What is the meaning behind "mysterious energy" in Paulo Coelho's book The Alchemist? I feel like he means superstition in a sense, but I'm not...

In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, Melchizedek, the King of Salem, is speaking with the boy about how to obtain one's Personal Legend. One's Personal Legend is fulfilling one's full potential in life. For Santiago, he must find his treasure at the Egyptian pyramids as told to him in a dream. He must go on a journey, though, and this journey is where he discovers more about himself than just searching for treasure. Melchizedek explains that one's Personal Legend is different for everyone and we all know what it is when we are children. However, the following eventually occurs:

"But as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend. . . It's a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you  how to realize your Personal Legend. It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are. . . when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth" (21-22).

The above passage helps to complete the "mysterious force" thought by connecting it to the soul of the universe. The mysterious force seems negative, which can be construed as something evil to some, but it's really the person facing his or her challenge--and that can feel like fear, superstitions, negativity, doubt, or any other repressive feeling if it is translated incorrectly. The soul of the universe originates in a person's deepest desires, and when a person actually connects with the language of the universe, they feel that mysterious force. People who face this "force" or "energy" are really being challenged to pursue their full potential. Some people hide from it; some people say they will go after it later in life; some disregard it and submit to living a "safe" life; and others accept the challenge and proceed on their journey to discover their Personal Legends.

What does Miss Gates say does not happen in this country and does happen in Germany?

Miss Gates is the teacher Scout gets in the fall following the Tom Robinson case. Miss Gates asks the class to bring in Current Events articles to present and discuss. Scout says that some of the kids brought advertisements because most didn't understand what a Current Event was. Cecil Jacobs, on the other hand, brought in an article about Hitler's treatment of Jews at the time. Children ask her how Hitler can do that and Miss Gates first teaches them that the United States is a democracy and Germany is a dictatorship. Then Miss Gates says a very blind, ironic and hypocritical statement, as follows:

"Over here we don't believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced. . . There are no better people in the world than the Jews, and why Hitler doesn't think so is a mystery to me"(245).

In a round-about way, Miss Gates is suggesting that prejudice exists in Germany and not in America. However, Miss Gates does not say this explicitly; she just says that Americans don't believe in it. The whole scene is ironic because prejudice feelings and events abound in Maycomb County, U.S.A., but of course, that topic isn't touched in class.

What were the reasons for Shylock's loneliness in Merchant of Venice?

There's not much reason to believe that Shylock is truly lonely in “The Merchant of Venice”, maybe a better word to describe his position in Venetian society is “isolated”. Shylock is isolated because he is a Jew and the Jewish society of Venice at the time was cut off by law from the Christian society and was only permitted to deal with them in very specific ways: they were forced to live in a separate ghetto to which they had to return at night and be locked in until morning, and they were only allowed to work as moneylenders, they were prohibited from holding any other kind of job. Shylock has many connections to other members of the Jewish community, though; in fact the Jewish community in the play is portrayed as being closely knit. There’s his daughter Jessica, of course, and also his friend Tubal who we meet in Act Three, and there are many references throughout the play to other Jewish friends and business associates both in Venice and abroad. The Jews are forced to live separated from Christian Venice, however, and at critical moments that leaves Shylock very isolated, particularly in the trial scene when he is surrounded by Christians and facing a biased and hostile Christian judge.

`sin(pi/12)cos(pi/4) + cos(pi/12)sin(pi/4)` Find the exact value of the expression.

You need to recognize the formula sin(a+b) = sin a*cos b + sin b*cos a. You need to put `a = pi/12` and `b = pi/4 ` , such that:

`sin(pi/12 + pi/4) = sin (pi/12 ) *cos (pi/4)+ sin (pi/4)cos (pi/12 )`

`sin (4pi/12)= sin (pi/12 ) *cos (pi/4)+ sin (pi/4)cos (pi/12)`

`sin (pi/3) = sin (pi/12 ) *cos (pi/4)+ sin (pi/4)cos (pi/12)`

`sin (pi/12 ) *cos (pi/4)+ sin (pi/4)cos (pi/12) = sqrt3/2`

Hence, the given expression could be evaluated as the sine of the sum of angles `pi/12` and `pi/4,` such that `sin (pi/3) = sin (pi/12 ) *cos (pi/4)+ sin (pi/4)cos (pi/12) = sqrt3/2`

Prior to the health care reform that was passed in 2010, the government’s role in health care was limited to A. Medicare and Medicaid. B....

Of these answers, the best answer is to say that the federal government’s involvement in health care before 2010 was limited to Medicare and Medicaid.  This is not really true as the federal government was involved in many other ways such as regulating various aspects of the industry, but it is the closest to being correct.

Medicare is a federal government entitlement that is mostly concerned with providing health insurance to people over the age of 65.  Medicaid is a program that helps people pay for health care if they have low incomes.  It is run jointly by the national government and the states.

The national government was involved with both of these programs long before 2010.  This means that Option C is wrong.  Option D refers to an old name for a welfare program, not a health care program.  The US has never had universal health care so Option B is not right either.  For these reasons, Option A is the best answer. 

In "There Will Come Soft Rains," where are the human beings?

In “There Will Come Soft Rains,” there are no human beings still alive in the story.  As a matter of fact, the only things we see of them are their “painted” shadows on the wall after a nuclear war.  Supposedly, a nuclear blast will imprint the shadow of someone against a wall if they are in a certain radius of the explosion. This phenomenon was first seen with the dropping of the bombs at Nagasaki and Hiroshima.  The only thing still alive (and not for long) is the family dog that somehow survived the catastrophe.  He comes to the door wanting to be let in and fed but, unfortunately, dies.  The robot mice sweep him right up, and he is incinerated in the basement.

It is ironic that the technology that controlled the family’s life and provided them with an easy lifestyle is the very same technology that killed them.  The technology lived on without the family until the very end when fire destroys the last house standing in the city. 

`2x - y = 0, x - y = 7` Solve the system of linear equations and check any solutions algebraically.

EQ1: 2x-y=0

EQ2: x-y=7

To solve this system of equations, let's apply substitution method. Let's isolate the x in the second equation.

`x - y=7`

`x=7+y`

Then, plug-in this to the first equation.

`2x - y=0`

`2(7+y)-y = 0`

And solve for y.

`14+2y-y=0`

`14+y=0`

`y=-14`

Now that the value of y is known, solve for x. Let's plug-in y=-14 to the second equation.

`x -y=7`

`x-(-14)=7`

`x+14=7`

`x=7-14`

`x=-7`

To check, plug-in x=-7 and y=-14 to one of the original equations. Let's use the first equation.

`2x-y=0`

`2(-7) - (-14)=0`

`-14 + 14=0`

`0=0 `   (True)

Therefore, the solution is (-7,-14).

Where on a cow does liquid fat come from?

Liquid fats, in the form of milk, are excreted from mammary glands in the cow's udder. The udder is along the cow's stomach, just in front of the two hind legs. The udder is analogous to human breasts in the fact that it is made up from mammary glands and the milk is expelled through nipples. However, on the cow, there are four nipples on the one udder, as opposed to one nipple per breast on a human.

Milk is produced by cows for the same reason all mammals produce milk- to feed their young. In agricultural contexts, a cow's milk may also be consumed by humans or made into products like butter (primarily made of the milk fats) or yoghurt.

Milk fat is primarily saturated fat, though there are also monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in milk. Fats make up about 3.4% of the liquid milk, though this level of fat may be altered for human consumption, as with skimmed milk.

In what ways are Ulrich’s actions influenced by the natural setting and its conditions?

Ulrich von Gradwitz lives for the day that he can rid himself of his enemy, Georg Znaeym, whom he considers a "tireless game snatcher" and "raider of the disputed border forest." Therefore, he patrols this part of the forest regularly. On one particularly windy night as the deer act counter to their natures, he sets out with his foresters to find his enemy, who he determines must be in the forest.

Even during inclement weather, Ulrich has his foresters join him as he patrols the land that he considers his despite the famous lawsuit and the refusal of the dispossessed party not having accepted the judgment of the courts. On this particular night he probably would not venture out, but because the deer have been "running like driven things" rather than bed down in the windy night as they normally would, Ulrich suspects his enemy of prowling this strip of forest. So, he has his foresters station themselves on the crest of a hill while he treks through the lower part of the contested forest.

In the midst of this wind and developing storm, Ulrich comes around a huge beech tree and finds himself staring in the face of his sworn enemy. In that split second of hesitation because of their breeding as gentlemen, neither fires a shot. In the next instant, lightning strikes the huge old tree, and "a deed of Nature's own violence overwhelmed them both." Both Ulrich and Georg Znaeym are pinned beneath splintered branches. 

As they lie trapped together in enmity, each threatens the other with what his men will do to his enemy. But, as time passes and none of the foresters appear, Ulrich begins to ponder their dangerous predicament. After some private deliberation, Ulrich reconsiders, and he rids himself of his animosity. He asks Georg if he can reach his flask of warm wine if he tosses it to Georg, adding, "Let us drink, even if tonight one of us dies. Georg refuses the offer, adamant in his hatred, "....I don't drink wine with an enemy." But, as time passes and Ulrich pursues his attempts at amelioration, Georg finally relents.

"I think I have changed my mind about things, too....And you offered me your wine flask....Ulrich von Gradwitz, I will be your friend."

Like Ulrich, Georg has realized that they are in a life-and-death situation, and a feud over a strip of land somehow seems insignificant now.

Clearly, the stormy night in the forest and their being victimized by Nature has put the enmity that each feels toward the other into different perspectives. Influenced by these factors, Ulrich von Gradwitz offers his friendship to his old foe, and his enemy, George Znaeym, reconsiders his animus and resolves, also, to end their longstanding feud.

What is observed from Gilman's language choices? How does it look on the page? Why has she chosen this format?

This is an interesting set of questions.  Let us tackle the trickiest one first: some aspects of format are beyond Gilman's control, or beyond the control of any author. She did not, for example, control how the text was presented on the page, what font was used, etc. You might review two or more printings of the story to see what difference this makes.

Turning to the language itself, there are several aspects of the language that are worth noting.

The first, of course, is that it is a first person narrative. Since this is someone who experiences a reality that no one else in the story does, that creates suspense and ambiguity.

Within that first person narrative, there is often a sense that the narrator is engaging someone else--arguing with them, answering them, etc. For example, look at this line early in the story: "Else, why should it be let so cheaply? And why have stood so long untenanted?" To whom is she asking this question?

The narrative is broken into brief paragraphs, creating a sense of fragmentation.

Finally, some of the word choice is striking. For example, consider this early line: "Still I will proudly declare that there is something queer about it." Using the word "queer" indicates the house is strange. Using "proudly" shows she is already emotionally attached, just a few lines in. That's strange.

How did the country change after the War of 1812?

The United States changed significantly after the War of 1812. One big change is that we had only one political party for a period of time. Towards the end of the war, the Federalist Party was viewed as selfish and unpatriotic because they were against the War of 1812. After the War of 1812 ended, the Federalist Party disappeared. Only the Democratic-Republican Party existed after the War of 1812 as we entered the Era of Good Feelings.

The power of the federal government grew after the War of 1812. The court case of McCulloch v Maryland stated that a loose view of the Constitution was legal. The case of Gibbons v Ogden stated the federal government controls interstate trade. The American System developed. This allowed for protective tariffs, having a national bank, and improving and building our roads and canals.

After the War of 1812, our industries began to grow. More factories were built, and people moved to or settled in the cities to work in them. Protective tariffs gave our industries a chance to compete against the more established and more efficient European businesses.

There were many changes in the United States after the War of 1812.

How did Bear make a living going from one town to the next?

In the story, Bear is a wandering performer. In order to earn a living, he juggles leather balls, sings, and plays on his recorder as he travels from town to town. Bear originally learned these skills from the mummers group he joined after he ran away from the Benedictine abbey where he was enrolled. Instead of becoming a priest, Bear traveled all over England with the group of mummers and learned 'the language of song, of hand, of foot and...of laughter.'

When Crispin becomes Bear's apprentice, Bear teaches his young ward how to play on the recorder, to juggle, and to sing. Bear also demonstrates his dancing skills to Crispin. As Crispin watches in amazement at Bear's nimble moves, the older man announces that Crispin will be the one playing the recorder while he (Bear) dances, juggles, or sings for the crowd.

As Crispin has been declared a wolfs-head (who any man may hunt down and kill), the two have to make their way from town to town without being seen. Their final destination is Great Wexly, and they have to be careful not to draw attention to themselves. To earn a living as they travel, Crispin plays whatever song Bear instructs him to as the older man juggles, sings, or dances for the crowds that throng them. On occasion, Bear and Crispin earn money as well as bread for their troubles.

Ionization energy is the energy needed to eject an electron from an atom. Compute the ionization energy of a hydrogen atom in its fourth excited...

The ionization energy can be calculated by determining the difference between the energy of an electron in its initial state and the final state. This change in energy can be calculated by using the following equation:

Ionization energy = `E_oo - E_5`

` `

= `-R_H (1/n_f^2 - 1/n_i^2)`

where, `R_H` has a constant value of `2.179 xx 10^-18` J. Also, the energy at infinity will be zero. Substituting all the values, we get:

ionization energy =   2.179 x 10^-18 x (0 - 1/5^2) 

= - 2.179 x 10^-18 x (-1/25) = 8.716 x 10^-20 J

We can convert this to the units of kJ/mol by first multiplying energy change by Avogadro's number:

Ionization energy = 8.716 x 10^-20 J/atom x 6.023 x 10^23 atoms/mole

We then multiply that number by (1 J / 1,000 kJ) to get the final answer.

= 52.49 kJ/mol (the positive sign indicates that the energy is absorbed).

Hope this helps.

Someone once said "It is the human lot to try and fail." How can I interpret this quote using a reference from Fahrenheit 451 and a literary...

The narrative of Fahrenheit 451 demonstrates that books are testimony to man's attempt to make his "reach exceed his grasp" as the poet Robert Browning wrote, while wars are testimony to his failure to do so by assigning technology the role that the heart and mind must play.

Literature is the recording of the human experience, man's attempts to find meaning in life and to establish communication with others through the connections of thought. To detach oneself from the recordings of the human heart is to alienate oneself, and to destine oneself to the repetition of failures, and to be in constant war between the emptiness of a technological world and the enrichment of the world of thought.

When Montag catches the books in midair from the conflagration of the woman's house of books, he does so on an impulse; however, he almost intuitively senses that there is a profound force of the human heart recorded on the pages of these burning tomes, and he is curious to learn what lies within them. So, he carries some out and hides them in his house. Shortly thereafter, Montag, tries but fails as he reads Dover Beach to his wife and her friends; however, they react irrationally.

Mildred kicked at a book. "Books aren't people. You read and I look all around, but there isn't anybody!....my 'family' is people. They tell me things; I laugh, they laugh! And the colors!"

Further in the narrative, after Montag kills Beatty and escapes the police search for him, he learns from Granger that books and other forms of art are tools of communication with future generations:

Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die.... (This is figurative language—"something your hand touched" means something you created, something that was meaningful to people.)

So, Montag joins the community of living books (an implied metaphor for the people who memorize books), keeping them alive in the hope that people will realize the importance of these words. Granger touches Montag's arm as he says, "Welcome back from the dead." Alienation is overcome in this community in which each person is a book as the war between the emptiness of a technological world and the enrichment of the world of thought is resolved.

How is radical mediocrity achieved and enforced in "Harrison Bergeron?"

Mediocrity is merely the state of being ordinary or normal. The concept of radical mediocrity suggests forces which compel individuals to remain ordinary, or which compel them to tamp down any special abilities or talents that would elevate them above the norm. In Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, the entire society appears to be structured around the concept of radical mediocrity. The opening paragraph notes that three amendments to the United States Constitution (211, 212, and 213) are enforced by an official titled “the United States Handicapper General,” which communicates to the reader that federal law requires people to behave in ways that conform with official ideas about normalcy so that everyone can be seen as equal.

The first concrete example of radical mediocrity comes in the third paragraph when Harrison Bergeron’s father, George, is described as being outfitted with a transmitter because of his above-average intellectual abilities: “Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.” We soon learn that George also wears a canvas bag filled with birdshot around his neck in order to make his physical status equal to that of other people. When his wife Hazel suggests that he might feel better if he removed some of the lead balls to make the bag lighter, he describes the legal sanctions he would face as “two years in prison and two thousand dollars fine for every ball I took out." These severe legal penalties demonstrate how the government enforces mediocrity through the requirements that people continually wear devices that neutralize any kind of above-average mental or physical abilities.

Further evidence of the harsh nature of the government’s insistence on radical mediocrity is seen on the television, where George and Hazel’s son Harrison begins dancing with a beautiful and talented ballerina. Harrison has escaped from prison and arrived at the television studio, where he removes his physical handicaps on air. He removes the physical handicaps which had been hiding the ballerina’s beautiful face and impeding her movements, and insists that the musicians in the band play abnormally good music, unlike the radically mediocre music required by the government. 

The final act of the enforcement of mediocrity occurs when the Handicapper General, Diana Moon Glampers, arrives at the studio with a shotgun and kills both Harrison Bergeron and the ballerina. She then turns her attention to the musicians: “Diana Moon Glampers loaded the gun again. She aimed it at the musicians and told them they had ten seconds to get their handicaps back on.”

The story ends when the noises in George’s transmitter make it impossible to remember what he has just seen on television, while his wife’s normal intelligence insures that she, too, has forgotten, as soon as the television goes dark.

What is the magical realism in the story, "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings," by Gabriel Marquez?

Magical Realism is the blending of fantasy and reality. This style is a cultural aspect of Marquez's native Columbia and is a notable genre in other Hispanic cultures. In this story, the blending of fantasy and reality serves to question notions of truth and fiction. 

Marquez plays with uncertainty and this mix of the miraculous with the "every day" gives the reader a challenge in trying to make sense of what is real and what is not. In the end, there is no clear indication of the differentiation between reality and fantasy. This literary style allows the author to stretch the imagination and gives the reader an unconventional reading experience wherein he/she must deal with the uncertainties. Thus, the reader is forced to "wonder" and this is 'wonder'fully imaginative but also frustrating for a reader who wants things spelled out logically. 

In the story, the couple and the people of the town debate whether or not the old man is an angel. They seem to ignore the fact that, regardless of whether or not he is an angel, there is an old man with wings. In fact, the doctor thinks that the man's wings are so "natural" that he wonders why more people don't have them: 

What surprised the doctor most, however, was the logic of his wings. They seemed so natural that he couldn’t understand why other men didn’t have them too. 

In the end, the old man's monetary cache is trumped by a spider woman, another instance of magical realism. 

Here is one interpretation that deals with a way that magical realism is used in a critical respect. If this story is interpreted as a critique of commercialism and materialism, the elements of magical realism illustrate how mindlessly people pursue monetary gain. Even though they have a miracle (angel or 'natural' man with wings) on their hands, they treat him as an annoyance unless he is bringing them money. This shows how single-minded people can be and how they might miss miraculous things in life, not to mention the opportunity to be generous and caring. 

Portraying the old man as an angel or winged, Marquez shows how thoughtless and unimaginative people can be when they are too concerned with the trivial things. 

Quelles parties d'un être vivant sont les plus susceptibles d'être fossilisées ? Pourquoi? or What parts of a living being are more likely...

Fossils are remains or traces of an organism that lived long ago. Fossils dating back to couple of billion years have been found, though fossils of relatively recent organisms (few to few hundred million years old) are more common. When an animal dies, its skin and other organic body constituents gets decayed or eaten by other organisms or scavengers. Ultimately, only the hard body components, such as bones, teeth and shells remain and are capable of surviving the destructive forces of nature. These components are slowest to degrade and hence survive the longest and gets converted to fossils. There are exceptions though. Completely preserved animals have been found as a result of instant freezing after its death. Another such example is the complete fossil of insects trapped inside resin drops.

Hope this helps.  

How does Things Fall Apart resolve?

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart has a tragic resolution to close out the novel. Indeed, the novel ends with Okonkwo taking his own life, and his body must be removed by the District Commissioner. Okonkwo is unable to adjust to Umuofia after it has been altered by the pervasive colonial influence of white settlers. His inflexible will does not allow him to adjust to the changes of his home, so he chooses to hang himself. Obierika laments the loss of his best friend and blames the District Commissioner and men like him:

“That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself; and now he will be buried like a dog” (208).

Interestingly, Achebe resolves the novel by having the free indirect discourse focus on the District Commissioner’s perspective:

“As he walked back to the court he thought about that book. Every day brought him some new material. The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged himself would make interesting reading. One could almost write a whole chapter on him. Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph at any rate” (208-9).

This achieves two different effects. First, it shows how the area has officially been changed through Western influence. Next, and most importantly, it shows how the Western narrative often takes precedent in the world as a whole. Oknokwo’s epic, tragic story will be a mere footnote in a Western representative’s narrative. Okonkwo and his clan are marginalized by Eurocentric forces.

In Puck's final speech in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, he turns and talks to the audience. What is it called when the actors interact...

There are two answers to this question. One has to do with how a play is written and the other with how a play is performed.

Puck’s final speech is an epilogue. In classical theatre epilogues are speeches that wrap up the action and are often addressed to the audience. So if you are looking at how the play is written, Puck’s speech would be an epilogue addressed to the audience.

The performance technique that you are referring to is called “breaking the fourth wall.” In most theatre the actors act as though the audience isn’t there, as though there is a wall between them and the audience. They don’t make eye contact with or speak to the audience. But sometimes, often when an actor is alone on stage, they break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience. That is how Puck’s epilogue is performed: spoken directly to the audience.

What did the two men who entered Scrooge's office after his nephew want?

After Scrooge's nephew visited him, two gentlemen entered.  They greeted Scrooge and asked him for donations for the poor.  They explained the plight of the poor in the city.  Scrooge asked them if there were still prisons and workhouses for the poor to go to.  The men told him that yes, those places were still there.  They went on to explain that they wanted to give the poor a hot meal and warmth.  Scrooge told them that he simply "wanted to be left alone" and did not want to give them any donation for the poor.  He explained that he already gave money to the existing establishments for those in poverty.  One of the men told Scrooge that some people would prefer to die rather than go to somewhere like a workhouse.  Scrooge replied that "if they would rather die... they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."  After this statement, both men left.

If 200g of water is at 80.0C, how much water at temperature of 25.0C will need to be added in order to bring the final temperature of the mixture...

It looks like you're trying to solve for two unknowns. Since you know the final temperature and the temperatures of the hot and cold water before mixing, you can replace 80-f and f-25 with the actual changes in temperature and solve for x, the mass of cold water.

You've started out showing that the heat lost by the warm water equals the heat gained by the cold water, which is correct. For both the warm and cold water the heat change equals mc `Delta` T, where m is the mass of the water, c is the specific heat capacity and `Delta`  T is the change in temperature. The value of 1.0 that you used is the specific heat capacity of water in units of calories/gram-degree C. Here's what the equation should look like:

mc`Delta` T (warm water) = mc `Delta` T (cold water)

(200g)(1.0 cal/gram-*C)(80.0-60.0 *C)=(x)(1.00 cal/gram-*C)(60.0--25.0*C)

4000 cal = 35x cal/g

x= 4000/35 g = 114 g 

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Atticus treat Walter Cunningham?

After Walter has a scuffle on the playground of the school with Scout, Jem invites Walter over for lunch.  Walter Cunningham is too poor to bring a lunch to school, and it is very kind for Jem to ask him over.  When they sit down at the dining room table, Atticus talks to Walter about crops and farming.  These are subjects that Walter would know about, and it makes Walter feel welcome and a little less anxious to be having lunch at the Finches. 

Atticus treats Walter with kindness and respect.  Even though Atticus, Scout, and Jem are of a higher social class, Atticus receives Walter with empathy and understanding.  Just like Atticus accepts Walter’s father’s payment of legal services in food crops for it is all he can afford, Atticus accepts Walter for who he is.  He doesn’t talk down to Walter but engages him with compassion and friendliness that involves an understanding of Walter’s life and circumstances. 

It is no surprise that Atticus treats Walter with respect and understanding; Atticus treats everyone the same way.  It is also after this lunch with Walter that Atticus teaches Scout about walking around in another person’s skin to truly understand someone.  Atticus’ non-judgmental attitude towards all people makes him a man to admire and appreciate. 

Why does a positively charged balloon stick to the wall just as easily as a negatively charged balloon?

In both cases, the cause is the interaction between electric charges. The electric charge in a body may appear by rubbing, by contact with another charged body, or under its influence.

When a balloon is rubbed with another body, like the human hair for example, a certain amount of electrons passes from the hair towards the balloon, so it acquires a negative charge. If in these conditions the balloon nears the wall, its negative charge repels the free electrons in the wall, leaving a positive charge in this region, and the attraction between the balloon and the wall occurs.

If the balloon is rubbed with polyester, a certain amount of electrons go from the balloon towards the polyester, so the balloon acquires a positive charge. If the balloon is approaching the wall, the free electrons in the wall accumulate in this region and the attraction between the balloon and the wall occurs.

What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of the monster in Frankenstein?

The monster has several strengths and weaknesses, which is part of why he is such a complex character. 

Some strengths:

• Intelligence (he teaches himself how to read and speak!)


• Compassion (before things get really bad, he does try to take care of the DeLacey family by bringing them firewood AND tries to save a little girl from drowning)


• Strength (he is incredibly large, remember)


• Self-awareness (he reflects on his actions and why he has taken them)

Some weaknesses:

• Vengeful (he wants to hurt Victor emotionally by killing off his whole family)


• Violent (he kills William and Elizabeth with his bare hands)


• Self-absorbed (he really has trouble seeing past his own hurt and pain for the majority of the novel,  and who can blame him for that? So one could say he is absorbed in his own issues)


• His physical appearance is clearly one of his weaknesses. He cannot help this, of course.

What is lago's motivation for acting as he does in Othello?

Excellent question. What is driving Iago, anyway? He is full of explanations and motivations, and yet few of them make much sense and we’re left wondering if he has any real motivation at all. He very early on tells us straight out: “I hate the Moor”, but his reasons keep shifting and changing. He makes horribly racist jokes – could he simply be a violent racist who hates Othello for his race alone? But then he tells us he is afraid Othello is sleeping with his wife – well, that would certainly be a motivator but it isn’t true and his fear seems irrational; how could Othello be carrying on with Emilia, even if he wanted to? Where? When? Iago also tells Roderigo of his resentment at being passed over for the lieutenancy – this is the first thing that seems reasonable to object to; after all, Iago worked hard for that position, other authorities advocated for him to get it, and he seems only to have been passed over because Cassio was from a nobler class. At other times, though, Iago’s hatred seems to transcend any bitterness about a promotion, so…where does it come from? Iago is scary precisely because he seems to have a great many grievances and yet none at all, a dangerous man who fixates on destroying someone and grabs at any excuse to justify it.

In the novel The Giver, what year do you receive your job?

Children receive their jobs when they turn twelve.

Jonas’s community leaves nothing to chance.  Every aspect of the citizens’ lives is scheduled and orchestrated, to ensure that there are no surprises.  The assignment process is a perfect example of how controlling the community is.

First of all, all children born in a year are considered the same age, regardless of when they were born.  The children all turn the next year older during a special set of ceremonies in December.  The most important is the Ceremony of Twelve, where children known as Elevens receive the job they will have for life.

It was a secret selection, made by the leaders of the community, the Committee of Elders, who took the responsibility so seriously that there were never even any jokes made about Assignments. (Ch. 2)

The community has most of the jobs that every city has, with a few additions.  Since there is complete population control, the community uses Birthmothers to deliver babies.  These are likely test tube babies, genetically modified and created in a lab.  The babies are raised by Nurturers until they reach the age of One, and then they are assigned family units (a man, a woman, one boy, and one girl).

Assignments are based on close observation of children, especially the Elevens.  A committee of elders tests for aptitude, personality, talents, and interests.  This committee then assigns each child the job that will be his or her job for life.  There is no changing jobs, and everyone gets one.  The children are also not told ahead of time.

Unlike his father, he had no idea what his Assignment would be.  But he knew that some would disappoint him. Though he respected his father's work, Nurturer would not be his wish. And he didn't envy Laborers at all. (Ch. 2)

Jonas’s assignment is a very unusual one. He is selected to be the Receiver of Memory, which is a prestigious position.  In it, he will have honor and huge responsibility, but not necessarily power.  The elders are the ones who have the power.  The Receiver just advises.  He alone knows what has happened in the past, because he holds the community’s memories from generations ago.

How is McMurphy portrayed in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?

When we first meet McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the narrator, Chief Bromden, tells us that he is "no ordinary Admission" (Kesey 10). McMurphy, who counters figures of authority with brashness and swagger, is not the type of man who would "slide scared along the wall" or respond to directions with "a weak little yes" (Kesey 10-11). Rather, we find that he is a strong, capable individual with a gambling habit and a tendency to break the law (Kesey 11). Bromden describes McMurphy's arrival at the institution by noting the many ways that he is dissimilar to both the patients and staff, and he gives a description of McMurphy that signals a sort of awe. Consider, for example, the way in which Bromden characterizes McMurphy in the beginning of the novel:

The way he talks, his wink, his loud talk, his swagger all remind me of a car salesman or a stock auctioneer—or one of those pitchmen you see on a sideshow stage, out in front of his flapping banners, standing there in a striped shirt with yellow buttons, drawing the faces off the sawdust like a magnet (Kesey 12). 

In this excerpt, we see that McMurphy is a rather playful individual, as signaled by his tendency to wink at other characters, and his attitude has an air of performance. He draws attention wherever he goes, and he interrupts routines. His persona, as Bromden points out, is much like "a magnet" (Kesey 12). As such, we can safely assume that McMurphy has the ability to attract attention and to influence others. The description Bromden provides, notably, does not portray McMurphy as a trustworthy figure, but it does point to McMurphy as a figure of disruption and potential power.

Additionally, we see that McMurphy is an observant character within the novel, and a character for whom strength and masculinity play an important role. After the group meeting on the ward, McMurphy suggests that the practice of dissecting each patients' problems and tendencies (a practice guided by Nurse Ratched) is ultimately damaging and emasculating; moreover, he argues that Nurse Ratched intends for group therapy sessions to make the male patients feel weak. Harding, another patient on the ward, responds to McMurphy's observations:

“You are right,” Harding says, “about all of it.” He looks up at the other patients who are watching him. “No one’s ever dared come out and say it before, but there’s not a man among us that doesn’t think it, that doesn’t feel just as you do about her and the whole business—feel it somewhere down deep in his scared little soul” (Kesey 37). 

In Harding's response, we see that McMurphy has a bold, confrontational style--one which, importantly, the other patients seem to lack. Furthermore, we find in the exchange that McMurphy appears to have an inner, masculine strength that the other patients on the ward do not possess (and that they cannot possess, McMurphy's stance suggests, due to group therapy sessions which promote turning on one another and tearing one another down). In the passage, McMurphy is juxtaposed against Nurse Ratched, the head nurse on the ward, and we might see this as an early example of McMurphy's masculine, anti-authoritarian energy conflicting with Nurse Ratched's ordered, feminine energy.

When we examine McMurphy's character in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, it is wise to keep in mind that we see him through Bromden's eyes, and as a narrator, Bromden has the ability to shape our understanding and interpretation of McMurphy.

Source: Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. New York: Signet Books, 1962.

In Night, what are examples of how Elie and his father used determination and commitment in the beginning of the book? How has this changed by the...

Determination and commitment are two major themes in Elie Wiesel's Night. At the beginning of the novel, Elie and his father, Chlomo, are separated from the rest of the family when they arrive at Auschwitz. Because they only have each other, survival means commitment to one another. Elie, loyal to his father, is determined to make sure both of them survive.

Yet as the novel progresses, Elie's commitment to his father wanes as Chlomo becomes feeble due to forced labor and the mental agony of losing his wife and youngest daughter. At one point Elie briefly wishes that his father would just die. For Elie, the primal determination to survive leads to this momentary betrayal of his father.

In summary, the way determination and commitment change throughout the novel is a prime example of how the Holocaust dehumanized its victims and stripped them of their humanity towards one another.

What are the types of figurative language, poetic devices, and forms of poetry used in "I'm Nobody" by Emily Dickinson?

"I’m Nobody!" by Emily Dickinson uses several different types of poetic devices. The most obvious are rhyme and meter. The first stanza uses a somewhat irregular rhythmic pattern but the second stanza contains regular alternating lines of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter. The rhyme scheme of both stanzas is ABCB, although the rhyme in the first stanza of "too" with "know" is an off-rhyme rather than a regular one.

Another major figure used simile, particularly the comparison of being somebody to being like a frog in the second stanza.

The first stanza displays the figure of hyperbole or exaggeration in its claims.

Next, there is allusion. Odysseus in the Odyssey fools Polyphemus by giving his name as "Nobody;" thus we get a sense of lack of identity as a sort of protective device for the poet Dickinson, just as it was for Odysseus. 

Finally, Dickinson uses idiosyncratic punctuation, including dashes and exclamation points, to create and oddly disjoint and exclamatory effect in the poem. 

What does Holmes learn when he starts to question Mr. Wilson about his assistant?

During the interview, Holmes learns that the assistant's name is Vincent Spaulding. That he is around thirty years old. That he has a avid interest in photography and is always diving down into Wilson's cellar to develop his pictures. That he came to work for half-wages to learn the business. That it was he who called Wilson's attention to the ad for red-headed applicants to the fictitious league.

Towards the end of their interview, Holmes brings up his most important questions.

“What is he like, this Vincent Spaulding?”

“Small, stout-built, very quick in his ways, no hair on his face, though he's not short of thirty. Has a white splash of acid upon his forehead.”

Holmes sat up in his chair in considerable excitement. “I thought as much,” said he. “Have you ever observed that his ears are pierced for ear-rings?”

“Yes, sir. He told me that a gipsy had done it for him when he was a lad.”

Holmes already feels sure that Vincent Spaulding is really a notorious criminal named John Clay. The detective is excited because he has been trying to capture Clay for a long time, and he knows that Scotland Yard would also like to get their hands on him. Holmes feels sure that Clay is working for Wilson for an ulterior objective and is probably going down to the cellar because he is digging a tunnel.

Watson describes Wilson as a "stout, florid-faced, elderly gentleman." This is to forestall any reader's question as to why Wilson never goes down into his own cellar to see what his assistant is doing. The "florid face" suggests high blood pressure. He would not want to venture down a steep flight of wooden stairs and climb back up again just out of curiosity. If he had ever done so, he would have ended up buried in his own cellar, because Clay would have no compunctions about murdering him.

When Holmes and Watson inspect the vicinity of Wilson's pawnshop, Holmes deduces that the tunnel is being dug in the direction of the Coburg branch of the City and Suburban Bank. Since the Red-Headed League had been dissolved that very day, Holmes further deduces that the thieves are planning to break into the bank's basement strong room and loot all its stored gold via their tunnel that very night. He sets up a trap and both are caught. Clay will hang for this and previous crimes.

How does the narrator of "The Ultimate Safari" describe her encounters with animals?

In The Ultimate Safari, the narrator and the group that she travels through Kruger Park with encounter a number of animals. 

One night (she didn't know which night it was because they were walking any time, all the time) they heard lions near. 

"Panting, like we do when we run, but it’s a different kind of panting: you can hear they’re not running, they’re waiting, somewhere near."

So everyone rolled close together and on top of each other, those on the edge fighting to get into the middle. The narrator shuts her eyes, not wanting to see the tree from which a lion might jump into the middle of the group. 

The narrator is squashed next to a woman that smells bad because she is afraid, but the narrator is glad to hold tight on to her. 

The leader jumps up and beats on a tree with a dead branch. 

"He shouted at the lions like a drunk man shouting at nobody, in our village."

The lions went away but she could hear them groaning and shouting back from far off. 

What is the significance of Henry James' and Walter Besant's arguments in their essays "The Art of Fiction," and how does their debate influence...

In The Art of Fiction controversy, Henry James discusses his departure from Walter Besant's arguments about the true purposes of the novel.

For example, James rejects the notion that a novel should serve some moral purpose; he merely reiterates that a novel should be 'interesting' and should present the realities of life as organically as possible. He complains that the novel has received an unfair reputation as a demoralizing and debasing influence. Instead, James advances the idea that the novelist should view himself as an expert, with skills commensurate to that of the artist, musician, or historian, with a relevant story to tell.

He continues to argue that a novelist should view his work as a serious reflection of reality. Thus, he should not be circumscribed by his rank or station in life, but should be open to new impressions and opportunities. This leads to the argument that there should never be literary constraints on the craft of writing; rather, sincerity should be one's ultimate guide.

No author better exemplified Henry James' arguments than Charles Dickens. Interestingly, this consensus was not without its controversies. Dickens often vehemently defended his portrayal of reality, despite the charge from certain critics that he overplayed his literary accomplishments in this quarter. Nevertheless, the Dickensian realistic novel often highlighted the life of the working class; in this context, Dickens never shied away from the ugliness and the horror of unrelenting English poverty. He attempted to paint a realistic portrait of Victorian life from the viewpoint of the downtrodden.

In regard to Dombey and Son, Dickens saw this novel (published in one volume in 1848), as the catalyst for all his subsequent realist fiction. Dombey and Son highlighted the new industrialization and mechanization that had pervaded the Dickensian world of old England. In 1848, the railroads were coming into their own, symbolizing both progress as well as destructive influence. The railways facilitated great economic activity and led to dizzying financial rewards, but they also brought about dehumanizing change and a greater divide between the rich and the poor. You will see that Dickens highlighted the growth of the railway industry and all its ramifications extensively in his novel. For a historical background as well as specific references in Dombey and Son, please refer to:

The Growth and Impact of Railways in Victorian England.

Railways in Victorian Literature.

In Dombey and Son, the social divide is closely delineated by Dickens. His classic, descriptive passages are famous for reinforcing the authorial voice in regards to issues about class and gender. Take, for example, Dickens' portrayal of both Mr. Toodles and Mr Dombey. The latter is a wealthy merchant, and the former, a poverty-stricken family man who works for the railroad. When his wife, Polly, is tasked with suckling Mr. Dombey's sickly son, Paul, we are invited to peruse the differences between two men who exemplify the divide between the rich and poor in Dickens' day.

...Toodle returned and confronted Mr Dombey alone. He was a strong, loose, round-shouldered, shuffling, shaggy fellow, on whom his clothes sat negligently: with a good deal of hair and whisker, deepened in its natural tint, perhaps by smoke and coal-dust: hard knotty hands: and a square forehead, as coarse in grain as the bark of an oak. A thorough contrast in all respects, to Mr Dombey, who was one of those close-shaved close-cut moneyed gentlemen who are glossy and crisp like new bank-notes, and who seem to be artificially braced and tightened as by the stimulating action of golden showerbaths.

Read about Toodles as railwayman in Dombey and Son. Also, railways as image and plot device in Dombey and Son.

Apart from class issues, the novel also highlights gender issues in Dickens' England. In the story, the first Mrs. Dombey dies shortly after Paul's birth. her death is not unduly mourned by Mr. Dombey, who takes a second wife shortly after. His new wife, Edith Granger, is beautiful, accomplished, and definitely not in love with her aging suitor. However, Edith marries Mr. Dombey for financial security and for her aged mother's welfare. Mr. Dombey, for his part, sees Edith as a possession and a decorative piece on his arm. Here, Dickens highlights the anguish of a woman, dependent upon the graces of an indifferent husband and subject to the whims of her circumstances. Florence, Mr. Dombey's daughter, is likewise rebuffed by her father for most of the novel. She is, after all, only a daughter, hardly fit to be inheritor of Dombey and Son.

So it is that Dickens' social commentary on class and gender is highlighted amid a background of evolving social change. With the advent of industrialization, fueled by the railway revolution, the reality of life was often a brutal survival-of-the fittest game when Dickens wrote Dombey and Son. As with Henry James' claim, the purpose of a novelist is not to teach some moral lesson, but to delineate reality in as sincere and as accurate a way as possible. This leaves the reader to reach his/her own conclusions. Dickens achieves this literary goal admirably in juxtaposing dueling dichotomies in the railway revolution (Mr Carker dies when a train hits him, but Mr Toodles improves his life by stoking train engines) and in highlighting the eventual fate of his female characters.

Source: Railways and Culture in Britain: The Epitome of Modernity by Ian Carter.

Sex, Crime, and Literature in Victorian England.

What are two positive effects of television on society?

I can think of at least two positive effects television can have on society. For one, television allows people to stay up-to-date locally, nationally, and globally by watching news programs. Having a television in the home can also help make media literacy more accessible to people from various walks of life.

Due to news programming, we live in an age where the latest events from around the globe may be broadcast on television minutes after they occur. This is truly remarkable compared to a century ago, when information could take days or weeks to reach people. Even newspapers and radio news programs cannot really keep up with television news programs today. This immediacy of information drastically changes the way we interact with those around us on local, national, and global levels.

Some people believe having constantly up-to-date news programs on such a large scale isn't good for us. It is possible that having access to information about all the "bad news" contributes to depression, social anxiety, and desensitization to violence. I would argue, however, that the good caused by being aware of current events significantly outweighs the bad. By interacting with news media, people have the opportunity to be informed and actively make positive changes in the world. 

Not everyone can afford trips to the theatre for stage or film events, and a significant number of people are either physically unable to leave their homes or do not have enough time to bring outside media into their homes. Trips to the library, video rental store, or a public media venue like a movie theater take time and money. Having a television in the home can make media more accessible to people who cannot otherwise afford it. This can be beneficial for children who may not have access to learning materials or educational programs other than television. Adults benefit from media literacy as an element of socialization that can encourage critical thinking and provide new information about the world. 

Why did John Aycliffe have great power over the peasants?

As Steward of the Manor, John Aycliffe was responsible for making sure that everything on the Estate ran smoothly. Part of this responsibility was overseeing the collecting of taxes from the village which supported the Manor and dealing with any crimes that occurred there. Aycliffe is described as being very cruel, sometimes having peasants punished by whipping or dismemberment. When Crispin's mother dies, Aycliffe even takes their only ox as a form of tax, leaving Crispin with absolutely nothing.

In short, Aycliffe has power over the people of Crispin's village because they fear him. The peasants' lives are spent making sure that they support the Manor, and if they even make one wrong step in their responsibilities, they know that Aycliffe has the authority to do whatever he wishes to punish them.

What are some examples of non-racial prejudice throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

According to sociology expert, Nicki Lisa Cole, prejudice is "simply a pre-judgment that one levies of another that is not based in reality." There are many examples of non-racial prejudice that fit this definition found throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Aunt Alexandra is prejudice towards many families and groups of people throughout the novel. Alexandra's attitude towards people and their families is not based off individual merit, but "streaks" present in one's familial line. Alexandra's prejudice against poor families is reflected when she forbids Scout from playing with Walter Cunningham because his family is "trash." Alexandra expresses her prejudice towards families by labeling individuals as nosey, alcoholics, and liars based off their distant relatives. These pernicious stereotypes attached to Maycomb community members create feelings of enmity and bitterness.

Boo Radley is another character throughout the novel who becomes a victim of non-racial prejudice. Rumors surrounding Boo Radley portray the innocent recluse as a psychotic maniac. Whenever strange things happen in the neighborhood, Boo Radley is automatically blamed as the responsible party. Miss Stephanie is quick to spread inaccurate rumors about Boo Radley's life that result in non-racial prejudice towards him.

1. What is market efficiency? 2. Identify and distinguish between the different types of market structures; compare and contrast the similarities...

There are a few different standards that can be used to define efficiency in an economic sense, but the most commonly used is what we call Pareto efficiency.

If a market is Pareto-efficient, it is impossible to redistribute goods in such a way that we could make one person better off without making anyone worse off.

I think this is worth explaining a bit further; at first glance, many people often infer that Pareto efficiency is very easy to obtain. "Obviously, if I take something from you and give it to someone else, you are worse off. Therefore it is Pareto-efficient." This is incorrect. A market is only Pareto-efficient if every good is being used by the person who values it most.

An example might help: Suppose you have 400 bushels of corn, and I have 300 bushels of wheat. Suppose, furthermore, that you like wheat better than corn and I like corn better than wheat. This setup is not Pareto-efficient, because if I give you all my wheat in exchange for a bunch of your corn, we are both better off, because you like wheat better and I like corn better.

In practical terms, we generally infer that a market is Pareto-efficient if total surplus is maximized; this is composed of two components: consumer surplus, which is the difference between how much consumers value the goods they have and how much they had to pay for them, and producer surplus, which is the difference between how much was paid for goods and how much it cost to produce them. Adding these up, the price paid for the goods becomes basically irrelevant; all that changing the price does is redistribute surplus from consumers to producers or vice-versa.

Where prices do matter is by influencing the actual number of goods produced and sold. If the price is either too high or too low, markets will not clear; either supply will exceed demand, or demand will exceed supply.

The basic market structures to be concerned about are perfect competition, monopoly, monopsony, oligopoly, and monopolistic competition. Oligopoly and monopolistic competition are the most common systems in the real world, but they are basically complex hybrids of the other three basic types.

Under perfect competition, there are many buyers and many sellers, and no one person has the power to significantly influence the price. In perfect competition, the price will naturally seek its market-clearing level, and total surplus will be maximized. Thus, perfect competition is efficient. The market for wheat is close to perfect competition.

Under monopoly, there are many buyers, but only one seller. That seller has the power to set the price they want. If they can set different prices for different people, they can use price discrimination, which allows them to produce goods for everyone who wants them (more strictly, everyone who wants them enough to pay more than the marginal cost of making them); this maximizes total surplus and is therefore efficient; however, the monopoly seller gets all the surplus. If they must set the same price for everyone, they instead produce less than they could, in order to charge a higher price. This is not efficient, because the resulting total surplus is less than it would be under perfect competition. The market for any new drug, still under patent, is effectively a monopoly.

A monopsony is the inverse of a monopoly; there are many sellers, but only one buyer. Again, if the monopsony buyer can use price discrimination, the market will be efficient but the monopsony will capture all the surplus. If not, the monopsony will purchase less than they could, in order to buy at a lower price. This is not efficient, as it results in less total surplus than perfect competition. The market for military contracts from the government is a monopsony.

An oligopoly has a small number of sellers, but more than one; it can behave like a monopoly, or like perfect competition, or somewhere in between, depending on the complex interactions between different companies. To really understand oligopoly you need game theory. Many real-world markets are oligopolies, such as soft drinks (Coke and Pepsi), computer operating systems (Apple and Microsoft) and commercial airliners (Boeing and Airbus).

Monopolistic competition is a system in which there are many sellers, but they are each different from each other, so that in a sense, there is really only one seller of each precise type of good. Thus, they can act somewhat like a monopoly on that good--but not too much like a monopoly, because if they set their price too high then people will start buying different goods instead. Monopolistic competition is usually not efficient, but it typically becomes more efficient over time as more companies enter the market and it thereby gets closer to perfect competition. Most real-world markets are under monopolistic competition, from t-shirts to cheesecakes and pencils to sunglasses.

In the book Seedfolks, what is the setting and what are the customs of the people using the garden?

Seedfolks takes place in Cleveland, Ohio.  There is no set time; however it is after the Vietnam War.  Cleveland is a multicultural society.  The simple act of a child united them.

Kim, a nine-year old immigrant from Vietnam, starts the garden as a tribute to her father, a Vietnamese farmer.  She had never known her father, but she started the garden by planting a handful of lima beans to show him she was his daughter.

“He would see my patience and my hard work.  I would show him that I could raise plants as he had.  I would show him that I was his daughter.” (pg 4)

She plants lima beans, not because they mean anything, but because she wants the spirit of her father to recognize she is his daughter.

Tio Juan from Guatemala did not know the customs of America, but he, also, had been a farmer in his country.  When he developed his plot in the garden, his daughter bought him familiar seeds.  He was lost in this new culture of America, but comfortable in his old culture as a farmer.

“He changed from a baby back into a man.” (pg 22 )

Leona planted goldenrod tea for her grandmother.  Her doctors told her grandmother to take numerous medicines, but she refused. She insisted that her habit of drinking goldenrod tea every morning was the reason for her health. She outlived her doctors and died at ninety-nine.

Sam was a retired social worker, and it was his job during his working years to bring people together.  He found that the garden did just that.  He immediately called the garden “Paradise”.

“God, who made Eden, also wrecked the Tower of Babel, by dividing people.  From Paradise, the garden was turning back into Cleveland.” (pg 35)

Virgil was from Haiti.  His father drove a taxicab.  They grew lettuce to sell to restaurants.  The fresher the lettuce the better.  They saw it as a financial asset.  

Nora brings Mr. Myles from the old aged home for a walk each day.  They pass the garden.  Mr. Myles is in a wheelchair and severely handicapped from a stroke. Nora feels that he is close to death.  He cannot dig or grow a garden. However, Nora finds a way.  She brings a barrel and fills it with dirt.  She,then, gives Mr. Myles a dozen seed packets, vegetables and flowers, allowing him to choose which to plant. He chose flowers.

“Mr. Myles chose the flowers decisively, ignoring the vegetables.  Was he recalling his mother’s flower garden? “ (pg 62)

Amir, from India, grew eggplant and other vegetables from his country.  However, the eggplant was of the greatest interest to the other gardeners.   

“Very many people came over to ask about them and talk to me. “ (pg 75)

The garden became a place where people of all cultures could meet and have something in common to discuss.  It became a uniting event that started as a simple gesture of a child.

Who is being described in this passage from Johnny Tremain? "He wanted to prevent the tea from landing at the dock in Boston. He wanted to make...

This quote from Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes portrays Sam Adams.

Although there are several different political leaders revealed in the book, Sam Adams acts as a profound instigator who encourages the people to unite in the fight against the British tea tax on the North American colonies. Throughout the book, several different perspectives are shown (such as the Loyalists); however, the quote reveals a more revolutionary perspective. With Sam Adams' viewpoint, the North American colonists are encouraged to reject the British taxation without representation.

Today, the concept of the American Revolution is commonly accepted. However, this quote represents the previously novel concept by Sam Adams. Although he was not alone in his radical beliefs, Sam Adams stands out as one of the primary leaders of the American Revolution.

Juan works at a retail store. he gets $6 an hour plus $5 each time he gets someone to sign up for the company credit card. Write a formula to...

Here we have to assume that Juan does not work 24 hours. So we assume that Juan works for 'X' hours per day.

Further we do not exactly know how many days that Juan works per week. Let us assume that to be Z days. How ever `1<=Z<=7` and Z is an integer.

Then we can assume that 'Y' number of people signup for company credit card per day. Y is an integer and `Y>=0`

The daily earnings will be as follows.

Hourly payment for Juan in $`= 6`

Daily payment for working hours in $`= 6X`

Earnings by signup per day in $`= 5Y`

Weekly earnings  

= (number of days worked)`xx` (daily earnings)

`= Z(6X+5Y)`

So the expression for weekly earnings as follows;

Weekly earnings = Z(6X+5Y)

In Othello, to what extent do you agree that if Cassio had remained sober, Iago’s plan would not have succeeded?

Iago's plan to have Cassio dismissed would not have worked, yes, but only at that particular point. The sly Iago would definitely have come up with a different approach. He was absolutely intent on having his revenge and nothing would have stopped him. This much is evident from earlier events in the play.

When he and Roderigo, for example, failed to have Othello dismissed by approaching Brabantio and accusing the general of having kidnapped his daughter, Desdemona, Iago quickly came up with an alternative - play on Othello's insecurities. He systematically manipulated the general and led him to believe that his wife was having an affair. The fact that he suggested that her lover was Cassio shows how devious he was. It was a matter of 'killing two birds with one stone' for he despised both men with a passion. 

Iago had no difficulty in winning trust. Practically every character in the play called him trustworthy and followed his advice. He could, therefore, play on their emotions and provide them with guidelines which would neatly fit into his pernicious plan to destroy them. He cleverly used the idea of 'hold your friends close, but your enemies closer' to devastating effect. 

In this context then, the masterful puppetmaster would have been able to steer anyone into doing his bidding, as he did with Emilia who actually stole a precious possession, Desdemona's handkerchief, to please him. He did the same with Roderigo by directing the poor lovesick fool into whatever direction he wished him to go with the promise that he would win Desdemona's affection as his reward. 

We furthermore witness Iago's determination when he declares, without even a bit of remorse or irony:

O, sir, content you;
I follow him to serve my turn upon him:

He says this when Roderigo asks him why he continues to be obedient to Othello after the general had refused to appoint him as his lieutenant. He also later states:

In following him, I follow but myself;
Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,
But seeming so, for my peculiar end:

He equivocally declares his malevolent intent in this instance. When he decides to punish Cassio for the humiliation that he suffered, since Cassio, an outsider, had been granted the position he so much desired, he is unstoppable. Cassio's dismissal is not enough, he actually wants him killed and uses Roderigo for this purpose. The big prize is, however, the general. He turns him into a blustering, angry and vindictive fool whom he will supposedly help in achieving his revenge.   

Of all the characters whom Iago manipulates, it is ironically only Roderigo who challenges him on realising that the malevolent puppeteer is leading him on. Tragically, Roderigo's enlightenment arrives too late. The scene has already been set for Iago's malevolence to prosper and when he fathoms that Roderigo can jeopardise his master plan, he kills him.

So, therefore, all things considered, Iago's malice and perverse desire for revenge were forces greater than any situation or person to stop him. He would have found some other way in which to carry his malice through to its rancorous conclusion.   

What are some parallels that can be drawn between the super-villains in McCarthy's novels: Judge Holden, Perez, and Chigurh?

Judge Holden, Emilio Pérez and Chigurh share the same innate depravity, to the extent that we can consider them as symbolic representatives of Satan. The three of them also share a similar totalitarian project in which they act as supreme dictators, deciding who is allowed to exist and who is condemned to perish. Holden ambitions to be a "suzerain of the earth" (p. 195) and exert absolute control over the world, to the extent that, as he states, "the freedom of birds is an insult" to him and he would "have them all in zoos" (p. 196). Likewise, Pérez exerts complete control over the inmates in the prison and demands complete obedience from them: "If you dont show faith to me I cannot help you" (p. 188). Like Holden, Pérez decides who lives and who dies, as does also Chigurgh, a "true and living prophet of destruction" (p. 4), as Sheriff Bell describes this implacable murderer from whom there is no escape. To this list of "super-villains," as you call them, we can add the character of the pimp Eduardo in Cities of the Plain who exerts a similar dictatorial rule over the whorehouses and the prostitutes who work in them. Rather than allowing Magdalena to find happiness with John Grady, he prefers to have her murdered, in order to prove his omnipotent power over life and death.

The nature of evil is one of the central themes of Cormac McCarthy's fiction and in these and other characters who as readers are mystified by the complete depravity of the human soul that they seem to possess. In a world where goodness seems to be mostly absent, the presence of evil is indeed pervasive, as if God had make some mistake when he created the human race.

In Lord of the Flies, who are three people who lead the boys on the island toward destruction?

There are several characters throughout the novel Lord of the Flies that lead the boys on the island toward destruction. The first character to bring up the idea of the "beastie" is the littlun with the mulberry birthmark. His character is significant to the destruction on the island because the idea of the "beastie" is the catalyst for irrational fear which perpetuates amongst the boys. He is also the first casualty of the island. His accidental death foreshadows the deaths of Simon and Piggy later on in the novel. His death and belief in the "beastie" has an immense psychological impact on the boys. The reality that death is a possibility on the island, coupled with their irrational fear of a beast lead toward their eventual destruction.

Roger is another character who leads the boys on the island toward destruction. At the beginning of the novel, Roger is a helpful boy who makes valid suggestions, such as voting to choose a leader. As the novel progresses, Roger becomes Jack's right-hand man. Roger supports Jack's tyrannical leadership and promotes brutality on the island. Roger becomes a sadist who takes pleasure in harming others. Roger is an advocate for violence and his intimidating presence forces many of the boys to obey and participate in Jack's barbarism. Roger also kills Piggy, which is the anticlimactic moment when all hope and civility is lost on the island. His character is instrumental in the boys' destruction on the island.

Jack is obviously the main catalyst that leads the boys toward destruction in the novel. Jack is the first to rebel against Ralph's democratic leadership and forms his own tribe of brutal hunters. Jack is the first to neglect the conch which is a symbol of civility and structure throughout the novel. He promotes violence and encourages the boys to become savages. Jack uses the irrational fear of the beast to motivate his tribe to partake in violence. Jack is void of morality and commands his tribe to hunt Ralph at the end of the novel.

In "Harrison Bergeron," how does the author use parallel structure for effect in paragraphs 51 and 53?

I may have a different copy of the text than yours, so I am not sure we are seeing the same paragraphs; however, I will try to answer the question as best as I can.

Parallel Structure as a grammatical and rhetorical strategy uses words or phrases that are similar in structure to enforce or enhance a main idea. Parallel structure is used in speeches as a way to capture the audience by its rhythm. One of the most famous uses of parallel structure was in MLK's "I Have A Dream Speech."

In Harrison Bergeron, Vonnegut uses noun-verb as the pattern when he writes "Harrison tore...Harrison thrust...Harrison smashed." The reader gets a sense of rhythm in the use of parallel structure here; also, Vonnegut's choice to use the proper noun, Harrison, repeatedly instead of the pronoun "he" puts emphasis on Harrison himself.

What does equal representation mean?

Equal representation can mean different things. When the Constitutional Convention was being held, there was a big debate regarding the structure of the legislative branch. The large states wanted representation in the legislative branch to be based on the population of a state. Therefore, large states would have more representatives than small states. The small states objected to this idea. The small states wanted equal representation meaning each state would have the same number of representatives in the legislative branch.

In the 1960s, there was a court case dealing with equal representation. In the Supreme Court case of Reynolds v Sims, the Supreme Court ruled that when the state legislature reapportions their legislative districts because of changes in the state’s population based on data from the latest census, the newly created districts must have approximately the same number of people living in the district. It wasn’t unusual to have a district where one representative had far fewer people living in the district than a representative had for people living in another district. In this case, equal representation means one person represents approximately the same number of people as a representative in another district. This concept is often expressed as “One man, one vote.”

The concept of equal representation has had several meanings throughout history.