In what way is "Tithonus" a dramatic monologue in an elegiac strain?

Tennyson's poem "Tithonus" is generally considered a dramatic monologue as it fits within the standard definition of the genre. A dramatic monologue is a poem spoken by a first person narrator with an indefinite addressee, very much like a soliloquy in a drama. Often, the dramatic monologue, as well as voicing the specific issues or concerns of the narrator, acts as a psychological portrait of the narrator. Tithonus is written in the first person voice of a character from ancient Greek myth. He was a mortal lover of Eos, the goddess of the dawn, who asked that Zeus grant him immortal life but for got to ask for eternal youth. The poem is a lament spoken in his voice.

Although it is not an elegy in the sense of being a poem specifically memorializing the death of a person, it is a mournful poem concerned with themes of mortality and inspired by the death of Tennyson's friend Hallam.

.13. Which of the following accurately describes fermentation? A. Fermentation generates more ATP than cellular respiration. B. Fermentation can...

Option (C) is the correct answer to this question.  Explanations as to why the other options are not the correct responses are found below.

• Option (A) is not the correct answer because fermentation produces much less ATP than aerobic respiration. In the presence of oxygen, aerobic respiration produces 34-38 ATP.  On the other hand, in the absence of oxygen, fermentation produces a net yield of only 2 ATP. 


• Option (B) is not the correct answer because fermentation is an anaerobic process, which means that it occurs in the absence of oxygen (“an” = without, “aerobic” = atmosphere).


• Option (D) is not the correct answer because there are two types of fermentation known as lactic acid fermentation and ethanol fermentation. Lactic acid fermentation does not produce carbon dioxide.

What is the connection between the freedom to voluntarily exchange and supply and demand in the American marketplace?

Without the freedom to voluntarily exchange goods and services (and money), there would be no such thing as supply and demand.  Thus, the freedom to voluntarily exchange makes supply and demand possible and creates the American marketplace (and our market economy).

Supply and demand are the bases of a free market economy.  Supply and demand determine what sorts of goods and services are offered for sale, how many are bought, and at what prices.  Supply and demand create the “invisible hand” that efficiently runs our economy, making sure that people can (so far as is possible) get all of the goods and services they want and need.

Supply is defined as the amount of a good or service that producers are willing and able to offer for sale at any given selling price.  Demand is defined as the amount of the good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy at any given price.  Of course, each of these things can only exist if people have the right to voluntarily exchange goods and services (and money).  If we did not have the right to offer (or not to offer) things for sale, there would be no supply in this sense of the word.  If we did not have the right to buy (or refuse to buy) what we want, there would be no demand.  Instead, we would have to have a command economy in which the government told producers what to make and told consumers what they could and could not buy.  This would be inefficient and would not work to get American consumers the goods and services that they want.

In this way, the freedom to voluntarily engage in economic exchange makes supply and demand (and, through them, our market economy) possible.

How does Eckels show that he is being playful with his rifle in the story "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury?

Your question had me stumped for a bit, because I didn't remember Eckels being playful.  I did remember him being scarred out of his mind when he finally saw the Tyrannosaurus rex.  From that point forward, Eckels was so scarred that he could barely follow simple directions from Travis.  

But after going back through the text, I noticed a different personality in Eckels during the first half of the story.  He is full of bluff and bluster.  He is supremely overconfident in his skills and abilities.  

“I’ve hunted tiger, wild boar, buffalo, elephant, but now, this is it,”

Once arriving in the past, Eckels is still completely of the mindset that shooting a dinosaur is going to be child's play.  

Eckels, balanced on the narrow Path, aimed his rifle playfully.

He is holding his rifle up to his shoulder and playfully taking aim at various imaginary targets.  Travis gets mad at Eckels right away, because he doesn't want the gun going off accidentally.  That might kill something in the past that shouldn't be killed and wreck the entire future.  

Why is Shakespeare so important?

William Shakespeare is widely acknowledged as the most important figure in English literature. Although some people consider him the "best" author in the English language, that point of view is probably overly simplistic. There is no real way to measure objectively what writer is "best". Instead, importance really is not a quality judgement but one about how a writer becomes foundational in a literary tradition.

Roland Barthes famously stated that "literature is what is taught, period". In other words, while we read or watch and enjoy many imaginative works, the foundational ones to our culture are defined by what works we invest in handing down within our educational curriculum and thus what works become a ground of shared cultural knowledge. Thus Shakespeare for English literature, as Homer for the Greeks or Virgil for the Romans, has become the figure central to the literary tradition of our language.

The first reason for this is that he wrote at the beginning of modern English. Chaucer, who might have equal claims based on subject matter and literary innovation wrote in Middle English. Most English schools were focused on Greek and Latin classics through the nineteenth century. When writing in the English vernacular was introduced into school curricula, first in the Dissenting Academies, and later diffused through a wider range of instruction, Middle English had become alien to ordinary speech. Although Shakespeare was appreciated by some earlier writers, his reputation began to grow as English literature was gradually introduced in the curriculum. He was a particular favorite of the Romantic writers and accounts of his "unique genius" were often used by the Romantics to justify their own freer literary forms against the more strict formal devices of the Augustans.

Shakespeare's plays were crucial in the development of English drama, and are especially prized for the sheer range of human experiences they reflect, including both comedy and tragedy and characters from all stations in life from "rustics" to to kings. They include both imaginative and historical works. His use of language is widely admired, with many of his phrases having become so much part of the English language that they are used by people who may not even be acquainted with his works. His characters also, such as his doomed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, or his quarreling lovers, Beatrice and Benedict, have become patterns for innumerable subsequent literary works. 

Based on conservatism, Marxist Socialism and liberalism developed in response to the French Revolution. They all attempt to redefine the human...

I disagree with your first premise: "based on conservatism." Remember, conservative and reactionary ideologues generally oppose progress, dislike political reform, and are generally indifferent to the concerns of those who are socially and economically disadvantaged. The French Revolution sought to address the concerns of the disadvantaged by dismantling the aristocracy and by attacking the middle-class (épater la bourgeoisie).

Classical liberalism, to which I think you're referring, developed in Europe during the Enlightenment, which inspired the French Revolution. The ideology emphasized civil liberties, property rights, and the rule of law under a representative government. Clearly, these ideas would become very important in the formation of the American republic. 

There are certain core ideas that all liberal theorists have in common. Here I include John Locke, Adam Smith (the first thinker to introduce the notion of free markets, or a laissez-faire economy), Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill (Utilitarians), and later, Frederic Bastiat, to name a few. They all appeared to accept Locke's view that human beings were rational and industrious. They all believed that people were generally governed by what gives them pain or pleasure (this is specifically a Utilitarian notion). They all believed in the importance of economic freedom, particularly the pursuit of property and free trade.

Taking all of these ideas together, one could say that liberal thinkers held the individual in high esteem. They believed that people were generally rational, and when brought together, in what Locke called "the commonwealth," they would form a society based on fairness and individual liberty. The role of the state was to be limited. This is especially true for Bastiat whose ideas are very important to the contemporary Libertarian movement.

One could argue (I certainly would) that liberal theorists failed to account for the baser aspects of human nature, particularly greed. The Industrial Revolution led to the exploitation of human labor on several continents. Marxism sought to address this.

Marx wanted a recurrence of the French Revolution of 1789, in the interest of addressing exploitation and ensuring the rights of the working-class. His ideas became popular during the Revolution of 1848, a revolutionary wave that began in France but spread throughout the rest of Europe, ending monarchies and establishing parliamentary governments.

Later in the 19-century, many would come to view Marxist theory as not only a political theory, but also as an aid to human progress. His ideas would often be compared to Charles Darwin's, due to his understanding of human nature and what he deemed necessary for the evolution of the species. 

For Marx, the first step in a more humane government was an abolition of the class system. That would mean eliminating the notion of inalienable individual property rights, which the liberals had touted. The unrestricted pursuit of individual wealth had only led to exploitation. It also allowed the bourgeoisie to control the means of production, and to create a culture in which the pursuit of wealth, under any circumstances, had become a noble cause. 

As a result of their exploitation, the working-class, or proletariat (literally, "producers of offspring") became disconnected from their own humanity, or what Marx called "species-being." They lived in cramped quarters like cattle; and they took comfort in sex, resulting in more children whom they could not care for and whom they would sometimes kill in infancy. 

Marx wanted a government that would dismantle capitalism. He wanted a strong state that would ensure the rights of all classes, but that would particularly protect the interests of the proletariat who were vulnerable to exploitation. The liberals wanted a representative government that would uphold individual liberty and property rights. They believed that people were rational enough to be fair and to respect their neighbors' right to happiness.

How does the message in the book The Da Vinci Code by Brown predominate over the aesthetic media?

In the Da Vinci Code, Brown is not interested in art for art's sake: in other words, he is not primarily interested, for example, in The Last Supper as an artistic masterpiece. The aesthetics of a work of art are largely irrelevant to the novel. In the novel, art is primarily important because it contains coded messages that show that Jesus married Mary Magdalene. Certain pieces of artwork show that that the term "holy grail" is coded language that conveys a message about the Magdalene marriage. Certain works of art or architecture contain a secret language understood only by those in the know, such as the freemasons.

The Last Supper is a prime example of a painting encoding a secret message. The novel analyses the painting only to show that a disciple seated near Jesus has such feminine characteristics that she must (in the novel's universe) be Mary Magdalene. Likewise, that this figure is leaning away from Jesus to form a "V" symbolizes the holy grail, or the marriage, to those who know how to read its signs. If the painting were aesthetically a piece of trash, it wouldn't matter: the message it conveys is what is important. 

What is the atomic explanation for the combustion of methane?

Combustion is a chemical reaction. When a chemical reaction takes place, what happens on the atomic level is that chemical bonds between atoms are broken and new bonds are formed between different atoms.

In order for molecules to react they must be moving fast enough to have enough collisions. Collisions only result in a reaction if the molecules collide with enough energy and in the proper orientation. In the case of methane combusting, some energy must be provided to initiate the reaction at normal temperatures. This is called the activation energy. Matches, lighters and electronic igniters are common sources of activation energy.

Here's the balanced equation for the combustion of methane:

` CH_4 + 2 O_2 -> CO_2 + 2H_2O` 

Each molecule of methane that reacts requires 2 molecules of oxygen. The chemical bonds are broken and reformed in steps and there are intermediate structures formed that go away, but for the sake of simplicity we'll look at it as though all of the reactant bonds break then all of the product bonds form.

Four carbon-hydrogen bonds are broken in methane, producing a carbon atom and 4 hydrogen atoms. An oxygen-oxygen double bond breaks in each of the oxygen molecules, giving us 4 oxygen atoms.

Two molecules of water are formed when each oxygen forms new bonds to two hydrogen atoms. A carbon dioxide molecule forms when the carbon atom forms double bonds with two different oxygen atoms.

There are the same number of each type of atom in the products as in the reactants: 1 carbon, 4 hydrogens and 4 oxygens. Atoms are neither created nor destroyed, they're just rearranged into different molecules.

Energy is released when new bonds are formed. In this chemical reaction the amount of energy released is greater than the amount of energy absorbed to break the original bonds, so the reaction is exothermic (releases energy).

Why did France agree to sell the enormous territory of Louisiana?

France and the United States agreed to the Louisiana Purchase on April 30, 1803. The United States' motivations were easy to discern; the deal greatly expanded the American frontier, giving the young country an additional 828,000 square miles. Moreover, the Americans were ecstatic to acquire this land for the incredibly cheap price of less than three cents per acre.

The Americans were able to get such a great deal on the Louisiana Purchase because Napoleon greatly needed the money to finance his impending war with Great Britain. If war did come, the French feared the British would invade the Louisiana territory from Canada; selling the land prior to the war brought money into the French treasury and eliminated the threat of invasion.

How does an increase in foreign consumer income affect domestic aggregate expenditures and demand? I need to explain and show diagram. I am...

If foreign consumer income rises then domestic aggregate expenditures and demand will, all other things being equal, rise.  The reason for this is that foreign demand for imports will rise.

Let us say that we are using the United States as the “domestic” country.  People in countries like Japan, Canada, Germany, and China will be willing to buy some amount of imports from the United States.  Now imagine that the incomes of those people in foreign countries increase.  Those people will now be able to afford more imports from the United States.

When the foreigners are able to demand more products that were made in the United States, aggregate demand in the US will rise.  One of the parts of aggregate demand is net exports.  This is the value of the goods the US exports minus the goods it imports.  If foreigners buy more goods made in the US, the value of US net exports will rise.  This will increase the US’s aggregate demand.  Thus, an increase in foreign consumers’ incomes will lead to an increase in US domestic aggregate demand.

What is the difference between the schools in The Giver and American schools today?

It can be argued that American schools today are similar in some ways to the schools in The Giver.  For example, in American schools children are grouped by grade.  In The Giver, they are grouped by age.  However, there are many differences between the two.

In The Giver, education is focused on teaching societal norms, learning about various careers within the Community, and using language correctly.  There are also lessons on technology.  However, there seems to be less of an academic focus compared to American schools.  In the book, the main purpose of school is to train students to be citizens who conform to the expectations of the Community and to prepare for a specific career.  In American schools, students learn about literature, music, and art in additional to reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.  There is no art, music, or literature in the schools in The Giver because all of those things have been forgotten by everyone except for the Giver himself.  Also, most American schools are not focused on career preparation until high school.  

It is clear that Lois Lowry used traditional schooling as a basis for education in her novel.  From there, she created a very different system.

Why is there no mention of the people in London in the poem 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge' by William Wordsworth?

Wordsworth does not speak of the peopled bustling city because his subject is the comparison of the city’s calm in the early morning (before people are out of bed) to the calm of nature: "Earth has not anything to show more fair...." He is struck by the way the city’s structures (“domes, theatres, and temples”) are like Nature’s own creations--“valley, rock, or hill”--and how the calm river Thames seems to have a will of its own. In this fourteen-line personification of the city (“that mighty heart”), Wordsworth is tying humanity’s existence to Nature, a primary Romantic observation.

In other poems Wordsworth does treat the city population in considerable detail (see The Prelude and "London, 1802"); for example, in The Prelude, "Residence in London" (639-649), the blind beggar on the street seems to admonish him as if "from another world”: "I gazed, / As if admonished from another world." Note: In analyzing poetry it is always dangerous to inquire into what is not dealt with. Remember Eliot's admonishment: "A poem must not mean, but be."

How does The Thorn Birds end?

There are a series of events that mark the conclusion of the book.

First, Dane O'Neill, the son of Meggie O'Sullivan (née Cleary) and Ralph de Bricassart, dies in Greece. This event occurs shortly after he has been ordained as a priest in the Roman Catholic church. He drowns while attempting to rescue two women from drowning. His death has an important effect on the main protagonists. 

Cardinal Ralph de Bricassart learns that Dane was actually his son and he, too, dies (in Meggie's arms) after Dane's funeral.

The story continues with the fate of Meggie and Luke O'Neill's daughter, Justine. Justine initially ends her relationship with Rainer Hartheim because of her grief at the death of her brother, Dane. Eventually, however, they renew their relationship (after he visits her at the family estate, Drogheda) and they get married. 

What good things did King John do? Were there any groups or a group in particular who may have thought that John was a good king?

Historically, King John has one of the worst reputations of any medieval monarch. During his reign, England lost her lands in France, was heavily in debt and placed under Interdict by the pope. But, looking at John's reign critically, we must not forget that he did at least one good thing: he agreed to the terms of Magna Carta. 

This 'great charter' was signed in 1215, the year before John died, and was an attempt at bringing peace to John's barons who were at war with each other. In the Magna Carta, the barons listed their many grievances against the king (and his predecessors) and sought royal recognition of their rights and grievances, like the right to inherit without paying a 'relief,' or fine (Clause Two).

By agreeing to Magna Carta, then, King John did something good for the barons of England. He upheld their rights and protected their social and economic position. But Magna Carta also had advantages for the Church. In Clause One, for example, John agreed to maintain the Church's liberty, particularly on the issue of elections, in which he promised not to interfere. This acknowledgement, then, also made John very popular with members of the English clergy. 

Finally, from a historical perspective, King John also made freedom fighters, like the Founding Fathers, very happy. According to historian, Dan Snow, this is because some of the clauses that he agreed to "established the basic principles" of being an English subject. Clauses 39 and 40 are especially important in this context:

"No free man is to be arrested, or imprisoned, or disseised, or outlawed, or exiled, or in any other way ruined, nor will we go against him or send against him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.”

Also, “to no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay, right or justice.”

King John, then, not only appeared as a good king to his barons and clergymen but also to many future generations who sought freedom from oppression and tyranny.

How did Great Britain change with the Industrial Revolution?

The Industrial Revolution had an enormous impact on Great Britain. Cities and towns grew in a process that is known as urbanization. Urban areas grew in population and importance because the factories were located in the larger population centers so that labor and transportation needs could be met. As agricultural techniques improved, the number of farmers needed decreased. Naturally, many migrated towards urban centers to find work.

The Industrial Revolution also improved transportation networks. Manufactured goods need to be transported to markets to be sold. As a result, Britain improved its transportation infrastructure. This is especially true of the development of rail lines to connect the different towns and ports. New canals were constructed for river travel in order to connect the industrial cities with the necessary inputs for goods. Communication networks were also improved as a necessity for the new industrial economy.

Unfortunately, there were negative consequences to industrialism. The system created stark social class lines with some acquiring vast sums of wealth while others  suffered. Laborers were required to work long hours in dangerous conditions with very little rights. Children were utilized as laborers which ultimately hurt their ability to seek a better future. Women increasingly left the home to seek employment.  As a result of these inequalities, many demanded social and political change to improve the conditions of the lower classes.

The Battle of the Bulge is best described as ____ ?

There are many possible ways to describe the Battle of the Bulge. I do not know what specific words your teacher wants to use to describe the battle.  My first choice for how to describe this would be to say that the Battle of the Bulge was Germany’s last-gasp attempt to avert defeat in WWII.

The Battle of the Bulge began in December of 1944.  Months before, the Allies had invaded Europe in the D-Day landings in Normandy.  Over the rest of 1944, they had pushed towards Germany.  The Germans were clearly in danger of losing the war. 

The Battle of the Bulge was Germany’s last effort to stave off defeat. Hitler believed that he could launch a major offensive that would split the British and the American armies apart. Hitler hoped that this would lead to discord between the Allies.  He also hoped that it would make their strategic position untenable. Both of these factors would encourage them to make peace rather than trying to conquer Germany and force them to surrender unconditionally.  The massive offensive succeeded for a while, but strong Allied resistance held the attack until weather improved, allowing Allied air power to help destroy the German advance.

In this way, the Battle of the Bulge, which can also be called the largest single battle American troops have ever been involved in, can be described as Germany’s last-gasp attempt to avoid losing WWII.

What are some examples of poems that highlight what you enjoy about literature?

Some examples of poems, which highlight what I enjoy about Literature, are:

1. The Hollow Men by T.S. Eliot

2. Monument City by Jared Carter

3. Sunday Morning by Wallace Stevens

4. Helen by Christopher Marlowe

5. Borderlands by Suji Kwock Kim

These five poems exemplify to me how literature, through creatively using words, causes us to take a look at the world around us and the cultures and societies we inhabit. These poems consider family, history, life and death and love. They are windows into the minds of these poets and how they see the world – past, present, and future. These poems are aural/word paintings.

The Hollow Men by T.S. Eliot

This is my favourite poem of all time because of its economy of words and its study of human despair in a fallen world. T.S. Eliot presents a stark picture of Man and what becomes of the world when moral decay becomes the norm in society with no spiritual guiding principles. The words of the poems final stanza – in the tone and musicality of a child’s nursery rhyme – are an extremely harsh counterpoint to the playful lilt of the stanza:

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends 

This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang but a whimper

 

Monument City by Jared Carter 

This poem describes an elderly woman wanting photos taken of her house and property before a dam is put in place and the flood waters take over the countryside and bury this part of the surrounding community. This poem conveys how people see the old order passing away to make way for the new. I love this stanza;

To take photographs of the house, and the gardens,

     and the parlor – with us in it – one last time

Before the waters began to rise, and scavengers came

     to pick over the buildings too big to be moved –

Sunday Morning by Wallace Stevens

 

This poem is an exquisite example of Blank Verse – unrhymed iambic pentameter. The regular metrical lines propel the poem forward to its beautiful end. The poem is a study on one’s belief in a hereafter – whether one believes that or not. It is a contemplation of Paradise – whether one finds Paradise on earth or has faith in a Paradise beyond this life. I love this beautiful excerpt from this poem:

Deer walk upon our mountains, and the quail

Whistle about us their spontaneous cries:

Sweet berries ripen in the wilderness;

 

Helen by Christopher Marlowe

 

This poem is another example of iambic pentameter and it is, in essence, a love poem. The power of the opening line is an immediate example of the beauty of this formal poem:

Was this the face that launched a thousand ships,

 

The regular beat of the five metrical feet give the poem and this line its power…ta-dum, ta-dum, ta-dum, ta-dum, ta-dum. Listen to this as you say this line.

Was this/ the face/ that launched/ a thou/sand ships,/

The poem is from “The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus”

Appreciation of Helen’s beauty is exemplified in the line:

Brighter art thou than flaming Jupiter

 

Borderlands by Suji Kwock Kim

 

This is a powerful poem about conflict and war. Suji Kwock Kim puts into words what her ancestors went through to survive this turmoil. With sparse language and in only 21 lines, she conveys how people died trying to cross the Yalu to get to other cities and towns. She talks of the Japanese soldiers shooting and how the narrator of the poem says that:

I saw men and women from our village blown to hieroglyphs of viscera,

engraving nothing.

This poem shows the horror and wastefulness of war. This is highlighted in this line;

I wondered at each body with its separate skin, its separate suffering.

 

In conclusion, all these poems, with precise words, in the right order, speak volumes about the world - and the people who have lived, are living, and will, in the future, live in it.

What things does Miss Maudie point out that Jem and Scout had not realized?

While Jem and Scout are eating cake at Miss Maudie's house following the trial, Miss Maudie begins to describe all the people in town who helped Tom Robinson during his case. Before his conversation with Miss Maudie, Jem felt like his father was the only person in Maycomb County who attempted to help Tom Robinson. Miss Maudie points out that the whole African American community supported Tom, along with Judge Taylor and Mr. Heck Tate. Judge Taylor named Atticus to defend Tom Robinson instead of the inexperienced Maxwell Green. Judge Taylor understood that Atticus would honorably defend Tom Robinson and knew he was the best lawyer around. Although Miss Maudie knew that Tom Robinson would be found guilty, she sensed that the Maycomb community was making "baby steps" towards equality. Jem and Scout perceived the trial as a complete failure until they heard Miss Maudie's perspective.

In the book "The Sign of the Beaver", what was Matt's book called?

Matt had just two books in the cabin with him. He and his father had moved to the wilderness to build a cabin for the family. There had not been room for anything more than the necessities and a few other items as they traveled. Among the items were the books "Robinson Crusoe" and his father's Bible.

Both books play a role in the story but it is "Robinson Crusoe" that plays a larger role. The book provided Matt a tool for teaching Attean the alphabet and English language. Through the story of Crusoe, Matt was able to capture Attean's attention and entice him to learn English. Attean in turn, went back to his tribe and told the others Crusoe's story. Once the book was finished, Matt turned to his other book, his father's Bible, and began to read Biblical stories to Attean.

Provide an example of a good thesis about ambition in Macbeth.

Ambition is certainly one of the dominant themes in Macbeth, and the play especially deals with the perils of unrestrained ambition which our hero, Macbeth, harbors. When analyzing ambition and its impact on others in the play, it would be useful to focus on the hero of the play, Macbeth. On many occasions, Macbeth states that it's solely his ambition to become the king which prompts him to forfeit his soul and become the indescribable villain, devoid of conscience. My thesis would sound something like this --  In Macbeth, ambition is presented as a perilous force, which, when unrestrained, forces an individual to disintegrate under its influence.

Macbeth is aware that ambition is the one force driving him towards killing Duncan:

 I have no spur
 To prick the sides of my intent, but only
 Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
 And falls on the other.

In addition to the witches' prophecy, which only intensifies Macbeth's ambition, and Lady Macbeth's constant persuasion to get rid of Duncan, Macbeth admits that his plan to kill Duncan emanates from his surreptitious ambition:

 The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step
 On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
 For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
 Let not light see my black and deep desires.

Macbeth's ambition proves to be quite unrestrained, and once he commits the first crime, the murder of Duncan, he cannot stop. He murders anyone who could potentially imperil his position as the king of Scotland. His ambition to remain unbeatable and untouchable makes him an irredeemable sinner, whose newly embraced role as a tyrannous and sinister leader robs him of sanity and humanity.

Eventually, the very same ambition which Macbeth succumbs to at the beginning of the play leads to his imminent annihilation at the end of the play.

What are three advantages of the telegraph?

A telegraph is the technology of sending electric signals through wires.  It revolutionized communication in the Nineteenth Century.  The first obvious change is that communication was made more efficient.  Before the telegraph, it could take weeks for a message to be sent from one part of the country to another. With the telegraph, messages could be sent instantly.  The telegraph altered the nature of commerce and politics.  Prior to the telegraph, business and politics were conducted on a regional basis.  Because messages could be delivered quicker, these entities expanded to become national and international entities.  The telegraph had the ability to make the world a smaller place.  The telegraph also had a tremendous impact on warfare because messages could be sent from the battlefield to command centers which ultimately improved war planning and strategy.  Even the President could receive instant messages from generals and other military personnel. 

Why does Orwell choose to call Boxer and Clover the pigs' most faithful disciples?

Considering that Animal Farm is an allegory (or "Fairy Story" to use Orwell's label at the beginning of the book) for the Russian Revolution, each of the animals represents a real-life human. Sometimes, as in the case of Napoleon representing Josef Stalin, these correlations are to a specific historical figure. However, in the case of the horses, they represent a group of people- the Soviet working class.

Orwell is suggesting that the horses (working class) were strong and fiercely loyal, though perhaps not as educated or as intelligent as some of the other trades of classes of citizens (the pigs, specifically) which allowed the horses to be easily manipulated and literally worked to death for the benefit of their leaders, the pigs.

Orwell writes:

"Boxer was the admiration of everybody. He had been a hard worker even in Jones's time, but now he seemed more like three horses than one; there were days when the entire work of the farm seemed to rest on his mighty shoulders. From morning to night he was pushing and pulling, always at the spot where the work was hardest. He had made an arrangement with one of the cockerels to call him in the mornings half an hour earlier than anyone else, and would put in some volunteer labour at whatever seemed to be most needed, before the regular day's work began. His answer to every problem, very setback, was `I will work harder!' which he had adopted as his personal motto" (11-12).

And later, Boxer adopts a second motto to show his deep allegiance to the leaders of Animalism, to which he has devoted himself:

"Boxer, who had now had time to think things over, voiced the general feeling by saying: `If Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right.' And from then on he adopted the maxim, `Napoleon is always right,' in addition to his private motto of `I will work harder'" (Orwell 22).

Napoleon is able to use Boxer's fierce loyalty against him by relying on Boxer's work ethic and strength to complete great tasks like building the windmill, and when Boxer finally collapses, rather than allowing him to retire to a field as promised, Napoleon sells Boxer to the "knacker" (glue-maker) for a case of whiskey.

This literal selling out in the novel metaphorically represents how the Russian Revolution was fought and the Soviet Union was built on the backs of the working class who did not receive exactly what they were promised by Stalin and Soviet leaders.

How does Montresor manipulate Fortunato in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

In The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor uses Fortunato's own pride against him. Montresor knows that Fortunato prides himself on being knowledgeable about wine, so he comes up with the right kind of bait to trap such a man. First, Montresor mentions that he purchased a cask of what the sellers claimed to be Amontillado, but he was not so sure; he says that he should have asked Fortunato before making the purchase, but he feared losing the deal. Not only does this peak Fortunato's interest (as it is apparently unusual to be able to acquire an entire cask of Amontillado at that time of year), but it starts the inflation of Fortunato's ego. After saying that he should have consulted Fortunato, he immediately takes the opportunity away by saying that he is going to go ask another man, Luchesi, about it instead, thus taunting Fortunato with what could have been. Fortunato rises to the taunts, however, and claims that Luchesi is not as good as he is, so Montresor should forget Luchesi and let him test it out instead. Montresor declines, saying that he does not wish to interrupt Fortunato's partying, and this false refusal only makes Fortunato argue for it even more. Even once they are down in Montresor's vaults, he tries to convince Fortunato to leave, making Fortunato repeatedly say that he wants to stay. Thus, Montresor makes Fortunato believe that it was his own idea to help out Montresor with the Amontillado, when in fact, it was what Montresor wanted all along.

Denise rolls a number cube that has sides labeled 1 to 6 and then flips a coin.What Is the probability that she rolls an odd number and flips heads?

We assume that the number cube and the coin are fair (e.g. the probabilities for each of the numbers on the cube is 1/6 and the probability of heads on the coin is 1/2.)

The probability of rolling an odd number on the cube is 1/2. (There are three outcomes in the event space: {1,3,5}, while the sample space has 6 items. The probability is the number of items in the event space divided by the number of items in the sample space or 3/6 which reduces to 1/2.

The probability of flipping heads is 1/2.

The probability of rolling an odd number and then flipping heads is (1/2)(1/2)=1/4 using the product principal.

The probability is 1/4 or .25

We could also list all of the possibilities: 1H  2H  3H  4H  5H  6H  1T  2T  3T  4T  5T  6T -- there are 12 items in the sample space. The event space is {1H,3H,5H}. Since there are 3 items in the event space, the probability is 3/12=1/4.

`2x - 3y = -2, -4x + 9y = 7` Solve the system of linear equations and check any solutions algebraically.

You may use the reduction method to solve the system, hence, you may multiply the first equation by 2, such that:

`2(2x - 3y) = 2*(-2)`

`4x - 6y = -4`

You may now add the equation `4x - 6y = -4` to the equation -`4x + 9y = 7, ` such that:

`4x - 6y - 4x + 9y= -4 + 7`

`3y = 3 => y = 1`

You may replace 1 for y in equation `2x - 3y = -2` , such that:

`2x - 3 = -2 => 2x = -2 + 3 => 2x = 1 => x = 1/2`

Hence, evaluating the solution to the given system, yields `x = 1/2, y = 1.`

About whom does the frame narrator ask Simon Wheeler?

The frame narrator was asking Simon Wheeler about Rev. Leonidas W. Smiley, and he reiterates this name at least twice to Wheeler, but all Wheeler hears is the name Smiley, and that gets him to start talking about Jim Smiley, known for his gambling habits and uncanny knack for winning most of those bets.  Really, the frame narrator is set up by a friend back East who must have encountered Simon Wheeler on a previous visit to the old mining camp.  Knowing that the frame narrator was going there, his friend gave him a made-up name just to get Simon Wheeler talking.  And really, the frame narrator becomes cornered by Wheeler and cannot find a polite way of getting out of the conversation until the end of the story when someone outside of the story interrupts Simon Wheeler's narrative.  

What is Boo Radley's role in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Boo Radley functions as a sort of behind-the-scenes protector and caretaker for both Jem and Scout.  While they do not realize that he is performing this role through much of the book, Boo does everything from putting a blanket on Scout's shoulders as she watches Ms. Maudie's house fire to mending Jem's pants after he rips them on the fence.  It is only in the end, after Boo reveals that he is the one that saved the kids from Bob Ewell's attack, that Boo's prior actions are definitively attributed to him.

More globally, Boo serves as a reminder not to let societal ideas get in the way of one's judgment about someone.  After all, Boo is known by many to be a deranged individual, one who stabbed a family member with a pair of scissors without a second thought.  Yet, peeling back the preconceived notions, Boo appears as an entirely different person.  In a similar vein, if we can peel away preconceived prejudices on race, we see Tom Robinson as simply a man who felt bad for, and wanted to help, a lonely young woman.  

What is a metaphor in a poem? How does Langston Hughes use metaphor?

A metaphor is a comparison between two things that focuses on their similarities. A metaphor does not use the words "like" or "as" in the way a simile, which also compares two things, does. A simple example of a metaphor is "You are my sunshine," which makes the comparison between someone you love and the way the sunshine makes our lives warmer and brighter.

Langston Hughes, a poet from the Harlem Renaissance and one of the most famous African-American writers, uses metaphor to draw connections between important cultural ideas. For example, in his poem "Mother to Son," the speaker, an African-American mother, compares her life to a staircase when she says "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair." This staircase, as she describes it, is full of splinters, tacks, and torn up boards. In this poem, Hughes is making the connection between the difficulties of her life and an old warped staircase. The mental image that we get of the staircase from the speaker's description helps us to understand how difficult her life has been. 

A liquid has a ........?

A liquid has a fixed volume, like solids but unlike gases. Solid, liquid and gases are three states of matter (plasma is the fourth one). Liquids are classified by a fixed volume and a variable shape. In general, liquids take the shape of whatever vessel they are in. Some examples of liquids are water, milk, etc. The intermolecular attraction between liquid molecules is less than that of solids and more than that of gases. Thus, they have more kinetic energy as compared to solid particles and less energy than gaseous particles. Also, liquids generally have lesser density than their solid forms (with the important exception of water) and more density than their gaseous forms. Liquids can take whatever shape (depending on the vessel they are in), but the total volume stays fixed. For example, we can use 1 liter water and fill 1 jug of 1 lt capacity or 4 glasses of 250 ml capacity each; irrespective of the shape of the jug or glasses.

Hope this helps. 

Who is the intended audience of Andrew Clements' A Week in the Woods?

Andrew Clements wrote A Week in the Woods for an elementary-school-aged audience. While Mark, the protagonist, is a little unusual in that he is a supper rich kid who has attended private schools all his life, the story is about Mark learning valuable life lessons about a person's attitude and about the consequences of mistakes, which are lessons all readers can relate to. Similarly, Mr. Maxwell, the second protagonist, learns a life lesson about the harm of judging others, which is another valuable lesson all readers can relate to.

Mark must move from Scarsdale, New York, a town he loves, to New Hampshire in February--the middle of his fifth-grade year. Since he is unimpressed with New Hampshire and his new public elementary school, he enters his school with a bad attitude. Since he knows he will be attending one of the nation's top private schools in a matter of months, he feels he can slack off while at the public elementary school. His attitude makes a lot of people at his new school think badly of him, especially his fifth-grade science teacher, Mr. Maxwell.

Mr. Maxwell is a seasoned outdoorsman and the sort of person who has been highly motivated his entire life, motivated enough to become an Eagle Scout. When he starts getting to know Mark, with his poor attitude, he thinks to himself that there is nothing he hates more than a "spoiled rich kid" and a "slacker" (p. 33). Even after Mark realizes he has been behaving wrongly and begins to adjust his attitude, Mr. Maxwell continues to give him a hard time. Therefore, while on the field trip in the woods, Mr. Maxwell comes down on Mark very hard when he discovers a multitool in his hand with a knife blade in it. Mr. Maxwell says he is taking Mark home immediately and threatens suspension. The tool actually belongs to Mark's friend Jason, but Mark does not want to get Jason in trouble so takes the blame.

In anger, instead of going to Mr. Maxwell's truck as commanded, Mark heads up the Barker Falls Trail. Mr. Maxwell discovers the knife is Jason's and realizes he has seriously misjudged Mark and treated him wrongly. He goes after Mark. Both make mistakes on the trail: Mark gets lost, and Mr. Maxwell breaks an ankle. But, they eventually find each other, and Mr. Maxwell apologizes for his behavior, saying, "I hope you can forgive me" (p. 155). Mark also convinces him he is actually a very good kid, ready to do what he thinks is right.

By the end of the story, Mark has become proud of all he has learned, including the right decisions he has made, and Mr. Maxwell has learned not to judge others so harshly, lessons all readers can relate to.

What is the summary of Act II of the Miracle Worker?

Annie has recently arrived at the Keller house in Act II.  She begins spelling into Helen's hand as a means of communication, but the child does not yet understand why.  Helen, who for years has been able to do whatever she wants, tries to snatch food from Annie's plate.  Annie refuses to let her and remains determined.  Annie attempts over and over again to teach Helen proper behavior.  Finally, after many attempts, Helen learns to eat with a spoon and fold her napkin.  After initial hesitation and discussion, the Captain and Mrs. Keller agree to let Annie stay in the garden house with Helen. Annie wishes to stay there until Helen is trained to behave properly and learns how to finger spell. Annie continues to work with Helen. She also remembers her difficult childhood with her brother.

I need help to write my thesis on Animal Farm; please help me start.

In order to write a good thesis on Animal Farm or any other literature, you need to know what makes a thesis a good one. 

First, a good thesis is always debatable. If the thesis is not debatable, it cannot be a good thesis. For example, the statement that Napoleon is in control, is not not a good thesis statement, because this is obviously true (and so not debatable).  However, the statement that the animals are better off under Napoleon, because they think they are happier, is a good thesis statement, because not all will agree with you. 

Second, a good thesis statement is also cogent.  In other words, you have to be able to prove your thesis statement from the text. If you do not have evidence to back up your thesis, the thesis is weak, and it should be discarded. You should have a few key supporting point that you can elaborate on, along with quotes. 

What passages in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird show the coexistence of good and evil?

The central theme in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird concerns human nature. Lee shows us that human nature is made up of both good and evil characteristics, and she does so by frequently juxtaposing good and evil. As Scout and Jem grow up, they shed their innocent childhood belief that the world is made up of primarily good people and come to realize the evil that exists in the world.

One example of Lee juxtaposing good with evil can be seen in Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose. All the neighborhood children stay as far away from her house as they possibly can because they see her as being the meanest old lady in existence. However, as Scout and Jem get older, they begin wanting to go into the business district of Maycomb, requiring them to walk past Mrs. Dubose's house. They particularly begin walking up to the post office each day to meet Atticus on his way home from work. Each time they pass Mrs. Dubose's house, she yells cruel and critical insults at the children. The children receive the worst insult from her when she one day says, "Your father's no better than the the niggers and trash he works for!" (Ch. 11). The insult is enough to infuriate Jem to the point that he destroys every camellia flower in her garden leading up to what seems to be his punishment of needing to read to her every day. In reality, Jem's reading to her every day is not a punishment since she asked him because she sincerely needed his help, and Atticus says he would have asked him to do it regardless.

What is surprising is that, despite her insults and racist beliefs, beliefs Atticus thoroughly disagrees with, Atticus strives to be kind to her each time he sees her, saying, "Good evening, Mrs Dubose! You look like a picture this evening." Later, after her death, we learn that Atticus felt genuine admiration for her because of her courage. Atticus explains to his children that she was a morphine addict and, though her illness made the use of morphine understandable, she decided she would not die a morphine addict and had asked Jem to read to her to distract her as she underwent her withdrawal symptoms. As Atticus phrases it, he saw her as "the bravest person [he] ever knew" because she made sure she "died beholden to nothing and nobody" (Ch. 11).

Hence, as we can see, one way in which Lee juxtaposes good and evil is through Mrs. Dubose. Though Mrs. Dubose had what could be considered evil thoughts and ways, she could also be considered a good person due to her personal strength and courage.

In A Christmas Carol, what is the fair young girl in the mourning dress saying to Scrooge?

In The Christmas Carol, the fair young woman in the mourning dress is Belle, Scrooge's former fiance.

Scrooge receives a glimpse of the past when the ghost of Christmas Past leads him through many pertinent scenes during his younger years. When he sees the scene of himself with the beautiful Belle, his heart is broken. In the scene, Belle is breaking off her engagement to Scrooge. She tells him that she has been replaced in his affections by avarice and greed. She asserts that it is the prospect of gain which encapsulates his whole existence now, to the exclusion of everything else, even her place in his heart. Lamenting that he was once a different man, she notes that every single one of his nobler attributes seem to have left him since the pursuit of wealth became his main priority.

She tells Scrooge that their engagement was made at a time when both of them were poor; they were happy to have been of one mind then, planning for their future with abiding faith that their patient industry would soon bless them with brighter prospects. However, she asserts that Scrooge soon came to prioritize the pursuit of riches over their relationship. She says that this is the reason she must break off their engagement to marry.

Scrooge initially begs her to reconsider. He protests that he has never sought to end their engagement despite his seemingly changed attitudes towards life. However, Belle sadly reasons that Scrooge would never have chosen a poverty-stricken girl as his wife if had had a choice in his present state. She tells him that he made the choice to marry her when he was as poor as she was. So, she tells him that she will release him from his promise, as she doesn't want to be married to a man who may come to regret his decision to marry her.

But if you were free to-day, to-morrow, yesterday, can even I believe that you would choose a dowerless girl -- you who, in your very confidence with her, weigh everything by Gain: or, choosing her, if for a moment you were false enough to your one guiding principle to do so, do I not know that your repentance and regret would surely follow? I do; and I release you. With a full heart, for the love of him you once were."

After this scene, the ghost of Christmas Past shows Belle as a happily married woman with a family of her own. Scrooge begs the ghost to show him no more, as he cannot bear to witness the painful scenes of his past failures and thoughtless choices.

Describe the city where Leonard Mead walks in"The Pedestrian."

Leonard Mead walks across buckled concrete sidewalks with grass growing in the cracks on a night in 2053 A.D. He imagines himself on a windless Arizona desert despite there being houses and cottages all along his way. For, there is no sight or sound of life anywhere; the lights are off inside the houses, and no one is outdoors besides Mead.

Not only are the sidewalks unpopulated, but the long street is empty and silent. Only Mead's shadow makes its way down the street lit only by the lamppost since the lights in the dwellings are turned off as the occupants gather before the television sets. [In the early days of television, the black and white screens were not of the clarity and brightness as they are today, so many people watched TVs in the dark in order to better see the screen.]

Mead is careful to not make noise lest he be reported for his vagrant behavior because in ten years of walking, having covered thousands of miles, he has never seen another person. Even the one police car of the town is automated and without a human behind the wheel.

In A Separate Peace by John Knowles, what misunderstanding leads to the jouncing incident and what does Gene finally acknowledge to himself...

For the first three chapters we hear about who Finny is from Gene's intimidated perspective. Gene is intimidated by Finny's athleticism and easy social graces. Gene is Finny's foil and the complete opposite—a brainy introvert. Gene feels unequal to Finny on so many levels that he can hardly believe that they are best friends. This is the misunderstanding—that Finny is supposedly some superhero who can do no wrong and will never fail at anything.

Immediately prior to Gene jouncing Finny off of the tree limb, the two have a fight that reveals to both boys that their perceptions of each other are slightly wrong. Finny thinks that Gene doesn't need to study so hard to get good grades and Gene had thought that Finny was invincible. Gene realizes that Finny looks up to Gene in some ways and also feels vulnerable at times. But the argument preceding the tree incident gives way to some deep, dark feelings in Gene, who follows through with them by hurting Finny.

Gene's words of realization prior to the tree incident:

"Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he" (59).

The Supreme Court's power of judicial review is not compatible with democratic government. How would you make a persuasive argument from this...

There are many ways to support the argument that the Supreme Court's power of judicial review is not compatible with democratic government. First, the Supreme Court is an unelected body. All justices are appointed by the President, and appointments are approved by the Senate. Thus, the people do not directly vote for Supreme Court justices, which limits the representative character of the Court. An argument could be made that the Court is undemocratic because it does not represent the interests of the people. Second, the Supreme Court's power of judicial review allows the court to invalidate laws created and implemented by Congress, which is a representative elected body. Congress is the main representation of the people in the U.S. government, and the Court's ability to overturn laws it makes can be seen as an anti-democratic measure, as it is assumed that Congress is enacting the will of the people they represent. Third, the Constitution does not directly give the Court the power of judicial review. Instead, it is an implied power, taken from Articles III and VI of the Constitution. The Constitution is the supreme law of the U.S., and any law that conflicts with the Constitution is null and void. The federal courts are given the duty to interpret and apply the law, thus, they have the implied power to interpret and apply the Constitution (the supreme law of the land). Because the Supreme Court is the highest court with supreme jurisdiction in the U.S., it is the implied duty of the Supreme Court to decide whether laws are consistent with the Constitution. Because the power is not specifically assigned to the Supreme Court in the Constitution, an argument could be made that it is undemocratic in that the Court is assuming powers it was not explicitly assigned. 

What are Mr. Avery's physical features in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Mr. Avery lived across the street from Mrs. Dubose's house and was known to sit on the porch all evening and sneeze. Mr. Avery is the overweight neighbor who has a rather large stomach. In Chapter 8, when Jem and Scout build a snowman, they pack mud and snow around the center of the snowman until it resembles Mr. Avery. When Atticus sees the snowman, he tells Jem that he needs to make some adjustments because it is a caricature of Mr. Avery. Jem solves the problem by putting a pair of hedge clippers and a sun hat on the snowman to make it resemble Miss Maudie. Later on in Chapter 8, Miss Maudie's house catches on fire, and the neighbors attempt to save her furniture. Mr. Avery bravely enters the burning house and begins throwing mattresses and furniture through the window. After the neighbors begin screaming for him to exit the building, Mr. Avery attempts to climb out of the window. He gets stuck in the window for a brief moment but manages to wiggle his way out. Once he climbs onto the second-floor porch, he slides down a pillar, crashing into Maudie's shrubbery.

Why does spreading her arms help the gymnast sit balanced on a beam?

The reason that a gymnast spreads out their arms to stay balanced on a beam, or a tightrope walker carries a long pole, or an ice skater spins faster when they tuck their arms in, can all be explained by the moment of inertia.

The moment of inertia is, basically, how much an object will resist rotation. The higher the object's moment of inertia, the more resistant to rotation the object will be. The general equation for moment of inertia is: 

`I =int_0^Mr^2dm`

If you're not familiar with integrals, all you need to notice about this equation is that the moment of inertia is dependent on mass (M) and radius from the axis of rotation (r). In order to increase the moment of inertia (and make the object harder to rotate) either the mass or the radius would need to increase. A gymnast obviously can't suddenly increase their mass, but they can spread out their arms to increase their radius.

This relates to the gymnast staying balanced on a beam because when they start to lose their balance, they are essentially starting to rotate around the beam. When they spread out their arms and increase their moment of inertia, they rotate (lose their balance) more slowly thus making it easier to correct their position on the beam. 

This is exactly the same reason that the long pole helps a tightrope walker keep their balance. An ice skater, on the other hand, spins faster when their arms are tucked in because it decreases their moment of inertia making them less resistant to rotation.

What are the main pitfalls that an organization may encounter when undertaking strategic planning?

Strategic planning is very important for any organization that is developing its plans for the future. However, there are some pitfalls that exist with the strategic planning process.

One pitfall is the expense of the process. Strategic planning can be expensive. Usually, a facilitator knowledgeable in strategic planning needs to be hired. If workers are being paid for their time, this will add to the expense of the process. It may necessary to rent hotel rooms and meeting space. Food will need to be provided. The cost of going through the strategic planning process can be quite expensive.

Another pitfall is getting people to believe in the process. There are people who may doubt the value of strategic planning. They may not be very committed to the process. They may also be threatened by the changes that could occur as a result of the strategic planning process. As a result, they could end up sabotaging the process.

Finally, if the process is completed, it needs to be implemented. Since it is usually only a part of the entire group that is involved in the strategic planning process, it will be necessary to thoroughly explain to the entire group how the process evolved and what will occur as a result of the strategic planning process. It isn’t easy for people to change their habits and their ways of operating. There may be resistance to implementing the strategic planning. Implementing the new plans requires a great deal of commitment, patience, and energy.

While strategy planning can be a very important and a very necessary activity for an organization, there are some obstacles to overcome in order to successfully create and implement the new strategic plan.

What point does the old man make in the story about the boy in the castle and the drops of oil? How might the old man’s story apply to us in...

The story is a great story with a wonderful lesson.  In the story, a boy is told to carry a spoonful of oil around a castle.  He is specifically told not to drop any of the oil.  When he returns, no oil has been spilled, but the boy couldn't remember any of the beautiful castle that he just walked through.  He is sent through the castle again, but this time the boy is told to look at the castle.  

'Then go back and observe the marvels of my world,' said the wise man. 'You cannot trust a man if you don't know his house.'

When the boy returns he is able to explain the wonders that he saw, but all of the oil in the spoon was spilled.  

The point of the story is balance.  We are to take in the beauty of the world while remembering our responsibilities.  

'Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,' said the wisest of wise men. 'The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.'

It applies to our modern day lives, because too often people wear their busy lives like a badge of honor.  They are so busy working and moving around doing things that they never take the time to really see the world of beauty around them.  The advice reminds me of the saying "take time to smell the roses."  It's great to accomplish your job well, but if you never take pleasure in doing it and seeing what's around, then you aren't living a full life.  

What does the rescue party discover at the end of "The Outcasts of Poker Flat"?

The rescue party first comes upon the cabin where the outcasts had been snow-bound at the end of the story.  There, they find the Dutchess and Piney Woods, where the author states, "you could scarcely have told from the equal peace that dwelt upon them, which was she that had sinned."  The cold and snow has taken away all traces of the Dutchess's sin and revealed that in death, both sinner and virgin are the same.  Thus, the party left them locked in each other's arms, embracing in death.  Finally, the rescue party comes to a gulch where the deuce of clubs (the lowest card in a poker hand) is tacked to a tree, and beneath lies the body of John Oakhurst.  Oakhurst had killed himself with his gun, because, as the author notes, he "was at once the strongest and yet the weakest of the outcasts of Poker Flat."  He had left the two women to fend for themselves, knowing that he wasn't going to make it back to town to reach a rescue party.

How did J.K. Rowling use historical aspects to plot the series of Harry Potter? And with those aspects, why should teachers use the series in...

When you ask how JK Rowling used “historical aspects to plot” the Harry Potter series, I assume you are asking what aspects of real-world history show up in that series.  I will base my answer on that assumption.  The story line in the Harry Potter series is meant to remind us of Nazi Germany and the treatment of Jews.   

In real-life Germany, Adolf Hitler and the Nazis came to power in 1933.  They based their rise on the idea that Germany was a country of superior people who were being dragged down by inferior enemies.  They believed that the Jews were their main enemy.  They got this belief largely from Europe’s long history of anti-Semitism.  When they came to power they gradually eroded the rights of the Jews, taking Jewish freedoms away in order to promote the good of the Germany people as a whole.  Later, they started to kill the Jews and eventually moved from sporadic killings to the mass effort to exterminate the Jews that we now call the Holocaust.

The story of Voldemort and his Death Eaters (as well as the story of Grindelwald) is based to some degree on this history.  Voldemort believes that Muggles are inferior beings and wizards are superior.  He has decided that Muggles as well as Mudbloods are the enemies of pure wizards.  He wants to rid the wizarding world of Mudbloods and then use the power of magic to subjugate the Muggles as well as “lesser” magical creatures (think of the fountain in the Ministry of Magic).  Voldemort’s ideas come down from people like Salazar Slytherin, who wanted to limit Hogwarts to purebloods, and Grindelwald who (along with Dumbledore) wanted to enslave the Muggles.  (Note that Dumbledore turned on Grindelwald and defeated him in 1945, the same year that Hitler died and Nazi Germany was destroyed.)  Voldemort and his followers are happy to torment and even kill Muggles.  They start in on a process of purging Mudbloods, though they never manage to hold on to power long enough to do anything like the Holocaust.  In these ways, we can see clear parallels between real-world history and the plot line of the Harry Potter series.

Given this, it is possible to argue that teachers should use the Harry Potter books in other classes, particularly in history.  However, I (as a history teacher) would not do so.  You can argue that these books would be good in a history class because they would help students understand the Holocaust.  Students would be more interested in the books than in nonfiction about the Holocaust so they would learn more effectively through the books.  I, personally, would not do this, though, because not all of my students would have read the books.   I would not want to require them to read the books because they are very long (particularly Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where we see the main purging of Mudbloods).  I would not want to make them read such long books when there are other books that would have a greater emphasis on the Holocaust.

I need the name for allied power.

There are a couple of ways I can answer this question. The Allied Powers were called the Allies in World War I and War II. In World War I, this included Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, Italy, and the United States. The Allies Powers in World War I formed from the Triple Entente that existed prior to the war. The Triple Entente included Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. This alliance existed to counter the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. In World War II, the Allies included France, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union.

Another way to look at this question is to consider how the Allies got many of their supplies in World War II. The United States was called the “arsenal for democracy” in World War II. We provided many of the materials that the Allies needed to fight the Axis Powers in the war. After Germany and Italy overran much of Western Europe, the Allies had a major supply shortage. We provided the Allies with many supplies before we joined World War II as well as after we entered World War II.

What does Helen mean when she says "...but I am improvident enough to prefer present joy to hoarding riches against the rainy day"?

In context, Helen Keller was referring to her college days.  Before college, she had a more leisurely life in which she could spend time alone with her thoughts, enjoying the outdoors, reading her favorite books, or doing whatever she pleased.  However, in college, there was no time for this.  Now, she had to spend every moment learning new things in school.

Helen admitted, "I suppose I ought to find some comfort in the thought that I am laying up treasures for future enjoyment..."  She knew that she should be grateful for college because it was giving her something to use later on in her life.  College was much more useful to her at that time than daydreaming or wandering in the woods, and she realized this.  She continued, "...but I am improvident enough to prefer present joy to hoarding riches against a rainy day.”  Being "improvident" means you are being careless about your future, and not preparing ahead.  So she honestly admitted that she would much rather enjoy her life in the "present joy" by being lost in her thoughts or books than to bear the drudgery of studying--even though studying is obviously the wisest choice for her future career, just as "hoarding riches" is wise to prepare for a potential future calamity, or "rainy day."

We do know that Helen went on to be a very educated and successful woman.  But in context, her quote was lamenting the strict discipline of college in contrast with her love of having free time in which she could do as she pleased.

What are the woods called where Katniss Everdeen Hunts in The Hunger Games?

In The Hunger Games, the woods have no official name but "the Woods." The Woods is the area where Katniss and Gale go and hunt. The Woods is outside of District 12, and Katniss and Gale have to climb under a fence that should be electrified. That is where Katniss uses her bow to hunt animals. After hunting, the animals are taken to the black market, The Hob, to be sold to others in the city. In Catching Fire, Katniss goes out to hunt in The Woods only to come back to find the fence electrified. She has to find a way to get over the fence to get back into District 12. We learn that at the end of Catching Fire, Gale saves almost one thousand people from District 12 by taking them to safety in the Woods. 

Why is Julia against the party and Big Brother?

In 1984, Julia is Winston's girlfriend and his co-conspirator against Big Brother and the party. While Winston is an idealist and thinker who seeks to bring down the party for the sake of humanity, Julia is quite the opposite. She is a person who lives for the moment, who expresses herself through her sexuality. As such, she rebels against the party because it seeks to control her sexuality and determine her relationships with others. 

While Julia works for the Junior Anti-Sex League, which promotes celibacy, she mocks and ridicules its aims and propaganda at every opportunity. As she says to Winston in the woods, for example: "Girls are always supposed to be so pure. Here's one who isn't, anyway." She then explains to Winston that she had her first love affair with another party member at the age of 16 and has, since then, slept with hundreds of men. By doing this, Julia is deliberately flouting party rules and creating loyalties to others, not to Big Brother. There is another reason, too, why Big Brother fear these sexual liaisons, as Julia explains in Part 3, Chapter 3:

'When you make love you're using up energy; and afterwards you feel happy and don't give a damn for anything. They can't bear you to feel like that. They want you to be bursting with energy all the time."

Julia is able to successfully rebel against Big Brother for much of her adult life. It is only when she meets O'Brien that her thoughtcrimes are uncovered and her life is put into serious peril. 

In the story "Harrison Bergon," how does Harrison convey the conflict between the ideals of society and the realities of the actual people?

The defining characteristic in the society of "Harrison Bergeron" is physical equality, in intelligence, strength, and beauty. Three constitutional amendments and Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, ensure that people are made artificially equal through the use of handicaps. Intelligent people like George have aural devices that send loud noises into their ears to disrupt their thoughts. Strong people have to wear bags of bird shot, small metal balls, and beautiful people have to wear masks.

The conflict arises with the fact that people are not naturally equal, but that does not make others feel bad. Vonnegut alludes to this idea when George wonders "that maybe the dancers shouldn't be handicapped." This musing suggests that George would enjoy watching the dancers moving gracefully, even though they would be better at dancing than he is.

The stern penalties also suggest that the reality of the people does not align with the quest for equality. When Hazel suggests that George take out a few of the metal balls, he reminds her that the penalty is "two years in prison and two thousand dollars fine for every ball [he] took out." In the end, the killing of Harrison and his Empress underscores this tension. Their only crimes include being strong and beautiful, but they are shot dead by Diana Moon Glampers. Any law that must be upheld with such force must be contrary to the inner desire of the public.

What is the tone of "The Tell-Tale Heart"?

Tone refers to the specific attitude the author took with regard to a character, place or topic. The reader understands the author's intended meaning, feeling and perspective created in the text because of the tone. In Poe's "Tell-Tale Heart" the author created a frantic, sinister and nervous tone. This helps the reader understand the main character's state of mind with regard to his own sanity and belief that the heart of the person he killed haunts him with its beating sound.

The pace of the writing with its short, choppy sentences and exclamations adds to the frantic tone of the text. The narrator refers often to the question of his sanity, further adding to the frantic nature of the writing. The frantic tone in the beginning leads way to a sinister tone as the narrator describes the way in which he killed and hid the old man. As the police arrive, the narrator returns to a frantic tone. This time, rather than attempting to convince the reader of his sanity, he is driven to the point of madness by the sound of the dead man's beating heart that he believes he hears.

Write a different ending to the story "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes. For example, Mrs. Jones calls the police.

The point of Langston Hughes' “Thank You, M'am” is that people can create a caring, loving world by their responses to the conflicts they encounter in life. He uses Mrs. Jones' surprising behavior to Roger's attempted thievery to demonstrate this idea. Instead of punishing Roger for trying to steal her purse, she treats him with kindness and even gives him the money he wanted to steal from her in the first place.

However, it is possible that Mrs. Jones could maintain the same attitude toward Roger, but act differently. To use your example, suppose she called the police? Although that is a much different response than what she actually did, it could be framed in a caring way.

Whatever ending you choose to create, you want to make sure that you maintain Mrs. Jones' proper character. She is not going to call the police out of anger or fear. However, she might make the case to Roger that it is in his best interest that he learn right now, before it is too late, that behaving like a criminal is going to make for a very difficult life. She might still cook for him, and perhaps she could offer to help him in some way once his legal situation was straightened out.  

How is the idea of human nature explored by in "The Sniper" by Liam O’Flaherty?

O'Flaherty does not suggest that humans are inherently good nor inherently bad. Therefore, he makes no overarching statement about which way human nature tends to lean. He may have an opinion on this but he does not make it clear in this story. He does show how humans are capable of becoming used to killing, notably in the situation of war. When the sniper kills the solider, the old woman, and the enemy sniper, he is killing the enemy. He is able to ignore the thought that he is killing people, let alone fellow citizens, or even a brother. In the opening paragraphs, the author describes the sniper: 

His face was the face of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic. They were deep and thoughtful, the eyes of a man who is used to looking at death. 

This passage is telling because it demonstrates a notion of human nature. The sniper had the face of a student. This indicates youth, naivety, and maybe even innocence. But after experiencing war, he has become cold, fanatical, and "used to looking at death." He is able to become robotic in this way. But that initial innocence, that potential for compassion never really goes away. It is suppressed until he looks into the face of his brother. Then the compassion returns. This suggests that human nature is here presented as having the potential for compassion and indifference. In this analysis, O'Flaherty shows how our human nature is malleable, capable of good and evil.