Why should college athletes be paid?

Of course, many people do not think that college athletes should be paid.  They are already paid to some degree because they get scholarships that pay their tuition, room, and board to attend college.  However, let us examine the main arguments for the idea that college athletes should be paid.  (Please note that there is little discussion of paying anyone other than football and men’s basketball players.  These arguments only apply for those sports.)

One argument is that athletes put in such long hours that they deserve to get paid.  Big-time college sports is not like high school.  Practices are longer and more intense.  Players have to watch film and lift weights and do other things outside of regular practice times.  They have to continue to work out even in their off-seasons to remain in shape to play.  They go on road trips that take them out of class and give them even more work to catch up on.  They put in tremendous amounts of time and deserve to be paid.

The second argument is that these athletes make huge sums of money for other people and deserve a cut of that money.  College football and men’s basketball is very big business.  Coaches get paid millions of dollars per year.  Schools rake in money from TV rights and from attendance.  Video game companies use the players’ likenesses in their games and make a great deal of money that way.  With all of this money being made, it makes sense that the players should get some of that money. 

These are the two main reasons why some people think that college athletes (or at least football and men’s basketball players) should be paid.

How big (in mm) would a red blood cell 7 µm in diameter appear when viewed? The eyepiece lens of a microscope has a magnification of 10X and an...

A compound microscope has two spherical lenses which work together to magnify the view of an object. The microscope's eyepiece or ocular is the top lens. It usually  has a magnification of 10X, as in this example. It will make the object appear 10 times larger. The objective, which is the second lens, makes the object appear 40 times larger. The total magnification is (10X)(40X) = 400x. 

7 µm x 400 = 2800 µm

Now to convert this to millimeters:

There are 1000 mm in a meter, and 10^6 µm in a meter.

(2800 µm)(1 m/10^6 µm)(1000 mm/1 m) = 2.8 mm

The red blood cell will appear to be 2.8 mm in diameter.

To find the total magnification of a compound microscope you always multiply the magnification of the eyepiece by that of the objective. Most microscopes have three or four objectives that are successively rotated into position to increase the magnification. The total magnification will depend on the objective that's being used.

What does Della buy in "The Gift of the Magi?"

In O. Henry’s short story, “The Gift of the Magi,” Della buys her husband, Jim, a “platinum fob chain” to go with his pocket watch. 

In this story, we are told that Jim Young (James Dillingham Young) has one possession of which he is very proud.  This possession

was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's.

In the days when this story is set, people did not wear wrist watches.  Instead, men had pocket watches that they carried in their pockets.  The fob chain attached to the watch and was secured in a different pocket than the one in which the watch was carried (please read the annotations in the link below to see an excellent discussion of the importance of fob chains for men who owned pocket watches).  The fob chain would ensure that the watch would not fall on the ground and break if the owner accidentally dropped it.

Della buys the platinum fob chain for Jim because it is something that he would love to have.  She sacrifices her own prized possession (her hair) in order to do so.  In doing this, she is demonstrating how much she loves her husband.

Does 1/(e^x^2) converge?

Does 1/(e^x^2) converge?

The notation is ambiguous, so we consider both interpretations:

(a) `1/e^(x^2) ` converges. The terms as x increases without bound go to zero. The denominator increases without bound as x increases without bound and the numerator is constant.

The graph:

(b) If what was meant was `1/(e^x)^2=1/e^(2x) ` this also converges for the same reason. The graph:

Note that this function converges as x increases without bound -- as x decreases without bound the function diverges.

What are the expressions that reflect the poet's sense of futility in the poem "Last Lesson of the Afternoon"?

"Last Lesson of the Afternoon" by poet D.H. Lawrence quite holistically reflects the poet's sense of futility in that it showcases the complaints of a teacher who feels that his work is no longer productive or significant to his poorly behaved and disinterested students. 

We can see this futility specifically in the language chosen in this poem. For example, Lawrence uses the metaphor of a "pack of unruly hounds" to represent the students who "hate to hunt" (in other words, who have no desire to learn the lessons the teacher is offering up to them), which seems to exaggerate the students' behaviors to the reader. These students are not just children, but beasts--and uncontrollable ones at that! This same hyperbolic language can be detected in the second stanza when Lawrence refers to the written work of the teacher's pupils as the "insults of blotted pages." The teacher is not only recognizing that his students are failing in their coursework, but taking this fact as a personal blow and characterizing it as something done intentionally to cause him harm. 

Throughout the poem, Lawrence also uses a series of rhetorical questions to indicate the futility of the teacher's work. The teacher asks, "What is the point of this teaching of mine, and of this / Learning of theirs?" and "Why should we beat our heads against the wall / Of each other?" It is clear that the teacher already knows the answers to these questions; in his opinion at least, there is no point in any of it! 

How strong should the national government be?

There are varying viewpoints about how strong the national government should be. Just about everybody agrees the government needs to have enough power to run our country, to defend our country, and to keep order in our country. Before the Constitution was written, these were real issues with our government under the plan created by the Articles of Confederation.

The real debate starts with how much more should the government be able to do. For those who have a distrust of business owners, they would want the government to have a lot of power to control our economy and our businesses. They would say that businesses would do what is best for them. This may not be what is best for the workers, the environment, or the community. These people feel that without government programs to help the needy, the needy will suffer and be mostly ignored. These people believe that without many rules and regulations, the rich will get richer while the poor will get poorer. They also believe the government should work to prevent political corruption.

Those who distrust the government say it has too much power. These people believe that the government interferes too much in our lives and reduces our freedoms. They believe that too many government rules and regulations hinder economic growth and business investment. They believe too many government bureaucrats don’t use common sense and impose too many restrictions on our people. These people want to limit the government’s power to doing only what the government absolutely has to do in order to run our country. They will support the government having a military, protecting our freedoms, and creating economic opportunities. They want the government to encourage people to invest and to help our economy grow. This usually means supporting a lower tax rate. They won’t support a lot of government social programs.

The debate about the role of government is a fierce one today. It is a key issue dividing the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Now that I have shared the thoughts of both sides of the issue, where do you stand on this topic?

When Juana lifted the seaweed poultice from the baby’s scorpion bite, what did she find?

In Steinbeck's The Pearl, Juana employs the age-old technique of applying a poultice made of seaweed to baby Coyotito's swollen shoulder. As Steinbeck notes, it is as good a remedy as any other and is one that Juana and Kino can afford on their meager budget. Lifting the blanket from Coyotito's shoulder, his mother discovers what seems to be an account of the nearly magical properties of the newly discovered pearl. Jauna had attempted to suck to poison from her son's shoulder and before applying the poultice was dismayed to see the shoulder was still swollen. Kino and Juana feared a medical doctor would be needed to save their son.

Almost immediately after Kino's discovery of the pearl, Juana lifts the blanket from her son's shoulder and discovers that the swelling was going down in Coyotito's shoulder and it appeared the poison was also leaving his body. It is in that moment that relief floods over both parents.

What problems did colonists face in James town?

The colonists faced many problems in Jamestown.  Disease, especially mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and yellow fever killed many of the inhabitants.  The founders of Jamestown placed the settlement too close to the brackish James River and there was a shortage of potable water.  The first settlers were all gentleman farmers at first and they were not used to getting their hands dirty--it took John Smith's military discipline to make the men even create a stockade.  There was also the issue of how to pay back the investors--the early settlers of Jamestown wasted their time looking for a Northwest Passage (a waterway to China) and mining for gold; Virginia is not known as a gold-producing state.  The men finally decided on growing a hybridized tobacco pioneered by John Rolfe--this tobacco was made from the prolific strain grown and smoked by the natives in the area and a better tasting variety from the Caribbean.  Incidentally, the colonists exported this tobacco to England and ultimately around the world.  Another large problem the colonists had was with the Powhatan tribe--English livestock destroyed native farms and their diseases killed many Powhatan--this would lead to several wars with the tribe.  

What is an example of alliteration in "On Being Brought from Africa to America" by Wheatley?

On Being Brought from Africa to America

BY Phyllis Wheatley

'Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,

Taught my benighted soul to understand

That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:

Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.

Some view our sable race with scornful eye,

"Their colour is a diabolic die."

Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain,

May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train.

I copied the poem for you to visit as I explain the examples of alliteration in Wheatley’s writing.  First of all, alliteration is the repetition of like consonant sounds usually found at the beginning of words.  Writers use alliteration to give meaning or rhythm to their words. The repetition of sound will emphasize words for the reader. 

In this poem, there are several examples. 

In the first three lines, we have the repetition of the “T” sound in the words, “Twas”, “Taught”, “That”, “There’s”.

In Line 5, we see the repetition of the “S” sound in the words, “Some”, “sable”, and “scornful”.

And, line 6 uses the words, “diabolical”, and “die” to repeat the “D” sound.

The use of repeating sounds not only causes the words to stand out, but it also creates a rhythmic quality to the poem.  Wheatley's uses of the figure of speech, alliteration, shows her desire to write formally and use the classic conventions of poetry in her writing.  

In the Lottery, why did Mrs. Dunbar order her son to go to his father to tell him happened? What happened to Mr. Dunbar?

Shirley Jackson intended to create and maintain the impression that there was a large crowd of people in attendance at this annual ceremony. In order to do this she had to mention many people's names and provide little snatches of different conversations. She does not focus on any one individual until Tessie Hutchinson draws the fatal slip of paper with the black dot. Then it is as if the camera moves in on this one frightened woman as her friends and neighbors, as well as the members of her own family, suddenly become coldly and silently menacing. Jackson did not want to draw reader attention to the Hutchinson family or to Tessie until that point, because it might make it seem too likely that someone in the Hutchinson family would be doomed. Suspense is created in the assembled crowd, as well as in the reader's mind, by the big question of who will be chosen in the lottery.

Dunbar is only one of the many people mentioned in the story. What makes him stand out is that he is the only person who doesn't show up for the drawing. This fact indicates that attendance is mandatory and that everybody must be accounted for. Nobody can escape by malingering.

Mr. Summers consulted his list. "Clyde Dunbar." he said. "That's right. He's broke his leg, hasn't he? Who's drawing for him?"

It is decided that Dunbar's wife will draw for her husband. In this patriarchal society the men draw for their families, and then the individual members of the family that gets the black dot all draw for themselves in a final round. If the Dunbar family had happened to get chosen, then Clyde might have been the victim by a process of elimination. In other words, his family members would all draw slips in the second round of the lottery, and if they all drew blanks it would mean that the last one, the one with the black spot, would belong to Clyde. In that case there would be a slight logistical problem. All the people in the township would have to carry stones to Dunbar's house, where he would either be in bed or resting in a chair, and stone him to death there. Since he had a broken leg, it would be impossible for him to run for his life when he saw the mob approaching.

Mrs. Dunbar tells her oldest son to run home and tell his dad that the black spot has been drawn by Bill Hutchinson, meaning that the five members of that family will draw on the second round to determine which of them will get stoned to death.

Then the voices began to say, "It's Hutchinson. It's Bill," "Bill Hutchinson's got it."

"Go tell your father," Mrs. Dunbar said to her older son.

Mrs. Dunbar sends her son home because she knows her husband, like everybody else, will be anxious to find out which family was chosen. She also knows that he will be relieved to hear that it wasn't the Dunbar family. And, furthermore, since she was the one who drew for the family that year, she feels proud of herself for accomplishing a man's job effectively and for drawing one of the blank slips for her family. It is eerie to think that if her husband had gotten the black spot by default--that is, if she had drawn the black spot for the family and then she and her children had drawn blank slips individually--she would have had to participate in stoning her husband to death.

In chapter 16 of Bud, Not Buddy, what are Herman E. Calloway and Miss Thomas fighting about in the kitchen?

Your question is actually an amalgamation of what happens in chapter 15 and chapter 16 in Bud, Not Buddy; however, the answer is rather simple:  the two are fighting about whether Bud should stay with the band. The argument between Miss Thomas and Herman E. Calloway happens first.  By chapter 16, the argument has become a discussion.  First, the reader has to infer what the two are fighting about.  Bud is simply in Calloway’s daughter’s room and hears the sound of verbal fighting.  It is then that Calloway bursts in and says the following:

I'm going to find out what your game is and … you're going back where you belong.

The reader, then, can safely assume that Miss Thomas was trying to convince Calloway to allow Bud to stay with the band while Calloway vehemently disagreed. 

In chapter 16, the argument has become more of a discussion.  Now the conversation is not just with Miss Thomas and Calloway but with the entire band.  Calloway still insists on sending Bud right back to Flint; however, Miss Thomas is still pulling for Bud:

You have no idea how bad those orphanages can be. … You'll take care of any stray dog wandering through this neighborhood, but when it comes to a child all of a sudden you have no sympathy. … I believe the child ... He's staying right here.

As Calloway still vows that he is going to “find out what the real story is in Flint,” we see Bud getting concerned that he is “eavesdropping” on the band.  In fact, Bud’s eavesdropping is quite important in that it is an interesting way for the author to share information with the reader.  Bud heads quietly back upstairs and “loudly” awakens in order to prevent the band from knowing he heard the whole conversation. 

In Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, is Colonel Graff more of an effective leader who cares about Ender or a selfish manipulative war criminal? Why?

Graff is undoubtedly manipulative. He intentionally drives the other kids away from Ender to isolate him, he convinces Ender that his fight against the Buggers is a simulation, and he frequently plays emotional games with the young boy. He also freely uses children in order to win the war, and does not hesitate to arm Ender with the weaponry to destroy an entire planet. All of this aside, I still believe that Graff is not selfishly motivated. He shows no signs of enjoying any of it. He is simply a military man forced to take extreme measures. All of these actions would be horrible in other circumstances, but consider the stakes. Graff is tasked with training leaders who can potentially save the entire human race. His actions harm Ender and the other children, but Graff believes this is crucial to winning the war. Graff has devoted his life to keeping others safe. In war massive sacrifices are often made. Ender unknowingly allows thousands to die in his assault of the Bugger planet. Graff is merely doing what he believes he needs to in order to preserve human life. Ender must be ready. The stakes are too high for men like Graff to put one boy's happiness over the success of the mission. He might not be justified, but his motivations are good.

Why are tropical latitudes warmer than other regions of planet earth?

Latitude measures the distance a location on Earth is from the equator. Latitude is represented as imaginary horizontal lines on a globe or map. Tropical latitudes are near the equator. Earth tilts on its axis at an angle of approximately 23.5 degrees and rotates on the equatorial plane. For this reason, the sunlight that strikes regions near the equator, such as tropical latitudes, is much stronger and more direct than the sunlight that strikes other regions on the planet Earth. Thus, tropical regions are warmer than other regions on Earth. As one moves away from the equator, the temperatures usually become colder. 

Another reason that tropical latitudes are warmer than other regions of the planet Earth is that the atmosphere is thicker near the equator. Thus, regions near the equator experience a greater greenhouse effect. 

Who from Winston's life is thrown into the cell with him?

In Part Three, Chapter One of 1984, there are two people from Winston's life who are thrown into his cell. The first is Ampleforth, a poet and co-worker of Winston's, who worked in the Records Department. He has been arrested for leaving the word 'God' at the end of a line in a poem he was re-writing. As Ampleforth comments, this was not deliberately done to flout party rules, but simply because there were no other suitable rhyming words to use. To the reader, it seems ridiculous that Ampleforth would be arrested for such a minor infraction, but it represents the nature of control in this totalitarian regime: that independent thought can be construed as rebellion and will be punished severely, no matter how trivial the 'crime' might appear.

Secondly, Winston also meets Parsons in his cell. This is quite a surprise because Parsons seems like such an enthusiastic and dedicated party member. In his conversation with Winston, however, Parsons reveals that, in his sleep, he had uttered the phrase, 'Down with the Party!' Parsons owns up to his 'thoughtcrime' and says he is grateful to Big Brother for arresting him before these rebellious thoughts progressed any further. 

The fates of Ampleforth and Parsons are never made clear in the book but they demonstrate the brutality of the party's regime and give Winston a strong idea of what lies around the corner. 

In Othello, what makes Othello a loyal character?

In Othello, Othello proves his loyalty in his actions as the general of the Navy.  First, Othello is a Moor in a land of Italians, and although people harbor prejudicial ideas about him because of his race, he nevertheless fights for Italy and honors his duty as the general.  Othello honors and respects Brabantio both as his leader and as his new father-in-law.  Next, Othello is loyal to Iago and continues to give him his trust.  Iago is angry that Othello has named Michael Cassio lieutenant; however, Othello keeps Iago as his advisor, which shows his loyalty to him.  Iago would disagree, but some might argue that keeping Iago in such a close position demonstrates more loyalty than promoting him would because in this position Iago is able to offer advice to Othello.  So, Othello proves his loyalty several times throughout the play.

How does Charles Dickens represent the Cratchit family as being poor?

Your question refers to the family of Ebeneezer Scrooge's employee, Bob Cratchit. While Scrooge is known for his extreme thriftiness, dark temper, and lack of charity during the "present" setting of the story, Cratchit's goodwill in spite of financial poverty is presented in sharp contrast to that characterization. We learn of the poorness of Cratchit and his family through both Scrooge's comments about them and the omniscient narrator's description of their appearance and home life.

Our first notice of Cratchit is in chapter one. In this scene he is busy in the background with his clerical work when Scrooge's nephew visits their office to invite Scrooge to dinner. Grumbling to himself after Nephew Fred leaves, Scrooge compares Fred and Cratchit to one another as people who ought to be too poor to be so happy at Christmas time.

In chapter three when the Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to observe the Cratchit family, the narrator implies that Scrooge is incredulous that the Ghost would bother to bless this family even though Bob only earns "fifteen bob a-week"; for present-day Scrooge, a person's worth is defined by economic status. The Cratchits are here described as bravely making the best of what little they have. Mrs. Cratchit, for example, is "dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap and make a goodly show for sixpence". Their daughter Belinda is also "brave in ribbons", and their son Peter wears a too-large shirt with collars that he has borrowed from his father for this special occasion of Christmas dinner. Cratchit arrives home in this scene in his "threadbare" clothes that someone has attempted to darn and brush to make him look seasonable. The narrator also comments about the fact that Cratchit's sleeve cuffs are not capable of being made more shabby. The older Cratchit children talk of apprenticeships that will help add to the family's income, Martha already an apprentice at a milliner's shop and Peter on the verge of finding work soon. We are told that they are "not a handsome family", "not well dressed", "their shoes were far from being water-proof" and they have scanty clothing. When their dinner goose is served, the whole family is merry about it because such a dish is a rarity in their household.

Dickens balances these bits of imagery with reassurance that in spite of their poverty, the Cratchit family members are unfailingly grateful for one another's company and devotion. Their poorness is after all only financial, because they are wealthy in human kindness. The juxtaposition of the family's poverty and bravery in the face of all its hardships are a shocking thing for Scrooge to see, and this is part of the catalyst for Scrooge's decision to reform himself.

In a free market, who has the most control? The buyer, seller, supplier, or distributor?

In a free market, I believe that the buyer has the most control. This may not seem apparent at first look, but one has to consider the adage, “the customer is king (or queen).” It is ultimately the customer (the buyer) that will determine the success of any business. This means that the seller, the supplier, and the distributor are all dependent on the demands of the buyers – consumers.

Look at it this way. A supplier can create what it believes is a quality product, it can get this product to a distributor, who subsequently gets the product to a seller. This could be a retailer, a wholesaler, or an independent sales representative. However, all will be for naught – for the supplier, the distributor, and the seller – in the long run, if there are no buyers to keep this process moving and growing.

Suppliers, distributors, and sellers will only continue to exist as long as there are customers in the loop to buy what they’re, as a group in the supply chain, offering. Think of years ago when Coca-Cola altered its original cola recipe and came out with its new cola product. Coca-Cola was the supplier and distributor (along with other distributors) and the company got its product to sellers. These sellers were convenience stores, supermarkets, foodservice entities, and such.

Buyers, those at the end of this line, didn’t like this new cola recipe. They felt that the company tampered with a recipe that should not have been tampered with. The result: the “buyers didn’t buy” and Coca-Cola had to back-track on this initiative.

The buyers - customers, consumers - were in control here. Nothing that the supplier, distributors, and sellers did could change customers’ minds on what they felt about this new cola. Therefore, the customer was truly King and Queen and their power as buyers meant they were in control – and this control then led Coca-Cola to make changes to their company strategy.

What is the theme of William Blake's poem "The Chimney Sweeper?"

William Blake wrote two poems with the title "The Chimney Sweeper," and they are very different from each other. One poem is a "Song of Innocence" and is written entirely in first person by a chimney sweeper. In this poem, the sweeper has a positive attitude about having been sold as a chimney sweep when he was very young. He encourages a fellow sweeper, Tom Dacre, who was sad to have his head shaved. He helped him look on the bright side by pointing out how the soot would not be able to spoil his white hair now. After hearing that encouragement, Tom Dacre dreams of several young sweepers who are "lock'd up in coffins of black." In his dream, an angel opened the coffins and freed the boys, who then were able to play in the grass and "wash in a river and shine in the Sun." The theme of this poem is that no matter how dismal one's life is, one can always dream and hope of a pleasant future to come, and one can always find something to be thankful for. 

The second poem, a "Song of Experience," takes a much darker view of the chimney sweep's fate. The poem starts out by asking a little sweeper where his parents are. Lines 4 - 12 are spoken by the sweeper in first person. He states his parents have gone to the church to pray. He explains that since he was a child of a cheery disposition, they sold him to be a chimney sweeper--evidently believing his positive personality could endure the hardship. The sweeper admits he is still happy and dances and sings, which causes his parents to assume "they have done me no injury." He then states that his parents have "gone to praise God & his Priest & King, / Who make up a heaven of our misery." By saying that the parents are "making up" a heaven, the poem suggests not only that the Christian Heaven is a mere fiction, but also that the happiness they imagine their son enjoys is also a fantasy of their own creation, one that helps them justify what they have done to their child for money. The theme of this poem is that people use religion to justify their actions and that just because a person displays outward happiness does not mean that he is happy inside, or that those who have caused him hardship should not be held accountable.

Blake's "Songs of Innocence" and "Songs of Experience" included many paired poems. The former took an innocent, naive view of the world while the latter took a hardened, pessimistic view of the world. Blake believed that "without contraries there is no progression." In other words, looking at two opposing viewpoints can result in progress toward understanding and truth. These contrasting poems with their contrasting themes are meant to help us better understand the issue of childhood hardships.

In Tangerine, why does Paul put on his blue suit and go out to his backyard at noon on Thursday?

He does this to privately mourn for Luis.

Paul's seemingly odd actions are the subject of the chapter titled "Thursday, November 30." The blue suit was the one he wore to Mike's funeral, so for Paul, he associates those clothes with mourning and respect. The timing is important because Paul needs privacy to do this: his mother had left the house that morning, so Paul is alone.

He goes outside without any idea of how he will honor Luis, just knowing that somehow, he must. Paul upturns a rectangle of sod and sees how the earth is sandy beneath it. For Paul, Luis, the knowledgeable and kind young man who had tended the citrus groves, will always be associated with the earth and with trees. Paul contemplates this connection and cries for Luis's death, letting his tears flow straight into the sandy ground. At the same time, Paul ponders how thin the veneer of the sod is over the real ground, inviting the reader to consider how thin the lies and explanations are over the real truth of the story--like who's responsible for Luis's death, and for Paul's eye injury.

After this cathartic act, Paul feels odd but "remarkable"; he feels that Luis is now a part of him.

How did Bella and Edward first meet?

The first interaction between Bella and Edward is at the beginning of Biology class right after lunch. During lunch, a chatty girl named Jessica Stanley directs Bella's attention to the Cullens, a group of five incredibly good-looking people. Bella is immediately interested in them, as is everyone else thanks to how attractive they are. After lunch, Bella goes to her Biology class, and when the teacher, Mr. Banner, points her to her seat, she sees that she will be sharing a table with Edward Cullen. Nervously, she takes her seat next to him, and he immediately seems repulsed by her: he scoots as far away as he can while remaining at the table, and his posture is tense the entire class. She is concerned by his reaction, thinking that she smells bad. As soon as the bell rings, Edward is out of the room, leaving Bella extremely confused.

In the end, it was not exactly the best first impression on Edward's part.

In "There Will Come Soft Rains," how does the author describe the nursery and what is significant about the way the nursery is decorated?

The first description of the nursery is that it "glowed." The nursery walls are lighted with images and films and this is the source of the glow. But Bradbury might be comparing this glow to the radioactive glow of the town following the atomic blast. The point here is to show the dangers of irresponsible uses of technology. It is technology that has created this virtual world of the nursery but technology is also responsible for the atomic weapons. Both the nursery and the aftermath of the bomb create an artificial, superficial glow, both inauspiciously fake and unnatural. 

The films on the glass walls "lived." This is also a subtle critique of technology. The glass walls "live" on but the people have been killed. What keeps the walls alive (technology) has also led to the deaths of the family. It is therefore, ironic to say that the virtual, inorganic walls "lived." Initially, the nursery walls are "alive" with signs of life. "Animals took shape: yellow giraffes, blue lions, pink antelopes, lilac panthers cavorting in crystal substance." The nursery gives the appearance of life. The reality is that all life has been snuffed out by the bomb.

Closing the description of the nursery, the narrator adds "It was the children's hour." This means that the house and nursery were programmed at this certain time in order to let the children play in this virtual world of animals and meadows. But the phrase "children's hour" has sinister connotations as well, since it can mean the hour (time) of the children's deaths. 

What classic film is sometimes called "the American Christmas Carol"?

Clearly, you have your answer. It's a Wonderful Life is very much the American Christmas Carol. Now you should ask a different question: What qualities do the two stories have in common?

Great stories have great themes. A theme is a controlling idea that everything in the story supports; it is the author's main message to you. Every story worth telling has at least one. (An obvious example is the first Spider-Man movie. Its theme is "With great power comes great responsibility." Everything that happens to Peter Parker supports this theme, and everything bad that happens to him--his uncle gets shot, his aunt goes broke--happens because he forgets this lesson.)

What is the theme of A Christmas Carol? Actually, the great thing about this story is that it has a whole bunch of good possible themes: Christmas is one time of year when you really need to lighten up. Money is no good if everybody hates you. Death makes things a lot more important. There is still time to change your ways. Don't choose money over love. Maybe a dozen more really good themes work with this particular story.

It's a Wonderful Life also has many great themes. The obvious one is that one good man makes a huge difference, maybe a bigger one than he knows. But it has lots of other themes as well. It even has a few of the same themes as A Christmas Carol.

Instead of giving a long plot summary of one of the movies, pick a couple of themes that both have in common and give examples of story elements that support them. One has a bunch of ghosts, the other has an angel. Magical elements! Lots of movies don't have that, but both of these do. Why?

And while both movies are set in the era when they were written or made, both are lasting classics, in part, because they occur when their respective countries are at the peak of their power and influence. Victorian England was when the British had their greatest influence on the rest of the world. America in 1946 was in a pretty comparable position.

Ebenezer Scrooge and George Baily are both in the finance industry. When you think of Christmas, you think of toy stores and Christmas trees and sleigh rides in the snow, but both of these stories are about guys who are trying to balance the credit and debit columns in their ledgers. Is the true spirit of Christmas to be found in a bank office? It's kind of a weird place for a Christmas epiphany. Maybe there's something there!

I think that if you focus more on theme, less on plot points, and give both stories equal weight, you'll find this paper to be a lot easier to write well.

Describe the poetic devices used in "The Ballad of the Landlord."

When examining the poetic devices used in Langston Hughes’ “The Ballad of the Landlord,” the form of the poem as a ballad is the first thing to be considered. Hughes writes the first six stanzas of the poem in ballad form consisting of a narrative which includes quatrains with a set rhyming pattern. In this case, the rhyming pattern is ABCB which provides a lyrical quality to the poem. As with most ballads, the speaker is an anonymous person representing a larger group. The narrator is speaking for all of the “Negro” tenants who were treated wrongfully by their landlords. His language is informal and realistic.

The final stanza written in ballad form is spoken by the landlord after he is threatened by the tenant, and includes the use of hyperbole or exaggeration as he says, “

He's trying to ruin the government

And overturn the land!

The tenant, although angry, is simply trying to obtain acceptable living conditions.

The last stanza of the poem deviates from this structure. The short, emphatic lines move the poem quickly to its end. The newspaper headline uses capital letters throughout which emphasizes its message and includes the word “Negro” to explain that the poem is speaking about the plight of African-Americans in Harlem during the 1930’s.

The tenant asks rhetorical questions of the landlord which another effective device. It is obvious that the tenant knows what his rent is but he asks questions. This is another way of emphasizing his message.

Ten Bucks you say I owe you?

Ten Bucks you say is due?

Another device that Hughes employs is repetition. The word “landlord” is repeated as the tenant states his case about the deplorable conditions of the rented house. Langston Hughes effectively uses a variety of poetic devices throughout he poem to convey his message of social injustice.

In The Vendor of Sweets, the relationship between the father and the son seems not to be all right. What could be the reasons for this strained...

In The Vendor of Sweets, the generation gap between father and son strains their relationship.

When Mali speaks reproachfully to his father that “Oh, these are not the days of your ancestors” and when Jagan says that the younger generation “are not the sort to make a home bright," it reflects the gulf that exists between father and son.  Jagan is a follower of Gandhian values, a man who suffered physical abuse for his role in the Indian Independence Movement.  He struggles with balancing the spiritual with material.  For example, while he sits and reads the Gita, he also secretly counts his money from his sweets business.  His son, Mali, does not experience this struggle.  Mali is driven by materialism.  He steals his father's money to live and study in America and returns to India simply to start his own business.  Mali is modernistic, and has disdain for his father's cultural and spiritual approach to life.

The relationship between father and son is frayed because neither is able to understand the other.  Mali has little care for what his father believes.  For his part, Jagan's emphasis is on resolving the battle between material and spiritual.  He seeks to move closer towards a spiritual way of life.  As the novel ends, Jagan is able to surrender the bonds of this life and is preparing for his next phase, one for which his son has little care or regard. There is little emotional connection between both men because they believe in different generational ideas, with no chance of reconciliation.

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, what were two major lessons that Scout learned by the end of the book?

Throughout the novel, Scout's moral development is depicted as well as the important lessons that enhance her understanding of the world around her. One of the main themes throughout the novel is that innocent people should be protected and not taken advantage of. In Chapter 10, Atticus says that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Miss Maudie elaborates on his comment by telling the children that mockingbirds do nothing but sing for people and cause no harm. Mockingbirds symbolize innocent beings, such as Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. At the end the novel, Sheriff Tate is having a conversation with Atticus about who killed Bob Ewell. Sheriff Tate knows that Boo Radley was responsible for his death, but refuses to tell the public. He says that it would be a sin to put Boo's name in the paper and make him the object of the town's attention because of his shy nature. Atticus looks down at Scout and asks her if she understands. She says, "Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?" (Lee 370) Her response demonstrates her understanding that it is wrong to harm innocent beings.

One of the first lessons Atticus teaches Scout has to do with gaining perspective. Atticus encourages her to "climb into another person's skin" and see situations from their point of view to get a better understanding of who they are. At the end of the novel, Scout walks Boo Radley to his house. She stands on his porch and views Maycomb from his perspective for the first time. This scene depicts Scout's ability to view situations from another person's point of view. She gains perspective on Boo Radley as a person. Scout learns that Boo is just a shy neighbor who has a caring heart. Her view of Boo Radley at the end of the novel contrasts with her earlier views. Seeing Boo in a "new light" and truly understanding him, ensures the audience that Scout has learned her lesson on gaining perspective.

What topic is relevant to both the colonial era and the age of reason?

In the United States, the colonial era (mid-to-late 15th century) and the age of reason (c. 18th century) are separated by by about 100 years, but they still have more in common than you might think. If you're looking for just one example, the most prominent is racism or feelings of white superiority.

When the colonists began to arrive in New England (c. 1620), they were surprised to find that the land was already occupied by various Native tribes. Because the lives of 16th century Native peoples was very different from what the colonists were familiar with and seemed primitive, they believed them to be inferior to white Europeans. For example, the tribes that were on good terms with the colonists frequently tried to help them acclimate to their new environment by offering advice on farming techniques. Because they believed they were superior, the colonists rarely took this advice and struggled considerably in the early years. More broadly, the belief that white people were superior to other races was an important influence on territorial expansion, particularly throughout the 19th century.

By the age of enlightenment, British colonists had established themselves in several parts of what is now the United States. Although many things had changed over the century, feelings of white superiority and racism remained an unfortunate aspect of most colonial cultures. Despite having formed trade agreements and friendly relationships with many of the Native peoples in their areas, many colonists still held a white supremacist perspective and viewed them as inferior. Additionally, by this time slavery was an important part of the economic structure in the North and the South, which was motivated by the belief that white people were superior.

While racism is a common aspect of both periods, it's important to note that the motivations were quite different. In the early years of colonization, the colonists were virtually unable to communicate with the Native peoples and that lack of communication made them seem even stranger to the Europeans. By the age of enlightenment, many Native people spoke English, as did the slaves. In colonial era, the racism was almost a byproduct of poor communication and misunderstanding. By the age of enlightenment, however, feelings of white superiority were more commonly used as a justification for the maltreatment of non-white people.

In what year did Jem chop off the tops of Mrs. Dubose's camellia bushes?

It was in the year 1934 that Jem got angry at old Mrs. Dubose and chopped off the tops of her treasured camellia bushes. We know this because it happened the year before Tom Robinson's trial, which took place in 1935.

One day, Mrs. Dubose, an older lady who lived down the street from the Finch house, insulted Atticus because of his defense of Tom Robinson. This made Jem so angry that he "was scarlet." Jem wanted to get back at her. He took Scout's baton and ran back to Mrs. Dubose's house. He held the baton and used it like a sword, hacking at the camellia bushes until the tops of all of them were gone and "the ground was littered with green buds and leaves." He was so angry even after he had chopped up the camellia bushes that he snapped Scout's baton in half.

How does setting affect character?

Setting can affect characters in literature in any number of ways. They can create conflict for the character, they can be said to form the character, and they can influence the character's actions. Let's look at a few examples.

In a setting of war, there are many examples of how conflict is created for the character. In The Kite Runner, while there is a great deal of conflict between the characters, the setting itself often creates conflict for them as well. Fairly early in the book, Amir and his father must flee Afghanistan. When Amir returns to Afghanistan, it is still in a state of war, creating conflict and danger for Amir and Sohrab. In Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, which takes place in Europe during World War II, the tension amongst the characters and the dangers to them are the result of this particular setting.

Some settings can be said to form characters, just as in real life our own characters are formed by our settings. In The Giver, with few exceptions, the characters of the community are formed by their setting, a time and place removed from the rest of the world, insulated from all influences other than the rulers of the community. Their setting has made them into a group of compliant, almost robotic beings. On the other hand, in another isolated setting, the characters in The Twenty-One Balloons become wonderfully inventive.

A setting can strongly influence the actions of a character.  In The Kite Runner, the difficulties that Baba has in the new world humble him. He was accustomed to being at the top of the heap in Afghanistan, and now he is an immigrant, at the bottom of the heap. This causes him to change in many ways, to work harder, to dirty his hands as he never would have dreamed of doing in Afghanistan, and he also seems to gain some empathy, allowing him to be a better father to Amir. Had he remained in his original setting, he is unlikely to have grown as a character.

It is interesting to speculate about how many writers begin with setting and how many begin with characters. Either way, setting and character must go hand in hand in a way that provides a conflict, a consistency, or a catalyst.

In "The Lady or the Tiger?" what are the princess's feelings toward the lady? Why does she feel this way?

Frank Stockton's short story, "The Lady or the Tiger?" has a wonderfully delightful premise because it leaves the question implied by the title unanswered. 

In what is called a "semi-barbaric" kingdom the king has instituted a very unique form of justice. The accused criminal determines his guilt or innocence by choosing one of two doors in an arena populated by the subjects of the kingdom. Behind one door,

"...there came out of it a hungry tiger, the fiercest and most cruel that could be procured, which immediately sprang upon him and tore him to pieces as a punishment for his guilt."

Or, from the other door comes a, "...lady, the most suitable to his years and station that his majesty could select among his fair subjects."

Stockton writes that the institution was popular among the people and at its most interesting when the lover of the king's daughter is accused and set to stand trial. The princess, quite distraught over having her lover subject to the king's justice, faces a terrible dilemma. Through channels that could only be available to someone of such high importance she has discovered the secret of the doors. Not only does she know which door holds the lady and the tiger but she also knows who the lady is. The lady chosen for the princess's lover is one of the most beautiful in the land:

"It was one of the fairest and loveliest of the damsels of the court who had been selected as the reward of the accused youth, should he be proved innocent of the crime of aspiring to one so far above him; and the princess hated her."

Of course the princess hates this lady not only because of the lady's beauty but also because she has seen her lover looking at the lady and even talking to her. She already believes there may be something between the two.

So, the question put to the reader is whether the princess could overcome her "semi-barbaric" nature and have mercy on the young man. Or will she never let the lady have the man because her hatred and jealousy is simply too great?

How does Shakespeare use Hero to show how honor is emphasized in the story?

In Much Ado About Nothing, Hero is an innocent young woman. Claudio describes her as “a modest young lady,” and Beatrice notes her obedience: “it is my cousin's duty to make curtsy and say 'Father, as it please you.'” She has some spark, though, particularly when she tricks Beatrice into falling for Benedick.

Still, the emphasis is placed on Hero’s purity. If she were not so virtuous, it would destroy her standing in society and cast shame upon her father Leonato. As a woman, she is, in a sense, an extension of the men around her. When Don John slanders her and Claudio humiliates her at their wedding, honor becomes a matter of life and death.

Don John tells Claudio that “it would better fit your honor” to break off the marriage. Both Claudio and Don Pedro, who “wooed for [Claudio] to obtain her,” feel disgraced because of Hero’s alleged behavior. At the wedding, the accusations so enrage Leonato that he threatens the lives of Hero and her accusers:

If they speak but truth of her,
These hands shall tear her; if they wrong her honor,
The proudest of them shall well hear of it.

To protect Hero’s honor, Benedick challenges Claudio to a duel. Throughout the wedding scene, Hero’s honesty seems obvious, but Claudio believes her blushes are for show: “She's but the sign and semblance of her honor. / Behold how like a maid she blushes here!”

In the end, most of the characters get to keep their honor, and Hero’s reputation is restored. Claudio is punished with a kind of test, but only Don John and his associates are truly stripped of honor.

Which do you think are more important, organic or inorganic compounds? Why do you say so?

Although we have the utility of both the organic and inorganic compounds, if I have to select one of these, I would go for organic compounds. Organic compounds are useful for a large number of applications. For starters, we are organic life forms, that is, our body is made of carbon-based compounds. Whether we talk about our heart (and other organs), blood, bones or any other part of our body, everything is organic. The food that we eat is organic, whether vegetarian diet or non-vegetarian diet. The compounds that fuel our vehicles, provide us electricity, heat our homes/industries, work as cooking fuel; that is, petrol, diesel, kerosene, etc., are all organic compounds. The medicines, the construction materials, etc. are all organic compounds. Given the variety of applications in our life, organic compounds are really useful.

Hope this helps. 

When Cherry criticized Dally, why did Johnny and Ponyboy become defensive in The Outsiders?

Johnny and Pony defend Dally because they are friends and from the same neighborhood, and Cherry is a Soc.

Cherry is a cheerleader from Pony’s school, but they do not travel in the same circles.  Cherry is a Soc, and Pony is a greaser.  This means that they are from such vastly different socioeconomic backgrounds that they would never normally fraternize.  Yet despite this, Cherry is nice to Johnny and Pony.  She dislikes Dally because of his behavior, not because he is a greaser.

When Cherry calls Dally “trash,” Pony immediately stands up for him, backing him up along neighborhood lines.

I felt myself stiffen. "I'm a grease, same as Dally. He's my buddy." (Ch. 2)

Cherry apologizes, and proves to Pony that she doesn’t harbor resentment toward all greasers by asking him about his brother and telling him that Soda is a “doll.”  She makes it clear that Dallas disgusts her because of the way he treats her, not because he is poor.  He is crude and boorish, and she will not tolerate that.

Pony and Johnny have to defend Dallas because it is part of being a greaser.  Greasers stick together, and stick up for each other.  They need protection against the Socs.  This is a different situation, though, and Johnny breaks the code to protect Cherry from Dally.

When Dally gives the girls Cokes, he is still leering at them, suggesting that it might cool Cherry off.

She gave him an incredulous look; and then she threw her Coke in his face. "That might cool you off, greaser. After you wash your mouth and learn to talk and act decent, I might cool off, too." (Ch. 2)

Dally describes Cherry as “fiery,” and that's when Johnny bravely intervenes, telling him to back off.  Dally does leave, spoiling for a fight elsewhere.  Cherry thanks Johnny and she talks to the two of them like they are normal, nice boys.  She even thinks that Two-bit is all right.

Johnny and Pony are out of their element and they know it.  When Pony and Cherry are standing in line for concessions, other Socs stare at them.  Ultimately, though, Cherry believes that she and Pony are more alike than they are different.  She tells them that things are rough all over, and Pony realizes that they see the same sunsets.  This is a metaphor for the fact that although they live in different neighborhoods, they are all just people deep down.  There are good people and bad people in both gangs.

What is the difference between Catholic and Christian?

All Catholics are Christian, but not all Christians are Catholic. There are many different forms of Christianity, and they vary considerably, but the primary differences are the result of various Christian sects originating in a rejection of Catholicism. 

It is important to understand that for hundreds of years, there was only one form of Christianity, which was Catholicism. Until the Reformation, which was the breaking away from the Catholic Church, to be a Christian was to be Catholic. The Church was a well-organized and well-established religious and political entity.  All power flowed from the Pope and his minions. 

In the sixteenth century came what is now known as the Reformation.  From this time, all those who were Christian and not Catholic began to be known as Protestants, the name rooted in the idea of protest against the Catholic Church.  The Reformation included different sects of Christians, notable Martin Luther, who was protesting the greed of the Church, Henry the Eighth, who wished a divorce the Church would not grant him, and John Calvin, who had his own theological disagreements with Catholicism. Today, these forms of Protestantism are, respectively, Lutheran, Anglican (Episcopalian in the United States,) and the Reformed Church. 

The most substantive difference for all of these and the Catholic Church is a rejection of the authority of the Pope. Other than this difference, there are theological and ritual differences, but each form of Protestantism has its own theology and ritual, some closer to the Catholic Church than others.  As a general rule, those closer to the Catholic Church are spoken of as "high church," and those further away from the Catholic Church are spoken of as "low church." 

Please explain Youth vs. Experience in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

The difference between youth and experience can best be seen by examining Romeo and Juliet next to their mentors Friar Laurence and the Nurse. When life gets tough and the kids are panicking, both adults step in to calm them down and speak reason to them. Romeo and Juliet cannot go to their parents for advice because of their families' feuding. Fortunately, the wisdom found in Friar Laurence and the Nurse help them through some difficult situations. For example, after Romeo kills Tybalt and is banished by the prince, he is panicking and unreasonable. Friar Laurence points out how childish Romeo is acting, as in the following passage:

"O, then I see that madmen have no ears" (III.iii.61).

"Hold thy desperate hand.

Art thou a man? Thy form cries out thou art.

Thy tears are womanish, thy wild acts denote

The unreasonable fury of a beast.

Unseemly woman in a seeming man" (III.iii.107-111).

By the way Friar Laurence has to speak to Romeo, it is evident how young and immature the boy is. If he thinks he is old enough to be married, he should be able to withstand the vicissitudes of life; so, this situation shows how young he really is. 

Next, while Romeo is panicking and crying over at the Friar's, Juliet is being told that she must marry Paris within a couple of days by her parents. She turns to her nurse asking for any word of joy. The Nurse breaks down the situation for Juliet by saying that Romeo is a great guy, but Paris is good too. The Nurse advises Juliet to marry Paris and let the first marriage go in order to satisfy everyone and not be thrown out by her father (III.iv.213-225). This seems like sound advice until Juliet decides suicide sounds better; thus, she heads to Friar Laurence for another option. 

Both Friar Laurence and the Nurse impart their wisdom and experience to the young lovers as best they can. Romeo and Juliet show their youth and inexperience when they are easily upset, threaten suicide, and must be coddled the whole time in order to solve conflicts. Unfortunately, none of them can fight Fate and no amount of youth or experience can stop the lovers' death.

Who is the narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Jean Louise "Scout" Finch is the narrator of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She tells the story in retrospect of how her brother Jem broke his arm when he was nearly thirteen years old. The novel takes place over the course of three years, and Scout is five years old at the beginning of the novel. Throughout the novel, Scout describes the town of Maycomb, her neighbors, classmates, family, and numerous experiences from her childhood. Jean Louise tells the story from her childhood point of view which is naive and humorous. The audience understands and views situations from the eyes of an innocent child which makes To Kill a Mockingbird unique and entertaining. Scout misinterprets many situations and learns valuable life lessons throughout the novel. Scout looks up to her father and brother. These two characters have a significant effect on Scout's moral development and understanding of the world around her.

What does the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come teach Scrooge?

The Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge several scenes -- stock exchange members discussing the death of a rich man; pawnshop owners buying someone's belongings from shady vagabonds; a family rejoicing that a man to whom they owed money has died; and the Cratchit family, mourning the death of Tiny Tim.  When Scrooge asks to see the headstone of the man who has passed, he sees that it is his own tombstone, and that the scenes represent his own future.

In the end, what the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge demonstrates the adage that you "can't take it with you."  While Scrooge has known considerable wealth in his life, he has not maintained relationships and has not shown any generosity with his money.  Unless he changes his ways, his vast wealth will not translate into a legacy that will outlast him; instead, his death will signal rejoicing, profit, and overall indifference.

What does the title Wuthering Heights symbolize?

The title Wuthering Heights is symbolic of the characters and relationships in the novel.  

First of all, the title of the novel symbolizes the setting in which the house of the same name is situated. Wuthering Heights is set in the northern English moors, a rough, inhospitable climate prone to the harshest of winters. The house by the same name sits high on a hill near some rocky crags. The word "wuthering" means, as Lockwood tells us, being prone to "...atmospheric tumult...in stormy weather." The area is pummeled by high winds throughout most of the year.

As a result, the house looks and feels harsh, cold and stormy. The architecture used to deflect the wind's damage symbolizes this depressing mood. Deeply inset windows and jutted corners are two examples; this particular architecture can make the house appear dark and cold, both outside and inside.

The windy, stormy weather suggested by the word "wuthering" also symbolizes the lives of the family who live inside. Their relationships and situations are stormy and dark, just as their home and setting are stormy and dark, as contrasted with neighboring Thrushcross Grange, situated in a grassy, lower-lying area with happier residents.

What do Scrooge's repeated questions achieve?

The beginning of the story shows Scrooge very much in control of his life and even of those around him. He uses his money to control others, and when the spirits arrive, for the first time we see him out of control. Him asking questions helps the reader to see just how out of control he is, as well as how vulnerable he feels when he is out of control.

Although he asks questions of all of the spirits, we see him the most vulnerable with the Ghost of Christmas Future, who refuses to speak and answer his questions. This is disconcerting for Scrooge, and the more he asks and does not receive an answer, the more agitated and anxious he gets.

"'Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point,' said Scrooge, 'answer me one question. Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?'

Still the Ghost pointed downward to the grave by which it stood. 'Men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead,”'said Scrooge. 'But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!'

The Spirit was immovable as ever."

Dickens' use of questions makes the most sense because Scrooge is in an unfamiliar situation throughout the night with all of the ghosts, and with the final ghost, he is the most scared. His natural reaction is to ask questions, and this helps the reader to better understand him.

Why does Maxwell love his grandparents?

Maxwell loves his grandparents because they are loving and supportive. There's no language to suggest that he hates his grandparents in the story. In fact, on the very first page Max says, "bless their pointed little heads." He's very happy that they gave him his own space down in the basement, too. When Killer Kane comes to kidnap Max on Christmas Eve, he makes a fuss that the old geezers put his son in a basement like a second-class citizen; but Max likes it.

"I'm still living in the basement, my own private down under, in the little room Grim built for me there. Glued up this cheap paneling, right? It sort of buckles away from the concrete cellar walls. . . but do I complain about the crummy paneling, or the rug that smells like low tide? I do not. Because I like it in the down under, got the place all to myself and no fear of Gram sticking her head in the door. . ." (5).

Even though his killer father doesn't like his room when he sees it, Max loves it! He has a room to call his own and his privacy is respected. This shows that Max isn't greedy or high-maintenance--he's a good kid who appreciates what he has.

Another reason Max loves his grandparents is because they support and believe in him. When he and Freak get caught in mud during the Fourth of July festivities, the police paint him to be a real hero and his grandparents don't mock or doubt him for it. Instead, they give him ice-cream and real coffee. They do their best to treat him like a hero which can do wonders for a teenage boy's ego. His grandmother also treats him like a mother by toweling him off and making a fuss over his well-being. Some guardians ignore or downplay what children do--they could have been angry at him, too, like some other adults might have been-- but they treat him with love and respect all of the time. This makes it a lot easier for Max to love his grandparents.

Finally, Grim and Gram do everything they can to protect Max from his father, Killer Kane. When they hear that Kane is to be released from prison, they slap a restraining order on him so he can't come to the house without legal consequences. Grim even considers getting a gun to defend Gram and Max from Kane breaking into the house. There's nothing Max's grandparents wouldn't do for him, so there's no reason for him not to love them.  

How do you start a summary?

A good summary should serve two purposes: recount the major points or events of a text and use these to support the thesis, or "big idea," of the text. I recommend doing some pre-writing to try and answer the following questions. Hopefully, by answering these questions, you will have written enough content to put together a draft of a summary.

What is the thesis, or "big idea?" What do you think the author's purpose was in writing this text? Is there a particular message or lesson the author wanted to convey?

What happened? Do the events or major points of the text support the thesis? If so, how? You may like to organize this by what happened first, next, then, and finally. You don't have to include a lot of detail here, just the most important information.

What's the background? Is the author writing about a subject from which he or she is totally removed? If so, why do you think the author wrote this text? If the text is something like a memoir, how does the author's experience relate to the greater situation? Why is this situation, time, place, or idea important?

When writing a summary, I sometimes like to imagine I am speaking with someone who is entirely unfamiliar with the text. This way, I focus on only the main idea and the most important events or evidence related to the thesis. 

What is meant by the phrase "remitted her taxes into perpetuity"?

If you are referring to the phrase from A Rose for Emily, it just means that Emily was sparred any obligation to pay her property taxes from the date of her father's death until eternity.

The word 'remitted' means cancelled, and the word 'perpetuity' refers to a lasting or eternal state. In the story, the author states that Emily was a 'tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town,...' when she was alive. Accordingly, in 1894, Colonel Sartoris, then the mayor of the town, coined a story about the largesse of Emily's father in order to spare Emily a financial burden.

Supposedly Emily's father had loaned some money to the town, and Emily's tax remittance was a way of paying her family back for their generosity. However, this was a fabricated story, concocted for the sole purpose of financially aiding Emily, a woman who was too proud to accept charity.

What makes Americans invincible, according to Henry in "Speech to the Virginia Convention"?

According to Patrick Henry, the colonists cannot lose because they are "armed in the holy cause of liberty" and the just God will preside over their destiny.

Henry tells the convention that if three million people are fighting for liberty, which is a holy cause, and in a country such as theirs, they will be invincible against any army that the British can send against them. For, there is "a just God who presides over the destinies of nations," and, Henry adds, God will raise up allies for them. 

In addition to these reasons, Henry says that the colonies really have no choice because unless they go to war against Britain, they must live in submission and slavery: "Our chains are forged!" But, he adds, the colonies are strong and if they make use of the means which God has placed in their power, they can prevail against Britain.

How do you communicate without speaking??

"Speaking" commonly means voice utterances, but in a larger sense all communication from sender to receiver can be seen as "speaking."  Such informal and less codified communication as "body language," "facial expressions" and the like are not exactly "systems, because not shared by a large community.  But Morse Code, Braille, Sign Language, and the like are indeed communication systems, all of which provide "communication" without speaking.  The scholarly approach to these disciplines deals with "signifier" and "signified,"  the object, idea, concept referred to and the "signifier" that works as a mutual code element to give the same image or thought to both the sender and the receiver.  Of course, many "spoken" signifiers are imperfect -- pot? Is the signified a metal cooking vessel? Or is it a mood-changing substance? (Refer to the standard equation for the elements of communication -- sender, receiver, code, medium, static, etc.)