In Seedfolks, what is Leona's connection to the garden?

Leona, the narrator in Chapter 5 of Seedfolks, is instrumental in getting the Gibbs Street vacant lot cleared of all the trash.  During the chapter, Leona reminisces about her grandmother who always drank goldenrod tea for its healthy properties. As she sees the garden start to grow, she decides that she will plant goldenrod in honor of her grandmother. The only thing standing in her way is the amount of trash in the lot.  So, Leona starts making phone calls to city agencies that would have the ability to clean up the property.  Leona doesn’t get very far and gets the run around when she is told to contact other agencies to help her.  Tired of no one listening to her, she shows up at the Public Health Department with a bag of trash and dumps it on the floor. She finally gets the Public Health Department’s attention, and the vacant lot is cleaned up so the garden can flourish.  This act brings more and more people from the neighborhood to the community garden.

What are some political, social and economic successes during Reconstruction ?

Reconstruction was the process used to bring the South back into the country and to rebuild it after the Civil War ended. There were some political, economic, and social successes as a result of Reconstruction.

Economically, the South benefited from Reconstruction. Before Reconstruction, the South was ruined by the war. The South was also one-dimensional economically. As a result of Reconstruction, the South was rebuilt. There also were more industries in the South as a result of Reconstruction. The southern economy became more diversified.

Politically, there were several successes. The slaves were freed as a result of the Civil War. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. The 14th Amendment gave the rights of citizenship to anybody born in the United States. The 15th Amendment made it illegal to deny voting rights based on race or being a former slave. Former slaves began to vote and some African-Americans got elected to office.

Socially, there were successes also. As a result of Reconstruction, the former slaves were able to get an education. The Freedmen’s Bureau helped establish schools for African-Americans. The Freedmen’s Bureau also helped the former slaves get a new start in life. The Freedmen’s Bureau provided medical care, food, and clothing to them. The Freedmen’s Bureau helped the former slaves find jobs.

Reconstruction had some political, economic, and social successes. While some of these successes weren’t sustained after Reconstruction ended, these successes did exist during Reconstruction.

In Romeo and Juliet, what might have caused the quarrel between the Montagues and the Capulets? How long do you think it has been going on?...

The play offers few answers with regard to how the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets started.  In the Baz Luhrmann movie version, the two lords are portrayed as competing business titans.  The fact that both men are lords and high-ranking in the community could lend credence to this theory. A land dispute is also possible, and would be consistent with actions of that era, although one does not get the sense that the two are neighbors.

We are given more information regarding how long the feud has lasted.  While no specific dates are mentioned, Shakespeare's description of the "ancient grudge" (line 3) in the prologue suggests that this is not a new phenomenon, but that the feud has spanned several generations.  This suggests that perhaps the feud was not between Montague and Capulet at all, but rather their ancestors.

The prologue also definitely tells us that the deaths of Romeo and Juliet will bring the feud to a close.  In the line, "Doth with their death bury their parents' strife," (line 8) we learn that the grief that the two families endure will cause them to ultimately end the fighting.

Refer to page 147 and 148. Melinda reminisces about her childhood wish to be a princess. She used to pretend that she was adopted by her parents...

It is likely that Melinda truly feels this way at times. Melinda is having difficulty speaking up about a horrifying event that happened to her on the night of a summer party. She has lost friends and is failing when it comes to opening up to any adult, including her parents, about what she wants and needs to heal. In the fantasy from her childhood, her parents rescue her. They are her saviors. However, at this time, Melinda feels that she needs saving and does not see her parents doing anything to help her. Her parents do not necessarily deserve this, because she has not told them what happened or asked for help in any way. Melinda simply wishes that they could magically know what is going on and rescue her from her depression and isolation.

How does the Cratchit family in A Christmas Carol present themes and ideas? Themes like family, generosity, Christmas, ignorance, and want.

The Cratchits provide a counterpoint to Scrooge and illustrate the novel's predominate theme: that family and generosity are more valuable than great riches. Scrooge has the one thing they don't, money, but Cratchits have everything else that leads to happiness and contentment: family, love, kindness and generosity. 

While Scrooge sits alone amid his piles of money in his dark, gloomy house, hoping the poor will die and rid the world of excess population, poor sick Tiny Tim, the youngest Cratchit, who is doomed to die if his family doesn't find more money, blesses everyone. Likewise, Bob Cratchit, the clerk Scrooge underpays and overworks, remains cheerful because he has what matters most in life: a loving family and a good heart.

Dickens' believed that transforming and softening the hearts of individuals would reform capitalism without any need of a revolution. A Christmas Carol strongly articulates that theme. Scrooge may smart about making money, and Bob Cratchit ignorant on that front, but in the end, it's social intelligence, the ability to get along with and enter into good-hearted relationships, that matters. In the book, Scrooge, who has grown ignorant of the importance of community, takes an unwanted journey that leads him to become more like the Cratchits, who, in the end, possess life's real riches. And as Scrooge becomes more like them, he shares with them the one thing they need (and Dickens never lost sight of the fact that the poor needed money), some small portion of his wealth. 

What are the main themes in the film All About Eve?

All About Eve was a movie produced in 1950. It is the story of an aging Broadway star, Margo Channing, and a younger actress, Eve Harrington, who is scheming to achieve success.

The first theme of the film is the role of women. In general, female power and agency are portrayed negatively, and true happiness for women is shown as subordination to men in marriage. It is particularly telling that despite the fact that movies were one of the few roads to wealth and power for women in the 1950s, the movie seems to assert that rather than using their sexual appeal to benefit themselves, women should only use it to please their husbands.

The next theme in the movie is the role of age in theater. Although age is not viewed as a negative for men, women are portrayed as being powerful and attractive only in so far as they are young and sexually attractive to men. Margo, in particular, is portrayed  an object of the male gaze who is supplanted as she ages rather than as a skilled and talented artist- an issue that is still seen in the movie industry.

The final theme is that of artifice or self-fashioning. The point of theater is the construction of artificial selves. While the movie approves of people doing this on stage, it condemns such behavior offstage as duplicity and condemns especially the women of the play as inauthentic.

Why was Pearl Harbor attacked by the Japanese?

Pearl Harbor was of strategic importance in a potential war between the United States and Japan because that is where the American Pacific Fleet was stationed.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt had commanded the fleet to move from California to Hawaii in 1940 because of heightened tensions between the two countries.  The increase in tension was caused by Japan's imperial ambitions in the Pacific in general, and its continued aggression in China specifically.  The United States and its allies placed a trade embargo on Japan in 1940 that was meant to harm the military ambitions of Japan.  Vital materials like oil and steel were forbidden to be traded with Japan.  After diplomatic efforts failed throughout 1941, Japan felt it made sense to strike at the United States first and commenced plans for an attack on Hawaii.  The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on a Sunday morning because they felt that the troops would not be able to respond as well and the element of surprise would be the greatest.  

What are some quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird that specify locations in chapters 1-6?

In Chapter 1, Scout gives a brief history of her family and how they came to settle in Maycomb. She traces their ancestors back to Simon Finch, who had come from England: 

In England, Simon was irritated by the persecution of those who called themselves Methodists at the hands of their more liberal brethren, and as Simon called himself a Methodist, he worked his way across the Atlantic to Philadelphia, thence to Jamaica, thence to Mobile, and up the Saint Stephens. 

The homestead that Simon Finch settled on became known as Finch's Landing. Most family descendants would live here as well. When Atticus returns from Law School in Montgomery, he settles in Maycomb which is twenty miles east of Finch's Landing. 

Also in Chapter 1, Scout describes Dill's fascination with Boo Radley. Here, she describes where the Radley house is: 

The Radley Place jutted into a sharp curve beyond our house. Walking south, one faced its porch; the sidewalk turned and ran beside the lot. 

That Radley place is a focal point for the children (Scout, Jem, and Dill). Scout mentions two oak trees on the edge of the Radley lot. In Chapter 4, she notices something in the knot-hole of one tree: 

Some tinfoil was sticking in a knot-hole just above my eye level, winking at me in the afternoon sun. I stood on tiptoe, hastily looked around once more, reached into the hole, and withdrew two pieces of chewing gum minus their outer wrappers. 

This was Boo's secret way of interacting with the children. 

In the same chapter, Scout talks about Miss Maudie's yard and porch as a sort of safe haven: 

In summertime, twilights are long and peaceful. Often as not, Miss Maudie and I would sit silently on her porch, watching the sky go from yellow to pink as the sun went down, watching flights of martins sweep low over the neighborhood and disappear behind the schoolhouse rooftops. 

Why, in the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," does the speaker consider the woods dark, deep, and lovely?

In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," the speaker describes the way in which the "woods fill up with snow" (line 4).  There is nothing around him, no "farmhouse near" (6), and it is very, very dark because the poem is set on the "darkest evening of the year" (8).  All is quiet around him with only the sound of an "easy wind" gently blowing the "downy flake[s]" in the air (12).  The speaker is arrested in his progress through the woods because the scene around him is so incredibly beautiful. 

When the speaker describes the woods as "lovely, dark and deep," it seems to be in recognition of all of these things (13).  It sounds like such a serenely peaceful moment, a moment when he simply pauses and takes in all the natural beauty of his surroundings.  Further, the next line helps to illuminate why he has been so struck by the woods tonight: he has "promises to keep" (14).  In other words, he has obligations to fulfill, things that he must do, and places that he must go.  The business of the "village," perhaps, or just of normal, daily life, is juxtaposed with the tranquility of the forest, and the woods seem that much more deep and lovely as a result of this contrast.  Moreover, he has "miles to go before [he] sleep[s]," an awareness of how much more he has yet to accomplish, and that makes the woods seem so very inviting as well (16).  He seems to wish that he could just stay there, where it is "lovely" and "dark" and he has nothing to consider but the night, but he cannot.

Why is Bill's favorite character King Herod?

After Bill has been injured several times by Red Chief and worn to a frazzle by the boy's inexhaustible energies and demands for attention, he has the following conversation with Sam.

By and by, Bill sits up and feels behind his ear and says: 'Sam, do you know who my favourite Biblical character is?'

'Take it easy,' says I. 'You'll come to your senses presently.'

'King Herod,' says he. 'You won't go away and leave me here alone, will you, Sam?'

Herod was King of Judea at the time of the birth of Jesus. He had been told by the three Magi that the new king of the Jews had been born in Bethlehem, where they were going in order to worship him. Herod is best remembered for the so-called "Massacre of the Innocents." In order to forestall being replaced as King of the Jews by the newborn child, Herod ordered all children two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem to be massacred by his soldiers. This event is recorded in Matthew 16 in the New Testament.

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

Bill, of course, is only being facetious. He is evidently a softhearted man and an easy victim of the rambunctious kidnap victim who calls himself Red Chief. However, there is a serious side to Bill's reference to Herod. If Bill and Sam were real cold-hearted kidnappers, they might consider killing Red Chief as a way of getting rid of him and saving themselves the $250 that Johnny's father demands as counter-ransom for taking the wild kid off their hands. But although both men are injured and terrorized by Red Chief, they never hurt him at all, and they would never consider killing him, even though they sign their ransom letter "Two Desperate Men." Bill and Sam can't handle this little ten-year-old boy because they can't use physical force, and they have no moral authority as adults because they are kidnappers. If they used violence on the boy, it would spoil the story by changing the reader's perception of their characters. It would also make their crime more serious if Johnny was returned home with bruises and abrasions. So Johnny can be violent with them, but they can't be violent with Johnny without risking becoming subjects of a nationwide manhunt. Their non-violence only provokes the boy to more violence.

`sin^2(2x)cos^2(2x)` Use the power reducing formulas to rewrite the expression in terms of the first power of the cosine.

According to the power reducing formulas, you may re-wrute the expression such that:

`sin^2(2x)*cos^2(2x) = (1 - cos2*(2x))/2*(1 + cos2*(2x))/2`

`sin^2(2x)*cos^2(2x) = ((1 - cos 4x)(1 + cos 4x))/4`

`sin^2(2x)*cos^2(2x) = (1 - cos^2 4x)/4`

`sin^2(2x)*cos^2(2x) = (sin^2 4x)/4`

`sin^2(2x)*cos^2(2x) = ((1 - cos2*(4x))/2)/4`

`sin^2(2x)*cos^2(2x) = (1 - cos 8x)/8`

Hence, eusing the power reducing formulas yields `sin^2(2x)*cos^2(2x) = (1 - cos 8x)/8.`

Why were television reporters interested in what happened to Ponyboy and Johnny in The Outsiders?

The reporters are interested in the two boys who murdered a wealthy boy and then rescued a bunch of kids from a church.

Pony and Johnny’s story would be fascinating to reporters.  First you have the gang war connection, with greasers against Socs.  That alone would not capture much attention except that Johnny killed Bob and Johnny and Pony ran off.

Then the reporters and the police came. They asked too many questions too fast, and got me mixed up. …  The reporters fired one question right after another at me and got me so confused I didn't know what was coming off. (Ch. 7)

The kids are a good human interest story because when they were hiding out in an abandoned church, the church caught fire.  There happened to be a group of schoolchildren there, and Dally, Johnny, and Pony helped save them.

For once, there weren't any charges against Dally, and I knew he'd be mad because the paper made him out a hero for saving Johnny and didn't say much about his police record, which he was kind of proud of. He'd kill those reporters if he got hold of them. (Ch. 7)

The reporters also wrote up the story of Darry taking care of his two younger brothers, Pony and Soda, after their parents died.  The family is in danger of being torn apart if Darry is determined to be an unfit guardian.  This would result in Pony and Soda being taken to foster homes.

Even though Dally did not like the characterization, he was a hero. However, the story does not have a happy ending.  Johnny died as a result of his injuries, and Dally committed suicide by cop.  Ponboy was determined to make something of himself.  He always got good grades, so he had a chance to get an education and get out of the gang life.

Compare and contrast the ways Shakespeare and Orwell present forbidden love.

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Orwell's 1984 are both stories of forbidden love, among other things. 

In Shakespeare's play, the two young lovers are members of fighting families and they must escape the grip of their parents to be with each other. 

In Orwell's book, Winston and Julia live under the ever-watchful Big Brother. When they rebel and try to love each other as they want to, they are captured, separated, and tortured. 

In both stories, love comes as a rebellion. It is a defiant act to the powers that rule the characters' lives. Love is a political act. Romeo and Juliet defy their families' longstanding feuds. Winston and Julia defy the powerful Big Brother. 

Obviously, there are huge differences in plot between the books. But one of the biggest differences in the portrayal of forbidden love comes in the conclusion of both love stories. 

In Romeo and Juliet, the lovers end up killing themselves for the sake of their love. The famous "Thus with a kiss I die" (V.iii) marks Romeo's suicide at the sight of poor Juliet (who is actually only sleeping...whoops). When Juliet discovers Romeo, she plunges his dagger into her chest. For these two lovers, nothing is worse than the thought of living without the other. Their forbidden love can only have one of two conclusions: they will live together or they will die.

By contrast, in 1984 Winston gives in to his torture and asks the torturer to "Do it to Julia!" Forbidden love in this novel is broken, beaten by the powers that be. Unlike Romeo and Juliet, who carry their love to their deaths, Winston's love is undone by the torturers. 

In both stories, love leads to hardship and pain. In both stories, love is ended somehow--in Shakespeare by death and in Orwell by torture. But in Romeo and Juliet, love is something that is worth dying for. That does not seem to be Orwell's interpretation. 

What strange fact was revealed to Gulliver by an eminent person at court?

When Gulliver is in Luggnugg, he is "asked by a Person of Quality" whether or not he has ever seen one of their most peculiar kinds of residents called Struldbrugs, or Immortals in English.  He is informed that such immortals exist here, and they are born with a solid red circle in the middle of their foreheads, immediately atop the left eyebrow, and this is how the person is identified as one who is going to live forever.  The spot changes colors as the immortal ages: turning green, then blue, and then deep black.  

Gulliver is amazed by this strange fact, and he proceeds to elaborate on how wonderful it would be to live forever as well as all the things he would do if he were so lucky to be a Struldbrug.  However, his interpreter finally informs him that his conjectures are way off because Gulliver is assuming eternal youth, and this is not the case with the Struldbrugs.  Instead, they age and age and age, eventually becoming unable to understand language or be understood, and they are miserable decrepit drains on the economy in the end.

Would 'barked' be an onomatopoeia? I know bark is, but if I use it in the past tense can it still be regarded as onomatopoeic?

Yes, it definitely does. The term onomatopoeia refers to the imitation of sounds in words. Therefore, when we say, 'The dogs bark,' we copy the sound they make by using the word 'bark.' However, when we wish to indicate that they made this sound in the past, we need to follow the conventions of grammar, to make the meaning clear. We therefore say, 'The dogs barked,' to indicate the tense. The fact that the sound is represented in the past, does not mean that the word has lost its onomatopoeic value.

Alternatively, one may say, 'The dogs did bark.' This convention, however, is outdated and regarded as poor English. It may also be ambiguous since the use of the auxiliary verb may be seen as being used in the indicative form, to assert that for example, they indeed barked instead of growling.

Interestingly, the word is, figuratively onomatopoeic, since it copies the sound a dog makes, but as a part of speech it is a verb, which indicates what action the dog performed. The one does not automatically cancel the other, since a word can have a dual function and may be understood both as a figure of speech as well as a part of speech. This duality is evident in many onomatopoeic words such as the following examples: the cat miaows, the horse neighed, the birds were chirping, the frog croaks, the crickets are chirping, etc  

What are the folks in "And Some More" doing or talking about?

Esperanza, Rachel, Lucy, and Nenny are hanging out together in "And Some More." They start out talking about different kinds of snow and move to talking about people's different names. Esperanza says that clouds have names like "cumulus;" but Rachel and Lucy are not as scientifically minded, so they start giving the clouds names of people. The girls continue naming clouds with different people's names until Rachel says that one of the clouds looks like Esperanza's fat face. The conversation escalates as the word "ugly" gets thrown into the mix, along with "your mama". Eventually Rachel threatens never to come back again and Esperanza tells Nenny to get the broom because there is "too much trash in our yard today" (37).  

This vignette shows how children's conversations can develop into an argument quickly. Not only that, but name-calling and saying whatever comes to one's head in a verbal argument can sometimes cause one to say things that they might regret later. At other times, as mostly seen with kids rather than with adults, the argument is forgotten quickly and the friendship resumes the next day. For example, the next vignette after "And Some More" shows the girls having a good time together with some high heels in "The Family of Little Feet." The argument from the previous vignette doesn't hold for very long as young friends can easily forgive and forget.

In "Everyday Use," why does Dee want the quilts?

In "Everyday Use," Dee wants the quilts because she wants to preserve them as artifacts of her family's heritage.  The quilts were made by women in the family, and the cloth came from scraps of clothing that had been worn by past family members such as Great Grandpa Ezra's uniform from the Civil War.  Mama intends to give the quilts to Maggie, who will put them to use when she gets married and moves out of the house.  But Dee says that Maggie will use the quilts until they turn into rags, and she does not want the quilts to be destroyed.  Dee wants to put the quilts on the wall as artwork for her and others to admire.  Mama does say that when Dee went away to school that she offered her one of the quilts, which Dee turned down.  However, after Dee goes to school, she changes her perspective and now sees the quilts as cultural artifacts.

This excerpt includes 10 grammatical errors, each having to do with a verb conjugation. The error could be the helping or the main verb in a...

For this question, I will bold each error. Then, at the bottom, I will provide a correction for this error. 

The U.S. Congress passes legislation to establish a federally funded health insurance program for aged persons in 1965. Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, also known as Medicare, is being made into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The first recipient of Medicare benefits was former President Harry S. Truman, who receives his card at the bill-signing ceremony. Medicare soon becomes the largest single healthcare payer in the United States. Currently, Medicare has provided coverage for more than 40 million Americans. Many expected enrollment in Medicare to almost double by 2031. This increase was partly because of the huge generation of baby boomers, who begins to turn 65 in 2010. But Medicare itself expands as well. Initially, Medicare coverage was only available to American citizens over the age of 65, but recently coverage is extending to many others with long-term conditions.

1. passes: "The U.S. Congress passed legislation"


2. is being: "known as Medicare, was made into law"


3. receives: "who received his card"


4. becomes: "Medicare soon became the largest single healthcare payer"


5. has provided: "Medicare provides coverage"


6. expected: "Many expect enrollment"


7. was: "This increase is partly because of the huge generation of baby boomers"
   
   


8. begins: "who began to turn 65 in 2010"


9. expands: "Medicare itself has expanded"


10. is extending: "coverage was extended to many others"

How is the author's name important in "Names/Nombres" by Julia Alvarez?

"Names/Nombres" is a actually less a story, and more a personal essay. Rather than creating a fictional plot and characters, Julia Alvarez is reflecting on her own experiences and combining them to make a point. "Names/Nombres" has a central thesis – that one's name is central to one's identity.  

Throughout the story, Alvarez demonstrates her conflicting feelings towards the mispronunciations and Americanized nicknames inflicted on her by the people she meets after moving to New York City from the Dominican Republic. While she is exasperated by the immigration official and apartment super who mispronounce her last name ("How could anyone get Elbures out of that orchestra of sound?"), she also enjoys reshaping her identity with the flashy nicknames her American classmates give her. She describes wanting her Dominican extended family to go back where they came from and 

"leave me to pursue whatever mischief I wanted to in America. JUDY ALCATRAZ, the name on the “Wanted” poster would read. Who would ever trace her to me?"

For Alvarez, as a middle and high school student in the 1950s, the best thing to do is to blend in. She describes brushing away fellow classmates who ask her where she's "originally from" and shocking them when she rattles off her full, 12-word-long name. She describes the difficulty of introducing her complicated extended family at graduation. 

But as she ends the piece, Alvarez shows that she is thankful for her large, foreign family. As she opens her graduation presents, including a typewriter to write her stories, she thinks toward the future: as a famous author, which name will she go by? Years later, readers have the answer. Under her Dominican name, Julia Alvarez has written many short stories, personal essays, and novels that show that her identity, like her name, is still centered in her Dominican heritage. 

From Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, what does Beatty tell Montag about how books disappeared? What is your reaction to his explanation?

Captain Beatty is a very well-read and intellectual man, ironically. As a fireman, one would not suspect that he would know about so many different books and authors, but this does not mean that he likes books. In fact, because of all the reading he has done, he has become a huge opponent against what books have to offer. He feels they only offer confusion and pain because authors can't agree with each other. With Montag, though, Beatty starts at the beginning and teaches him the history of the decline of books in society, then eventually why they were outlawed.

Beatty goes back as far as the Civil War to start his story. He says that as films, radio and television became popular, books became condensed or shorter to accommodate and declining interest in reading. Then people only wanted to know the quick news, celebrity gossip, or anything entertaining, rather than actually learn from reading. He goes on to say that with the decline of quality subject matter in books, that the quality of education also declined. Eventually, people only wanted entertainment and to be happy than to learn new and conflicting ideas.

Next, he touches on the fact that different authors couldn't agree with each other, which also created many different minorities who were screaming for different rights and privileges. People were arguing and fighting to the point of war. In an effort to eliminate fighting and war, the solution was to get rid of books. As a result, society focused on sports and entertainment. Beatty explains further as follows:

"A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon. Breach man's mind. Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man? . . . And so when houses were finally fireproofed completely. . . there was no longer need of firemen for the old purposes. They were given the new job, as custodians of our peace of mind" (58-59).

Reactions to Captain Beatty's explanation depends upon the reader. Considering today's technology, though, Bradbury has a point that entertainment seems to have taken over the desire to read and to learn. People are so distracted by TV, movies, phones, radio, entertainment, and everything else that it seems like a logical end for books if people aren't careful. An underlying theme seems to argue that technology and entertainment can get in the way of our personal relationships, too; but Beatty would say that entertainment brings people happiness because they don't have to worry about the confusion that comes with disagreeing about different ideas.

Hopefully, society won't go so far as to eliminate books because people want their voices to be heard. People will continue to write stories for the benefit of preserving the human experience, not simply to entertain. The human struggle is real and different voices will always be met with opposition; but, this struggle cannot be eliminated simply because books are burned. Caution must be taken, however, that the arguments about self-destruction through distraction as put forth from Fahrenheit 451 are not underestimated, either.

Is Anne Frank's diary a commentary on war and its terrible impact on human life?

Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl tells the story of a Jewish family and their neighbors attempting to hide from the Nazis in occupied Amsterdam. By itself, the diary is not a commentary on war's terrible impact on human life. Yet when studied alongside the history of World War II and the Holocaust, the diary presents a clear picture of how these two events destroyed the lives of millions.

The reason that the diary, by itself, is not a good commentary on war is due to its limited point of view. Hiding in the secret annex, Anne is rarely able to learn about the progress of the war and/or what has happened to their Jewish friends and neighbors deported by the Nazis. Though Anne makes it a point to record important information, such as the family's joy when hearing about D-Day, the reader does not learn much about the war or its horrors through the diary alone.

When reading the diary as part of studying the Holocaust, though, the book takes on new meaning. Anne Frank's own death just two weeks before the British liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp adds to the diary's emotional impact. Also, the diary has taken on special significance as it is one of the few records of its type from the Holocaust. Anne Frank may have been only one of millions of Jews who died in the Holocaust, but her kindness, wit, and humanity lead the reader to realize that every person killed by the Nazis was just as devastating a loss as the death of this one girl.

Describe the situation when Pip meets the convict in Great Expectations.

Pip meets the convict in the marshes in a cemetery.

Pip’s meeting of the convict was a fortuitous event, for sure. 

The day starts fairly ordinarily.  Since most of Pip’s family is dead, including his mother, father, and many siblings, he is in the graveyard looking at their headstones. It is there that the convict finds him.  The convict was running away, and still in irons.  He sees the boy as an opportunity to get some food and a file to get rid of the chains, especially when he learns that Pip lives with a blacksmith.  The convict threatens him repeatedly, and handles him a little roughly, but he does not really mistreat him.

Pip is still polite to the man, despite the situation.  He even seems sympathetic.

At the same time, he hugged his shuddering body in both his arms - clasping himself, as if to hold himself together - and limped towards the low church wall. As I saw him go, picking his way among the nettles, and among the brambles that bound the green mounds … (Ch. 1)

The convict is cold, wet, and injured.  Pip does not have much in his life, and is not used to people treating him generously or lovingly.  His reaction to the man is to see through the brusqueness to the man’s innate goodness, such that it is.  Pip’s politeness and kindness to the man shapes the rest of his life.

When Pip finally meets Magwitch under better circumstances, he is shocked to learn that it was Magwitch who funded his “great expectations.”  To Pip he has been apprenticed to a criminal.  He is ashamed and frightened of Magwitch.  Yet as time goes on Pip learns to care about Magwitch like a second father, and risks his life to try to get him out of the country.

Why is Leonardo da Vinci so significant to art and culture?

Leonardo da Vinci is known in history as the "Renaissance Man," because he was a key figure during the Italian Renaissance and his work contributed to help bring Europe out of the Dark Ages. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, Europe had experienced a prolonged period of cultural, economic and intellectual deterioration as a result of religious wars, the bubonic plague, and widespread poverty and starvation. During this time, Europe had long since moved away from Greek and Roman classicism that was focused on the advancement of society in philosophy, art, architecture, music, and literature, and the Church had instead become the central organization of society. As a result, Europe had become incredibly superstitious and religious, and there no longer was a place for science and reason in society. To pursue scientific endeavors was to be deemed a heretic, arguably the worst of punishable offenses at that time. For this reason, art and culture during the Dark Ages were heavily connected to the church without much room for freedom of expression. In the 14th century, however, parts of Europe began to emerge from the Dark Ages and find their way back to classical teachings. The Renaissance was characterized by a 'rebirth' of the study of antiquity and the emergence of 'humanism,' which was the philosophy that emphasized the value of human beings on both the individual and collective level to think critically and rationally. The importance of humanism during the Renaissance is that it helped create a new mode of ethics and thinking that moved away from the acceptance of dogmatic and superstitious teachings of the church and allowed for the development of individual agency, and thereby, the development of secular study and pursuits.

In this backdrop emerged Leonardo da Vinci. In his lifetime, he was an inventor, a painter, a sculptor, an architect, a scientist, a musician, a writer, an engineer, a mathematician, an astrologer, a geologist, a botanist, and a historian; in his life and work, he embodied the essence of the Renaissance. An endlessly curious individual, he pursued and mastered an extremely wide range of interests and subjects, and paved the way for their inclusion in a modern society. In art, he incorporated the classical teachings of painting and sculpture which emphasized the rendering of reality using math, knowledge of anatomy, and science. Thus, his paintings and sculptures took on the quality of being "life-like" because he paid attention to the proportion and scale of his subjects when rendering his work--far different from the art that characterized the Dark Ages which did not seek to display a person or a scene as it appear in real-time to the human eye. Not only were his works realistic, but they included secular imagery that had been absent from art in the Dark Ages, like his Mona Lisa or his many landscapes. He helped create a space for artistic expression that attracted patrons of the arts to support his endeavors, changing the nature of art from being solely commissioned for and by the church and bringing it into the hands of ordinary people at large.

As art tends to play a key role in culture, as da Vinci's life and work helped radically transform art, he played a role in transforming culture as well. His rigorous study of the human body's anatomy not only changed the standard of it's representation in art, but it also greatly contributed to the field of health care and medicine because he was one of the first to study and sketch the human body with such accuracy and detail. As a humanist, his life and work helped challenge the accepted cultural practices that centered on the dogmatic teachings of the church and opened up a space for the revival of secular thinking, reasoning and study--which allowed for the emergence of modern science, philosophy, and art, as well as many other subjects. Leonardo da Vinci is a fascinating figure in history who has had a widespread and far-reaching impact on society, particularly in the areas of art and culture.

How many musical compositions can be found from the twentieth century that are about war?

To answer your question, there are too many to count. Also, remember that there is music about war in every possible musical genre. Let's look at a few:

1)20th Century Symphonies or orchestral music.

Dmitri Shostakovich wrote his Fourth to Ninth Symphonies as war symphonies. Interestingly, Stalin appropriated these symphonies as propaganda music for his regime, but Shostakovich was more interested in giving voice to the millions who died under the brutal Stalinist rule. All six symphonies were written in the early 1940s. Read about the symphonies here.

Elsewhere, Benjamin Britten's War Requiem spoke of devastation and the dehumanizing influence of war. The Requiem was written to commemorate four of Britten's friends who were killed during World War One. It was first performed at the reconstructed Coventry Cathedral in 1962.

Source: NPR on Benjamin Britten's War Requiem.

The War Requiem Musical Analysis.

2)Music about World Wars One and Two.

Below are some examples of 20th century music about the world wars:

1)Tipperary Guards, Piano Solo by E.T. Paull, 1917.

2)Don't Take My Darling Boy Away, March by Albert von Tilzer, 1915.

3)Liberty Bell: It's Time To Ring Again, Song by Halsey K. Mohr, 1917

4)America, Here's My Boy, Marching Song by Arthur Lange, 1917

5)Long Boy, Song by Barclay Walker, 1917

Read about the ideas and historical implications behind each piece of music here.

Music from World War Two included many popular, contemporary pieces such as Remember Pearl Harbor, Goodbye Mama, I'm Off to Yokohama, There's a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere, Twenty-one Dollars a Day, Once a Month, and Ma, I Miss Your Apple Pie. Additionally, the military had their own patriotic songs such as The Marine's Hymn and Anchors Aweigh.

Read about more about American popular music from World War Two here.

3)Contemporary 20th Century Music about modern war.

Here is a list of popular music about modern war:

1)One by Metallica (1988).

2)I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin-To-Die by Country Joe and the Fish (1967)

3)When the Tigers Broke Free by Pink Floyd (1982)

4)Run To The Hills by Iron Maiden (1982)

5)Masters of War by Bob Dylan (1963).

More examples of modern war music here.

The above is certainly not an exhaustive list, but should certainly give you an idea of the vast number of musical compositions out there about war. 

Could the Tuskegee Syphillis Research Study be conducted today? Why or why not?

The Tuskegee Research Study could not be conducted today. As a result of the Tuskegee Study, research ethics and principles have tightened around human subjects research. Even at the time of the Tuskegee Research study, basic medical ethical principles were not followed.

The Health and Human Services (HHS) websites provides several indicators that must be met when conducting human subjects research. One of those indicators is informed consent. Informed consent means that the test subject, the person receiving treatment, fully understands the treatment methods, techniques, and requirements for the study. The consent should be given in writing. Contacts outside of the study are also to be provided to the patient. Studies also must be presented and passed through a group called the Institutional Review Board (IRB).

The Tuskegee Research Study ended with a class action lawsuit against the United States government in 1974. President Clinton offered a formal apology to participants and their families in 1997. 

What is the primary resource found in Southwest Asia near the Persian Gulf?

Since 1908, the Persian Gulf has been a very important and strategic area of the world. Wars have been fought and blood spilled. Powerful nations have attempted to enforce their political will on the states of the region. Extremist groups with radical theological leanings have formed and declared war on the West. Powerful cartels have been formed and wield powerful geopolitical force. What makes 1908 such an important year? Well, that is the year that a British company discovered oil in the Middle East.

With over two-thirds of the world's oil reserves around the Persian Gulf, the region has become an important economic and political region of the world. This sector of the world is responsible for roughly a quarter of crude oil exports per year. The Middle East also has almost half of the world's reserves of natural gas, which has become more important in the last quarter century.

What story does Freak tell Max when they first meet?

This is a confusing question because most of the adventures of Max and Kevin as "Freak the Mighty" happen during the summer before eighth grade as well as during their eighth grade year.  In reality, the two "meet" long before that during their first years of daycare.  When the two "meet," Kevin is quick to tell the story of "Robot Man" as a description of himself.  Kevin, as a very tiny child of age six or seven, has been crippled from birth due to a severe birth defect.  Kevin hobbles around with crutches because he has “shiny braces strapped to his crooked legs."  In order to combat his deformity, Kevin describes himself as "Robot Man" with special robotic powers.  As a result, the children on the daycare playground don't mess with Kevin.  Max is impressed.  The irony of this story is that Max is very likely the reason why Kevin feels compelled to tell his "Robot Man" story.  At this point, Max has the reputation as and nickname of "Kicker" because Max will "boot anyone who dared to touch him.”  It is likely that Kevin tells the inspiring "Robot Man" story so that Max won't "boot" Kevin.

How is biodiversity researched? In what ways is this research used for biodiversity conservation and management?

Keeping detailed and accurate biodiversity inventories is one means in which biodiversity conservation is researched. Such an inventory is kept by Harvard within their Harvard Forest. Biodiversity inventories are kept because scientists need to be aware of the species that are present within an ecosystem before it can be determined how the species and ecosystem affect one another. Inventories of species diversity provide data that allows for future studies dealing with population dynamics, community ecology, and physiological ecology.  Accurate inventories of biodiversity are also advantageous in determining the impacts of climate changes on the distribution and interactions amongst species. Experimental manipulations and quantitative observations supplement biodiversity inventories in assessing the impacts of environmental changes on the survival of organisms such as plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria within an ecosystem.

Here is a list of current research that is being done on biodiversity conservation.

What is the mood of the book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking?

This question is an unusual one, because we often think of “mood” as applying only to works of fiction. Blink is a non-fiction book that describes true events and then analyzes how their participants made quick decisions, right or wrong. Along the way, the reader is encouraged to think about how he/she would have reacted in their place.

I suggest that the overall mood of the book is like a mystery or detective story. In each chapter, Gladwell shares details of a few specific incidents in which individuals made quick decisions based on what they saw, what they thought they saw, or what they felt was true about the situation. Afterward, we find out whether or not they were right after all. Elements of mystery seem to surround each section. This is why we’re compelled to keep on reading—to see what happens next, and why.

What reasons does Atticus give for saying he will not "hush up" about the situation of Bob Ewell dying in Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

That scene takes place in Chapter 30.  Jem and Scout have been attacked by Bob Ewell on their way home from school after the Halloween play. Jem's arm was broken, and he is unconscious.  Boo Radley comes to their rescue, carrying Jem into the house.  The sheriff, Heck Tate, is called.  When he investigates, he finds Bob Ewell dead under the old tree, with a kitchen knife stuck in him.

There follows an argument between Heck Tate and Atticus.  Heck keeps insisting that "Bob Ewell fell on that knife and killed himself."  This is his proposed cover-up. Atticus says, "Nobody's hushing this up.  I don't live that way." 

Atticus is refusing to hush the matter up because he thinks that it was Jem who stabbed Ewell, in self-defense.  If Jem has killed a man, Atticus wants the matter brought out into the open and settled, or the rumors of it will haunt Jem for the rest of his life.  Also, Atticus feels that he can't let his children see him agree to spread a falsehood.  This would undo everything he's been trying to teach them.  "If they don't trust me they won't trust anybody."

Heck Tate, though, has realized that it wasn't Jem who stabbed Bob Ewell.  It was Boo Radley.  

When it finally dawns on Atticus that the one who stabbed Ewell was not Jem, but Boo, he feels differently about hushing the matter up.  Jem is just beginning his life and he needs a clean record and a solid foundation of integrity on which to go forward. But Boo is a shy, reclusive man who hasn't been outside of his house in years.  Public scrutiny would destroy him.  

Atticus is still bothered by the need to lie about what happened. He is worried that his children will lose respect for him, and for the value of truth.  But Scout assures him that she understands: outing Boo Radley would be "like killing a mockingbird." 

Please analyze the tone and mood from a passage in Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.

When discussing literature, mood is the way a reader feels about what he or she is reading and tone is the attitude that the author shows through the style of writing. The two terms are often confused because they have to do with feelings or attitudes, both of which a reader and an author can experience. However, depending on the question, a student must analyze the two terms separately when asked, such as above. A good example of a passage from Stargirl to analyze both mood and tone is as follows:

"Hillari Kimble dragged Wayne Parr out to the middle of the parquet floor. They slowdanced. They fastdanced. They even tried an old-fashioned jitterbug. Nothing worked. Nothing went with the triple-thumping drumbeat but the bunny hop itself. Hillari's orchid she petals as she beat her fist on Wayne Parr's chest. 'Do something!' she yelled. She ripped sticks of chewing gum from his pocket. She chewed them furiously. She split the wad and pressed the gum into her ears" (173).

The words that help the reader to experience the mood of the scene should invoke feelings of uncontrollable frustration for Hillari's behavior. Some words that might make the reader feel this frustration are: dragged, nothing worked, beat her fist, yelled, ripped, chewed them furiously, pressed the gum into her ears. These verbs show Hillari's frustration and demonstrate her violent feelings Stargirl's success at the dance. A reader should feel her struggle as well. 

Luckily, in this case, these same verbs help to illustrate the author's tone to characterize who Hillari is as a person. She's aggressive and hostile, for example. Beating up her date and chewing gum furiously tells us that the author wants us to know how frustrated she really is. 

At the beginning of "The Interlopers," what is Ulrich's wish? Does it come true? What's ironic about this?

Ulrich's wish is to meet Georg in a deserted spot in the forest and end Georg's life. Half of his wish comes true, as he does indeed meet Georg "man to man" and "face to face." He does not kill him, though. The irony is that (1) while Georg loathes interference from interlopers, he encounters interlopers originating in the forest and that (2) while both men want to kill each other, they are crushed by the forest and confronted with killers from the forest.

What Is Ulrich's Wish?

On this night of violent storm and disturbed creatures in the "forest lands of Gradwitz," Ulrich von Gradwitz stood guarding against the poacher Georg Znaeym. Georg is the son of a poacher who was the son of a poacher who disputed the legal ownership of the forest lands and took his dispute to the "Courts" to be settled by a "famous lawsuit." The Znaeym family never "acquiesced in the judgment of the Courts," and the courts were the original interlopers in the conflict over the forest, the first "cursed interlopers [who] come between us." The Znaeyms began an earnest campaign of poaching from the forest lands of Gradwitz. Now, when Ulrich thirsts for the other's "blood," he wishes that—on this wildly stormy night, with no witnesses around, deep in his own forest and separate from his men for a few minutes—he might meet Georg "man to man," end his life and, with it, Georg's poaching from Gradwitz forest. 

[Ulrich] wandered far down the steep slopes amid the wild tangle of undergrowth, peering through the tree trunks and listening through the whistling and skirling of the wind and the restless beating of the branches for sight and sound of the marauders. . . [That] he might come across Georg Znaeym, man to man, with none to witness—that was the wish.

Half of Ulrich's wish comes true. He steps "round the trunk of a huge beech" and comes "face to face" with Georg. Both enemies glare at each other "for a long moment," each with a rifle in hand. They are civilized men, not used to shooting another man in cold blood, never having had to defend "hearth and honor." Neither shoots. In that moment between them, bred of shared civilization, nature proves itself a second interloper in the matter of the forest: a branch of the "huge beech" falls on both men with a "splitting crash" in a "fierce shriek of the storm." Ulrich's wish is to be "man to man" with Georg and, in an unwitnessed moment, to kill him. The first part comes true: he meets George "face to face." Yet nature's beech tree interloper prevents either man from descending from their civilized impulses into murder, as this is what they both wish to do, even from their youth: "as boys they had thirsted for one another's blood." Consequently, the second part of Ulrich's wish does not come true; in fact, he changes his mind about what he wants and asks Georg to be his friend.

What is ironic is the role of the interlopers in the story. Interlopers are individuals who intrude themselves into matters that are not their own, where they are not wanted, and where they are seen as not belonging. The Znaeyms considered the judges of the "Courts" who ruled against them to be interlopers, which is why Georg—ironically—tells Ulrich that they will fight the matter of the forest out between themselves without interlopers interfering:

"Good," snarled Georg, "good. We fight this quarrel out to the death, you and I and our foresters, with no cursed interlopers to come between us."

It is ironic that, while Georg's family for three generations have railed against the interlopers of the "Courts," who put the forest into the hands of Ulrich's family, it is now the forest itself that plays the interloper and crushes both men beneath a massive beech branch. It is ironic that while life was strong and the will to live strong—for three generations, in both families—the will to rail against interlopers was stronger, causing families to dream of blood, not peace. Yet, ironically, here they are, trapped—in danger of a wintry death—by nature's own forest interloper. It is ironic that once they decide to view each other as unique human beings with feelings, bone and blood, pain and suffering, and to become friends and share life together on correct social and legal terms, nature sends other interlopers through the forest to finish the issue once and for all. Ulrich and Georg decide for life and friendship, while nature decides for interlopers who kill. Nature sends interlopers that are hungry, running, "making all the speed they can, brave lads": wolves.

Distinguish between honor and power as they refer to The Giver’s position in the community.

The distinction between honor and power is made in Ch. 11 when Jonas and the Giver are discussing individual choice. Jonas has just learned that this used to be possible and wishes it still were. The Giver agrees and Jonas replies, 

"But sir, since you have so much power..." (Ch.11)

and then the Giver quickly replies with,

"The man corrected him. 'Honor,' he said firmly, 'I have great honor. So will you. But you will find that that is not the same as power. (Ch.11)'"

What becomes clear is that while the community and the circle of elders all have great respect for the Giver and his position, he is not the one who makes decisions. He is the the one who advises the decision-makers. For example, he is much like a respected elder-statesman or politician who advises the President. That person might be well-respected (hence his/her advice is sought), but in the end the President still makes the decisions and has all of the power. That is the same in this book. He is only an advisor.

What were the reasons why the American colonies rebelled against England?

Basically, the American colonies rebelled against Great Britain because they felt that changes in the imperial relationship that took place after the French and Indian War represented an attack on their liberties. After the war, which was very expensive (if also very successful) for the British, they attempted several measures that angered the colonists. The Proclamation of 1763, for examples, outraged both ordinary farmers and large land speculators by forbidding settlement in lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. The Stamp Act, which placed a small tax on legal documents, outraged colonists who argued that direct taxes on individuals were a violation of the principle of representative government. A series of duties on imported goods were equally unpopular, and the British government angered Bostonians in particular by stationing a large body of troops there. The Tea Act, which granted a monopoly on tea to the British East India Company, angered colonial merchants, and the "Boston Tea Party" in response led to the "Intolerable Acts" that were viewed throughout the colonies as a measure worthy of serious resistance. Overall, the colonists viewed each of these events as a "long train of abuses," to quote the Declaration of Independence, and they worried that without colonial resistance, they would become second-class subjects within the British Empire. Their efforts at resistance, and British responses, led to the outbreak of armed conflict by the spring of 1775.

Why does fire have a great impact on the boys' lives in Lord of the Flies?

One of the ways that fire has a great impact is in governing so much of what happens in the plot of the story. Once they light a big fire atop the mountain they are excited by the prospect and get carried away. Their carelessness leads to the death of the boy with the birthmark.

Ralph sees this signal fire as being vital and wants them to maintain it at all times. When a ship goes past and Jack's hunters have let the fire die in order to go kill a pig, he is irate and the gulf between him and Jack begins to widen. Later on the fire becomes a point of conflict as the hunters need Piggy's specs in order to light a fire so they raid the camp on the beach to get them.

The last big fire is lit by the boys as an attempt to flush Ralph out so they can kill him. he smoke of the conflagration is what brings the naval officer to the island to rescue them.

Explain any three principles of Behaviourism.

Behaviourism is an approach to studying animal and human psychology that focuses on observable characteristics or behaviour only. Behaviourism grew in response to 17th and 18th century Mentalism that believed all source of knowledge to be derived from innate and intuitive mechanisms inside the mind. The behavioural approach was propounded by John Watson and later supported by psychologists like Skinner. Behaviourism ruled psychology (and even had a profound impact on fields like linguistics) during the early 20th century, but lost popularity after the mid-20th century paradigm shift towards Cognitivism. Some of the main behavioural assumptions and principles are as follows:

The source of truth and knowledge is only that which is observable and can be proven with empirical evidence. Behaviourism does not engage itself with events that happen inside the mind like intuition, thinking and other mental faculties, as these cannot be objectively studied and measured in any way.

All observable behaviour is an outcome of a person’s environment. In other words, response is conditioned by stimulus. Behaviourists try to study and measure these stimuli and responses under controlled laboratory experiments. The behavioural assumptions were even extended to emotional responses and language (verbal behaviour) by Skinner.

All behaviour is learnt from the environment alone. At birth, the mind is like an empty slate (tabula rasa).

One of the main behavioural principles is that the response from the environment has consequences on the possibility or intensity of behaviour (operant conditioning). Hence, a reward from the environment leads to positive reinforcement (increased or repeated behaviour). Punishment has an opposite effect of that of reinforcement (weakened or suppressed behaviour).

What are some similarities and differences in the plot of the story "All Summer in a Day" and the movie All Summer in a Day?

If you are talking about the 1982 short film based on the story, there are significant differences. For one thing, Margot in the story is much more isolated. In the film she has a friend with whom she shares her treasures -- her secret cache of flowers and a butterfly from her life on Earth. In the story there is no such cache, nor is there any such friend. In the story, when the rain doesn't stop when they thought it would, the children lock Margot in the closet immediately; in the film, she is locked in the room after the rain stops -- a crucial difference. Of course the Venus in the story is very different from the "Venus" of the film -- in the story, the planet is a rain forest, not a flower-filled meadow. 

But the major change is the ending. In the story, the end comes when the children open the door to let Margot out. Bradbury doesn't say what will happen next. In the film, the end is much more positive and definitive: the children let Margot out; she is heartbroken. The children, one by one, recognizing what they have done, apologize to her by giving her the bouquets they picked while the sun was out. The film ends with William, the chief bully, desperate for foregiveness, giving Margot his flowers. Margot accepts them, and they walk off together into the rain, her arm around him.

The ending of the film totally changes (in my opinion) the tone of Bradbury's story. In the Bradbury world, children are brutal, vicious creatures who somehow are able to operate outside the bounds of adult control (see Wendy and Peter in his story "The Veldt" for another example). The open-endedness of the story actually supports this view. The point is that we readers have no idea what is going to come out of that closet at the end. In the film, however, Margot is made into an impossibly tolerant person, who transforms the children through her ability to suffer and forgive. Based on the comments about the film on IMDB, many people of a certain age remember the film version as "life changing" -- but I much prefer deciding for myself what Margot is going to do next!

Why did Sherman Alexie choose the title The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?

Sherman Alexie's work of young-adult fiction, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is about fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit, Jr.'s struggle with his identity as he moves to a new school. The book is based on some of Alexie's own experiences as a young man. Arnold, called Junior by friends and family, grew up on the Spokane Reservation and attends the school there. He is unhappy with the education he receives there, though, because, like everything else on The Rez, it is behind the times and falling apart. Junior fears the lack of opportunities available to him on The Rez will trap him there in an underdeveloped limbo for the rest of his life.

To get a better education, Junior decides to attend a school full of white kids several towns away. It's not only difficult for Junior to make the long journey to and from school every day, he also feels like a stranger both at school and at home. At Reardan High, Junior is the only First Nations person, making him feel like an outsider. Other students also make fun of him for his big head and thick glasses. At home, Junior has lost his only friend because he thinks Junior is a traitor for going to a "white school." In a way, Junior feels he is giving up part of his identity as a First Nations person. By splitting his time between the white school and The Rez, and trying to fit in at both, he feels he is effectively a "part-time" Indian.

The "absolutely true diary" portion of the title is appropriate because the novel is presented like a diary, including some of Junior's drawings. The title is also a little funny because this is a work of fiction — therefore, not entirely true — based on Alexie's own life. Although the circumstances and characters of this book are fictional, the struggles Alexie describe are absolutely real for many people today.

How are rule breakers positive influences to our society? Explain by using examples from "Letter from Birmingham Jail," "Antigone," and "Malala."

Rule breakers come in a variety of forms. Possibly the first kind of rule breaker that comes to mind is a basic criminal. The connotation of criminality is that the laws being broken are in place for a good reason: to protect people or property, or enforce a level of decorum in society. Your question suggests that rule breakers can be a positive influence in society, and I agree that they can be. In the cases mentioned above, each of the rule breakers (two of whom are real people, and one of whom is a fictional character) break rules in a non-violent way in an effort to force changes in their societies.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," makes what will later be seen as one of the most compelling written arguments in support of desegregation. The pivotal distinction that he makes is between just and unjust laws. While just laws are rules that should be obeyed because they honor human personhood, unjust laws should be challenged for the sake of the community of humanity. Antigone makes a similar case. By burying Polyneices after his death in spite of his errors, she emphasizes the importance of treating all humans with a certain level of dignity. Now in our time, Malala Yousafzai has advocated education for girls in Pakistan (and everywhere) with exceptional bravery.

Rule breakers can be hugely positive influences in society because they break unjust rules with the goal of making changes. Rules and laws that do not treat all humans with dignity need to change, and rule breakers help us see the error of these types of regulations.

What are two functions of the skeletal system?

Our skeletal system is composed of a framework of bones and carries out a large number of functions, including:

• Skeletal system supports our body. It is the framework of our body and provides structural support to the body.


• Protection of soft and vital organs: skeletal system protects the soft organs of the body from damage. For example, our skull protects the brain. Similarly, the heart, kidneys, etc. are also protected within the framework of our skeletal system.


• Movement: skeletal system allows for movement of our body through muscle connections and joints. 


• blood cell production: red blood cells (RBC) are produced in the bone marrow. These cells are essential for transport of gases, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, in our body.


• storage of minerals and fats: skeletal system also acts as storage of minerals and fats. For example, fats are stored in long bones by yellow marrow, etc.

Hope this helps. 

Slow cab taxi charges $1.75 flat rate in addition to $0.65 per mile. Sheena has no more than $10 to spend on a ride. Write a linear equation to...

Hello!

Denote the number of miles ridden as `x.` Then $0.65 per mile means that the price will be `0.65*x` for a mileage and the total price including flat rate will be

`0.65*x+1.75.`

If Sheena want to spend all her $10, we obtain a linear equation

`0.65*x+1.75=10.`

This is the answer.

It is simple to solve it: subtract 1.75 from the both sides and obtain

`0.65*x=10-1.75=8.25,`

then divide both sides by 0.65 and obtain the solution

`x=8.25/0.65 approx 12.7` (miles).

Actually, the text of the problem gives us a linear inequality,

`0.65*x+1.75lt=10,`

because "Sheena has no more than $10 to spend on a ride."

The solution for this inequality is `xlt=12.7.`

What dare of Dill's does Jem finally accept in To Kill A Mockingbird?

The answer to this question appears in Chapter One of To Kill a Mockingbird. When Jem and Scout meet Dill, who is from out of town, they tell him the entire history of the Radley house, including that of Boo, who all the neighborhood children, of course, are terrified of. So Dill dares Jem to run up to the house and knock on the front door. After a couple days of goading by Dill, Jem finally agrees to a modified version of the dare: he will simply sneak up and touch the house. He finally brings himself to do it, and the children sprint away from the house, where they notice, Scout says, a shutter moving. This is the first introduction to the children's fateful (although until the end, very distant) relationship with Boo, who by the end emerges as one of the most remarkable characters in the book.

What are some reasons Britain used to justify their occupation in the American colonies after the 7 year war?

The British had reasons for staying in the colonies after the Seven Years’ War ended. One of those reasons had to do with economic factors. The British had gained control over almost all of the land France had controlled that was east of the Mississippi River. This meant Britain had access to the lucrative fur trade of the Ohio Valley without competition from France. The British were not going to pass up this lucrative economic opportunity. Additionally, the British still viewed the colonies as a source of income. While the colonies were getting more expensive to run, the British believed they still could profit by controlling the colonies, especially if they could get the colonists to pay some of the costs of running the colonies. This is why many tax laws were passed. The British weren’t going to pass up the opportunity to make more money from the colonies.

Another reason dealt with power. The British Empire was a worldwide empire. By having colonies worldwide, this allowed Britain to control many areas throughout the world. This gave Britain a lot of power in both economic and political terms. Having colonies allowed the British military a place to dock their ships and resupply them. It also would make it easier for Britain to protect its worldwide trade. The British were not about to willingly surrender any of this power without having a good reason to do so.

The British also believed the colonists weren’t ready for self-rule after the Seven Years’ War ended. They continued to believe the colonists needed the guidance and protection of the British government. The British believed the colonies would flounder if they were on the own as an independent entity. The British had invested too much time, money, and energy to let this happen to their colonies. For these reasons, Britain continued to control the colonies after the Seven Years’ War.

In The Yearling, how does Jody change through his ordeal of running away?

Jody begins his running away with something of a plan. He wants to run off to Boston to see Oliver and Grandma Hutto. He is consumed by the pain of his loss and unwilling to confront going home and what it will mean. At first he even tells himself that he is not hungry, that the smell of food doesn't hurt him much.

He works to come to terms with what has happened. He has to tell himself out loud that Flag is dead and that his father "went back on him."

He then begins to feel the real hurt of starvation. He begins to have cramps and feel the weakness and pain of real hunger. He also notices things that he still has things to learn from Penny, like starting a fire without a tinder horn. 

He then understands what his mother meant when she said that they would all go hungry if he didn't do something about Flag. He begins to understand her and her worry and her reasoning for shooting the fawn.

When he stops to build a flutter mill and then realizes it holds no joy for him anymore, he has accepted the responsibility of being a man. He is terribly sad for what he knows he has lost. This loss is confirmed once he gets home and speaks with his father. As he falls asleep, he cries out for Flag. But "It was not his own voice that called. It was a boy's voice. Somewhere beyond the sink-hole, past the magnolia, under the live oaks, a boy and a yearling ran side by side, and were gone forever."

What does Candy realize that makes him particularly angry towards Curley's wife?

In the next-to-last chapter of the novel, both Candy and George agree that Curley will want Lennie lynched for killing his wife, and that the other men will go along with Curley. 

Now Candy spoke his greatest fear. "You an' me can get that little place, can't we, George?" You an' me can go there an' live nice, can't we, George? Can't we?"

Before George answered, Candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay. He knew.

Candy realizes that without Lennie, George would have no interest in buying the little farm. It was a shared dream, and without Lennie the dream is dead. George and Lennie could have shared all the hard work. Candy would be nothing but a liability. George would have to do all the hard work by himself, as Candy is already an old man and has an injury. Even if he had the use of both his hands, he couldn't take Lennie's place because of his age and the fact that he and George have never been friends and never could be friends like George and Lennie.

When Candy realizes the dream is dead, he becomes angry at Curley's dead wife. After George leaves him alone with her, he takes his anger out on her, saying,

You done it, di'n't you? I s'pose you're glad. Ever'body knowed you'd mess things up. You wasn't no good. You ain't no good now, you lousy tart.

The old man's wrath is understandable, even though the lonely girl is hardly to blame for her own death. Candy is devastated because he will never have such an opportunity to attain independence and security again. 

His eyes blinded with tears and he turned and went weakly out of the barn, and he rubbed his bristly whiskers with his wrist stump.

What are the differences between modern and postmodern music?

Modernism and Postmodernism are distinct periods within the history of western European music. In order to understand their differences, it is important to know how they fit within the context of music history. The major periods in western European music history are: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern, and Postmodern, in chronological order. Since modernism follows the Romantic era, it can be seen as a reaction to romanticism; postmodernism is, in part, a reaction to modernism in music. 

The tonal system we use in music was refined into its modern form in the Baroque era, under the influence of J.S. Bach. This system remained in ascendance until the end of the Romantic era when Wagner and others began to expand tonality. The Romantic era also featured music that depicted emotions. 

As a reaction to romanticism, modernist composers began to expand tonality radically (Stravinsky) and question the need for privileging one note over another the way the first note of a scale is privileged in tonal music (12-tone composers, such as Schoenberg). Some modernists reacted to the emotionalism of romanticism by creating austere music (Webern) and others took that emotionalism to the extreme (Stravinsky, particularly in Rite of Spring). 

Postmodernist composers reacted to modernism by creating music that contrasted with that of the high modernist composers. The postmodern ethos allowed artists of all kinds (architects, visual artists, composers) to draw from all historical periods to create a pastiche, instead of simply rejecting music of prior eras. As a result, composers such as John Adams create music that has a stronger tonal feel to it. 

These are generalizations about tendencies within each era; it is important to look at the details and listen to a lot of music from each era to get a feel for similarities and differences. 

When Mrs. Baker tells Holling to "pass those boys," how does he respond?

I coach varsity cross country at the school that I teach at, and as an athlete I qualified for the state cross country finals twice, so I am going to explain what Holling does with some technical jargon.  

When Mrs. Baker tells Holling to "pass those boys," Holling surges.  A surge is not a sprint.  Cross country runners should not sprint mid race.  It is too much energy being spent for too little pay off.  A surge is an increase in speed and tempo for a certain amount of time.  It is not a sprint because a cross country runner can be expected to hold the surge pace for several minutes. 

Holling surges in his run when Mrs. Baker says "pass those boys."  I know it is a surge and not a sprint, because the text is very clear that Holling does not immediately pass the 8th grade runners in front of him.  It takes him significant time and distance.  Before Mrs. Baker said something, Holling was close to the 8th graders, but not on their backs.  After Mrs. Baker encouraged Holling, he began surging and had to enter a narrow trail through some woods.  Once the trail finally widened, Holling was on the heels of the 8th graders.  In order for him to have closed that gap, his tempo had to have increased.  The 8th graders then tried to block Holling, so that he couldn't pass.  Holling continued his surge right around them on a rougher section of the trail.  At the end of the race, the 8th graders tried to out sprint Holling to the finish, but his lead was already established at that point, and they could not out sprint Holling.  Mrs. Baker's words triggered Holling's inner drive to dig deep and push hard for the win. 

What is the point of view in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry?

Mildred D. Taylor writes the story of “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” from a nine-year old’s first person point of view. The main character, Cassie Logan, narrates the story as she comes to understand prejudice and racism in Mississippi during the 1930’s.

Although Cassie is just a child she is wise enough to learn about and understand the injustices that occur between the White people and the African-Americans during this period of history. Throughout the book, Cassie and her family experience examples of these injustices including getting used books when they arrive at school, seeing a neighbor badly burned, experiencing her mother being fired, and enduring threats to their land and well-being. Cassie even speaks up when the African-American children are forced to wait in line while the White people are taken care of by the clerk in a town store. Throughout the book the Logan family, including Cassie, take action to address the racial prejudice and to save their farm.

How did Vasco Nunez de Balboa and Ferdinand Magellan contribute to crossing the Pacific Ocean?

Vasco Nunez de Balboa and Ferdinand Magellan both played an important role in the first European crossing of the Pacific Ocean. Balboa was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. In 1513, he crossed the Isthmus of Panama, becoming the first European to cross the American continent. In so doing, he became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean, which he named the "South Sea."

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who organized and embarked on a Spanish expedition into the South Sea. He and his men sailed around the southern tip of South America--through the Strait of Magellan--to reach the Pacific Ocean. He thus became the first European to cross from the Atlantic into the Pacific.

Magellan continued sailing westward, and after a harrowing journey he reached Asia (he named the ocean "Pacific" because much of it was very calm). Magellan later died in a skirmish with natives, but some of his men continued sailing west and eventually reached Spain in 1522. Thus, Magellan's expedition was the first to successfully circumnavigate the world.

What is sadism and where do you see evidence of it in Night by Elie Wiesell?

Sadism is extreme cruelty, and it is seen throughout Elie Wiesel's book Night. When Moshe the Beadle returned to Sighet after having been taken by the Nazis, he told the villagers how he and the others were forced to dig their own graves and then were shot. That's sadism.

The Nazis treated the Jews as though they were vermin, and many Nazis enjoyed employing cruelty. When Elie and his father were being marched toward the fire pits at Birkenau, and Elie saw a truckload of babies and children thrown into the pits, that was sadism. What decent person does something so horribly cruel? Prisoners were beaten, starved, hanged, shot, tortured in different ways in the book, and the Nazis took a perverse pleasure in this. One of the worst instances of sadism was when the Jewish prisoners were forced to watch a young boy hanged--a boy who because of his low weight did not die right away and was left swinging by his neck until he did. The Nazis were the kings of sadism.