program to exterminate the Jews is one of the most disgusting acts of genocide committed during the Twentieth Century.  It is estimated that Hitler was responsible for over eleven million noncombatant deaths.  

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, what lesson can be learned from Amir's change throughout the novel?

There are many lessons to be learned from Hosseini's The Kite Runner. Perhaps the most powerful one is that we can overcome the scars and shortcomings of our upbringing to become good and happy people.  As the book opens, Amir is in a conversation with his old family friend, Rahim Khan, who offers him an opportunity to be a better person, to redeem himself from his wrongdoings.  Beginning the book this way, the author is probably letting us know what is to him the book's most important lesson.

Amir's childhood, in spite of his being raised in the lap of luxury, is far from idyllic in many ways. He lives in a culture in which there is a great deal of ethnic and religious prejudice, which affects his relationship with Hassan, who is a Shi'a Hazara, allowing Amir to consider Hassan and his father Ali beneath him. Amir has qualities and talents that his father, Baba, does not appreciate or value, a gift for storytelling and writing and a love of reading.  In fact, Baba considers Amir to be unmanly, which is apparent when Baba sits him down for a talk about sin and says, "I mean to speak to you man to man. Do you think you can handle that for once?" (17). Amir's relationship with Baba has undercurrents that cause Amir to be envious and even cowardly, as he senses some competition with Hassan for Baba's attention and affection.  He is unaware for many years that Hassan is Baba's son, too.  Amir's actions cause harm to Hassan and Ali that is irrevocable, and he carries the weight of guilt for them.  Added to this is having to flee to America, leaving a life of comfort and wealth behind to be lowly immigrants in a new and alien culture.  Amir's start in life is not the easiest.

In the new world, though, he begins to grow as a person, gaining a new appreciation for Baba and earning his respect.  He learns to navigate America, gains the courage to court Soraya, begins his writing career, and helps his father.  When he gets the call from Rahim Kahn, offering him "a way to be good again" (2), he has grown enough as a person to heed the call.  His mission in Afghanistan is to rescue Sohrab, the offspring of Hassan, who is now gone, from the hands of his old nemesis, Assef. He must overcome the resentments of his childhood, the scars of feeling himself to be an unloved child, and the cowardice and prejudices that had made him such a poor friend to Hassan.  In short, he is becoming a mature young man who now has the inner resources to vanquish the enemies within and without. 

That Amir is successful in his mission is a testament to the idea that we can get over our own childhoods and take responsibility as the people we want to be.  The playing field is seldom completely even as we begin our lives, but it is up to us to make the best that we can of what we are given. 

Why did colonists want to break away from Great Britain?

There were several reasons why the colonists wanted to break away from Great Britain. One reason is that the colonists believed that the British were violating their rights by requiring the colonists to pay the taxes created by the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts. The colonists believed that they should have had representatives in Parliament that could speak about and vote on the proposed taxes. Since they didn’t have representatives in Parliament, they felt their rights were being violated.

Another cause is that the colonists believed that the British were trying to control them. When the British passed the Proclamation of 1763, the colonists believed the British were trying to prevent them from getting the land that the British had received from France as a result of the French and Indian War. When the British passed the Quartering Act, which required the colonists to provide housing for the troops enforcing this unpopular law, they were even more upset. The colonists were also unhappy with the Tea Act. This law gave the British East India Company a monopoly on the trade of tea.

When events turned violent in the 1770s, more colonists began to think they needed to be free from British rule. In the Boston Massacre, five colonists were killed when British soldiers fired into a crowd of protesters. After the Boston Tea Party, the British passed the Intolerable Acts. These laws punished the colonists, especially those in Massachusetts, for the Boston Tea Party. After fighting occurred at Lexington and at Concord in April 1775, it appeared only a matter of time before the colonists would declare their independence from Great Britain.

Who were the Beni in Charles mann's book, 1491?

Actually, the better question is "Where was Beni?"  It is a flatland area between Brazil and Bolivia, and it serves as part of the thesis of the book 1491,where Mann writes that the native groups who lived in the Americas did not live in a Garden of Eden; rather, they exerted change on their environments by cutting trees, selectively burning the savanna, and trapping fish.  Also, all of this happened thousands of years ago and may even pre-date the Bering Land bridge that attempted to explain how all native groups started from a band of Asiatic nomads.  Mann attempts to explain the mounds of Beni not as happenstance or religious but as elevated platforms that allowed the people of the area to grow trees and crops.  He also states that there was a commerce that went from the region to other parts of Central and South America.  This new work in native anthropology is a growing field in history that attempts to modify it from its European-centric narrative.  

In what ways did Lincoln violate the constitution when in office?

It is contended by some historians that Abraham Lincoln violated the Constitution of the United States in a number of ways while he was in office. Among these violations are the following: 

• The right of secession

The founding fathers, especially Thomas Jefferson, recognized the states' right to secede. While he did not advocate the exercise of this right, Jefferson did recognize that the right to secede remained with the states.

This was a right that continued throughout the initial drafts of the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

But, Lincoln did not recognize the Constitutional right of the Southern states to secede.

• The right to declare war

The right to declare war rests with the Congress; however, President Lincoln ordered the military blockade of the ports that belonged to the South. This was an act of war, but Congress had not approved of it. (Interestingly, 75% of the tariffs paid to the Federal government by ports in the U.S. were paid by the Southern ports.)

Some historians contend that President Lincoln also committed treason since he declared war on his own country since he did not recognize the South's secession and did not recognize the Confederacy as a sovereign state. 

• Suspension of writ of habeus corpus
  

A state legislator from Maryland, John Merryman, was arrested for his attempts to prevent Union troops from passing from Baltimore to Washington at the time of the Civil War. After this, Merryman's attorney sought a writ of Habeus Corpus, hoping that a federal judge would examine the charges. But, President Lincoln suspended the right of Habeas Corpus, and the commanding officer of Fort McHenry would not turn Merryman over to authorities. This is another violation of the Constitution.

• Suspension of civil liberties

Lincoln ordered several Northern newspapers shut down that wrote against him, and he had several city officials of Baltimore arrested.

He ordered the arrest of Chief Justice Roger Taney after he ruled that Lincoln had violated the Constitution after he had illegally suspended the Writ of Habeus Corpus. 

`tan u = 3/5, 0

Given `tan(u)=3/5, 0<u<pi/2`

Angle u is in quadrant 1. A right triangle can be drawn is quadrant 1. Since 

`tan(u)=3/5` , the side opposite angle u is 3 and the side adjacent to angle u is 5. Using the pythagorean theorem the hypotenuse of the triangle is `sqrt34.`

`sin(2u)=2sin(u)cos(u)=2(3/sqrt34)(5/sqrt34)=30/34=15/17`

`cos(2u)=1-2sin^2(u)=1-2(3/sqrt34)^2=1-18/34=34/34-18/34=16/34=8/17`

`tan(2u)=(2tan(u))/(1-tan^2(u))=(2(3/5))/(1-(3/5)^2)=(6/5)/(1-9/25)=(6/5)/(25/25-9/25)=(6/5)/(16/25)=15/8` 

Analyze how the United States began to modernize and how many Americans clung to traditional values in the 1920's?

The 1920's was a dynamic time in American culture.  It was a time of great social change as women exerted their political and social rights and finally exercised their right to vote.  African-Americans also pursued economic and political opportunities and created organizations like the NAACP and UNIA to protect and pursue their interests.  Technological innovations made the country smaller as more and more Americans could afford to purchase an automobile and air travel was a reality.  The Twenties was also the birth of the radio age as the first station, KDKA, made the airways.  The 1920's also saw the rise of the consumer economy as household technologies like the washing machine and refrigerator became more available and made household chores easier.  Despite the rapid nature of change evident in the 1920's many Americans resisted.

The 1920's can also be considered a decade of resistance to change.  There was a fierce wave of nativism and xenophobia that saw the Ku Klux Klan become more popular than ever.  The movement was aimed at slowing down the flow of new immigrants from south and east Europe.  The Prohibition Amendment, which outlawed the manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcohol, was another attempt to cling to traditional American values.  The most popular trial of the decade dealt with the issue of teaching evolution in America's schools.  While the Scopes Trial did not decide this issue, it did point to a major conflict that existed between traditionalists and modernists in the 1920's

How has Macbeth murdered sleep in act 2 of Macbeth?

In Act 2 of Macbeth, Macbeth recounts his act in murdering Duncan and explains: 

Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more!/Macbeth does murder sleep”—the innocent sleep,/ Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care,/ The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath,/ Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,/ Chief nourisher in life’s feast.

In this quotation we can take sleep to mean two things.  First, the act of committing murder is ultimately putting someone to sleep permanently.  Here sleep is portrayed as "innocent," a "cleave of care," and a "bath" as well as a "balm."  All of these things highlight the nourishing and healing powers of sleep, which Macbeth has ultimately corrupted for his own purposing in committing murder.  In this way, Macbeth has robbed Duncan of this healing power by murdering him in his sleep.  Moreover, Macbeth continues in the act saying: 

Still it cried “Sleep no more!” to all the house. “Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more.”

In this instance, Macbeth is exclaiming that all of his territories and all of those in his house will sleep no more.  And ultimately he will not be able to sleep any longer.  In this sense of the term we see that Macbeth will "lose sleep" over the heinous act that he has committed. In this way, Macbeth has murdered his own sleep because he will never be able to rest given the terrible things that he has done and the resulting remorse that he feels. Given these two quotations taken together, Macbeth has murdered sleep because one cannot rest in his presence (given that he is a dangerous person) and Macbeth will not be able to sleep given the remorse and guilt that he feels from the murder that he has committed.   

How did the colonists respond to the Proclamation Act of 1763?

After the French and Indian War ended, Great Britain received a lot of land from France. The colonists were excited when they heard the British received most of France’s land east of the Mississippi River.

However, the colonists were very upset when the British passed the Proclamation of 1763. This law prevented the colonists from moving into the land west of the Appalachian Mountains. The British were concerned that the Native Americans would attack the colonists who might try to settle in this region. Most Native Americans had sided with the French in the French and Indian War, and they were very concerned that the British were getting this land. The colonists, however, believed the British were trying to restrict their freedom by passing this law. Owning land was very important to the colonists.

The colonists were upset with the Proclamation of 1763, and some colonists took action to protest this law. Some colonists refused to follow the law and moved to this area. The colonists were further upset when Great Britain passed the Quartering Act that required the colonists to provide housing for the British soldiers who were enforcing the Proclamation of 1763. The Proclamation of 1763 made the colonists unhappy.

What is the time and historical period of "The Interlopers"?

The Interlopers is a story by Hector Hugh Munro (Saki).  It was part of a collection of short stories (The Toys of Peace, and Other Papers ) that was published in 1919 after Saki's death.  While the physical setting of the story is indicated, the time period is not.  

There are several clues that enable us to speculate that the time period of the book is the early Twentieth Century. First, the fact that both characters have rifles is an indication.  Also, most of the short stories in the collection are set in pre-war Europe.  A third hint about the time period is the fact that we do know that the author lived between 1870 to 1916.  

This time period was before the Great War.  It was a period of industrialism and militarism in Europe.  England was the most powerful industrial power, but Germany was also moving in that direction.  Many of the European countries had acquired empires in Africa and Asia.  The historical period is referred to as the Industrial Age or the Age of Oil.  

How is an ecosystem related to biodiversity?

An ecosystem is a number of living organisms which interact with one another and with the non-living components of their environment. Large ecosystems can be divided into smaller ecosystems. For example, the marine ecosystem is composed of a variety of smaller ecosystems, including coral reef ecosystems and coastal ecosystems. 

Biodiversity is used to describe the variety of life present within an ecosystem. Two similar locations may have very different degrees of biodiversity, even within the same ecosystem. For example, we might investigate two sections of the same stream and catalog the number and type of organisms present. If one section were significantly less biodiverse than another, we would wonder why, and perhaps look for sources of pollution or other factors to explain the loss of life.

Is matter transformed or used up in cellular respiration?

The law of conservation of matter states that matter can never be created nor destroyed on Earth. Therefore, matter is not used up in cellular respiration. Rather, the matter of the reactants of cellular respiration are transformed into the matter of the products of the reaction. During cellular respiration, one glucose and six oxygen gas molecules produce six water compounds, six carbon dioxide compounds, and energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). During cellular respiration, the bonds of the reactants are broken and rearranged to form the reactants. In this way, both the products and reactants of cellular respiration consist of six carbon atoms, twelve hydrogen atoms, and eighteen oxygen atoms.

Similarly, the law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. 

What are examples of verbal irony in Of Mice and Men?

Verbal irony occurs when a person says one thing but really means something different. There are several examples of verbal irony in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. In chapter one Lennie insists that he can go live in a cave when George becomes angry about the dead mouse Lennie has been carrying. George eventually apologizes to him, but at the close of the chapter Lennie repeats his threat:

"’Cause I can jus’ as well go away, George, an’ live in a cave.” 

“You can jus’ as well go to hell,” said George. “Shut up now.”

George is being ironic in that he doesn't really mean that Lennie should go to hell. George has made it clear that he wants Lennie to continue to travel with him.

In chapter two George has to lie to the boss by saying Lennie is his cousin when the boss suggests that George is taking Lennie's pay. After the boss leaves, George tells Lennie,

“Well, that was a lie. An’ I’m damn glad it was. If I was a relative of yours I’d shoot myself.” 

Again, George does not really mean he would shoot himself. He's being derisively ironic toward the fact that Lennie is mentally challenged and often says and does things which are inappropriate.

In chapter four Crooks uses verbal irony when he tells Lennie that he doesn't want the big man to come into his room. In reality, Crooks is awfully lonely and welcomes the company. He tells Lennie,

“Long as you won’t get out and leave me alone, you might as well set down.” 

A little later, Crooks is again ironic when Candy comments that it must be nice to have a room of his own. Crooks has a private room only because he is black and thus segregated from the white men who live in the bunkhouse. He tells Candy:

“Sure,” said Crooks. “And a manure pile under the window. Sure, it’s swell.” 

He doesn't really mean it's "swell," and by referring to the manure pile he's saying that it isn't that wonderful to have his own room.

In the same chapter, Curley's wife joins Crooks, Lennie and Candy. As usual, she is looking for Curley who has apparently gone into Soledad, presumably to a whorehouse. When the men tell her she shouldn't be around them she becomes angry and, referring to Curley, says,

“Sure I gotta husban’. You all seen him. Swell guy, ain’t he? Spends all his time sayin’ what he’s gonna do to guys he don’t like, and he don’t like nobody."

She also doesn't mean the word "swell." She strongly suggests in this chapter and the next that she is not happy being with Curley and that he isn't very nice to her.

While she's talking to the men, she questions Lennie about the bruises on his face. She is curious because Curley has his arm in a sling. Lennie, embarrassed and afraid to admit what happened, is silent as Candy tells her,

“Why . . . . Curley . . . . he got his han’ caught in a machine, ma’am. Bust his han’.” 

The machine in question was not a machine at all, but Lennie, who crushed Curley's hand in the bunkhouse fight. The men are trying to keep the fight a secret so that George and Lennie won't get "canned" from the ranch.

How would you describe Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol"?

Scrooge is a complex character.  While he is a moody pennypincher in the beginning of the story, he grows and evolves as he confronts the past that made him the way he is, and the people whose lives he affects.

The description of Scrooge in Stave One is not endearing.

Oh! but he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. (Stave One)

He demonstrates the accuracy of this reputation by refusing to give Bob Cratchit enough coal to keep him warm, haranguing the men who ask him to donate to charity, refusing Fred’s dinner invitation and scolding him about marrying for love, and complaining about giving Cratchit Christmas Day off.

Yet despite this, when the ghost of Jacob Marley visits we learn that he cared enough about his former partner, and friend, to not only watch after him as a ghost but arrange for him to reflect on his lifestyle.  As Scrooge visits with the ghosts, he changes.  He has a chance to look at himself outside of himself, and realizes that he doesn’t have to be the grumpy old miser he has become.

This transformation begins when Scrooge visits himself as a young boy and as an apprentice.  He sees the life events that have hardened him, and the point at which he made the choice to value money over people.  When his fiancé tells him that he has started to care more about money than about her, his reply seems to etch his future in stone.

“This is the even-handed dealing of the world!” he said. “There is nothing on which it is so hard as poverty; and there is nothing it professes to condemn with such severity as the pursuit of wealth!” (Stave Two)

Yet, seeing this and the other hardships makes Scrooge reflective.  He sees his childhood self and wishes he were nicer to the street urchins who sing Christmas carols for money.  He sees the generosity of his former boss and wishes he were a better boss himself.

The turning point is when Scrooge sees the present, and realizes that he does indeed have people in his life who care about him, for better or for worse. He has just been too isolated and locked up in himself to see it.  Scrooge realizes that he does have a family.  The Cratchits and Fred are always ready to receive him.  Seeing how the poor really live, and people with so much love in their hearts, breaks through his façade and makes him a new man.

Many people vow to change, but Scrooge apparently did.  He became a benefactor to the Cratchits and a part of Fred’s life.  More importantly, he began to look at people as people, and not burdens.  It made his own life much richer.