Why is Doodle so fascinated by the Scarlet Ibis in "The Scarlet Ibis"?

Doodle can relate to the bird’s death because he was very sickly as an infant and almost died.

The narrator’s little brother, nicknamed Doodle, is very special.  He was born small and weak, and they did not think he would live. 

Everybody thought he was going to die-everybody except Aunt Nicey, who had delivered him. She said he would live because he was born in a caul,and cauls were made from Jesus' nightgown. Daddy had Mr. Heath, the carpenter, build a little mahogany coffin for him.

Despite the odds, Doodle does live.  He is even able to learn to walk with his brother’s help.  His brother is not satisfied with having a little brother that can’t walk, so he teaches him.  Doodle can do a lot of things no one thinks he can do because his brother is persistent.

One day, the family finds a dead scarlet ibis in the yard.  It is a very rare bird.  Doodle wants to bury it, but his mother won’t touch it in case it has a disease. 

He took out a piece of string from his pocket and, without touching the ibis, looped one end around its neck. Slowly, while singing softly "Shall We Gather at the River," he carried the bird around to the front yard and dug a hole in the flower garden, next to the petunia bed.

Doodle looks silly burying the bird, because he has trouble with the shovel, and his family tries not to laugh.  He buries the bird all by himself.  It is that important to him.  He almost died, and he is drawn to the bird’s plight.

The ibis is a metaphor. It is weak, but special.  This also describes Doodle.  When Doodle dies after straining himself too much, his brother refers to him as his scarlet ibis.  He remembers Doodle’s reaction to the bird, and how they both were unique.

Can you think of any specific situations in which looking at things from a completely new perspective could help you create, innovate, or...

In Ender's Game, this question is applicable in several different circumstances. For instance, Ender looks at the video game in a "new way" when he refuses to choose one of the Giant's goblets for the hundredth time and instead attacks and kills the Giant. This allows him to finally move on to "Fairyland" in the game. Later on, as commander, he comes up with new ideas like waiting to come out of the gate, sending four soldiers to unlock the enemy gate while his team is losing, new formations, freezing his own legs to create a shield, and more. These allow him to be the best commander the Battle School has ever seen, to win fights even against two armies at once AFTER he has just fought and won a fistfight with his worst enemy, Bonzo. In actual battles, after Battle School, he continues to look at things in different ways and innovate to solve problems.

With regards to your question, can you think of a time when you have done something similar? Have you ever tried to look at something in a different way and that changed your answer? For instance, perhaps you realized how to solve word problems in math by turning them into numbers, or vice versa.

In Of Mice and Men, how does Steinbeck show the violent relationship between Curley and Lennie?

Curley's aggressive behavior always suggests the possibility of violence no matter who he is with. When George and Lennie first meet him, Curley is aggressive and demands that Lennie should speak for himself. Curley leaves and the swamper explains why Curley might be more inclined to pick a fight with Lennie: 

Well . . . . tell you what. Curley’s like alot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he’s mad at ‘em because he ain’t a big guy. You seen little guys like that, ain’t you? Always scrappy? 

At the end of Chapter 3, Curley is frustrated because he can not keep track of his wife. He gets into an argument with Slim and Carlson about it. Lennie watches with a grin on his face. Lennie is still smiling absentmindedly because he is thinking of the rabbits. Curley thinks Lennie is mocking him. Curley starts throwing punches. Lennie is frightened but will not retaliate until George tells him to. Lennie gets the green light and catches a punch and crushes Curley's hand. This scene is the most overt display of the violence between these two characters. And it had all been instigated by Curley. Lennie, being as strong as a bull, has a great potential for violence but he never has evil intentions. Curley is quite the opposite. He has the potential for violence and his intentions are evil, or at least self-serving. He fights to assert his manhood. Lennie would have no problem with others perceiving him as a harmless, peaceful man. 

What church belief was shared by Scout's normal church and First Purchase in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Both churches denounce sin and bless the needy.

First Purchase is the African American church in Maycomb.  This is the church where Calpurnia worships.  She brings Scout and Jem there one Sunday when Atticus is not home, in order to prevent them from causing trouble at their own church.

It was an ancient paint-peeled frame building, the only church in Maycomb with a steeple and bell, called First Purchase because it was paid for from the first earnings of freed slaves. (Ch. 12)

The church is very different from Scout’s regular church. First of all, almost no one can read.  Calpurnia and her son Zeebo can read, as well as a couple more.  Instead of reading from hymn books, they repeat the lines one at a time.

The sermon itself is pretty similar to those in Scout’s church.  Both involve a “forthright denunciation of sin.”

Reverend Sykes then called on the Lord to bless the sick and the suffering, a procedure no different from our church practice, except Reverend Sykes directed the Deity’s attention to several specific cases. (Ch. 12)

Both churches also take up a collection, but First Purchase designates the money specifically for the Robinson family.  With Tom Robinson in jail accused of raping a white woman, no one will employ Helen Robinson.  The church wants to protect his family and help them out financially.

The purpose of the Finch children’s visit to Calpurnia’s church is to provide a more nuanced view of race relations in Maycomb.  The children are surprised to learn that Calpurnia speaks differently at her church among her own people, because she doesn’t want to be accused of putting on airs by speaking like a white person.  Both churches have similar ways of worship.  We also learn more about the Robinson’s situation and how the African American community takes care of its own.

What Is An Incident Ray When Describing Reflection?

Some types of surfaces reflect light. Reflection means that incoming light experiences a change in direction after having hit the reflective surface. Mirrors are a common example of reflective surfaces. This is distinct from refraction, which is the bending of a light's path when the light crosses into a different material (such as when light enters water or passes through window glass, etc.). 

The incident ray is the original light before it hits the reflective surface. You can use a memory trick to remember this because incident light is incoming. The light is called the reflected ray after it has collided with the mirror and changed direction.

The angle of the incident ray and the reflected ray are both expressed with respect to a normal line drawn to the surface of the mirror. See the attached link for an illustration of this.

Did the military have any role in the confirmation of plate tectonics by identifying the sea floor magnetic striping patterns?

Yes.  The military played a role in providing further evidence toward modern day plate tectonic theory.  

Specifically, it was the United States Navy that provided the evidence.  During World War II, the commander of the attack transport U.S. Cape Johnson in the Pacific Ocean was Harry Hess.  Before the war, he was a geology teacher at Princeton, and during the war Harry Hess used naval sounding gear to continually map sea floor and assuage his scientific curiosity.  What he discovered was that the sea floor was not a huge, wide open, flat plan.  Rather it consisted of large mountain ranges and deep trenches.  

During post war time, Hess continued to analyze the increasing amount of information about the sea floor.  One more thing that Hess discovered was that the age of the sea floor was newer closer to the ridges and older farther away from the ridges.  Additionally, he also discovered that the sea floor didn't contain crust as old as continental crust.  Hess correctly concluded what that information means.  It means that Earth's crust is continually recycled as the sea floor spreads at the ridges and is subducted at the trenches.  This "sea floor spreading" also pushes the continents along with it and results in what Alfred Wegener called "continental drift."  

As for the magnetic striping, Vine and Matthews were the two scientists that looked closely at this feature of the ocean floors.  Their data, together with Hess's navy data, gave sea-floor spreading the proof it needed to be widely accepted and eventually become modern day plate tectonic theory. 

`sin(u + v)` Find the exact value of the trigonometric expression given that sin(u) = -7/25 and cos(v) = -4/5 (Both u and v are in quadrant III.)

Given `sin(u)=-7/25 , cos(v)=-4/5`

using pythagorean identity,

`sin^2(u)+cos^2(u)=1`

plug in the value of sin(u),

`(-7/25)^2+cos^2(u)=1`

`49/625+cos^2(u)=1`

`cos^2(u)=1-49/625`

`cos^2(u)=(625-49)/625`

`cos^2(u)=576/625`

`cos(u)=sqrt(576/625)`

`cos(u)=+-24/25`

Since u is in Quadrant III ,

`:.cos(u)=-24/25`

Now `sin^2(v)+cos^2(v)=1`

plug in the value of cos(v)=-4/5,

`sin^2(v)+(-4/5)^2=1`  

`sin^2(v)+16/25=1`

`sin^2(v)=1-16/25=9/25`

`sin(v)=sqrt(9/25)`

`sin(v)=+-3/5`

since v is in Quadrant III ,

`:.sin(v)=-3/5`

`sin(u+v)=sin(u)cos(v)+cos(u)sin(v)`

plug in the values ,

`sin(u+v)=(-7/25)(-4/5)+(-24/25)(-3/5)`

`sin(u+v)=28/125+72/125=100/125`

`sin(u+v)=4/5`

How were the Uchidas different from traditional Japanese families?

The Uchidas were different from traditional Japanese families because they were more open to western culture than was customary for their generation. Having hosted white students and faculty at their home, the Uchidas were confident of their place in American society.

The author, Yoshiko Uchida, notes that both her parents read Japanese and English periodicals, magazines, and books while she was growing up. Her father, Dwight, always read the San Francisco Chronicle on the ferry that took him on his daily commute to his office. At home, Yoshiko remembers that there were reading materials like The National Geographic, Readers Digest, and Life.

Although the family observed many traditional Japanese customs, they were also open to sampling western customs and cuisine. Yoshiko maintains that the family's meals were often a symphonic smorgasbord of Japanese and American delights. Despite prevailing prejudice against the Japanese at the time, Yoshiko notes that both her parents were patriotic Americans. Her father 'cherished copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution of the United States' and hung an American flag on the porch on national holidays, despite the declaration that first generation Japanese immigrants were 'aliens ineligible for citizenship.'

In all, Yoshiko highlights the fact that her family was different from other traditional Japanese families because her childhood was infused with an eclectic blend of Japanese tradition, Buddhist philosophy, Samurai ethics, and Protestant theology.

Why are the narrator and the young boy who had lost his face considered outsiders by the others?

The boy with the black handkerchief, whose face had been injured, was not at the front long enough to receive any medals. The narrator says that, at first, the other boys were polite about he and his own medals. But when they found out that he had received medals simply for being an American, their demeanor with him changed. 

I was a friend, but I was never really one of them after they had read the citations, because it had been different with them and they had done very different things to get their medals. 

In the end, the only things that the narrator and the four other boys shared was that they were all somewhat emotionally detached from their experiences in war and that they all went to the hospital. The narrator and the boy with the reconstructed face had only been wounded. They do not have the same evidence or experiences of bravery that the other three boys had in their efforts during the war. 

The narrator calls the other three boys "hunting hawks." He finds more in common with the remaining boy (injured face) because "I thought perhaps he would not have turned out to be a hawk either." 

The major and the three Italian soldiers with medals symbolize the Hemingway "Code Hero," the man who illustrates courage and bravery. The narrator and the boy with the injured face are outsiders because they have not proven themselves to be this kind of hero, a "hunter," or an accomplished soldier. 

How did Macbeth misinterpret and misunderstand the third apparition, a child with a tree in his hand?

Macbeth assumes that a forest will never come to get him, so he laughs off the third apparition the witches show him.

Macbeth misinterprets pretty much all of the apparitions that witches show him the second time, and it is his downfall.  Of course, some are contradictory.  For example, he is told to beware Macduff but also that no man born of woman can hurt him.  Huh?  Macbeth will find out later that Macduff was born by Caesarean-section and therefore can hurt Macbeth.

The third apparition is one of the most important ones.  It is a child crowned with a tree in its hand.  It does not take a genius to figure out that the child is Malcolm.  Malcolm is very young, and was named Duncan’s heir.  He is a danger to Macbeth, but Macbeth has been ignoring it.  He assumes that since Malcolm ran he will not come back.  He didn’t realize that Malcolm fled so he could come back with an army.

The third apparition warns Macbeth that the woods are going to come against him.

Be lion-mettled, proud; and take no care
Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are:
Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until
Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill
Shall come against him. (Act 4, Scene 1)

That is where the tree the child is holding comes in.  When Malcolm attacks Macbeth, his men cut down branches to hide behind, disguising themselves as the Birnam wood.  So when the apparition tells Macbeth that Brinam wood is going to come and get him, it is right! 

MALCOLM

Let every soldier hew him down a bough
And bear't before him: thereby shall we shadow
The numbers of our host and make discovery
Err in report of us. (Act 5, Scene 4)

Macbeth does not expect a forest to be moving.  In fact, it really isn’t but it would look like it was once the army got closer.  When they were far away, moving slowly, they would have blended right in with the woods.

The apparitions, like the prophecies, seem to help Macbeth at first.  However, everything the witches show Macbeth leads him to his doom.  The warnings of the apparitions are cryptic and leave Macbeth confused but confident, because he misinterprets them.

Why was it a mistake for Brutus to allow Antony to have the last word at Caesar’s funeral in Julius Caesar?

It was a mistake to allow Antony to speak after Brutus because Antony was a more persuasive speaker.

Brutus was convinced that Mark Antony was harmless.  He believed that Caesar was the only one that had the power, and as long as Caesar was dead Antony would leave them alone.  He does not see Antony as any kind of threat.

Brutus does not want to kill anyone other than Caesar because he fears that the conspirators will be seen as butchers and not tyrant-killers. 

We shall be call'd purgers, not murderers.
And for Mark Antony, think not of him;
For he can do no more than Caesar's arm
When Caesar's head is off. (Act 2, Scene 1)

Cassius tells Brutus that he fears Antony, because he loved Caesar and because he is a “shrewd contriver.”  Brutus should have listened to Cassius, but he never listened to Cassius.  He was in charge, and his opinion was what mattered.

Brutus’s idealism got the better of him when Antony asked to speak at Caesar’s funeral.  Once again, Cassius tries to talk Brutus out of it. 

You know not what you do: do not consent
That Antony speak in his funeral:
Know you how much the people may be moved
By that which he will utter? (Act 3, Scene 1)

Cassius apparently knows what a good speaker Antony is.  Brutus thinks that Antony will be harmless because he is speaking after Brutus.  However, he thinks too much of his abilities.  Antony is a much better speaker than Brutus. 

Brutus’s speech is all logic and excuses, but Antony’s seems to be from the heart.  He tells the people that he is not there to make excuses for Caesar, but that he loved him.  He also holds up Caesar’s mantle and points to each place a conspirator stabbed, naming each of them.  Finally, he shows the people Caesar’s will and tells them that Caesar left his house and gardens to them and also left money to each of them.

Antony’s theatrics win the day.  He transforms Brutus’s calm crowd into an angry mob, out for the conspirators’ blood.  Antony is such a good speaker, in fact, that he convinces the people that they should follow him instead of Brutus and the conspirators are forced to flee.

In Life of Pi, what were the 5 most important events in chapters 1-8?

In no particular order, we can isolate the following as being important plot points in Chapters 1-8:

1.  Pi had a double major in zoology and religious studies at the University of Toronto, and excelled in both fields.  These interests have been with him for his entire life, and as the book progresses we learn why, and how different people in his life have influenced him in different ways to pursue these studies.

2.  We learn that he spent a good deal of time in a hospital in Mexico – that he was in a severely weakened state, and malnourished – and that he has gone through some terrible hardship with someone named Richard Parker.  As the story progresses, we learn in detail what he has been through.

3.  We learn about Pi’s name:  how a close friend of the family, an exceptionally talented competitive swimmer, studied in Paris and talked often about the many swimming pools in the city.  Pi is named after “the only pool that made Mamaji fall silent, his memory making too many lengths to mention” – the crown jewel of Paris swimming pools, the Piscine Molitor.  And so Pi came to be called Piscine Molitor Patel.  Unfortunately, in school the other students nicknamed him Pissing Patel, an agony that Pi could barely endure.  So, upon graduating to middle school, Pi encouraged his new classmates to call him by this nickname, drawing a circle on the board in every class when the time came to introduce himself, emphasizing the Greek letter in ritualistic fashion – and the name stuck.  He had found a constructive way to silence the demons.

4. Pi’s father is the director of the Pondicherry Zoo, and Pi speaks at length about the common misconceptions people harbor about animals in zoos.  He puts to rest the myth that animals in the wild are somehow happier or freer than animals in a zoo, and compares a zoo enclosure to a human’s home – a compact area that has everything one needs within a very short walking distance.  “Territories in the wild are large not as a matter of taste but of necessity,” he argues. 

Whereas before for us the cave was here, the river over there, the hunting grounds a mile that way, the lookout next to it, the berries somewhere else – all of them infested with lions, snakes, ants, leeches, and poison ivy – now the river flows through taps at hand’s reach and we can wash next to where we sleep, we can eat where we have cooked, and we can surround the whole with a protective wall and keep it clean and warm.  A house is a compressed territory where our basic needs can be fulfilled close by and safely.  A sound zoo enclosure is the equivalent for an animal.

Within this long speech about zoos and their reputation, Pi draws a parallel with religion:  “Certain illusions about freedom plague them both.”  This will not be the last parallel, nor has it been the first, drawn between Pi’s two subjects of study, and helps set the stage for a theme that runs through the entire book.

5.  Finally, in Chapter 7 Pi speaks of Mr. Satish Kumar, his biology teacher in middle school and “the first avowed atheist I ever met.”  Mr. Kumar visited the zoo often, and one day when Pi encountered him there, Pi was given quite a bit of religious philosophy to think about.  Mr. Kumar claimed that “religion is darkness,” and this fell quite contrary to Pi’s young beliefs.  Pi recalls later that Mr. Kumar had provided him with “my first clue that atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak speaks of faith.”  Mr. Kumar had a profound influence on Pi as a child and contributed very strongly to his understanding of the world.  These lessons will carry Pi through all the hardship he faces in life afterward.

Why are Paul and his comrades sent to the front?

As Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front opens, narrator Paul Bäumer and his comrades are resting behind the front lines. Of the 150 men in their unit, only 80 had survived their last trip to the front. In the bitter irony that characterizes the warfare presented in All Quiet on the Western Front, the men rejoice that they get double-rations (this, of course, was only possible because nearly half the men in the unit had died). Paul narrates many other ways in which warfare had already changed him and his friends (coveting the clothing of a dying man, viewing a latrine as a luxury, etc.).

Unfortunately, Paul and his comrades are sent back to the front. Their mission is dangerous; they are tasked with laying barbed wire fence. They face constant shelling and gunfire as they crawl from foxhole to foxhole to fulfill their orders.

In a​ week, 32 hens laid 96 eggs. What is the unit rate for eggs per​ hen?

We are given that 32 hens laid 96 eggs, and we are asked to find the unit rate of eggs per hen.

A unit rate relates two variables: it expresses how many of the first variable are needed for each unit of the second variable. The answer is a ratio in the form k:1. Examples are how many dollars per 1 gallon of gasoline, how many dollars paid per 1 hour of work, how many calories expended per i minute of exercise, etc...

Here we need to know how many eggs are laid per 1 hen.

Since the rate is eggs per hen, we write a ratio of the number of eggs to the number of hens, and then use a proportion to find the unit rate.

`(96"eggs")/(32"hens") ` ; in this case just simplifying the ratio (factoring out the common factor) will yield the unit rate:

`96/32=(3(32))/(1(32))=3/1 `

The unit rate is 3 eggs per hen.

Which architecture firm acquires the contract for the new junior high? Do you think Mr. Kowalski does the right thing in the end? Explain your answer.

In the story, Hoodhood and Associates eventually wins the contract for the junior high. Prior to Hoodhood and Associates winning the contract, an unpleasant incident almost destroyed Holling and Meryl Lee's budding romance.

Accordingly, after drawing out a schematic of his father's architectural proposal for Meryl Lee, Holling is horrified to discover that Mr. Kowalski has stolen his father's design ideas. He thinks that Meryl Lee is to blame. However, Meryl Lee asserts that she had no knowledge her father would appropriate Mr. Hoodhood's design for his own; she merely shared it because she was so impressed with it. Despite her protests at the unfairness of Holling's accusations, Holling refuses to believe her.

As a result, both young people are at odds with each other. Eventually, Holling has a change of heart when he realizes that Meryl Lee was greatly affected by her father's treachery. He decides to reconcile with her and purchases two Cokes and a rose for Meryl Lee. When he rings the doorbell at the Kowalski home, Mr. Kowalski greets him at the door, and Holling notices that Mr. Kowalski appears a little uncomfortable when he mentions that he would like to see Meryl Lee. However, Mr. Kowalski lets him in, and the two young friends eventually manage to renew their friendship.

The next day, Kowalski and Associates withdraws its bid, and the contract is awarded to Hoodhood and Associates.

On Thursday, before the school board met to decide on its new architect, Kowalski and Associates withdrew its bid for the new junior high school. Hoodhood and Associates was given the contract.

From all indications, Mr. Kowalski does the right thing because the designs he presented before the board weren't his own. Also, from the story, one can infer that Mr. Kowalski might also have been greatly affected by the pain he caused his own daughter due to his lack of integrity. By withdrawing from the contract bidding war, Mr. Kowalski managed to retain his self-respect, his daughter's regard, and perhaps even the greater community's continued esteem.

Why was trade vital to Pax Romana

Pax Romana was a period of relative peace throughout the Roman Empire. The period followed the fall of the second triumvirate and the sole leadership of Octavian, Julius Caesar’s nephew. Octavian had taken over leadership after defeating both Lepidus and Mark Antony. He feigned democratic leadership by referring to himself using the populist term “first citizen” however he was later positioned as an emperor.

Octavian initiated the period of Pax Romana to succeed the difficult period during the civil wars that had engulfed the Empire. Trade played a major role in ensuring peaceful coexistence among the vast members of the Empire. Through the exchange of goods and services members of the Empire learned to appreciate the different individual input towards the growth and stability of the Empire. Trade was also seen as an avenue of promoting better living standards among the people, wealth was distributed and those previously considered deprived found avenues to apply themselves in industry. Trade was also important for the Roman economy and the continued existence of Rome. The different provinces paid taxes to Rome and these funds were used to offer essential services to a majority of the citizenry. These funds also helped in maintaining law and order among the populace through payments made to the soldiers and other officials charged with this responsibility. Thus in essence trade during the Pax Romana period provided the basis for stability and growth of the Roman Empire.

What is William's first reaction to Kit when he first sees her in The Witch of Blackbird Pond?

William is speechless when he first sees Kit.

William is a simple man, and he is a man of few words.  Most Puritans live simple lives and value family.  William is looking for a way to build a family.  He is an important member of the community from a respected family.

Kit was startled to meet the unmistakably dazzled gaze of William Ashby, and unconsciously she rewarded him with the first genuine smile she had managed this morning. Kit had no idea of what happened to her thin plain features when she smiled. William was speechless. (Ch. 5)

Judith tells Kit that she made an impression on William.  This would mean something to Judith because she has been interested in William for a while.  Kit is aware of how William was looking at her.

There was no point in denying it. "Perhaps because I was someone new," said Kit.

"Perhaps. You aren't exactly pretty, you know. But naturally William would be impressed by a dress like that." (Ch. 5)

Kit is not really in love with William Ashby.  He comes calling on her and hardly says a word.  She finds these Puritan-style dates awkward.  However, Kit knows that she needs to fit into colonial Wethersfield.  What better way than by marrying the son of a rich man?

William is building a house, and a nice one at that.  If Kit marries him, she will have everything she could possibly want, at least by Wethersfield standards.  She feels like she could fall in love with him.  When Nat finds out about the house and their impending marriage, he gets upset.  He already loves Kit.

The illumination of William and Kit’s future house by Nat and his friends makes quite an impression on Kit.  She suddenly understands that Nat really cares about her, even though he demonstrated it in a somewhat juvenile way.  When she goes to visit him in the stocks, she realizes that she really cares about him. Kit may grow to love William, but she already loves Nat.

What's wrong with Piggy and Ralph's plan to confront Jack?

In Chapter 11 of Lord of the Flies, Piggy's glasses have been stolen, and Jack controls all the boys on the island except Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric. Piggy is in a desperate situation since his eyesight is so bad; he will be almost completely disabled now. Piggy and Ralph decide they must confront Jack with the immorality of what he has done. They plan to take the conch and call an assembly; they will try to reason with Jack through logic and appeals to "what's right." Ralph's idea is to make themselves look respectable--to wash and appear civilized. They want to draw a contrast, to display visually the superiority of civilization and rules to savagery and chaos. 

The error of this plan is that Jack and the boys who follow him have regressed beyond the point where morality and authority can influence them. They have formed a new society that no longer recognizes the rules that once bound them. Thus, although they come at the sound of the conch, they reject the order that it once represented to them. They have no sympathy for the terrified, disabled Piggy who kneels before them. When Ralph shouts, "Thief! Thief!" if produces anger from Jack, not remorse. Piggy's attempt at reasoning with them through rhetorical questions fails completely. Each time he presents the two alternatives, civilization or savagery, the boys respond by throwing rocks. They respond to negotiation and reason with violence. The reason Piggy and Ralph' plan does not work is that Jack's society has deteriorated to the point where normal arguments based on logic and morality cannot affect them anymore.

How significant is chapter 5 in The Red Badge of Courage?

I think it is a very important chapter.  In fact, I feel it is a pivotal moment in the narration about Henry, his attitude, and ability to fight.  In the chapters previous to chapter 5, the reader has been with Henry during his flight from a previous battle.  The reader is also walked through Henry's odd logic about how he is the smart and brave one for running away, while all of his squad mates are ignorant.  Those previous chapters show Henry as a character that is entirely focused on himself.

Chapter 5, however, shows a complete turn around in attitude for Henry.  A new battle begins, and unlike the first time, Henry stands and fights.  He finally sees that he exists as a part of the army machine.  He sees himself as something greater than an individual.  He is now an important part of a well oiled machine.  He fires and reloads like a madman, and is proud of his selfless efforts in the battle. 

He suddenly lost concern for himself, and forgot to look at a menacing fate. He became not a man but a member. He felt that something of which he was a part—a regiment, an army, a cause, or a country—was in a crisis. He was welded into a common personality which was dominated by a single desire.

How did Johnny, Darry, Dally, and Ponyboy's personality change from the beginning of the novel to the end?

Throughout the novel The Outsiders, the main characters' attitudes and personalities change from the beginning to the end the book. At the beginning of the novel, Johnny is a scared, sympathetic boy who is nervous and viewed as the "gang's pet." By the end of the novel, Johnny is regarded as a hero who courageously entered a burning building to save several children. Darry is the strict, insensitive older brother who does not take Ponyboy's feelings into consideration at the beginning of the novel. At the end of the novel, Darry understands Ponyboy, and displays his love and affection for his brothers instead of remaining callous. At the beginning of the novel, Dally is a criminal, who cares about nothing and nobody. Towards the end of the novel, Pony views Dally as gallant and courageous for helping the boys run away and saving Johnny from the fire. Dally also displays his sympathy and love for Johnny following his accident. Ponyboy is absent minded and naive at the beginning of the novel. He doesn't fully understand why Darry is hard on him and thinks his brother hates him. He also has narrow views regarding the members of the Soc gang and their home lives. By the end of the novel Pony realizes that Darry is a caring brother who only wants what is best for him. He also views the members of the Soc gang as typical individuals that have their own set of problems.

What does Flavius mean when he tells Marullus to “disrobe the images if you do find them deck’d with ceremonies" in the first scene of Julius...

This quote is from the first scene of Act One. In it, Flavius and Marullus are expressing their disdain for the commoners who fill the streets of Rome to celebrate Caesar's victory over Pompey. These two men not only sympathize with Pompey, but fear the influence of the mob that so vocally supports Caesar. Even though it is also the feast of Lupercal, a festival in which the city's statues and monuments were regularly bedecked with decorations and flowers, Flavius says that Marullus should remove the "festivities" because Caesar's victory over Pompey is nothing to celebrate. When Marullus voices some reservations about removing the decorations from the statues on Lupercal, Flavius tells him not to let any statues "be hung with Caesar's trophies" and to drive the Roman commoners from the streets, breaking up the public celebrations of Caesar's success. 

What happened immediately after Mr. White wished for 200 pounds?

Three things happen immediately after Mr. White makes his wish for two hundred pounds.

A fine crash from the piano greeted the words, interrupted by a shuddering cry from the old man. His wife and son ran toward him.

"It moved," he cried, with a glance of disgust at the object as it lay on the floor. "As I wished, it twisted in my hand like a snake."

Herbert had seated himself at the piano just before his father made the wish. Herbert is supremely skeptical about the supposed powers of the monkey's paw and obviously intends to make a joke of it. When his father says, "I wish for two hundred pounds," Herbert does his best to play an ominous chord on the piano as a suggestion that something supernatural is transpiring or is about to transpire.

These happenings prove nothing either way. And this is author's intention. He wants to leave the reader in doubt as to whether the monkey's paw had magical powers or whether it was nothing but a mummified relic. Mr. White may have only thought that the paw twisted in his hand. If Herbert had not played that crashing chord on the piano, his father might not have imagined that the paw moved. On the other hand, maybe the paw does have magical powers and maybe it will move any time its possessor makes a wish.

In the beginning of Part 2 of the story, Mr. White brings up what will be a question with everything that subsequently happens.

"Morris said the things happened so naturally," said' his father, "that you might if you so wished attribute it to coincidence."

This  sentence is of prime importance to the story. The reader will never know for sure whether the strange events occurred because of the supernatural power of the monkey's paw or whether they were all coincidences. It was not a coincidence that Herbert got killed by a machine. That could have happened to anybody who worked around machinery. What was a seeming coincidence was that the company paid two hundred pounds to the Whites as compensation for their loss of their son. 

At the horrifying climax to the story, Mr. White uses his last wish to make the knocking cease and for the person knocking to go away. The knocking stops immediately, and there is no one out there when Mrs. White finally manages to open the door. But the reader will never know whether it was the mangled and decaying Herbert doing the knocking or whether it was some harmless stranger who was lost and trying to get directions. It seems unlikely that a stranger would show up at just that time--but it seems equally unlikely that Herbert could climb out of his grave and come back home to live with his parents.

What are examples of hyperbole in Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond?

Hyperbole is a form of figurative language used to express exaggeration. Dr. Wheeler gives us the example, "His thundering shout could split rocks" ("Tropes," Carson-Newman University). In The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Elizabeth George Speare frequently uses hyperbole to describe Kit's greatest antagonist, Goodwife Cruff.

A couple of examples can be found during Kit's trial for the accusation of being a witch in Chapter 19. When Prudence Cruff is called to the witness stand to testify, Prudence acknowledges that Kit secretly taught her how to read from the Bible at Hannah Tupper's house. Speare uses hyperbole to describe Goodwife Cruff's reaction to the secrets Prudence reveals during her testimony. For example, Speare describes Goodwife Cruff getting prepared to say something hateful about Kit and how she had bewitched her daughter in the following:

Goodwife Cruff drew in her breath through her teeth in a venomous hiss.

This sentence draws a comparison between Goodwife Cruff and a snake in order to make her hateful reaction sound as evil as a snake hissing. However, since Goodwife Cruff didn't literally hiss like a snake, we know this sentences serves as a hyperbole to give an exaggerated description of Goodwife Cruff's hateful reaction.

The next moment, after Prudence's father expresses pride in her newly demonstrated reading abilities, Speare uses hyperbole to describe Goodwife Cruff's shocked reaction to her husband's pride:

Goodwife Cruff's jaw dropped.

The sentence describes Goodwife Cruff's mouth hanging wide open in shocked disbelief. But, jaws do not literally drop the way we might drop an object to the floor; instead, they open wide or hang open. Since Goodwife Cruff's  jaw does not literally drop, we know this is another example of hyperbole.

In the story "The Rocking Horse Winner," why does Paul become obsessed with horseracing?

In The Rocking Horse Winner, Paul becomes obsessed with horse racing to please his mother, who craves money. Since he wants to earn her love, as well as reduce the atmosphere of anxiety he feels all the time in the house, Paul tries to win as many horse racing bets as he can. He works with his Uncle Oscar and Bassett, the gardener, to predict the winners of enough races that they can give his mother 5,000 pounds.

Sadly, even after his mother gets this money, it's not enough. It only whets her appetite for more and more. The atmosphere in the house becomes more pressured, so that even the walls seem to be saying, over and over, "there must be more money!" By this point, Paul has internalized his mother's obsession. He wants at all costs to please her. He learns if he ride his rocking horse often enough and fast enough, he can figure out which horse will win the next race. He rides and rides the rocking horse to find out the winner of the derby, so his mother can become rich. But doing so kills him.

The story is parable about the limitless quality of greed and the effect it can have on children who lack any adult mechanism for putting boundaries between themselves and a parent's need. 

In To Kill a Mockingbird, on what date did Tom Robinson allegedly rape Mayella Ewell?

In Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is defending Tom Robinson in a court case. Tom has been accused of sexually assaulting Mayella Ewell, a matter made all the more grave by the fact that Tom is black and Mayella is white. At this time in Alabama, race relations were difficult, and if a white person accused a black person of violence, the black person was almost guaranteed to be found guilty and go to jail, even if the black person was innocent. 

On the night of November 21st, Robinson was invited by Mayella Ewell into her home, where she tried to hug and kiss him. When Bob Ewell, Mayella's father, saw this, he ran inside and beat Mayella while Robinson ran away. Later, Bob Ewell made up the story that Robinson had assaulted Mayella to protect her dignity as a white woman and cover up the fact that he beat his daughter.

What's the general attitude of ninth grade boys toward girls?

While the question is to some extant an individual response, some observations can be made. Since the question is phrased as a school differentiation, rather than an age differentiation, let us begin with attitudes toward education, and, by extension, career choices. In America there is a strong bias toward automatically assuming sex roles in education: boys will be scientists, athletes, business entrepreneurs, engineers, doctors; girls will become nurses, secretaries, editors, cooks, etc. (of course this is an over-simplification). As a result in schools, boys tend to dismiss a girl’s intelligence. Their attitude toward girls, depending on their upbringing, is one of objectification, socially lowered status, and servitude. Two measurable factors can account for much of boys’ attitude toward girls: sexual immaturity and brain comprehension delay. It has been convincingly shown that girls mature faster physically and develop complex mental/social thinking abilities faster than boys.   The result is that boys’ attitudes toward girls (and toward the world in general) are immature, rash, and under-subtle.

   Put more simply, boys think of girls as inferior objects to be conquered and "owned."

`cos(x + y) cos(x - y) = cos^2(x) - sin^2(y)` Prove the identity.

`cos(x+y)cos(x-y)=cos^2(x)-sin^2(y)`

We will use the following product formulas to prove the identity,

`2cosAcosB=cos(A+B)+cos(A-B)`

LHS=`cos(x+y)cos(x-y)`

`=(cos(x+y+x-y)+cos(x+y-(x-y)))/2`

`=(cos(2x)+cos(2y))/2`

Now we will use`cos(2theta)=2cos^2(theta)-1, cos(2theta)=1-2sin^2(theta)`

`=(2cos^2(x)-1+1-2sin^2(y))/2` 

`=(2(cos^2(x)-sin^2(y)))/2` 

`=cos^2(x)-sin^2(y)`

LHS=RHS , Hence proved.

In Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find," why do you think O'Connor made the children so obnoxious? Would the result have...

It is quite possible that the children and their behavior in Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find" are, in part, responsible for the story's outcome.

There is no question that the youngsters are obnoxious. When the grandmother tries to convince her son to change the location of their vacation the night before they leave, John Wesley (her grandson) tells the older woman:

If you don't want to go to Florida, why dontcha stay at home?

June Star, the boy's sister, is equally nasty and disrespectful:

She wouldn't stay home for a million bucks...Afraid she'd miss something. She has to go everywhere we go.

The grandmother never stops talking, but neither do the children. The older woman chatters on incessantly and even tells her son how to drive. John Wesley criticizes Tennessee as a "hillbilly dumping ground." They are all childish as they argue back and forth. The commentary taking place in the back of the car creates a tense and anxious mood. It is increased when the children begin to fight. John Wesley and June Star get into a disagreement and...

...they began to slap each other over the grandmother.

When they stop for something to eat at Red Sam's, June Star is, not surprisingly, nasty to Sam's wife, who has tried to make polite conversation. When the family gets on the road again, it has become hot. The heat and close confines of the car even make the reader uncomfortable! As they continue to drive, the grandmother recalls a home she once visited nearby that she would like to stop and see again. She knows that her son will not be agreeable, but the more she talks about it, the more she wants to see it. So she deceitfully elicits the help of the children by making up lies and leading them to believe that there is a secret panel and a treasure inside the house.

"There was a secret panel in this house," she said craftily, not telling the truth but wishing that she were, "and the story went that all the family silver was hidden in it when Sherman came through but it was never found..."

John Wesley is beside himself with excitement at the prospect of seeing such a place and he begins to ask his father to stop there. 

"We never have seen a house with a secret panel!" June Star shrieked. "Let's go to the house with the secret panel! Hey Pop, can't we go see the house with the secret panel!"

The grandmother chimes in, encouraging her son to find the house. He firmly says no.

The children began to yell and scream that they wanted to see the house with the secret panel. John Wesley kicked the back of the front seat and June Star hung over her mother's shoulder and whined desperately into her ear...

The uncontrollable children continue to complain that they are never allowed to do anything that they want to do. The baby starts to scream and...

John Wesley kicked the back of the seat so hard that his father could feel the blows in his kidney.

At this point, Bailey (the children's father) stops the car and begins to yell. He tells everyone to shut up—but the grandmother pushes her son once more, telling him that the stop would be "educational" for the youngsters.

By now the atmosphere in the car has reached a fevered pitch. The baby is screaming, the kids are kicking or whining, it is hot outside, and the grandmother has simply continued nagging her son in the same manner she started the night before.

Bailey finally agrees, against his better judgment, to turn around and take the turnoff as the grandmother directs. Bailey might have been able to ignore his mother's nagging had it only been her voice he had to listen to. However, he has heard the children complaining and fighting, and now they have turned their unruly and disrespectful attention on him. For a little peace and quiet (we can infer), he agrees to the demands of the three most inflexible and obnoxious people in the car.

Suddenly the grandmother realizes she has made an enormous mistake—the house she remembers is not in Georgia, but actually in Tennessee. When it comes to her that they are not only in the wrong place, but (even worse) in the wrong state, she startles the cat she has hidden in the backseat. It jumps onto Bailey's shoulder causing the car to veer out of control and turn over. It is only because Bailey follows his mother's directions that this occurs. Unable to drive the car, they are stranded. It is there that the Misfit finds them.

Had the children been quietly sitting in the back seat reading and playing nicely, we can assume that Bailey would never have changed direction. While the grandmother is seriously responsible, the children's behavior is also a factor in this tragedy. Otherwise, the family members would never have been placed in this dangerous situation that leads to their deaths.

What evidence shows that Lyddie is a leader?

Lyddie takes charge with the bear, the coach, and the Irish factory girls.

Lyddie is a loner, to a certain extent.  This is not by choice though.   When Lyddie gets separated from her family, her sole focus becomes on getting them back.  This makes her a hard worker, but it also makes her fixated on money.

Lyddie demonstrates leadership early in the story when her family is visited by a bear.  Her mother is next to useless, because she is in a state of delusional depression.  That leaves Lyddie in charge of the family, which consists of her younger brother and two younger sisters.  When the bear enters their cabin, Lyddie thinks quickly and takes charge.

"Don't nobody yell," she said softly. "Just back up slow and quiet to the ladder and climb up to the loft. Charlie, you get Agnes, and Mama, you take Rachel." She heard her mother whimper. "Shhh," she continued, her voice absolutely even. (Ch. 1)

Lyddie’s mother doesn’t know what to do, so Lyddie does what she has to in order to protect her family.  She gets them all into the loft and then follows them.  Lyddie shows leadership because she tells everyone, including her mother, what to do.  They all survive.

Lyddie demonstrates this same quick thinking and problem solving ability in the coach.  No one seems to know how to get the coach moving when it gets stuck, and the coachman just laughs.  Lyddie takes care of it!

She found a flat stone and put it under the mired wheel. Then she waded in, her narrow shoulders shoving two of the gaping men aside as she set her own strong right shoulder against the rear wheel, ordered the men to the rear boot, and called out; "One, two, three, heave!" (Ch. 7)

Lyddie also demonstrates leadership at the factory.  Lyddie does not like having trainees, because she is not very patient.  However, she is a role model.  She becomes a leader to Brigid and the others, even though she once resisted her.  Lyddie follows in Diana’s footsteps to help the new Irish girls that flood the factory.

No matter what challenge Lyddie faces, she takes it head-on.  She is determined, resourceful and a hard worker.  This is why she is so successful at the factory.  When she sees that something needs to be done, she does it.  Lyddie lets nothing stand in her way.  Everything Lyddie does, she does for her family.  Her dream is for them to be again again, and she will do anything to make that happen.

What does the amplitude of a sound wave affect?

The amplitude of a sound wave is associated with the loudness of the sound. The larger the amplitude, the louder the sound. Likewise, the smaller the amplitude, the softer the sound.

Sound waves are longitudinal waves. In a longitudinal wave, the displacement of the wave is the same as or opposite to the direction that the wave travels. Thus, longitudinal waves appear to move “in and out” as opposed to the “up and down” of a transverse wave.  Longitudinal wave compressions are areas where the wave is “squished” together, whereas rarefactions are areas where the wave appears to be “stretched”. The amplitude of a longitudinal wave is the maximum increases of pressure from a point of equilibrium that is caused when the wave passes a given point.

To what extent does Martin Luther King's personal authority lend power to his words?

Let's rephrase this question to be: "What is King's personal authority and why does it lend power to his words?"
 
King's personal authority is broad and deep, beginning with his double degrees in Divinity, a B.D. and a Ph.D., and his service as pastor in two Alabama churches and continuing to his roles in two freedom and rights organizations, the NAACP and the SCLC, and culminating with his world-stage roles as author and bold speaker for liberty, equality and freedom for black Americans and, world-wide, for all peoples oppressed and made second-rate.

His personal authority was backed up and given indisputable substantiation by his actions, actions that led to more than twenty arrests for breaking laws restricting freedom, liberty and equality for black Americans (a cause claiming his keenest dedication) and that led to the bombing of his home. King had a prominent role in the 382 day bus boycott that resulted in the Supreme Court ruling against segregation on public buses. He directed the protests against segregation in Birmingham, protests that engaged a world-wide audience, that initiated the "coalition of conscience" and that introduced his famous manifesto for Negro revolution, "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." He organized the 250,000 person march on Washington where he delivered his groundbreaking and earth-shaking speech "I Have a Dream."      

Now we can ask "Why does King's personal authority lend power to his words?" Now we can answer (1) because his education, background and experience give him credibility and a platform from which to speak, as attested by the five books and the many articles he wrote and as attested by his appointment and election to two powerful organizations advocating for black freedom, equality and liberty and (2) because he literally put his own life and freedom at risk, in jeopardy, with other countless now unremembered black Americans to fight for what was morally and legally theirs to begin with as he protested, challenged the Supreme Court, challenged the White House and the Congresses, wrote, sent his message around the world, and spoke (who will ever forget him speaking "I Have a Dream" having once heard it?) in order to gain freedom, equality and liberty for black Americans.

To what extent does Martin Luther King's personal authority lend power to his words? His personal authority lends power to his words to the full extent of his magnificent mastery of life and right and action and true spirituality (granting that the man had his ignominious weaknesses as well as his magnificent, world-changing strengths).

How do you balance a chemical equation?

When you balance chemical equations you are showing mathematically that the number of each type of atom is the same on both sides of the equation. This is necessary because chemical reactions obey the Law of Conservation of Mass. No mass is gained or lost, the atoms are just rearranged.

If the number of each type of atom isn't the same on each side, we add coefficients which are multipliers that change the quantitites represented. The subscripts in the chemical formulas can't be changed because they represent the ratio of atoms in each molecule.

As an example, here's the unbalanced equation for the combustion of methane:

`CH_4 + O_2 -> H_2O + CO_2`

Atoms on the reactant side are:

1 carbon, 4 hydrogen, 2 oxygen

On the product side we have:

1 carbon, 2 hydrogen, 3 oxygen

1. Adding a coefficient of 2 to `H_2O ` on the product side gives 4 H and 4 O. Hydrogen is now balanced but oxygen isn't.

`CH_4 + O_2 -> 2 H_2O + CO_2`

2. Adding a coefficient of 2 to `O_2`  on the reactant side give 4 O, so oxygen is now balanced. 

`CH_4 + 2O_2 -> 2 H_2O + CO_2`

3. Double checking shows the same number of atoms on both sides:

1 carbon, 4 hydrogen and 4 oxygen.

Balance uncombined elements last because changing their coefficients doesn't change the amount of any other atoms.

What story do Hindus tell to explain castes?

The caste system dates back to ancient India when the division of labor was organized such that each group did specialized jobs.  All castes were independent and all were seen as necessary to the society as a whole.  In India, the word "varna" is used to designate the four divisions of society.  This word means "color" and each caste was given its own color.  Members of each caste are believed to inherit the traits needed to fulfill their assigned job.  Since the idea of purity is central in India, people felt that intermarriages between members of different castes would result in biological confusion as to the duty of the children and a diluting of the traits they needed.  Therefore, mixed marriages were forbidden.  Maintaining the strict separation of the castes was considered essential to the overall well-being of society.  The four groups are the Brahmans, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and the Sudras.  There were also the "untouchables" or those who have been cast off from society for various reasons.  

According the the Rigveda, an ancient Indian text, the caste system originates in the story of Brahma, the creator of the universe and one of three main Hindu gods.  Brahma is a god with four heads and four hands.  One version says that the members of the castes came from different parts of Brahma .  The priests and teachers (Brahmans) came from his mouth, rulers and warriors (Kshatriyas) from his arms, merchants and traders (Vaishyas) from his thighs, and workers and peasants (Sudras) from his feet.  A similar version talks of a sacrifice of the first man, Purush, who was divided the same as above to create the different groups.  In both, the hierarchy is determined by the descending order of the body parts. 

In The Bronze Bow, why did Rosh want to capture a slave?

In the context of your question, you are speaking about Chapter 2 in this impeccable piece of historical fiction set in the time of Christ called The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare. Even though you ask about Rosh, the main character of the story is actually Daniel bar Jamin. Rosh is the leader of the rebel group hanging out in the mountains (while Daniel, at least at the beginning of the story, is a member of the rebel band). Rosh is all about violence and bloodshed against Romans. He is one of those people who thinks that the Kingdom of God can only come about through defeating the Romans militarily. Knowing this about Rosh, it gives us an insight as to why he might want a slave that comes to be known as “Samson.” Rosh wants to capture this particular slave because he can truly be of use to the rebels and their cause against the Romans.

The wording of your question is interesting because Rosh doesn’t just want “a slave,” instead he wants only “this slave.” Why? Because the slave to be named “Samson” later is not typical. How do we know it is important to Rosh? Look at the exchange between Ebol (another member of the rebel group) and Daniel:

“Easy. No guard to speak of. All we’re to take is one slave.”

“No money?”

“Not a thing but the slave. A black fellow, big as an ox. Rosh spotted him yesterday when they stopped at Merom. Too good to waste on the galleys, Rosh says.”

This exchange tells the reader a lot. Specifically, it tells us that Rosh thinks that Samson is “too good to waste on the galleys.” Too good to kill, in other words. What is more important is what is implied here. If Samson is “big as an ox,” then Rosh most likely wants this “too good” slave to be of use the rebels in regards to physical labor. This is exactly what happens. What we don’t know at this time is that Samson is a mute (in that he doesn’t talk at all).

After Samson is taken from the packtrain we learn about Daniel’s new doubts about Rosh’s choice:

There was power there, all right. Those huge arms could crack the ribs of a man as easily as a child could snap a twig. But the broad face with the livid scar showed no sign of intelligence, only an animal wariness that would mark the time to strike.

Again, it is implied here, but who would Rosh want to have their ribs broken? The Romans, of course. Thus, the true usage of Samson becomes known indirectly. When Samson is finally brought to Rosh, the leader of the rebels is happy at his new recruit (although a bit unnerved that Samson won’t speak at all). The men begin to grumble in worry that Samson might turn on them in the night and kill them if Samson doesn’t understand whose side he’s on. Finally, Rosh hits the nail on the head:

We took him for his muscles, not his tongue. He’ll prove his worth soon enough.

This shows that Rosh is always promising that the final uprising against the Romans is right around the corner. Samson was chosen for power in that skirmish.

In conclusion, Rosh wants this particular slave he names “Samson” because of his strength (hopefully in fighting the Romans). What is interesting is what actually happens is that Daniel ends up getting a confidante for life. Daniel, as the blacksmith of the group, uses his prowess to set Samson free of his chains. This act of mercy and kindness and freedom bonds the two together (or perhaps I should say bonds Samson to Daniel). It takes a while for Daniel to warm up to Samson, but eventually Samson saves Daniel’s life, and Daniel will never forget that act just as Samson will never forget his freedom. I’m afraid it is Rosh, by the end of the book, who has chosen the wrong methods for success. Instead of war, the character of Jesus teaches us in The Bronze Bow that it is mercy and kindness and compassion that are key, not war.

Explain the key features of the 1839 Peasants' Revolt in England.

The Peasant' Revolt was also called the Great Rising, which is a testament to the scale of the social unrest. The uprising was a response to the poor economic conditions amongst the lower classes (serfs) and the higher taxes as a result of the Hundred Year's War against France. In addition, serfs were required to perform work for the church, which they grew tired of. There was also high tension because of the Black Death that had ravaged England. The inability of local rulers to handle the problems that existed also contributed to the tension.

The immediate cause of the conflict was an attempt by a royal official to collect poll taxes in May of 1381. The violence that began locally quickly spread throughout the southern part of the country. Wat Tyler emerged as the leader of the movement. The uprising found its way to London where attempts at diplomacy failed. The rebels sought a relief in taxation, an end to serfdom, and reform amongst the king's court. When the officials for the king were not obliged to accept these terms, the rebels, with the aid of the local townspeople, ransacked the capital. They were able to capture the Tower of London, which had never been done before. Many government officials, including the archbishop, were killed since the royal army was in the northern part of the country.

By November of 1381, most of the leaders of the rebels had been executed and over 1,500 of the rebels had been killed. The king killed Wat Tyler during a meeting outside of the city and the uprising splintered apart. King Richard II, merely 14 at the time, had managed to restore order, but it took over 4,000 royal troops to make it happen.

The significance of the event is still debated by historians. While the uprising did act as a warning to future parliaments about the dangers of funding wars through taxation, the event did not necessarily change the socio-economic situation in the short term. Manor lords, out of necessity, started paying serfs more wages to work the land. This calmed the situation in the short term.

In Ho Chi Minh's speech declaring independence, he contains a demand that the free world support that independence in part as payment for services...

The original question had to be pared down, but I invite you to post the other questions separately because they are quite profound.

I think that one of the "services" that Ho Chi Minh directly mentions is assistance to the French.  As World War II advanced, conflicts between Japan and the French spilled over into Vietnam.  Ho Chi Minh addresses this by saying that as both nations battled for territorial supremacy, the Vietnamese Republic paid the price.  He argues that despite the fact that there was an increase in the "sufferings and miseries" of the Vietnamese people, they still assisted the French:

Notwithstanding all this, our fellow-citizens have always manifested toward the French a tolerant and humane attitude. Even after the Japanese putsch of March 1945, the Vietminh League helped many Frenchmen to cross the frontier, rescued some of them from Japanese jails, and protected French lives and property.

It is evident that Ho Chi Minh argues that the best way to acknowledge the efforts of the Vietnamese people is to accept their claims of self-determination.   

Ho Chi Minh frames the argument for Vietnamese sovereignty in the context of World War II.  He makes clear that the principles which motivated World War II also govern the issue of Vietnamese independence:

We are convinced that the Allied nations which at Tehran and San Francisco have acknowledged the principles of self-determination and equality of nations, will not refuse to acknowledge the independence of Vietnam.

A people who have courageously opposed French domination for more than eight years, a people who have fought side by side with the Allies against the Fascists during these last years, such a people must be free and independent.

Ho Chi Minh asserts that if principles like self-determination justified American entry into World War II, then they can be applied to the case of Vietnamese freedom. He argues that if the Allies stood up to Fascism in the name of a nation's right to embrace self-determination, then the independence of Vietnam should be guaranteed.  In referring to the Tehran conference and Treaty of San Francisco, he appeals to the Allied assertions which ended fascism, a reality he would like to apply to the case of other nations controlling Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh opens his speech with direct quotations from Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence.  In his mind, the issue of Vietnamese independence is as clear as the Colonial cause for freedom from the British.

In the short story "The Lady or the Tiger" what is the king's relationship with his subjects?

Frank Stockton's short story "The Lady or the Tiger" is based on a simple premise. Justice, in the realm of a "semi-barbaric" king, is determined in a public arena. The accused walks into the middle of a "vast amphitheater" and has the choice of two doors. Behind one door is a "hungry tiger" which immediately tears the man to pieces as punishment for his guilt. If he chooses the other door he is greeted by "a lady, the most suitable to his years and station that his majesty could select among his fair subjects," and, as a reward for his innocence, is immediately married to that lady. 

Obviously, this means of justice relies heavily on luck. It is difficult, however, to ascertain the relationship of the king to his subjects, other than the fact that the public trials were popular and well attended:

"The institution was a very popular one. When the people gathered together on one of the great trial days, they never knew whether they were to witness a bloody slaughter or a hilarious wedding. This element of uncertainty lent an interest to the occasion which it could not otherwise have attained. Thus, the masses were entertained and pleased, and the thinking part of the community could bring no charge of unfairness against this plan, for did not the accused person have the whole matter in his own hands?"

Much like the Roman gladiatorial games, NFL football or auto racing, people are drawn to potential violence. Imagine if this were a network television show, much like "Survivor" or "American Idol?" A certain segment of the population would undoubtedly watch with intense interest. Certainly in a kingdom with a "semi-barbaric" ruler the multitude relished the trials. If the accused was guilty they witnessed a brutal slaying and if proved innocent they were in attendance of a beautiful wedding.

Of course, the family of an accused man who chose poorly might view the king's arena with less ardor, especially if the family absolutely knew the accused to be innocent. On the other hand, the typical subject who was never accused of a crime must have considered the trial of the two doors as perfectly fair. After all, the accused held his fate totally in his own hands. So, for some subjects the king was a brutal despot, and for others he was much beloved for devising such a perfect system of justice. 

How does Narayan characterize Guru Nayak in "An Astrologer's Day"?

The author characterizes Guru Nayak through his speech and his behavior as a crude peasant who is ignorant, superstitious and pugnacious. He pretends he no longer has faith in astrologers or their science; nevertheless, he keeps consulting them and letting them take his money. Narayan also characterizes him by contrasting him with the astrologer, who is relatively sophisticated. The reader can understand why a bully like Guru Nayak might have gotten into a fight with the young man who became the astrologer. 

The astrologer has become sophisticated through his years of living in a big city and surviving by his wits. The reader can see that Guru Nayak himself has acquired a certain amount of sophistication by his exposure to big-city people and big-city living conditions. He has spent a long time searching for the man who nearly killed him in their village. He is obviously not a gullible peasant but a dangerous adversary. 

How can I briefly compare the three ghosts in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol?

The three ghosts appear in Ebenezer Scrooge's dreams, each revealing parts of Scrooge's past and character.

The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge back in time. He reveals glimpses of Scrooge's childhood, reminding him of how unsympathetic and harsh he was with family and friends. The ghost wears flowing robes and has a light emanating from his head.

The Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to see how others are enjoying a happy holiday. Scrooge sees that others are toasting to his good health even though he is often unkind to them. The ghost has a holly wreath crown, fur trimmed robe and is a large, jolly being.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come offers Scrooge a glimpse of what his life will become, as well as what will become of Tiny Tim, if he does not change his cruel, miserly ways. The ghost is shrouded in dark cloth. Nothing appears except one, shriveled hand.

How does the U.S. policy on discharge and layoffs compare to the rest of the world?

There are over 190 countries in the world today. To even write a few paragraphs comparing the labor policies and regulations in the United States with those in every single country in the world would require writing an entire book. 

Within the comparable group of members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a group of 34 countries committed to democratic governance and market economies, the United States has a relatively open labor market, with few restrictions on discharges and layoffs. 

US legal protections on layoffs include prohibition discrimination on the basis of race, gender, disability, and religion in choosing which people to lay off. Also, layoffs must be documented and must not violate employment contracts. In general, though, these rules are common in OECD countries, and other protections, such as the strong voice of labor in negotiating layoffs found in Germany or the protections surrounding permanent workers found in Spain and Portugal are quite different from the US labor regulations, making it more difficult for companies to fire permanent employees. 

The United States also has less of a social safety net. Most OECD countries have universal health insurance, irrespective of employment status, while in the US, workers lose health insurance when they are laid off, although many companies do offer COBRA coverage for limited periods. Like most OECD countries, the US does offer unemployment insurance, but the benefits are less generous than in many other OECD countries and the social safety net more porous.

I need help writing an essay on the poem "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats including how it relates to his notion of negative capability.

"Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats is a poem in which the author attempts to reconcile himself to human mortality. Written after the deaths of his parents, his brother's struggle with tuberculosis, and his own diagnosis of tuberculosis, it is a poem in which the writer uses "negative capability" to remove himself from contemplation of his own illness and mortality by imaginative identification with the bird.

The beauty of the nightingale's song contrasts with the poets own "heart ache" and "drowsy numbness". As the poet listens to the song of the bird, he suggests that the bird's song conveys the joy of summer. In the second stanza, the poet wishes that by listening to the song he could enter into the consciousness and untroubled joy of the bird. 

The subsequent stanzas of the poem start to merge the consciousness of the poet with the ecstatic emotions and visions evoked by the beauty of the nightingale's song, contrasted with the bleakness of the poet's world. 

The song of the bird is identified with the "wings of Poesy". In other words, negative capability or imaginative identification which enables us to find joy in natural beauty or bird song also accounts for our similar ability to enjoy artistic creations, taking us away from our everyday concerns, worries, and discomforts and transporting us to an imagined universe. 

What is Thoreau hinting at in "Civil Disobedience" when he says that the “remedy is worse than the evil”? Why does he condemn the men who do...

This phrase appears in the 16th paragraph of the essay:

Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once? Men generally, under such a government as this, think that they ought to wait until they have persuaded the majority to alter them. They think that, if they should resist, the remedy would be worse than the evil. But it is the fault of the government itself that the remedy is worse than the evil. It makes it worse. Why is it not more apt to anticipate and provide for reform? Why does it not cherish its wise minority?

Take, for example, Thoreau’s personal experience of being put in jail for non-payment of the state poll tax. He wanted to protest not only the fugitive slave laws but also the beginnings of the war with Mexico. He never intended to vote in an election, so he felt he shouldn’t have to pay a tax in order to be allowed to go to the polls. He made a quiet one-person protest. He didn’t wait for a large group of people to join him so they could launch a large-scale rally and have relative safety in numbers. He didn’t think a group was necessary. He knew that non-payment of any tax could lead to arrest. “The remedy” would be the arrest and night spent in jail, following your principles. “The evil” would be to support with money those government activities that you don’t agree with. Is it better to just send in your money and be angry and frustrated about it, or to serve some time to prove your point? Thoreau is making the case that, in a so-called democracy, some other outlet should be provided for individuals to disagree and to protest without being subjected to jail time, merely for finding fault with the rules. He looks down on anyone who doesn’t stand up for himself in this fashion, especially if the person is afraid to protest on his own without other folks to back him up. He encourages individuals to act in line with their own beliefs.

What 5 characteristics make a fossil a worthy index fossil?

Index fossils are remains of organisms that lived for a short period of time. Thus, index fossils help scientists date fossils and geological features based on relative dating.  Such fossils are usually marine organisms. After dying, such organisms were covered with sediments and fossilized within sedimentary rock. If the era during which the index fossil lived is known, then it can be speculated that other organisms or geological features that are found in the same strata as the index fossil lived or were created during the same time period.  Examples of five characteristics of a good index fossil are identified and briefly explained below.

1. A good index fossil lived for a short period of time so that the range of ages of the strata in which the index fossil is located is also small.


2. A good index fossil is found in a wide geological range. Scientists look for fossils all across the world. If a new fossil is found in the same strata as an index fossil, then the new fossil’s age can be correlated to time period during which the index fossil lived.


3. In order to be located in strata within differing parts of the world or a country, good index fossils have to have been abundant while on Earth.


4. A good index fossil needs to have definitive characteristics so that it can be easily identified by paleontologists.


5. A good index fossil cannot easily decompose. This would prevent the organism from becoming a fossil.

What is a character analysis of Bruno's father?

Bruno's father, Ralf, is a proud German, who is promoted by Adolph Hitler himself to the position of Commandant. Bruno's father makes the important decision to move his family to Auschwitz where Hitler has assigned him duty. As Commandant, Ralf is the highest ranking officer in the concentration camp and is responsible for giving out all orders to systematically exterminate the Jews living there. His wife and children are unhappy with his decision to move the family, but Ralf is determined to "climb the ladder" in the Third Reich.

Bruno mentions that his father is rather strict and lays down ground rules. For example, his office is "Out Of Bounds At All Times And No Exceptions," and if Bruno violates his rules, Bruno is given a "serious talking to." Bruno also comments that his father is rather disrespectful to Maria and the other housekeepers and cooks. Bruno's father struggles to maintain a healthy relationship with his wife. His wife is unhappy and is continually arguing with him throughout the novel. The couple fight over his decision to leave Berlin, his loyalty to Hitler, and his job requirements.

Despite being a despicable human being responsible for countless murders, Boyne sympathizes with Bruno's father. Bruno's father does not really have a choice but to accept his position at Auschwitz. The penalty for disobeying Hitler's orders is death, and he will not risk letting the most powerful man in Germany down. In addition to the stress caused by his job, he also feels pressure to fix his relationship with his wife. He finds out she is cheating on him, which negatively affects his mental state. The audience learns about his ruined relationship with his mother who disagrees with his decision to support Hitler. Bruno's father never gets a chance to say goodbye to his mother and leave on good terms before she passes away. At the end of the novel, he loses his mind and his position when Bruno mysteriously dies. Despite his terrible choice to join the Nazi Party and murder thousands of Jews, the audience feels bad for Bruno's father because his personal life is ruined and his family is torn apart.

What would society be like if everyone embraced Emerson's idea of individualism?

While it is difficult to know truth from recorded history, the study of the lives of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America appears to have been much in line with Emerson's philosophy. Very much the individuals, strong of will and thought, these intelligent and courageous men forged a Constitution for the United States that has been very successful for hundreds of years without demanding what Emerson called "the surrender of the liberty and the culture of the eater."

Under such a Constitution, there has been, indeed, a society that did NOT need or demand conformity (First Amendment) and respected the rights of every individual. It is only modern concepts of Political Correctness, etc. that demand this surrender to "conventional wisdom" and conformity. It has only been reinterpretation by the "powers that be" such as the Executive and Judicial branches of government which have taken away certain liberties and set restrictions upon organizations, companies, and sections of society. It has only been violations of the U.S. Constitution which have demanded of people that they follow a certain path. 

America was once a society that did, indeed, embrace Emerson's philosophy; it only became corrupted by greed and self-serving men who violated the rights of others. The blue-print for Emerson's thought is yet under the glass in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.

What are examples of viral diseases?

Viral infections are due to the presence of a virus in the body. Viruses are made of nucleic acids that are surrounded by a protein coat. Viruses cannot reproduce by themselves. For this reason, many scientists consider viruses to be nonliving. Viruses are like a parasite to body cells that they use as a host. They use your body cells to reproduce via either the lytic or lysogenic cycles.  The lytic life cycle of a virus causes body cells to rupture, or lyse. As more body cells are ruptured, the infected individual is weakened and becomes ill. Below is a list of viral infections. 

- The common cold

- The flu (influenza) 

- Chickenpox

- Herpes

- AIDS

- HIV

- Mumps

- Measles 

- Shingles 

- HPV

- Rubella

- Viral pneumonia 

According to Jefferson, in his First Inaugural Address, what is the sacred principle of American constitutional government?

Thomas Jefferson made his First Inaugural Address on March 4 1801 after being elected the third president of the United States. According to his speech, the sacred principle of the government was the notion of majority rule:

"All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression."

It is important to put this idea into its historical context. Jefferson's election as president came after one of the closest elections in American history, defined by smear campaigns and propaganda, between the Republicans and the Federalists. As a Republican, Jefferson advocated a government where people's individual liberties were protected. The Federalists, on the other hand, wanted the country to be governed by a strong federal government (hence the name, Federalist). Jefferson's speech, then, was an attempt to heal this political rift and unite the country under common principles, like that of majority rule where the rights of everybody mattered, regardless of political allegiance. This principle was so influential that it continues to feature in modern democracies today. 

What's the difference between mitosis and meiosis?

Mitosis is cell division of a diploid cell resulting in two identical diploid daughter cells. The chromosomes are replicated before mitosis begins during the S phase of interphase. This ensures a complete set of chromosomes will be distributed to each daughter cell at the end of cell division. 

The steps of mitosis are prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase, followed by cytoplasmic division--cytokinesis. At the end of this process, the resulting daughter cells will be smaller than the parent cell but genetically identical. 

Meiosis is known as a reduction division. It is a special type of cell division that occurs in the gonads-female ovaries or male testes. These are sex organs that produce haploid gametes known as sperm or eggs.

A germ cell in the gonads contains the diploid amount of chromosomes for that species. Replication of the chromosomes occurs before meiosis begins. There are two rounds of cell division--meiosis I and meiosis II. The same steps are followed as in mitosis-prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase for two rounds of cell division.

In prophase I, the chromosomes form homologous pairs in groups of four known as tetrads. Crossing over occurs between non-sister chromosomes. This is an exchange of genetic material and is like shuffling the genes resulting in great variation in the gametes that will form later.  The end result of meiosis is four haploid cells--four sperms in males or one egg and three polar bodies in females.

Meiotic cell division produces haploid gametes and when two gametes fuse together during fertilization, the resulting zygote will have the diploid amount of chromosomes once again.

Which has the highest frequency wave between microwaves, gamma waves, radio waves, and ultraviolet waves?

The electromagnetic spectrum illustrates the range of electromagnetic radiation. Light travels as a wave and different wavelengths represent different types of electromagnetic radiation. For example, the longest wavelength is the radio wave, followed by microwaves, infrared, then visible light. Visible light is used by producers like green plants to carry out photosynthesis.

As we progress through the spectrum, ultraviolet is next, followed by X-rays and then Gamma rays. Gamma rays have the shortest wavelengths.

To calculate the frequency of 

What is Washington Irving warning people about in "The Devil and Tom Walker"?

Irving almost certainly drew a lot of inspiration from the "Faust" storyline, which parallels "The Devil and Tom Walker" in many ways, including the moral lesson. Irving appears to have intended to simply retell the Faust story with more American elements woven into it. We might also contextualize the story in its historical place - Irving was struggling for inspiration to write a follow-up to his previous, successful collection of stories, and the collection in which "The Devil and Tom Walker" appeared was criticized for being too derivative and not representative of Irving's full creative power.

Like the Faust story, in which a man sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for material power, Tom's story is a fairly straightforward and simple one. Any reader may discern that Tom will come to regret his bargain in time and attempt to cheat his way out of it, or simply perceive that bargaining one's soul is a poor trade, but that immediate gratification is a powerful lure. Either way, Tom's story has little of the complexity that later versions of Faust portrayed, such as Faust being forgiven for his transgressions because of the purity of his intent. Tom, on the other hand, is simply a horrible person, and the story acts more as a fable; do not allow material wealth and power to blind you, because these things are fleeting and rarely bring both happiness and wholesome living. Likewise, in keeping with some of the Gothic themes of the story, Irving suggests that one take things at face value; a dark, evil-seeming place or person is almost certainly so.

What are 2 conflicts in "The Devil and Tom Walker"?

"The Devil and Tom Walker" contains both physical conflicts and ideological ones.

An example of a physical conflict is the one that, according to the most popular legend of the surrounding events, tells that Tom's wife was murdered by the Devil because she picked a fight with him in her efforts to win the treasure they were negotiating for. We are probably meant to interpret that Tom's wife was willful, but foolish, because anyone with any familiarity with the Devil and his history and powers should know that physically fighting him is pointless. The brutality of her death also serves as a visible indicator of the Devil's abilities, as well as the restraint which he shows in order to get what he wants.

An ideological conflict would include Tom's refusal to deal in the slave trade. One of the conditions of winning the treasure is that Tom must agree to several terms and conditions regarding its use, as laid out by the Devil. The Devil suggests that Tom enter the slaving business, but Tom finds this distasteful and refuses. This is almost certainly a social commentary relevant to the time at which the story was published, indicating that even a person as evil and corrupted as Tom still considered slavery to be unforgivable. 

What imagery of destruction does Ray Bradbury use in the short story "There Will Come Soft Rains"?

"There Will Come Soft Rains" is Ray Bradbury's depiction of the aftermath of a nuclear attack and an automated house which survives despite the deaths of the humans who live there. Bradbury structures the first two-thirds of the story by the house's announcements of time. By eight-thirty the reader realizes that something is amiss as the prepared breakfast is not eaten and is "flushed" away. At ten o'clock we discover that the house is the only one left standing in the city. The description of the "city of rubble" is the first use of imagery evoking destruction, but is not the last.

Images of people who have been killed are blasted on the charcoaled outside wall, and the dog, who has survived the initial blast, succumbs to radioactivity as "its eyes turned to fire." In the last third of the story destruction reigns as the house catches on fire when a tree crashes through a window, spilling a flammable liquid on the hot stove.

Despite all its best efforts to avert calamity, the robotic house cannot quell the spreading conflagration. Windows break, flames race from room to room, the blaze destroys furnishings and, as the attic crashes into the kitchen, the house dies. Bradbury describes it like a "bared skeleton" as wires and the inner workings of the house are revealed by the intense heat. The house is finally portrayed as "heaped rubble and steam." 

What are the aims and objectives of a curriculum design process?

A curriculum design process is a method by which teachers and other instructional authorities consider the goals, needs, and materials for their student group for a particular class or course. During this process, they may also consider which content to teach throughout the course. The curriculum design process will vary for each course of study: the goals and objectives of every class are different. This process is an effective way to go about lesson planning in an intentional and purposeful way. It ensures all goals will be addressed, and also reduces the likelihood that students and instructors will fall short of objectives at the end of the course.

The goals of a curriculum design process are not limited to student goals. A good curriculum design process will also include goals for the institution, faculty, and staff. A note about the word "process"—the curriculum design process is not linear: curriculum planners do not go straight from goals to action. The fact that it is a process allows educational professionals to set a goal and continually assess whether it fits in as a part of the larger curriculum design.