In "The Birds," what are two rational explanations that Nat offers to explain the birds' behavior?

From the beginning of the story, Nat is baffled by the sudden change in the birds' behaviour and tries to explain it rationally. The first of these is a change in the weather which Nat takes from Mr Trigg. When the birds attack Nat's house for the first time, for example, he reiterates this explanation to his wife:

"It's the weather," repeated Nat, "I tell you, it's the weather."

As the story progresses, Nat becomes convinced the tide is also responsible for their changing behaviour. While observing the "turning tide," for example, Nat notices that there are no birds around. This idea is reinforced after the birds have attacked his house:

Then he remembered the tide. The tide would be on the turn. Maybe the lull in battle was because of the tide.

For Nat, the tide has some secret power over the birds. It controls their movements, prompts them to attack and then calls them to retreat. Nat is thus convinced that the elements (the weather and the tide) are to blame for the change in the birds' behaviour.

How are imperialized people viewed by the writer in the poem "The White Man's Burden?"

In “The White Man’s Burden,” Rudyard Kipling takes a very negative view of imperialized people. He clearly thinks that they are inferior to white people and have many shortcomings.  Let us look at things he says to describe them in this poem.

In the first stanza, he calls them “fluttered folk and wild” as well as “half-devil and half-child.  This shows us pretty well what he thinks about imperialized people.  They are not quite human, being partly devil. Even to the extent that they are people, they are very immature and uncivilized.  They are “wild,” showing that they are uncivilized in his eyes. They are also “fluttered,” which implies that they are flighty and not very serious or mature. This same idea is conveyed when he says that they are half-child.

In the third stanza, Kipling says that the imperialized people display “sloth and heathen folly.  Sloth is laziness, so he is saying these people do not want to work.  He also says that they are foolish. Finally, in calling them “heathen,” he is using a term that implies that they are not civilized.

In the fifth stanza, Kipling calls the imperialized people “those ye (the British and Americans) better.”  In saying this, he is explicitly saying that the imperialized people are not as good as the white people.  In the rest of the stanza, he says that these are people who prefer to be ignorant, saying that they would rather live in their “loved Egyptian night.”

In all of these ways, Kipling shows that he has a low opinion of the imperialized people.  He thinks that they are lazy, immature, uncivilized, and possibly not fully human.

Is God mentioned in the Constitution or Declaration of Independence? If so, in what ways and for what reason(s)?

God is mentioned a few times in the Declaration of Independence.  The "laws of nature and nature's God" gives Americans the right to independence.  This states that it's not just the Americans who desire independence, but it is the will of a logical God.  Many of the Founders (including Thomas Jefferson) took a Deist approach to God--he did not necessarily love Americans more, but he thought it proper that they should be free.  There is the famous line "men are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights..." and once again, this calls George III's attention to the idea that the rights that the colonists want are God-given.  There is also a passage where Jefferson refers to the "Supreme Judge" of the world to rectify the colonial claims of injustice.  While several of the signers were Deists, religious feeling, especially in the Northeast was strong and the signers of the Declaration thought that by appealing to a higher power then they would not look like annoyed subjects but rather that they had a case for independence.  

The Constitution mentions "in the year of our Lord..." but that is a common thing in many secular documents even today.  There is also the First Amendment to consider where it says that Congress shall make no law respecting religion.  This was written in light of the religious plurality of the new nation, even back then.  Religious wars had long been an issue in Europe, and the Founding Fathers did not want anything close to an American state church or religion.  

Who pretends to be the pig when the boys reenact the hunt? "The Lord of the Flies" chapter 9

Roger had initially pretended to be the pig in Chapter 9- A View To Death. He had pretended to be a boar that charged at Jack and Jack sidestepped.  However, as they began chanting, "Kill the beast! Cut his throat!  Spill his blood!" the excitement became too much for Roger and he ceased to be the pig and became a hunter so that the "center of the ring yawned emptily.”

As the boys continued to chant they needed a pig and Simon who had just encountered a strange character at the end of chapter 8 was involuntarily chosen as the beast and the replacement pig for Roger when he stumbles into their circle.

In Famine Affluence and Morality, Peter Singer argues we need to change our moral conceptual scheme. What are the revisions he feels we need to...

Peter Singer, born in 1946, is an Australian moral philosopher.  His essay Famine, Affluence, and Morality was influenced by the famine in Bangladesh, which hit its apex in 1974.

In essence, he is saying that those who have the ability to save another human being should do so.  His analogy is that of saving a drowning child who is right in front of you.  So, I will continue by referencing that analogy.

One revision of the behavior that was allowing the Bangladesh situation to continue was that of the perception that the people would have to give up something that was rightfully theirs.  If we save that drowning child, then we will get wet and ruin our clothes. This appeared to be an acceptable consequence.  He was suggesting that you give out of your abundance, and not to the point that you or your loved ones starved.  Back to the analogy: Save the child, but do not drown in the process. 

Another revision that was proposed was that each individual who could do something within their means should do so.  If there are other people watching that child, is it acceptable that you all do nothing simply because no one else is jumping in to save her? The only consequence here is that it only takes one person to save the child, yet everyone got wet.  This too is acceptable, because all that matters is saving the child.  

Global outreach was another consideration in changing the way we think. What if that child was NOT right in front of us?  Is our obligation lessened? Do we not need to run to her aid, or alert someone closer to the child's plight?  The results are that we have sacrificed nothing.  We did not leave ourselves, or family, in peril.  However, we were able to save the drowning child.

One more reconsideration would be to assign the duty to the government. There is a lifeguard, that we have paid, who should save this drowning child. Due to mitigating circumstances, their actions are not enough.  We must still do more in order to rescue the unfortunate child.

Finally, we must get past the attitude that our actions will only "put a bandage" on the situation.  Another child will come along and need to be rescued.  It might even be the offspring of the child we just saved.  It appears to be an exercise in futility.  However, allowing the youngster to drown is not acceptable. We are parts of a global human race. As such, we are obligated to do as much as is individually possible—without endangering our own welfare—to see that humanity is sustained humanely.

How was the Assyrian empire governed?

The Assyrian government was a government system that was a combination of monarchy and theocracy. A monarchy is a government system that is led by a king or queen that is hereditary. The Assyrian government was headed by a king.

A theocracy is a government system that is governed by religious officials. The Assyrians believed that their king was an agent that was sent by the chief god Ashur to govern on Earth. The Assyrians take their name from the god Ashur.

The king was the commander of the army, which was very important when considering how militaristic the state was. The Assyrian military was unmatched in the world at the time, which gave the king greater political power than most kings. The king sent military officers to different parts of his military to administer an immense and sophisticated civil bureaucracy.

What is the final outcome in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

The outcome of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird involves Atticus losing the Tom Robinson case, the death of the Bob Ewell, Boo Radley's heroic efforts to save the children, Scout's understanding of Boo Radley, and the completion of her moral development. Harper Lee consolidates several of the themes throughout the novel at the end of To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus loses his case because of the racist Maycomb jury, and the children witness injustice for the first time in their lives. After the trial, Tom Robinson allegedly dies attempting to escape from prison. Bob Ewell, the antagonist, attempts to kill Jem and Scout when they are walking home from a community Haloween festival. Their reclusive neighbor, Boo Radley, saves the children by fighting off Bob Ewell and stabbing him with his own knife. After Boo saves the children, Scout meets him for the first time in Jem's room, and finally realizes he is a caring, friendly neighbor, who happens to be shy. When Atticus asks Scout if she understands why Sheriff Tate won't tell the community about Boo's heroics, Scout says, "Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?" (Lee 370) As Scout walks Boo Radley home, she finally is able to view Maycomb from his perspective. Lee ties together the themes of losing childhood innocence, gaining perspective, the importance of moral development, and understanding why it is wrong to harm innocent people at the end of her novel. 

What are the allusions in Canto 23?

There is an allusion to Aesop's fable about the frog and the mouse, both of whom perish at the hands of a hawk. Dante makes a parallel between the frog and mouse with he and Virgil, begging the question whether or not they will make it through. 

There is a reference/allusion to Frederick II. Dante observes a group of tired, weeping people with mantles and hoods over their eyes. He says that their attire is bright but heavy with lead underneath. Allegedly, Frederick II (Holy Roman Emperor in the 13th century) would clothe people in lead and have them burned. Dante suggests that their attire was like straw when compared with what these people in Hell are wearing. 

These lead-clad people are "hypocrites" and claim to be Frati Gaudenti, an order of knights under Pope Urban IV, who were accused of hypocrisy: looking out for their own personal gain rather than the greater good. 

Dante then sees Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest, who is believed to have orchestrated the plan to convict and try Jesus Christ. Here they find Caiaphas crucified with three stakes on the ground. 

How did Europeans use Christianity to justify their conquest of North America and its people? What were some differences in the approaches of the...

I would argue that European interest in the New World had much less to do with creating a religious utopia and more to do with interests in exploration and material exploitation. 

For the French and the Spanish, Christianity was merely the tool that was used to justify conquest. Before race was invented and used as a tool for conquest, Europeans created the division of Christian vs. heathen, or savage. Native Americans, because they had not been baptized as Christians, were the savages. Their absence of Christian faith and Christian manners provided, in the minds of their conquerors, the justification for their exploitation, enslavement, and massacre.

For the English, things were a bit different. By the mid-16th century, the Anglican Church had been formed by Henry VIII. His daughter, Elizabeth I, would rule as a Protestant queen and spent much of her reign fending off infiltration by Catholics, including her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots. 

The Protestant Reformation resulted in the creation of numerous new Christian sects, though Catholicism remained firmly implanted in France and certainly in Spain. In England, the Pilgrim and Puritan sects were established. They inevitably faced persecution. Their response was to leave England. 

William Bradford was a Separatist leader, and later a signatory of the Mayflower Compact. He had grown up in Yorkshire, England. For a time, he lived in Leiden, Holland with his fellow Pilgrims, believing that, perhaps they could find refuge there. 

His vision, however, expanded into not only into seeking refuge for his sect, but also in creating a religious paradise in the New World. When he and his fellow Pilgrims established Plymouth Colony, they set up an agrarian community, in which they all shared the fruits of their labor. As the governor of Plymouth Colony, Bradford set up a government that separated religious concerns from secular ones. This premise stands in sharp contrast to the kind of government that was established by the Puritans in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Puritans began arriving in the New World shortly after the Pilgrims. The Pilgrim community also tolerated dissent, whereas the Puritans did not. 

I'm summarizing a lot of background here to help you understand that the French and the Spanish had a very different purpose compared to the early English settlers. The French and the Spanish entered the New World looking for material gain. It is important to note that the French established a very lucrative fur trade in Quebec and parts of Northern New England. They merely used Christianity as an excuse to justify their exploitation of territory and their massacre of natives.

The essayist Michel de Montaigne wrote a short essay on this subject in 1580. The English title is "On Cannibals." I would recommend reading this to give you some additional context. Montaigne uses the treatment of the natives by Europeans as a lens through which he views his society. He writes about the way in which Christianity has been used as justification for murder and exploitation by the French.

Where in "Killings" can I find multiple pieces of textual evidence to make the argument that Matt is going to regret his decision to kill Strout?

Although it is clear in “Killings” that Matt and his friend Willis have devised an elaborate plan to kill Strout, Dubus includes subtle clues that clearly indicate Matt’s reluctance to go through with it. The strongest of these clues can be found at the point in the story where Matt is waiting for Strout to get out of work on the night they plan to kill him: if Strout comes out alone, the plan will go forward; however, if Strout leaves the bar with friends, the plan will be aborted. Apparently, Matt hopes for the latter, and has been thinking along these lines for the past week (para. 79). However, when Strout leaves the bar alone, the plan goes into action; now that the wheels have been set in motion, there is no turning back.

At Strout’s house, Matt silently takes in the trappings of Strout’s life, noting the “presence” of Strout’s unnamed girlfriend, who has been alluded to several times in the story. Although Dubus tells us nothing about the girl other than the fact that she is Strout’s girlfriend, Matt seems to fixate on this. When he arrives home after the killing to tell Ruth that it is done, he brings up the girlfriend again as he relives the details of the night. It is clear that Matt will continue to wonder about this mysterious woman who will never know what has happened to her boyfriend. It is also clear that Matt will never forget the details of the two hours spent on the killing: the lies told to Strout, the dropping of the suitcase, the sudden darting movement, the explosion of the two gunshots (para. 166).

Discuss how the geostrategic location of Kenya is behind the British occupation of the country.

Geostrategic location refers to the reason why a place is important because of its geography.  Kenya offered some important benefits for Great Britain.  First, it should be stated that Britain needed more resources and land because of the limitations of its own land.  Kenya's highlands were perfect for agriculture. People could move there and expect to be successful in farming.  Kenya was also located near the source of the Nile River at Lake Victoria.  England already controlled most of the Nile River and controlling the source of the river as well was important for continued control of the Suez Canal.  Acquiring Kenya also gave Britain significantly more coastline and more access to the Indian Ocean and their colonies in Asia.  Kenya also offered mineral resources to add to Great Britain's wealth.  Additionally, the acquisition of more land through colonization was seen as a sign of being more powerful than your rivals in Europe in the 19th Century.

What evidence is there that the sniper is a risk-taker in Liam O'Flaherty's short story "The Sniper"?

Obviously any individual who would place themselves alone on a rooftop in the middle of a pitched battle between two bitter foes can be considered a risk-taker. The Republican sniper risks his life in Liam O'Flaherty's short story "The Sniper" for a cause he is committed to. He is called a "fanatic" early on in the story. A fanatic is someone with extreme dedication to a cause. His actions on the Dublin rooftop during the height of the Irish Civil War prove he is not only a fanatic but also a risk-taker as he is surrounded by enemies who would like to kill him. 

At one point he risks revealing his position by lighting a cigarette. O'Flaherty writes:

He paused for a moment, considering whether he should risk a smoke. It was dangerous. The flash might be seen in the darkness, and there were enemies watching. He decided to take the risk.

His risk is met with a bullet from an opposing sniper hiding on a nearby rooftop. Rather than staying out of sight, the sniper risks his life again as an armored car and an "informer" appear in the street below. He shoots both the armored car commander and the woman but is hit by a bullet from the enemy sniper. After performing first aid on himself the reader may feel he should hide until things calm down. Instead he devises a plan to defeat his enemy.

He risks losing his rifle as he fakes being killed and drops it to the street. The "ruse" works and his enemy shows himself, giving the Republican sniper a clear shot, which he takes and kills his Free-State opponent. Unfortunately, this final risk not only leads to a killing but it also leads to intense remorse on the part of the sniper even before he knows he has killed his own brother.

What is Killer Kane accused of doing that could lock him up for good?

One would think that killing someone is enough to send them to prison for life. Somehow, probably for good behavior, Killer Kane gets out of prison early. The first thing he does is kidnap his own son because Grim and Gram placed a restraining order on him. Since Kane can't legally go visit his son, he creeps into Max's room in the middle of the night and kidnaps him. To make matters worse, he kidnaps his son on Christmas Eve, too. Once Max is back home safe and sound with his grandparents, his grandfather says, "This is important, Max. Maybe this time they'll lock him up for good." Max's response is as follows:

"That's what everybody keeps saying, that this time They've got Killer Kane where they want him, in violation of parole, in violation of a restraining order, abduction of a minor, and two counts of attempted murder, me and the Heroic Biker Babe, which is what the papers took to Loretta Lee" (136).

The above passage lists all of the additional crimes Kane can be held accountable for since being let out on parole. He's not out for more than a day or so and he's already back in jail for the above-mentioned, multiple citations. Another thing that can keep Killer Kane locked up is that Maxwell divulged the fact that he saw his dad strangle his mother when he was about four years-old. Kane thought that the boy was too young to remember the incident, but now there's an eye-witness to that first crime which could also be used to keep him in jail for life.

What was the only thing that Philip wanted to take off the island with him?

In Chapter 19 of The Cay, the only thing Phillip wanted to take off the island with him was Timothy's knife.

During Phillip's rescue, one of the sailors went back to retrieve Timothy's knife that was stuck in the trunk of a palm tree. Both Phillip and Stew Cat were then escorted onto a destroyer which happened to be out hunting for German submarines.

When the ship docked at the naval base in Cristobal, Panama, Phillip was taken to the hospital. There, he was reunited with his parents. Phillip stated that he had to undergo three operations in order to restore his eyesight; even with the operations, Phillip knew that he would have to wear glasses for the rest of his life. After the war, Phillip and his family moved away from Scharloo and Curacao. However, Phillip reiterates that he will never forget Timothy, nor the Devil's Mouth. He thinks that, if he were ever to go back to visit Timothy's grave, he would recognize his cay just by closing his eyes.

Why didn't Mr. Ewell have a doctor check out his daughter in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird? What does this show about the man?

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the very fact that Atticus asks Sheriff Heck Tate, while questioning him on the witness stand, if a doctor had been summoned the evening of the crime indicates that calling a doctor was standard procedure for a crime of that nature, even in that time period. A doctor's evidence would have been necessary to prove the crime actually took place, and it is illegal in the US Court system to try a crime without evidence that a crime actually happened. We call this principle corpus delicti, which translates from the Latin to mean "body of the crime" (West's Encyclopedia of American Law, ed. 2). One example of applying corpus delicti is that a murder cannot be tried unless a body has been found. Hence, the very fact that Bob Ewell did not summon a doctor implies his own guilt and shows Sheriff Tate's incompetency in criminal investigations.

Throughout the trial, Atticus uses his cross-examinations to point to the likelihood of Ewell's guilt in the crime, not Tom Robinson's. Ewell particularly looks guilty when he demonstrates before the court that he is left-handed, whereas Robinson is crippled in both his left arm and hand. Left-handedness is important circumstantial evidence in the case because Sheriff Tate testifies that Mayella had been bruised on the right side of her face, and only a left-handed man facing her could have made those injuries. Furthermore, Robinson testifies that, as he fled from the Ewells' house, he heard Ewell shout to Mayella, "[Y]ou goddamn whore, I'll kill ya" (Ch. 19). Robinson's testimony implies that Ewell attacked Mayella because he had witnessed Mayella try and kiss Robinson, an African-American man. Atticus shows he understands that all evidence points to Ewell's guilt when he asks Mayella during cross-examination, "Who beat you up? Tom Robinson or your father"? (Ch. 18). Hence, as we can see, one reason why Ewell did not call a doctor is because he was guilty of causing Mayella's bruises, not Robinson.

Evidence revealed during Atticus's cross-examination of Mayella and examination of Robinson also implies that Ewell is guilty of sexually assaulting Mayella. Mayella's mother has been deceased for longer than Mayella can remember, yet seven children, some of them very young, are also part of the Ewell clan. In addition, while on the witness stand, Robinson testifies that Mayella said to Robinson that she had never kissed a man before and "what her papa do to her don't count" (Ch. 18). The evidence implies that Mayella is the incestuous mother of at least some of those young children. Therefore, a doctor's examination would not have revealed any injuries or other evidence from recent sexual assault because none took place that evening; however, it would have revealed that Mayella was an illegitimate mother, and Ewell was well aware of those facts.

Hence, it can be said that Ewell did not send for a doctor because he knew a doctor's examination would reveal his own guilt.

What was the mood of the initial reunion between Gatsby and Daisy?

The initial reunion between Gatsby and Daisy is filled with several different moods. For Gatsby, this occasion is fraught with tense excitement, since he has hoped and longed for this moment, desperately wanting everything to go perfectly. He has planned it and staged it, down to the very last detail. Sending a gardener over to cut Nick's untended lawn, providing a greenhouse full of flowers, and arriving in a white flannel suit, silver shirt and gold-colored tie, Gatsby is both nervous and discomfited by the heavy rain outside. He also worries that, even if Daisy appears happy to see him, things may not be the same between them as they were in Louisville.

Once Daisy arrives, awkwardness becomes the dominant mood. Daisy is naturally surprised to see Gatsby and although she is happy, her reaction is, understandably, somewhat subdued. Gatsby is painfully self-conscious and in a moment of uncharacteristic clumsiness, he knocks Nick's clock off the mantle. Feeling terribly embarrassed and disheartened, he leaves Daisy alone to tell Nick that the reunion was a big mistake. Nick encourages him to be a gentleman and to go back into the room for Daisy's sake, after which he leaves them alone for awhile. Upon returning, Nick finds that the two of them seem to be radiantly happy, Daisy shedding tears of joy and Gatsby glowing. The mood has shifted from tense awkwardness to happiness.

Gatsby takes Daisy to see his house and she is overwhelmed by everything she sees there. She even cries over his collection of expensive shirts. He tells her how he would look across the bay every night, staring at the green light at the end of her dock while dreaming about their future together. Both of them have let their guards down and appear to be genuinely in love with each other once again. At one point, Gatsby asks his house guest, Klipspringer, to play some songs on the piano and the tunes he plays, "Ain't We Got Fun?", as well as, "The Love Nest", reflect the joyous mood of the moment. Although the reunion began very awkwardly, it ends on a blissfully romantic note, as Nick quietly slips away, leaving the two lovebirds alone.

Why does Dill's explanation of Jem's state of dress almost land him in trouble?

I think you’re talking about the episode where Jem sneaks into the Radley yard and tries to peek through the back porch window to see if he can see Boo.  Jem gets scared when he sees a shadow pass along the wall of the house and runs away, only to get his pants caught on the Radley fence.  In an attempt to get away, he takes off his ripped pants and leaves them there.  When Nathan Radley (the scary shadow Jem sees), shoots his shotgun in the air as a warning for the intruder, everyone in the neighborhood comes out to see what is going on.  That is when Atticus catches Jem without pants.  When Atticus asks Jem where his pants are, Dill tells Atticus that Jem lost them playing strip poker.   Not only does Dill lie, but playing strip poker is not a proper thing for children to do.  Luckily, the excitement of the shotgun blast distracts Atticus away from further cross-examination of the half-naked Jem.  Jem and Dill go to bed, and Jem sneaks out to go get his pants, and he finds them mended laying over the Radley fence.

Dill, a master at making up stories and lies, could have gotten in trouble for lying and for playing the “adult” game of strip poker as well.  Atticus, however, put two and two together and figured out what Jem and Dill had been up to.  Luckily for Dill, Atticus didn't make a big deal out of it.  He probably felt that Jem and Dill learned their lesson by being scared and almost getting caught trespassing on Radley property. 

Describe Dee's hatred for the old house.

Dee seems to have hated the old house because it represented everything from which she wanted to get away.  Mama says that, in her memory of the night the house burned,

I see her standing off under the sweet gum tree she used to dig gum out of; a look of concentration on her face as she watched the last dingy gray board of the house fall in toward the red hot brick chimney. Why don't you do a dance around the ashes? I'd wanted to ask her. She had hated the house that much.

Given Dee's reaction to the next house that Mama and Maggie live in, and the new house's relative similarity to the old house, it seems as though she was embarrassed by the old house.  She wanted to get out, to get an education, to be "more" that what she perceived her mother and sister to be, holding them and the place she came from in contempt.  Mama continues,

I used to think she hated Maggie, too. But that was before we raised money, the church and me, to send her to Augusta to school. She used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks' habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice. 

Mama feels that Dee used her education to wound them, to trap them and make them feel stupid.  Mama only went to school through second grade, and she admits that Maggie has never been bright.  She even says that "Dee burned [them] with a lot of knowledge," linking Dee's behavior toward them with the burning down of the house.  Dee was both embarrassed by their ignorance as well as reveled in her intellectual superiority over them. 

Further, Mama refers to the fact that Dee had few friends as a child because she treated them similarly, with her "scalding humor that erupted like bubbles in lye."  Again, Dee is compared to something that burns, that damages.  Therefore, it appears that Dee hated that house for the same reason that she wanted to get away from her family: they all represented the same thing, a past of which she was ashamed (for the better part of her life), a past which, even now she doesn't understand or value for the right reasons.

Moreover, all of the references to Dee as something that burns -- even the dress she arrives in consists of "yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun" -- seem to imply that she might have actually been responsible for the burning of that old house.  It is notable that she was standing calmly by her tree, but Mama seems to have been barely able to save Maggie.  On top of this, Maggie still bears the burn scars from that night, much as she bears the emotional scars of having been burned, figuratively, by her sister for her entire life.

What were the various reasons that the boys gave for fighting?

In Chapter 9, Ponyboy begins to ask the boys in his gang the reasons why they like to fight before they square off against the Socs in the big rumble. Each of the boys names different reasons for why they like to fight. When Ponyboy asks Soda why he likes to fight, Soda says that he fights because it's action, and it's a contest. Soda compares fighting to drag racing and dancing, which are both fun and exciting. Steve tells Pony that he likes to fight because he can beat a Soc's head in. Steve likes to fight because he has a lot of hatred inside of him. Darry doesn't answer Ponyboy when he asks him why he likes to fight, but Soda says it's because he likes to show off his muscles. Ponyboy says that Darry fights for prideful reasons. Two-Bit tells Pony that he fights because "everyone fights." Ponyboy comments that Two-Bit's a conformist and chooses to fight because it's the "thing" to do. Ponyboy can't think of a good reason to fight, other than self-defense.

What is the linking verb, and what words are being linked in this sentence: The math homework was easy.

The linking verb in this sentence is "was," and the words being linked are "homework" and "easy." A linking verb has that name because it is a state-of-being verb that links the subject noun to its descriptive complement.  So in the sample sentence you provided, the linking verb "was" is used to show that the homework has the state of being "easy." 

Linking verbs can be very descriptive in themselves, in spite of the fact that their primary function is to connect the subject to its description. For example, "Her son's banging grew annoying." The use of the word "grew" implies that the noise was becoming more annoying over time.

Linking verbs can be identified easily. All forms of the verb "be" are linking at all times. Other linking verbs can be identified by asking whether the main verb in the sentence can be replaced with a form of "be" and retain the meaning of the sentence. If so, then the verb is a linking verb. 

In the example above, the verb "grew" could easily be replaced with the verb "was," creating the sentence "Her son's banging was annoying." Since the sentence still makes sense, we've just identified "grew" as a linking verb within the context of that sentence.

What is the atmosphere of the opening paragraph Of Mice and Men?

The clearing outside of Soledad has an atmosphere of solitude and loneliness, of quiet, and of the sweetness of nature.

The opening paragraph atmosphere illustrates a solitary place in nature that offers warmth and sunlight: "water is warm too, ... twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight." The atmosphere rich in the peaceful lure of nature is broken by the symbolic introduction of "flooding," "mottled" sycamores, lizards, "skittering," and deer drinking in the "dark."

These symbolic interruptions of the opening paragraph atmosphere of quietude in nature pave the way for the introduction of boys and men in the second paragraph who beat nature down hard (symbolic for how they are themselves beaten down hard) and wear nature smooth with their presences: "the limb is worn smooth by men who have sat on it."

The opening paragraph atmosphere of sunny, warm nature gives way to an atmosphere of hardened nature where many disenfranchised men have sought peace for a night and then moved on. Two of these men are George Milton and Lennie Small, who seek refuge for one night before having to report to a ranch the next day where they will work during harvesting season.

What are three incidents that could have foiled the conspirators' plans in Act III, Scene 1, of Julius Caesar?

The first incident in this scene relates to Caesar telling the soothsayer, "The ides of March are come," and the soothsayer replying, "Ay Caesar; but not gone." This interaction stems from Act I, Scene 2, during the feast of Lupercal, when the soothsayer warned Caesar to, "Beware the ides of March," which falls on the fifteenth day of the month. Caesar dismissed the soothsayer by saying, "He is a dreamer; let us leave him: pass."

If Caesar had heeded the prognosticator's urgent warning and taken steps to protect himself or remained at home on March 15, the assassination would probably not have happened. Instead, Caesar was so confident in his invincibility and importance that he rejected the soothsayer's alert with a sneer.

The second incident is presented in the form of a similar forewarning by way of a letter Artemidorus wants to give Caesar. In the letter, he wrote the following:

Caesar, beware of Brutus; take heed of Cassius;
come not near Casca; have an eye to Cinna, trust not
Trebonius: mark well Metellus Cimber: Decius Brutus
loves thee not: thou hast wronged Caius Ligarius.
There is but one mind in all these men, and it is
bent against Caesar. If thou beest not immortal,
look about you: security gives way to conspiracy.
The mighty gods defend thee! Thy lover,

'ARTEMIDORUS.'

Artemidorus's script is much more specific than the soothsayer's. Unfortunately, Caesar rejects Artemidorus's request to read his letter first. Instead, Caesar asks him whether he is mad. As a result, Caesar misses another opportunity to prevent his untimely doom. If Caesar had heeded Artemidorus' warning, he could have had those named in the letter placed under close watch or prevented them from approaching him directly, thwarting their plans.

The final incident comes in the form of Popilius, who approaches Cassius and says the following:

I wish your enterprise to-day may thrive.

He is, obviously, referring to the plot to assassinate the general. Cassius informs Brutus of his fear that their plot had been uncovered and believes Popilius will inform Caesar of their malicious plan. He says,

Casca, be sudden, for we fear prevention.
Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known,
Cassius or Caesar never shall turn back,
For I will slay myself.

Brutus, however, assures Cassius that Popilius will not betray their plot, saying,

Cassius, be constant:
Popilius Lena speaks not of our purposes;
For, look, he smiles, and Caesar doth not change.

Popilius, for reasons unknown, does not tell Caesar about the conspirators' plan, allowing the conspirators to execute their pernicious plan unhindered.

How does the story prove the unconscious heroism of Phoenix Jackson?

Phoenix is described as being "very old and small and she walked slowly." Everything about this description suggests a very weak person. However, she manages to overcome any obstacle that comes her way. She is meek but resourceful. She manages to steal a nickel from the hunter. She seems weak but she is courageous. She stares down the barrel of the hunter's gun showing that she is unafraid. When she is presented with a problem, she finds a solution. The thorn catches her dress and she is able to free herself. She falls down and, somehow, she doesn't break any bones. She needs her shoe tied and is able to get help from a woman in town. In the end, she retrieves the medicine. In summary, she succeeds time and again. In terms of making this journey, she has proven to be unstoppable, even though she is a frail, old woman.

A journey is a classic narrative structure for a hero. Notable heroes that employ this literary element are Odysseus in The Odyssey, Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, and Aeneas in The Aeneid. Phoenix makes a journey as well and that journey forms "a worn path." The gesture (the fact that she is seeking medication for her grandson) is generous and heroic as well. So, her perseverance is heroic but the meaning behind her efforts (caring for her grandson) is admirable as well. 

Phoenix also never claims to be heroic. The only compliment she gives herself is "I wasn't as old as I thought." She doesn't consider herself to be a hero. She simply does what needs to be done. Therefore, she is not conscious of the notion that her efforts are heroic. This humility actually makes her seem even more heroic. 

Examine the critiques of patriarchy in the Awakening by Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin's The Awakening was incredibly subversive and controversial upon its release, in part because of the novel's pointed critique of restrictive gender norms. Chopin uses the novel's tragic protagonist Edna Pontellier to illustrate the detrimental effects of the reductive, moralistic standards that were imposed upon women around the dawn of the Twentieth Century. Chopin explores polite society's reaction to Edna refusing to accept patriarchal norms, and the scandal that results when she abdicates her wifely and maternal duties.

One of the most striking points in which Edna subverts patriarchal expectations is when she moves into a house of her own. She moves into a space separate from her husband and family in an attempt to cultivate an independent life.

However, Chopin shows that Edna's agency is ultimately unsustainable in this claustrophobic, phallocentric environment, and she commits suicide at the end of the novel.

The golfer applied a force when he hit the ball. What are 2 forces acting on the ball as it rolls?

When the golf ball is rolling after being hit by the golfer, there are a number of forces acting on it. These are:

• Gravity: force will always act on the golf ball, whether it is in flight or rolling on ground or grass or rough. The direction of gravitational force is (always) downwards and its magnitude is equal to mass of ball times the acceleration due to gravity, g.


• Friction force: the rolling motion of the golf ball would be opposed by the friction force. This friction would be provided by grass and will depend on the height of the grass, its roughness, amount of moisture, etc. This friction will act in a direction opposite to the motion and is the reason the ball slows down and ultimately stops.


• Force of the club: the golfer imparted some force to the golf ball, which initiated the rolling in the first place. This force would be in the direction of motion.

Hope this helps. 

In The Double Flame, Octavio Paz writes about the five elements of love 1. Exclusivity 2. Obstacles/Transgression 3. Domination/Submission 4....

In the book, Paz hypothesizes that the five elements of love can be simplified to three of primary importance. These three are exclusivity, attraction, and the body/soul.

Freedom/fate/attraction.

In his book, Paz presents love as a reciprocal arrangement. The lover has the freedom to choose his lady, just as the lady has the freedom to accept or reject her suitor. Once either party makes a choice to love each other, both are fated to be bound to each other. The quote below explains the dichotomy of freedom and fate in attraction. Bolded words are my own.

Love is the involuntary attraction toward a person (fate) and the voluntary acceptance of that attraction (freedom to choose).

The lover is then bound in voluntary servitude to the lady. Paz refers to this as the 'knot made of two intertwined freedoms,' where both choose to enter a union based on the tenets of love. Again, bolded words are my own.

The giving up of personal sovereignty (by the lover) and the voluntary acceptance of servitude (by the lady) involves a genuine change of nature: by way of the bridge of mutual desire, the object (the lady) becomes desiring subject and the subject (the lover) becomes desired object.

In essence, Paz says that 'love is born of a free decision, the voluntary acceptance of fate.' The voluntary adoration and relinquishing of personal autonomy on the lover's part gains the lady's desire, who in response, willingly subjects/submits herself to his sacrifice and love. It sounds like the relationship between a lord and his vassal, doesn't it? In fact, this is what Paz equates love to, on page 150, in the chapter on The Solar System.

Body/Soul.

In his book, Paz draws on medieval concepts of the body and soul to explain our predisposition to love a certain person. He cites the Renaissance and Baroque 'theory of passion.' Accordingly, the individual soul is a part of the universal Soul. The Stoics, for example, believed that each individual soul was subject to the influence of the planets; this was the basis of the humors each person was prone to.

Paz argues that, as Moderns, we must not reject the indissoluble union between body and soul that the Ancients so believed in.

Without the belief in an immortal soul inseparable from a mortal body, neither the exclusive nature of love nor its consequence- the transformation of desired object into desiring object- could have arisen. In short, love demands as its prerequisite the concept of the person, and the concept of the person requires a soul incarnated in a body.

In essence, a shallow union hinges on bodily attraction alone. Genuine love, as Paz argues, is a union of both body and soul. When a lover proclaims his eternal love (and lives it), he confers immortality and immutability (permanence) on a finite being (his lady). Even though the 'flesh undergoes corruption, and our days are numbered,' this eternal nature of love allows us to face impending death courageously.

Hope this has helped you understand Paz's elements of freedom/fate/attraction and body/soul in his theory of love.

What is the most interesting line we should begin with, while giving an autobiography speech?

There is no single best line or standard format for the opening line of an autobiography.  As with any speech, the opening should grab the attention of the audience and draw them into your story.  Your opener will depend heavily on the tone of your speech.  Is it humorous? Serious? Dramatic?  Once you have decided the tone of your speech, you can begin to devise an opening line.

One common quality among great opening lines is that they leave the recipient wanting more, sometimes by introducing a cliffhanger.  A cliffhanger is simply a situation or line that provides or hints at conflict without giving the resolution to it.  This introduces an internal conflict in the listeners that most people want to settle for themselves by finding out the rest of the story. 

A humorous opener will often challenge the audiences notion of what they are about to hear.  It does not have to be readily apparent to the audience what the challenging line means, so long as it is quickly explained.

• "The sky was a blinding white, someone was screaming, and I was cold and naked.  I had just been born." 

• "Most people call me Jim, mainly because that's my name." (paraphrase from Blazing Saddles)

One of my personal favorites is the opening line to The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger, 1951).  It is a work of fiction, but written in an autobiography format, narrated by Holden Caulfield.

"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."

Dramatic introductions depend more on a cliffhanger to get the audience engaged.  They can be simple or complex, each work equally well.  Moby Dick (H. Melville, 1851) is a great example of a simple dramatic introduction; "Call me Ishmael."  The beauty of the sentence is it practically demands the reader to investigate further, almost as a challenge.  Richard Nixon used something similar in his autobiography RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon, "I was born in a house my father built".

There are many ways to begin your story, and only you can determine the most interesting part of your life to tell and the tone it calls out for.

Wendy says to David McClean that “They’ll be here directly” in paragraph 68 of "The Veldt." What can we guess happened to the parents?

To guess what happened to the parents, we need to go back a few lines, to the period before David McClean arrives. At that point, we learn the following about the parents, who are trapped in the nursery:

Mr. Hadley looked at his wife and they turned and looked back at the beasts edging slowly forward crouching, tails stiff. Mr. and Mrs. Hadley screamed. And suddenly they realized why those other screams had sounded familiar.

Right after this, the scene breaks, and we cut to David McClean saying, "Well here I am," while standing in the nursery door. The children are having a picnic lunch in the veldt. McClean asks them, "Where are your father and mother?" It's at this point that Wendy says, "They'll be here directly."

We can assume from what happened before Mr. McClean arrived that the lions killed the parents. This is reinforced by what David McClean sees: the lions feeding, then moving to the water hole, then the vultures descending. When Wendy makes her comment, we can imagine several scenarios unfolding: first, she might be lying and the parents will never arrive, because they are dead and eaten. Second, we can imagine that she might be indicating that the lions will emerge with the remains of the parents, though that seems unlikely. Or, she might be saying that her "father and mother" are, in fact, the lions, the creation of the viewscreen: "they'll  be here directly ..." In that case, we can imagine that Mr. McClean will also be devoured. But whatever happens, our assumption must be that the parents are dead. 

What were some events that changed Holling's character in The Wednesday Wars?

I think one "event" that changed Holling's character more than anything else was his time spent with Mrs. Baker.  Granted that's not one single event, but the time spent Mrs. Baker deeply affects Holling.  He learns to be a much more caring and supportive friend through her.  He learns what it is to empathize with other people.  He learns what it means to give selflessly of himself.  

One event that shows how Holling has changed is when his sister, Heather, ran away and got stranded.  Holling's parents were not willing to do anything, so it was Holling that had to rescue his sister.  

I think another critical event that helped shape Holling was his run in with Mickey Mantle.  Mantle is Holling's idol.  It makes sense, because Mantle is one of the greatest ball players to have ever played the game.  It makes sense that Holling thinks he would be a great person too.  Unfortunately Mantle is a jerk and rebuffs Holling at one point.  Crushed, Holling returns home with his friend Danny, but not until after Danny returns his autographed Mantle baseball in order to show his loyalty to Holling.   Holling learns what true loyalty looks like from his friends, not some former idol of his.  

What are some quotes that show that Scout is different?

Scout is different because her mother died when she was two years-old and she learns about life from her unprejudiced and patient father, Atticus. She is also influenced by Calpurnia, their African American nanny who is like a mother to her, and by Miss Maudie who lives across the street. These three adults in her life love her for who she is, but they are also not afraid to teach her proper manners and respect for other people. Since Atticus isn't home during the day, though, the kids are left with Calpurnia. As a result, one thing that sets Scout apart from other girls her age is that she is allowed to play outside with the boys in trousers or overalls. Both Aunt Alexandra and the neighbor Mrs. Dubose find it necessary to point out the fact that proper girls do not wear pants. 

"Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn't supposed to be doing things that required pants" (81).

Being the perfect little tomboy doesn't require a dress, though! Scout has a difficult time being converted to the ways of women at ages six and seven. Next is Mrs. Dubose's unfiltered comments, that point out Scout's differences from other girls as follows:

"'And you--' she pointed an arthritic finger at me-- 'what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady! You'll grow up waiting on tables if somebody doesn't change your ways--a Finch waiting on tables at the O.K. Cafe--hah!'"(101).

One of the most important ways that Scout is different from either gender in her community is by her intellect. For example, she is a good reader before she enters 1st grade, which sets her apart from her classmates as well as her teacher, Miss Caroline. She also has a quick wit and she's not a follower; that is to say, she can think herself through someone dishing out garbage to her. For instance, when Miss Gates is teaching her third grade class about Hitler and discrimination against Jews, Scout's brain sees the hypocrisy between Miss Gates speaking against Hitler but also supporting it with African Americans in her own hometown. Scout verbalizes her concerns to Jem:

"Well, coming out of the courthouse that night Miss Gates was--she was goin' down the steps in front of us, you musta not seen her--she was talking with Miss Stephanie Crawford. I heard her say it's time somebody taught 'em a lesson, they were gettin' way above themselves, an' the next thing they think they can do is marry us. Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an' then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home--"(247).

The above passage shows that Scout recognizes hypocrisy and she is learning how to articulate it. This is significantly different from the majority feeling of whites in her town. Earlier that day in class, all of the other students were blindly going along with Miss Gates who failed to point out the parallels between prejudice against Jews and their own prejudices against Blacks right there in Alabama. It seems as if Scout is the only child in that classroom who sees this contradiction and the others simply go along with what teachers and parents tell them. This is the biggest difference between Scout and many of the people and children in Maycomb county--she has a good heart and she's color-blind.

In the Miracle Worker why does Annie come to the Kellers home?

Annie Sullivan comes to the Keller home in order to work with Helen and give her mind and soul some "light" into what goes on in the world she cannot see. Annie hopes to be able to teach language to the seven-year-old deaf and blind child.

As Helen becomes increasingly difficult and efforts to find someone who can work with her have failed, Mrs. Keller and Aunt Ev try to persuade Captain Keller to contact a doctor in Baltimore, who has accomplished things with other blind children. Finally, with the suggestion of Alexander Graham Bell, the Kellers make contact with the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, and the director sends twenty-year-old Annie, a legally blind student herself, to them as a governess. 
Annie herself is given to battles of the will. But, she has overcome the tragedy of poverty, losing her brother, and the disease trachoma which severely damaged her eyesight. She learned to read braille and sign language and became valedictorian of her class.
When she arrives at the Keller home, she tells Mrs. Keller, who is concerned that she is so young:

Mrs. Keller, don't lose heart just because i'm not on my last legs. I have three big advantages over Dr. Howe that money couldn't buy for you. One is his work behind me, I've read every word he wrote about it....Another is to be young; why, I've got energy to do anything. The third is, I've been blind.

After many struggles with a determined Annie and battles with her family, Helen finally breaks through her darkness. Annie's accomplishments earn her the description by Mark Twain as the "Miracle Worker." 

Why did Radical Republicans believe that Andrew Johnson would support their agenda?

Radical Republicans thought that Johnson would support their agenda because he had an enduring and passionate hatred for the planter class that had, in his opinion, brought about disunion and civil war. Johnson, a Tennessean, had remained in the Senate when his home state seceded. Since part of the Radical program involved disfranchising the planters that he hated so much, they thought Johnson could be relied upon to support most of their plans for Reconstruction. However, Johnson had other ideas. He thought that Southerners ought to be in charge of Reconstruction. He thus issued pardons and eventually amnesty to many Confederates, even leaders, and less than a year after the end of the war, many of them returned to positions of leadership.

Johnson also had no sympathy for former slaves. While he of course accepted the Thirteenth Amendment, he was dead set against providing freedmen with voting rights (as Lincoln had openly contemplated for black war veterans near the end of the war). He also held a limited view of the powers of the federal government, and therefore viewed federal action on Reconstruction, like the Freedman's Bureau and the Civil Rights Act of 1866, as unconstitutional overreaches. He vetoed both of these measures. In fact, the Radicals were really born, or at least were mobilized, in the midterm elections of 1866, which saw significant backlash in the North to Johnson's policies.

Are there examples of feminism in The Inheritance of Loss?

The feminist perspective in The Inheritance of Loss is highlighted in its portrayal of women's subaltern position in Indian society.

The gendered subaltern.

Feminist literature illuminates the stark experiences of women who have been denied agency in every aspect of their lives. They are without options, as their lives are circumscribed by tradition and culture. In the story, Kiran Desai illustrates the reality of female oppression through the character of Bela Patel, Judge Jemubhai Patel's hapless wife.

In the beginning, the judge is fascinated with his young, under-aged wife. Bela is only fourteen when she is married off to Jemubhai, and so terrified that she begs to be spared the wedding night. Through Bela, Desai highlights the plight of young, Indian girls who are expected to comply with the long-held tradition of early marriage.

What is it like to be a child-bride?

Child marriage is big business in India, with the bride's family responsible for the dowries the bride must bring to her groom's family. Sadly, the size of some dowries can financially cripple an already impoverished family. In Nimi's case, her dowry included 'cash, gold, emeralds from Venezuela, rubies from Burma, uncut kundun diamonds, a watch on a watch-chain, lengths of woolen cloth...'  On the day the couple marry, Bela's name is unilaterally changed by the groom's family, and she is renamed Nimi. Here, Desai highlights the suppression of a woman's life-long, personal identity; this practice also foreshadows Nimi's own marginalization in her marriage.

In due time, Jemubhai leaves for England, where he will train to become an ICS (Indian Civil Service) officer; he leaves his lonely, young wife behind and conveniently forgets about her existence. When he returns to India, he is feted with honors by his village. After all, he is the first son in his community who has managed to win such an honor. Jemubhai keeps the English ways he has learned in England and proceeds to terrorize his Indian-born wife upon his return. He even takes to powdering his face in order to appear lighter-skinned.

Nimi, fascinated by her husband's treasured powder puff, appropriates the pink and white puff for her own use. When Jemubhai discovers this, he becomes enraged. Already embarrassed by his family's ridicule of his foppish, English ways, he attacks his wife in their bedroom. Far from disapproving of Jemubhai's behavior, his relatives proceed to lock the couple in. The goal is for the husband to tame his spirited wife. Jemubhai violently rapes his wife, and spends all his frustrations on her, 'glad he could disguise his inexpertness, his crudity, with hatred and fury...He would teach her the same lessons of loneliness and shame he had learned himself.'

As time continues, Jemubhai's treatment of his wife deteriorates. He deprives her of food if she cannot name any particular food item in English. When he goes on tours, he leaves Nimi behind. With every cruel retort, he reduces the once beautiful young woman to a pitiful caricature of herself; her toiletry and beauty items are summarily discarded, and she is ordered to take off her traditional Indian jewelry because they don't conform to her husband's new, English tastes. As a result of his physical and emotional abuse, Nimi withdraws into herself:

She had fallen out of life altogether. Weeks went by, and she spoke to nobody, the servants thumped their own leftovers on the table for her to eat, stole the supplies without fear, allowed the house to grow filthy without guilt until the day before Jemubhai's arrival when suddenly it was brought to luster again...

Due to the stress, Nimi develops pustules on her face, which prompts Jemubhai to further denigrate her waning beauty. Nimi comes to realize the hopelessness of her existence.

The quieter she was , the louder he shouted, and if she protested, it was worse. She soon realized that whatever she did or didn't do, the outcome was much the same.

Later, the text strongly suggests that the judge paid bribes to have Nimi's murder look like an accident. When the news comes that a 'woman had caught fire over a stove,' the judge 'chose to believe it was an accident.' After all, 'Ashes have no weight, they tell no secrets, they rise too lightly for guilt...'

Desai's feminist perspective also highlights alternatives to the kind of fate Nimi endures. In the story, Noni, a spinster, tells Sai, Jemubhai's grand-daughter, that if she hopes to escape the fate of so many before her, she must choose her life for herself.

"Listen to me...if you get a chance in life, take it...You must do it on your own, Sai."

Towards the end of the novel, we find Sai deciding to do just this, as she begins to envision the possibilities the world can accord her. As evidenced in the novel, Desai's feminist voice rings clearly, and she speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Describe the character of Vera in "The Open Window" by Saki.

All the characters in "The Open Window," like most characters in short stories and novels, were created by the author in order to suit the needs of his plot. They are not real people, so it is a mistake to try to analyze them too deeply, as if they were flesh-and-blood human beings. Saki needed someone to tell Framton a wild story about how three men were killed by being sucked into a bog while out hunting, and how Mrs. Sappleton, who lost her mind when that tragedy occurred, is still waiting for them to return home for tea after three years. Saki decided to have an adolescent girl tell the visitor the story. Framton is an ideal victim, or "patsy," because he is a complete stranger to the region and therefore will accept Vera's story at face value.

Vera is just young enough to want to engage in such mischief and just old enough to be convincing. She is described as being very "self-possessed." Being a Victorian girl, she has very little freedom. She is bored with hearing the same stories about shooting birds and bored with her aunt's conversation, which centers on the activities and interests of the three men in her life. Vera must spend a great deal of her time reading, since there is little else for her to do. Because the men dominate the household, it would seem that the library must contain many books on travel and adventure that would interest men. No doubt Vera has read many of these books and feels even more bored with her life because of the contrast between her reading material and her dull existence. Poor Framton Nuttel will become the victim of this girl's frustrations.

When the men return from shooting and Mr. Sappleton asks his wife, "Who was that who bolted out as we came up?", the self-possessed Vera comes up with an explanation she must have taken straight out of a book about adventures in India.

"He was once hunted into a cemetery somewhere on the banks of the Ganges by a pack of pariah dogs, and had to spend the night in a newly dug grave with the creatures snarling and grinning and foaming just above him. Enough to make anyone lose their nerve."

Vera is a character created to fit the plot of "The Open Window." She is smart, imaginative, self-possessed, bored with life, entering a stage of teenage rebelliousness, addicted to escapist reading, and secretly wishing she could create a little uproar in this stereotypical English country manor. She might be compared with thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis in Ian McEwan's novel Atonement. 

What is Calpurnia's trait in chapters 12-16 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, while Calpurnia is discussed in chapters 13 through 16, she does not appear much as a character having dialogue; therefore, her character traits do not really show up in chapters 13 through 16. Instead, her traits are most visible only in Chapter 12. In Chapter 12, Calpurnia takes the children as guests to her church, and many of her excellent traits shine through. One of the most noteworthy traits that shines through is her bravery.

Once she and the Finch children reach her church, it becomes evident that just as many people are racist among Calpurnia's own African-American race as among the white folks, and Calpurnia bravely shoulders such racism. Racism among African Americans is portrayed through the character Lula, who approaches Calpurnia and challenges her for bringing white children to their all-black church. In the face of Lula's racist attack on the children, Calpurnia is able to very bravely counter with, "They's my comp'ny" (Ch. 12). She even remains brave in the face of Lula's insults against Calpurnia's character and work ethic. Calpurnia continues bravely defying Lula until the rest of the church come to her defense, scaring off Lula.

What do sodium and potassium have in common?

Sodium and potassium have a lot in common. They are both chemical elements. They are both metals, in fact, they are among a series of metals known as alkali metals. Both these metals are placed in group 1 of the periodic table of elements. Both sodium and potassium have 1 valence electron, since both have only 1 electron in outer shell.

Sodium has an electronic configuration of `1s^2, 2s^2, 2p^2, 3s^1` . Potassium has an electronic configuration of `1s^2, 2s^2, 2p^6, 3s^2, 3p^6, 4s^1` . Both, sodium and potassium, tend to lose this solitary valence electron and form cations with +1 charge. These cations of sodium and potassium participate in ionic bonding process and form ionic compounds. Both sodium and potassium are highly reactive and are generally found as compounds. 

Hope this helps. 

What is the meaning of "A Visit" by Margaret Atwood?

“A Visit” is written in mournful resignation from the perspective of one visiting an elderly man who is losing his memory. “Only one day remains,/The one you’re in,” Atwood writes, and in the next verse,

The memory is no friend.
It can only tell you
what you no longer have

The feeling of loss is heavy in this poem, manifested in the burden of caring for someone who can no longer remember details of his past. We learn much about the man: he can no longer use his right hand, possibly due to an accident. We know he was a carpenter, for in an attempt to focus his memory on things he is familiar with, the speaker suggests talking “about axes” and “the many kinds of wood.” He or she speaks with patience, placating the man when he gets confused, speaking in consoling tones: “Let’s not panic,” the speaker says, and attempts to direct the conversation toward building, and yet nothing works. “The toolbox/refuses to reveal its verbs,” and all the tools within are stripped of their names, becoming only conglomerates of the materials used to make them. The personification of the toolbox here suggests the obstinacy of memory loss, the tenacity with which it clings to its victim.

In the final two verses of the poem, when the man has confessed that he recognizes nothing but his bed, that which is his constant companion, the speaker resigns him- or herself to the futility of these memory exercises. “Better,” the speaker says,

to watch the stream
that flows across the floor
and is made of sunlight,
the forest made of shadows;
better to watch the fireplace
which is now a beach.

This could be in reference to the total displacement of the man in time and space, who believes himself to be out in the natural world, or it could be a metaphor; either way, it makes the case for relenting – giving in to the natural processes at play and coming to terms with the fact that nothing can be done to halt the degeneration of memory.

How does Lady Macbeth save the situation in Act 2, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Macbeth?

In Act II, Scene 2, Lady Macbeth tries to calm Macbeth and instructs him to return the daggers he has carried with him to the scene and wipe blood from them on the guards so that they will appear to be guilty of Duncan's murder. When Macbeth says he is afraid to see what he has done, she takes the bloody daggers and places them upon the guards, "saving the situation."

This callous act of Lady Macbeth becomes ironic when viewed after her fearful remarks earlier in the scene as she wonders if the guards of Duncan and his sons have awakened. Then, too, her remark about Duncan--

Had he not resembled
My father as he slept, I had done't. (2.2.12-13)

--does not reflect the steely resolve of Lady Macbeth later in the scene as she scolds Macbeth when he expresses his fears of what he has done and his unwillingness to look at what he has done,

                                  Infirm of purpose!
Give me the daggers.

Yet, while she saves this situation for them by taking the bloody daggers herself and placing them on the guards, Lady Macbeth exhibits a sang froid that still does not allay Macbeth's fear and guilt.

`(3/4)x + y = 1/8, (9/4)x + 3y = 3/8` Solve the system by the method of substitution.

`(3/4)x+y=1/8`

`(9/4)x+3y=3/8`

From the first equation,

`y=1/8-(3/4)x`

Substitute the value of y obtained in the second equation,

`(9/4)x+3(1/8-(3/4)x)=3/8`

`(9x)/4+3/8-(9x)/4=3/8`

(9x)/4-(9x)/4=3/8-3/8

0=0

In this case , the given system of equations has infinitely many solutions.

If the two equations are of the form,

`a_1x+b_1y+c_1=0` ` `  

`a_2x+b_2y+c_2=0`

and if,

`a_1/a_2=b_1/b_2=c_1/c_2` ,

then the the given system of equations has an infinite number of solutions.

Is the Duke in "My Last Duchess" a "Bluebeard"?

This is an interesting question. In the original French folk tale, Bluebeard's latest wife disobeys her husband's orders and looks into a little room forbidden to her, where she discovers the bodies of her husband's previous wives.

It is easy to think of Bluebeard in connection with the Duke in "My Last Duchess." He seems about as selfish and cruel as the Bluebeard in the folk tale; and he speaks of his dead wife as "my last duchess," which could be interpreted as "my most recent duchess." But the Bluebeard in the folk tale was marrying poor girls and didn't seem interested in collecting dowries. The Duke in "My Last Duchess" seems more interested in marrying for money. Therefore, he would not have such an easy time collecting wives as Bluebeard, who was also a nobleman. The Duke is a selfish man but not a madman like Bluebeard. That French nobleman was totally insane. He needed lots of wives, because he was a serial killer. And because of his position and power, he could demand any girl he wanted to marry and would get her.

It seems possible that the arrogant Duke in "My Last Duchess" might have had another wife before his last duchess, but it does not seem possible that he had a whole collection of wives before seeking to marry the Count's daughter. He tells his visitor:

Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt,
Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without
Much the same smile? This grew, I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together.

He must have had the poor, innocent girl killed, but he did not do the killing himself. He is not like Bluebeard, who must have personally killed all his wives and enjoyed doing it. 

How do people working in medical imaging make sure they are not exposed to dangerous levels of radiation?

Healthcare professionals who work in the medical imaging area of healthcare run the risk of developing cancer as a result of their prolonged exposure to high energy radiation.  To prevent this from happening, the technician will often separate themselves from the patient's room by stepping into a separate control room to initiate the radiation scan.  The walls of this room are lined with lead, which serves as a protective barrier between themselves and the radiation. 

Patients sometimes are asked to wear lead-lined vests or headgear, depending on the type of radiation treatment required.  Precautions are taken not to overexpose certain parts of the body that are not taking an active part of the radiation treatment.  For example, dental scans require a lead vest for the trunk of the patient's body, as the x-ray scan will most likely be that of a problematic tooth in the head area.  There is no need to subject the rest of the body to radiation that might initiate cancerous cell growth.

Why is Scout ashamed of her father?

At the beginning of Chapter 10, Scout laments about her father. She mentions that Atticus is old and feeble. Atticus is nearly fifty which is much older than her friends' parents at school. Atticus claims that he is too old to play tackle football with Jem, and Scout thinks that he doesn't do anything that is remotely interesting. Scout mentions that Atticus is nearly blind and needs to wear glasses. Atticus never partakes in any interesting, fun activities like the rest of the parents. The only thing that Atticus does is sit in the living room and read. Scout changes her perspective on her father after she witnesses Atticus shoot a rabid dog named Tim Johnson. Sheriff Tate gave Atticus the gun, and he killed the dog in one shot. The children are awestruck at their father's abilities. Miss Maudie tells Jem and Scout that Atticus' nickname was Ole' One-Shot Finch. Atticus never bragged about his marksmanship because he felt that his talent was God-given. Scout comes away with a new appreciation for her father following the event. 

How did Betsy's brother prove to be quite selfish?

Betsy, Lyddie's roommate, uses most of her money to put her brother through college. Betsy's parents are dead, but she has an uncle in Maine who allows her to visit. When Betsy has time off work to go to her uncle's for a holiday, she doubts her brother will have time to see her. She fears he may be "too pressed with invitations from his university mates" to spend time with his sister, even though she is the reason he is able to attend the university. Later, when Betsy becomes seriously ill, Lyddie writes to her brother. Although he is less than a day away from Concord Corporation, he writes that he is too busy studying for final examinations but that he may be able to come at the end of the term to visit. Betsy laughs, but Millie is appalled at the brother's selfishness. Betsy asks if Lyddie wouldn't do the same to help her little brother, and Lyddie almost replies that Charlie is nice. She obviously means that Betsy's brother is not.

What are some quotes from Romeo and Juliet showing their dependence on one another?

Romeo and Juliet become codependent almost immediately in Romeo and Juliet, and this is one of the reasons their relationship becomes so hurried and ultimately deadly. (Although I do not think Shakespeare intended Romeo and Juliet to be read as a play warning of the dangers of codependency, it can certainly be read with that framework in mind.) Here are two quotes that point to the dependency Romeo and Juliet share:

ROMEO: 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. Be not her maid, since she is envious; / Her vestal livery is but sick and green, / And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. (II.ii.3-9)

Immediately, Romeo compares Juliet to being more beautiful than celestial bodies like the moon. This is a big claim and indicative of his uncontrollable feelings for Juliet.

JULIET: Come, gentle night; come, loving, black-browed night; / Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, / Take him and cut him out in little stars, / And he will make the face of heaven so fine / That all the world will be in love with night / And pay no worship to the garish sun. (III.ii.20-25)

Whether Juliet's feelings can be classified as lust, love, or a crush, it is clear that she is consumed by her thoughts of Romeo. In her public moments she figures out how to be with him, and in her private moments she can only think of him. This is similar to many young, dependent relationships.

Interestingly, it's important to note that the dependency between Romeo and Juliet is often expressed through celestial imagery. Shakespeare is stating that Romeo and Juliet circle each other in the same way that planets and moons orbit each other, tied by gravity.

Does Tom really change when he becomes religious in "The Devil and Tom Walker"?

Tom Walker does not change as he ages; he merely grows fearful of the hereafter because he has sold his soul to the Devil.

Washington Irving writes that as Tom grows older he begins to feel anxious about the next world:

He thought with regret on the bargain he had made with his black friend, and set his wits to work to cheat him out of the conditions.

So, Walker becomes "a violent churchgoer," praying vociferously so that heaven can hear him. He becomes sanctimonious in his practice of religion and attendance at church and his acting as a "stern supervisor" and "censurer" of his fellow-churchgoers: 

...he seemed to think every sin entered up to their account became a credit on his side.

Nevertheless, Tom still worries that the Devil will collect his due. So, he tries to not be taken unaware and carries a small Bible in the pocket of his coat. At his desk, he keeps a larger Bible and makes the pretense of reading it whenever someone comes into his office.

It is clear that Tom Walker dreads the day of reckoning with Old Scratch. As a young man he was greedy and eager to be wealthy, not worrying about the conditions of his pact with the Black Man. However, as he ages, Tom begins to worry about the hereafter, so he becomes superstitious, thinking that if he prays and attends church and keeps a Bible out, he can thwart the Devil.

Certainly, the satire of Irving is apparent in the denouement of his story in which all of Tom's religious efforts fail. For, one day Tom leaves his little Bible at the bottom of his coat pocket and the large Bible is buried beneath a pile of mortgage papers to be foreclosed, so the "black man whisked him like a child...and away he galloped." 

What is the metaphor in "A Poison Tree" describing the speaker's wrath?

This poem is an extended metaphor, meaning that the metaphor is maintained at length, in this case, through the entire poem.  The metaphor is that the narrator's wrath is a seed that grows into a tree. The narrator is saying that he has chosen to keep his wrath towards a foe to himself, and in doing so, nurtures it until it grows into a tree that bears a poisonous apple, which kills the friend he is angry with.

In the first verse, he hints at the metaphor, saying "My wrath did grow" (line 4). In the second verse, the metaphor is extended further. The narrator "waterd it in fears" (line 5) and with his tears.  He provided it with sunshine in his false smiles, and finally the tree bears fruit in the third verse, "an apple bright" (line 10). His foe sees the shining apple, consumes it, and dies.  It is the poison of the narrator's wrath that has caused the foe to die. 

This metaphor is a particularly good one, since our anger, held inside, does bear poisonous fruit, although I find that the poisonous fruit often tends to harm the one bearing the anger, rather than the one against whom the anger is directed. Be that as it may, wrath held and nurtured is toxic, and the poem is telling us to beware of this in the form of a powerful metaphor.

How can the relationship between Charlie and Miss Kinnian be described?

In Daniel Keyes' story "Flowers for Algernon," Charlie and Miss Kinnian start out as student and teacher. Charlie looks at Miss Kinnian as an older woman who is smart and who can teach him how to read and write and help him with other academic pursuits.

As Charlie becomes more intelligent, however, he begins to see Miss Kinnian differently. He realizes she is not very old at all and that they are close in age. He sees that she is attractive and wants more of a personal relationship with her. They begin to date, and he soon finds himself in love with her.

"I knew that this was only the beginning. I knew what she meant about levels because I'd seen some of them already. The thought of leaving her behind made me sad. I'm in love with Miss Kinnian" (Keyes 23).

Charlie's IQ continues to improve to the point that he leaves Miss Kinnian behind intellectually. The teacher becomes the pupil in a way. Charlie begins to see that, not only is he a whole lot smarter than Miss Kinnian, he is even smarter than the doctors who performed the experimental surgery on him. His increased intelligence changes his relationships with everyone.

What meanings are associated with the names Desiree, La Blanche, and L'Abri, and how do they relate to the story?

The names in the story "Desiree's Baby" have interesting meanings in the story, especially the names Desiree, La Blanch, and L'Abri. All three are French names, relating to the French ancestry of Armand. France is a place where the racial discrimination that existed in Louisiana was not as severe. This accounts for the fact that Armand's mother, who was of mixed race, remained in France rather than coming to live in Louisiana on the plantation. 

Desiree means "desire." When Armand fell in love with Desiree, he was infatuated to the extent that her unknown family heritage was not a concern. However, in an alternate interpretation of the story, one where Armand has already read his mother's letter long before the bonfire scene, we could imagine that Desiree represents Armand's "desire" to keep his own African heritage hidden. By marrying a woman whose parentage was a mystery, if their offspring showed signs of Armand's African heritage coming through, he would have an excuse for the baby's looks and would not have to reveal his own mixed blood. (To support this interpretation, note that the story never says that when Armand finds his mother's letter among Desiree's letters that he has never read it before.)

"La Blanche" means "the white one." The name is somewhat ironic in that La Blanche is called "yellow" in the story, meaning she was of mixed African and Caucasian blood. She was possibly a quadroon (1/4 black) or an octaroon (1/8 black). The name stands for the argument within the story about who is white, Desiree or Armand. When their baby begins showing features consistent with African heritage, Armand insists that those qualities have been passed on to the child through Desiree, but at the end of the story we learn that Armand's mother was partially black. We have no way of knowing whether Desiree had any African heritage because she was a foundling, but she is definitely lighter complected than is Armand.

"L'Abri" means "shelter." It is the name of Armand's plantation. It, too, is ironic in that Armand should have been the one to provide shelter and security for Desiree and their son. However, when he has reason to believe Desiree is part black, he sends her away from his "shelter." 

Ambrose Bierce uses more than one point of view in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." What are the two main points of view that he uses?

The only point of view employed by this story is third-person limited omniscient. 

We can tell that Part I uses this kind of narrator because he knows only the thoughts and feelings of Peyton Farquhar.   In the last few paragraphs of the section, readers learn of his thoughts just before he is hanged. "He closed his eyes in order to fix his last thoughts upon his wife and children." He hears the strange, loud ticking of his own watch, and the ticks seems to get further and further apart in his mind, causing him to feel a great deal of "apprehension." We can only know this because the narrator knows his feelings.

In Part II, the narrator knows that "No service was too humble for [Farquhar] to perform in the aid of the South" and that he believes that "all is fair in [...] war." Thus, it is also in third-person limited omniscient.

In Part III, almost the entire section takes place in Farquhar's head, from the time he begins to fall through the bridge until the moment the noose snaps his neck. If the point of view could not provide us with his thoughts, readers would have no access to this section at all.