Why does Winnie get reminded about her grandfather's funeral when talking to the stranger?

But Winnie, though she was half charmed, was suddenly reminded of the stiff black ribbons they had hung on the door of the cottage for her grandfather's funeral.

Winnie meets the man in the yellow suit in chapter 4.  The man is perfectly cordial and friendly to Winnie.  In fact, he is even a bit charming, and those are Winnie's initial feelings about the man; however, Winnie does not fully trust the man.  She feels as if something is "off" about the guy.  The black ribbons and the funeral thoughts help the reader and Winnie better understand that the man in the yellow suit isn't what he seems.  The black ribbons at a funeral might look nice and neat, but they represent a terribly sad situation.  A loved one has died.  Like the ribbons, the man in the yellow suit might appear and sound nice and neat, but he most definitely represents a dark, evil force in the novel.  Winnie being reminded of her grandfather's funeral is her internal warning system going off about the stranger. 

What could the pit symbolize?

The pit in "The Pit and the Pendulum" could symbolize a few things: despair, fear, or even Hell. The depth of the pit, which was so vast that it took a few seconds for a small piece of the side of the pit to actually make it to the water pooled at the bottom, could act as a symbol of the narrator's despair at his plight, which was also incredibly deep. The pit could also be a manifestation of the narrator's fear; at first he is afraid of the dark and unknown, which is exactly what the pit is (even when the lights came on), but even when it becomes known, the watery death it held very far below was just as terrifying as before. Then there is the obvious connection to Hell, which is often referred to as "the Pit" because it is supposedly deep beneath the earth.

In Chapter 3 Max says Kevin "scared him, but not really." What does he mean?

There is only one character that truly “scares” Max: Max’s criminal father, Kenny “Killer” Kane. Therefore, Max is “not really” scared of Kevin. Kevin does look different than the other kids that Max knows, however. This is what makes Max think about being a bit “scared.” In Chapter 3, Max has retreated into the “down under” of the basement in order to escape Kevin’s current situation due to Max’s “fear.” Max has observed Kevin trying, in vain, to reach a toy up in a tree. Kevin tries, again and again, to jump and hit the toy with his crutch. While sitting in the basement and considering the situation, Max thinks about the “crippled little humanoid” who was trying to retrieve his toy. Max remembers how Kevin called himself “Robot Man” in daycare and wore “shiny braces strapped to his crooked legs.” Even at this point, when the boys were much younger, Max knows that Kevin was not someone to “mess with.” At this point in time, Max is brave enough to conquer his "fear." Why? Kevin needs help retrieving his toy. Max helps Kevin and this begins the friendship.

Why is it important to study life science?

Life sciences are concerned with plants, animals, microorganisms, zoology, anatomy, and other living things. Examples of life sciences are biology, molecular biology, cellular biology, and genetics.

Advances in the biological branch of the life sciences are helping in the following ways:

- Create transgenic crops that are resistant to parasitic infections in order to increase crop yields. This will help to increase food production in order to feed people around the world.

- Create plant-based alternative fuel sources in order to decrease the amount of air pollution in Earth.

- Use natural decomposers in order to decrease the amount of waste on Earth.  

Advances in the medical branches of the life sciences are helping in the following ways:

- Use the genomic code to identify genetic predispositions to cancer. In this way, people that have such dispositions can be perform preventative measures before they have full-blown cancer.

- Use stem cells to form organs for transplant purposes.

- Help find cures to infections.  

Additionally, life sciences teach the process of analyzing and applying information. This process is a skill that is beneficial to have all aspects of life.

By no means is this an exhaustive list, but I hope it gives you an idea of the importance of the life sciences!

How does fear of difference feed into conflict?

The fear of something different or the difference between two things often brings conflict.  When a person has no knowledge of something which is different than himself or herself, the first reaction is usually fear.  Fear builds on itself so that unless something or someone explains the differences in a way the person can understand AND relate to, the fear remains. When something is unknown or feared, conflict raises its head.  At first it is small conflict perhaps among students at school.  That can lead to conflict among parents, the community and then to law enforcement which can grow much too widespread.  Soon, it touches far too many people. Too much of the conflict in this country is due to fear, and too many of the candidates for president are preying on the fears of the populace about immigrants, religions, etc. 

For example, in my family alone, we have a transgendered female, one gay male, three Muslims, two Buddhists, several Catholics, three blacks, two Hispanics, two South American "sons" along with their wives and children,  several diabetics, two celiac disease, one cell mast disease, one autistic, one adopted child, etc.   As you can see, the difference in my family is sort of a microcosm of the world.  Fear is not really part of our lives in the same way that others fear people of color, those who speak another language, those from other countries or those of different religions or sexual orientation.  People must learn to talk to each other over their fear and learn what the other person is like.  We have to get over the fear of the unknown.

What is the problem and solution in Andrew Clements' Frindle?

The problem in Andrew Clements' Frindle, also called the conflict, concerns the fact that Nick Allen, the protagonist, is an unusually creative person. As a creative person, Nick has a tendency to do things that are contrary to what the rest of society does, which also means Nick constantly challenges authority in order to express himself. In Frindle, Nick challenges authority by deciding to call a pen a frindle. Since Nick is challenging the rest of society by renaming a pen a frindle, we can call this a character vs. society conflict. However, Nick's decision to call a pen a frindle is opposed most by his third-grade teacher, Mrs. Granger; therefore, we can also call this a character vs. character conflict.

Nick first begins being influenced to invent a new word, such as frindle, when he asks Mrs. Granger who decides what words mean, and she responds with the following answer:

Who says dog means dog? You do, Nicholas. You and I and everyone in this class and this school and this town and this state and this country. We all agree. (p. 28)

Soon after this speech, Nick gets the brainstorm to exercise his authority to decide what words mean by calling a pen a frindle. Yet, Mrs. Granger objects to this decision and fights against it because, for one reason, in her view, the meaning of words are not arbitrary. The meanings of words have extensive background and have already been agreed upon and laid down in the dictionary as law by good authority.

The solution of the story, also called the resolution, occurs when, at the age of 21, Nick's word is added to the dictionary, a symbol that he should continue to be creative and challenge the world, accomplishing great, new things, despite opposition. Furthermore, by the time we reach the end of the story, we learn that Mrs. Granger had only been angry at first. As she explains in the letter she gives Nick at the age of 21, she had come to realize that Nick was doing exactly what every teacher wants students to do: "take an idea they have learned in a boring old classroom and put it to a real test in their own world" (p. 85). In other words, she was proud to see Nick think his own thoughts and run with them, something most people never do. She further explains that the reason why she decided to stick to opposing his idea is because she knew his idea would never take off if he did not have opposition, someone to "be the villain" (p. 85). As Nick explains in his own thoughts after reading the letter, "The old fox! She had been rooting for frindle the whole time. By fighting against it, she had actually helped it along" (p. 86). Hence, the story further resolves once Nick comes to understand how influential he, one small person with creative ideas, can truly be, and realizes just how many people in the world have been rooting for him all along.

What are the most significant quotes in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

There are many significant quotes throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The following quotes are important to the plot and theme of the novel.

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view---" (Lee 39)

An important theme throughout the novel is gaining insight into other people's point of view. Atticus teaches Scout about perspective when she returns home from her first day of school.

"Somehow, if I fought Cecil I would let Atticus down." (Lee 102)

This quote portrays Scout's moral development. She is cognizant that her actions have consequences and does not want to upset her father. This quote portrays how Scout looks up to Atticus and values his opinion.

"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (Lee 119)

Another important theme throughout the novel is the importance of treating innocent beings with respect and kindness. Mockingbirds symbolize innocent humans such as Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Atticus teaches his children that it is a sin to harm innocent beings.

"nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything---like snot-nose. It's hard to explain---ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody." (Lee 144)

This quote depicts Atticus explaining to Scout what the racial slur "nigger-lover" means. Throughout the novel, Scout and Jem are subjected to racial slurs directed towards their father. Atticus teaches his children the importance of responding to ignorant remarks with tolerance instead of hate.

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that real courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." (Lee 149)

Following Scout and Jem's interaction with Mrs. Dubose, Atticus explains why he wanted Jem to read to her. He explains to them what real courage is, which parallels his choice to defend Tom Robinson in the midst of a prejudiced community.

"No, everybody's gotta learn, nobody's born knowin'. That Walter's as smart as he can be, he just gets held back sometimes because he has to stay out and help his daddy. Nothin's wrong with him. Naw, Jem, I think there's just one kind of folks: Folks." (304)

This quote depicts Scout's moral development. She is not jaded about humanity the way her brother is following Tom's conviction. Scout has learned from her father that all people are created equal, despite what others think.

"He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad." (Lee 373)

Scout finally realizes that Boo Radley is a caring, shy individual. This moment depicts her understanding and displays her maturation at the end of the novel.