Is there a way to understand if its a monopoly by just looking the quantities (Q), marginal costs (MC), marginal revenue (MR), and average costs...

What you can actually detect is market power, not monopoly per se.

Monopolies have market power, but there are other ways to get market power such as oligopoly and monopolistic competition. But these are also similar in many ways to monopoly, so in a broad sense you can detect "monopolistic situations" just by looking at marginal revenue and marginal cost.

Specifically, a firm with market power will set its marginal revenue equal to its marginal cost:

MR = MC

Compare this to a competitive firm, which would set its price equal to its marginal cost:

P = MC

The marginal revenue is typically smaller than the price, because increasing the quantity sold will also decrease the price as long as the demand curve is downward-sloping.

Specifically:

MR = d[PQ]/dQ = dP/dQ Q + P

If the demand curve is downward-sloping (as they usually are), dP/dQ is negative and thus MR < P.

Therefore we expect a monopoly (or more generally a firm with market power) to set a price higher than its marginal cost and sell a quantity smaller than the optimal quantity a competitive firm would sell.

Why does the narrator have a "light heart" in "The Tell-Tale Heart"?

Poe's classic short story, "The Tell Tale Heart," is one of the first and best examples in literature of the unreliable narrator. The unreliable narrator tells the reader one 'truth', but the author's skill allows the reader to see past that, into the actual truth. 

The young man, who modern medicine would categorize as a psychopath, tries to convince the reader of his sanity.

"How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily --how calmly I can tell you the whole story."

His obsession with the old man's cloudy eye causes him to kill, then dismember the old man, burying him under the floorboards. When the police arrive at 4AM, someone having heard a scream, the young man has "a light heart" as he opens the door. His heart is light for two reasons - he's done away with the dreaded "vulture eye" that haunted him, and successfully hidden his crime. It is scientifically documented that many psychopaths feel a great sense of peace after killing.

The young man's light heart disappears, however, when he 'hears' the old man's heart beating, ever louder, beneath the floorboards.

Discuss how I could go about answering the following question: How would you rate the experiences you had so far in your life in experiencing the...

Any answer to this question will require you to engage in some reflective thought.

You need to talk about your own experiences with these diversity and how you personally feel about them. Have you encountered people with divergent experience, perhaps students living with same-sex parents, or Muslim neighbors who experience prejudice and distrust?

You could also address the issue personally.  Simply put, have you experienced what it's like to be an outsider?  This could be deliberate acts of exclusion or insinuations that reflect prejudicial attitudes; overt or covert acts could be a part of your experience. 

The question wants you to ponder the issue of diversity from a personal experience and "rate" the quality and scope of your own experience: Have you led a life that brings you in contact with other people living lives similar to your own or have you lived a life that puts you in contact with people who have lives representative of diverse situations, relationships and circumstances?

What are some rhetorical devices used in Romeo and Juliet that relate to physical love?

To begin, we must first understand what is meant by "rhetorical device." A rhetorical device is language that is used to persuade, or to convey specific meaning. (See the link below for a list of rhetorical devices.)

The physical love between Romeo & Juliet is strongly alluded to throughout the play, but is particularly potent in the balcony scene. Consider Juliet's words in her famous "Wherefore art thou Romeo" speech:

What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part 
Belonging to a man. (II.ii.42-44)

In this snippet, "nor any other part belonging to a man" refers rather overtly to genitalia. And in the conclusion of that speech, she goes on to say:

Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name, which is no part of thee,

Take all myself. (II.ii.47-49)

In this section of the speech, she is offering up her virginity to him. Consider also Romeo's speech from the beginning of the scene:

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.4-9)

In this speech "her maid" indicates Diana, who is the goddess of the moon and the patroness of virgins. A "livery" is a piece of clothing worn by servants of a lord or patron, and "vestal" indicates chastity. In this section of the speech, Romeo is asking Juliet to shirk her role as a virgin maid of Diana.

The language becomes more overt in Act 3. Consider Juliet's speech:

Lovers can see to do their amorous rites 

By their own beauties; or, if love be blind,

It best agrees with night. Come, civil night,

Thou sober-suited matron, all in black

And learn me how to lose a winning match,

Play'd for a pair of stainless maidenhoods. (III.ii.8-13)

In this speech, Juliet is essentially saying that lovers can make love by the light of their own beauties. Or, if they're not beautiful, then they can copulate in the dark. But she wants night to come so that she, and her new husband, can both loose their virginities together.

The play, being about teenagers in love, is full of examples of speeches about physical love. It is full of lust and the speeches are beautiful.

What role does desperation play in Act two of The Crucible?

There are many instances of desperation from the beginning of Act Two. The characters' desperation adds to the drama and tension of the play as a whole and indicates their distress and feelings of hopelessness against the authority of the court and the accusations of others.

Although the Act commences in a reasonably convivial mood where John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth, are making small talk, it quickly changes when we read of John's desperate attempts to make Elizabeth happy:

Proctor, with a grin: I mean to please you, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth - it is hard to say: I know it, John.

He gets up, goes to her, kisses her. She receives it. With a certain disappointment, he returns to the table.

There exists an obvious tension between the two, born from John's earlier illicit affair with Abigail Williams, their erstwhile maidservant, who had since been dismissed. The tension increases when Elizabeth raises the issue of John going to town. Elizabeth is desperate that he should go to denounce Abigail for she fears that the girl wishes to harm her.

Elizabeth: I think you must go to Salem, John. He turns to her. I think so. You must tell them it is a fraud.

When Mary Warren, their new maid, returns from court and reports about the events there, Elizabeth becomes even more desperate. John is upset that she had gone to town and at one point threatens to whip her. Mary then tells the couple that she had saved Elizabeth's life, for she had been accused of witchcraft. Once Mary has gone to bed, Elizabeth declares her suspicion that it could only be Abigail who implicated her. She desperately demands that John goes to court to speak to Abigail:

John, with so many in the jail, more than Cheever's help is needed now, I think. Would you favor me with this? Go to Abigail. 

Elizabeth believes that Abigail thinks that she still has John's affection and that she would use the witch trials to get rid of her and take her place.

It is her dearest hope, John, I know it. There be a thousand names; why does she call mine? There be a certain danger in calling such a name - I am no Goody Good that sleeps in ditches, nor Osburn, drunk and half-witted. She'd dare not call out such a farmer's wife but there be monstrous profit in it. She thinks to take my place, John.

John, however, seems to be quite reluctant to do as his wife requests and accuses her of being too suspicious and unforgiving. In desperation Elizabeth eventually cries out:

You'll tear it free - when you come to know that I will be your only wife, or no wife at all! She has an arrow in you yet, John Proctor, and you know it well! 

She is clearly in despair and wants John to tear himself free of his guilt about his affair and release himself from Abigail. In her anguish, she threatens that she will leave him if he does not do so.

After Reverend Hale's arrival, Elizabeth's desperation is once again obvious, for she tells John to inform him about Abigail's deceit just when the Reverend is about to depart:

Elizabeth, with a note of desperation: I think you must tell him, John.
Hale: What's that?
Elizabeth, restraining a call: Will you tell him?

More desperation is displayed with the arrival of Giles Corey, who expresses dismay that his wife has been arrested on a charge of witchcraft. He is clearly desperate and feels responsible for her arrest after having previously made a careless remark about her reading books and he not being able to pray when she did. Francis Nurse also enters and utters the same about his wife, Rebecca:

Giles: They take my wife...

Proctor, to Francis: Rebecca's in the jail?
Francis: Aye, Cheever come and take her in his wagon.

The men are very obviously distraught. Rebecca, for example, has been arrested for murder and they appeal to Reverend Hale to intervene.

Francis, going to Hale: Reverend Hale! Can you not speak to the Deputy Governor? I'm sure he mistakes these people -
Hale: Pray calm yourself, Mr. Nurse.
Francis: My wife is the very brick and mortar of the church, Mr.. Hale - indicating Giles - and Martha Corey, there cannot be a woman closer yet to God than Martha.

The tension heightens ever further with the arrival of Ezekiel Cheever and Marshall Herrick. They procure a warrant for Elizabeth's arrest. Evidence has been found that she practices witchcraft by using a doll. Abigail Williams had supposedly been harmed by Elizabeth's witchery when a needle was found protruding from her stomach. Abigail claimed that she had seen a doll in Elizabeth's possession. The two men are there to find the doll.

When the doll is discovered, the officers want to arrest Elizabeth even after Mary Warren confesses that it was her poppet and that she had given it to Elizabeth as a gift. A needle is found protruding from the doll's belly, which to them is irrefutable evidence of Elizabeth's evil, although Mary again admits that she herself had placed it there for safe keeping.

Elizabeth hears of Abigail's accusation and cries out:

'The girl is murder. She must be ripped out of the world!

To Cheever, this is irrefutable proof that Elizabeth wants to harm Abigail. John realises the severity of the situation and, in desperation, snatches the warrant from Cheever's hands and tears it up. He demands that thy leave.

Reverend Hale tries to calm John down, but he is clearly overwhelmed and shouts at him:

Get y'gone with them! You are a broken minister.

In his desperate need to save his wife, John demands to know whether the reverend will allow them to take his wife away. Reverend Hale states that the court is fair and just and that he has to abide by its commands. Proctor, even more desperate, passionately cries out:

Pontius Pilate! God will not let you wash your hands of this! 

Elizabeth then calmly tells John that she has to go. He finally accedes and Elizabeth is arrested.

A final act of desperation in the Act is displayed by both John and Mary Warren, when John asks her if she will testify about Abigail's manipulation. John is desperate to prove Elizabeth's innocence and wants Mary to accompany him to court the next day. Mary is clearly terrified of Abigail and the other girls, and cries out:

I cannot, they'll turn on me - 

She desperately cries out repeatedly that she cannot testify, but John is adamant that she must:

Proctor, grasping her by the throat as though he would strangle her: Make your peace with it! Now Hell and Heaven grapple on our backs, and all our old pretense is ripped away - make your peace! He throws her to the floor, where she sobs, "I cannot, I cannot...And now, half to himself, staring, and turning to the open door: Peace. It is a providence, and no great change; we are only what we always were, but naked now. He walks as though toward a great horror, facing the open sky. We are naked! And the wind, God's icy wind, will blow!

The scene closes with Mary sobbing desperately: 'I cannot, I cannot, I cannot.' 

What is Aristotle’s definition of politics? And do you agree with his definition?

As with all Greek thinkers of the period, Aristotle categorized human activity within three domains.

A human, on the most basic level, functions as an individual. The study of ethics (set out in Nicomachean Ethics) and of the nature of the individual soul (set out in De Anima) both pertain to the person as an individual, making his or her own moral choices.

Next, the human is part of a household or "oikos", which in antiquity would consist of husband, wife, unmarried children, slaves, and perhaps other unmarried female relatives. Our term, economics, derives from oeconomia, the study of the organization of the household, including its finances and the roles of different members of the household. 

Finally, in Greece, people lived in city states, or "poleis" (singlular: "polis"), which normally consisted of a densely occupied urban area, including residences, religious buildings, markets, administrative areas, and education, sporting, and cultural venues, surrounded by the "chora" or countryside, which consisted of farms, mines, forests, quarries, and in general any part of the polis which was not the central urban area. Politics, for Aristotle, was the study of the polis, or how humans interacted, organized themselves, governed, and made ethical choices within the context of groups larger in size than the oikos, which in ancient Greece would have meant the polis. 

For Aristotle, the central aim of the polis was the human good, and the study of politics (by which he meant what we know would term political philosophy) was practical, making decisions about what forms of government and legislation would most promote the human good.

There are two areas in which you can agree or disagree with Aristotle's definition. First you can agree or disagree with his notion of the goal of the state. Second, you can agree or disagree with his notion that the study of politics is practical and moral. Personally, I neither agree or disagree, believing that one can approach the study of politics in many different ways, and that different definitions and different modes of analysis are appropriate to different specific problems. 

Explain what happens to light when it travels through air and water.

When the light travels through the boundary between the air and water, it changes direction. This phenomenon is called refraction. It can be easily observed by filling a glass with water and putting a straw in the glass. The straw will appear to be broken.

The refraction occurs because the speed of light in air is different than the speed of light in water. The speed with which a light wave propagates in a given medium is determined by the electromagnetic properties of this medium, which are different for air in water. In the air, the speed of light is very close to the speed of light in the vacuum, `3*10^8` m/s. In the water, the speed of light is less. Thus, when the wavefront of propagating light hits the boundary between air and water, it sort of breaks and the ray of light travels in a different direction than the original. (Please see the reference link for a more detailed explanation, and also to learn how to determine the angle at which the light refracts.)

The phenomenon of refraction also explains why we can see rainbows. The various colors we can see correspond to different frequencies of the light waves. Normally the light is composed of waves of mixed frequencies and appears white. However, these waves with different frequencies refract at different angles when they pass the boundary between air in water. Then the light waves of different colors become separated, and we can see a rainbow.

If the Kw of water changes with temperature so that pH is lower at higher temperatures, and [H+]=[OH-] so that the new Kw=[H+]^2, then the...

Kw is the equilibrium constant for the self-dissociation of water .

It is the equilibrium constant for :

H2O =  H+   + OH-

Kw = [H+][OH-]

From the equation we see that there is a 1:1 mole ratio of H+ to OH- ions.

So [OH-] = [H+]  for pure water only

Thus Kw = [H+]^2

As the temperature is increased more water molecules acquire enough kinetic energy to dissociate ( break apart) as a result of increased intermolecular collisions associated with the increased temperature.

Thus at 25 degrees celsius Kw is 1.00 x 10^-14  and at 50 degrees celsius Kw is 5.476 x 10^-14

Now pKw = - log Kw = - log ([H+][OH-])

using the laws of logs we can show that

pKw = pH + pOH

but since [H+] = [OH-] for pure water

pH = pOH for pure water as well

Thus pKw = 2pH for pure water only

So at 25 degrees celsius , pKw = - log (1.00 x 10-14) =14

and thus 14 = 2pH  so pH = 7  at 25 degrees celsius

At 50 degrees celsius , pKw = - log (5.476 x 10^-14) = 13.26

So  13.26 = 2pH and thus pH = 6.63 at a pH of 50 degrees celsius.

Thus, the pH of pure water decreases from 7.00 at 25 degrees celsius to 6.63 at 50 degrees celsius.

.

Who wrote the music for "The Nutcracker Ballet?"

In the late 1800’s, the Russian born composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, wrote the music for “The Nutcracker Ballet.” The ballet, with Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s musical elements was first performed in 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Tchaikovsky spent his whole life dedicated to music, first studying the piano. He matriculated at the Russian Music Society before studying at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Later, while teaching at the Moscow Conservatory he wrote many musical compositions including symphonies and concertos. It was not until he was nearing the end of his life that he wrote the musical accompaniment to this ballet that became a Christmas tradition with its overture being recognized around the world. Over the years the ballet, with Tchaikovsky's musical score, has been performed each holiday season by ballet companines large and small.

What did Nick think of Gatsby's party?

Nick had watched the festivities at Gatsby's house from afar, so he nervously anticipated attending after he received a personalized invitation.  He is surprised to find that his host is somewhat of a myth and that none of the guests actually seem to know what he looks like.  Rumors circulate as often as the trays of liquor among the guests about Gatsby's background.  Nick sees these gossipmongers as superficial and shallow, a reflection of the party itself.  One guest sums up the attitude of the majority:

"I like to come," Lucille said. "I never care what I do, so I always have a good time."

These guests, though, are set up as a contrast to Gatsby's himself, who does not drink or participate in the frivolity of his own party.  He is a mostly silent observer, and Nick is fascinated by him.  Despite the carnival atmosphere of the party Gatsby hosts, Nick sees him as above the fray, as an admirable man very different from the guests he entertains.  Nick views the party as a conglomeration of attention-seeking free-loaders who can see no further than tonight's good time.

What two things does Whitman compare in "A Noiseless Patient Spider"?

Quite simply, he compares a spider, in the midst of weaving its web, with the narrator's soul. 

"A Noiseless Patient Spider" was included in the 1891-92 Leaves of Grass in a cluster called "Whispers of Heavenly Death." It was written in 1885, seven years before Whitman's death. At the time, Whitman was elderly and his health was failing. Many of the poems in this cluster deal with mortality and, contrary to previous clusters such as "Children of Adam" or "Calamus," deal with a sense of loneliness due to impending death.

The spider is an animate being, but it stands "isolated" and "on a little promontory...to explore the vacant vast surrounding." A promontory is a point of high land that overlooks something vast just beyond it. There is nothing between the spider and the promontory but air. Nevertheless, "[i]t launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, / Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them." It works tirelessly in isolation.

Likewise, the narrator's soul "[stands]." Like the "vacant vast surrounding" which encircles the spider, the soul is "[s]urrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space." Instead of weaving, it is "[c]easelessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them..." This work in understanding life and one's being is just as tireless and necessary as the spider's weaving. It is also work that requires quiet and patience. This work continues "[t]ill the bridge you will need be form'd, till the ductile anchor hold, / Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul."

The narrator is seeking connection, just as the spider weaves a web to connect the "vacant vast surrounding" to the "promontory," allowing him to move through space while remaining grounded. This is likened to "the bridge" the narrator "will need be form'd...the ductile anchor" that should ground his existence. 

The narrator's capabilities, however, as a mere mortal, are limited and fragile like "the gossamer thread" that the spider flings. 

Please respond with your thoughts on the following prompt in one paragraph. Imagine how you might argue against someone who thinks differently than...

Technically, there is no personal agency against fate. Oedipus figured this out the hard way. 

With Macbeth, though, there was no specific prediction of how he would become king (as opposed to Oedipus, who was fated specifically to kill his father and marry his mother). The prediction was merely that he would be "king hereafter." Macbeth himself pointed out that this fate did not tie him to any particular course of action: "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, / Without my stir" (I.3). 

This entire question is predicated upon the assumption that fate is real, so I'll answer assuming that. Fate, by definition, cannot be changed. Macbeth's thinking that he was fated to be king did not make it happen; it would have happened anyway. What his thought did was change how it happened. 

This goes into the question of how much personal agency we have against fate: only as much as the "fate" allows. As I've already mentioned, if the fate is specific, it will specifically happen that way--no matter what the fated person thinks or does. In Macbeth's case, however, he made it a self-fulfilling prophesy. Yes, he would have been king, anyway, but he chose to take action to make his "fate" happen sooner. 

Is Gulliver's Travels a valid criticism of human nature? Why or why not?

Absolutely!  Swift ridicules humanity for being senselessly violent toward one another: consider the conflict between the Big Endians and Little Endians in Lilliput.  They fight over which side of the egg to crack, and thousands of people have died as a result of this conflict.  Swift thus satirizes the Catholic-Protestant conflict in England, where people killed each other over religious beliefs that literally had no impact on what other people could believe, just like one person breaking their egg on the small end has absolutely no effect on the life of someone who wants to crack the big end.  These are senseless conflicts over basic ways of life.

Further, Swift points out our greed, our violence, our misplaced priorities; he shows us at our most base when he creates the Yahoos, creatures who are incredibly greedy and terribly violent, who would hoard food from their peers when there is plenty to go around.  Gulliver's conversation with the king of Brobdingnag shows how much emphasis we put on developing our weapons instead of something constructive and useful.  Again and again, Swift points out our worst qualities, and he is right every time.

What are three themes in The Tempest?

The Tempest examines a number of subjects, including forgiveness, betrayal, and greed. Prospero uses magic to seek vengeance on those who have wronged him, but he eventually realizes that “the rarer action is / In virtue than in vengeance.” The spirit Ariel says that Prospero would pity these men if he saw their spell-induced torments. Prospero grasps that if even Ariel, who is not human, feels sorry for the men, he should as well. He confronts his enemies but neither kills nor continues to torture them.

Another theme is betrayal. Prospero feels betrayed by the spiteful Caliban, whom he raised from a child. Caliban sees Prospero’s enslavement of him as a betrayal since he “show'd [Prospero] all the qualities o' the isle, / The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile.” Antonio convinces Sebastian to kill his brother Alonso in order to become king. Alonso helped Antonio overthrow Prospero, Antonio’s own brother. Ambition leads to treachery in The Tempest, even though the characters ultimately reconcile.

A final recurring topic in the play is dehumanization through greed. When Trinculo sees the odd Caliban, he immediately thinks of making money by putting him on display in England: “when they will not give a doit to relieve a lame beggar, they will lazy out ten to see a dead Indian.” This pointed comment demonstrates how fascination with the exotic can trump compassion. When Stephano sees Caliban, he has a similar idea: “he's a present for any emperor that ever trod on neat's leather.” Stephano and Trinculo enlist Caliban, who is already enslaved by Prospero, as their servant. Mercy, treason, and exploitation are three of many themes in The Tempest.

What are three examples of symbiosis?

Symbiosis is the relationship between two or more organisms that are in close physical proximity and is generally beneficial to at least one of these organisms. If the relationship is beneficial to all the involved organisms, it is termed mutualism. If only one organism gets the benefit, but the other (or others) do not get adversely affected, it is termed as commensalism. In parasitism, on the other hand, one of the species gains at the expense of the other. Some examples of symbiosis are:

• Ticks and dogs: These have a parasitic relationship with the tick gaining at the expense of the dog. The tick enters the skin of the dog and drinks its blood, obtaining nutrients from the dog, while the dog loses the blood.


• Egrets and cattle: Egrets are birds that are often found very close to cattle. Sometimes, they are found perched on top of the cattle. Egrets eat the parasites from the cattle's skin and also the grasshoppers as the cattle walk through the field. In this way, egrets get food, while the cattle gets rid of parasites and grasshoppers (which bother and bite them). Thus, their symbiotic relationship can be termed as mutualistic.


• Mites and wasps: mites use wasps for transportation, while also acting as their protectors from parasitic wasps, thus exhibiting mutualism.  

Hope this helps. 

If you do not experience moral obligation, does that imply that nothing you do is right or wrong according to Kant?

Kant believes unequivocally in an objective right and wrong.  The standard that he applies to action in deciding whether it is right or wrong is called the "categorical imperative," and comes in three forms. The first formulation involves the standard of universalizability, and asks whether you could will that the proposed course of action become a universal law. That is to ask ourselves, "In the kind of situation that I am in, would it be a good thing if everyone did what I'm about to do?" 

The second formulation of the categorical imperative requires treating others as ends in themselves and not as means only, and the third formulation involves promotion of a "kingdom of ends," which is for Kant a kind of social ideal in which every rational being lives by common objective laws that include mutual respect.

All decisions are regulated by either categorical or hypothetical imperatives. Hypothetical imperatives are those which govern prudent action, or action that is beneficial given a particular goal. (I want to do well in my philosophy class, therefore I must read the assigned literature.) Decisions that are governed by categorical imperatives have objectively right and wrong courses of action.

Kant says that our decisions should be governed by a sense of duty to uphold the moral law. However, making the morally correct decisions in spite of not feeling that sense of moral obligation helps to cultivate a virtuous volition. In fact, Kant indicates that the only thing that is truly good without qualification is a good will. He also claims that it is the intent of the person acting that makes the action truly good, not the effect of the action. Thus in Kant's eyes, even if your good action turns out badly, it is still good because of your good will in acting. 

What elements appear in the poem "The Ruined Maid"?

"The Ruined Maid" is a poem by Thomas Hardy about a "fallen" or "ruined" woman, that is, one who engaged in premarital sex, something that could destroy a woman's chances of marriage in that period. Many such "fallen women" ended up being prostitutes or courtesans, supporting themselves by their sexual work. While many Victorian moralists condemned this behavior, others realized that the lack of other economic opportunities forced many women into prostitution. 

The poem is a dialogue between a country girl visiting town and the "ruined maid" of the title, who was once a poor country girl but now is a wealthy prostitute living in "Town" (possibly London or another major metropolis). It consists of six four-line stanzas, with each stanza rhymed AABB. The basic meter of the poem is anapestic tetrameter, but with several metrical substitutions.

The most dramatic elements of the poem are the two central comparisons, those between the ruined maid's past and her present and those between the country girl and her former friend. In both cases, rather than the "ruined" girl appearing to have been "ruined," everything from her manners to her appearance to her financial situation appear to be a significant improvement both over her past life and the life of her friend.

Thus another key element of the poem is irony. Every time we encounter the word "ruined" in the final line of a stanza, the situation which is called "ruin" looks increasingly like success and prosperity, or more like a traditional picture of salvation than ruin.

How do the themes of Andrew Marvell's poem "To His Coy Mistress" show in the lines?

Two central, intertwining themes in Andrew Marvell's poem "To His Coy Mistress" are time and passion. The voice of the poet expressly states that time is brief, so one should indulge in life's passion while one can. Two elements Marvell uses to portray his themes are imagery and similes.

Among many images found in the poem, sight and touch images are especially used by Marvell to capture death as lasting an eternity. To capture the fact that death is an eternity of empty nothingness, he uses the image of the desert to describe death as a barren wasteland, as we see in his two lines of the second stanza:

And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.

He further uses both a touch and sight image to capture the cold hardness of death by describing his loved one in her "marble vault." A vault is a location where the dead are often buried and can literally be seen;  marble can also be literally seen and is cold and hard to the touch; therefore, we can see how the phrase "marble vault" is both a touch and sight image used to capture death. Death is cold because only the living are warm. Death can also be viewed as hard because rigor mortis sets in as an initial step to the decaying process; only the living are soft and supple. Marvell's main point is to assert that all of mankind's lives progress towards death, which is an eternal state of bareness, coldness, and hardness.

Marvell also uses similes to capture the speaker's feelings of passion. One example of a simile is seen when the speaker describes the youthfulness of his lover sitting "on [her] skin like morning dew." The image of dew helps capture the moist luminosity of her young skin. He further uses a simile to propose that he and his lover should engage in sexual activity "like amorous birds of prey" that "devour" their time together. Likening sexual behavior to "birds of prey," which are meat-eating birds, such as vultures, helps convey the intense, passionate feelings of the speaker; his feelings are so intense that they can be called animalistic. The speaker's purpose is to try and convince his "coy mistress," meaning his shy and resistant mistress, to relinquish her resistance and seize the moment of passion since life is very short.

In Freak the Mighty, what are some things Max dislikes?

Many of Max's dislikes in Freak the Mighty can be linked to his severe low self-esteem issues. 

From the beginning chapters, we know that Max doesn't like himself for a couple of reasons. He refers to himself as a "butthead," "brainless," and "dumb." This could be due to the fact that he has been labeled as learning disabled and gets treated differently at school. We also know that he doesn't particularly like school and allows Kevin to answer all of the questions. This is even after the teacher probes Max to answer - he answers by putting his head down and letting Freak continue. 

Max is also very self-conscious of his appearance. He is very large for his age and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. His appearance really bothers him for the fact that he looks exactly like his father. This makes his grandparents particularly uncomfortable, since his father - which we learn later in the novel - actually killed Max's mom. We really learn how much Max looks like his dad when he ends up actually startling Freak's mom when they first moved to the neighborhood. 

Max's friendship with Freak, however, helps him overcome these issues when Freak gifts him with the journal so that he can write all of his adventures down. Furthermore, Freak helps him feel closure regarding his past with his dad. 

What does Howard Zinn say about how and why the United States took the Southwest (or northern lands of Mexico) from Mexico?

The Mexican War is the subject of Chapter Eight of A People's History of the United States, and Zinn's narrative of the conflict focuses on the intense opposition to the war among abolitionists and Whigs who opposed the expansion of slavery. These critics viewed the war as immoral, an unjustified act of aggression that many believed was aimed at the expansion of slavery into territories gained by the defeat of Mexico. Zinn makes it clear that he shares this perspective, and illustrates in detail the brutal nature of the American invasion of Mexico as well as its effects on the people who actually fought the war. A quote on page 164 sums it up: "It was a war of the American elite against the Mexican elite, each side exhorting, using, killing its own population as well as the other." This is Zinn's view of American conflicts in general, and the Mexican War is used to illustrate what he views as the immoral nature of war. It wrested a vast expanse of territory from a sovereign nation, and using the blood of working-class and poor Americans, it paved the way for territorial expansion that would ultimately tear the country apart. And like almost every American war according to Zinn, it was conducted without the support of many Americans.

The Jamestown colonists set a political precedent by: a. creating a judicial system. b. instituting a direct democracy. c. instituting a...

The answer is C.

In 1619, the first general assembly was created in British America. This was an early version of the representative government that would later develop and which we know today.

The settlers at Jamestown wanted a voice in their government, and believed that they should have some input in the laws that were created to govern the colony. After the Virginia Company was dissolved by James I in 1624 (just a year before his death), Virginia became a royal colony. It was also the seat of Virginia's social and political life until 1699 when the capital was moved to Williamsburg.

Direct democracy was impractical in the colony for logistic reasons.

The judicial system was not created until the eighteenth century during the Constitutional conventions. The judicial system would be created as one of the three branches of government, all separate and intended to check and balance one another.

Finally, the line-item veto did not become an official executive power until the Clinton presidency. The Line Item Veto Act was passed in 1996.

Explain Pablo Neruda's poem "Ode to Tomatoes".

An ode is a classical form that traditionally deals with a grand or important topic. Pablo Neruda's poem "Ode to Tomatoes", like the paradoxical encomium, applies this genre to a homely subject, a common food and cooking ingredient that is an essential element of the cuisine of his native Chile. 

Neruda himself was a communist, with strong sentimental ties to the working people and the oppressed peasants and indigenous peoples of small frontier towns. He regards them as the heart of Chile and much of his poetry praises the simple and everyday which he connects to the working class and poor. Thus in praising the simple tomato he engages in subtle political commentary, arguing for the importance of everyday people (who are metaphorically similar to this ordinary vegetable) and the peasants and small farmers who grow tomatoes.

He praises the tomato in its role as food, but mentions the paradox that to use the tomato in cooking we must destroy it:

Unfortunately, we must

murder it:

the knife

sinks

into living flesh,

red

viscera

Next, Neruda describes several forms of food preparation which include tomatoes, from salads and salsa to various forms of stew. 

The conclusion of the poem praises the way every part of the tomato is accessible and edible. 

What are the four metaphors and two similies in the poem, "The Highwayman"?

Similes and metaphors are literary devices called figures of speech that compare two unlike or dissimilar things to make a description more vivid or visual for the reader.  A simile uses the words “like” or “as” to make the comparison, a metaphor doesn’t use “like” or “as”.

Here’s a list of similes and metaphors from throughout the poem, “The Highwayman”  by Alfred Noyes.

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees.  (metaphor) 

The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.  (metaphor) 

The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,   (metaphor)

 His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,  (metaphor/simile)

 Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say—(simile)

 His face burnt like a brand (simile)

 When the road was a gypsy’s ribbon, looping the purple moor (metaphor)  

 Her face was like a light. (simile)

 Down like a dog on the highway (simile)

In Lord of the Flies chapter 4, what's the physical setting?

The setting of chapter four is the area of the beach where the boys have basically established a home base. There are the crude shelters that they have pieced together amidst the palm trees, and Golding spends some time describing the beauty of the island. He describes the coral reef and the glittering ocean and the power of the sun to create mirages that would flicker and disappear.

There is also the emerging darkness inside of the boys as Golding describes the scene with Henry and Roger. Henry is playing in the tidal pool and Roger throws rocks at him, just missing as he isn't quite ready to forget all the bonds of civilization.

Chapter four also includes a moment where the boys are staring out to sea and see the smudge of smoke on the horizon from a passing ship. When they rush to the top of the mountain to figure out where there was no signal fire, they are joined by Jack and his hunters who triumphantly return with a pig they killed.

Read the following paragraph and then answer the question presented: You have been working for a physician in private practice for 8 months. You...

Honesty is the best policy. As the person in charge of billing it is your responsibility to make sure that all medical claims are accurate before submitting them to insurance companies. If you happen to notice a discrepancy you should certainly not approach your boss and accuse him of fraudulent activity but you should most definitely discuss the issue with him immediately. It could simply be an error and the medical tests were coded incorrectly or placed with the wrong patient file. If your boss is indeed being dishonest and knows that you are verifying claims before submitting them he will be less likely to continue this activity. 

When starting a new job it is important to establish a clear set of ethical standards. If this is done from the start your boss will be less likely to ask you to do something that is unethical. If you continue to feel that he is asking you to submit fraudulent claims then it may be best to look for employment elsewhere. 

How does Max feel about testifying against his father in court?

Max is absolutely terrified of testifying against his father, Kenny “Killer” Kane in court. Max’s father has already killed Max’s mother and then kidnapped Max (on Christmas Eve, no less) immediately after getting out of jail on parole. It bothers Max so much that he cannot even enjoy the attention Max and Kevin are receiving at school due to their daring rescue. As usual, Max tries to escape the disturbing thoughts and says he would “just as soon forget about the whole thing.” Luckily, Max’s father settles out of court; therefore, Max does not have to testify against his own dad. Unfortunately, though, this makes Max worry about something else. Max continually worries about becoming just like his horrible father. Kevin tries to dispel Kevin’s worry by speaking about the importance of remembering. Kevin insists that remembering the bad things that Kenny “Killer” Kane has done and then purposely not repeating them will help Max in his situation. Again, the friendship of Max and Kevin saves the day.

Property and use of gasoline, kerosene, diesel and fuel

Gasoline, kerosene and diesel are all examples of fossil fuels. These are hydrocarbons, that is, consist of hydrogen and carbon. They have been formed over a period of millions of years and are found as a liquid known as petroleum. The liquid petroleum is obtained deep underneath the surface of earth (including oceans) and is then processed to receive individual components, including, gasoline, kerosene and diesel. All these liquids are used as fuels for heating and electricity generation purposes (among other applications). These fuels react readily with oxygen and generate carbon dioxide and considerable amount of energy. This is the reason, gasoline and diesel are used as primary fuel in automobiles. Kerosene is still used in developing or underdeveloped countries for heating and cooking purposes.

Hope this helps. 

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's “Winter Dreams,” which type of character is Judy Jones?

In "Winter Dreams," Judy Jones is a complex character motivated by self- interest.

Judy Jones's first appearance in the story displays her self- interest.  She dominates her nurse, ordering her and then hitting her with her golf club in the attempt to get what she wants.  She is insistent on ensuring her voice dominates all and shows little regard for others.  Her self- absorbed is evident in how she moves from man to man, ensuring that they are under her control. Fitzgerald writes that Judy Jones is  ‘‘entertained only by the gratification of her desires and by the direct exercise of her own charm.’’  The need to feed her own wishes is a significant part of her self- indulgent characterization.

Judy Jones best displays her egoism in her relationship with Dexter. She has little interest in him when they are a couple.  However, once she hears that he is "giving Irene Scheerer a violent rush," she shows a desire for him. It is clear that she only covets him when they are separate from one another, like a child who only wants something that someone else possesses.  When Dexter commits to her and leaves Irene, Judy's attention moves elsewhere. Her relationship with Dexter is meant to satisfy her own interests, and is reflective of her self- interest trait.  

Judy's "magnitude of me" condition is a significant part of her tragic condition.  When she asks Dexter why she cannot be happy even though she is "more beautiful than anyone else," it reflects how a life dedicated to self- interest is ultimately shallow.  As a result, Fitzgerald offers an insightful statement about both the 1920s time period and what it means to be a human being.

How did the oath change many Japanese Americans' attitudes toward America?

The oath, presented to the Japanese-American citizens in the internment camp, incited strong anti-American feelings even in people who previously were loyal to the US.

We find this out in Chapter 11, when Jeanne describes the oath and how it causes her father and brother to fight. The conflict radiates throughout the camp, and Jeanne describes the oath as "the final goad that prodded many once-loyal citizens to turn militantly anti-American." She goes on to describe a severe escalation in anti-American sentiments throughout the camp and a sharp divisiveness about how they should respond to the oath.

If we look at what the oath was asking these people to do, we can understand how their fury rose up so suddenly. Consider how they've been uprooted from their homes and essentially imprisoned in these camps, all because they have Japanese ancestry. Now look at what the oath asked: "Are you willing to serve in the Armed Forces?" and "Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States of America?"

There is no good way to answer these questions. Saying "no" would get a citizen in trouble, possibly jailed or deported. Saying "yes" would send a citizen straight into the war, fighting against his homeland and for the country who had imprisoned him unfairly. There was no box on the form to check that stated "I prefer not to answer these questions," so the very act of requiring the oath to be filled out was an injustice. You can understand, then, why anti-government feelings were engendered so quickly and passionately because of this oath.

In the story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe, what is the mood throughout paragraphs 1-11?

Edgar Allen Poe's story "The Tell-Tale Heart" has a beginning that immediately pulls the reader in. A lot of that is due to the mood and tone set by the unreliable narrator.

Quick explanation of terms:

The mood of a story is how the story is making the audience feel. A scary story will have a frightening mood, a love story might have a romantic mood, etc.

The tone of a story is how the narrator feels about the subject. Think of this like someone's tone of voice. If someone says, "Wow, what an interesting story!" when you say something, your reaction will be much different if they are using a sincere, honest tone than if they are using a sarcastic tone. 

Now, in the beginning of "The Tell-Tale Heart," the narrator uses a strong tone, which helps to create the mood. The narrator's tone seems to be manic, or overly excited. Readers will notice the way the first few paragraphs are written. There are a number of exclamation points and repeated words: "It's true! Yes I have been ill, very ill," and "Listen! Listen and I will tell you how it happened." These two examples from the first two paragraphs of the story suggest a person who is so excited to tell his story that he is stumbling over words and yelling.  

This manic tone creates an uneasy or unsettling mood in the reader. As you read all the repeated words and exclamation points, you wonder what has this guy so worked up. It could be something positive, but some of the words he is using make you think not. For example, he is trying to convince you that he is not insane: "why do you say that I am mad?" Furthermore, it seems like he is actually insane when you hear his claims: "I heard sounds from heaven; and I heard sounds from hell!" (paragraph 2).

As the story continues, the narrator describes his actions. Again, both the actions the narrator is taking and the frantic, obsessive tone he uses to describe them heighten the sinister, threatening mood of the story. For instance, he compares the old man's eye to "the eye of one of those terrible birds that watch and wait while an animal dies, and then fall upon the dead body and pull it to pieces to eat it" (paragraph 3).

There are a ton of examples to use as evidence for the mood of this story. One more quick tip though—when identifying a mood or a tone of a text, the more specific you can be, the better. I used to tease my middle school students—everything they read was either "happy," "sad," or "creepy." Notice how I avoided the word "creepy" to describe "The Tell-Tale Heart"? Use a thesaurus to get the perfect word to precisely describe the way the story is making you feel—it will help make your analysis deeper. 

Chapter 10 opens with Baba and Amir riding in the back of the truck. What kind of truck is it?

In Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner, Amir's narration skips forward several years between Chapters 9 and 10. Chapter 10 takes place in March of 1981, a period of time during which Russia had invaded Afghanistan, resulting in intense international conflict. 

Amir and Baba are riding in the "tarpaulin-covered cab of an old Russian truck" at the beginning of the chapter, being smuggled over the border in order to escape possible retribution from the incoming armies and government. 

Unfortunately, the exact make and model of the truck is never stated in the chapter, possibly because Amir did not know these details. I have attached two possible resources for further investigation: each is a list of Russian trucks produced over the course of several years preceding when this chapter was meant to take place. 

State one feature of a fruit that is dispersed by wind.

After fertilization in a flowering plant occurs, a fruit will develop from the ripened ovary of the plant. Within this ovary is the ovule where a fertilized egg will develop into a seed containing an embryo plant. The purpose of a fruit is to protect as well as to aid in a seed's dispersal. Embryo plants need to be transported to a suitable location in order to germinate and successfully develop into an adult.

Fruits that are dispersed by wind are usually light-weight as well as aerodynamic.  

A common weed that grows on lawns is the dandelion. Once pollination occurs, seeds develop which are attached to parachute-like structures capable of traveling easily on the wind. The structure they are attached to is the fruit.

Maple trees have winged, helicopter-shaped fruits to which their seeds are attached. These are capable of gliding to a new habitat. They have a fluttering type of motion. The winged part is the fruit.

Seeds that are dispersed by wind are adapted to be carried in the breeze. Their fruits are adapted to be able to float, fly, or even spin in the wind until they reach their new destination. Some seeds even have tails which allow them to fly much like a kite does in the wind. Some seed pods, which are the fruits, bend over on their stalks and the seeds fall out away from the parent plant to reduce competition between parent and offspring.

I have attached a link with pictures of fruits that transport seeds via wind to show their unique adaptations.

What is the development of Fanny's relationship with Edmund in Mansfield Park?

When Fanny arrives at Mansfield Park as a frightened 10-year-old, Edmund is the one person in the family who befriends her. By 18, she has fallen in love with Edmund. However, just at this time, a rival, Mary Crawford, appears on the scene. While Fanny has led a timid, quiet life, Mary is beautiful, witty and worldly and quickly catches Edmund's eye. Fanny can do nothing but wait silently for the blow to fall and Edmund to propose to Mary. In chapter 11, Fanny endures the "mortification of seeing him advance ... by gentle degrees" towards Mary, while she, Fanny, "sighed alone at the window." 

Fanny's only hope lies in the fact that Mary does not want to marry a clergyman, which is Edmund's chosen profession. Because she is such a close friend, Edmund often confides in Fanny about his concerns over Mary's morals and upbringing.

The story takes an unexpected turn when Mary's brother Henry falls in love with Fanny. Fanny loathes Henry as a person of loose morals, a man described by Austen as "ruined by early independence and bad domestic example." When Henry, who is very wealthy, proposes, Edmund urges Fanny to accept. Fanny refuses and is exiled to her family in Portsmouth to think it over. She has begun to weaken when she learns Henry has eloped with her married cousin Maria. Mary takes her brother's side and at that point Edmund breaks with Mary.

Edmund and Fanny both arrive back at Mansfield and at "exactly at the time when it was quite natural that it should be so, and not a week earlier, Edmund did cease to care about Miss Crawford, and became as anxious to marry Fanny as Fanny herself could desire."

Although Fanny and Edmund are first cousins, they marry: for cousins to wed was not considered odd at the time.

What plants produce acid that cause weathering of rocks?

Plants are capable of both, physical and chemical weathering of rocks. Plants grow on rocks and their roots, while growing, enters the cracks within the rock and extend them. Over time, large enough cracks develop and weathering takes place. Plants, such as moss, are capable of releasing weak organic acids, that will dissolve minerals from the rocks and cause chemical weathering. Apart from moss, organisms such as fungus and lichen are also capable of similar chemical weathering action. This acid causes breaks down the minerals and provides the nutrient for plants and organisms. In some cases, roots of decaying plants may also release chemicals that will accelerate the weathering process. Plants also condition the soil (which is formed from broken rocks) and ensure that the soil would be able to support their growth.

Hope this helps. 

In regards to "A Good Man is Hard to Find," what other technological, economic, and social changes did the U.S. highway system enable the 1950s?

"A Good Man to Find" offers an important slice of social history about the way highways opened up society in the 1950s. First, the new and improved highways allowed families like Bailey's in the story to hop into a car and take a family vacation. Before Eisenhower expanded the highways in 1950s, poor roads kept Americans closer to home or encouraged them to take trains. As we see in "A Good Man," however, the family now has the freedom to hit the road, take detours and explore the countryside. 

The growth of highways also meant the growth of the kind of restaurants like Big Sammys where the family stops to dine on hamburgers and cokes. This was the period before fast food chains took over. Stopping at Big Sammys gave the family an opportunity to meet other people in a mom and pop setting.

Finally, and sadly, the highway system made the family vulnerable to attack from the Misfit and his gang. The story shows that with the good comes the bad: the highway system helped Americans move around more freely, but with this freedom came greater risks. Big Sammy himself sums up the change when the family stops at his place to eat:

"I remember the day you could go off and leave your screen door unlatched. But no more."

Unfortunately, the family, or at least the Grandmother, doesn't pay enough attention to this warning.

What does Winston think has the best chance of fighting in a revolution against Big Brother?

Winston believes a mysterious organization called the Brotherhood, which is said to be in rebellion against the Party, has the best chance of fighting a revolution against Big Brother. Julia pooh-poohs this idea because "any kind of organized revolt against the Party ... struck her as stupid." Yet Winston is mesmerized by the idea of the Brotherhood and by his suspicion that O'Brien might be part of it. He feels that a "strange intimacy" exists between him and O'Brien. When he mentions that thought to Julia, she is not unsympathetic to the idea of approaching O'Brien, for she is used to "judging people by their faces."

It is his belief that O'Brien, a father figure to him, might be part of the Brotherhood that spurs on Winston's belief that the organization could successfully fight Big Brother. He doesn't believe any organization O'Brien is part of can fail. 

How is Willy Harris important to Walter's goals and ambition?

Walter has goals and ambitions like anyone; however, he feels emasculated or less than a man because being black in the 1950’s has limited his opportunities to succeed.  Walter works as a chauffeur for a white man, a service job that limits his earning power and his ability to get ahead.  Walter feels stuck, and in order to feel like the man of the family, Walter thinks up “get rich quick” schemes in hopes of being his own boss.  Walter wants to provide for his family and be a role model for his young son.  Along with Willy Harris and Walter’s friend, Bobo, they learn of an opportunity to buy a liquor store. The only catch is that Walter needs $10,000 from his father’s life insurance policy to become a partner in the venture.  Mama Younger does give Walter some money, but Willy Harris runs off with it dashing Walter’s dreams to be his own man. 

Willy Harris represents another disappointment for Walter because Walter is unable to fulfill his dreams.  Willy is just another person in society who mistreats and takes advantage of Walter.  Walter can’t even count on his friends for a break, and it is extremely disappointing because all Walter wants is to feel important and powerful in his family and society. 

What are some similarities between Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird and Skeeter from The Help?

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is receptive and understanding of the ways of African-American characters. In Chapter Three, he says, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." In other words, he has empathy, the ability to understand the feelings of others without necessarily experiencing these feelings directly. He defends Tom Robinson, an African-American man accused of raping a white woman, though it is dangerous and difficult for him to do so in his society.

Skeeter, the protagonist of Kathryn Stockett's novel The Help, is a white woman in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. Like Atticus, she is privileged and exists in a world in which African-Americans are largely supposed to be subservient to her. The mores of her society mean that she does not need to understand the emotions and injustices of African-Americans, but she, like Atticus, has empathy for their experience. She helps transcribe the experiences of African-American maids to create a book about their lives. Skeeter instinctively understands that their lives are full of pain and unfairness. Like Atticus, she risks a great deal to defend African-Americans in her racist society.

Both Atticus and Skeeter are individuals who do not necessarily follow the rules of their white-dominated societies. They question what is right and wrong, and they make their own determinations about fairness without relying on the rigid rules around them. They often risk being rejected by other white people or even hurt for their beliefs, but they both have integrity and the willingness to defend what they think is right. 

At what point would you say was the climax and denouement in the story “The Man Who Was Almost a Man?”

The climax occurs at the point in the story when Dave inadvertently shoots Jenny, the mule; the denouement of the story occurs as Dave jumps onto the train car.

Richard Wright's story "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" has an ironic title because Dave Saunders is never a man. He is a boy who wants to be a man by possessing a gun. For, when he holds the gun that he purchases for two dollars from Joe at the store, Dave feels empowered. But, when he fires this obsolete gun, he closes his eyes and waves it wildly for a moment before firing it, but the recoil of the old gun causes Dave to fall backwards. When he recovers himself, Dave hears Jenny, the mule, and sees her kicking wildly and tossing her head.

When he catches Jenny, Dave discovers that he has shot her.

Jenny was bleeding. Her left side was red and wet with blood....Then he saw the hole in Jenny's side, right between the ribs.

When the mule dies, Dave buries the gun, and he decides that he cannot tell Jim Hawkins that he has shot his mule, but is very worried.

• Denouement

Dave is humiliated when people discover that he has shot the mule because the recoil of the gun was too much for him to handle, and men among the onlookers begin to laugh. "Hot anger bubbled in him." This humiliation of his mishap embarrasses Dave so much that he decides to jump on top of a train and leave his parents and abscond without paying his debt.

He felt his pocket; the gun was still there. Ahead, the long rails were glinting in the moonlight, stretching away...somewhere he could be a man.

In this Modernist-styled short story, there is no full resolution. He has nothing, and he has left his parents to pay his debt and with no knowledge of where he is going.

Why is it important for teachers to have an understanding of philosophy?

Philosophy can be an academic discipline, where various viewpoints are compared and contrasted, but more important for teachers is an educational philosophy, a fairly thoroughly considered statement of what education is “about,” a “raison d’etre” for educating a certain way, whether “facts” are more or less important than “methodology,” whether testing has a punitive or a constructive function, what constitutes success in an educational environment, etc. On the college level, a teacher’s understanding of philosophy can help penetrate the material to be learned; for example, literature always benefits from a philosophical point of view; even mathematics can benefit by such inquiries as “Was mathematics invented or discovered?”  Finally, a teacher must keep in mind the way the brain works, and that requires a philosophical world-view.

In The Crucible, how does Arthur Miller use allegory to represent what happened during McCarthyism?

In The Crucible, Arthur Miller stages a subversive play about the Salem witch trials that mirrors the events that occurred during McCarthyism. The literal play features famous characters like John Proctor, Revered Hale, Revered Paris and Judge Danforth. These characters play out an ideological conflict that revolves around themes of hysteria, power, liberalism and faith. These themes were directly occurring in the political landscape during McCarthyism, which was concerned with a Communist threat. McCarthyism instilled a hysteria in the American public that suggested American artists, politicians and thinkers had turned Communist. This "threat" was imagined and created to shift power in politics, much like the witch threat in Salem. Ultimately, Arthur Miller used the extended allegory of the Salem witch trials to expose the flagrant misuse of power that was used by certain American politicians to stir up hysteria to harm their political rivals. A similar event occurred in recent American politics, with conservative politicians claiming that many of their rivals were "socialists" even when that label wasn't accurate. "Socialist" and "communist" became dirty words, much like "witch." Miller was aware of this and used the allegory to get past censors and critique the American political system.

How does Ivan wish to spend his leisure time on the estate in "The Lottery Ticket" by Anton Chekhov?

Ivan Dmitritch suggests he would spend twenty-five thousand on real estate, ten thousand on immediate expenses, and deposit forty thousand with the bank to earn interest. His wife agrees purchasing real estate is a good idea.

Ivan starts dreaming of how he would spend his time on the estate. During the summer, he sees himself healthy and well-fed. Ivan sees his children either playing in the sand or catching ladybirds in the grass. He envisions himself watching the peasants as they fish. He would later take a bath and have some tea with cream and milk rolls afterward. During autumn, he imagines strolling in his garden and along the river. After the walk, he will have some vodka with mushroom or cucumber. His children would bring a carrot and radish from the kitchen garden as he stretches himself on the sofa while reading an illustrated magazine or taking a nap.

In the the short story "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver, how do the personality traits of the two men in the story create dramatic tension? Give at...

In Raymond Carver's short story, "Cathedral," the two central characters, the narrator and Robert are opposite of each other in many ways--these ways create dramatic tension in the story. The narrator is jealous of Robert's relationship with his wife and this starts the story off on a tense note. Robert has a close relationship with the narrator's wife and this stands in contrast with the narrator's strained relationship with his wife. He also doesn't understand Robert's blindness so between his jealousy and ignorance, makes comments that are rude or offensive.

Robert, on the other hand, is kind, patient, and even-tempered. He recognizes the narrator's discomfort with him and doesn't have a problem with it.  While the narrator fumbles along through the story and at times, insults Robert, his even temperament makes the narrator's sarcasm fall short. The tension created between these two men culminates in a moment when they are literally on the same page, drawing a sketch of a cathedral. In this moment, the tension is dissolved as the narrator understands what it is like to be blind and vulnerable.