Henderson says that Multivac is no better than the data fed into it. What does he mean?

Henderson tells Swift and Jablonsky that the data used to program the super computer Multivac, which supposedly provides the title of story, had increasingly become "unreliable" and "meaningless." The data used came from several different sources and was often impossible to consolidate. The data also went through the filters of the men who programmed the computer who "had their own skins to think of and competitors to stab." The data which came from the planet Titan was "delayed" and "would introduce an unexpected bias." Since Henderson could not rely on the data, he "corrected" it through "intuition." In other words, the data was based on Henderson's totally subjective ideas and not really based in science. Thus, the war that was presumably won by technology was actually successful because Henderson, Swift, and Jablonsky guessed correctly. Jablonsky even admits he didn't use educated guesses, but rather flipped a coin for most of the important decisions. 

What are the grotesque elements of "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift?

In literature, the "grotesque" refers to that which invokes a feeling of uncomfortable bizarreness as well as sympathetic pity. It is used to describe anything that is strange, ugly, unpleasant, or disgusting. Swift's "A Modest Proposal" is full of the grotesque. 

He sets out to establish himself as a well-meaning, level-headed citizen interested in finding a solution to Ireland's poverty. In particular, he's about to suggest a way to deal with the children of the poor who tend to become beggars and thieves in the streets, in such a way that everyone would benefit. The way he sets himself up as a reasonable man only exaggerates the grotesqueness of what he actually suggests: 

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout.

What he is suggesting is, in itself, strange, unpleasant, and even disgusting. Another element of the grotesque present here is the apparent calm, matter-of-fact way he goes about making his case. He suggests roasting an entire infant for company or simply a hindquarter with a little salt and pepper for a family--as though he is a chef suggesting what dish people in a fine restaurant might order. This is entirely incongruous with the subject matter, which makes it grotesque. 

Further, he suggests flaying the carcass to produce ladies' gloves--as if ladies would wear such a thing. 

His apparent assumption, throughout, is that simple economics and the tables of the rich and cleaning up the streets are far more important than the lives of the poor. The thing is...this is absolutely true, which is the heart of his masterpiece, the soul of his wit. He's simply using grotesque exaggeration to point out this sad fact. 

What are some key moments in the early nineteenth century when federal authority clashed with state authority?

There were many clashes between federal and state authority in the early 1800s (if by that we mean the period before 1850). Here are a few examples:

• A debate over a federal appropriations bill in 1817 that would have set aside funds for internal improvements like roads and canals. The construction of these things was held by some to be a power reserved to the states, and many Republicans opposed it on these grounds. President James Madison vetoed it though he supported the idea of internal improvements. He thought that a Constitutional amendment needed to be passed to grant such a power to Congress, however.


• The issue of federal laws and state laws that emerged from interstate navigation. This was a longstanding issue that came to its conclusion in the Supreme Court's decision in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824). This case involved contradictory monopolies, or charters, granted by the state of New York and the federal government. The Supreme Court sided with the federal government, which alone has the power to regulate interstate commerce according to the Constitution.


• The Nullification Crisis of 1832. This crisis stemmed from several federal "protective" tariffs that benefited Northern manufacturers more than Southern planters. The state of South Carolina, with John C. Calhoun as its spokesman, claimed the right to "nullify" the tariff along with any other legislation that was damaging to its interests, and suggested that they could leave the Union if this right was not respected. A compromise was reached wherein tariffs would be lowered over the next decade, but the event was the most significant, and most dangerous clash of federal and state authority in the early nineteenth century. 

Of course, as time went on, the sectional tensions between North and South became more severe, and many more clashes between federal and state authority ensued. 

What choice is Jerry faced with that presents him with an internal conflict in the beginning of "Through the Tunnel"?

As the story opens, Jerry is faced with a dilemma. He wants something different on this vacation. Looking down at the 'wild and rocky bay,' Jerry sees promise and adventure. Although he is old enough to wonder at the possibilities the bay presents to his boyish eyes, he is still young enough to be ambivalent about leaving his mother's side.

Jerry's mother is a widow, conscious of her need to protect her son as well as her son's need to savor the kind of independence every boy his age longs for. On the first day of their vacation, Jerry decides to stay with his mother; his consideration of his mother's feelings is a 'sort of chivalry' on his part. However, the next day, the call of the mysterious bay beckons him, and his mother consents to let him explore the bay by himself. Although he is ecstatic at this opportunity, he finds it sad that his mother, who he has always accompanied, must walk back by herself.

However, he does not change his mind, and this fateful decision seals Jerry's fate and strengthens his resolve to swim the tunnel. By the end of the story, all his work and discipline bears fruit: Jerry manages to swim the tunnel just like the bigger boys did earlier. The sense of accomplishment is palpable.

What other devices, such as stanzas or punctuation, does Tennyson use in "The Eagle"?

"The Eagle" is a poem by Tennyson consisting of two three-line stanzas. The meter of the poem is iambic tetrameter. The rhyme scheme is AAA BBB. The punctuation follows the normal conventions of English grammar. The capitalization of the initial word of each line is also a standard convention in English verse.

The most obvious poetic device used in the poem is alliteration, or repetition of consonant sounds. The most dramatic instance of this occurs early, in the first two lines of the poem, with the repetition of the hard "c" sound in the sequence of words: "clasps ... crag ... crooked ... close." In the second line we encounter another example of alliteration in the words "lonely lands".

One interesting metrical feature of the poem is the initial trochaic substitutions in the second and third lines. The second line scans (stressed syllables in boldface):

Close to the sun in lonely lands

The third line of the first stanza also has an initial trochaic substitution:

Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.

In traditional English prosody, initial trochaic substitutions are often seen as adding surprise or drama to a line.

The poem as a whole personifies the eagle, describing, for example, his claws as "crooked hands." The final line uses a simile in the phrase "like a thunderbolt he falls."

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Miss Maudie says that Mr. Radley had been a ''foot-washing Baptist." What does she mean?

Both Miss Maudie and the members of the Radley family are Baptists. Some Baptists in the South, such as Primitive Baptists, practice ritual foot-washing. The rite of foot-washing is done because Jesus had washed the feet of his disciples. The was done as a sign of humility.

Scout finds the act of foot-washing to be strange. She asks Miss Maudie about it. She asks her neighbor if all Baptists practice the rite of foot-washing. Miss Maudie says they all wash their feet in the bathtub. Then Miss Maudie gives Scout more insight:

"Foot-washers believe anything that's pleasure is a sin" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 5).

Some Primitive Baptists in the area even think that Miss Maudie's beautiful flower garden is sinful. These Baptists "take the Bible literally" and "think women are a sin by definition." Mr. Radley had been a foot-washing, or Primitive, Baptist before his death. Scout wonders if this is why he stayed inside his house most of the time. Miss Maudie tells Scout that she does not know.

What are some reasons that Paul Revere was an important American patriot?

There are several reasons why Paul Revere was an important American patriot, most of which dated to the period before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. He was a Boston metalsmith, and this was really his claim to fame during his life--his work was well-known in Boston and elsewhere. But like many artisans and businessmen in Boston during the 1760s, he was active in public life, and when the imperial crisis developed after the French and Indian War, he became an active leader in the resistance. He was an early member of the Sons of Liberty, formed to protest against British taxation and other policies, and used his talents as an engraver to produce anti-British propaganda in Boston newspapers and for leaflets and broadsides. For example, his engraving of the "Bloody Massacre," which grossly exaggerated the events at the Boston Massacre, became essentially the official Patriot account of the event. Obviously, he played a role in the "ride" that alerted the area militia that the British were marching on Lexington and Concord, and it is for this that we most remember him. He served briefly in the Continental Army, and would remain prominent after independence.