How has Macbeth murdered sleep in act 2 of Macbeth?

In Act 2 of Macbeth, Macbeth recounts his act in murdering Duncan and explains: 

Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more!/Macbeth does murder sleep”—the innocent sleep,/ Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care,/ The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath,/ Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,/ Chief nourisher in life’s feast.

In this quotation we can take sleep to mean two things.  First, the act of committing murder is ultimately putting someone to sleep permanently.  Here sleep is portrayed as "innocent," a "cleave of care," and a "bath" as well as a "balm."  All of these things highlight the nourishing and healing powers of sleep, which Macbeth has ultimately corrupted for his own purposing in committing murder.  In this way, Macbeth has robbed Duncan of this healing power by murdering him in his sleep.  Moreover, Macbeth continues in the act saying: 

Still it cried “Sleep no more!” to all the house. “Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more.”

In this instance, Macbeth is exclaiming that all of his territories and all of those in his house will sleep no more.  And ultimately he will not be able to sleep any longer.  In this sense of the term we see that Macbeth will "lose sleep" over the heinous act that he has committed. In this way, Macbeth has murdered his own sleep because he will never be able to rest given the terrible things that he has done and the resulting remorse that he feels. Given these two quotations taken together, Macbeth has murdered sleep because one cannot rest in his presence (given that he is a dangerous person) and Macbeth will not be able to sleep given the remorse and guilt that he feels from the murder that he has committed.   

How did the colonists respond to the Proclamation Act of 1763?

After the French and Indian War ended, Great Britain received a lot of land from France. The colonists were excited when they heard the British received most of France’s land east of the Mississippi River.

However, the colonists were very upset when the British passed the Proclamation of 1763. This law prevented the colonists from moving into the land west of the Appalachian Mountains. The British were concerned that the Native Americans would attack the colonists who might try to settle in this region. Most Native Americans had sided with the French in the French and Indian War, and they were very concerned that the British were getting this land. The colonists, however, believed the British were trying to restrict their freedom by passing this law. Owning land was very important to the colonists.

The colonists were upset with the Proclamation of 1763, and some colonists took action to protest this law. Some colonists refused to follow the law and moved to this area. The colonists were further upset when Great Britain passed the Quartering Act that required the colonists to provide housing for the British soldiers who were enforcing the Proclamation of 1763. The Proclamation of 1763 made the colonists unhappy.

What is the time and historical period of "The Interlopers"?

The Interlopers is a story by Hector Hugh Munro (Saki).  It was part of a collection of short stories (The Toys of Peace, and Other Papers ) that was published in 1919 after Saki's death.  While the physical setting of the story is indicated, the time period is not.  

There are several clues that enable us to speculate that the time period of the book is the early Twentieth Century. First, the fact that both characters have rifles is an indication.  Also, most of the short stories in the collection are set in pre-war Europe.  A third hint about the time period is the fact that we do know that the author lived between 1870 to 1916.  

This time period was before the Great War.  It was a period of industrialism and militarism in Europe.  England was the most powerful industrial power, but Germany was also moving in that direction.  Many of the European countries had acquired empires in Africa and Asia.  The historical period is referred to as the Industrial Age or the Age of Oil.  

How is an ecosystem related to biodiversity?

An ecosystem is a number of living organisms which interact with one another and with the non-living components of their environment. Large ecosystems can be divided into smaller ecosystems. For example, the marine ecosystem is composed of a variety of smaller ecosystems, including coral reef ecosystems and coastal ecosystems. 

Biodiversity is used to describe the variety of life present within an ecosystem. Two similar locations may have very different degrees of biodiversity, even within the same ecosystem. For example, we might investigate two sections of the same stream and catalog the number and type of organisms present. If one section were significantly less biodiverse than another, we would wonder why, and perhaps look for sources of pollution or other factors to explain the loss of life.

Is matter transformed or used up in cellular respiration?

The law of conservation of matter states that matter can never be created nor destroyed on Earth. Therefore, matter is not used up in cellular respiration. Rather, the matter of the reactants of cellular respiration are transformed into the matter of the products of the reaction. During cellular respiration, one glucose and six oxygen gas molecules produce six water compounds, six carbon dioxide compounds, and energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). During cellular respiration, the bonds of the reactants are broken and rearranged to form the reactants. In this way, both the products and reactants of cellular respiration consist of six carbon atoms, twelve hydrogen atoms, and eighteen oxygen atoms.

Similarly, the law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. 

What are examples of verbal irony in Of Mice and Men?

Verbal irony occurs when a person says one thing but really means something different. There are several examples of verbal irony in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. In chapter one Lennie insists that he can go live in a cave when George becomes angry about the dead mouse Lennie has been carrying. George eventually apologizes to him, but at the close of the chapter Lennie repeats his threat:

"’Cause I can jus’ as well go away, George, an’ live in a cave.” 

“You can jus’ as well go to hell,” said George. “Shut up now.”

George is being ironic in that he doesn't really mean that Lennie should go to hell. George has made it clear that he wants Lennie to continue to travel with him.

In chapter two George has to lie to the boss by saying Lennie is his cousin when the boss suggests that George is taking Lennie's pay. After the boss leaves, George tells Lennie,

“Well, that was a lie. An’ I’m damn glad it was. If I was a relative of yours I’d shoot myself.” 

Again, George does not really mean he would shoot himself. He's being derisively ironic toward the fact that Lennie is mentally challenged and often says and does things which are inappropriate.

In chapter four Crooks uses verbal irony when he tells Lennie that he doesn't want the big man to come into his room. In reality, Crooks is awfully lonely and welcomes the company. He tells Lennie,

“Long as you won’t get out and leave me alone, you might as well set down.” 

A little later, Crooks is again ironic when Candy comments that it must be nice to have a room of his own. Crooks has a private room only because he is black and thus segregated from the white men who live in the bunkhouse. He tells Candy:

“Sure,” said Crooks. “And a manure pile under the window. Sure, it’s swell.” 

He doesn't really mean it's "swell," and by referring to the manure pile he's saying that it isn't that wonderful to have his own room.

In the same chapter, Curley's wife joins Crooks, Lennie and Candy. As usual, she is looking for Curley who has apparently gone into Soledad, presumably to a whorehouse. When the men tell her she shouldn't be around them she becomes angry and, referring to Curley, says,

“Sure I gotta husban’. You all seen him. Swell guy, ain’t he? Spends all his time sayin’ what he’s gonna do to guys he don’t like, and he don’t like nobody."

She also doesn't mean the word "swell." She strongly suggests in this chapter and the next that she is not happy being with Curley and that he isn't very nice to her.

While she's talking to the men, she questions Lennie about the bruises on his face. She is curious because Curley has his arm in a sling. Lennie, embarrassed and afraid to admit what happened, is silent as Candy tells her,

“Why . . . . Curley . . . . he got his han’ caught in a machine, ma’am. Bust his han’.” 

The machine in question was not a machine at all, but Lennie, who crushed Curley's hand in the bunkhouse fight. The men are trying to keep the fight a secret so that George and Lennie won't get "canned" from the ranch.

How would you describe Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol"?

Scrooge is a complex character.  While he is a moody pennypincher in the beginning of the story, he grows and evolves as he confronts the past that made him the way he is, and the people whose lives he affects.

The description of Scrooge in Stave One is not endearing.

Oh! but he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. (Stave One)

He demonstrates the accuracy of this reputation by refusing to give Bob Cratchit enough coal to keep him warm, haranguing the men who ask him to donate to charity, refusing Fred’s dinner invitation and scolding him about marrying for love, and complaining about giving Cratchit Christmas Day off.

Yet despite this, when the ghost of Jacob Marley visits we learn that he cared enough about his former partner, and friend, to not only watch after him as a ghost but arrange for him to reflect on his lifestyle.  As Scrooge visits with the ghosts, he changes.  He has a chance to look at himself outside of himself, and realizes that he doesn’t have to be the grumpy old miser he has become.

This transformation begins when Scrooge visits himself as a young boy and as an apprentice.  He sees the life events that have hardened him, and the point at which he made the choice to value money over people.  When his fiancé tells him that he has started to care more about money than about her, his reply seems to etch his future in stone.

“This is the even-handed dealing of the world!” he said. “There is nothing on which it is so hard as poverty; and there is nothing it professes to condemn with such severity as the pursuit of wealth!” (Stave Two)

Yet, seeing this and the other hardships makes Scrooge reflective.  He sees his childhood self and wishes he were nicer to the street urchins who sing Christmas carols for money.  He sees the generosity of his former boss and wishes he were a better boss himself.

The turning point is when Scrooge sees the present, and realizes that he does indeed have people in his life who care about him, for better or for worse. He has just been too isolated and locked up in himself to see it.  Scrooge realizes that he does have a family.  The Cratchits and Fred are always ready to receive him.  Seeing how the poor really live, and people with so much love in their hearts, breaks through his façade and makes him a new man.

Many people vow to change, but Scrooge apparently did.  He became a benefactor to the Cratchits and a part of Fred’s life.  More importantly, he began to look at people as people, and not burdens.  It made his own life much richer.