In Shakespeare's sonnet, "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?", what does "this" refer to?

Shakespeare wrote a number of sonnets in which he affirmed that the person being addressed would be immortalized in the fourteen lines of poetry because his poetry was immortal. Sonnet 18 is an example. The closing couplet reads:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

The word "this" in both cases refers to the sonnet itself. Shakespeare is saying that this sonnet will live as long as humanity continues to exist. This may seem like rather an arrogant statement, but the sonnet has "lived" for some four centuries and seems likely to live for another four centuries. Meanwhile the person addressed in this sonnet continues to live in spirit within the words. We do not know who that person was, but we can sense that person's presence inspiring the poet and thereby shaping the sonnet.

In the very next sonnet, Sonnet 19, the closing couplet contains the same idea, or poetic conceit.

Yet do thy worst, old Time, despite thy wrong,
My love shall in my verse ever live young.

These sonnets were presented like individual gifts, and the recipient must have felt pleased that the poet was offering him (or her) a gift of long life or even immortality. No doubt the recipient would preserve the sonnet because it seemed to have a sort of talismanic power to protect him (or her) against the ravages of time or even death. 

Sonnet 55 has a similar poetic conceit. The opening lines are:

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, besmear'd with sluttish time.

Shakespeare had a deservedly high opinion of his poetic gifts. He knew he was honoring the recipients of his sonnets, even if they did not value them as much as they deserved. 

Explain how Silla, in Paule Marhall's Brown Girl, Brownstones, was able to sell Deighton’s “piece of ground” (land) and for how much. How...

Early in Paule Marshall’s novel Brown Girl, Brownstones, Deighton is delighted to learn that he has inherited form his deceased sister a plot of land or, as he refers to it, a “piece of ground,” in his native Barbados. His elation stems from the possibility that he will be able to build a house that will be on par, or be the envy of the other Barbadian immigrants who have ridiculed him for his failure to achieve a measure of the American dream: home ownership. As he holds up the letter informing him of his new-found treasure, he exalts, “Now let these bad-minded Bajan here talk my name ‘cause I only leasing this house while they buying theirs.” For Deighton, owning a home “just like the white people own,” will represent the pinnacle of material success. Silla, however, is possessed of a wholly different perspective on what it means to succeed in America. She is hard working and thoroughly-disciplined – a marked contrast to her husband who prefers to spend his days lounging about, working on is art, and fantasizing about success while decrying the racial prejudices to which he has been subjected.

How did Silla sell Deighton’s “piece of ground?” By pretending to be Deighton and sustaining a series of correspondences with her husband’s sister. As she describes it to Deighton:

“While you was running with your concubine and taking trumpet lessons I was figuring out how to do this thing. I say to myself that you don write to the sister so I gon write for you. I sat at this kitchen table late ‘pon a night practicing to write your name till I had it down pat. Then I write the first letter. One like a brother would write to a sister . . .I take it to a place near my job that does type out letters for people and pay to have it type and then I had to do was sign yuh name.”

As Silla continues to describe for Deighton her record of deceit and the evolving history of correspondence with his sister, she finally gets to the point where she tells her husband that, in pretending to be Deighton, she ‘confided’ in his sister that he was in dire financial straits and needed the money that could come from selling the “piece of ground.” Silla is compassionate in explaining her rationale for deceiving Deighton, and his sister in Barbados, but Deighton is crushed. His wife’s vision of the American Dream involves a house in New York, not one on the tiny and economically-destitute island of Barbados, and she believes she is insuring her family’s future by selling the land in the Caribbean.

How does he exact a measure of vengeance for this betrayal and the crushing of his dreams of building a home in Barbados? By spending the money from the sale of the land. While Deighton is crushed by the news that the “piece of ground” was sold, Silla’s actions also serve to lift a form of weight from his shoulders. As Marshall writes, Deighton’s “sigh expressed a profound relief. It was as though Silla, by selling the land, had unwittingly spared him the terrible onus of wresting a place in life. The pretense was over. He was broken, stripped, but delivered . . .”

Deighton gets his revenge by buying new clothes for the girls, and new, expensive trumpet for himself. The theme of hand-me-down donated clothing runs throughout Marshall’s story as a symbol of the family’s socioeconomic status. “Now, Miss Ina,” he says as he displays the items purchased with the money from the sale of the land, “come put this coat on. It cost a hundred dollars if it cost a penny.” In perhaps the ultimate illustration of the conflict between the materialism associated with “the American Dream” and the Caribbean spirituality to which Deighton clings, he exclaims to the family, “Lady-folks, money done talk sweet enough in this man country.” Deighton has been forced to succumb to the trappings of American life, the expensive fur coat he has bought for Ina, the bookstore gift certificate for Selina, the skirts, blouses, lace petticoats, the shoes, are all the family now has to show for the money that was the key to their respective dreams. Deighton, of course, will drown on his way back to Barbados, an apparent suicide, the unwilling refugee betrayed once again by his wife so that she may have her dream fulfilled, ownership of a brownstone.

Describe the Upper South and Lower South.

The South was divided into two regions. One region was called the Upper South while the other region was called the Lower South.

The Upper South included the states of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. Farming was the main job in these states. Farmers raised tobacco, hemp, wheat, and vegetables in this region by 1860.

The Lower South, which also was called the Deep South, included the states of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, and Texas. This area was also an agricultural area and the main crops that were grown here by 1860 were sugar and rice.

Slavery was important throughout the South. There were many plantations found throughout the South. Many slaves worked on these plantations harvesting the crops. The climate and soil of the South were suited for farming. This helps explain why the South is mainly an agricultural region.

Why did dinosaurs go extinct?

Dinosaurs flourished and dominated the earth for about 186 million years, during the Mesozoic Era. Dinosaurs went extinct at the end of the Mesozoic era and at the beginning of the Paleogene period, the first period of the Cenozoic Era. About 65.5 million years ago, a giant asteroid hit the earth in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. It is estimated that the asteroid had a 10 km diameter and was about the size of a small town. The asteroid hit our planet so strong that, after the impact, which was 2 million times more powerful than the most powerful explosive ever detonated by humans, it formed the Chicxulub crater. The ambient temperature immediately rose in some areas to as high as 1,480 degrees Celsius, which led to the burning of forests and of all things unprotected.

The powerful impact caused several very large earthquakes. These caused volcanic eruptions, mostly in the area known as the Ring of Fire. Another consequence of the devastating earthquakes was the generation of a huge tsunami, which also contributed to the destruction of several species of animals and plants found in the impact zone of killer waves.

The dust that resulted from the formation of the crater and the ash that resulted from volcanic eruptions caused the formation of a cloud that surrounded the entire planet. This cloud threw Earth into a long night for several months. The immediate effect was decreased sunlight and, therefore, the disappearance of several species of plants. 

As a consequence, this affected herbivorous dinosaurs. A chain reaction ensued, with carnivorous predators also disappearing as their food supply dwindled.

Scientists consider the idea that a small percentage of dinosaurs survived this planetary cataclysm and their total disappearance was a slow process.

Is plate tetonics a cycle?

Plate tectonics refers to the idea of Earth's outer layer being divided into a number of fragments or plates, all of which are in constant motion. These fragments or plates are known as tectonic plates and the Earth's crust is composed of such plates. 

We can think of plate tectonics as a recurring cycle. To understand it, think about what happens at the plate boundaries. At converging boundaries, plates come towards each other, with one plate slipping underneath the other. At diverging boundaries, plates move away from each other. At transform boundaries, plates slide over each other. Thus, we can see that plate material is lost at some places, whereas at other places the new material is added onto the plates, thus bringing cyclic nature to this process and renewing the plates.

At a much larger time scale, on the order of 100's of millions of years, we can think about supercontinent cycling. It has been indicated that all the continents were a single massive continent known as Pangea, which broke up into a number of continents. Similar to this supercontinent, a number of other supercontinents have also been part of Earth's history (each spaced out by about half a billion years). And this supercontinent cycling causes periodicity in plate tectonics (breaking and formation of plates). 

Thus, the plate tectonics can be thought off as a cyclic process.

Hope this helps. 

What are three ways Calpurnia influences Scout?

Calpurnia is the maid who has been with the Finches since their mother died. Jem knew his mother, but Scout did not. Calpurnia is really the only female figure close to Scout before Alexandra comes to live with the Finches during the summer of the Tom Robinson trial. In the beginning of the book, one of the first things Scout learns from Calpurnia is how to be a good hostess. On the first day of first grade, Jem invites Walter Cunningham, Jr. home for lunch and Walter pours syrup all over his meal. Scout vocally questions her guest's choice and Calpurnia scolds her in the kitchen as follows:

"Hush your mouth! Don't matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house's yo' comp'ny, and don't you let me catch you remarkin' on their ways like you was so high and mighty!" (24).

Calpurnia thus teaches Scout her first lesson on the guest-host relationship, which is not to say anything rude about your guests--ever!

Another time Calpurnia influences Scout is at the beginning of the summer that Jem turns twelve. He's not wanting to play with Scout as much and Calpurnia explains to her that he will want to be alone sometimes. Cal offers Scout love and companionship by inviting her into the kitchen with her whenever she feels lonely. Scout's impression of this experience influences her to think of herself actually doing things as a girl for the first time, such as in the passage below:

"Calpurnia would do until Dill came. She seemed glad to see me when I appeared in the kitchen, and by watching her I began to think there was some skill involved in being a girl" (116).

Later, Aunt Alexandra wants to let Calpurnia go when she comes to live with the Finches. Alexandra feels she can teach Scout to be a lady without Cal's help; but she doesn't know that Scout has been learning to be a girl as cited above. Atticus tells Alexandra that he won't let Calpurnia go because she is a part of the family and the only mother Scout's known. Atticus shows how Cal has also influenced both Jem and Scout by saying the following to Alexandra:

"Besides, I don't think the children've suffered one bit from her having brought them up. If anything, she's been harder on them in some ways than a mother would have been. . . she's never let them get away with anything, she's never indulged them the way most colored nurses do. She tried to bring them up according to her lights, and Cal's lights are pretty goo--and another thing, the children love her" (137).

Calpurnia has been more of a mother than other hired help, and that is priceless. Add love into the mix, and that's the best influence a person can have in a child's life.

Summarize "The Isles of Greece" by Lord George Gordon Bryon.

Lord George Gordon Byron was captivated and moved to action in Greece's struggle for independence. He wrote the poem Isles of Greece to communicate his thirst for Greek freedom. The poem recaptures former Greek valor and glory in the first two stanzas, followed by his desire to see Greece become free in the third stanza. He goes on to discuss the histories of Marathon and Salamina and how this land should not be subject to enslavement.

Byron also is disheartened that Greeks took so long to be moved to action in its attempt to overthrow the Ottoman Empire. This is a feeling that many of his comrades-in-arms share. The poem was written before Greeks fought for independence, so he could not have predicted how events would unfold.

The poem also discusses arguments for the independence of Greece and expresses hope for the future of the peninsula.

What happens if the president signs the Bill of Rights?

The President signing the Bill of Rights is not a possibility. The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the Constitution. In our country, all 27 amendments have started in Congress. Two-thirds of both houses of Congress have to vote for a proposed amendment to occur. If that happens then three-fourths of the state legislatures have to vote for the amendment to occur. If both of these things happen, the Constitution is amended. The President has no role in voting on the amendment.

An amendment is different from a bill. When a bill passes Congress, the President may sign it into law or veto it. Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress. The Bill of Rights was not a proposed law. It was a series of amendments to the Constitution. As a result, the President would not have to sign the Bill of Rights.

Why don't ionic compounds melt easily as molecular compounds?

Ionic Substances

Solid ionic substances are composed of crystal lattice structures. These structures are held together by a strong force of attraction between positive and negative ions. In order for a solid ionic substance to melt, enough energy must be applied to disrupt the strong attractive forces between the positive and negative ions.

Covalent Substances

The atoms in solid covalent substances are held together by relatively weak forces of attraction. In order for a covalent substance to melt, less energy is needed to disrupt the weaker attraction between the atoms.

Increasing the Temperature, increases the kinetic energy of the particles in a substance and disrupts the attractive forces between the particles. Since ionic substances have stronger attractive forces between their particles, a higher melting point is needed to disrupt those forces and enable the substance melt.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, when Atticus asks Scout about the blanket around her shoulders, what does Jem realize?

Since everyone in the neighborhood is preoccupied with the fire at Miss Maudie's house, Jem and Scout find themselves down the street and watching from afar, so as not to get in the way. This places them near the Radley house. As they watch all of the adults scramble to help Miss Maudie, neither Jem or Scout notice someone drape a blanket across Scout's shivering shoulders. It isn't until Atticus questions the blanket's presence that either of them question its appearance.

Since Jem has a few years of maturity on Scout, he makes the connection between their location, the neighborhood's preoccupation with the fire, and the blanket to understand that Boo Radley had emerged from hiding to give the blanket to Scout. Jem realizes that the distraction of the fire provided Boo another instance of making contact with himself and Scout. This is why he proceeds to tell Atticus about the gifts left in the tree in front of the Radley house and his newly mended pants that he left on the Radley property when they got caught in the Radleys' fence. 

With this connection, Jem is sure that Boo is the one to give Scout the blanket, as a majority of the neighborhood was busy tending the fire and no one else would have been nice enough to give Scout a blanket and leave without making his presence known. From this point, Jem views Boo as less of a freaky interest and more as a human being. 

What ideas would be most worthy of a literary discussion about Johnny Tremain?

Interesting question! In the book Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, there are numerous components worthy of literary discussion. However, some of the more interesting components include the book’s point of view and foreshadowing.

Throughout the book, Johnny Tremain’s perspective illustrates the book's point of view. With this, the readers learn more about Johnny’s thoughts, feelings, and ambitions. However, there is also some questioning about Johnny’s opinion versus reality. For example, Johnny’s opinions occasionally change or he might not possess accurate information.  Specifically, his opinion about politics, people, and many other concepts alter throughout the book. As seen in the text, his point of view changes:

“He [Johnny] had never noticed before how beautiful was the stitching, and it hurt him to think he had been too proud to wear them, for now he was old enough to appreciate the love that had gone into their making.”

Additionally, Forbes also utilizes foreshadowing in the book. Foreshadowing allows the readers to speculate about future events and encourages the audience to continue reading.  In this book, foreshadowing is commonly utilized. For example, foreshadowing is used before Johnny’s hand is burnt, such as with the instruction he receives about “pride coming before a fall.” As Mr. Lapham illustrates:

“like I tried to point out to you. God is going to send you a dire punishment for your pride.”

This statement acts as a foreshadowing of the injury Johnny soon experiences with his hand.

Consequently, there are numerous options for literary discussion in the book. However, these choices illustrate some of the most noteworthy literary devices utilized and indicate how the text should be understood. Because of these features, readers should remember that the point of view might not represent reality (but rather Johnny’s perspective) and that several of the dialogues act as foreshadowing for future events.

How did the Victorians live and work?

There was such variety of living and working conditions in Victorian England (1837-1901) that it would be impossible to describe all of them here. There are, however, some key trends which will you give you an overview of life in this period:

• The Industrial Revolution had created an industrial economy, meaning that the vast majority of Victorians lived and worked in towns and cities.


• The population grew rapidly in this period: from 16 million in 1801 to 41 million by 1901. This created overcrowding in the cities and competition over jobs, both skilled and unskilled. This also gave rise to slum housing where large houses were turned into several flats. Some people were so poor that entire families lived in one room.


• Children often worked to supplement the family's income, e.g. in textile mills, as chimney sweeps or errand boys. There were, however, legislative attempts to protect their welfare and promote education. The Mines Act of 1842, for example, banned children under 10 from working in coal mines.


• This period is considered a 'golden age' for the Victorian middle class. They lived in relative comfort, employed servants cheaply and enjoyed holidays across England as seaside resorts blossomed, especially Margate and Brighton. 

I want conduct a study on how schools and classrooms kill the creativity of a child, how they draw boundaries for children due to the way of...

Dr. Maria Montessori's writing are definitely worth a look on this subject. She wrote extensively on how traditional education methods stifle children's natural inclination towards learning. Despite being written in the first half of the 20th century, her writings and criticisms are still very relevant to today's education system. E.M. Standing's book "Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work" is a good overview of her life, philosophy and method. I have found that the Montessori Philosophy is one of the most comprehensive when it comes to educating the whole child.

The education section of the Atlantic has several good articles, as does NPR. There are also several good Ted Talks about education and creativity. Ken Robinson has a great Ted Talk and book about the subject. The book is titled "The Element".

You might also look up John Holt. He wrote several books in the 60's and 70's discussing the shortcomings of traditional schooling. He eventually came to embrace homeschooling, and more specifically unschooling or deschooling, as the best alternative to traditional education.

Diane Ravitch has some interesting writings on education as well. She was originally a proponent of No Child Left Behind, but eventually became a very outspoken critic. She has a large body of work, dating back to the 1970's and is worth reading.

What are some quotes that show that Romeo and Juliet have a physical attraction to each other?

Romeo first spies Juliet at the Capulet's party, in Act I, Scene V. Right away, he finds her beautiful, likening her to a dove surrounded by crows, and wondering if he has ever really known love before her. We do not know from this scene if Juliet feels the same sort of love at first sight that Romeo professes, but she seems to enjoy his witty banter.

In Act II, Scene II, Romeo is lurking in an orchard and sees Juliet at her window. He says that her eyes twinkle and that her beauty outshines even the moon. Though others such as Nurse comment on how Romeo is handsome (Act II, Scene V,) and Juliet describes his noble brow (Act III, Scene II,) she never really says aloud if she finds him physically attractive. 

It would be safe to say that Romeo is physically attracted to Juliet, and perhaps this is his only requirement for being in love. As for Juliet, she is more likely attracted to Romeo for his conversational skills and that he is an alternate to marrying Paris. 

What does Elie's father represent to Elie in Night?

In Elie Wiesel's memoir Night, Elie’s father, Shlomo, represents hope to Elie. As far as Elie knows, Shlomo is the only other member of his family still alive after their arrival at Auschwitz early on in the memoir. Though Elie is realistic about his mother and younger sister’s chances, he does not stop Shlomo from believing that they might still be alive. Shlomo’s hope may be misguided, but it is hope nonetheless.

To Elie, not letting go of hope means keeping Shlomo alive. Even when Elie is recovering from foot surgery, he sends part of his ration to Shlomo. Also, Elie physically supports Shlomo through the night long march the prisoners make through the snow.

Shlomo’s death stamps out the last of Elie’s hope. By himself, Elie loses the will to live. When Allied troops liberate the concentration camp in April 1945, Elie is on the brink of starvation. His actions and outlook closely mirror the fatalistic attitude espoused by Akiba Drumer earlier in the memoir.

Describe how the civil liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights make it more difficult for law enforcement to catch and convict criminals.

If it were not for the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments, it would be much easier for law enforcement to catch and convict criminals.  While this would be good in some ways, it would also make our country more like a police state.

The 4th Amendment makes it hard to catch criminals because it requires the police to have probable cause to get warrants before they search or arrest people.  The police could catch many more criminals if they were allowed to search any person or any home just because they wanted to or because they thought the person was connected to a crime.

The 5th Amendment makes it harder to catch criminals because it guarantees that suspects cannot be made to incriminate themselves.  Police cannot force people to confess.  They have to inform suspects of their right to remain silent until they have an attorney.  Without these constraints, the police could catch more criminals.

The 6th Amendment makes convicting criminals more difficult.  It gives them the right to an attorney.  It gives them the right to a jury trial.  It gives them the right to confront and cross-examine witnesses against them.  By giving defendants all these rights, it makes it harder to convict them.

In these ways, the Bill of Rights makes it harder for law enforcement to catch and convict criminals.  However, it also prevents us from living in a police state.

How did the Indians fare under President Jackson's administration?

For Native Americans in the South and the Midwest, Andrew Jackson's presidency (and indeed his entire career in public life) was a total disaster. Jackson made a name for himself as an Indian fighter during the War of 1812 and the Creek and Seminole Wars, and when he became President, a major priority of his was removing the Native peoples of the Southeast to "Indian Territory" in modern-day Oklahoma. He authorized the states to conclude treaties with natives within their borders, which some tribes, or more accurately some factions within some tribes, agreed to under duress. Those who did not agree were forced from their lands by whites who, encouraged by Jackson's aggressive stance, staked their claims. The Cherokee, angry at this treatment, challenged the actions of the state of Georgia in the Supreme Court, but when the Court ruled in their favor, Jackson ignored the decision, and instructed his advisors to continue to enforce removal. The process included even after Jackson's presidency, with the Cherokee embarking on the disastrous "Trail of Tears" in 1838. Through Jackson's policies, the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole were almost entirely driven from their lands by 1840. 

In thermodynamics what kind of measurements do we use in order to find out how intensely hot something is?

Ultimately, temperature is just the average kinetic energy of particles bouncing around inside an object. But how we measure it really depends on what it is we are measuring.

For small, accessible objects at moderate temperatures (which includes objects like cars and people), we have lots of methods, and the most typical way is to use thermometers, which are actually just two different substances (such as glass and mercury) with known, different rates of expansion due to temperature, such that we can compare their relative sizes and read off the temperature. To measure the object, we simply put the thermometer on it and wait for the heat to be conducted until the two objects reach thermal equilibrium. Then, we read off the calibrated thermometer what the temperature is. (How did we calibrate it in the first place? By placing it in water which we then cooled and heated to its freezing and boiling points, which are by definition 0 C and 100 C respectively).

But obviously that won't do if we're talking about something which is very large, very hot, or very far away---such as the Sun, which is obviously all of those things. Then, a better method is to use spectroscopy, where we study the spectrum of light radiated by the object. This spectrum we can then compare to mathematical models we have from quantum mechanics of blackbody radiation, which is the radiation that all substances naturally emit simply due to the fact that they are warmer than absolute zero. This can give us a very precise measurement of the object's temperature, and even tell us which parts of the object are hotter than other parts.

This is especially good for temperatures near those of the Sun, because then the blackbody radiation is in the visible spectrum. (This is not a coincidence; we evolved to see in that spectrum precisely because it is what the Sun produces). For objects much colder than the Sun, the radiation is in the infrared spectrum, so we need special instruments to detect it. (Your body emits infrared blackbody radiation, for example, because it is much colder than the Sun). For objects even hotter than the Sun, the radiation is instead far in the ultraviolet range, and again requires special instruments.

Spectroscopy is even useful, in a somewhat different way, for measuring the "temperature" of molecules or atoms, which are so small that the very concept of "temperature" begins to break down. Really, what we are measuring is their energy, but from thermodynamics we know that if you put enough molecular energy together, you get temperature.

What happens in part 9 of The Book Thief?

In part nine of The Book Thief, Rudy and Liesel once again go to the mayor’s house this time to steal a book. Frau Hermann has left out cookies and it is at this point that Liesel starts to think that it is possible that the library does not belong to the mayor but instead to Frau Hermann. The story then moves to Hans who at the time is playing cards with other members of the air-raid unit. Reinhold Zucker, another member of the squad, accuses Hans of cheating. Death makes a point to interrupt here to point out that it is Zucker’s dislike of Hans that will result in Zucker’s own death.

The story jumps back to Liesel in Molching, who goes to read to Frau Holtzapfel but instead is greeted at the door by her son. Michael Holtzapfel has returned from fighting in Stalingrad where he had been shot in the ribs. He informs Rosa that his brother has died and that Hans and Rosa’s son was in Russia. Death once again interjects, this time explaining how Michael’s brother died. His brother Robert died after being taken to the hospital because he was caught in an explosion that resulted in the loss of his legs. Though Frau Holtzapfel is filled with grief, Liesel still reads to her.

Death goes on to describe an afternoon where Hans and the other men are returning to their camp. Zucker complains that Hans should trade places with him in the truck, soon after Hans does the truck drives off the road due to a punctured tire. Though Hans breaks his leg during the crash, Zucker breaks his neck and dies. The men returned to the camp and upon examination by a doctor Hans is told that he is going to be sent back to Munich to work in an office. Liesel tells Rudy the good news, and though Rudy is happy for her he also wonders about the fate of his own father. Due to his rage concerning the injustices of war, Rudy decides to rob the mayor’s house but ultimately does not do so. There is another air raid a few weeks later, this time Frau Holtzapfel refuses to go to the shelter even though Liesel threatens to stop reading to her and her son is going to the shelter. She does eventually end up in the shelter and Michael asks her forgiveness because he feels guilty for choosing to go to the shelter without her. When the air raid has ended the people leave the shelter and find that there is a burning plane in the forest. The enemy plane’s pilot is barely living be the time they arrive at the wreck. Death has come for the pilot’s soul, he recognizes Liesel from the train in which her brother died. Rudy gives a teddy bear to the pilot before Death takes his soul.

Hans returns after being discharge from the hospital and talks to Liesel about his time at war. This part of the book is mainly focused on the randomness of fate, the most notable example of this is the fact that Hans has survived the truck crash. Hans was only injured in the crash due to Zucker’s insistence in trading seats, which resulted from Zucker’s dislike of Hans. It was simply chance that Hans and Zucker switched seats in the truck, this furthers the idea of randomness being at fault. The outcome that resulted from the crash, Hans’s injury, was the best thing that could happen to him since it resulted in his returning home. Without his injury he would have continued his service in the air raid unit. The events in this section emphasize the chaos that war causes. Michael Holtzapfel also only survives the war due to chance, there is not a any particular reason that he survived while his brother died. Rudy must also deal with this randomness as his father remains at war while Hans is able to come home in one piece. Rudy does not blame fate though and instead places the blame on Hitler who in his eyes has stolen in father. As a result he becomes a thief to gain some sort of empowerment basing his logic for this on the idea that it would feel good to steal something back for himself.

Why the icy places are melting?

I assume, you are referring to the melting of ice caps and glaciers. This melting is happening due to global warming, or an increase in the average temperature of Earth.

A number of gases (such as carbon dioxide and methane, etc.) capture the heat reflected from Earth's surface and keep our planet warm enough for life to survive. This phenomenon is known as greenhouse effect.

However, over the past couple of centuries, the concentration of these gases is increasing. This increase is mainly due to the use of fossil fuels (apart from a number of other factors) for energy generation. An increased concentration has resulted in enhanced greenhouse effect and hence melting of ice caps and glaciers. This is one of the reasons for the big push towards renewable energy sources.

Hope this helps.  

What is the negative impact of beauty contests on society?

While preferences for certain physical features do have a basis in evolution and reproduction, most ideals or standards of beauty are culturally dependent and heavily shaped by notions of class, purity, race and ethnicity, gender norms, and abelist body norms.

From an evolutionary standpoint, certain physical features or phenotypes (how the genes manifest themselves) are indicative of reproductive fitness. Features such as facial symmetry, having all of one's teeth, and even certain bodily proportions can indicate to others that someone is genetically fit. In non-cultural animals, this may manifest as the largest males of a species having better access to females because he can fight off other potential mates. Traits like being able to camouflage or having large teeth or horns can also be advantageous in the long-game of reproduction.

Only so much of human beauty ideals are determined by evolutionary advantage, though. In a way, the human preference for certain types of beauty is a very drawn out and complex means of determining reproductive fitness. Because this fitness is culturally determined and dependent upon beliefs about gender, race, class, and so on, there is no real guarantee of this perceived fitness. Such characteristics are much more indicative of social success than reproductive. It is because certain characteristics are held as beautiful that they contribute to social success, but not necessarily reproductive.

For example, many cultures favor women with light skin as beautiful. Historically, having lighter skin has been indicative of class, as people who worked in the fields were darker from sun exposure. Even today, light skin in women is favored as a sign of a leisurely lifestyle, one that is lower in physical stress compared to that of someone who labors outdoors. A woman with light skin may be considered more beautiful and thus have an easier time navigating certain social spheres, but it is no real indicator of her levels of physical stress and reproductive capability.

Some other things to consider are face shape, eye and hair color, height, and body shape. Much of the modern, Western beauty ideal has its origins in the colonial period, where the ruling class was primarily composed of fair-skinned, light-haired people from Europe. Part of this Eurocentric beauty ideal is influenced by the fact that it contrasted with the populations of dark-haired, dark-skinned, colonized people. Western culture also holds physically fit, able bodies with "appropriate" amounts of fat as the ideal of beauty. This is influenced by beliefs of excess and morality- oftentimes excess body fat is equated with glutton and sin. Able-bodiedness has a long history of being a beauty ideal, as up until the past few centuries, people who were impaired in some way did not typically survive. Even if they did live to adulthood, they rarely had children. Life was too demanding and stressful for someone with an impairment to keep up. Unfortunately, even though much of the world can accommodate people with physical limitations, beauty ideals still often exclude people who have these impairments.

Beauty contests are controversial because they reward people for fitting into an essentially random set of determinants for beauty. Genetics functions through the processes of randomization and mutation to come up with the most adaptations as possible, in the hopes that one phenotype might offer better fitness. Even though there are definite patterns of hereditary traits (for example, I inherited brown hair from my father), those which are deemed to be "most beautiful" is highly variable from one culture to another. Beauty contests serve to reinforce arbitrarily determined standards of beauty, and equate this beauty with success. 

From a feminist point of view, beauty contests motivate and reward women for fitting into these beauty categories which may be unattainable for a significant portion of the population. It equates women's success with beauty and detracts from achievement in other areas of life. Placing such an importance on beauty and a beauty contest mindset contributes to the attitude that even if a woman is successful in her career, she will not be respected unless she is beautiful. Beauty contests reinforce the belief that a woman's value is dependent upon her ability to fit into very restrictive and oppressive beauty ideals.

Where does the exposition end and the movement toward the story's climax begin? Where does the resolution stage begin?

Since you haven't provided a piece of literature to analyze I've chosen a very well written and easily understood short story by Gary Soto which is often anthologized in high school literature textbooks. In "The No-Guitar Blues" the reader can easily identify the traditional elements of a short story. 

Edgar Allan Poe was one of the first writers to define and practice the art of the modern short story. Short stories can usually be charted on a diagram which looks similar to a pyramid (see example in link below). The key elements include the conflict which is often one of four types (person vs. person, person vs. nature, person vs. society and person vs. himself or herself), the exposition, which introduces the setting, the situation and the main characters, the rising action, events which propel the plot toward its climax, the climax, the highest point of interest in the story and finally, the resolution (sometimes called the denouement), the point at which the conflict is resolved.

In Soto's story of a Mexican-American boy named Fausto the exposition, which takes up most of the first two pages, tells us that Fausto wants a guitar, yet he has no money and his mother cannot afford such a luxury since the family, while not poor, is not affluent enough to afford everything a child may want. The exposition also tells us that Fausto lives in Fresno, California in a lower middle class neighborhood.

As the exposition suggests, the conflict in the story is simply that Fausto doesn't have enough money for a guitar and sets off into the streets of Fresno to earn money. His travels, which make up the rising action portion of the story, include meeting a dog which, through somewhat nefarious means on Fausto's part, helps him earn $20. The earning of the money makes Fausto feel guilty, which leads the reader from the rising action to the climax. The climax, or highest point of interest, is when Fausto donates the money he earned to the church. Donating the money leaves Fausto with a clear conscience and it is fitting that in the resolution to the story he receives a guitar from his grandfather, thus making his dream come true.

Obviously stories will vary as to when the climax takes place. Sometimes it will be at the very end and sometimes it will be slightly earlier in the story to provide more time for the falling action and the resolution. In some short stories, such as Frank Stockton's "The Lady or the Tiger," we never really get a resolution.

`sin(u) = -3/5, (3pi)/2

Given `sin(u)=-3/5, (3pi)/2<u<2pi`

Angle u is in quadrant 4. A right triangle is drawn in quadrant 4. Since`sin(u)=-3/5`

the side opposite from angle u is 3 and the hypotenuse is 5. Using the pythagorean theorem, the side adjacent to angle u is 4.

`sin(2u)=2sin(u)cos(u)=2(-3/5)(4/5)=-24/25`

`cos(2u)=1-2sin^2(u)=1-2(-3/5)^2=1-2(9/25)=25/25-18/25=7/25`

`tan(2u)=2tan(u)/(1-tan^2(u))=2(-3/4)/(1-(-3/4)^2)=(-3/2)/(1-9/16)=(-3/2)/(16/16-9/16)=(-3/2)/(7/16)=-24/7` 

What is the meaning of the short story "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty?

Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” touches on a few different themes. The story shows the strength of love and perseverance. The trip she makes along the worn path to Natchez to get medicine for her sick grandchild is not an easy one. The path was icy, she had to watch out for wild hogs, and even wriggle under a barbed wire fence. She falls into a ditch because of a mean dog. All of this must be extremely difficult for a frail, elderly lady. Yet she makes the journey because she loves her grandson, and the strength of that love gives her the physical strength to persevere. Additionally she perseveres in other ways in everyday life. She cares for a child with a damaged throat and endures living in poverty.

A minor theme is racial prejudice, another hardship Phoenix Jackson must endure. The white hunter who helps her out of the ditch calls her Granny in a condescending tone and enjoys showing power over her by pointing a gun at her. The white shopper calls her “Grandma,” and the nurse calls her “Aunt Phoenix.” But they do still treat her with a small degree of kindness and sympathy, as when the nurse gives her a nickel. The story takes place around 1940, before the Civil Rights Movement.

Despite her exhaustion, Phoenix makes the difficult journey in order to help her grandson. She even uses her precious few nickels to buy him a paper windmill, a simple toy that they could not afford. Her love gives her direction, purpose, and strength.

After reading To Kill a Mockingbird, we can infer that Harper Lee used the title to highlight a central symbol in the novel. What/who does the...

The mockingbird is the symbolic centerpiece of the novel. Atticus notes that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because, unlike the crows or bluejays, the mockingbird does not harm crops or attack other animals. All it does is make music. The symbolic message is that it would be a sin to inflict harm on the harmless. That fundamental principle can be applied to several characters.

First, Tom Robinson. He is shown throughout the story to be courteous, helpful, gentle, and basically goodhearted. The "sin" would be (and is) convicting him of a crime he didn't commit.

Next is Boo Radley. At the point his character is introduced, damage has already been done to Boo, making him the person he is as an adult. The "sin" in Boo Radley's case would be arresting him for Bob Ewell's murder. While technically he did kill Ewell, it was out of an overarching goodness - his effort to save Jem.

In both cases, the characters are not evil, harmful or "bad" in any way. Symbolically, they are just making music.

In what chapter was the Tom Robinson case in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

The Tom Robinson trial begins in Chapter 17 and ends in Chapter 21.

Chapter 17: Sheriff Tate is the first person called to the witness stand. Atticus thoroughly questions him regarding the location of Mayella's injuries. Tate says that Mayella's right side of her face was badly beaten and was predominately bruised. The next witness to come to the stand is Bob Ewell. The prosecutor, Mr. Gilmer, asks Bob to explain what happened on the night of November 21st in his own words. Bob claims that he heard his daughter scream and says, "I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin' on my Mayella!" (Lee 231) Ewell tells Judge Taylor he saw Tom having intercourse with his daughter. During Atticus' cross-examination, Bob confirms Sheriff Tate's testimony that Mayella's right eye was bruised. Atticus then asks Bob to write his signature on a piece of paper. Atticus does this to show the jury that Bob is left-handed, which suggests that he could have possibly beaten Mayella.

Chapter 18: Mayella Ewell takes the witness stand. She testifies that Tom Robinson assaulted and raped her. The audience learns about Mayella's lonely, pitiful life taking care of her siblings and living with an abusive father. Mayella seems confused and cannot recount whether Tom beat her or not. Her testimony seems fabricated, and she refuses to answer any of Atticus' questions regarding where the children were during the assault and who she called for while she was being assaulted.

Chapter 19: Tom Robinson takes the witness stand. He tells Atticus that he was familiar with Mayella because he helped her plenty of times with her chores. Tom says that one day she asked him to fix an old door that kept falling off the hinges. He claims that while he was inside the house, Mayella grabbed him around his waist and kissed him. Tom says that he became scared and ran out of the house. Mr. Gilmer cross-examines Tom and Tom admits that he helped Mayella because he felt sympathy for her. This comment does not sit well with the jury and Gilmer proceeds to talk down to Tom.

Chapter 20: Atticus gives his closing remarks and begs the jury to judge Tom based off of the testimonies and evidence presented. He urges them to look past the fact that Tom is black and encourages them not to be swayed by their prejudiced beliefs.

Chapter 21: At the end of the chapter, Judge Taylor reads the verdict. Tom Robinson is found guilty of raping and assaulting Mayella Ewell. Atticus walks quickly down the middle aisle to exit the courtroom once the verdict is read.

Where does the story take place in A Child Called It?

The majority of A Child Called It takes place in the childhood home and school of Dave Pelzer located in Daly City, California. Specifically, Pelzer makes note of the basement, where he would spend many hungry and cold nights sleeping on a cot by himself. Frequent abusive episodes also occurred in the bathroom and kitchen of the family home.

Pelzer finds some solace at school, although he eventually becomes ostracized by his classmates for his dirty clothes and offensive odor since he isn't allowed to wash at home. Due to his extreme hunger, he also steals food at school and at the local market.

The family's trips to a cabin by the Russian River in Northern California are the setting for Pelzer's best memories growing up. His recollections there include watching peaceful sunsets, having fun with his brothers and his mother treating him with kindness.

How the arrival and departure of Dill helps signify the passage of time in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Dill comes every summer, which helps signify the passage of time.

Dill is a friend of Scout and Jem who comes every summer to stay with his Aunt Rachel, and leaves at the end of the summer.  The children begin to count time by when Dill shows up.

Dill was from Meridian, Mississippi, was spending the summer with his aunt, Miss Rachel, and would be spending every summer in Maycomb from now on. His family was from Maycomb County originally… (Ch. 1)

Dill, Jem, and Scout are like the Three Musketeers.  They do everything together all summer long.  Their favorite pastimes are acting out books and trying to make Boo Radley come out.

Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the back screened porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the treehouse; summer was everything good to eat; it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape; but most of all, summer was Dill. (Ch. 4)

Dill does not have a very good home life.  His mother remarries and Dill does not really like the new man.  He feels like his parents are not paying any attention to him, and runs away to Maycomb.  Dill is used to going to Maycomb every summer and looks forward to it just as much as Scout and Jem do.  They are his second family.

Since Dill is in Maycomb, he attends the trial proceedings with Scout and Jem.  Dill turns out to be just as sensitive as Jem.  He does not understand racism any more than Jem does and he has a violent physical reaction to the way that Tom Robinson is treated during the trial.

Dill is playful, creative, and loyal.  He is a good friend to Scout and Jem, and is an important character in the book.  The book's events are a coming of age journey for Scout and Jem, but for Dill as well.

How does Keller's world change once she begins to understand the connection between language and meaning in The Story of My Life?

When Anne Sullivan first arrived at the Keller home, she tried repeatedly to show Helen that each thing had a name.  Her goal was to teach Helen the connection between words and meanings.  Miss Sullivan began this instruction immediately after arriving in the Keller home.  While Helen held her doll, Miss Sullivan spelled the letters "d-o-l-l" into her palm.  Miss Sullivan did this daily with many words.  Finally one day, Helen's mind made the connection between the letters being spelled into her palms and the things that were being named.  Miss Sullivan and Helen were outside when they came across a water spout.  Her teacher put Helen's hand under the water and spelled "w-a-t-e-r" into her palm.  Suddenly Helen realized that the letters

"meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over [her] hand. That living word awakened [her] soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free!"

Once Helen was able to understand that each thing had a name, she felt that the world opened up to her.  Helen became eager to learn.  She wanted to know the name of everything.  She experienced everything with "new sight."  She felt an overwhelming sense of happiness.

Although she does not shop for food at Sam's, what is the real reason Mrs. Maloney goes to Sam's store?

Right after she kills her husband, Mary's mind becomes clear. She quickly considers the ramifications of being, caught and imprisoned. She decides not to take the chance of being caught, especially since she is pregnant. She fixes her makeup and then starts practicing how she will converse with Sam when she goes to the store. She wants to sound natural: 

She tried again. "Hello, Sam" she said brightly, aloud. The voice sounded peculiar, too. "I want some potatoes, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of beans." That was better. Both the smile and the voice sounded better now. She practiced them several times more. 

She has already begun to formulate her strategy. Going to Sam's store will give her an alibi. If the detectives ask where she was when her husband was killed, she will have an alibi and a witness (Sam) to say she was out and came home to find Patrick dead. She goes to the store and has a normal conversation with Sam. She does buy potatoes and cake, but the real reason she goes is to have an alibi and a witness. When she gets home, she calls the police and tells them she went out shopping and came home to find Patrick on the floor. 

What was the impact of the Civil War on civil liberties?

One of the great debates in any democracy in crisis is whether individual rights should be sacrificed in exchange for national security. More recently, this became a subject of contention after the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D.C. Abraham Lincoln was faced with similar rancor for his decisions during the Civil War.  There were actions that Abraham Lincoln took as commander-in-chief that abridged civil liberties of American citizens. The biggest coup during Lincoln's administration was the institution of military tribunals to try citizens. Martial law was also declared.  This means that civil authorities mus cede authority to military institutions.  These actions denied Constitutional protections of due process of law and the rights of trial by jury. His actions were also violations of the constitutional principle of habeas corpus. First Amendment rights of freedoms of the press and speech were also curbed during the Civil War.  These were drastic measures that would be unimaginable by today's standards.  

The stakes were very high for Lincoln. If the North did not win the war, the Constitution would be rendered meaningless. For this reason, Lincoln viewed it as pointless to protect constitutional rights at the expense of winning the war.

In Chapter 8, why is the scene where Simon sees the Lord of the Flies important?

The scene where Simon sees the Lord of the Flies is incredibly important for a number of reasons. As a good, kind, and sensitive child, easily the most sensitive boy on the island, Simon is the one who believes that they all need to go to the top of the mountain and see the beast for themselves. "I think we ought to climb the mountain." When the other boys cower in fear at his suggestion, Simon simply responds with, "What else is there to do?" (184)  He believes in facing one's own fear. In fact, he's the only boy on the island willing to confront the fact that the real beast lies within them all.

Simon wanders off alone. The extreme heat and his thirst is described in great detail. After silently witnessing Jack and his hunters' brutal killing of a sow and the subsequent offering that they made of her head to the beast, Simon continues to sit in the heat staring at the gruesome totem. He can't look away from it and is quite literally mesmerized by it. The head is now covered in flies and is starting to bloat from the heat. Simon begins to hear it speak to him and proceeds to have an entire conversation about the Lord of the Flies' plan for the island, the boys, and Simon. The Lord of the Flies threatens him and warns him to stay out of the "fun" that it has planned. It urges Simon to return to the others and play, but Simon intends to continue up the mountain. As the Lord of the Flies continues to warn off Simon, Simon either begins to have a seizure or falls into a faint—it's a bit unclear as to which. 

This scene is incredibly important because only Simon is willing to go off and confront his fear. Simon believes that the beast is within them all, that it's simply a reflection of their own savagery and that the boys have created the beast. This conversation with the sow's head can be viewed as an extension of that very same idea. Simon faints or falls into a seizure when confronted with the levels of savagery that humans are capable of.  

Another reason that this scene is important is because it foreshadows Simon's death at the hands of all of the boys. All of the boys listed by the Lord of the Flies kill Simon—using anything and everything at their disposal: teeth, hands, spears, rocks, etc. Despite this warning, Simon continues on up the mountain to confront the beast. 

What does Athena do to help Odysseus in Book 22 of The Odyssey?

In Book 22, Odysseus finally reveals himself to the suitors who have plagued his homeland and his household. He does this by killing Antinous with an arrow through the throat in an extremely graphic and bloody way. The suitors don't immediately realize who he is, until he announces himself and their impending doom. He begins to fight, after refusing to accept a weak apology from Eurymachus, and dispatches Eurymachus as quickly as he did Antinous, with an arrow through the chest. The remaining suitors begin to arm themselves, with help from Melanthious (a servant whose loyalties now belong with the suitors). 

Athena shows up, once again disguised as Mentor, and Odysseus calls out to her, requesting her aid: 

“Mentor, help fight off disaster. Remember me, your dear comrade. I’ve done good things for you. You’re my companion, someone my own age.” (22, 262-266)

The suitors follow up Odysseus' request for aid by threatening Mentor (Athena) with death if he fights with Odysseus. This angers the goddess, but she is still resolved to test Odysseus instead of making sure that he wins the fight outright.

The fight begins in earnest and Athena makes sure that when all of the suitors throw their spears they miss Odysseus, but Telemachus is grazed on the wrist. (22, 325-327) Eventually, after she's convinced of Odysseus' worthiness, Athena demonstrates her godhood by flashing her sigil/shield in the air to highlight her backing of Odysseus. This also causes the suitors to flee. (22, 374) 

Essentially, Odysseus does the majority of the work, but Athena helps him out by keeping the spears from hitting him. 

What was William Bradford's job?

What is your dad's job?  This is a popular question among children on the playground.  If somebody asked one of William's three sons this question, they may have looked at the inquisitor with a puzzled look.  The trouble with answering this question is that Bradford, one of the founders of the Plymouth Colony, had many jobs in his lifetime.  He is most famous for being the governor of the Plymouth Colony for thirty years.  As governor, he acted as a judge, political leader, treasurer, and legislature.  He played a big role in establishing the legal code of the colony.  As an early settler, he was a farmer and was important in establishing the early agrarian policies of the colony.  The governor was also a writer, authoring a detailed chronicle of the history of the colony.  Finally, Bradford was an entrepreneur in the fur trade industry.  

Why didn't Elie have to turn in his new shoes in Night?

Upon arriving at Birkenau, the reception center for Auschwitz concentration camp, Elie, his father, and the others that arrived on the transport are stripped of their possessions.  The men are ordered to remove their clothing, trading them for the "stripes" (striped pants and shirts) that they will wear for the duration of their time in the camp.  Carrying their belts and shoes, they are then sent to have their heads shaved and to be "disinfected".

Later, when they make it to the barracks, Kapos would frequently walk through to inspect to see if the prisoners had anything worth taking.  Prisoners often had to surrender new shoes or face severe beatings.  Luckily for Elie, his shoes are covered in mud, so the soldiers do not notice that they are new.  This is helpful, as the prisoners must walk quite a bit and the new shoes will prove sturdy for the multiple journeys.

What are some examples of connections from your life to the novel Monster?

One of the predominant themes throughout the novel deals with self-identity. Steve Harmon struggles with his identity after the prosecuting attorney calls him a "monster." Steve has a hard time understanding himself and continually questions his own morality. Steve also regrets the terrible decision he made to participate in the robbery. Many teenagers struggle with their identity and try to fit in. If you've ever attempted to act like someone you weren't in order to fit in you could associate that experience to Steve Harmon's situation. Also, you could associate a negative life choice you've made that you now regret. Steve Harmon regrets agreeing to help James King and Richard "Bobo" Evans rob a store. Steve also tries to justify his actions while he is in prison. If you've ever tried to convince yourself that you were right in order to justify your actions then you could associate those feelings with Steve Harmon's experience.

Why do we use Sudan III to identify lipids?

Sudan III, 1-(4-(phenyldiazenyl)phenyl) azonaphthalen-2-ol, is a member of Sudan dyes that are used for lipid testing. Basically this dye is used to color non polar organic substances such as oils, fats, waxes and other long chain hydrocarbon molecules.

In biochemistry laboratory, Sudan III is used for lipid determination. Sudan III solution has a red-brown color. For lipid testing, the Sudan III solution is added in the aqueous solution of lipids. It should create two layers; the aqueous layer at the bottom and the Sudan III solution on top. The test will be positive when the red (sometimes red-orange) solution of the Sudan Red will decolorize the aqueous solution. It only means that the lipid particles in the aqueous layer will dissolve the Sudan III dye. It will show negative test when the two layers will not change even when the mixtures are shaken.

In the Outsiders, why do Darry,Two-Bit, and Ponyboy like to fight?

Before the big fight with the Socs, Ponyboy asks the other boys why they like fighting. Just out of the blue he decides that he is curious and asks each of them in turn. Soda says he likes it because it is "like a drag race or a dance or something." He likes the competition of it, wants to win.

Pony suggests that Darry likes to fight so he can show off his muscles and demonstrate his amazing strength. But for Darry, fighting is basically a way of life. He has to fight to support his brothers and fight to keep them together and out of a group home. So if fighting the Socs is another thing he has to do, he will simply do it without questioning it. Combine that with the pleasure he takes in the physical challenge of it and he takes to it easily.

Assumimg the rubber bands are models for covalent bonds, what can you conclude about the relative strengths of single, double, and triple bonds?

You can use rubber bands to model single, double and triple covalent bonds by comparing the force needed to stretch one, two or three rubber bands at once. In doing so you will observe that triple bonds are the strongest, double bonds are the next strongest and single bonds are the weakest. It's harder to stretch three rubber bands at the same time than it is to stretch two, and it's easier to stretch a single rubber band. 

A single bond consists of one pair of electrons being shared between two atoms. A double bond is two shared pairs or four electrons, and a triple bond is three shared pairs or six electrons. Triple bonds are the shortest and single bonds are the longest. 

The strength of a chemical bond is indicated by the bond dissociation energy, which is the amount of energy required to break the bond. The example below of bond dissociation energies of bonds between carbon atoms verifies the relative strengths of the types of bonds:

carbon-carbon single bond: 350 kJ/mole

carbon-carbon double bond: 611 kJ/mole

carbon-carbon triple bond: 835 kJ/mole

Why was Samoset so important to the history of the Plymouth Colony?

Samoset was the first native to meet the Pilgrims when they landed in Plymouth. Imagine their astonishment when Samoset greeted them using the English language. He had learned to speak English from fisherman to the north of Plymouth. Since he could speak their tongue, the English learned a great deal about the geography of the land and the politics of the natives. He also introduced them to Squanto, another Native American that could speak English.

Squanto and Samoset were important to the early colonists because they acted as a diplomat on behalf of the Puritans to the Indian tribes. Samoset forged the first land agreement with the Puritans. Samoset and Squanto were important to the Pilgrims because they shared their knowledge of agriculture with them and they forged an alliance with a local native tribe that endured for many decades.

In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, why was Bob Ewell so against women? If he was, what are some quotes that prove so?

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, while there are no direct statements about Bob Ewell's disrespect of women, we can deduce he disrespects women, as well as humanity in general, based on many things said about him and many of his actions.

One can also assume he feels disrespectful towards women and all of humanity because he was raised with significant disrespect himself. As Atticus informs Scout early on in the novel, "The Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations" because not a single Ewell has "done an honest day's work" in his/her life; all Ewells live off of the charity of Maycomb (Ch. 3). Since Bob Ewell was not raised with enough respect to make him believe he can and should make something of himself, he treats all around him with the same amount of disrespect.

One point of evidence that shows Ewell feels disrespect towards women concerns Mayella's education. Just like all three generations of Ewells in Maycomb County, the present generation of Ewells is uneducated. Only Ewell and Mayella know how to read and write. Ewell allowed his daughter to attend school long enough to learn how to read and write, which according to Mayella was about "two year--three year--dunno," but took her out of school to take care of the children. All of the children are also kept from school. Mayella claims that her father needs the children at home, but the Ewells do not live on a farm; they live in a trash heap near the county dump, and no chores are done around the house except any chores Mayella tends to. Ewell forcing his children to remain at home shows how much disrespect he has for women and children; he sees them as worthless beings unworthy of an education or the opportunity to make something of their lives just as he makes nothing of his own life.

A second point of evidence that shows Ewell has no respect for women concerns his treatment of Tom Robinson's widow, Helen Robinson. Helen is completely innocent, yet Ewell allows his family to throw things at her as she walks past their house to her new job as a cook at Link Deas's house. When Deas threatens Ewells' family with the law, the family members stop throwing things at her, but Ewell himself follows her all the way to Deas's house; Helen reports that, during the whole time he was following her, she "heard a soft voice behind her, crooning foul words" (Ch. 27).

Further evidence of Ewell's disrespect for women and humanity in general concerns information that comes up in testimonies during the trial. Evidence from the trial points to Ewell being an abusive alcoholic and that the seven young children in his home were actually begotten through his improper, incestuous treatment of Mayella.