What are some similarities between George and Lennie? I need a quote from the book Of Mice and Men as support.

This is a good question, because what the book underlines from the beginning is the fact that they are different.  One is big, the other is small.  One is quick, the other slow.  When it comes to similarities, two points stand out. 

First, both Lennie and George are committed to each other.  This is probably the most important similarity. They are the only ones in the book that show true friendship.  This is why one of the refrains in the book is that they have each other. Here is a quote:

Lennie broke in. “But not us! An’ why? Because . . . . because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” He laughed delightedly. “Go on now, George!”

Second, they both also have the courage to dream.  Surprisingly, there are no dreams in the book.  In a world of brokenness, people do not dare to dream.  Crooks says it best when he states that he has seen dreams come to nothing.  This is not so with Lennie and George.  They have a dream to get land and live off the fat of it.  In fact, this dream drives them in  many ways. 

"O.K. Someday—we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have  a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and— "An’ live off the fatta the lan’,” Lennie shouted. “An’ have rabbits.

A country is experiencing an inflationary gap in the economy. The government decides to sell bonds on the open market. Interest rates will...

There is currently insufficient information to answer this question. We need to know the current rate of inflation, the current interest rate, and the quantity of bonds to be sold. It would also be helpful to have the IS and LM curves plotted or written as equations. That is, assuming we're using the IS-LM model, but that would be the usual method of solving a problem like this.

In general, what you would do is shift out the LM curve by the quantity of bonds sold, and then find its new intersection with the IS curve. This is the new equilibrium real interest rate. Add that to the rate of inflation and we have the new nominal interest rate. All of this is assuming that our bond sales haven't actually changed the inflation rate; if we have, we need to be using a model that takes that into account.

How to find the median of: 19, 18, 17, 18, 20, 20, 15, 19, 18, 16.

The median is simply the middle number in a set. However, in order to find the median we must first put the numbers in order from smallest to largest, like this:

15, 16, 17, 18, 18, 18, 19, 19, 20, 20 

Note that the numbers which appear more than once are simply listed multiple times. 

This list has 10 entries. Since 10 is an even number, there is no single middle number. The middle numbers are both 18. 

15, 16, 17, 18, 18, 18, 19, 19, 20, 20 

To find the median we then take the mean of the two middle numbers, which in this case:

`median = (18+18)/2 = 18`

In cases where the set contains an odd number of entries, there is no need to find the mean of two numbers because there is an actual single middle number.

What happened in the middle of "To Da-duh in Memoriam"?

In the rising action or middle of the short story, Da-duh and her granddaughter are bantering back and forth about their home environments and whose is best.  Da-duh wants to convince her “fierce” granddaughter to embrace the culture and traditions of Barbados.  As the matriarch of the family, she wants to instill a sense of pride in where her granddaughter’s family originates.  Da-duh shows her granddaughter the sugar cane fields that surround her home and the tall palm trees in the grove. She brags that there is nothing like them anywhere else trying to convince her granddaughter of the importance of Barbados in her life.  The granddaughter, however, tries to convince Da-duh that her environment in which she lives is beautiful, too.  The granddaughter comes from New York City and describes to Da-duh the skyscrapers and busy streets.  It is a totally different landscape and lifestyle than Barbados, and the granddaughter represents how the family has moved on to a more modern world. 

So, the middle of the story shows the relationship between the two and how they bicker and try to “one up” each other in trying to explain and convince the other that the different lifestyles they live are something each should embrace. 

In Nickel and Dimed, what rule does Ehrenreich break and why does she break it in the chapter "Scrubbing in Maine"?

In Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America Barbara Ehrenreich goes undercover to see how people living at minimum wage live. As she begins the project she sets three rules for herself. First, she could not use skills that came from her education or job experience. Second, she had to take the highest paying job she was offered and do her best to keep it. Finally, she had to take the cheapest housing she could find as long as she considered it safe and private enough.

Ehrenreich ends up breaking all of these rules at least once throughout the process. In Chapter 2, Scrubbing in Maine, it could be argued that she breaks two of her three rules, though it is mere a matter of degrees then a clearly broken rule. First, she does not take the cheapest housing she can get. The cheapest she can find is $65 a week. To be fair it does sound like the place was unsafe. She also turns down an apartment for $110 and settles on a place for $120 a week that meets her standards for safe and secure.

Another rule Ehrenreich stretches in this chapter is her rule about trying to keep a job. She works for a maid service. One day one of her coworkers falls and injures her ankle. When her boss tells the coworker to work through it, Ehrenreich screams at him. She fully expects to get fired and broke her rule to try to keep her job at all costs.

There are more specific examples of Ehrenreich breaking rules. At one point she chooses a lower paying job and she rarely chooses the cheapest housing. She also drew on her language skills a bit when interviewing to be a waitress. These things happen in other chapters.

Why is it that when a group follows tradition without thinking about the consequences, bad things will happen?

First of all, I have to disagree with the global premise of your question.  When people follow a tradition without thinking of the consequences, bad things do not necessarily happen.  They can and they do, certainly, from time to time, but whether or not this is the case is dependent upon the purpose and nature of the tradition and its potential consequences.   

A literary example that comes to mind is a story in which this is the situation, "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson.  The ritual is to hold a lottery annually and stone to death the "winner."  It is not clear what the purpose of the tradition is, although it seems to have its roots in some pagan harvest sacrificial ritual.   The people in the story mindlessly adhere to the tradition, disregarding its consequence of death for one person in the village.  So, this is a fictional case of "something bad" happening.

There are real-life examples, too, of course.  Fraternity initiations are one example that comes to me, as is the "tradition" of having 21 shots of alcohol as one turns 21 and is legally permitted to consume alcoholic beverages.  These are rituals that are thoughtlessly carried out with no concern for the consequences, which are physical harm and even death.  There are no doubt other equally idiotic and tragic examples.

However, many people perform rituals that have no bad consequences at all, whether they think about them or not and no matter what their motives are in participating in them. This is true of many religious rituals, for example, taking communion, becoming bar or bat mitzvah, or bringing gifts for the gods in a Hindu temple.  The marriage ceremony is a ritual, too, although this could just as easily be a counter-example, since some people seem to marry thoughtlessly, with less than happy consequence. 

Analyze Hurston’s rhetorical decision to divide her essay "How It Feels to Be Colored Me" into four parts. What central image or images anchor...

Hurston's essay "How It Feels to Be Colored Me" could be viewed in four parts:  Zora at home, Zora as the ancestor of slaves, Zora and the music, Zora and the bags.  Each of these parts contains an anecdote or an extended metaphor through which Hurston can explore her conceptions of race and identity.  This rhetorical strategy, in part, is done to appeal to and develop a rapport with the reader.  "Zora at home" refers to Hurston's recount of her life in Eatonville when she did not feel colored.  She calls herself "everybody's Zora" who danced and sang for passersby on her front porch.  But then she moves to Jacksonville and experiences discrimination and that's when she begins to feel "colored."  The essay then moves into the historical context of racism, and Hurston argues that she refuses to wallow in the memories of the past.  Then Hurston poses herself at a jazz club where her experience of the music is so unlike the experience of the white person with whom she attends.  She describes her experience using "jungle" imagery.  Finally, Hurston develops the extended metaphor of the colored bags to represent the essentially human nature of us all, no matter what race we are.

In Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, what is Bruno's reasoning for not saying anything to the Jews on the crowded train?

Bruno's reasoning behind his silence towards the Jewish people on the crowded train car can be found in Chapter 5 of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

For a moment he considered running across the platform to tell the people about the empty seats in his carriage, but he decided not to as something told him that if it didn't make Mother angry, it would probably make Gretel furious, and that would be worse still.

Therefore, Bruno's reasoning is based upon the fact that both his mother and his sister would be angry with him.  This reasoning is very much a nine-year-old boy's reasoning.  Bruno's surprise is based upon the fact that the two trains are obviously running in the same direction.  They are both going to the same area.  Bruno does not understand why the people would be shoved tightly into boxcars instead of seated in comfortable seats in passenger cars.  The answer can be found in the horror of the situation:  the people in the boxcars are Jewish and the people in the comfortable cars are not.  As a nine-year-old boy, Bruno is unaware of this fact.

Did Rappaccini love his daughter in the story "Rappaccini's Daughter"? What evidence from the story supports your position?

Rappaccini, in the short story "Rappaccini's Daughter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, loves Beatrice, his daughter, in a literally poisonous way that does not constitute true love. As Baglioni explains to Giovanni in the story, "That this lovely woman had been nourished with poisons from her birth upward, until her whole nature was so imbued with them, that she herself had become the deadliest poison in existence" (page numbers vary according to edition). Her father, Dr. Rappaccini, has constantly fed her poisons, until she is poisonous, and, as Baglioni says, "Her love would have been poison!--her embrace death!" Everything that seems beautiful about her is in fact deadly, and she has no ability to love people other than her father, as she will kill them with her very embrace. 

Beatrice herself mourns her lonely fate. She says to Giovanni, with whom she has fallen in love: "There was an awful doom...the effect of my father's fatal love of science--which estranged me from all society of my kind. Until Heaven sent thee, dearest Giovanni, Oh! how lonely was thy poor Beatrice!" Her father has attempted to protect her and keep her safe by administering poisons to her, but they make her so lonely that they show he is not thinking of her, but of himself, in giving her these potions. He wants to keep her by his side, but he does not consider if her loneliness will make her life unbearable. Therefore, her father's love is not a pure love. 

In the end, her father's poisons render any antidote poisonous. When Giovanni gives Beatrice an antidote to attempt to make it possible for them to be together, "so radically had her earthly part been wrought upon by Rappaccini's skill-- as poison had been life, so the powerful antidote was death." In other words, Rappaccini's attempts to love and protect his daughter have killed her when she tries to live any other life than what the father has imagined for her. The father's love is selfish and cruel and, in the end, deadly for his daughter. 

Mention the source of oxygen, given out by plants during the process of photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants (containing chlorophyll) convert solar energy to chemical energy of food. The process can be represented by the following chemical reaction:

`6 CO_2 + 6 H_2O + sunlight -> C_6H_12O_6 + 6 O_2`

In this process, carbon dioxide and water react, in presence of sunlight, to generate glucose molecules and oxygen. Thus, the source of oxygen from plants is the chemical reaction of photosynthesis, which has CO2 and water as the reactants. Since sunlight is a required ingredient of this process, photosynthesis can only take place during sunlight hours and not after dark. Thus, plants will not generate any oxygen during non-photosynthesis hours. In fact, they will consume oxygen during these hours (and all the other hours) for the process of cellular respiration.` `

Hope this helps. 

What did Elie think of the advice given to him by the head of the block in Night?

Elie is not sure whether to listen to his block captains' advice.

Elie and his father arrive at a new block.  After they are forced to take showers and run, they encounter the head of the block, “a young Pole” who gives them a speech about being in a concentration camp.  He tells them they have “already eluded the worst danger” and he then goes on to explain the importance of faith.

Therefore, muster your strength and keep your faith. We shall all see the day of liberation. Have faith in life, a thousand times faith.  By driving out despair, you will move away from death. (Ch. 3)

Elie says that these were “the first human words.”  The Pole is responsible for “keeping order” on the block and tells them to come to him with complaints.  For the first time in the process, Elie seems to feel like he is being treated like an individual and not a number or one of the mass of victims.

Throughout the book, Elie will face a crisis of faith.  Not everyone seems to still have his faith and believe in its importance, as the Polish block captain did.  Elie is not sure what to believe.

Things are not easy in the concentration camps.  Elie finds himself the recipient of a lot of advice.  Since I am not sure which one you mean, here is another example.  When Elie’s father gets very ill, he is told by the Blockälteste not to share his bread with his father.

Don't forget that you are in a concentration camp. In this place, it is every man for himself, and you cannot think of others. Not even your father. In this place, there is no such thing as father, brother, friend. (Ch. 8)

Elie feels “deep down” that the man is right.  His father is in bad shape, and not likely to live.  However, Elie also wants to help him as much as he can while his father is still alive.  He only thinks about it for “a fraction of a second” and still feels guilty.  He does not know what to do to help his father or himself.

In the concentration camps, Elie gets advice from many quarters.  Some of this advice is very helpful, but these two examples show how the advice gave Elie pause.  He tried to listen to others that meant well, but sometimes he wasn’t sure about whether to take their advice.

In Kafka's Metamorphosis how does Gregor's relationship change between his family, or does it stay the same?

After his transformation into a large insect, Gregor's family is horrified and disgusted by him. Eventually, they decide that he must be "gotten rid of," and no longer see him as capable of human thoughts or emotions. While remembering his family with love, Gregor quietly dies.

Gregor's father treats him coldly and strikes out at his son after discovering his metamorphosis. Later, the father throws fruit and causes Gregor serious injury. Gregor's father shows him little sympathy both as a human and an insect.

Gregor's mother feels sorry for her "unlucky son," and desires to see him after his transformation. However, she faints from the shock. Later, she attempts to protect Gregor from her husband. She remains largely helpless and passive toward Gregor throughout the novella.

Gregor is very fond of his younger sister, Grete. She is the most sympathetic to his plight and takes responsibility for his care by bringing him food and cleaning up after him despite her obvious revulsion. Later, she grows to resent her duty toward Gregor. She is the one who changes the most toward Gregor, insisting at the novella's end that the family must be rid of him for good.

Why did the Fertile Crescent fail where Europe prospered in long term food production?

I do not know if your class is currently studying Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel, but this is a question that Diamond addresses in his book.  He concludes that the Fertile Crescent, which was where farming began, was less successful in the long term because it was ecologically fragile. 

As Diamond says on p. 410, it is very odd for us today to think that the “Fertile Crescent” could ever have had that name.  The land that was once the Fertile Crescent is now mostly desert.  He notes that the countries in this area have a hard time feeding themselves.  Diamond says that this area was fertile, but only for a short time.  When agriculture arose, populations grew and the people cut down the trees, overgrazed the grass with their livestock, and denuded the land.  This led to erosion.  The soil of the area also became saltier because of agriculture.  All in all, Diamond says (on p. 411), the people of this area “committed ecological suicide.”

In short, the Fertile Crescent failed and Europe prospered in the long term because Europe was ecologically much better suited for intensive agriculture and high population densities.

What can you infer about the phrase "A sound of thunder" as it is used in the story "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury?

Since “A Sound of Thunder” is the title, and the phrase is used twice in the story, these words must be considered important to us. They hold the key to understanding the theme. The first time they appear is when the Tyrannosaurus rex shows up in the jungle. It is so large and so scene-stealing that the sound it makes is enveloping – just as thunder pounding and rumbling during a storm can sound and feel as if it surrounds you. It is at this point that the hunter Eckels becomes so terrified that he must stumble back to the time machine without firing his gun.

The second time the phrase appears is in the final line of the story. The safari team and the hunters have returned to the office, only to learn that Eckels’ steps off the path have changed the course of history and have impacted the future. Without saying a word, lead guide Travis lifts his rifle. “A sound of thunder,” is how Bradbury succinctly ends the story. By these words, we infer that someone has gotten shot, and that the sound has reverberated throughout the confined space boxed in by the Time Safari office walls. But who did Travis kill: himself, or Eckels? In either case, we understand the ramifications of time travel and its ability to change the future.

Why did the ancient people who would become Native Americans come to the Americas?

This question is still debated among archaeologists and anthropologists.

Recent findings have overturned the old theory that there was only one migration of the Clovis people which resulted in the colonization of all of the Americas; we now know there were at least three distinct major migrations that occurred.

These migrations began around 15,000 years ago, and continued until at least 14,000 years ago, possibly longer.

It's important to recognize that even though we speak of "a migration", these were probably not organized expeditions with the goal of colonizing new lands. (That sort of thing would not happen until civilizations became organized, as "recently" as 4,000 years ago.) More likely, there were many individual tribes who lived near each other, sometimes in harmony, sometimes in conflict, and as each tribe grew they would sometimes find that they no longer had enough room for everyone.

People would then leave their ancestral lands and try to find new homes elsewhere. Over hundreds of years, a series of these small migrations adds up to a very large migration. We think the reason it happened around 15,000 years ago is that during this time, the Bering Strait was free of ice and the water level was low enough that people could basically walk or swim across.

Another motivation was likely food. In the absence of previous human habitation, wildlife in the Americas was extremely plentiful. There is a long pattern in human evolution of migrants arriving in an area, and gradually driving all the large mammals to extinction---usually by eating them. Human-caused extinction is nothing new; we've been doing it since at least 40,000 years ago in Africa and Asia. Many migrants may have come to the Americas because they found more plentiful animals to hunt there.

In fact, it is also possible that some of the migrants really were trying to explore new lands, simply out of curiosity for what might lay beyond. This is, after all, something humans like to do. We travel to new continents, we climb mountains, and now we even land on the Moon and send robots to other planets. Some of these ancient explorers may have traveled thousands of miles before setting down roots permanently.

Define typology to the Puritans. How does typology inform the work of Puritan authors? What examples illustrate this?

Theological typology is a school of Biblical interpretation concerned with the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament. According to typology, the Old Testament serves as an introduction of types which were to be realized by the New Testament antitypes, consisting of the actions of Jesus. For example, the sacrifice of Isaac in the Old Testament that was the type reflected in the antitype of Jesus' sacrificial crucifixion. The emergence or "rebirth" of Jonas from the belly of the whale was the Old Testament type reflected in the antitype of the resurrection of Jesus.

While typology as a philosophy long pre-dated the Puritanical movement, typology was particularly important to the Puritans in two ways. Individually, Puritans were able to rationalize their own experiences by recognizing them as being further realizations of the Old Testament types.Their personal struggles could be better understood by analysis of the struggles of Moses, Job, or Jonas. Communally, this form of interpretation provided the Puritans with a sense of cohesion and purpose as they viewed their society as the realization of the type of a "New Israel." These interpretations are reflected in the written Puritanical works as it provides a set of circumstances, the Old Testament types, that are to be realized again and again by the actors of the contemporary world.

How did your feelings about the Giver change as you read the story from beginning to end?

How your feelings would change about the Giver from beginning to end would depend on how you viewed the Giver at both times. While it is up to you to decide how to feel about him, it might help to look at how the Giver changed throughout the story.

When we first meet him in Ch. 10 and up through about Ch. 18, the Giver seems resigned to his position in the community and what it requires of him. He does not feel he has any power to change anything and perhaps is not even looking to do so:

"I have great honor. So will you. But you will find that that is not the same as power" (Ch. 11).

He also seems resigned to Jonas's taking over of his position. In many ways, the Giver is condoning Sameness, even though he understands all of it pitfalls. In the earlier chapters, when Jonas questions Sameness after only a few memories, the Giver is quick to point out that if people were allowed to make their own choices, they may make the wrong ones. So, although he has the memories and the wisdom of the world, he is still helping to support and contribute to this community of Sameness. 

Later in the book, though, he begins to change. As he sees Jonas question more and more about the community, the Giver is forced to help explain some of the reasoning behind the community's very strange and difficult decisions. When the topic of release comes up, the Giver seems to nudge Jonas into watching the video of his father releasing the newborn twin. He wants Jonas to fully understand the community he is living in, and yet, this is the straw that breaks the camel's back for Jonas. He decides then and there he cannot return home or live with his family anymore. It is in this moment, too, that the Giver begins to realize that he can be an agent of change rather than sit by and be complacent. 

"Having you here with me over the past year has made me realize that things must change. For years I've felt that they should, but it seemed so hopeless. Now for the first time I think there might be a way" (Ch. 20).

The Giver now feels like he has the power to help the community change.

Because the Giver changes so much from the beginning of the book to the end of the book, you could make an argument that your own feelings about him change as well. Perhaps you admire him more, respect him more, like him more, etc... Ideally, we want to see a dynamic character in a novel, one who experiences some sort of change, and the Giver does just that.

Explain why a person becomes flushed when he or she has a fever.

Fevers are caused by the body's immune response to a pathogen.  The body raises its own internal temperature to a level that should not cause permanent damage to its own cells but that may kill the disease causing agent (such as a virus or bacteria).  

To understand why having a fever may cause someone to become flushed, we need to first understand how the circulatory system is involved in thermoregulation, the process by which the body maintains a stable internal temperature. As blood flows throughout the body, carrying oxygen and nutrients to various tissues, it can also carry heat. The center of the body, in the chest and abdomen, is the warmest and most stable in terms of temperature, with the extremities and areas close to the skin being more prone to fluctuations in temperature. When blood flows through warmer parts of the body it is heated, and when it flows closer to the external environment it loses heat.

When the internal temperature is too low, the body tries to minimize the heat lost from the blood by directing flow away from the skin and extremities. It does this by constricting blood vessels in these areas (known as vasoconstriction). This explains why when you're very cold, your fingers and toes may look pale and feel numb. When the body becomes too warm, the opposite happens- blood is directed away from the warm, internal areas into the extremities and skin. This increase in blood to the thin capillaries of the face causes the capillaries to swell or dilate (this is known as vasodilation) as blood passes through and is cooled by proximity to the external air. This swelling of the capillaries with blood makes the skin appear red, causing what we call "flushing." 

So, why does a fever cause a person to flush?
Blood rushes to the skin as part of the body's reaction to an increase in internal temperature, an attempt to maintain a stable internal environment.

Using embedded quotes, show how Shakespeare presents Romeo's love in Act 5, Scene 3.

In Act Five, Scene Three of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare presents Romeo's love as undying, even in the face of death. At the beginning of this scene, Romeo has returned to Verona with a vial of poison and a death wish. Having heard that Juliet has died, he goes to her crypt in order to commit suicide. Upon seeing Juliet, Romeo cries out:

...O my love, my wife!

Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath,

Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.

Thou are not conquered...

Here, Romeo remarks upon the beauty that has been preserved in his wife's corpse, a quality that not even death could confiscate from her. He continues on with a solemn promise:

...I will stay with thee,

And never from this palace of dim night

Depart again.

Romeo is so committed to his beloved that he vows to stay with her for all eternity, even at the consequence of his own corporeal survival. He cannot bear the idea of living without her, and so carries out his plan. Romeo takes the poison and methodically bids Juliet goodbye, visually admiring her ("Eyes, look your last."), taking her into his arms ("Arms, take your last embrace."), and kissing her one final time ("Lips... seal with a righteous kiss.") Even in the act of dying, Romeo's attention is directed solely to the woman he loves.

What is the prince's ultimatum in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

The prince’s ultimatum is that anyone who fights in the streets will be put to death. 

An ultimatum is an order that forces someone to do something.  After the huge brawl started by Sampson and Abraham in the beginning of the play, Prince Escalus decides that he is sick of fighting in the streets.  He tells Lords Capulet and Montague that enough is enough.  Their feud has shed enough blood. 

Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word,
By thee, old Capulet, and Montague,
Have thrice disturb'd the quiet of our streets,
And made Verona's ancient citizens
Cast by their grave beseeming ornaments,
To wield old partisans, in hands as old,
Canker'd with peace, to part your canker'd hate:
If ever you disturb our streets again,
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace. (Act 1, Scene 1) 

When he says that the lives of anyone who is fighting will pay the forfeit of the peace, he is basically saying that if anyone is caught fighting and lives, he will be put to death.  He hopes that this sentence will cause the feuding family members to think twice before picking up swords against each other. 

It doesn’t work.  Tybalt still tries to fight Romeo, and Mercutio doesn’t care about the ban either when he fights in his place.  Romeo didn’t want to fight, but when Tybalt killed Mercutio, he stepped in.  Romeo wasn’t put to death because of his fight, but he was banished.  Romeo was not pleased with the leniency. 

ROMEO

What less than dooms-day is the prince's doom?

FRIAR LAURENCE

A gentler judgment vanish'd from his lips,
Not body's death, but body's banishment.

ROMEO

Ha, banishment! be merciful, say 'death;'
For exile hath more terror in his look,
Much more than death: do not say 'banishment.' (Act 3, Scene 3)

For Romeo, any time away from his new bride Juliet was too long.  He was very upset by the banishment even though the prince was trying to be “gentle.”  In fact, Romeo did probably deserve a lesser sentence due to the extenuating circumstances of the duel, since he was forced into fighting in self-defense, but he was still very upset about being banished.

How do Bill and Sam sign the ransom letter? Could this signature be taken two ways? How?

The ransom letter is signed "Two Desperate Men." The apparent intent is to suggest that these kidnappers are capable of doing anything if the boy's father does not meet their demands. The word "desperate" is intended to suggest that they know themselves to be outside the law. They are already destined to be executed or gunned down for the terrible crimes they have committed in the past. But the signature might also suggest that they are in dire need of the money. If they don't get it from Ebenezer Dorset, they won't know where to turn next. Mr. Dorset might read his own interpretation into the signature. He might not be in the least intimidated by their broad hint that they are capable of killing his son. He knows, for one thing, that they are in more danger from Johnny (aka Red Chief) than the boy is from them. Mr. Dorset, knowing his boy so well, might understand that these two men are getting "desperate" because they have a tiger by the tail, so to speak. Bill and Sam have already had serious problems with the kid. For example:

Just then we heard a kind of war-whoop, such as David might have emitted when he knocked out the champion Goliath. It was a sling that Red Chief had pulled out of his pocket, and he was whirling it around his head. I dodged, and heard a heavy thud and a kind of a sigh from Bill, like a horse gives out when you take his saddle off.

Mr. Dorset remains very calm, cool and collected throughout this kidnapping experience. Like his son Johnny, he does not behave in the way he is supposed to behave. Johnny should be frightened and submissive, which he is not. The father should be overwhelmed by the fact that his precious little boy is in the hands of two desperate men. But Ebenezer Dorset apparently doesn't care much whether they kill little Johnny or return him. The two desperate men may have saved Dorset a lot of trouble by kidnapping his hellcat son. When the father offers to take Red Chief off their hands if they pay him $250, he is showing his negative valuation of his offspring. He is not behaving like a stereotypical father, any more than Johnny is behaving like a stereotypical kidnap victim. The whole story is based on this dramatic irony.

Bill and Sam continue to grow more desperate until Dorset's offer looks good to both of them. They have a hard enough time getting Red Chief to go back home and stay there long enough for them to make their getaway. 

So the word "desperate" in the signature is unintentionally ambiguous and also unintentionally revealing. It is intended to suggest that the two kidnappers will kill Johnny if they don't get the ransom money. But it also suggests that they need that money badly and so are willing to negotiate, even though the letter says: "These terms are final, and if you do not accede to them no further communication will be attempted." And, finally, the signature confirms Ebenezer Dorset's expectation that his son will drive his captors to desperation. 

Explain the role of information systems in the logistics of transport.

To understand the importance of information systems in transport, it is necessary to first establish the importance of transport logistics itself. Transport is of fundamental importance to most companies. The costs of transport are often substantial, and additional factors such as applicable legal and regulatory restrictions on transport of goods directly impact the ability of a company to deliver goods to customers.

An information system allows a company to remain aware of the environment which their transport is subject to. The choice of mode of transportation, information about loads such as manifests, and even the most fundamental concerns such as who goods are being transported to require strict management, and thus the use of a robust information system. Information systems represent a way to collect and retrieve vital data in an inherently scalable way. Such systems also afford customers interactive features such as package tracking, providing real-time updates on transport schedules.

Information systems provide businesses with several obvious advantages including increased efficiency of transport, improved financial realizations, the possibility of remote monitoring of transport, and an increased capacity to adapt to changing conditions.

Would you agree that the poem "The Eagle" is not a mere description?

I do agree that "The Eagle" isn't mere description. It if were, it is unlikely that we would care very much about reading it, especially nearly two hundred years after it was written.

The point of poetry is to convey experience, and "The Eagle" very much does this. It helps us to see and feel and understand the awful power and majesty of such a predator. One so powerful that it is often alone because it can do what many other birds cannot: fly higher, dive faster, hunt better. We can see what the eagle sees, visualize his speed, marvel at the color of the sky around him, so high up.

However, this doesn't really seem like enough either. When we look deeper at the poet's word choices, it becomes clearer that the poem isn't just about an eagle. It can refer to any being that possesses absolute power. The fact that Tennyson describes the eagle's talons as "crooked hands" helps us to discern the fact that the eagle could refer to a person too. He might be an absolute ruler, a tyrant, who holds on to his power by any methods necessary, including corrupt ones.  "Crooked" can mean bent (like an eagle's talons would be) or corrupt (in the sense of, for example, a crooked politician). Further, the fact that the eagle "clasps the crag" indicates that he holds tightly to it, the way such a leader would cling possessively to his power. He "stands" tall, far above everyone else; this "everyone else" is represented by the "wrinkled sea" that "crawls" beneath him (he has all of the power and they have none, as indicated by the word "crawls") (4). He watches all of them, for now, but when he loses power (i.e. when someone overthrows him), he will fall quickly and violently, "like a thunderbolt" (6).  No supreme leader ever "falls" from power softly and gently; it is always a violent revolution or coup that swiftly deposes him. Therefore, "The Eagle" is more than mere description: it conveys experience and creates a symbol for any supreme leader and his inevitable fall from power.

"An Astrologer's Day": Explain in your own words the meaning of the sentence: "He was as much a stranger to the stars as were his innocent customers."

The astrologer is something of an imposter because he knows nothing about the pseudo-science of astrology. But on the other hand, he has no belief in astrology, so he doesn't think there was anything to know. The crowds who pass by him every day, and the few who actually pay to consult him for advice, are also totally ignorant of the complex and esoteric rules of the ancient practice of astrology. So the astrologer and the clients are equally ignorant. Since astrology is a pseudo-science, the astrologer probably knows as much as other astrologers who really believe in what they are practicing and who spend a lot of time studying the sky and studying their charts. The astrologer in the story relies on his own wits, his own common sense, and his own cunning in extracting information from his customers in the questions they ask and in their body language, facial expressions, and other cues, rather than on the placements of stars in the heavens. He knows that most people share the same problems and the same aspirations. They are not paying him for advice so much as they are paying him for validation. They already know what they want to hear, and for him it is a matter of guessing what it is they want to hear and then telling them that what they want to happen is what is going to happen.

He had a working analysis of mankind's troubles: marriage, money, and the tangles of human ties. Long practice had sharpened his perception. Within five minutes he understood what was wrong. He charged three pies per question, never opened his mouth till the other had spoken for at least ten minutes, which provided him enough stuff for a dozen answers and advices.

This is still true today. People ask for advice when what they really want is validation of what they already believe or of what they want to happen. The astrologer is fortunate when he runs into Guru Nayak that he already knows agreat deal about him. But he gives him some advice that Guru Nayak wants tohear. He tells him that the man he is looking for is dead and that he can give up his searching and go back to his village. Naturally the astrologer's advice is persuasive because he knows so much about Guru Nayak, including his name.

"I hope at least he died as he deserved."
"Yes," said the astrologer. "He was crushed under a lorry."
The other looked gratified to hear it.

The story is titled "An Astrologer's Day" because it is a day in the life of a manwho has to live by his wits. He has a precarious existence, but he knows he has to collect a handful of small coins to take back to his wife and his little daughter, or else they will go hungry.

What is the importance of long stage directions in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams?

The stage directions for this particular play are almost a story in themselves. They are very descriptive and prescriptive, indicating that there was more to his play than the dialogue and the actions written into it were presenting. The length and thoroughness of these stage directions are important because they help the director and the actors to understand some of the story within the story.

For example, when describing the bed-sitting-room where most of the play takes place and where Brick and Maggie are staying, Williams says it

“must evoke some ghosts; it is gently and poetically haunted by a relationship that must have involved a tenderness which was uncommon" (Williams).

When we think about Brick and his guilt and sadness over Skipper, many critics have argued that Brick is so upset at Skipper's death because they were not just friends, but lovers. Where might they get that impression? From the stage notes. The stage direction above says "a tenderness which was uncommon," referring to Brick and Skipper. While the play's dialogue and action never overtly state that this relationship was homosexual, the stage directions often did imply just that. Given that this play was written and performed in the 1950s when homosexuality could not be talked about in a major play or movie or book, if the storyline involved a homosexual character, that needed to be implied and the lengthy stage directions for this play were able to do that for the directors who chose to heed them.

Who was the very first person to make dubstep or tecno?

To accurately answer your question I would need powers of divine knowledge. Your question falls into the category of, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

By definition dubstep is a form of dance music, typically instrumental, characterized by a sparse, syncopated rhythm and a strong bassline*.

Instrumentation is achieved through the use of a sequencer, turntables, a sampler, drum machine, a synthesiser, a keyboard, and even personal computers.

The origins of dubstep's style can be credited to 2-step garage, breakstep, dub, drum and bass, techno, grime, reggae, and old-school jungle.

In truth, the early UK versions of this genre of music are easily traced to Jamaican party music.

In 1998, the first commercial releases of dubstep occurred in the UK.  The most prominently recognized artists are El-B, Steve Gurley, Oris Jay, and Zed Bias.

What is the nature of the conflict suggested by Proctor's last lines and the final stage directions describing him in Act 2?

We know from Acts One and Two that Proctor feels guilty about his infidelity and that it has caused some significant problems in his marriage. He is very defensive and feels judged by Elizabeth. He insists that "[He'll] not have [her] suspicion anymore," and she says she does not judge him but that "The magistrate that sits in [his] heart judges [him]." In other words, she feels that his own sense of guilt is what causes him to to feel badly, not her judgment of him. When Elizabeth suggests that he made Abigail, his former mistress, some kind of (unintentional and unspoken) promise, he becomes very angry, as he says, "Because it speaks deceit, and I am honest!" It is his perception of himself that causes him such pain and inner turmoil. On some level, he feels terribly guilty for committing adultery, but, on the other hand, he did honestly confess his sin to Elizabeth and loves her: he is not all sinful, but he has done her a wrong, and so he feels a great sense of conflict about whether or not he can still think of himself as a good man.

Proctor's last lines in Act Two seem to indicate, then, that the major conflict is his own internal one.  He is speaking to Mary Warren, in the end, but he might as well be speaking to himself. He says, 

Now Hell and Heaven grapple on our backs, and all our old pretense is ripped away -- make your peace! [....] Peace. It is a providence, and no great change; we are only what we always were, but naked now.

He has been reticent to reveal what Abigail told him (that the girls were only startled and not involved in witchcraft) or what ulterior motives she might have to accuse Elizabeth because it would mean publicly admitting their involvement and his lechery. When he tells Mary that she will have to turn on Abigail in court now that Elizabeth has been arrested, she says that "Abby'll charge lechery on [him]." His secret is out despite his wish to hide it, and now he fears that his wife will die as a result.

Just as Proctor feels that he has been tainted by his sin despite his attempts to be honest, now he sees that "Hell and Heaven" fight for him and all attempts to hide secrets are futile. He must make his peace with it; nothing has changed except his inability to hide his sin. 

Even the stage direction indicates that he seems to be reflecting on his own faults now. He is described as speaking "half to himself, staring, and turning to open the door [....]. He walks as though toward a great horror, facing the open sky." The horror that he must face is the consequence of his sinfulness and pride. He walks toward this horror, however, because he has no choice now but to face it.

What does Kate DiCamillo's title Because of Winn-Dixie mean to you?

Kate DiCamillo's title indicates that Winn-Dixie accomplished a lot for all the characters in the story, especially for the protagonist, Opal. The title indicates that, because of Winn-Dixie, loneliness was eased; unity was created in the town of Naomi; and tribulations were overcome.

It is because lonely Opal meets the stray dog she adopts and names Winn-Dixie that Opal starts getting to know the people in the town she has just moved to. For example, Opal meets the librarian, Miss Franny Block, Opal's first friend in Naomi, because Winn-Dixie likes to stand on his hind legs to watch Opal through the library window choosing books and one day scares Miss Franny, who thinks Winn-Dixie is a bear. Opal comforts Miss Franny, and as Opal gets to know Miss Franny, she also gets to know about her loneliness. Another example is that Winn-Dixie runs into Gloria Dump's overgrown yard one summer day, which leads to Gloria and Opal being introduced and to developing their newfound friendship. As Opal phrases it, "Just about everything that happened to me that summer happened because of Winn-Dixie" (Ch. 9).

By the end of the story, Opal gets the idea to throw a party in Gloria's yard, and even to invite her antagonists, such as Stevie and Dunlap Dewberry, who tease Opal and call Gloria a witch, and Amanda Wilkinson, who ignores Opal. While at the party, Gloria convinces the Dewberry boys she is not a witch, and all the guests join in song as Otis plays his guitar. As Gloria states, "We all got to be good friends," and this friendship is due to both Winn-Dixie and to Opal.

What caused the evacuation of the Muck?

One of the most tragic parts of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston occurs in Chapter 18. In this chapter, Janie Crawford, the main character, and her husband Tea Cake experience the devastation of a hurricane and the massive flooding that ensues afterward. There is no official evacuation implemented, as later it is shown that what serves as the government was unprepared for the devastation that would occur. Instead, Hurston shows the evacuation as a gradual, voluntary process, leaving us behind with those who choose not to evacuate so we can experience the destruction along with them. 

As the chapter begins, Hurston describes the fun and excitement of living on the Muck. Janie and Tea Cake are working hard, making friends, and making good money.  However, shortly into the chapter, Janie notices that there are a lot of people traveling past. Large groups of Seminole Indians begin to pass by, warning of a hurricane as they go.  They claim to be going to higher ground, evacuating for safety. Many groups travel through, followed the next day by a number of wild animals. Eventually, some of the people who work on the Muck begin to grow concerned, and they, too, start looking to move inland toward higher ground. Janie and Tea Cake attempt to stay, but eventually are forced to leave as well as the winds and rains prove too much for the barriers of Lake Okechobee, which is described as "forty miles wide and sixty miles long." Throughout this chapter the lake is referred to as a monster, and it proves to be exactly that. Also in this chapter, the title of the book emerges as Tea Cake, Janie, and some others realize their error in staying,

The wind came back with triple fury, and put out the light for the last time.  They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.

In this moment, the characters can only wait. They wait to see what will happen next, looking to God and waiting to see his next move. The lake grows bigger and soon rushes across the land, creating even more problems for Janie and Tea Cake. Had they evacuated as the Seminole and animals had, they would have avoided the disaster and the forthcoming tragedies that occur because of their decision.

You construct a topographic profile for a 1:25,000 map with no vertical exaggeration. A 100 ft change in elevation would be represented by a...

The map has a scale of 1:25,000. That is, each feature would be shown reduced by a scale of 25,000. In other words, a feature that has an actual dimension of 25,000 m, will be shown by a size of 1 m.

Here, the elevation change (to be shown on map) is 100 feet. Given the scale of the map, this feature would be reduced by a factor of 25,000 on the map. 25,000th part of 100 feet can be calculated by dividing the actual dimension by the scale. In other words,

The size of feature on the map = 100 ft/ 25,000 = 0.004 feet

A feet has 12 inches. Thus the size of the feature on the map would be 0.004 x 12 = 0.048 inches. 

Thus, the 100 feet change in elevation will be represented by a change of 0.048 inches on the profile.

Hope this helps. 

Explain how "Harrison Bergeron" is a satire.

According to dictionary.com, satire is defined as “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices.”  “Harrison Bergeron” is a short story by Kurt Vonnegut that exposes what could happen if the individual gives up his personal freedoms to a government.  The Bergerons are just one family in the story who have been convinced to suppress their individuality and strengths to a government that claims everyone should be equal and no better than anyone else.  The government “handicaps” people’s strengths to bring everyone down to the same level.  For Harrison who is a strong, young teenager, the government weighs him down with bags of sand to weaken him.  George, Harrison’s father, gets blasted in the ears with a loud noise when he begins to think too much. 

Vonnegut is using satire to point out how we as humans are often stupid enough and willingly enough give up our individuality to be like everyone else.  We give in to peer pressure or societal rules to not stick out and to blend in.  In the case of the short story, the citizens give up these rights to an oppressive government that claims everyone should be the same.  Written in 1961 during the Cold War, the story could also be a comment on communism and its political theories of a collective society where everyone is equal and works for each other. 

All in all, “Harrison Bergeron” is a story about a dystopian society that feels everyone should be equal in talents and abilities, and it is up to the individual, like Harrison, to rebel and protest the oppression enforced by the government.  Vonnegut is pointing out the stupidity of conformity and man’s need to fit in at all costs.

What types of characterization are used in "The Most Dangerous Game"?

In his short story "The Most Dangerous Game," Richard Connel uses indirect characterization to describe the two main characters in the story. The reader also finds that by the end of the story the protagonist, Rainsford, is a dynamic character, meaning he changes over the course of the story.

Writers usually choose between direct or indirect characterization to reveal the traits of the characters in a story. With direct characterization the writer unequivocally tells us what the character is like. Indirect characterization shows things that reveal the personality of the character such as what the character says, what others say about him, his actions and how others react to him. 

The two main characters are Rainsford and General Zaroff. Both reveal themselves through what they say and their actions. In the beginning of the story Rainsford, who is a big game hunter, doesn't care about the feelings of the animals he hunts. In his discussion with Whitney on the yacht:

"Don't talk rot, Whitney," said Rainsford. "You're a big-game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar feels?" 

Later, however, when Rainsford actually becomes "a beast at bay" we understand that he is rethinking his philosophy of hunting. This change in character also reveals him to be a dynamic character, or one who goes through an important change during the course of the story. 

The other character, General Zaroff, remains static. He never changes. From the beginning he is a remorseless sociopath. His character is revealed during his dinner with Rainsford when he tell his guest he hunts men, explaining:

"Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not? I hunt the scum of the earth: sailors from tramp ships--lassars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels--a thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than a score of them." 

This is the clearest statement of Zaroff's diabolical nature. He feels morally and intellectually superior; therefore, it is perfectly logical that he hunt those who are not his equal. Later, after he thinks Rainsford has committed suicide to escape the hunt, he relaxes at his chateau feeling no guilt:

General Zaroff had an exceedingly good dinner in his great paneled dining hall that evening. With it he had a bottle of Pol Roger and half a bottle of Chambertin. Two slight annoyances kept him from perfect enjoyment. One was the thought that it would be difficult to replace Ivan; the other was that his quarry had escaped him; of course, the American hadn't played the game--so thought the general as he tasted his after-dinner liqueur. In his library he read, to soothe himself, from the works of Marcus Aurelius. At ten he went up to his bedroom. He was deliciously tired, he said to himself, as he locked himself in. There was a little moonlight, so, before turning on his light, he went to the window and looked down at the courtyard. He could see the great hounds, and he called, "Better luck another time," to them. Then he switched on the light. 

Zaroff can also be considered an ironic character. Even though he is criminally insane, he displays all the mannerisms of a well cultured and highly civilized man. He drinks fine wine and reads from the annals of Marcus Aurelius. It is particularly incongruous that he would read Aurelius because the Roman emperor/philosopher preached stoicism, a philosophy which stresses ethical behavior. It is impossible to match the ideas of Aurelius with Zaroff's murderous behavior.

What occurs at the cathode and anode of a metal during corrosion?

Corrosion occurs when a metal deteriorates due to chemical processes. The corrosion of a metal often occurs where the metal is weak or isolated from the air. The process of corrosion occurs in two steps, oxidation and reduction. Let's look at the corrosion process that can occur in iron (Fe). 

Oxidation Step: Oxidation occurs when the Fe atoms at a weakened spot on the metal dissolve into water. This causes the Fe atoms to lose electrons and become positively charged as shown below:

   Fe -> `~Fe^2^+`  + `~2e^-`

The reaction shown above is an example of an oxidation reaction. The area of the metal that is oxidized is called the anode. The electrons are then free to travel to a different location on the metal.

Reduction Step: Reduction occurs when the free electrons produced during oxidation step are removed from the metal by a depolarizer. Examples of depolarizer substances include: oxygen, acids, and other metals. The example below, shows the reduction process when an acid is used as the depolarizer:

   `~2H^+` + `~2e^-` -> `~H_2`

The reaction shown above is an example of a reduction reaction. The area of the metal that is reduced is called the cathode.

Notice that the oxidation and reduction steps occur at different locations on the metal. Because of this, electrons are able to flow from the anode site to the cathode site.

Water carrying sediment eventually slows down, causing deposition, which is?

The flowing water (generally rivers and streams) carries significant amount of sediments with it. This sediment is obtained as a result of erosion by rapidly moving water (a typical feature of upper reaches of a river), which is sufficient to keep the sediments suspended in water. Over time, the water loses much of its speed, due to lack of gradient, too much sediment load, etc. When this happens, the sediment mass and friction is enough to overcome the flow and sediment deposition takes place. When the water body is entering a larger water body, this deposition is commonly known as Delta. When the flowing stream suddenly changes slope (mountainous stream flowing on flat plains), sediment deposition forms alluvial fans. 

The deltas are extremely rich in nutrients and are highly productive areas. They cause the river to split into a number of smaller streams, each headed for the ocean.

Hope this helps. 

What are three symbols from the poem "Ex- Basketball Player" by John Updike?

John Updike's poem “Ex-Basketball Player” is about a guy named Flick Webb who was, at one time, a high school basketball star.

Updike uses a form of figurative language called symbolism to create meaning in “Ex-Basketball Player.” Symbolism is effective because it works on a deeper level than simple, explicit language. There's something about the workings of the human brain that appreciates and responds to a well-made symbol.

1. Updike doesn't take long to start with the symbols. The poem's first three lines are

Pearl Avenue runs past the high-school lot, 

Bends with the trolley tracks, and stops, cut off 

Before it has a chance to go two blocks,

In these lines, “Pearl Avenue” symbolizes Flick's life. Pearl Avenue runs past the high school where Flick was a star, but, like Flick, it doesn't get far. It only has a chance to go two blocks further before it is “cut off.” Flick's own life was cut off after high school, and he ended up working in a gas station and living in the past. One interesting thing about this symbol is that it starts the poem, so there is no way the reader can realize its meaning is symbolic when they initially read it. You have to read the poem a second time (at the very least; it took me many more readings than two) to understand why Updike started the poem this way.

2. The second stanza starts with

Flick stands tall among the idiot pumps— 

The pumps symbolize basketball players; they are five on a side, like a basketball team, and their elbows hang loose and low.

3. In the final three lines, Updike symbolizes how Flick still lives off of his past glory, even while playing pinball.

Flick seldom says a word to Mae, just nods 

Beyond her face toward bright applauding tiers 

Of Necco Wafers, Nibs, and Juju Beads.

The Necco Wafers, Nibs, and Juju Beads symbolize the fans that used to cheer for Flick when he played high school basketball.

Students sometimes question the value of symbols in poetry. They may seem pointless, but when you are really into a poem and responding to the poet's message, symbols can take the message to another level by giving the reader something concrete to mentally and emotionally hold.

What is the overall moral message to the readers? Is the moral message still true today?

In Welty's story "A Visit of Charity," her overall message is that people in nursing homes lose their identity and are treated badly, almost like animals. The many references to animals (particularly sheep) are in the story to show that the elderly patients are treated like animals as they are herded around and their needs are ignored. Welty basically reduces the patients to animals to show what happens when they are mistreated. The patients become interchangeable to the staff, who have no respect for them. 

Unfortunately, according to what we read in the news sometimes, there are still cases of elder abuse in nursing homes. While some are good places where patients receive excellent care, some are underfunded or staffed with insensitive people who treat patients with the same herd mentality, denying the individuality and identity they are entitled to. Advocacy groups are working to change that, and it is much better than the time when Welty wrote this story.

Define the terms periodontal disease and plaque.

Periodontal disease is any disease which affects the tissues which support the teeth. These tissues include the gingiva, periodontal ligament, cementum and alveolar bone. 

Periodontal disease may be used as a synonym for periodontitis. Periodontitis is chronic inflammation of the periodontal tissues. Periodontitis in its mildest form is called gingivitis. Advanced periodontitis results in oral lesions (the breakdown of tissues). This can become so advanced that tooth loss results.

Plaque is the layer of bacteria which forms on the teeth. It is a white or pale yellow biofilm. The formation of plaque is normal and cannot be prevented. However, if the bacterial layer is allowed to remain on the teeth, acid produced by the bacterial breakdown of sugar can form cavities and other problems, including periodontitis. Thus, daily tooth brushing is recommended to remove plaque. 

What reaction takes place when sodium sulphate is added to an organic compound?

When organic compounds are synthesized, they often contain traces of water. It is important to remove these water molecules so that the organic compound itself can be studied. Drying agents, such as sodium sulfate, can be used to remove water molecules from organic compounds.

Sodium sulfate can exist in two forms:

• 
  Anhydrous sodium sulfate: This form of sodium sulfate exists as a crystal. The crystal structure has several gaps in it which make it less stable.

• 
  Hydrated sodium sulfate: This form of sodium sulfate has water molecules attached. The water molecules are able to fit into the gaps in the sodium sulfate crystal structure. The addition of water molecules causes the crystal structure to become more stable. The most common sodium sulfate hydrate is sodium sulfate decahydrate, in which ten water molecules are attached to the sodium sulfate crystal structure.

Since the hydrated form of sodium sulfate is more stable than the anhydrous form, anhydrous sodium sulfate will spontaneously take up water molecules when exposed to water. This is why it is used as a drying agent for organic compounds.

Adding sodium sulfate to an organic compound allows chemists to purify the organic compound by removing any water molecules that might be present. Once the water molecules are attached to the sodium sulfate, the organic compound can easily be separated off by decanting from the sodium sulfate hydrate.

Which organisms would share more characteristics in common, those in the same class or the same family?

The answer to this question is directly related to how organisms are classified. I will be using the Linnaean taxonomy, which is a particular form of biological classification and I believe is the one assumed by your question.

Generally, Linnaean taxonomy includes three kingdoms divided into classes. They, in turn, are divided into orders, families, genera and species. These are called ranks and are ordered in levels:

1. Kingdom


2. Phylum


3. Classes


4. Orders


5. Families


6. Genera


7. Species

To answer your question, we don't need to know the specific details of each rank in this classification, only the criteria used for putting animals into the same rank. And, to our luck, they are ordered and separated in a way so that as we go to ranks of higher levels (from 1 to 7 for example), we find animals that share more characteristics with each other than the ones in the previous rank.

As the family rank is two levels above the class rank, we find that animals of the same family will have more characteristics in common than the ones in the same class!

I hope I was able to give you a good explanation!

Name different types of operating systems.

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In "Sweat," after Sykes had been bitten by the snake, Delia heard Sykes call her name several times. Why does she choose not to respond to his...

If we argue that Delia bears some responsibility for her husband's death, it would have to be tempered with the torment she suffered throughout their marriage.

Delia hears her husband's cries when the snake attacks him.  She does not offer help to him. Yet, I think that this has to be balanced with the level of emotional pain she experiences.  It is clear that Sykes is far from a model husband and human being.  He enjoys tormenting her and disrespecting her. Even with this, Delia still shows loyalty towards her husband and their marriage.  When she comes home from a Sunday service and is about to start her evening work, hopeful restoration fills Delia's heart: 

She went on into the house with a new hope in its birth struggles. Perhaps her threat to go to the white folks had frightened Sykes! Perhaps he was sorry! Fifteen years of misery and suppression had brought Delia to the place where she would hope anything that looked towards a way over or through her wall of inhibitions.

However, when Delia sees the snake in her laundry basket, placed in there by Sykes, it is clear that she can bear this condition no longer.  

Hurston creates a "quiet" and "cold, bloody rage" within Delia.  Through "a period of introspection, a space of retrospection," Delia grows resigned to her condition when she says, "Well, Ah done de bes' Ah could.  If things aint right, Gawd knows taint mah fault."

Delia might have to shoulder some of the blame for Sykes's death because she did not assist him.  However, her inaction has to be seen in the context of their entire marriage.  It seems that an unfair burden would be placed on Delia if her actions are not viewed in this wider context.  This complex and nuanced view is Hurston's direct intention. She wishes to communicate the theme of how intense love can coexist with equally intense destruction, and is substantiated by Delia's reaction to Sykes's calls as he is dying.

How do Victor and the monster have different yet similar uses of language in Frankenstein?

In the book, Frankenstein, Victor and the creature (or arguably "the monster") share many commonalities and differences in language that encourages the readers to reflect on who the monster truly is in the story. Although the creature and Victor initially appear blatantly different, Mary Shelley utilizes their language to show they have more in common than appears initially, especially in relation to their use of language to gain power.

Foremost, Victor often uses language to empower himself more through education. As seen in the story, Victor uses language (verbal and written) to learn more about science, especially with "forbidden" sciences. With this, Victor eventually becomes a social hermit who spends much time alone, studying books for the power in language and as a result, he creates the creature. 

On the other hand, the creature also uses the power of language, but his original purpose is for a different intention. When the creature finally finds a small French family that he wants to connect with and relate to. He learns language to empower himself to fulfill this goal. However, his plans of utilizing language's power are not successful (although he does acquire the language). 

As a result, both the creature and Victor utilize language for power. For Victor, he desires language's power to become more knowledgeable and even to create life. On the other hand, the creature desires to use language's power to connect with others. Unfortunately, although both were successful in utilizing language, language became a double-edged sword that facilitated much damage and left both characters with regret. 

Since the particles in a liquid move freely but are still relatively close together, how does that change the thickness of the liquid?

The particles in a liquid are much closer together than in a gas, and are free-flowing. The thickness of a liquid, which is called viscosity, is caused by attractions between particles. A liquid that's very viscous doesn't necessarily have particles that are closer together or moving slower, but it does have stronger attractions between the particles. Water is more viscous than pure ethanol because water molecules are more attracted to each other. This also explains why ethanol evaporates faster than water.

You've probably noticed that when ice melts, the liquid that forms doesn't have an observable difference in viscosity from water at a higher temperature. Pure substances melt at a precise temperature and go abruptly from solid to liquid rather than slowly softening and thinning.

Mixtures of substances tend to change viscosity with a temperature change. For example honey, which is an aqueous solution of a sugar, becomes less viscous when heated. Most oils do the same, because they're a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules. This happens because the presence of a different substance interferes with the ability of one substance to crystallize.

Do you find The Boy in the Striped Pajamas to be sad?

I personally find the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas to be sad. I feel that any time an author juxtaposes childhood innocence against the extreme evils of humanity, the audience feels sorrow. In regards to Schmuel, picturing a child who suffers from malnutrition and is exposed to the horrors of a concentration camp evokes empathy and sadness. Childhood is a sacred time in a person's life where they should have no worries and experience happiness. Shmuel's childhood is full of brutality, fear, and anxiety. Viewing one of humanity's darkest moments through the eyes of a naive child is extremely sad. Bruno does not understand much of the inhumanity he is witnessing. Bruno lives in a world where Nazi soldiers treat Jews with contempt and brutality. Imaging Pavel and Shmuel being ruthlessly beaten by Lieutenant Kotler is sickening to read. When Bruno finally enters the concentration camp, he comments on how hopeless and depressing the environment is. The reader can only image the helpless feeling the two boys experience when they cannot find Shmuel's father. The novel ends tragically when Bruno and Shmuel die in a gas chamber. They are simply innocent victims whose lives were violently stripped from them at a young age. Understanding that Bruno and Shmuel's friendship and love surpasses the brutality of the concentration camp is the only positive effect the novel has on the reader. As a whole, I find The Boy in the Striped Pajamas to be a sad novel.

In "The Pit and the Pendulum," how does the beginning contribute to the meaning of the story?

The beginning paragraph, after the Latin quatrain, serves the purpose of providing an ambiguous reason for the man to undergo the tortures he experiences in the story. Poe's obvious main interest in the story is describing the psychological effects of diabolical torture on its victim. Yet for the story to be somewhat plausible, the perpetrators of the torture must be introduced. The beginning of the story merely needs to establish the rationale, the antagonist, the inciting incident, and the mood so that the man's emotional struggle for survival can begin. Having the man being sentenced to death at the beginning creates the rationale for the torture; the narrator knows his life is at stake. The antagonist is introduced in the vaguest of terms. The words "Spanish Inquisition" are not used in the first paragraph, only the adjective "inquisitorial" to describe the voices. The mysterious black-robed judges with their grotesquely thin white lips stand for an institution rather than a single person who wants the man dead. The death sentence is the inciting incident, the event that begins the action of the story. With such a dramatic inciting incident, the reader becomes quickly involved, knowing the conflict is life or death. The primary way the beginning contributes to the meaning of the story, however, is by setting the mood. Since the story's meaning is all about how the man reacts to his torture, the gripping descriptions of his emotions in the beginning create the pattern for the rest of the story. The narrator shudders, he experiences "delirious horror," he is overcome with "deadly nausea," and he "felt every fibre in my frame thrill as if I had touched the wire of a galvanic battery." These descriptions and others clue the reader that intense emotions are in store while creating mystery and suspense. If he is feeling this way just at the sentencing, how will the man bear up under what is to come? Thus the first paragraph introduces the rationale for the torture and the antagonist as it describes the inciting incident, but more importantly, it establishes the psychological setting where the bulk of the story will occur. 

would there be a way to keep the surface area of the house the same but make the volume significantly smaller

It is not clear if you have a specific building in mind. The general answer is yes, you can have the same surface area with significantly less volume.

For example, suppose the house was in the form of a parallelpiped (a rectangular prism), with a flat roof. If we include the floor in the surface area we have the volume enclosed is l*w*h, and the surface area is 2(lw+lh+wh).

Let l=60,w=20, and h=10. Then the volume is 12000 cu units and the surface area is 4000 sq units.

If we adjust the length and width so that l=70 and w=16.25, the surface area remains 4000 sq units, but the volume is reduced to 11375 cu units.

The question then becomes, how do you define significantly. We can maintain the same surface area and reduce the volume to virtually zero, but the result is no longer a "house". At some point, if the width is reduced too much it is impossible to live in the home.

A 90x11x10 house has a surface area of 4000 sq units and a volume of 9900 cu units.

A 100x9.09x10 house has an approximate SA of 4000 and an approximate Volume of 9091 cu units.

What were four key points of the changing role of women in the USA in the 1920's?

Women’s roles were changing in many ways in the 1920s. Women began to work outside of the home. Women, especially young women, wanted to have a career. Women no longer wanted to just get married and become a housewife. 

Women’s dress also changed. Young women were called flappers. These were young women who dressed stylishly. They cared about how they looked in public. Their dresses got shorter, and they cared about their hairstyles.

Women also began to challenge social customs. Instead of being reserved and invisible, women began to drink and smoke in public. They also were no longer hesitant to voice their opinions. Women wanted to go to college to further their education.

Women also began to exercise their political rights. In 1920, women got the right to vote with the passage of the 19th amendment. Women began to vote once they got the right to vote. Women’s roles began to change significantly in the 1920s.

What "Line" are the people in front of the palace descended from in Oedipus Rex?

At the beginning of Oedipus Rex, the Priest makes a reference to the people being from the house of Cadmus. In Greek history, Cadmus is the first hero of Greece and the founder and first ruler of Thebes. Cadmus is an important figure, being one who killed monsters such as the dragon to protect the people. It is also thought that Cadmus is the one who introduced the Phoenician alphabet to the Greek people, which served as their literary foundation. After Cadmus's time, the descendants of Cadmus ruled in Thebes for generations, including Labdacus, the father of Laius, Laius himself, and then Laius' son by birth, Oedipus. So the ancestral foundation of the Theban people resides with Cadmus, and this common tie binds the people in the play.

In the story "The Sniper," what are some words and phrases the author used to describe the Republican sniper and what he's doing?

The Republican sniper, the main character in the story, is described as a young man with an innocent face, but he has the intense look of a soldier: 

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

He is young. Consider that before the war, he would have had no knowledge of the kinds of violence one sees in a war. He would have been innocent, naive, and perhaps full of hope. The author is trying to show the transition from innocence to "a man who is used to looking at death."

When the author describes him, he uses the word "ascetic" which means having extreme self-discipline. The sniper is constantly fighting for his life. He has learned this self-discipline out of necessity. It is kill or be killed and this is why he does not hesitate in killing the woman. The "cold gleam" in his eyes is the result of intense anxiety and awareness of everything around him. The author wants to make it clear that this was once a young, innocent man ("face of a student") who has now become a killing machine. This shows the dramatic and traumatic effects a war can have on the psyche. 

When the sniper is shot in the arm, he endures the pain like a professional and plans his escape. But note that when he kills his enemy and the enemy hits the ground, the sniper does break out of his single-minded soldierly mentality. "His teeth chattered, he began to gibber to himself, cursing the war, cursing himself, cursing everybody." His humanism comes back to him for a moment. But the moment is fleeting. The violent sound of his revolver accidentally going off brings him back to that soldier's mentality. It is the violence that has conditioned him to become a soldier with "the cold gleam of the fanatic." 

In The Crucible, how did people react to Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris?

The townspeople of Salem treat Hale as sort of a celebrity when he first arrives in Salem. They are in awe at his books, knowledge and reputation. They question him in detail about his experience and role in the happenings in Andover—a nearby town that was having its own similar problems. They have a lot of respect and curiosity for Hale, and present him with a lot of attention.

On the other hand, the townspeople of Salem are harsh and judgmental to Reverend Parris. There is a consensus within the town that Reverend Parris is only concerned with the material things in life instead of focusing on God and religion. For example, they claim he is the first to request the deed to the church; he wants the pewter candlesticks replaced with gold; and he preaches about money more than he preaches about God. The parishioners are unhappy with the job he has done since being in Salem thus far. 

What are some introductory questions for student feedback of this text?

Introductory questions for student feedback: 

Marius calls his approach to Luther “essentially nonreligious.” What strengths and weaknesses do you find in this approach to a religious figure? In other words, what agendas might be shed and what agendas acquired?

Is Martin Luther, as Marius contends, a “catastrophe” for Western civilization? Why or why not? Another way of putting this: can one man be responsible for a civilization’s “catastrophe” or is this a result of trends larger than any one person can control?

Marius contends that what drove Luther was the question of whether God really can raise us from death. How does this relate to the apostle Paul? How does it relate to our own times? To you? 

Related to the question above, discuss how Luther’s fear of death drove his theology. It has been said the personal is the political: is the personal also the theological?

Do you agree with Marius that Luther’s sense of doubt was deeper than most have acknowledged? To what extent might Marius’s “nonreligious” viewpoint color his interpretation?

How does Marius characterize Luther’s relationship with Erasmus?

Do you blame Luther, as Marius does, for opposing Erasmus’s humanism?

Is Luther to blame for the religious wars of the sixteenth century, as Marius contends? Why or why not.

Marius says very little about Luther after 1527. What is your reaction to that?

In Tuck Everlasting, what is unusual about the Tuck family? What clues does the author give?

The Tuck family is different from every other family that Winnie Foster will ever meet, because the Tuck family is a family of immortals.  That's right, they will live forever.  Makes me wonder if Twilight took any inspiration from this book.  After all, that book was about a "regular," loving family of immortals too.  

Eventually the author explicitly tells readers that the Tuck family is a family of immortals, so I assume that your question is asking about early clues that the Tuck family is more than a family living in the woods.  

Chapter 2 introduces the reader to Mr. and Mrs. Tuck.  Mae wakes Tuck up from a peaceful sleep, and he says the following line:

"Why'd you have to wake me up?" he sighed. "I was having that dream again, the good one where we're all in heaven and never heard of Treegap."

That seems like a very odd thing to say.  Earlier Treegap was described as a peaceful little hamlet.  It hardly sounded like a place people would flee from.  The heaven comment is weird too.  Essentially, Tuck is wishing he were dead and in heaven.  

Mae Tuck tells Tuck that he should get over having that dream because nothing is going to change.  

"But, all the same, you should've got used to things by now."

Got used to what?  Why won't things change?  In fact, what things won't change?  It's a very odd conversation that they are having and more than hints to readers that there is something different about the Tucks.  

Chapter two's closing line drops the big hint that the Tuck family is not normal.  

For Mae Tuck, and her husband, and Miles and Jesse, too, had all looked exactly the same for eighty-seven years.

Wait, what?  87 years!  How does anybody look the same for that long of time?  I mean, some Hollywood stars definitely try, but Treegap doesn't seem like a place for high priced plastic surgeons.  From this point forward, the reader quickly learns about the spring water and its ability to give immortality, and Winnie must decide whether or not she would like to join the Tuck family in their uniqueness.  

Describe Brian's plan to land the plane when it ran out of fuel?

In Chapter 2 of Hatchet, Brian is faced with a critical decision as a result of the pilot's heart attack: he must find a way to land the plane. Remembering what he has learned about planes in the past and what the pilot taught him before his fatal heart attack, Brian tries to take control of the wheel and rudder of the plane, nosing the plane up so it can resume a steady path. He also attempts to use the radio to request help. In his search for the radio, Brian bumps the pilot, causing the plane to move suddenly. Knowing now that he truly is on his own, he finally finds the radio, but loses a signal before sending a coherent message. Brian decides that he must calm down and figure out a way to land the plane while sending distress calls on the radio every ten minutes. The distress calls goes unanswered, and he is uncertain if he should attempt to land the plane on his own or wait until it runs out of gas. Brian cannot bring himself to voluntarily land the plane until it finally runs out of gas and goes down. Aware that he must avoid trees, Brian tries to guide the plane toward a lake is it goes in for a crash landing.

Describe the two appearances of the ghost in "The Canterville Ghost."

In "The Canterville Ghost," the ghost makes his first appearance in Chapter Two. The family are in bed, having spent a full day driving, and the ghost plans to scare them by carrying his chains up and down the corridor. The noise wakes Mr Otis who gets out of bed and opens the door to find an "old man of terrible aspect" stood before him. His eyes were as "red as burning coals" and his clothes were "soiled" and "ragged." Instead of being terrified, however, Mr Otis offers the ghost a bottle of Tammany Sun Rising Lubricator to oil his chains and to prevent any further noise. This confuses the ghost and prompts him to flee down the corridor and return to his chamber.

The ghost makes his second appearance on a Sunday night in Chapter Three. Again, the family are in bed when they are awoken by a sudden crash in the downstairs hallway. When the family arrives downstairs, they find the ghost injured, "with an acute expression of agony on his face," because he has tried and failed to wear an antique suit of armor. Suddenly, the twins begin firing their pea-shooters at him while Mr Otis threatens him with a revolver. In response, the ghost lets out of a "wild shriek of rage" and then flees the room, extinguishing Washington's candle as he goes.

From the top of the stairs, the ghost laughs demonically, in an attempt to scare the family, but this fails. Instead, Mrs Otis opens her bedroom door and offers him some tincture for his "indigestion." Indignant and humiliated, the ghost turns "faintly phosphorescent" before vanishing into thin air.

What is the point of view of "Lamb to the Slaughter?"

The point of view is strictly that of Mary Maloney. Here is a typical example.

For her, this was always a wonderful time of day. She knew he didn't want to speak much until the first drink was finished, and she was satisfied to sit quietly, enjoying his company after the long hours alone in the house. She loved the warmth that came out of him when they were alone together. She loved the shape of his mouth, and she especially liked the way he didn't complain about being tired.

The narrator tells what Mary thinks, feels, and does. When Patrick is described, it is through Mary's point of view (POV). For example:

When he came back, she noticed that the new drink was a very strong one. She watched him as he began to drink.

The reader is not permitted to enter into Patrick's mind but can only guess what he is thinking and feeling from the way he acts, as observed by his doting wife. We know that Patrick has something important and painful on his mind because Mary sees he has made a very strong highball.

There is an excellent anthology of short stories arranged by points of view as classified by the editors, James Moffett and Kenneth R. McElheny. The full title of the book is Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories (Rev. Ed. August 1995). "Lamb to the Slaughter" is not included in this anthology, but the editors would place it in the category they call ANONYMOUS NARRATION--SINGLE CHARACTER POINT OF VIEW. This is a very common story-telling technique. The story is told in the third person, e.g., "She watched him as he began to drink." The way Roald Dahl handles point of view in this story shows he is an accomplished fiction writer. 

Point of view is very important in story-telling because it is the chief way in which the author gets the reader emotionally involved with one of the characters. In "Lamb to the Slaughter" we sympathize and identify with Mary Maloney, even though she commits a murder, because we are held in her point of view from beginning to end. There is no one else with whom to identify without switching points of view, which can risk losing reader involvement. The other important way in which the author usually gets the reader to identify with one character is by giving that character a problem that must be solved. Mary's problem is that she has killed her husband and has to establish an alibi and dispose of the murder weapon. 

When the investigating police officers are devouring the thoroughly cooked and delicious murder weapon, they converse among themselves; but the author makes it clear that their dialogue is all being heard by Mary and that the reader is still in her point of view. Here is part of the dialogue and the very last line of the story which shows that Mary is listening to the whole conversation:

"Personally, I think the weapon is somewhere near the house."

"It's probably right under our noses. What do you think, Jack?"

And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to laugh.

In "The Road Not Taken," Robert Frost rhymes "sigh" with "I" and less traveled "by." What conclusions can you draw about the speaker’s attitude...

"The Road Not Taken" is a classic poem, regarded by many as the most famous English-language poem of all time, but it is deceptively tricky to interpret. 

In your question, you are looking at the final stanza of the poem. The first and the fourth lines of the stanza start with "I" and end with "sigh" and "by," respectively. To understand what this rhyming does, ask yourself, "How do these sounds make me feel?" The "I" sound is open, and it is almost a sigh if only understood as a sound. This sound, the sound of a sigh, goes with the tone of the final stanza. In this stanza, the narrator is reflective, almost sentimental, and is looking back on his/her life. The rhyming of these sounds adds to the sentimental reflection. 

Sentimentality is also known to be manipulative. Oftentimes, sentimentalism obscures the facts of an actual event. Indeed, in this stanza, the narrator changes what he said earlier in the poem (that the two paths "had worn... really about the same") and states "I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference." This is a sentimental trick. He views his actions as having made all the difference, but he actually chose the path almost at random. These sounds ("I") add to this wistful, sentimental shift.

Why did Great Britain and France decide not to get involved in the Civil War after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation?

Lincoln's proclamation redefined the purpose of the war. It added a moral dimension to a war that had been officially about preserving the Union by destroying the rebellion. In short, it established that a result of the war would be the destruction of slavery. Given this fact, France and especially Great Britain would, by intervening in the war or recognizing the Confederacy, be supporting slavery in the eyes of many of their own people. Slavery was deeply unpopular among many influential English people (the nation having abolished slavery in its own right a few decades earlier) and the Emancipation Proclamation made the cause of the Confederacy morally repugnant. But in many ways, it reaffirmed what many British people were already thinking. Southerners had thought that the war, and the blockade that resulted, would bring about a "cotton famine" in Europe that would drive Britain and France, under the goading of wealthy and influential manufacturers, to intervene to stop the war or at least lift the blockade. This never really happened, though, partly because larger than normal cotton exports in the years before the war had led to surpluses. The mills in places like Manchester never stopped running. When shortages did occur, they were at least partly offset by cotton raised in India and other places in the British Empire. There were some in both nations who favored the Confederate cause, and a few incidents involving the blockade did lead to ill will between the Union and Great Britain, but forces advocating neutrality in the American conflict were always strong in Great Britain. So Lincoln's decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation sealed the decision to stay out of the conflict for both Britain and France.