Why were the Aztecs open to deception by the Spanish conquerors?

The Aztec civilization practiced human sacrifice and usually any surprise visitors were captured then sacrificed to the gods. However in 1500s when Cortes, the Spanish conquistador, arrived in the Aztec territory with a small party of men the Aztec’s did not realize the true purpose of their visit. The Aztecs thought that the Spanish were sent by Quetzalcoatl, their god. Quetzalcoatl was an important god for the Aztecs, they believed that the god was going to reappear when the world was coming to an end and save the Aztec people. At the time the Aztecs were under the impression that the world was coming to an end which is one of the reasons they were performing many human sacrifices. The sacrifices were believed to keep the god happy which might persuade him to put off ending the world for a time. When the Conquistadors entered the capital city of the Aztecs they had no idea that they were lucky just not to have been captured and sacrificed. The true reason for the Spanish being there was to see if there was gold and riches to be had and to convert the people to Christianity. The Spanish were welcomed by the Aztecs and even stayed as guests of the emperor. However, the longer the Spanish stayed in the capital city the more suspicious the Aztecs became. First of all the Spanish behaved nothing like the Aztec gods. They did not go to the sacrifices made in their honor. Eventually the Aztecs decided it was time for the Spanish to leave, they did not want to kill them however because they believed there was still a chance they actually were gods. The Spanish did leave but they returned they brought with them horses, dogs, weapons, and many men. They were also able to rally the support of the other tribes in the area who didn’t realize how horrible they would be treated by the Spanish. These other tribes just wanted to rid themselves of the Aztecs. Eventually the Aztecs were defeated but it was disease that caused it. The Aztecs did not have the same immunities that the Spanish had, when exposed to diseases like measles the Aztecs were decimated.

How is the theme the importance of family shown at the point when Ponyboy and Sodapop might get put in an orphanage in The Outsiders?

Ponyboy is worried about losing his family because his brothers are all he has.

Ponyboy’s parents died in a car accident, leaving his older brother Darry guardian of Soda and Ponyboy.  Darry is only twenty, and not much older than his brothers.  Pony and Darry are constantly arguing, but the most important thing for the Curtis family is to stay together.

When Pony and Johnny are attacked by a group of Socs in the park, Johnny kills one that is drowning Pony.  The two boys go on the run, and end up in an abandoned church.  The church catches fire and they get hurt trying to rescue a group of children who get caught in it.

The incident puts an end to their running.  Johnny is badly injured, so he is never charged.  Pony, Johnny, and Dally get a lot of publicity.  Pony worries about what the close scrutiny could do to their family.

If the judge decides Darry isn't a good guardian or something, I'm liable to get stuck in a home somewhere. That's the rotten part of this deal. Darry is a good guardian; he makes me study and knows where I am and who I'm with all the time. (Ch. 11)

Darry certainly grew up fast.  He got a job and took care of his brothers.  Soda dropped out of high school, but Soda was never much of a scholar.  Pony, the youngest, got A’s in school and was in honors classes.  As far as he was concerned, the three of them were doing just fine.

Darry and Pony often argued.  In fact, it was a fight where Darry hit Pony that led him to that park in the middle of the night in the first place.  After all that happened, Pony wants to avoid fighting so much since they are back together.

We couldn't do anything to hurt Soda. Sodapop would always be the middleman, but that didn't mean he had to keep getting pulled apart. Instead of Darry and me pulling me apart, he'd be pulling us together. (Ch. 12)

Family is very important to Pony and to his brothers.  They are a family, even though there are no parents.  The loyalty the greasers have for each other is also a type of family.  They have to stick up for each other, because no one else will.

In the story "The Piece of String," do you think Malandain really believes Hauchecorne found the wallet? If not,why does he lie?

Maitre Malandain probably does not truly believe that Maitre Hauchcorne has stolen the wallet, but having "the tendency to hold grudges," he takes advantage of an opportunity to deal misery to his foe.

Just as Saki satirized those of the Edwardian Age in England, Guy de Maupassant mocked the pettiness of the peasantry of Normandy, a province in northwestern France. In the exposition of his story, Maupassant describes the Norman women in the market who stubbornly held to their prices in the market and would only relent when a customer began to walk away. Then, they would shout after him or her, "All right...It's yours."

It is this same obstinate and petty personality that Hauchcorne and Maladain exhibit. So, when Malandain is asked by the authorities if he has noticed any suspicious behavior, he readily mentions that he has seen Maitre Hauchcorne bend and pick up something, then stoop again sweeping the dirt with his hand as though searching for something else. 

When the authorities interrogate Maitre Hauchorne he explains that he merely bent to pick up a piece of string; however, he is too proud to admit that his brushing the ground with his hand afterwards has been done only to make Malandain believe that he was searching for something he lost. Instead, he protests that he has done nothing wrong, but Maitre Malandain confronts him and even repeats the statement he has given to authorities under oath.

They hurled insults at each other for a full hour. Maitre Hauchecorne was search at his own request. They found nothing on him.

When the villagers question Hauchecorne out of "good-humored curiosity," he retells his story, but then they begin to not believe him. The more he protests, the more they begin to doubt his honesty because of their ingrained suspiciousness. They now call him "a sly old rascal" because Maitre Malandain, has fed suspicions that grow each time his foe protests the accusations. He does this with what the peasants perceive as unintentional paralipsis.

How believable is the play The Bear?

The play The Bear is pretty unbelievable, when you really think about it. Here is a man who is owed money, a woman who has locked herself up in her house because her cheating husband died, and they go from hate to love in a total of about ten minutes.

Smirnov comes to the house angry. He is a businessman owed money from pretty much everyone, and he owes money to the bank. So he goes from customer to customer demanding his money, and each has a more ridiculous reason for not paying him. He comes to Popova, who is in herself a pretty ridiculous character. After her husband's death, she finds out he has been cheating on her, so to prove to him what real love is, she locks herself in her house, refusing to come out for anyone.

Is this realistic? Parts of it are, of course. But the chairs all break under Smirnov, her servant is a bit outrageous, and then there's the whole idea of the duel. Smirnov is so enraged that he decides to duel Popova, a woman, and she accepts, then asks how to shoot a gun. Would someone get into a duel who never shot a gun? Of course not.

Then there's the fact that they fall in love, which is pretty ridiculous as well. Smirnov goes from wanting to kill this woman to love in about a minute, and she eventually accepts his love.

In short, the play is a farce.

How many 25 g bags of crisps would a child need to eat to get the guideline daily amount of energy (for a child)?

The guideline amount of energy for children is 1500-2000 calories. The amount of calories in a pack of crisps vary between 57 calories (for a pack of Shapers Cheese and Onion Rings) to 133 calories (for a pack of Walkers Ready Salted Crisps). The high end of daily needs (2000 calories) can be fulfilled by eating about 15 packs of Walkers Ready Salted Crisps and the lower end (1500 calories) can be fulfilled by about 11.3 packs (or 12 packs) of the same. If we choose the low energy crisps, that is, Shapers Cheese and Onion Rings, the child will need to eat about 35 packs to get 2000 calories and 26.3 packs (or 27 packs) to obtain 1500 calories. Thus, the number of packs will vary depending on the specific type of crisps one chooses. Should one actually eat that many packs of crisps a day is another matter!

Hope this helps. 

What do the silhouettes on the wall suggest about the family?

In "There Will Come Soft Rains," the silhouette on the wall is the most haunting image Ray Bradbury presents because it shows the instant a nuclear blast killed the unsuspecting family. Each member of the family was in the middle of some activity: the father was mowing the lawn ("the silhouette in paint of a man mowing a lawn," the mother was gardening ("Here, as in a photograph, a woman bent to pick flowers."), and a boy and girl were playing catch with a ball ("a small boy, hands flung into the air; higher up, the image of a thrown ball, and opposite him a girl, hands raised to catch a ball which never came down."). 

This image helps Bradbury develop his theme that nuclear annhilation will destroy everyone. And that this annhilation can happen at any time.

This image also helps explain the absence of people in the house. It explains why the food the house makes goes uneaten and the cards go unplayed. In addition, the absence of people makes the house meaningless. 

In general, this idea of a silhouette after a nuclear blast comes from reports of nuclear shadows on walls after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

What does the language in the description of Ralph foreshadow?

The first sentence of the novel describes Ralph as "the boy with fair hair." As a leader, Ralph will prove to be "fair." He has the best intentions and uses the conch to give everyone who wants a chance to speak the opportunity to do so. He is the "fair" leader whereas Jack will prove to be the tyrant. In the opening paragraphs, before he meets Piggy, Ralph continues to be named "the fair boy." 

Ralph has the appearance of being between childhood and adulthood. He has "lost the prominent tummy of childhood." He is in a maturing stage. He looks athletic but not in a threatening way: 

You could see now that he might make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil. 

This description suggests that Ralph is physically fit, having a look other boys might be intimidated by or would admire. This is confirmed when Piggy watches him in the pool. "Piggy appeared again, sat on the rocky ledge, and watched Ralph’s green and white body enviously." Given the "mildness" Ralph expresses, this shows he is, again, a "fair" and reasonable boy. Physically, Piggy is Ralph's opposite. Ralph is lean and moves with confidence. Piggy is fat and awkward. Ralph is a natural and fair leader in physicality and mindset. He is someone the boys would look up to for the way he looks and someone the boys will respect because he is a fair, mild leader.