How is Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol (the film) considered an innocent youth?

Dickens' A Christmas Carol has been analyzed in a variety of ways through the years, and there are many movie versions.  However, the character of Tiny Tim is easy to see as representative of innocence in them all.  Dickens himself grew up in difficult circumstances, and through his hardship as a young man, it's easy to see how he would have come to view children as the innocent victims of society and humanity at that time.  Tiny Tim is the perfect example of a child born into the filth, disease and poverty of Victorian London.  Through no fault of his own, Tiny Tim is living in reduced circumstances and with an illness (likely caused by those circumstances), for which he is unable to gain treatment (due to his unearned poverty).  He is clearly "innocent" of any reason for his situation...as are many of that time and place (which Dickens is clearly attempting to point out through his writing). Furthermore, Dickens' story shows us the Ghost of Christmas Present who reveals the children named Innocence and Want.  The ghost warns Scrooge to beware the boy more, as on his forehead is written "doom". This could be seen as correlative to the male character of Tiny Tim.  In the end, Scrooge comes to realize that he (and perhaps society as a whole), is responsible for Tiny Tim (rather than Tiny Tim himself being culpable), and ultimately comes to his aid. 

Based on Rudyard Kipling's poem "If," how does his view on manhood relate or differ to society's view.

Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay, India to English parents and lived from 1865-1936. His views on the difference between right and wrong differ tremendously in a society that is plagued by greed and ambition. Yet he also knows that such things exist and that every man (and woman) must come across certain struggles and trials in life. Society says that the quality of a man is in his bank account or based on the number of houses, cars, or businesses he owns. Society also says that it's a "dog-eat-dog" world, so a person should do anything he needs to in order to be successful. In a society that often claims that happiness is found only in money and success, Kipling's "If" presents a different analysis.

According the first and second stanzas of the poem, a man is someone who can be "lied about" without dealing in lies; "dream--and not make dreams [his] master;" or "meet with Triumph and Disaster" and not be fooled by either of them. Society might say that if someone lies about you, then you have the right to lie about him; if you have a dream, sacrifice others to accomplish it; and if you aren't triumphant, do whatever you can to take back what you think is yours.

Other examples of manhood in the last couple of stanzas from the poem include being able to lose everything and not let that condemn you to a poor attitude for the rest of your life. Society, on the other hand, may tell you to simply give up. Also, if a person can associate with crowds and not lose his own virtue or integrity because he is swayed by the popular thought, then he will be an honorable man. And if someone can go the full distance of any task, even if it is unforgiving, and finish it without complaining, he will be successful in character. Society, though, would say that it is alright to cut corners and do the minimum that is required because no one will know, or it doesn't matter anyway. For Kipling, it seems that the qualities he mentions above would bring a more satisfying and fulfilling life rather than what society says is best.

What are some of the internal conflicts in the short story "Through the Tunnel"?

Jerry's mother feels very conflicted in terms of how much freedom she should allow her eleven-year-old son. She would prefer to keep him with her on the safe beach, but she also realizes that she needs to allow him greater independence than she used to because he will require this freedom in order to learn how to operate in the world. She thinks, 

Of course he's old enough to be safe without me.  Have I been keeping him too close?  He mustn't feel he ought to be with me.  I must be careful [....].  She was determined to be neither possessive nor lacking in devotion.  She went worrying off to her beach.

On the one hand, she wants to protect Jerry from the world (and from himself and the possibility that he will make poor decisions). Such a concern seems justified given Jerry's decision to swim through the rock at all costs, a move which nearly kills him. On the other hand, Jerry's mother knows that a child his age needs freedom from her, and she "conscientiously worr[ies] over what amusements he might secretly be longing for which she had been too busy or too careless to imagine."  

Her internal conflict seems pretty typical of any parent of a child this age. Parents want so much to protect their children, but simultaneously realize that their children must experience independence in order to learn how to live in the world. 

Gradually over time, Yamaki's fear of gummy worms has disappeared. Disappearance of the conditioned response is known as what?

The gradual disappearance of a conditioned response is known as extinction. When extinction occurs, the bond between the stimulus and response, in the is case gummy worms and fear, is diminished or even extinguished. This can occur when gummy worms are presented in a manner that does not cause fear or causes less fear as the exposures continue.

Often, in a treatment plan to eliminate undesired responses or behaviors, an instructor or therapist will try to determine why a response or behavior exists. In this case, the person working with Yamaki would investigate the reasons he or she has a fear response towards gummy worms. Once the cause is isolated, a way of presenting the stimulus that will either not trigger the response or offer an alternative response can be used to lessen the association between the gummy worms and the fear.

If the desire is to increase fear of gummy worms, the opposite would be done. A secondary stimulus that would increase the fear towards gummy worms would need to be presented simultaneously each time the gummy worms were presented. This would recondition Yamaki to respond with fear towards the gummy worms. 

In Julius Caesar, what are Cassius' weaknesses and strengths?

Most round characters have several strengths and weaknesses. In Julius Caesar, Cassius is recognized as intelligent and convincing. On the other hand, his weaknesses include jealousy, a lack of scruples, and cowardice.

In act I, scene ii, Cassius strives to add Brutus to the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar, and he uses flattery to persuade the protagonist:

And it is very much lamented, Brutus,(60)
That you have no such mirrors as will turn
Your hidden worthiness into your eye
That you might see your shadow.

Throughout acts I and II he continues to employ such flattery, and later uses Brutus's love for Rome as the final push. He plants forged letters supposedly written by Roman citizens that ask Brutus to act against Caesar in order to save the republic. Ultimately, he convinces Brutus, who loves and respects Caesar, to become part of the murderous plot. Not only does he persuade Caesar's "loyal" friend, Cassius is also able to convince a large group of senators as well.

Cassius is also recognized as extremely intelligent. Even Caesar who dislikes him acknowledges that "yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look" (200). He is aware that Cassius "thinks too much" and that "such men are dangerous" (201). Caesar would rather surround himself with happy, fat men that sleep at night because this means that they are not scheming plans.

However, Cassius also has some negative traits. For example, he is obviously very jealous of Caesar. In act I, scene ii, he delivers two anecdotes in trying to discredit Caesar and stating that he dictator is weak. According to Cassius, he had to rescue Caesar once, so he does not understand why he has such power. He states, "It doth amaze me a man of such a feeble temper should so get the start of the majestic world" (135-136).

Cassius also shows a lack of scruples. In act IV, scene iii, we learn that Cassius is taking bribes and is asking Brutus to allow his friend to take to do the same. Brutus is upset that Cassius honors corruption and begins to question whether or not Cassius had good intentions in organizing Caesar's assassination:

What, shall one of us,
That struck the foremost man of all this world
But for supporting robbers, shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes...? (22-25)

Finally, in act V, scene iii, Cassius shows the reader that he is ultimately a coward. Instead of being captured and facing his punishment for killing Caesar, he chooses to take his own life. Even in suicide he is a coward because he orders his slave Pindarus to commit the act and asks him to wait until his master's face is covered and to use the sword "that ran through Caesar's bowels" (44). He could not face his punishment, could not face death with open eyes, and could not stab his own chest, demonstrating his excessive cowardice.

What does Pip's benefactor risk by coming to England?

In Chapter XXXIX, Magwitch tells Pip that he faces the death penalty if he is caught in England after having been transported to Australia for life. 

“I was sent for life. It's death to come back. There's been overmuch coming back of late years, and I should of a certainty be hanged if took.”

Then in Chapter XL, Magwitch again affirms that he faces death by hanging if he is caught in England.

“And so I swear it is Death,” said he, putting his pipe back in his mouth, “and Death by the rope, in the open street not fur from this, and it's serious that you should fully understand it to be so."

Although Pip tries to escape with Magwitch to the Continent, Magwitch is ultimately captured on the river by police who have been alerted by Magwitch's arch-enemy Compeyson. Magwitch is badly injured when he leaps aboard the pursuing galley and drags Compeyson into the river, where Compeyson drowns.

Magwitch is ultimately sentenced to death in Chapter LVI in spite of Pip's and Jaggers' efforts to save him, thus proving that Magwitch was correct in believing that he was risking his life in coming back to England to see the gentleman he had made with all his hard work in Australia. Magwitch escapes death by hanging when he succumbs to his injuries and dies peacefully in bed with Pip by his side. 

The scene in which Magwitch is sentenced to death provides a grim picture of what British justice was like in Dickens' time. There are thirty-two prisoners, including a number of women, who are all given the death sentence in one session. 

In The Metamorphosis, how does Kafka manipulate time to create tension?

At the beginning of Kafka's The Metamorphosis, Gregor wakes up and realizes that he has failed to hear the alarm, and so he is late. He must get up and go to work, for his family depends on him for their survival.

He saw the alarm clock over there, ticking on the chest of drawers. “Good God!” he thought. It was half past six, and the hands were going quietly on. It was past the half hour, almost quarter to seven. Shouldn't the alarm have sounded? One could see from the bed that it had been properly set for four o'clock. Certainly it had rung. And was it even possible for one to sleep quietly through the noise that made even the furniture shake?

Gregor is frantic about the time. He has overslept by two and a half hours. The idea of being late increases a sense of anxiety related to time. That feeling is heightened even more as Gregor describes the sound of the clock as something so loud that it makes "the furniture shake." A sense of urgency related to time is found again as Gregor tries to decide what he must do:

The next train left at seven o'clock. To catch that one, he would have to make a mad dash...

Using time, the mood of the story (in addition to the curiosity of Gregor's change into a giant insect) promotes a feeling of tension. At the beginning, references to time are precise. Time is a specific measure in Gregor's life. As he lies in bed, he bemoans the fact that he has no time to himself. In working so hard for his family, all of his time—and his very life—have been stolen away from him. He has been powerless to change it.

As the story goes on, Gregor begins to lose sense of the passage of time. Whereas it completely controlled his life at the start, the reader notices that with his advancing metamorphosis, the concept of time becomes unfamiliar to him. "Vague hopes" refer to things he once was concerned with, but the passing of time make these hopes distant and difficult to recapture. This seems to apply to all aspects of his life.

There he remained the whole night, part of which he spent dozing, always waking with a start because of his hunger, and another part of which he spent in worry and vague hopes…

A schedule of sorts is established, but specific times are not used: only generalizations in keeping with the activities of the family. Instead of a time, there is a general reference to “morning” and “after…lunch.”

In this manner, Gregor now received his food daily: Once in the morning while the parents and the maid still slept, and a second time after the common lunch…

At the story's outset, Gregor may refer time in minutes or hours, but soon he recognizes only days and, then, only months passing.

Once—a full month had already gone by since Gregor's transformation…

Other terms that vaguely refer to time can be found in the story:

Gregor's wish to see the mother was soon fulfilled. 

We have no specific referent point as to how long it takes for Gregor to see his mother; we know only that it happens “soon.”

Gregor fills his days climbing the walls, and the evenings listening to what he can of his family's activities. The alteration in his concept of time coincides with his growing disconnect from humanity. The days become an endless stream of Gregor's wandering about and casual wondering about his situation, but more so concerned about his family and their circumstances. 

Gregor is unable to maintain his grasp on time or the human world; and his family is also changing. His father has started to work again, and there is even some money the older man had hidden away when his business went under—money that could have eased Gregor's burden. But the knowledge of money was kept hidden from him, despite his struggles and sacrifices for his family. 

Kafka seems to use the element of time to promote Gregor's feeling of alienation, as well as a sense that the world is moving along at a rate with which Gregor can no longer keep up.

The physical changes in Gregor and his inability to provide support for them any more have widened the chasm between him and his family. The tension created by Gregor's inability to navigate time may well be used to prepare the reader for the ultimate separation—Gregor's death. Manipulating time in this way makes the reader feel that time is actually running out for Gregor, as he cannot measure it any longer. Making use of and living for time was once the thing that controlled every moment of every day of Gregor's life. Now, however, it moves steadily forward with little recognition of its passing and no chance of controlling it, not even to recognize it in connection to a clock.

Whereas time meant everything to Gregor at the start of the story, it has no hold over him now, for neither can he use time to measure what is required of him or calculate his accomplishments. Tension is created using time in that large chunks disappear, as well as those days when the family shared some connection. It creates tension as we realize Gregor has no time. While the family's circumstances change, Gregor's do not. Certainly there will be no accommodations made for Gregor. In having no time, and no time left, Gregor dies.