Fortunato, who has been out enjoying Carnival, is wearing a clown's hat. Think about what you generally associate with clowns. Symbolically, why is...

The motley is significant because it demonstrates that Fortunato was impaired.

Montresor wants to get revenge against Fortunato for some imagined grievance.  He plans out the trap very carefully.  Part of the plan is to catch Fortunato during Carnival.  Carnival is a holiday where people let loose and celebrate after the Catholic ritual of Lent.  The whole city is celebrating.

The reason Carnival was the perfect time for Montresor to target Fortunato is that his guard would be down.  Carnival is a big party.  By the time Montresor found him, Fortunato was dressed in a costume and very drunk.

He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells. I was so pleased to see him that I thought I should never have done wringing his hand.

Montresor describes the “supreme madness of the carnival season.”  Fortunato will not be suspicious because he is having a good time and doesn’t expect anything bad to happen. He also is not sober enough to notice that something is wrong.

There is a great irony to the clown suit.  Fortunato is attending a celebrating and having the time of his life.  He is dressed to enjoy himself.  Instead, he is going to his death.  Montresor clearly has no pity for him.  He just wants to do whatever he can to get him down into the catacombs so he can kill him.

When you are enjoying yourself, you often have good feelings about those you meet.  Of course, the alcohol had something to do with it.  Fortunato finds Montresor's company pleasant, because Montresor pretends to care about him.  He even makes a reference to the Masons, which Montresor does not understand and turns into a joke.

What are some examples of irony in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley?

One of the big examples of irony in Frankenstein is that Victor set out to artificially create life, and in doing so successfully, the monster which he brought to life reigned death upon his family, systematically killing each of Victor's loved ones one at a time. In learning how to "create" life, Victor causes a domino effect of death.

Also, the "monster" is not born a monster. Rather (after being abandoned by Victor), it's interested in, first, taking care of its basic needs (food, warmth, shelter), and then it's interested in human connection. This last need drives the monster to reach out to several groups of people from which it's constantly rejected, attacked, and driven away. Even after the monster saves a little girl from drowning, the crowd attacks the monster and forces it away. The "monster" only grows bitter, angry, evil, and "monstrous" when society treats it with cruelty. So, Victor did not create a monster outright, but his initial abandonment and a string of cruelty created the monster.

Finally, if you consider Frankenstein to be a Gothic novel, Gothic literature sort of showed the "dark side" of Romanticism. So, Romantic literature had sweeping landscapes and epic adventures and quests fulfilling the broad and sweeping desires of human progress. The Gothic movement included the sweeping landscapes and grand adventures in Romanticism, but it also showed the consequences of unchecked ambition. Despite making great strides and progress in science, Victor fails to predict the terrible consequences not considering whether his quest was moral in the first place. So, Victor achieves a great scientific achievement which also causes the deaths of all of his loved ones and the downfall of his career and life. To put it simply, Victor's story shows that just because we CAN do something doesn't mean we SHOULD do something.  

In Beowulf, what are the characteristics of Thanes and what are some examples?

Throughout the course of events in Beowulf, the Thanes seemed to transform from happy people celebrating God to a group of sad men that ran for their lives to escape being killed by Grendel. 

For one, the Thanes were religious. Readers find them singing of God's praises in the opening lines of the section titled "The Wrath of Grendel":

As day after day the music rang

Loud in that hall, the harp's rejoicing

Call and the poet's clear songs, sung

Of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling

The Almighty making the earth, shaping 

These beautiful plains marked off by oceans,

Then proudly setting the sun and moon

To glow across the land and light it;

The Thanes sang of their appreciation and pleasure for the world the Almighty created for them. 

Before the disturbance of Grendel started, the Thanes lived happily in Herot as stated in the text:

So Hrothgar's men lived happy in his hall

The transition began once Grendel started his attacks. The Thanes then quit celebrating and enjoying their once-content lives. After they saw the damage Grendel did to their people and their hall, their laughs and cheers turned into tears and cries. Following the attack in which Grendel captured the lives of 30 Thanes, they awoke and interrupted their celebratory lives with "tears and laments." 

Then their sadness turned into fear. They assumed distance was the only safety, so they deserted the land in which they had called home for twelve years. 

The Thanes could be characterized from one spectrum to the other throughout different parts of the epic. They first appear to readers as happy warriors celebrating life and religion, and then quickly find themselves a group of sad, fearful followers that flee in order to save their own lives. 

How did a family's social class status impact their experiences during the war?

Because this question doesn’t reference a specific war, I will answer how a family’s social status impacted their war experiences with examples from three wars.

In the Civil War, the wealthy people had an easier time getting out of being drafted. In the North, a person could buy his way out of fighting by paying $300.00 to the government. In both the North and the South, a person could also hire a substitute to fight for him. A wealthy person would be more likely to be able to afford this than a poorer person would be. In the South, a white southerner was exempt from the draft if the plantation had 20 or more slaves. Plantation owners were generally wealthy.

During World War II, the government instituted a system of rationing of essential supplies. Products like meat, bread, and gasoline were rationed, or limited, each month. Since the demand for these products didn’t drop significantly, an underground market or the black market developed where people could get more than their allotted share if they were willing to pay higher prices. Those who were wealthy could afford to do this.

In the Vietnam War, a person could get their draft status listed as deferred if they were attending college. Those who were wealthier than others would be able to afford college and get the draft status listed as deferred.

There were several ways a family’s status impacted their war experience.

Explain how inventions like the incandescent light bulb, the telephone, and the telegraph promoted economic growth during the Industrial...

Inventions like the light bulb, the telegraph, and the telephone helped the economy grow during the Industrial Revolution. These inventions made it easier to do business. With the light bulb, it was easier for workers to see what they were doing. This allowed them to make more products and to make them accurately. It also was easier to maintain an office. The light bulb helped the office workers to do their jobs. With more products being made and eventually sold, the economy was able to grow.

The telegraph and the telephone helped improve communications. It was easier for businesses to communicate with each other and with their customers. Owners and managers could make business decisions faster with the telegraph and the telephone. They could make quick adjustments to the workforce based on specific needs. They could also adjust their need for supplies quicker based on the demand for their products. People could order products quicker. This cut down on the time it took for a customer to receive an order after the customer decided what needed to be purchased. Since it was easier to make an order and process it, more products could be produced and sold. This also helped the economy grow.

In "A Rose for Emily," what can the reader learn about the standards of the town by its setting?

In "A Rose for Emily," the setting of the town says much about the standards of the people who live there.  The second paragraph of the story speaks to the changes that have occurred in the physical appearance and layout of the town.  Miss Emily's house is one dating back to the 1870s, and it is adorned with "cupolas and squires and scrolled balconies."  The house rests on town's "most select street."  However, the rest of the town has been taken over by garages and cotton gins, suggesting that the town has become a more working class area than it once was.  But Miss Emily's house remains a symbol of "stubborn and coquettish decay" amid the changes that have occurred around her.  So, it is likely that the town's values have also changed because the socio-economic status of the people who live there is now different.  For example, the townspeople all take seriously the payment of their taxes, while Miss Emily believes that she should remain exempt from paying based on a deal that her father made with a previous mayor.

What quotes illustrate Romeo and Juliet's awareness of their forbidden love? How do the Nurse and Friar Lawrence emphasize the forbidden quality of...

Juliet says after she first meets Romeo and discovers he is a Montague: "My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, That I must love a loathed enemy." 

When they meet on the balcony after the Capulet's party, they have this exchange. This is an interaction that reveals they are aware of how dangerous their love is and how it is forbidden: 

ROMEO: By a name I know not how to tell thee who I am: My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself, Because it is an enemy to thee; Had I it written, I would tear the word.

JULIET: My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words Of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound: Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?

ROMEO: Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.

When the Nurse meets Romeo, she says:

"But first let me tell ye, if ye should lead her into a fool's paradise, as they say, it were a very gross kind of behavior, as they say: for the gentlewoman is young; and, therefore, if you should deal double with her, truly it were an ill thing to be offered to any gentlewoman, and very weak dealing." 

The Nurse isn't directly refusing for them to be together, but she recognizes the dangers in Romeo and Juliet falling in love.

Before he marries the lovers, Friar Laurence gives Romeo a fair warning about loving one's enemy and marrying hastily:

"These violent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, Which as they kiss consume: the sweetest honey Is loathsome in his own deliciousness And in the taste confounds the appetite: Therefore love moderately; long love doth so; Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow."

After Romeo kills Tybalt, Juliet's Cousin, the Nurse says:

"There's no trust, No faith, no honesty in men; all perjured, All forsworn, all naught, all dissemblers. Ah, where's my man? give me some aqua vitae: These griefs, these woes, these sorrows make me old. Shame come to Romeo!"

Describe Patrick's characteristics. What textual evidence does the author use to describe him in order to achieve this effect?

In the opening paragraphs of the story, the narrator describes Mary's perception of her husband. She adores him. She watches the clock with pleased anticipation because each moment that passes is one moment closer to when Patrick will come home from work. When he gets home, she waits on him, taking his coat and getting him a drink. This is their ritual. She loves everything about being in his presence: 

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.

Given the way the narrator describes Mary's admiration for her husband, the reader would assume that he is a good husband, one deserving of Mary's praise. However, he behaves coldly toward her in preparation for giving her the news that he is leaving. He says this pretty flippantly. If this is any indication of how he'd always treated her, he never deserved such praise. He promises to give her money (she is pregnant) and selfishly says he hopes the break-up won't be a problem because it wouldn't be good for his job. 

First, the author describes Mary's extreme admiration for Patrick. This helps the reader understand Mary's shock when he gives her the news that he is leaving. The reader has the impression of a good husband and is then presented with a selfish adulterer. The reader then can understand Mary's shock. The subsequent shock (to the reader) is how Mary reacts.

What's the problem in Freak the Mighty?

There are two main problems in Freak the Mighty: one has to do with the villain of the novel and the other has to do with Kevin’s birth defect.  

The first main problem has to do with the villain of the book: Kenny “Killer” Kane (Max’s father). This character darkens the entire book; however, we first begin to realize what a scary character Kane is through Max’s reaction to the principal’s news that Max’s dad is about to get out of jail on parole. As a result of this news, Max falls into hysterics, which eventually leads to a loss of memory about the whole incident. Kenny “Killer” Kane remains an ominous and unseen figure until the end of the book where we see exactly what an evil character Kenny “Killer” Kane truly is. Kane kidnaps Max while we learn that Kane truly did kill Max’s mother.

The other main problem in the book is that Kevin has a severe birth defect. As a result, Kevin’s legs are severely deformed. Kevin cannot get around without braces and crutches. The positive effect of Kevin’s condition is that Max and Kevin are able to create the unified character of “Freak the Mighty.” When Kevin gets around on Max’s shoulders, the two become a force to be reckoned with. More serious than the issue with Kevin’s legs, though, is the fact that Kevin’s heart is “too big for his body.” This causes Kevin’s eventual death.

What was the main reason that prohibition ended?

The main reasons that Prohibition ended is that it was a failure. It failed, in short, because it lacked nationwide popular support. Because it was so unpopular (or to look at it another way, because alcohol was so popular) it was never really observed. This was a problem that went far beyond the speakeasies and bathtub gin that we associate with the popular culture of the Twenties. Prohibition ushered in a period of organized crime without parallel in American history as gangsters like Al Capone battled for control of the now-illegal alcohol trade. While it still had some support, especially in the South, popular opinion had turned heavily against Prohibition by the end of the decade. When Franklin Roosevelt ran for President in 1932, repealing Prohibition was a major plank in his platform. Shortly after his inauguration, the Twenty-First Amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, which had established Prohibition in 1920. Prohibition passed largely unmourned. It is largely viewed by historians as a failed experiment in social control and legislating moral issues.

In "Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind" by Stephen Crane, from whose point of view is the poem being told?

Crane undoubtedly drew on his experiences as a war correspondent, so we might say that the poem is written from that perspective or, more generally, from one who has witnessed war up close. 

Note that the poem is ironic and/or sarcastic. The notion that "war is kind" is clearly sarcastic because the speaker follows this phrase with descriptions of violence and death. War is not kind. The idea of the glory of fighting for one's country and/or principles is also called into question with phrases like "the unexplained glory flies above them." The poem also focuses on human loss. This includes the thousands of soldiers who have died but also the loved ones they have left behind. Mothers have lost sons, children have lost fathers, and women have lost lovers/husbands. Given these elements of the poem, one could imagine the correspondent directing his seriously sarcastic comments to them.

The point of view would come from one who has witnessed war. So, and this may be a stretch, the poem could also be interpreted as coming from the point of view of a slain soldier, offering sarcastic words of wisdom from beyond the grave. 

At the beginning of the story, Miss Strangeworth is characterized as?

At the beginning of the story Miss Strangeworth is characterized as a sweet, kindly little old lady who lives a very simple life in a small town and who takes an interest in the welfare and happiness of everybody in her town. She has a regular routine which she follows practically every day. She goes for a walk in the morning, stops by the grocery store to pick up a few items, goes home, eats lunch, takes a nap, and then goes for another walk late in the day. She knows everybody and frequently stops to chat with people. Her only hobby--as far as anyone knows--is caring for her beautiful rose bushes.

She knew everyone in town, of course; she was fond of telling strangers – tourists who sometimes passed through the town and stopped to admire Miss Strangeworth’s roses – that she had never spent more than a day outside this town in all her long life. She was seventy-one. My grandmother planted these roses, and my mother tended them, just as I do.”… 

Later in the story, it comes as a big surprise to learn that this sweet, innocent, kindly little old lady has another hobby and that it is a sinister one. She likes to write anonymous letters to people in the town which create worry, suspicion, animosity and hostility. As readers, we are the only ones who know about this second hobby, which reveals a streak of cruelty and insanity even Miss Strangeworth is unaware of herself. She observes that many people seem troubled lately, but she has no idea that she is the cause of these troubles with her slanderous poison-pen letters. 

"The Possibility of Evil" might be compared with Shirley Jackson's better-known story "The Lottery." Both are about people in small towns. In "The Lottery" the author exposes the dark sides of all the seemingly wholesome, neighborly people in the small town. In "The Possibility of Evil," Jackson focuses on the dark side of one apparently benevolent and virtuous old lady--the last person in the whole town anyone would suspect of harboring evil thousand or intentions. 

What is the style in O'Henry's "After Twenty Years"?

This romantic/sentimental and melodramatic style of O. Henry's stories is certainly evident in "After Twenty Years."

The sentimental element enters early in the narrative as two friends have arranged to meet each other after having parted ways twenty years ago. One of the friends stands in the doorway of what was once the diner where the two men often ate, and when a policeman on his beat stops, the man says with characteristic O. Henry unwitting irony that he is waiting for the "finest chap in the world," who will be sure to come soon.

"We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be."

As it turns out, there is the incongruity of O. Henry's stories in this statement from "Silky" Bob because during his declaration he has unknowingly revealed his destiny with the light of his match, which shows his face and diamond scarf pin. Also, his old friend Jimmy, who is actually the policeman, does not arrest him then because he is too sentimental about his long friendship with Bob. Instead, he returns to the police station where he elicits the aid of a plain clothes policeman. 

So, the ironic reversal occurs as the plain clothes man's false identity is discovered and this man gives "Silky" Bob the note that informs him why Jimmy has not met him at the location of the old diner.

In the book Fahrenheit 451, does Montag like Mildred?

Mildred and Montag may have loved each other at one point, but now they live in a loveless marriage and basically just co-exist in their home.  Mildred is obsessed with her soap opera family and watches television to escape her unhappy life.  She overdoses on drugs to be able to bear her life or in a conscious or unconscious attempt to commit suicide. 

After meeting Clarisse, Montag is disgusted with Mildred’s overdoses, and he begins to search for a better life.  When he tells Mildred that he has books hidden in the house, she is unsupportive and terrified that they will get caught.  Mildred eventually turns in Montag for having books to Beatty.  We see the marriage crumbling when she runs out of the house and leaves Montag when Beatty confronts him and asks him to burn down his own home. 

Montag has outgrown his relationship with Mildred as he is discovering the importance of knowledge and books.  Mildred, unfortunately, has been so brainwashed by society that she and Montag would probably never be able to stay together.  All love has been lost in their relationship as they grow apart physically and emotionally throughout the book.  After learning about himself, Montag probably doesn't like the person Mildred has become in the novel.

What are the political advantages of having committee?

There are political advantages to having a committee. By forming a committee, when it comes to passing a law, the committee is able to take its time to study the proposed bill in detail. The committee can examine the positive aspects and the positive effects of the proposed bill. It can also examine the negative aspects of it. If the committee does an in-depth analysis, it might even discover some unintended consequences of the proposed idea or bill.

By having a committee examine a bill, when it is time for the full legislative body to vote on it, the members of the legislative body can be pretty confident the proposed bill has been examined thoroughly. Thus, the committee’s recommendation may influence how an elected official votes on the proposed law. Sometimes, a committee will prevent a proposal from moving forward by not letting the idea come out of the committee. This way, the full legislative body doesn’t have to defeat the proposed idea.

By creating a committee, members of the full legislative body can be confident that time has been given to thoroughly analyze a proposed idea or law. The public may also feel the same confidence about enough time being given for the idea to be examined and studied.

What is the physical description of nature?

Let's limit "nature" to the biosphere itself.  The biosphere is not the entire planet Earth.  The biosphere is only the sections of the planet where life can successfully exist.  In miles, the biosphere extends about 5 miles up into the atmosphere and 5 miles below sea level.  Within that biosphere, nature is divided into different biomes/ecosystems.  Those ecosystems include everything that is living and non-living within it that affects the environment.  Living (biotic) factors will be any and all of the the plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and protists that live in the area.  The non-living (abiotic) factors will be things like average temperatures, wind, rainfall, air quality, amount of sunlight, etc.  An entire ecosystem is generally what a person is talking about when referring to the physical "being" of nature.  

You are home alone one day, and you are only left with a television, your computer and your fridge. While watching your favorite movie, you got...

You have 5 apples, 3 bananas, and 4 mangoes. You will eat two different fruits; in how many ways can you arrange your snack? Let A represent apple, B banana, and M mango.

There are multiple ways to solve this. Here is one:

Since there will be two different fruits we can find the number of ways for each possibility; for each possibility we use the fundamental counting principle:

(1) AB=5x3=15
(2) BA=3x5=15
(3) AM=5x4=20
(4) MA=4x5=20
(5) BM=3x4=12
(6) MB=4x3=12

Assuming the order you eat the fruit matters there are 94 different arrangements. (This is the number of permutations.)

If the order does not matter (e.g. banana then mango is essentially the same snack as mango then banana) then there are 47 different arrangements. (This would be the number of combinations.)

From the wording of the problem, I would select 94 different arrangements.

When the Second Bank of the United States was chartered, it showed that:

The chartering of the Second Bank of the United States showed that the power of the federal government was growing. There had been a great deal of debate in our country regarding how much power the federal government should have. One way to enhance the power of the federal government is to loosely interpret the Constitution. A loose view of the Constitution allows the government to do anything unless the Constitution specifically prevents the action from happening. Since there is nothing in the Constitution about having a Bank of the United States, the fact that we just chartered the Second Bank of the United States shows that the power of the federal government was growing. This was confirmed in the McCulloch v Maryland Supreme Court decision in 1819.

In "The Devil and Tom Walker," how would the story change if it was in a different time and place?

What an interesting question! As we answer it, I think we'll see that the story is universal: that it could happen anywhere, during any time, because it's simply the story of someone so greedy and immoral that he succumbs to temptation and ultimately has to pay a hefty price for it.

As such, the tale deals with the heights of human greed and the destruction it brings, which is true no matter what time period or location we're in.

For example, let's move the story from early America to Elizabethan England. A penniless actor could meet the devil while out for a walk late at night, accept the devil's offer of riches, and quickly become a wealthy owner of many theaters, overcharging his audience members and forcing his actors to work long hours. Then one day as he's yelling at a group of actors, telling them that they'll have to take a pay cut and go hungry, he says, "The devil take me if I ever made a shilling off any of you!” At that point the devil could show up and take his soul.

See? It’s easy (and kind of fun) to imagine the story with a different setting.

Let’s do it once more: we’ll move it to the distant future, to a colony on Mars. A jobless Mars-dweller meets the devil while out for a spin in her hover-car. She accepts the devil’s offer of power and money and starts a terraforming company, charging exorbitant fees to colonies on other planets whose inhabitants need safer air to breathe. One day as she’s threatening to cut off a whole planet’s oxygen supply for failing to pay the ever-increasing maintenance fees, the devil swoops in and takes her soul.

Of course, you could write a more imaginative and elaborate version of the story if you like. The point is that the setting of “The Devil and Tom Walker” is interesting and adds color to the story, but it would work just as easily in any other time or place simply because the theme is universal.

In the book Flowers for Algernon, what was Charlie warned of before the operation?

In the book Flowers for Algernon, Charlie Gordon undergoes an experimental surgery in an attempt to improve his low IQ. The surgery has previously been done on a mouse named Algernon, who Charlie meets during the story and develops love and respect for. At the beginning of the story, Charlie's IQ is only 68, and he attends a literacy class for adults with learning disabilities. His teacher, Miss Kinnian, recommends him for the surgery based on his motivation for learning. The scientists who developed the experimental surgery, Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur, hope that the surgery will triple Charlie's intelligence.

Before the surgery, Charlie is warned that the effects of the procedure may not be permanent. Charlie was willing to undergo the surgery in the hopes that intelligence might make him more likable and bring new friends. After the surgery, Charlie does experience significant improvement in his intelligence, but it does not last.

What were two advantages the Hittite soldiers had over their enemies?

The Hittite Army was one of the most feared units in all of the ancient world. The brutality that they exacted on their enemies had a profound psychological effect. One of the reasons for their success was the use of superior weapons. The Hittites were able to manufacture and utilize iron weapons. Imagine the disadvantage that you faced when doing battle with bronze shields and your enemy has iron. The Hittites also made use of the chariot which put them at a great advantage over their enemies.

Another reason for the success of the Hittite military is due to its organization. The Hittites were the first military to commission officers. The Hittites recognized seven different ranks of officers. They organized their troops into evenly numbered units with an officer in charge of each outfit. Within the Hittite military, there were four different branches. The four branches included chariotry, infantry, cavarly, and navy. The organization of the Hittite military was unprecedented for that time period.

What is the theme of the octave of "On His Blindness"?

John Milton's "On His Blindness" is written in the form of a Petrarchan sonnet, consisting of an eight-line octave rhymed ABBA ABBA and a sestet rhymed CDECDE. As is typical of the genre, the poem poses a problem in the octave which is then resolved in the sestet.

The main theme of the poem is autobiographical. Milton, born in 1608, had been an active writer and engaged in the main political struggles of his period in his writing for most of his career. In 1654, he went blind. This blindness, occurring in middle rather than old age,  is what he reflects upon in the lines:

WHEN I consider how my light is spent

E're half my days, ...

The rest of the octave is a complaint that he used his writings to serve God, but being blind, he is now limited in his ability to perform that task, as he must be read to rather than being able to read, and dictate his works to assistants rather than being able to write himself. He wonders why God is depriving him of the very tools he uses to serve God. That complaint is then resolved in the sestet by acceptance of God's will. 

How can I analyze Horatio's last speech in Act 5 Scene 2 of Hamlet?

The reference is to what Horatio says soon after Claudius' and Laertes' devious plot for the swordfight between Laertes and Hamlet is discovered. Both men have been poisoned and Queen Gertrude is dead. Laertes confessed the  plot and Hamlet has stabbed King Claudius who has died. Laertes has also expired. When Horatio realises that his best friend is also about to die, he says:

Never believe it:
I am more an antique Roman than a Dane:
Here's yet some liquor left.

Horatio is referring to Hamlet's request that he report the reasons for the carnage around him. Hamlet wants him to tell others about his cause to those whose curiosity needs to be satisfied. Horatio tells him that he won't do it for he is more like a Roman soldier who would commit suicide than continue living without his comrade (Hamlet). He wishes to drink from the chalice since there is still some of the poisoned wine left in it. Hamlet then beseeches him not to do so and asks Horatio to give him the cup. Horatio refuses and Hamlet actually has to wrest it from him.

Give me the cup: let go; by heaven, I'll have't.

After Hamlet dies, Horatio says that his noble heart is broken and in his farewell wishes that the angels sweetly sing Hamlet him to his everlasting sleep.

When Prince Fortinbras and the English ambassador arrive, Horatio informs them, on a question by the Prince about the carnage that they have been informed about, that if they wish to see nothing but sorrow and wonder, they need look no further. It is all right there for them to see.

When the ambassador informs those around that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead and asks who he should approach to thank them for having performed what was asked (i.e. the execution of the two) Horatio, in referring to Claudius, says that they won't hear thanks from. This is so because firstly, he is deceased and secondly, it is not he who had given the instruction. Horatio is referring here to Hamlet's intervention on the ship to England when he had entered the two men's cabin and altered Claudius' letter so that it read that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern should be executed instead of him (as per the original instruction by Claudius).

Horatio then asks that the bodies all be placed on a stage for everyone to view before he gives reasons for the surrounding carnage. He will inform all those who are in the dark of the various schemes and plots that led to the unfortunate demise of all the deceased. He will speak of carnal affairs (Claudius' marriage to Gertrude), bloody and unnatural deeds (the murder of King Hamlet), errors in judgment and casual slaughters (Polonius accidentally killed by Hamlet and Ophelia's unfortunate suicide) as well as the current deaths which resulted from calculated and shrewd plotting as well as 'forced cause' which refers to Hamlet being forced to avenge his father's murder and reclaim the throne.

Horatio guarantees that he can truthfully tell his audience about the reason for the current situation which arose from a plot gone wrong, where the plotters were entangled in their own web and paid with their lives.

When Prince Fortinbras speaks about the fact that he also remembers a claim he has on property in Denmark, Horatio tells him that he would also address that issue. He says this because Hamlet has passed his title on to the Prince before he died. he mentions that he will be Hamlet's mouthpiece and the news will be spread. Furthermore, Horatio begs that they should all be calm whilst the bodies are removed and placed on a stage. He does not want there to be any trouble ('mischance') caused by misunderstanding or some hot-headed action by anyone.

Water quality can be improved by what 4 processes?

Water quality can be improved by a number of processes. Some of these processes take place naturally, while the other are engineered by human beings. These processes include:

• Aeration: of water supplies ensure appropriate amount of dissolved oxygen in water. In natural water bodies, atmospheric aeration takes place naturally and ensures that all the organic impurities get decomposed, foul gases gets removed and dissolved oxygen levels are maintained. In water treatment process, we use mechanical means to supply air to water.


• Disinfection: is the process of removal of infectious agents, such as pathogens. Normally, we add disinfectants such as chlorine or ozone to disinfect the water, in a water treatment plant.


• Sedimentation: is the process by which heavy impurities settle down, when the water is stationary. This is the reason for the purity of lake and pond water. Sedimentation is also carried out in water treatment plants.


• Filtration: is used to remove small impurities by passing water through narrow sized filters. Such filters are commonly used in water treatment plants. Flow of water feom earth's surface to groundwater, through various layera of soil, can also be thought of as filtration.

Hope this helps.

`3x - 5y = 8, 2x + 5y = 22` Solve the system by the method of substitution.

3x-5y=8     2x+5y=22

Solve second equation for x; first subtract 5y from each side.

2x=-5y+22    Divide by 2

x=-5/2y+11   Then substitute into x into the first equation

3 (-5/2y+11)-5y=8   Simplify

-15/2y +33-5y=8    Combine like terms

-25/2y+ 33=8   -25/2y=-25  Divide each side by -25

1/2y=1    y=2    Therefore 3x-5(2)=8   3x-10=8   3x=18   x=6

x=6, y=2      They check in both equations.

What important literary devices are used in chapter 8 of Great Expectations?

Important literary devices in chapter 8 include satire, shifting the narrative point of view and foreshadowing.

In the opening portion of the chapter, Pip stays with his Uncle Pumblechook. This section satirizes, or makes fun of, the way the shopkeepers, including Pumblechook watch other people work, rather than work themselves:

Mr. Pumblechook appeared to conduct his business by looking across the street at the saddler, who appeared to transact his business by keeping his eye on the coachmaker, who appeared to get on in life by putting his hands in his pockets and contemplating the baker, who in his turn folded his arms and stared at the grocer, who stood at his door and yawned at the chemist.

This section also satirizes the insensitivity of Uncle Pumblechook, who eats a fine breakfast himself while the hungry Pip is given a piece of bread with a tiny bit of milk. Pumblechook then quizzes Pip on math before he can even get a bite of food into his mouth. Dickens disliked the kind of petty cruelties that children were subjected to by people like Pumblechook:

I was hungry, but before I had swallowed a morsel, he began a running sum that lasted all through the breakfast. "Seven?" "And four?" "And eight?" "And six?" "And two?" "And ten?" And so on. And after each figure was disposed of, it was as much as I could do to get a bite or a sup, before the next came; while he sat at his ease guessing nothing, and eating bacon and hot roll, in (if I may be allowed the expression) a gorging and gormandizing manner.

At Miss Havisham's, Dickens is famous for moving back and forth between narrating the scene through the child Pip's eyes as he moves closer and closer to Miss Havisham and the older Pip's mature reflection on the scene. The younger Pip sees, "She had not quite finished dressing, for she had but one shoe on,—the other was on the table near her hand,—her veil was but half arranged, her watch and chain were not put on, and some lace for her bosom lay with those trinkets" while the adult Pip thinks back and writes, "It was not in the first few moments that I saw all these things, though I saw more of them in the first moments than might be supposed."

Finally, as Estella is called in to play cards with Pip, foreshadowing occurs: Miss Havisham tells Estella to break Pip's heart, and she also tells Estella to "beggar him" at cards. Estella will break Pip's heart and beggar him. 

In Ch. 15 of To Kill a Mockingbird, who takes a stand? Why?

In Ch. 15, Atticus takes a stand against what is essentially a lynch mob coming to get Tom Robinson from the Maycomb County Jail.

It all began earlier in the chapter when Sheriff Tate came to the Finch home to warn Atticus that there were men who were angry about him representing Tom. Apparently it was not men from Macomb, but the "Old Sarum bunch", who live in a nearby town. They had been drinking all day and getting angrier and angrier.

Despite the very real threat the men pose, Atticus goes that night to the jail to sit outside and make sure no one hurts Tom. This is at great personal risk to himself, but he feels it is the right thing to do. When the men show up they are angry, probably drunk, and have made sure Sheriff Tate is off on another call so he cannot be anywhere around to help Atticus. The kids then arrive and, by a miracle, Scout manages to diffuse the entire situation by engaging Walter Cunningham's father in conversation about his son. He then directs the mob to leave.

At the end of all of this, Atticus seems incredibly relieved that no harm came to anyone, as was about to be the case. While one could also argue that Scout took a stand in this scenario, she may not have fully understood what it was she was doing. She simply knew she was trying to provide a distraction and that ended up protecting them all, but it was not necessarily an intentional stand. Atticus, on the other hand, knew full well the danger he was facing when he went to the jail and by going to protect Tom, he took a stand against the mob.

How did being accused of plagiarism affect Helen Keller?

Helen was accused of intentional plagiarism when she was eleven years old. She had unintentionally plagiarized a story which had been read to her years before. Helen wrote what she thought was a creative story called "The Frost King." It was later brought to her attention that her story closely resembled another. Even though Helen was young and had not intended to plagiarize, she was questioned by an investigation committee made up of teachers and others. Mr. Anagnos, who had always been kind to her, became distant after the incident. They were never close again.

After this experience with plagiarism, Helen became a hesitant writer. She was constantly worried that she would write something which had previously been composed by someone else. Helen developed fears relating to the originality of her own writings. In her autobiography, The Story of My Life, Helen discussed her fears about writing:

The thought that what I wrote might not be absolutely my own tormented me (Chapter XV).

Even when Helen was in college and writing her autobiography, she wrote with hesitation. She desired to write with accuracy and only use her own words.

What is textual evidence for the brother in "The Scarlet Ibis"?

Brother is a somewhat selfish but also mostly empathetic adolescent.

The narrator in this story never tells us his name.  This is a way of distancing himself from the guilt that he feels as he tells the story.  Although he did not mean to, he is responsible for his brother’s death.  It is something tragic that happened and he will never get over it.

Brother often behaves harshly and even cruelly toward his younger sibling, Doodle.  He wanted a younger brother so badly that getting one that was less than able is hard for him.

I wanted more than anything else someone to race to Horsehead Landing, someone to box with, and someone to perch with in the top fork of the great pine behind the barn, where across the fields and swamps you could see the sea. I wanted a brother.

Doodle is not capable of running and jumping, or being a playmate in the sense that most brothers can be.  He is too weak and can’t even walk until his brother teaches him.  The narrator does not teach Doodle how to walk just out of the kindness of his heart.  He is embarrassed by having a brother who is five years old and still can’t walk.

Doodle’s brother does his best to make his little brother into what he feels that a brother should be.  He forces him to grow and get stronger.  However, he is often very mean to Doodle.  The worst example of this is when he causes his brother’s death by pushing him too hard.  Although he was angry at Doodle for not keeping up, he is horrified and wracked with guilt when he realizes what he has done.

I began to weep, and the tear-blurred vision in red before me looked very familiar. "Doodle!" I screamed above the pounding storm and threw my body to the earth above his. For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.

Even though he did not approve of his brother’s weakness, he did not want his little brother to die.  He still loved him despite his flaws, and in his own way was just trying to keep pushing him until he became normal.  He was just a kid himself, and not aware of where to draw the line.  He paid for his mistake with his brother’s life, and would never forgive himself.

What muscles are used in breathing?

Breathing involves the use of a muscle known as the diaphragm. It separates the chest cavity from the abdomen in organisms like humans and other mammals. 

During inhalation, the diaphragm contracts which expands the chest cavity. This increase in the volume of the chest cavity causes a suction of air in, as the air moves from an area of higher pressure (outside the body) to an area of lower pressure (inside the expanded chest cavity).

During exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes, causing the chest cavity to decrease in size. Now, there is higher pressure inside the chest cavity. The now CO2 enriched air is exhaled. 

The lungs contain tiny air sacs known as alveoli in direct contact with blood capillaries. Oxygen from the air we inhale diffuses from the alveoli into the bloodstream and carbon dioxide diffuses from the bloodstream to the alveoli to be exhaled.

There are also intercostal muscles which are muscles between the ribs that assist in breathing by changing the size of the chest cavity. Like the diaphragm, the intercostals contract during inhalation and relax for exhalation. 

T. S. Eliot's poem describes Macavity as a ginger cat. What does it mean?

The term "ginger" is used in British English to refer to a yellow-orange color resembling that of the dried spice ginger, made from the ground root of the ginger plant and commonly used in many Asian cuisines. It applies to cats and also to human redheads. 

The term "ginger" refers in this context to a pale orange colored cat. The term "marmalade" is sometimes also used in British English to refer to an orange tabby cat, while "ginger" is an orange colored cat with or without distinctive tabby markings. A picture of a typical "ginger' cat can be seen at: Warren Photographic.

Eliot's description of Macavity suggests a tall, rangy, feral alley cat rather than a plump, well-fed house cat. The criminal nature of the moggie (British slang for cat with no particular pedigree) suggests a free-ranging cat who has adapted with cunning and athleticism to the urban environment.

How did Professor Sherman make his balloon as light as possible in The Twenty-One Balloons?

In The Twenty-One Balloons, Professor Sherman made his balloon as light as possible by being very careful about how he designed and constructed his basket.

Since he wanted to stay up in the air for as close to a year as possible, he knew he needed to construct a much larger balloon with a much larger basket than usual. The basket had to be large enough that he could live in it; therefore, he followed French balloonist Nadar's design and constructed a basket house for himself.

To make the basket house as light as possible, one thing he did was think of a new means of ballast other than using sandbags for ballast. Normally, people throw sandbags overboard when they want the balloon to climb higher. Since sandbags would be too heavy to keep on board, Professor Sherman developed the idea of using extra food and pails of garbage for ballast. The second thing he did is furnish his basket house as lightly as possible. He did so by designing a mattress out of his balloon material that could be filled with gas, just like his balloon. He also made chairs and a table out of "balsa wood and bamboo" (p. 44). Plus, he only brought paperback books on board. Finally, he knew he needed to think of a lighter weight solution should he crash into the ocean. Instead of bringing a lifeboat with him, he had waterproof suits designed out of his balloon material and brought a "cork lifesaver" (p. 44). He also brought only lightweight men's clothing with him.

Why does Miss Celia want to be accepted so badly?

Miss Celia is seen as an outsider to the close-knit society of the Jackson Junior League women; and, unfortunately for her, she will probably always be considered one. First of all, she’s from another part of Mississippi altogether. When she first tells Minny that she’s from Sugar Ditch, she seems embarrassed to admit it. Minny writes:

Sugar Ditch is as low as you can go in Mississippi, maybe the whole United States. It’s up in Tunica County, almost to Memphis. I saw pictures in the paper one time, showing those tenant shacks. Even the white kids looked like they hadn’t had a meal for a week.

Secondly, Miss Celia happened to marry Johnny Foote, who used to date Hilly Holbrook. Hilly is the pretentious and vengeful League president. She’s not about to let Celia into the League, no matter how often the woman asks. And third, Celia just doesn’t understand the protocol of this class level. She dresses flamboyantly and inappropriately for the ball. She behaves more like a country girl than a city socialite. For all these reasons, Celia desperately wants to be accepted by the most important women and families in Jackson. She wants to feel as though she is just as good as they are. But for all these same reasons, she won’t ever be admitted to this closed club. At least not until Hilly Holbrook is squeezed out of it.

How does the author of the book War Horse write the way he does?

The author of War Horse is Michael Morpurgo, a writer from the United Kingdom.
 
While every author develops an individual voice and ends up writing in their own unique style, Morpurgo offers a bit of insight regarding his craft on the "About" page of his official website. 
 
According to his site, Morpurgo studied French and English when he attended university. After graduating, he became a teacher and that's when he decided he wanted to become a writer. Morpurgo lists "living in Devon, listening to Mozart, and working with children" as some of his primary inspirations for writing and says that he daydreams until his stories eventually "hatch" out (Morpurgo). 
 
Regarding his creative process, Morpurgo says that he spends "several months" dreaming up a story in his head before he actually begins to write. He claims that this "dreamtime" is the most important part of his creative process and when he finally starts writing, he does so very quickly. He says that he usually finishes writing a book "in two or three months" and then "might take another month" revising it (Morpurgo). 
 
That said, writing is different for everybody. It's a skill that can be learned, refined, and perfected - and there's no one "right" way to do it. It's not necessary to major in English in order to become a good writer and you don't have to be naturally "gifted" with words either. If you want to improve your writing, just practice. The more often you write, the more progression you'll see!

The Queen Elizabeth the second takes 5 days (120 hours) to make a transatlantic crossing of 3840 miles. What is her average speed?

Speed is the ratio of distance traveled and time taken for the journey. It can also be written as:

speed = distance traveled/time taken

In this case, the Queen Elizabeth the second or QEII travels a distance of 3840 miles in 5 days (or 120 hours, as given). Hence, the average speed of the ship is:

average speed = 3840 miles / 5 days = 768 miles/day

or,           = 3840 miles / 120 hrs = 32 miles/hr. 

This value is close to the actual average speed of QEII during her service years. 

Note that speed is not the same as velocity, since speed is the ratio of distance traveled and time taken; while the velocity is a ratio of displacement and time taken. Speed is a scalar quantity, while velocity is a vector quantity.

Hope this helps. 

What methods does Harper Lee use to present loneliness as the result of bad parenting in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

Lee employs a repetitive story structure in three subplots to help illustrate the message that bad parenting can lead the children to be lonely. We see this message in the parent/child relationships of Dill and his parents, Boo and his father, and Mayella and Bob Ewell.

Dill's mother divorced his father, and he seems to see very little of his biological dad. His "new dad" and his mom leave him in Maycomb each summer with relatives and when they do spend time with him the rest of the year, it usually involves buying him things and letting him spend time on his own. He seems like a little boy desperate to be close to his own family. He is lonely boy because his parents simply don't care to spend much time with him.

Boo is described by Miss Maudie as being a very sweet boy when he was young, but then he pulled a childish prank and his father basically locked him up in the house. His father was also very religious, according to Miss Maudie, and this might have played a part in his reasoning for keeping Boo isolated. The result is that Boo never makes friends in town and is completely cut off from anyone his own age...anyone at all. He is desperate to reach out to Scout, Jem, and Dill through the knothole in the tree, as we see when he begins to leave them presents.

Mayella Ewell is also isolated from others in town as a result of her father, Bob Ewell, causing her to be incredibly lonely. She is physically, verbally, and probably sexually abused by Bob Ewell and is the default mother in the Ewell home, taking care of all of her younger siblings. Scout says at one point that "Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world."

Why is it important to remain informed in a democracy?

It is very important to remain informed in a democracy. In our system, we elect leaders to represent us. We must know what the issues are, what the elected officials are doing and saying, and what the candidates for office say they will do if they get elected in order for our democracy to run effectively. If we are uninformed, we may believe information that is inaccurate or only half true. By staying informed, we let our elected officials know that we are monitoring what they are doing, and what they are telling us. If we don’t know all the information and facts about various issues and events, it will be much more difficult to determine when we are being given false or misleading formation. By being informed on the issues, we let our leaders know they will have  to defend themselves if they aren't being honest and factual with us. An informed citizenry is crucial for the success of any democracy.

Name and describe the first two characters we meet in Lord of the Flies.

The first two characters we meet are Ralph and Piggy. Ralph is described as being strong and handsome with a certain coolness about him that gives him an air of leadership. He is eager to make sense of things, get the boys organized, and try to get rescued. He believes that his father (who is in the Navy) will come rescue him "as soon as he gets leave."

Piggy is enormously fat, having difficulty with his digestive system after eating too many berries, and eager to make friends. He is very trusting and tells Ralph that his nickname was Piggy. He is hoping that Ralph will not share this with everyone else but is soon disappointed. He says that he has asthma. He also tells Ralph that his aunty let him eat as much candy as he wanted and that he cannot see without his glasses.

What is the fate of Elizabeth Parris, Abigail Williams, Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and John Hathorne?

In the play, as in real life, the fates of the guilty parties are not equal to what they truly deserve.  However, in the end of the play, Elizabeth (Betty) Parris presumably lives out her life in Salem.  She does tell her father that she'd overheard Abigail and Mercy Lewis talking about ships the week before, and that is how he comes to the conclusion that Abigail and Mercy have fled for good.  This is the last time we hear about Betty in the play.

Abigail Williams robs Parris of his life's savings and runs away from Salem with Mercy Lewis, presumably to board a ship and escape the hysteria she helped to create.  (This does not happen in real life.)

Sarah Good has confessed, and so the last we the audience sees her in the play is when she's sitting in jail with Tituba (who has also confessed).  She will hang because she confessed, but she has clearly become terribly ill and delusional (thinking that the Devil is coming for her and Tituba to take them back to Barbados with him; she even thinks that Herrick is the Devil when she first sees him).  

Goody Osburn, Mary Warren told Elizabeth Proctor in Act Two, would not confess, and because she was convicted, she was hanged (apparently prior to Act Four since she does not appear to be a part of the group scheduled to hang on that final morning).

Finally, in the last scene in which we see Hathorne, he is arguing with Hale about whether or not Hale should say that he is counseling the convicted to lie (and confess) to save their own lives.  Hathorne, obviously, does not want Hale telling people that he advised them to "lie," because it would call the confessions into question and hurt the court's -- and his own -- authority.  Finally, he tries to get Proctor to confess and rejoices when it seems that Proctor is going to.  Obviously, he has learned nothing over the course of the play and ends it in much the same way as he began it: pompous and proud (and wrong).

Which of the following would you expect to have properties most similar to Na, and why? K Mg N O Ar

Of the elements K (potassium), Mg (magnesium) N (nitrogen), O (oxygen) and Ar  (argon), K has the properties most similar to Na (sodium).

Elements that are in the same chemical family, as sodium and potassium are, have the most similar chemical properties. This is because they have similar electron configurations. Sodium, potassium and all other elements in Group 1A (alkali metals family) have one valence (outer) electron. They lose this electron very easily, forming a +1 ion. This gives results in the same stable electron configuration as a noble gas. The alkali metals are the most reactive of the metals because of their strong tendency to lose an electron. 

Since the alkali metals all form +1 ions they're found in similar compounds, such as NaCl and KCl, Na2O and K2O, and NaNO3 and KNO3. The all react with water to form hydrogen gas and OH-.

The other elements in the question are less similar because they're in different chemical families so their electron configurations are different. Mg is in Group 2A and has one valence electron. It forms a +2 ion. Nitrogen is in Group 5A and has five valence electrons. It forms a -3 ion. Argon is in Group 8A, the noble gases. It has a complete octet of 8 outer electrons so it doesn't gain or lose electrons, making it unreactive. 

The U.S. Congress is greatly influenced by the ___?

The way this question is worded, there can be several possible answers. I will summarize a few possible answers.

The United States Congress is influenced by the shifts in our population. As our population moves from one region of the country to another region of the country, there has been a shift in the number of representatives in the House of Representatives from regions that are growing. States that are located in the Sun Belt, the South and West, are gaining more seats in the House of Representatives than states that are located in the Rust Belt, the North and East. People in these regions want different policies to occur. Thus, a shifting population may mean shifting policies taking place in our country.

The United States Congress is also influenced by our changing demographics. As Hispanic and African American population grow, more Hispanics and African Americans are being elected to Congress. The voices of these groups are also being heard more often and more clearly as they meet with and/or contact their elected representatives.

The United States Congress is also influenced by how districts are created to determine representation in the House of Representatives. When district lines are drawn so that a candidate from a given party is practically guaranteed to win a seat in the House of Representatives, these representatives don’t need to compromise on issues. They know as long as they support what the vast majority of people in their district support, they will get reelected. We have seen this happen in Congress today. There is less and less compromising because more and more seats in the House of Representatives are guaranteed to go to a certain political party because of how the boundary lines for that district are drawn.

Some people would say the United States Congress is greatly influenced by special interest groups and money. These groups are well funded, and they can spend a lot of money supporting or attacking a candidate or a particular issue facing the country. These groups may be able to convince elected officials to vote a certain way by promoting, accurately or inaccurately, one side of a particular issue.

Congress is influenced by many different factors today.

How old is Vera from "The Open Window"?

Saki specifies Vera's age in the opening sentence of the story.

"My aunt will be down presently, Mr. Nuttel," said a very self-possessed young lady of fifteen; "in the meantime you must try and put up with me."

Saki must have started with the idea of having someone tell a completely false story about three men being sucked into a bog three years ago, so that when the three men returned from hunting, the visitor will take them to be ghosts and will flee in terror. The author chose a fifteen-year-old girl to tell the false story to the visitor because she would be just old enough to be believable but just young enough to be so full of mischief that she would invent such a tale. At age fifteen, Vera is also old enough to be playing hostess as a temporary stand-in for her aunt. The fact that Vera is in the position of a hostess lends further credibility to her story.

We can imagine that at age fifteen, Vera is bored with her confinement in this country manor where nobody ever talks about anything but shooting birds on the moor. Maybe she has sometimes wished that the hunters really would get sucked into a bog. Girls like Vera had no freedom in Victorian times. She must spend most of her time reading books, and because of being stuck in such a narrow world, she undoubtedly chooses escapist reading about travel and adventure. This would give her some of her ideas about hunters being sucked into bogs and men being set upon by pariah dogs in India.

Girls like Vera had nothing to look forward to but marriage. She senses that she is being groomed to be a hostess like her aunt and that she will be expected to talk the same kind of drivel. This may explain why Vera does just the opposite of what is expected of her. She is so convincing that poor Framton believes the three men approaching the open window at tea time must be living dead who have finally returned for tea. This belief is reinforced when Vera's aunt cries:

"Here they are at last! Just in time for tea, and don't they look as if they were muddy up to the eyes!"

In saying they look as if they were muddy up to the eyes, Vera's Aunt reinforces the idea that these ghostly figures have been buried in a bog for the past three years and have just climbed out.

Vera is the ideal character to tell the frightening story and set Framton up for the scare of his life. Framton is also the ideal victim for this precocious girl. He is down here in the peaceful English countryside for a "nerve cure" and has been ordered to have "complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise." 

"The Open Window" is a good example of how a skillful fiction writer will create characters to fit the needs of his plot. Mrs. Sappleton is also perfect for the part she has to play. 

What is the meaning of the incident between Atticus and Robert Ewell at the post office?

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Robert (Bob) Ewell confronted Atticus Finch outside of the post office, following the trial that, incidentally, Bob was on the winning side of. The confrontation consisted of Mr. Ewell spitting in Atticus’ face and threatening “to get” him. Even though Ewell won the case, Mr. Finch hurt his pride by challenging his word against a black man’s. He felt the need to retaliate against the people involved in this insult. Atticus explains:

“Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take.

Robert Ewell was aware that he existed in the bottom rungs of Maycomb society, but he took comfort in the fact that he was at least better than the people of color in the community. The trial of Tom Robinson challenged that superiority. It is probable that the length of time it took the jury to deliberate only served to aggravate Bob more. 

What does the feather mean to Mrs. Woo in The Joy Luck Club?

The single feather that Mrs. Woo has in The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan represents all the hopeful goals that she has as she leaves China and travels to America. These hopeful thoughts are meant for a daughter that is yet unborn. “I will give her this swan, a creature that became more than what was hoped for."

Mrs. Woo purchases the swan from a dealer who tells her a story about the duck who wanted to stretch its neck to become a goose but it became a swan. This story is a symbol for Mrs. Woo wanting to seek a better life for the daughter she planned to have. Her daughter will have all the advantages in life that Mrs. Woo never had. She carries the swan on her trip to America only to have the animal confiscated as she goes through customs. She is left with the solitary feather which she keeps until it the right time to give it to her daughter. The feather is a symbol for all of the mother’s hopeful dreams for her daughter. "This feather may look worthless, but it comes from afar and carries with it all my good intentions."

Compare the light-gathering power of a telescope with the 9-centimeter diameter mirror to that of the human eye. (Take the diameter of the pupil of...

Hello!

The light-gathering power of a telescope is the quantity of light which a telescope can gather over a time period and at a given light intensity.

When two telescopes (or a telescope and a human eye) are at a places with the same light intensity, then the quantity of light gathered over a period of time depends only on the area of the opening. For a mirror telescope it is the area of a mirror, for an eye it is the area of a pupil.

The area of a circle with the diameter `d` is `(pi d^2)/4.` Therefore, the ratio of areas is equal to the square of the ratio of diameters. In our case it is:

`(9/0.5)^2=18^2=` 324 (times). This is how many times bigger the area of the opening of the telescope is compared to the human eye, which directly relates to how much more light the telescope can gather in comparison to the eye.

That said, the largest mirrors in existing telescopes are about 10 m in diameter.

What reasons does Holden give for being "sort of sorry" for visiting Mr. Spencer?

Holden sort of likes Mr. Spencer so he goes to visit him to apologize for being such a crummy student before Holden leaves Pencey. Holden immediately regrets his decision because Mr. Spencer is old and sick.  He grosses Holden out with his hacking and coughing and his bony, white legs poking out of his bathrobe.  Mr. Spencer is frustrated with Holden because he knows Holden is smart and is just not applying himself.  Ol’ Spence lectures Holden about life and how he has to “play by the rules” in order to get ahead. 

Holden thinks Mr. Spencer is a phony like every adult he runs into, and he doesn’t want to be reminded to “grow up” by his teacher. Holden sees Mr. Spencer as someone he doesn’t want to become (old!) because Holden hopes that he and the innocent around him don’t change.  Holden regrets visiting Mr. Spencer because he reminds Holden of how he doesn’t fit in to Pencey and how he hates being asked to act like an adult.

In John Updike's poem "Ex-Basketball Player," what does the phrase "idiot pumps" imply about high school athletes?

John Updike's poem “Ex-Basketball Player” is about a man named Flick Webb. Flick was a high school basketball star who now works at a gas station. Updike's purpose is to show how fleeting fame can be, especially for someone as young as a high school star.

Flick is obviously living in the past, as evidenced by this line:

Once in a while, 

As a gag, he dribbles an inner tube, 

He also imagines he still has an audience watching his every move, just like he did when on the court in high school.

Flick seldom says a word to Mae, just nods 

Beyond her face toward bright applauding tiers 

Of Necco Wafers, Nibs, and Juju Beads

Your question specifically addresses the first line of the second stanza,

Flick stands tall among the idiot pumps— 

At first, the reader might not realize what Updike is getting at here, but the rest of the stanza goes on to describe what the pumps look like:

Five on a side, the old bubble-head style, 

Their rubber elbows hanging loose and low. 

One’s nostrils are two S’s, and his eyes 

An E and O. And one is squat, without 

A head at all—more of a football type.

“Five on a side” — just like a basketball team. The line “rubber elbows hanging loose and low” personifies the pumps in terms of what a basketball player might look like — long and gangly.

Now that we've determined Updike wants to associate the pumps with human basketball players, we may well conclude that, by referring to the pumps as “idiot,” Updike is suggesting Flick may also be an idiot in some way. Exactly what way is up to the reader to determine, but the poem suggests that it is wise to think ahead, to plan for a life without basketball. Flick feels he peaked early — what is left for him now?

I would imagine Updike is thinking in broader terms than just Flick; he's probably thinking of the high school athlete in general, the kind that gives no thought to his or her future beyond the brief years of heroism high school can provide.

If a 60 W light bulb in a bedside lamp is only 20% efficient and converting electrical energy into light energy, how many joules of light energy...

The formula to calculate the total number of Joules of energy by the light bulb is as follows:

E (Joules) = P (Watts)  X  t (seconds)

E = 60 W  X  60 seconds

E = 3600 Joules of energy

The total amount of energy generated by the light bulb every minute is 3600 Joules.  If the light bulb is only twenty (20) percent efficient in converting that energy to visible light energy, that would be twenty percent of the total.

3600 Joules times .2  = 720 Joules

Of the total energy, 3600 Joules, only 720 Joules is converted to visible light energy.  Old fashioned, incandescent bulbs with filaments were notoriously inefficient, converting much of their energy in the form of heat energy.  Only a small portion of their energy was spent for what it was designed for, visible light.  Newer bulb designs use more energy for visible light and spend less energy on heat, making their use more efficient.

What are some quotes in To Kill a Mockingbird that prove that Miss Maudie is a good person?

Miss Maudie is characterized as the kind, generous neighbor in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Miss Maudie displays her benevolence by making the children cakes, letting them play in her yard, sharing life lessons, and supporting them throughout the Tom Robinson trial. In Chapter 5, Miss Maudie is telling Scout the truth about the Radley family and shares a valuable life lesson with her. Maudie says, "sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of---oh, of your father." (Lee 60) Miss Maudie's lesson on the "foot-washing Baptists" aids in Scout's moral development. Later on in the novel, a wagon full of "foot-washing Baptists" call Miss Maudie vain because she has beautiful flowers in her yard. Maudie responds by saying, "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance!" (Lee 213) Instead of cursing or belittling her hecklers, Maudie quotes scripture to silence them.

Another quote that proves Maudie is a good person is found in Chapter 16. When the children ask Maudie if she will be attending Tom Robinson's trial, she says, "I am not. 't's morbid, watching a poor devil on trial for his life. Look at all those folks, it's like a Roman carnival." (Lee 213) Maudie's comments portray her as a moral character who feels sorry for Tom Robinson and his unfortunate situation.

In Chapter 22, Maudie makes cakes for the children and attempts to console Jem, who is upset after the trial. She tells him, "Don't fret, Jem. Things are never as bad as they seem." (Lee 288) Maudie also compliments their father by saying, "We're so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we've got men like Atticus to go for us." (Lee 288) Miss Maudie's kind comments encourage Jem and Scout to see the positives in a negative situation.