Who goes to college at the end of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief?

None of the characters goes to college at the end of the book. Luke disappears, with his new sword Backbiter, to continue to assist Kronos as best he can. He, presumably, would not see the point of a college education given his plans to help Kronos overthrow the Olympians and establish a “golden age” in the West. Grover has finally been granted his searcher’s license, and so he leaves to go in search of Pan, a quest from which no satyr has ever returned. In addition, by the time Percy wakes up from the pit scorpion venom, Annabeth has contacted her father and told him that she’s sorry and that she’d like to come home with him and his family for the school year (until next summer, when she’ll return to Camp Half-Blood). He responded quite positively, and so they agreed that she would come back to stay with them for a while; he and his family are waiting for her just outside the magical boundary of the camp. Finally, after being unsure of whether or not he would stay at camp for the year or return home to be with his mother, Percy opts to go home, but he will not be going to college, as he hasn’t even started high school yet.

How does Atticus relate Mayella's "crime" to the lives of children? Why would he try to simplify her offense?

In Chapter 20, Atticus is giving his closing speech explaining Mayella's crime and says,

"She did something every child has done—she tried to put the evidence of her offense away from her. But in this case she was no child hiding stolen contraband: she struck out at her victim—of necessity she must put him away from her—he must be removed from her presence, from this world. She must destroy the evidence of her offense. What was the evidence of her offense? Tom Robinson, a human being." (Lee 272)

Atticus relates Mayella's crime of perjury to a child attempting to discard evidence because her motivation to get rid of Tom Robinson is similar to the way children are motivated to get rid of evidence when they are about to get caught. When a child does something wrong, like steal a toy, they get scared that they will be caught and end up throwing the toy away out of fear. The idea behind Mayella's choice to "get rid" of Tom Robinson is similar to a child's choice to throw away evidence. However, the major difference is that Tom Robinson is a human and one cannot simply "discard" a human being. I believe that Atticus chooses to simplify Mayella's crime so that the jury can understand her motivation for committing perjury. Most people can relate to discarding evidence as a child out of fear that they will be caught, and Mayella's decision to falsely accuse Tom Robinson is no different.

What was Madame Zeroni's opinion of Myra as well as the strategy she suggested in Holes?

Madame Zeroni believes that Mayra is dumb and worthless and tells him to carry a pig up a mountain.

The book Holes involves interrelated plots that take place in the present and in the past.  In the past, Madame Zeroni councils Elya about his choice of wife.  Madame Zeroni does not believe that Myra is the best wife for him.  She tells him that "Myra's head is as empty as a flowerpot."  He tells Madame Zeroni that she is beautiful, but Madame Zeroni is not impressed.

"So is a flowerpot. Can she push a plow? Can she milk a goat? No, she is too delicate. Can she have an intelligent conversation? No, she is silly and foolish. Will she take care of you when you are sick? No, she is spoiled and will only want you to take care of her. …” (Ch. 7)

Madame Zeroni seeks to convince Elya that Myra is a bad choice.  She tells Elya to carry a pig up a mountain every day.  He will get stronger and be more desirable.  Then he is to carry her up the mountain.  Myra has to choose between two pigs.  The pigs represent Elya and Igor, a man that Elya has no respect for.

"Myra," said her father. "Elya and Igor have each offered a pig for your hand in marriage. It doesn't matter to me. A pig is a pig. So I will let you make the choice. Whom do you wish to marry?” (Ch. 7)

Myra proves to be as empty-headed as Madame Zeroni said.  She says that she can’t choose between the pigs or the men.  The pigs weigh the same.  She asks them to pick a number.  Elya is sad.  He feels that she does not really love him.

Elya tells Myra to marry Igor and keep his pig as a wedding present.  He sees a sign on a ship advertising for deck hand jobs.  He has no sailing experience, but heading to America seems like the perfect cure for a broken heart.  Unfortunately, he does not get to carry Madame Zeroni up the mountain and she curses him and his descendants.

Stanley's family believes that it is cursed.  Elya's descendant Stanley breaks the family curse by carrying Zero, Madame Zeroni's descendant, up a mountain in America in the present.

In what time period is Romeo and Juliet set?

William Shakespeare's most famous play, Romeo and Juliet, is set in Renaissance Italy. Shakespeare was writing during the Elizabethan (or Tudor) period, which is contemporary to the Italian Renaissance. English culture of the time did bear some influence from the intellectual and artistic shifts of the mainland, and Shakespeare had likely read about Italian life or possibly even visited. Shakespeare does not mention a particular year for the setting of his play, but based on context clues, we can assume it to have been set around the time of his writing. For example, noble families played a large part in the development of the Renaissance. These families were wealthy enough that they could sway government and commission buildings or works of art to further their social standing. Of course, rivalries sprung up and often lasted for many generations. The feud between the Montagues and Capulets fits perfectly into the culture of Renaissance Italy.

Compare the poetry in the Romantic Era to modern poetry.

First, to define terms, we will say that the Romantic Era of English poetry encompassed the years 1785 to 1830 and the "modern" era encompasses anything written after 1900. This division fails to distinguish between modernism and post-modernism, but as far as poetry goes, modernist qualities carry into the post-modern (after 1950) era. 

Romantic poetry is characterized by the use of traditional verse forms and Romantic themes. Traditional verse forms such as sonnets, ballads, and odes as well as other forms such as ottava rima and Alexandrine verse have in common that they use consistent rhythm and meter throughout the poem and have a regular rhyme scheme or follow blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter) forms. The topics and themes of Romantic poetry were individualism, awe of nature, importance of imagination, strong emotions, and an interest in the common man and childhood. Representative examples are Wordsworth's sonnet "The World Is Too Much with Us," Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn," Shelley's "Adonais," Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," and Byron's "Don Juan." In addition, the lyrical ballad, introduced by Wordsworth and Coleridge, redirected poetry during the Romantic era to be more accessible to everyday readers.

In the Modern era, the most notable change is the replacement of traditional verse forms by the rhythms and language of normal speech. Imagism, a movement started by Ezra Pound, tended toward minimalism in poetry, and while not all modern poets were Imagists, many adopted the free verse format and the sparse wording of that movement. "Oread" by H.D. is an example of an Imagist poem. T. S. Eliot is representative of modern poetry in "The Wasteland" and "The Hollow Men." Not only do these poems use modernist language in using irregular rhythms, rhyme schemes, and stanzas, but they also reflect the pessimistic or uncertain outlook of the 20th century. Poetry became deliberately obscure, as with Wallace Stevens' "The Emperor of Ice Cream," and experimented with capitalization and punctuation, as with E. E. Cummings' "In Just-." Fragmented thoughts and disjointed perspectives are common in Modernist poetry as well. Poetry in this era favors questions over pat answers, as in Yeats' "Second Coming." 

The major differences in Romantic and Modernist poetry are their forms and the preferred subject matter and perspective. 

Discuss the implications of Maslow's hierarchy of needs in ensuring effective teaching and learning.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs posits that humans need to have the most basic life needs met before they can achieve anything in life beyond those basic needs. So, for example, we must be able to be fed, clothed, and sheltered before we are able to work on being part of a community or society, meeting our social needs, which are higher on Maslow's pyramid.  This hierarchy has profound implications in the educational setting because unless and until students' most basic needs are met, they are simply unable to attend to higher order tasks such as learning.  Teachers must have an awareness of the unmet needs of students, since teaching and learning occur at the higher parts of the pyramid, with social gratification, self-esteem, and self-actualization. These are what learning is meant to achieve.  A student who is homeless or unsafe cannot focus on learning anything properly.  A student who is hungry or tired cannot, either.  Learning implies that one's brain is clear of the dreadful disruption of problems such as these.  If you have ever tried to prepare for an exam while tired or hungry, you might have experienced just a little of this.  So, while teachers sometimes complain that they are not social workers, it is incumbent upon us to understand Maslow's dynamic and do our very best to ameliorate the appalling conditions under which students often are trying to learn.  I know many teachers who keep food handy, for example, or just take time out to listen and offer their best advice on solving students' most basic needs.  It would be wonderful if the rest of society would understand this hierarchy and be willing to ensure that the most basic needs of all students were met. If that were the case, every student could be a success.

What are some examples of Jonas's father in The Giver doing something that was valued in pre-Sameness societies?

Jonas’s father exhibits compassion, a rare trait in the community but one prized by us.

Jonas’s father is unique in the community because he actually cares about others.  This is not common for them because they believe in Sameness.  This means that emotions of any kind are a rarity for these people.  Their society has carefully designed the rules so that no one ever thinks too much about anything or anyone else.  This way, no one will ever be uncomfortable.

An example of Jonas’s father’s compassion is his treatment of Gabriel.  Most people in the community do not consider releasing babies unusual.  It is disappointing, but a fact of life.  If a baby does not meet the growth targets, he or she is released.  That’s just the way it is.  Jonas’s father, who is a nurturer, gets attached to a young male Newchild named Gabriel and decides to intervene before he can be released.  This is just not done, normally.

But I did go in this afternoon and looked to see if this year's Naming list had been made yet. … I looked up number Thirty-six--that's the little guy I've been concerned about--because it occurred to me that it might enhance his nurturing if I could call him by a name. (Ch. 2)

First, Jonas’s father breaks a rule and looks up Gabriel’s name because even though all babies are just called by numbers, he thinks that the baby will grow better if he has a name (which he can only use when no one else is around).  He also goes even further, and arranges a special extension for Gabriel.

He had been given an unusual and special reprieve from the committee, and granted an additional year of nurturing before his Naming and Placement. Father had gone before the committee with a plea on behalf of Gabriel … (Ch. 6)

Jonas’s father cares enough about the baby, and has grown attached to it enough, to save its life.  Normally he would be labeled “Inadequate” and released.  Jonas’s father has done two unusual things—checking the name list, and asking for an extension.  It shows that he has a unique ability to relate to and care for others.

Eventually, even Jonas’s father’s compassion has its limits.  Jonas, with the benefit of the memories, understands the way life and death works, and appreciates love.  Jonas’s father has grown up in the community, where Sameness stifles emotions.  Eventually he votes to release Gabriel along with the others.  He also seems to have no qualms about killing the smaller newborn twin.  Jonas and The Giver alone understand why that is wrong.