Why is Earth the only habitable planet in the solar system?

Earth is the only planet in the solar system that is known to have life on it. None of the other planets in the solar system have life on them. Earth's uniqueness (in this regard) is due to a fortunate mix of factors. Earth is at the right distance from Sun. If Earth was a little closer to the Sun, it would trap a lot of heat and would be too hot for survival of life. If it was slightly away from Sun, it would have been very cold for life. It also has an atmosphere that regulates the temperature, by absorbing and releasing heat. Earth is also fortunate to have water on it. Most common life forms are aerobic and we are fortunate to have oxygen in our atmosphere.

There could possibly be a large number of other planets, outside our solar system, that may fulfill such criteria. However, we are yet to find life on any other planet.

Hope this helps. 

Would you expect whitefish embryo cells to continue to divide indefinitely?

No, whitefish embryo cells will not continue to divide indefinitely. 

In fact, you could say that no cells divide more than once, because division results in two entirely new cells (the dividing cell ceases to exist). But we can see that this question is asking more about the lineage of cells - will a line of cells continue to divide indefinitely? The short answer is no.

The long answer is that some lineages of embryo cells will divide longer than others. This is because cell differentiation occurs as an embryo develops. The initial few cells of an embryo are totipotent - they can develop into any of the very specialized types of cells that exist in an adult organism. We call these specialized cell types differentiated, some examples are muscle, nerve, bone, and skin cells. There are some types of differentiated cells which do not divide at all - most notably brain neurons. Other types of differentiated cells continue to divide. 

So the cells which become neurons will stop dividing sooner, whereas a different lineage of cells might differentiate to a different cell type that will continue dividing long into the animal's adult life. But no, no cells divide indefinitely. 

How was society in Medieval Europe organized?

The main form of organization of medieval society was known as "feudalism." Within this system, people were divided into three "estates", the nobility, the clergy, and commoners. 

Society in this period was extremely hierarchical. Among the nobility, the king was preeminent, in theory owning all of the land in a kingdom, and giving use of it to nobles who were his "vassals" in exchange for rents in the form of either goods, money, or services (especially military service). In some countries, the power of the king was absolute but in other nobles and kings vied for power. Sometimes the king would ally with rich merchants to thwart the nobles. In the cities, there were artisans and merchants who, although they were "commoners", might amass wealth and power. Many cities operated under charters which gave them certain levels of independence. In the countryside, most people who were not nobles were peasants or serfs, tied to the land, and working for the noble who held the land.

In terms of religion, Europe was Roman Catholic. The Pope was the head of the Church, and Bishops were the equivalent of clerical nobility. All of Europe was divided into dioceses supervised by Bishops and subdivided into parishes each with a priest. The Church was responsible for baptism, marriage, and burial, and maintaining parish records and taking care of the poor in the parish. Education was normally either via church-run schools or apprenticeships to master craftsmen. There was very little secular bureaucracy or government in the modern sense, as many of the tasks such as registering birth were handled by the Church.

How does blood flow from the left hand to the heart?

Blood flowing from any part of the body, including the left hand, enters the right side of the heart through either the superior vena cava or the inferior vena cava. Since blood from the left hand would be coming to the heart from the upper part of the body, it would enter via the superior vena cava. From the superior vena cava, the blood would be passed onto the right atrium. When the right atrium contracts, blood is pushed through the tricuspid valve and into the right ventricle. From the right ventricle, blood is pumped through the pulmonary valve and into the pulmonary artery. The blood passes by the lungs where it picks up oxygen, which is needed so the oxygen can be delivered to cells. Cells need oxygen so they can undergo cellular respiration and produce an energy source called ATP (adenosine triphosphate). The ATP helps the cells and organism in which the cells are located perform daily functions needed for survival.

The oxygenated blood then returns to the left side of the heart via the pulmonary veins. From the pulmonary veins, the blood travels to the left atrium. As the left atrium contracts, blood is pushed through mitral valve and through the left ventricle. The left ventricle pushes blood through the aortic valve and into the aorta. This is a key step in blood circulation. The aorta is considered to be the artery that distributes blood to all other parts of the body.

Once the blood is distributed to where it is needed and its oxygen is depleted, then the cycle starts over.

How often are congressional districts determined? What are they based upon? Is it done in a fair and equitable manner? When it's done in a...

Congressional districts are determined every ten years.  This happens as the result of the United States census.  The census is conducted every 10 years (the last one was 2010).  When the census is conducted, the congressional districts are redistributed among the 50 states.  If a state gains or loses a seat or seats, the districts have to be redrawn. 

Ideally the redistricting is done strictly on the basis of geography and population.  The people who redistrict would just create districts with equal populations and relatively compact boundaries.  Instead, however, there is typically a great deal of gerrymandering, in which political parties try to draw the districts in a way that will help them politically.  The term “gerrymandering” comes from Elbridge Gerry, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.  He was a politician in the early United States who was allegedly responsible for creating an oddly-shaped electoral district in Massachusetts.

How can you tell the type of weathering that caused a cliff to wear away?

Dissolved minerals indicate chemical weathering, such as by acid rain. The presence of rusty red soils would also be an indicator of chemical weathering by oxidation. Cracks and broken rocks indicate physical (mechanical) weathering by ice wedging or animals burrowing. Smooth, rounded surfaces indicate mechanical weathering by an abrasive force such as sandblasting.

Weathering is the process by which larger rocks are broken down into smaller pieces over time. Weathering may occur either mechanically or chemically. Mechanical weathering occurs when a rock breaks down into smaller particles without changing composition. Mechanical weathering involves some sort of physical force. Ice wedging, exfoliation, burrowing done by animals, and root wedging are agents of mechanical weathering. If a rock is broken apart into smaller pieces via chemical wreathing, then the composition of the rocks changes. Chemical weathering can be caused by acid rain or oxidation.

This link provides a detailed explanation of factors that cause weathering to occur.

What are Voltaire's main ideas on the role of the government?

Voltaire was born Francois-Marie Arouet in Paris in 1691 and rose to become one of the most prominent and important philosophers of his time. Of all the subjects he addressed, Voltaire was an outspoken critic of the French government. He disliked how the government was heavily influenced by the aristocracy and called for the prohibition of many of its practices, including slavery and colonialism. 

In Voltaire's mind, the ideal government was ruled by an enlightened monarch who was not easily swayed by the ideas of his aristocracy: in his words, he would rather "obey one lion than 200 rats." Voltaire believed that the monarch should use his influence and position to improve the power and wealth of France. He also believed that the government should completely reform its tax system and begin taxing the clergy (who were exempt at this time) as this would act as a counterbalance between the Church and the state. 

Voltaire also put forward the idea that the role of government was to guarantee the equal protection of all citizens, regardless of rank or income, before the law. Only when the government completely protected the rights of its citizens could people be completely free and able to experience the essence of being human. 

What are some positive things the Friar tells Juliet's parents about Juliet's death in Act 4, scene 5?

The first thing that Friar Lawrence tells the distraught and emotional family is to stop wailing and screaming.  That seems really harsh considering their daughter is "dead."  But immediately after that, the friar explains why they should calm down.  He tells the Capulets that heaven helped make Juliet and now she has returned to heaven.  

Peace, ho, for shame! Confusion’s cure lives not

In these confusions. Heaven and yourself

Had part in this fair maid. Now heaven hath all,

Friar Lawrence continues the heaven talk.  He tells the Capulets that heaven is a far better place for Juliet than any other place on Earth could possibly be.  He tells them that her life on Earth was always going to be a temporary life.  They should be glad that now she has the gift of eternal life.  Friar Lawrence closes his speech to the Capulets by telling them to stop further angering heaven with their misery.  

The heavens do lour upon you for some ill.

Move them no more by crossing their high will.

How is Irish culture maintained in the short story, "The Dead"?

James Joyce's "The Dead" is a story of Irish people who are caught between memories of the Irish past and a paralysis that is connected to the English domination of Ireland.

Here are ways in which the Irish culture is sustained in "The Dead":

• The Dubliners hold the traditional party and annual dance on the Feast of the Epiphany (the 12th day of Christmas)


• Traditional music is played and songs sung.


• When Gabriel is asked to speak, he is "undecided" about lines from Robert Browning, an English poet whose writing was abstruse to many. Gabriel considers quoting from Thomas More's Irish Melodies instead.


• Mr. Browne alludes to "the famous Mrs. Cassidy". This is a possible reference to stock characters of the Pat and Mike variety and the telling of Irish jokes.


• Mary Jane plays "her Academy piece", a difficult piece of music prescribed by the Royal Irish Academy of Music. This piece is not particularly melodic or entertaining. Instead, it is used to test the technical proficiency of the musician.


• There are many allusions to Irish folk songs, such as The Lass of Aughrim from which a line is quoted, "O, the rain falls...lies cold."


• The character Molly Ivors is representative of Irish nationalism. She conflicts with Gabriel, whom she accuses of having adopted too much that is English. Molly, who wears a modest dress and has a brooch with an Irish motto on it, advocates the return to the Gaelic language and an Irish chauvinism. When Gabriel talks of visiting the continent, Molly urges him to visit the Aran Islands that are off the coast of Ireland.

And haven't you your own land to visit,...that you know nothing of, your own people, and your own country?

• Many allusions are made to famous Irish sites such as Trinity College, the Theatre Royal, the palace of Four Courts, the statue of Daniel O'Connell, etc. 

In W. D. Wetherell's short story "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant," what mistake has the narrator vowed to never repeat?

In W. D. Wetherell's “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant,” the narrator learns an important lesson about life. As a fourteen-year-old boy with his eye on an attractive, older teenage girl, the narrator has to make a tough choice between the girl and his first true love: fishing.

Wetherell establishes the narrator's (he is not named in the story) love of fishing in the story's first sentence:

There was a summer in my life when the only creature that seemed lovelier to me than a largemouth bass was Sheila Mant.

The writer is using a plot technique called foreshadowing here--the reader gets at least a hint of the idea that there will be some sort of conflict between his love of fishing and his desire to pursue the girl, Sheila Mant.

As the story progresses, we see the narrator struggle to keep up appearances in the canoe with Sheila on their date, while he also tries to surreptitiously keep a tantalizingly large bass hooked on his fishing line. Eventually, he chooses to cut the fish loose:

. . . the tug was too much for me, and quicker than it takes to write down, I pulled a penknife from my pocket and cut the line in half.

“The tug” he is referring to is Sheila's power (derived mostly from her beauty) over him. He gives up the fish to keep Sheila from finding out that he was paying more attention to it than to her. Later, Sheila ditches him for another guy, which leads the narrator to this life lesson at the end of the story:

There would be other Sheila Mants in my life, other fish, and though I came close once or twice, it was these secret, hidden tuggings in the night that claimed me, and I never made the same mistake again.

We shouldn't take this to mean that he will never love someone more than he loves fishing. It's more likely he means he will never sacrifice what is really important to him for something that is just a momentary desire.

Is a government ever justified in withholding information that impacts its citizens? Why or why not?

There are some situations in which withholding information is clearly unjustifiable and others in which it is necessary. For example, in the Flint water crisis of 2016, there were official concerns about water contamination that were not revealed to the public in a timely fashion. This meant that Flint residents, including young children and the frail elderly, who are particularly vulnerable, were drinking contaminated water. In this case, lack of full disclosure is not only unjustifiable but morally wrong, as it endangered the health of citizens.

A case where a government may be justified in withholding information is in the case of war. Making public information about troop deployment or military technology may endanger the lives of soldiers. Similarly, although there were certain benefits to Snowden's release of classified NSA documents in 2013-2014, including revelation of the extent to which the US was spying on its own and foreign citizens, the case brought to the public eye the question of how much information the government was justified in withholding. For example, much of the intelligence work on global terrorism requires the use of intelligence agents or spies. Keeping the identities of such agents secret is essential for their safety and revealing this information, as Snowden did, can endanger the lives of many people.

In general, a government is justified in keeping information secret when revealing that information might endanger the lives of military or intelligence personnel or the ability of the government to safely and successfully carry out military or security operations.  

What is your reaction to a relationship, event, or theme in the novel Lord of the Flies?

One of the major themes throughout the novel Lord of the Flies is the inherent evil individuals possess. Golding conveys his belief that humans are inherently evil by depicting the boys' descent into savagery. At the beginning of the novel, they are civilized, well-mannered English boys who work together to build a signal fire and a shelter. As the novel progresses, Jack gains favor by promoting hunting and fun activities over manual labor that is advantageous to survival and rescue. The boys' propensity to indulge in violent behavior and attempts to satiate their physical desires reflects their primitive instincts. Void of societal restrictions and regulations the boys become brutal savages who partake in violent acts and eventually murder Simon and Piggy. Golding uses the character of Simon to convey the idea of an "inner beast" by coming to the realization that the evil on the island is inherent while he is hallucinating and speaking to the Lord of the Flies. Golding uses the symbols of the Lord of the Flies and the "beast" to represent the manifestation of evil on the island. Even morally upright characters like Ralph and Piggy partake in savage acts and are enticed to follow their primitive instincts.

One lens through which many people have viewed Lord of the Flies is that of Christianity and the idea of original sin, which they connect to William Golding's portrayal of inherent wickedness, and his belief that humans void of societal restrictions would harm one another and look to satisfy their own desires and needs. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." It is written in Matthew 15:19, "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." These beliefs could be seen as reflected in Golding's portrayal of the boys' true nature, and the novel could be interpreted as depicting Biblical views on original sin and inherent evil.

In Part Two of Fahrenheit 451, why does Montag now think about the old man in the park?

At the end of part one, Montag and his wife are reading books as he decides if he wants to go back to burning them. He's been on quite a journey since he met a young girl named Clarisse McClellan, who prompted him to think inwardly about his happiness. Then, after a woman ignites herself rather than live without her books, Montag wonders what he's been missing in life. He feels that there must be something in books that might bring him a more fulfilling life. It is after he finally decides to find the answers to these deeper questions that he truly starts to read; but, he still needs to understand the background information to some of the books. It is at this point that he realizes that he needs a teacher to help him understand what he's reading. Montag remembers Faber as follows:

"Hold on. He shut his eyes. Yes, of course. Again he found himself thinking of the green park a year ago. The thought had been with him many times recently but now he remembered how it was that day in the city park when he had seen that old man in the black suit hide something , quickly, in his coat" (75).

Montag says he had been thinking about his experience with Faber from a year ago, but it is now that he realizes how a former English professor could be of some use to him. He tells Faber that he is at the point in his life where he recognizes that no one really listens to each other; he doesn't have a valuable relationship with his wife; and life seems only to circle around the TV. Faber asks Montag what finally "knocked the torch out" of his hands (82). Montag replies as follows:

"I don't know. We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren't happy. Something's missing. I looked around. The only think I positively knew was one was the books I'd burned in ten or ten or twelve years. So I thought books might help" (82).

Even though Montag had met Faber a year earlier, he was not ready for a teacher. It took a young girl questioning his happiness and a woman burning herself to death to push Montag to the point of being teachable and ready to make a change in his life.

How many supreme court justices have died in office?

Until last week, the answer to this question would have been 34. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia makes the 35th Justice to pass away while actively serving on the court, and only the second Justice to pass away while serving since the 1950s.

Supreme Court Justices are appointed by the President of the United States when a vacancy occurs on the nine person court. Justices do not have term limits, and therefore can continue in their placement until they pass away or choose to retire. Until the early 20th century, it was not uncommon for Justices to serve on the US Supreme Court until they died. However, sometime in the mid-1950s, a new method of exiting the court became popular. The "politicized departure hypothesis" suggests that Supreme Court Justices began to retire when the political climate favored their replacement with someone like-minded. Thus a conservative Republican Justice would attempt to time his retirement when there was a conservative Republican President in power to replace him with an ideologically similar Justice. The same has been true with Justices who favored the Democratic Party.

The notable exception has been Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who died in 2005 leaving an opening in the court. Justice Scalia's death poses a strange situation on the court, as his replacement while President Obama is in office will see that the Supreme Court becomes weighted toward the Democratic Party. A delay in filling the open slot opens the possibility of the court could be either Democratic or Republican depending on the political orientation of the next President.

I have attached a link to a helpful study that attempts to decipher a pattern in the retiring of Supreme Court Justices.

Why does Jonas refuse to go home?

In Ch. 20 Jonas refuses to go home because he has just seen a video of the "release" that his father performed on a newborn twin that morning at the Nurturing Center.

Up until this point in the novel, Jonas has not really understood what "release" really meant. As a result, he has also not fully understood his father's role as a Nurturer. Once he does see what his father did during the "release", lethally injecting a perfectly healthy newborn baby and then discarding his body into what appears to be a trash chute, Jonas is horrified and traumatized. He also feels betrayed by his father and his community that has sanctioned this behavior.

 "But he lied to me!" Jonas wept.

"It's what he was told to do, and he knows nothing else."

"What about you? Do you lie to me, too?" Jonas almost spat the question at the Giver.

Jonas is trying to come to terms with how someone he trusted so completely, his father, could commit such a heinous act. He is so shaken, he no longer knows who to trust or what to believe, so his anger and distrust come out at the Giver, at first. 

Jonas stays with the Giver that night because he is too distraught to go home after all he has learned. He literally would not know what to do or say around his father.

Why does George take the dead mouse away from Lennie in Of Mice and Men?

The first chapter of Of Mice and Men introduces readers to Lennie and George as well as to the setting of the Salinas River and valley. The men stop at the river for the evening after hiking for several miles to get to their new job. The contrast between the two men is striking, with Lennie's height and bear-like movements stressed. George's angular features and compact build, along with his quick and decisive movements allow the reader to notice Lennie's mental handicap quickly. 

After a few moments of interaction, the conversation turns to what's in Lennie's pocket. Although he tries to hide it, much like a child would try to hide something from a parent, George makes Lennie show him what he has in his pocket. The object is a dead mouse. Lennie has been petting the dead mouse for most of their hike. Apparently this is a pretty common occurrence for Lennie, who loves to touch soft things, like fur. George takes the mouse away from Lennie, throwing it away into the brush by their campsite. 

When George asks Lennie to go get firewood, Lennie attempts to surreptitiously pocket the mouse's corpse. George knows what he's up to, however, and forces him to give up the mouse's body again, throwing it across the river this time. When Lennie begins to cry, George explains why he had to take the corpse away from him: 

"Aw, Lennie!" George put his hand on Lennie's shoulder. "I ain't takin' it away jus' for meanness. That mouse ain't fresh, Lennie; and besides, you've broke it pettin' it. You get another mouse that's fresh and I'll let you keep it a little while." (9)

The fact that Lennie kills mice doesn't really seem to bother George as much as the fact that Lennie is toting around a dead mouse. Any corpse will eventually decay. George grows increasingly frustrated with Lennie's behavior following this exchange. Exasperated, George starts to complain about how his life would be easier without Lennie in it. 

How do Jess and Leslie get even with Janice Avery?

Janice Avery is a bully. She is verbally abusive to other kids, she steals Twinkies from lunches, and she is not afraid to physically beat somebody up. Jess and Leslie decide to turn the tables on Janice Avery and publicly humiliate her. The catch is that they have to figure out how to do it without letting anybody know it was them.

"We gotta get her without her knowing who done it."

If Janice Avery figures out that Jess and Leslie did something to embarrass her, she will beat the two of them up.

The plan that Jess and Leslie come up with is devious. They write a love letter to Janice Avery from Willard Hughes (the boy that Janice Avery likes). Janice, of course, is thrilled with the letter and tells a bunch of people about it. By the end of the day, Janice figures out that Willard didn't write the note. She is incensed at the fact that she is now the laughingstock of the school.

What are some critical works on feminism?

Many early works of literature and literary criticism address the social roles of women, beginning as early as the Renaissance with Christine de Pizan's 1405 The Book of the City of Ladies or Le Livre de la Cité des Dames . The nineteenth century brought with it an increase in gender equality and public debate over the role of women, sometimes called the "woman question." 

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft 1792 is sometimes considered to mark the beginning of modern feminism. As well as more political works, feminist criticism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries focused on attaining equality for women writers and asking that they be read seriously not just as exemplars of their gender.   

Two landmarks of feminist critical writing in the first half of the twentieth century were Virginia Woolf's A Room of One’s Own (1928) and Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex (1949; English translation 1953).

More recent feminist criticism has evolved in two directions. The first, sometimes referred to as "liberal" feminism emphasizes archival work and recovery of neglected female authors. This has made for a far more inclusive literary canon, with writers such as Zora Neale Hurston and Mary Elizabeth Braddon now having a much greater prominence in textbooks and reading lists. A second type of feminist criticism focuses on feminist theories, arguing that patriarchal viewpoints have affected not just the materials taught in the literary classroom but also critical perspectives. 

The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination (1979) by Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar, was a landmark in feminist criticism of women's writing. French critics such as Irigaray and Kristeva combine postmodern psychoanalytic theory and feminism, while writers such as Judith Butler and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick have synthesized gender and queer theory. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak combines feminist and post-colonial criticism.

Which pair of developments had a greater impact on the contemporary world: new imperialism & decolonization or the two world wars?

This question can be argued either way.  I will give you arguments for each side and you can make up your own mind.

You can argue that imperialism and decolonization were more important.  For one thing, imperialism was one of the causes of WWI and WWII.  This implies that imperialism is more important because it is at least somewhat responsible for the wars.  For another thing, imperialism and decolonization had a greater world-wide impact.  The wars were “world wars,” but their impact was felt mainly in the developed countries.  The wars did not have, for example, a huge impact on sub-Saharan Africa or on the Indian subcontinent in that these areas were not the scene of much fighting.  Imperialism and decolonization reached and affected practically every corner of the globe.  For these reasons, they are more important.

You can also argue that the wars were more important in shaping our world today.  For one thing, WWII led to decolonization.  The war strengthened the US (which generally favored decolonization) and weakened countries like France and Britain, which had large empires.  This led to decolonization, meaning that the wars were more important.  For another thing, the wars had a greater impact on the major powers of the world and it is the major powers that have the most to do with what our contemporary world is like.  The wars, for example, brought the United States to power, making it the most important country in the world.  The wars brought about the rise of the Soviet Union, leading to the Cold War, which also shapes the modern world.  Thus, the wars are more important.

Which of these arguments makes more sense to you?

What is meant by the statement that motion is relative?

The statement that motion is relative is an important concept in physics. The meaning behind this statement is that the motion of an object is relative to either the frame of reference of the observer, or to another distinct frame of reference. This is important because the observed motion may appear different depending on which frame of reference it is being observed from. Because of this, relative velocity must be used to explain movement within a certain frame of reference. An example of this would be a person riding on a bus who we will call Bob. People on the bus observing Bob sitting in his seat, would observe that Bob is not be moving relative to the movement of the bus. However, these same people can observe that Bob is moving relative to an object located outside the bus.  Hope this helps!

Why is the movement of each gas essentially in one direction only (including appropriate numerical values)? Is the oxygen pressure inside cells...

The gas exchange process happening between the alveoli and the surrounding capillary bed is driven by diffusion.  Diffusion is a passive transport mechanism that causes gasses to move from areas of high concentration to areas of lower concentration.  

The blood being pumped to the lungs is low in oxygen content and high in carbon dioxide content because it's oxygen and glucose has been converted to carbon dioxide through the process of cellular respiration at each cell.  That carbon dioxide needs to be removed from the body, so it is carried to the lungs in order to be exhaled.  

Upon inhalation, the alveoli become filled with outside air.  It's mostly nitrogen, but about 20% of the inhaled breath contains oxygen and almost zero carbon dioxide.  The surrounding capillaries contain a higher concentration of carbon dioxide than the alveoli, so the gas diffuses out of the capillaries and into the alveoli.  The oxygen does the opposite. While the capillary blood does contain some oxygen, it is around 10-14 percent.  That's lower than what's in the alveoli, so oxygen diffuses out of the alveoli and into the capillary blood.  

The oxygen pressure in most cells will be lower than the oxygen pressure in the blood.  That's why the oxygen moves out of the blood and into the cells.  They need it to perform cellular respiration in order to produce ATP.

How does Willa Cather's book My Antonia demonstrate realism?

Realism can be a hard term to pin down. In a conventional sense, Cather can be considered a "realist" in that her fiction tries to convey life as it is lived, as honestly and accurately as possible. In My Antonia, the main "plot" is simply to tell of Jim's experiences growing up in Nebraska, good and bad. The major plot points tend to be small moments, such as the killing of the snake, or events that are tragic and somehow unsettling -- Antonia's pregnancy, or Mr Shimerda's suicide. Although people like to think of Antonia as a book that celebrates life on the prarie, Cather does not sugar coat the adversity of that life, and Antonia is not a romantic figure.

Another way Cather can be seen as a realist is in her handling of detail. One of her greatest attributes as a writer is her keen sense of visual detail, and it is true that certain details are especialy vivid -- the "thread of green liquid" that "oozed from [the snake's] crushed head," for example, or this passage, from Chapter two:

The earth was warm under me, and warm as I crumbled it through my fingers. Queer little red bugs came out and moved in slow squadrons around me. Their backs were polished vermilion, with black spots. I kept as still as I could. Nothing happened. I did not expect anything to happen.

Even though "nothing" happened, it is perhaps characteristic of her "realism" that such moments carry great significance. The passage concludes:

I was something that lay under the sun and felt it, like the pumpkins, and I did not want to be anything more. I was entirely happy. Perhaps we feel like that when we die and become a part of something entire, whether it is sun and air, or goodness and knowledge. At any rate, that is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep.

Source:

Stout, Janis P.. “Seeing and Believing: Willa Cather's Realism”. American Literary Realism 33.2 (2001): 168–180. 

In Out of the Dust, why was Billie Jo named Billie Jo?

In Out of the Dust, Billie Jo is given a boy's name for a simple reason: her parents had believed that she was going to be a boy, and "Daddy" had desperately wanted a son.

Instead, Billie Jo is, "a redheaded, heckle-faced, narrow-hipped girl." Billie Jo says that Daddy, "tried making me do"; he attempts to adapt to having a daughter rather than a son by encouraging Billie Jo to handle what he can throw at her, including such traditionally masculine activities as riding on a tractor.

Although Daddy had given up on having an actual boy, he eventually gets another chance when Ma reveals that she is once again pregnant. This is exciting news as Daddy is the only Kelby boy left following the death of his father from skin cancer. A new Kelby son would mean that Daddy could pass down his legacy and family name. 

What is the situation with Betsy's brother in Lyddie?

Betsy is putting her brother Charlie through college.

Betsy is a kind but outspoken factory worker who is Lyddie’s roommate.  Like Lyddie, she has a brother.  Her brother is in Harvard College, with Betsy paying his way.  She hopes to pay for her own college after he finishes. 

Betsy is a reader.  She is ambitious.  She teaches Lyddie to read, beginning with reading Oliver Twist to her.  Lyddie is very grateful since she never really had a chance to go to school.  Like Betsy, she values education.

She fought sleep, ravenous for every word. She had not had any appetite for the bountiful meal downstairs, but now she was feeling a hunger she knew nothing about. She had to know what would happen to little Oliver. (Ch. 10)

When Betsy gets sick, she has to leave the factory.  Her dreams of going to college leave with her.  Before she leaves, she signs the petition for the ten-hour workday.  She knows this will get her dismissed and blacklisted, but since she does not have a chance to come back anyway, she doesn’t care.  She doesn’t seem to think her brother cares about her.

"The golden lad finishes Harvard this spring. His fees are paid up, and I've got nearly the money I need now.  My Latin is done. So as soon as I complete my botany course, I'll be ready to leave this insane asylum." (Ch. 13)

If Betsy’s brother cares about her sacrifice and realizes that she wants to go to college, he doesn’t seem to show it.  Betsy has to go off and work for her uncle rather than going to college, because she has spent all of her money on her brother’s education.

Betsy’s brother shows the readers a couple of things.  First, his relationship with Betsy contrasts with Lyddie’s relationship with Charlie.  Lyddie loves her brother and worries about him, but Betsy feels taken advantage of by hers.  Second, we learn that college was rare for women, but that some women did aspire to go.

What techniques did Shakespeare use to convey a world of corruption in the play Hamlet?

Shakespeare employs a few techniques when building this motif of corruption. Corruption and its partner, disease, is one of the most overarching motifs we see in the play. An examination of the characters' dialogue reveals the heavy use of imagery to underscore Hamlet's frustration about the state of Denmark and the players therein.  

There is something rotten in the state of Denmark (1.4)

Here Marcellus, not Hamlet as many misquote, is commenting about the riotous revelry ensuing at the midnight hour in the castle. His frustration and disgust at King Claudius's new reign are apparent. He implies, through his appeal to the olfactory sense, that Denmark has fallen into a state of rot and putrescence through the moral corruption of the king and his new queen.

Imagery is Shakespeare's primary technique for expressing corruption. When examining the branch of physical corruption, that of sexual immorality, in the relationship of Claudius and Gertrude, he also explores moral corruption in those who have any contact with Claudius, as he manipulates and pulls all who are under his rule away from their moral compass. Hamlet says of Claudius that he is a "canker in our nature" that is destroying the beloved legacy of Hamlet senior. 

Additional images of maggots or worms feeding on flesh, talk of poison and its effects on the body, and numerous comments about disease riddle the play, making corruption a primary focus of Shakespeare's famous work.

Make a list of any possible solutions that have been discussed to try and reverse the problems in the environment caused by humans. You will need...

Well, there is a long list of environmental problems cased by human beings and a long list of solutions that have been proposed or adopted. The environmental problems can be thought off in terms of pollution (water, air, soil, noise, etc.) and degradation (increased greenhouse effect, ozone hole, etc.). To counter the threat of ozone destruction, human beings have (mostly) stopped using CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) and have replaced them with alternative chemicals. Increased greenhouse effect is being tackled (only to a small extent) by trying to reduce our carbon footprints. Some ways to do that is by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, increased adoption of renewable energy sources (such as solar power, wind energy, etc.), afforestation, carbon sequestration, etc. Water pollution is being reduced by decreasing direct discharge of pollutants into river, water treatment, etc. There are always some disadvantages of these solutions. For example, wind turbines generate renewable energy, but also cause bird kills and noise pollution. Electric cars decrease our dependence on fossil fuels, but use electricity that may be generated by burning coal or natural gas and will also cause environmental degradation when it is disposed off.

Hope this helps. 

By the time he drops off the hitchhiker, what does Jim Gallien think of him?

When I first read Into the Wild, I wondered why Krakauer was starting with an event so close to McCandless's death.  But after finishing the book, I could see how Gallien's brief encounter of McCandless mirrors the overall reader's experience (at least mine anyway).  

When Gallien first meets McCandless, Gallien's opinion of him is rather low.  He thinks that McCandless is another "one of those crackpots from the lower forty-eight who come north to live out ill-considered Jack London fantasies."  In other words, Gallien thinks that McCandless is a naive and foolish visitor to Alaska.  The gear that McCandless has with him supports Gallien's theory as well.  

Alex’s backpack looked as though it weighed only twenty-five or thirty pounds, which struck Gallien — an accomplished hunter and woodsman — as an improbably light load for a stay of several months in the back-country, especially so early in the spring. “He wasn’t carrying anywhere near as much food and gear as you’d expect a guy to be carrying for that kind of trip,” Gallien recalls. 

Then the following a bit later.

Still, Gallien was concerned. Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten-pound bag of rice. His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions of the interior, which in April still lay buried under the winter snow pack. Alex’s cheap leather hiking boots were neither waterproof nor well insulated. His rifle was only .22 caliber, a bore too small to rely on if he expected to kill large animals like moose and caribou, which he would have to eat if he hoped to remain very long in the country. He had no ax, no bug dope, no snowshoes, no compass. The only navigational aid in his possession was a tattered state road map he’d scrounged at a gas station. 

But after only a few hours of talking to McCandless, Gallien's opinion of McCandless begins to take a turn.  Gallien realizes that McCandless is quite experienced at living off of the land.  He finds McCandless to be quite well educated, well spoken, forthright, and congenial.  

The more they talked, the less Alex struck Gallien as a nutcase. He was congenial and seemed well educated. He peppered Gallien with thoughtful questions about the kind of small game that live in the country, the kinds of berries he could eat— ”that kind of thing.”

McCandless impressed Gallien enough that Gallien offered to drive McCandless back to Anchorage in order to buy him better gear.  

Gallien offered to drive Alex all the way to Anchorage, buy him some decent gear, and then drive him back to wherever he wanted to go. 

No matter how Gallien tried to dissuade him, McCandless had a solid answer in place for Gallien.  By the time that Gallien got McCandless to the start of his intended trail, Gallien willingly gave up some of his own gear to McCandless.  Gallien even told McCandless how to contact him.  That way McCandless could return the gear.  By the time that McCandless was leaving Gallien's vehicle, Gallien figured that McCandless would be good enough to survive.  

“I figured he’d be OK,” he explains. “I thought he’d probably get hungry pretty quick and just walk out to the highway. That’s what any normal person would do.” 

My overall experience with McCandless was similar to Gallien's brief encounter.  When Krakauer first started presenting McCandless to me, I thought he was crazy and stupid.  But by the end of the book, I realized that McCandless wasn't crazy or stupid (not even close to stupid).  He was passionate about living life the way that he wanted to live it.  I will never be able to do what McCandless did, but that doesn't make his way wrong.  It makes him unique.  

What is the importance of social class in Pride and Prejudice? Are there types of social class?

Social class is highly important in Pride and Prejudice, as it was in the society Austen was depicting. English society in the early 19th century was hierarchical, rather than equalitarian, meaning people's place in society was determined by who their parents were. Strict rules of etiquette governed interactions between individuals of different social classes. For example, nobody of a lower social class was supposed to introduce themselves to someone of a higher class unless spoken to first, which is why it is embarrassing when Mr. Collins introduces himself to Mr. Darcy.

At the top of the hierarchy were royalty and below them the landed aristocrats. Mr. Darcy was a landed aristocrat: he had inherited a vast estate from his father and rented out most of the land, then lived on the rents. The chief mark of a gentleman was not having to work for a living. Mr. Darcy was at the top of the social hierarchy in Pride and Prejudice. Lady Catherine, Mr. Collins's patroness, was also a landed aristocrat.

The Bingleys represented a new kind of wealth rising in England. We are told Mr. Bingley's father was a tradesman who made a fortune in the north. Most likely, he owned a cotton mill and was part of the industrial revolution that was rapidly raising England to the premier world power. But because he worked for a living, no matter how wealthy he was, he ranked below a leisured gentleman like Darcy. However, he had the money to set up his son, Mr. Bingley, as a gentleman of leisure with a large allowance, and his daughters as ladies. We can understand some of Miss Bingley's urgent desire to marry Mr. Darcy if we see it as a way of helping her family climb into the aristocracy: no matter how wealthy they were, they were stained by coming from trade. 

The Bennets were landed gentry: they had an estate big enough to take guests hunting, and they derived a comfortable living from the rents on the estate, but they were not wealthy aristocrats with titles: they were not lords and ladies. Therefore, they ranked below people like Darcy and Lady Catherine on the social scale.

Clergymen like Mr. Collins were considered gentlemen and included in the upper classes: as we see, Mr. Collins spends much time visiting Lady Catherine. But because they did not have landed wealth, they were lower on the social scale than a lord or lady.

We see much jockeying for social position in Pride and Prejudice. Lady Catherine, for example, is furious at the idea that Elizabeth would dare to think she could marry Mr. Darcy.

What is the significance of the quote, "Matches were dangerous, but cards were fatal"?

Technically, Scout thinks that there is more harm to be had, in the form of punishment that is, in playing cards than in playing with matches. Two factors inform her opinion: she's very young and has probably never been in trouble for setting a fire, but has been in trouble for "gambling;" they live in the South, where gambling is looked down on as a serious sin, especially by Baptists. 

In Ch. 6 Jem comes home with no pants on because he got them caught on the Radley fence as he ran out of their yard (after sneaking in). He cannot say that, however, as he would get in big trouble, so he lies and says that he, Scout, and Dill were playing strip poker. To this Atticus asks if they were playing cards, and Jem says that they were only playing with matches. Thus, Scout says, "Matches were dangerous, but cards were fatal." While this might sound like a strange comparison to most readers, her points of comparison are fairly narrow and she has yet to experience the trouble that matches can cause.

What sin do the townspeople commit in response to the minister's veil?

In response to Mr. Hooper's black veil, the townspeople begin to judge him almost immediately.  His fiancee, Elizabeth, tells him that most people do not believe that Mr. Hooper wears the veil to signify some "innocent sorrow," that they whisper that "[he] hides [his] face under the consciousness of secret sin."  Despite the religious injunction that we not judge one another, his congregation grows suspicious of Mr. Hooper and judges him rather harshly. In the book of Matthew, Christians are told, "Do not judge lest you be judged.  For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you" (Matthew 7.1-2). Only God is supposed to be our judge, and yet Mr. Hooper “spent a long life, irreproachable in outward act, yet shrouded in dismal suspicions; kind and loving, though unloved, and dimly feared; a man apart from men, shunned in their health and joy […].”  He became an outcast as a result of his parishioners' suspicions and judgment.  Ultimately, they judged him for his secret sins, continuing to insist on their own sinlessness (exactly the lie that Mr. Hooper wished to draw attention to by wearing the veil in the first place).

Who is the antagonist in J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye?

The antagonist for a story can also be called the villain, or one who provides the obstacles for the protagonist. Conflicts in literature can be categorized into man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. nature, and man vs. society, etc. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden has many adventures which pit him against society and other people; but for the most part, Holden antagonizes himself.

One of the first ways Holden antagonizes himself is by getting kicked out of three schools. Mr. Spencer, a teacher, tries to help Holden realize the path he is on by having a heart-to-heart talk with him before he must leave Pencey--his third school.

"'If I'm not mistaken, I believe you also had some difficulty at the Whooton School, and at Elkton Hills.' He didn't say it just sarcastic, but sort of nasty, too.

'I didn't have too much difficulty at Elkton Hills,' I told him. 'I didn't exactly flunk out or anything. I just quit, sort of'" (13).

Here Holden admits that he quit. This only hurts himself in the long run. Holden gets into a pattern of self-destruction on many levels that he just can't break.

Another way Holden gets in his own way is by obsessing over different things. He obsesses over where the fish go in the winter time, for example. The worst is how he obsesses over his roommate going on a date with Jane Gallagher, a girl he's crushing on. When his roomy gets back from the date, he keeps asking him how far he got with her. After pushing Stradlater to his limits, and then not taking his warnings, Stradlater must beat Holden up to get him to stop whining about Jane:

". . . I went over and took a look at my stupid face in the mirror. You never saw such gore in your life. I had blood all over my mouth and chin and even on my pajamas and bathrobe. It partly scared me and it partly fascinated me" (45).

Holden would not have had to go through such a beating if he had just left Stradlater alone. Stradlater had to do something to get Holden off his back about Jane; therefore, Holden is to blame for this fight.

Finally, a third time that Holden gets in his own way, is when he's on a date with Sally and asks her to marry him. Sally is the voice of reason and tries to talk him back to reality. He gets so mad at her that tells her that she's a pain in the ass. If he had just not said that one thing, she probably would have forgiven him for the rest of the crazy things he was saying. But the following happened:

"Boy, did she hit the ceiling when I said that. I know I shouldn't've said it, and I probably wouldn't've ordinarily, but she was depressing the hell out of me. Usually I never say crude things like that to girls. Boy did she hit the ceiling. I apologized like a madman, but she wouldn't accept my apology. She was even crying" (134).

Holden does not have much self-control and therefore can't maintain relationships or keep himself on track. It's sad, really. After reading passages like the ones above, one might even argue that the real antagonist is his mental illness because without it, Holden would be a smart, intelligent boy going to school and leading a productive life. Luckily, he is admitted into a hospital in California that should be able to help him with his true nemesis.

In Chapter 8 of Lord of the Flies, there is a big "blow up" at the assembly. What does Jack do?

At the beginning of Chapter 8, the boys are discussing the existence of the beast. Ralph and Jack have both witnessed the beast and Ralph laments that they will never be able to have a signal fire on top of the mountain again. Jack suggests that his hunters can kill the beast, and Ralph's response is, "Boys armed with sticks?" (Golding 125). Jack is offended and clumsily blows the conch to hold a meeting. Jack begins by telling the boys that the existence of the beast has been confirmed, then tells them that Ralph said the hunters are "no good." Jack then compares Ralph to Piggy, who is unpopular amongst the group, and calls Ralph a coward. Jack holds the conch and asks, "Who thinks Ralph oughtn't to be chief?" None of the boys agree, and Jack asks the same question again. When no one raises their hand to agree that Jack should be the new leader, he puts the conch down and says, "I'm not going to play any longer. Not with you" (Golding 127). Jack invites the hunters to go with him and leave Ralph's group to hunt and start a new tribe. Jack turns and runs down the beach into the forest alone. Initially, no one follows Jack, but later on in the novel, the majority of the boys gradually join his tribe.

What effect were the veil and Mr. Hooper said to have had on the corpse at the funeral?

When Mr. Hooper arrives at the funeral, for once, the veil was "an appropriate emblem."  The veil itself and Mr. Hooper's presence seem to match the solemn and somber mood of the funeral, and his mournful aspect enriches the sadness of an already sad occasion: the death of a young maiden.

Then, he bends over the coffin to offer one last farewell to his young parishioner, and "the veil hung straight down from his forehead, so that, if her eyelids had not been closed forever, the dead maiden might have seen his face."  He snatched the veil back so quickly that it caught the attention of the mourners.

One old woman who was particularly superstitious reported that just at the moment when the dead girl would have been able to see Mr. Hooper's face behind his veil, "the corpse had slightly shuddered, rustling the shroud and muslin cap, though the countenance retained the composure of death."  She believes that she saw the corpse tremble a bit even though the young girl's face never changed. 

What is the main argument in the book The Sea-Wolf by Jack London?

The Sea-Wolf by Jack London tells the story of Wolf Larsen, a captain of a sealing schooner called the Ghost, who after rescuing a literary critic named Humphrey Van Weyden from an accident in the San Francisco Bay, makes him a cabin boy and proceeds to take him across the North Atlantic. 

Told in a style reminscient of sea adventures of the time (late 19th century) the narrator, Van Weyden, who comes from an upper class background, is forced into taking orders from the dictatorial Larsen, who comes from the lower class and possesses a breed of imperious sea knowledge. 

After Van Weyden is told he will not be returned to shore following his rescue, he begins to take on crew duties, from securing topsails and jibs to peeling potatoes and washing dishes. He is bullied by his fellow crewmembers, the cook in particular, a violent man named Mugridge who steals all his money. Van Weyden only finds comradery with one man aboard the ship, Louis, who doubts Larsen's judgment as a captain and fears for the crew's safety. This is substantiated by the fact that Wolf is prone to depression and mania. He is also unexpectedly well read, and carries around a lot of nihilistic sensibilities. 

When a strong wind comes in from the southeast Van Wyden hurts his knee—Larsen, though ordinarily unsympathetic to his complaints, allows him to rest for three days and meanwhile discusses philosophy and literature. After Van Wyden is healed, invigorated by what he believes is his growing admiration for Larsen, he goes to the galley and intimidates Mugridge the cook by whetting a knife in his presence. From then on out, the cook leaves him alone. 

Soon after the men encounter Death Larsen, the brother of Wolf Larsen, who's boat is out at sea. The men, afraid of having a run in with the menacing man, end up beating a crewmember named Johnson to near death because he voices complaints with the way the ship is being run. Another two crewmembers have a spat and, in a shooting match, severely wound each other; Larsen then subsequently beats them for ruining their bodies before the beginning of hunting season. 

As the book nears its climax the men attempt mutiny. One of the crewmembers, Johansen, drowns, and Larsen himself is nearly killed. Van Weyden attends to Larsen's wounds, and Larsen makes him first mate. They soon after enter the seal hunting grounds, and are hit by a mighty storm. Four men are killed and the ship is damaged severely. 

Johnson and another crew member, Leach, end up deserting in a makeshift skiff. Larsen and Van Weyden follow in pursuit, and on the way catch glimpse of another boat containing the survivors from a sinking steamer. Larsen takes them aboard and soon after catches up to the skiff manned by Leach and Johnson. The skiff then capsizes when they arrive and the men drown while Larsen stands by and watches. 

In the final pages, Van Weyden falls in love with one of the survivors from the sunken steamer Maud. Larsen is unnerved by their newfound intimacy, and takes out his anger on the crew members. Soon afterwards, a ship called the Macedonia robs Larsen's crew of their quarry by outpacing their ship. Larsen responds by having his crew kidnap members of the Macedonia. The Macedonia then chases them, and they escape death by finding cover in a fog bank. Larsen, by this point fed up with Van Weyden and Maud's relationship, attempts to kidnap her. Van Wyden stabs Larsen in the shoulder; after that the captain proceeds to have a seizure. 

Soon afterwards, Van Weyden and Maud escape the Ghost under the cover of night in an open boat. After days at sea they encounter a small island and set themselves up on it, attempting to create shelter and gather food. A few mornings later, Van Weyden awakens to see the Ghost on the shore. He goes on board and discovers Larsen aboard, slowly going insane. Larsen attempts to kill Van Wyden, but has a seizure and passes out. Van Wyden and Maud tie him up in the hold and set about restoring the ship. Larsen has a particularly bad seizure and dies. After they bury the captain at sea, Van Weyden and Maud commandeer the Ghost, restore it to working order, and prepare for their next great journey.

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, how is Pavel's treatment of Bruno when he falls from the tire swing different from the way Pavel is treated by...

In Chapter 7, Bruno falls from his tire swing, and Pavel runs outside to see if he is alright. Pavel shows Bruno kindness by carrying him inside and cleaning his wound. While Pavel is bandaging Bruno's knee, he calms Bruno by telling him that his cut is not so bad and will heal on its own. Pavel is gentle and caring towards Bruno after the accident. In contrast, Pavel is treated with contempt by Bruno's family and the rest of the Nazi guards. Pavel is a Jew, and Jews are viewed negatively by the Germans. After Pavel bandages Bruno's knee, Bruno's mother tells him to say she was the one who cared for Bruno. Pavel is despised, and the thought of a Jew touching a German child is horrendous in the eyes of Bruno's father. In Chapter 14, Pavel is clearly showing the signs of malnutrition as he forgets to fill the Commandant's glass and begins to lose his balance while he is serving. At the end of the chapter, Pavel spills wine on Lieutenant Kotler and Bruno's family sits idly by as Kotler assaults Pavel. The author does not go into specific details, but it is suggested that Kotler mercilessly punishes Pavel for his mistake. Pavel's kindness towards Bruno contrasts greatly with the way Bruno's family treats him. They are indignant towards Pavel and could care less about his well-being.

How does Dickens use Joe and Pip's relationship to show how Pip has changed?

In the beginning of the novel, Pip is a mirror of his brother-in-law, Joe Gargery. He reflects his kindness, as is evidenced in the help he gives the escaped convict Magwitch, in spite of his fear. He looks to Joe for protection, though he has been dishonest in not telling Joe the full account of how he has aided Magwitch in his escape. Joe also does his best to protect Pip from Pip’s sister’s abuse. It is when Pip steps out of Joe’s protection, both in his help to Magwitch and in his visits to Miss Havisham and Estella, that Pip begins to change from what he was, a contented child whose future was to be in the profession that Joe will teach him during his apprenticeship. Pip’s shame of Joe’s rough and uncultured ways lead him along that path that will take him to London, as will his acceptance of the legacy given him by his unknown benefactor (whom he believes to be Miss Havisham but is actually Abel Magwitch). Pip’s rejection of Joe indicates that Pip has entered a life in which he is not really what he is meant to be. He wants to be a gentleman, but this is not the way he can successfully go about it. It is only through what Joe has taught him about character and integrity that will lead Pip to successful adulthood. When Pip rejects the legacy given him by Magwitch and leaves the life of a gentleman, who fulfills his destiny, which he now accepts. However, he becomes his own person, becoming a clerk instead of a blacksmith like Joe. Through this, he has brought about his own life, but with the virtues that have been instilled him by Joe from the beginning.

`-pi/12 = pi/6 - pi/4` Find the exact values of the sine, cosine, and tangent of the angle.

You need to find the values of sine and cosine of `-pi/12` , using the formulas `sin(a-b) = sin a*cos b - sin b*cos a` and `cos(a-b) = cos a*cos b + sin a*sin b` , such that:

`sin(-pi/12) = sin(pi/6 - pi/4) = sin(pi/6)cos(pi/4) - sin(pi/4)cos(pi/6)`

`sin(-pi/12) = 1/2*sqrt2/2 - sqrt2/2*sqrt3/2`

`sin(-pi/12) =sqrt2/2*(1-sqrt3)/2`

`cos(-pi/12) = cos(pi/6 - pi/4) = cos(pi/6)cos(pi/4) + sin(pi/4)sin(pi/6)`

`cos(-pi/12) = sqrt3/2*sqrt2/2 + sqrt2/2*1/2`

`cos(-pi/12) = sqrt2/2*(1+sqrt3)/2`

You need to evaluate tangent function such that:

`tan(-pi/12) = (sin(-pi/12) )/(cos(-pi/12) )`

`tan(-pi/12) = (1-sqrt3)/(1+sqrt3)`

`tan(-pi/12) = -((1-sqrt3)^2)/2`

Hence, evaluating the values of the functions yields `sin(-pi/12) =sqrt2/2*(1-sqrt3)/2, cos(-pi/12) = sqrt2/2*(1+sqrt3)/2, tan(-pi/12) = -((1-sqrt3)^2)/2.`

In The Giver, what do you feel is the most important aspect of the Ceremony of Twelve? Also, in a Utopian society, what rules should the Community...

The Ceremony of Twelve is important because it is the one time in the community when differences are mentioned. 

Everything in Jonas’s community is about Sameness.  Everyone follows strict rules of behavior and has all of their choices made for them.  Individuality is discouraged.  The one time it is important is in determining what role citizens will play in the community.  For this, the community needs to take advantage of any individual traits that might have survived Sameness.

Everything in the community is designed to keep people from feeling uncomfortable.  Actually, the community is designed to prevent people from feeling at all.  This is what the dream telling and feeling telling rituals are about.  Any time someone has a feeling, the objective is to get rid of it right away.

The Ceremony of Twelve follows ten other ceremonies that promote conformity.  The only other one that doesn’t is the Ceremony of One.  Every child has a number from birth.  At the Ceremony of One they are also assigned a name.  It is one small part of individuality.

The Chief Elder explains why the Ceremony of Twelve is different.

Then the Chief Elder moved ahead in her speech. "This is the time," she began, looking directly at them, "when we acknowledge differences. You Elevens have spent all your years till now learning to fit in, to standardize your behavior, to curb any impulse that might set you apart from the group. (Ch. 7)

She notes that the ceremony honors their differences because they determine their futures.  The committee of elders carefully reviews these differences to assign jobs based on the traits that individuals possess.  It is the one time when it is okay to stand out from the group.

During the ceremony, the other community members do not really do more than sit and listen.  Everyone is expected to come to the ceremony, except the Receiver.  He comes on the day that Jonas is selected, to see Jonas’s part of the ceremony.  There are rituals that the citizens take part in during the ceremonies.  For example, the Ceremony of Loss and the Ceremony of Replacement happen then.  When a four year old dies, the family gets a replacement child during this ceremony.

Now, at this special Naming, the community performed the brief Murmur-of-Replacement Ceremony, repeating the name for the first time since the loss: softly and slowly at first, then faster and with greater volume, as the couple stood on the stage with the newchild sleeping in the mother's arms. (Ch. 6)

This takes place during the ceremony day.  The replacement child gets a name, and all of the other one year olds do too.

The Ceremony of Twelve is one of the main things that makes Jonas's community unique.  It is part of the dystopia, because it means that the community controls everyone's lives down to the last detail.  People can't choose their fates.  They are not even allowed to choose their professions.

What inspired Henry to enlist in the red badge of courage?

In Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage, protagonist Henry Fleming decided to enlist in the Civil War (in the Union Army) because he had a romantic view of warfare and desired to earn the glory reserved for great warriors. Having heard countless tales of the "Homeric" glory associated with warfare, Henry desired to prove himself a hero (like Odysseus, Achilles, Hector, and the many other heroes whom Homer wrote about).

Despite this, Henry feared he would not have the courage to face the battle. As the narrator says:

Whatever he had learned of himself was here of no avail. He was an unknown quantity.

Having never experienced anything quite like combat, Henry did not know whether he had the courage necessary to attain the glory he so desired. These fears caused Henry (and cause the reader) to reconsider his presuppositions about the relationship between glory and courage--and whether or not cowards could earn glory.

Of all the characters in Lord of the Flies, it is Piggy who most often has useful ideas and sees the correct way for the boys to organize...

Piggy is the perfect bully-victim archetype. Golding paints him as the typical sort on which bullies apparently seem to thrive. He is obviously overweight, wears glasses, is not physically agile and has a health condition. Furthermore, his repeated references to his aunt, his 'ass-mar' and the fact that he insists on not being called 'Piggy' makes him an object of the boys' mockery. It is for these reasons that he does not gain the respect which is, in fact, his due. Golding uses Piggy to emphasize society's obsession with the strong and its philosophy of 'only the fittest survive.' His death later further epitomizes this approach.     

Piggy is a realist and he uses reason to figure things out. The boys, on the other hand, do not think ahead. They are impulsive and seek only pleasure. It is for this reason that most of them neglect their tasks. The fact that Piggy regularly moans about their ill-discipline and lack of commitment makes him a further target for their abuse. He is generally seen as a nag. The boys resent his adult approach for they wish to be free of that kind of authority. Although he recognizes the danger of an existence without authority, the other boys, especially Jack, do not have the same depth of thought.

Golding uses Piggy as a symbol for order and stability. He acts as a foil to the other boys who lack the desire to maintain a civilized existence as much as he does. In this, the author satirizes the contrasts in human society. Those who seek order and discipline are mostly opposed by the malevolent forces which thrive on chaos and destruction. Piggy seeks rescue and desires a saviour, whilst the other boys are careless and live on instinct. They are driven by an innate lust to hurt and to maim. As such, they become savages.  

Furthermore, even though Piggy is seen as a nuisance by the other boys, it is his presence that creates, at least, a semblance of civilization on the island. He advises Ralph who sometimes responds to his guidance and passes this on to the other boys. Piggy also provides him with some foundation and strengthens his crumbling leadership. 

Piggy's death signifies a dramatic turning-point in the novel. With his demise, chaos takes the upper-hand. Ralph is left vulnerable and Jack and his savages begin hunting him as if he were an animal. Ironically, it is the arrival of an adult, another symbol of authority, that restores order.

How does pressure relate to chemical weathering?

Chemical weathering due to acid rain will be more likely near regions where fossil fuels are burned and that have low air pressure.  

To say that air pressure directly causes chemical weathering may be a bit of a reach. Weathering is the process that breaks apart rocks into smaller pieces. Chemical weathering breaks rocks apart by chemical means. As a result, the composition and molecular structure of rock may be changed.

Acid rain is one agent of chemical weathering. Acid rain is precipitation that is made acidic due to the presences of pollutants in the atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels is one of the largest contributors of the production of acid rain. The carbon dioxide and sulfur that are emitted by the burning of fossil fuels dissolve into the water that condensates to form clouds. Thus, the precipitation formed by this water tends to be acidic.

Air rises near areas that have low air pressure. As air rises, it cools and condenses to form clouds and precipitation. Thus, the downfall of acid rain is more likely to occur near regions where fossil fuels are burned and have low air pressure. Thus, chemical weathering due to acid rain will be more likely to occur near regions where fossil fuels are burned and have low air pressure.