What is the "battle" in "Range-finding" by Robert Frost?

Robert Frost's poem "Range-finding" is about a stray bullet from a battle that, on the way to its target, travels through nature. The poem begins, "The battle rent a cobweb diamond-strung / And cut a flower beside a ground bird's nest / Before it stained a single human breast." The "battle" could be any military conflict, but as the poem was written in 1916, it is most likely a battle that takes place during World War I. In the poem, a bullet from the battle tears a cobweb and cuts a flower on its way to lodge itself in a human chest. The flower droops over, but a bird goes on visiting its young. The poem is about the ways in which events in the human world--in this case, a battle--affect the natural world. It is also about the ways war causes collateral damage--in other words, damage that is not the war's original target. This was very relevant at the time Frost wrote the poem, as World War I caused a great deal of collateral damage and hurt civilians as well as soldiers. 

In "The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde, where had the ghost taken the bottle of oil?

In Chapter Two of "The Canterville Ghost," Mr Otis is disturbed by the sound of the ghost rattling his chains in the early hours of the morning. In response, Mr Otis offers the ghost some oil called Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator. He leaves it by "the bedroom candles" and offers to bring the ghost more oil, should he require it. When Mr Otis returns to his room, the ghost picks up the oil but then throws it "violently" to the floor and flees the corridor.

By Chapter Four, however, the ghost has a fresh bottle of oil. According to the narrator, the ghost retrieved this new bottle of oil from Mr Otis's bedroom while the family is downstairs having dinner. This time, he takes Mr Otis's advice and the ghost oils his chains so that he can walk around the house without being detected.

`y = x ln(x)` Locate any relative extrema and points of inflection.

We are asked to locate any relative extrema or inflection points for the graph of `y=xlnx ` :

The domain of the function is x>0.

Extrema can only occur at critical points; that is when the first derivative is zero or fails to exist.

`y'=lnx+x*1/x ==> y'=lnx + 1 `

This function is continuous and differentiable for all x in the domain, so setting y'=0 we get:

`lnx+1=0 ==> lnx=-1 ==> x=1/e~~0.368 `

For 0<x<1/e the first derivative is negative and for x>1/e it is positive, so the only extrema is a minimum at x=1/e.

Inflection points can only occur when the second derivative is zero:

`y''=1/x>0 forall x ` so there are no inflection points.

The graph:

Why did Gorbachev choose the United Nations as his forum for his speech in 1988?

When USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev spoke to the United Nations in 1988, his country and the United States were still very much in the midst of the Cold War. Although some impasses had been made during the period of "glasnost" (openness and transparency) that Gorbachev had started in 1986, there was still a lot of tension between the USSR and much of the rest of the world.

Gorbachev began his speech to the United Nations by acknowledging the reason why he chose to come speak to them:

We have come here to show our respect for the United Nations, which increasingly has been manifesting its ability to act as a unique international center in the service of peace and security.

During his speech, Gorbachev announced that the Soviet military presence in Eastern Europe and along the border of China would be significantly decreased. He also announced that, in total, the military would be reduce by half a million soldiers in the next two years.

By announcing these sweeping disarmament reforms on the world stage, Gorbachev was able to show how seriously he and the Soviet Union were about resolving the conflicts of the Cold War. This forum also allowed him to speak about the need for other countries — such as the United States — to reduce its nuclear and conventional weapons.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, how have Jay Gatsby and George Wilson been affected by other characters' selfishness and greed?

Both Jay Gatsby and George Wilson were chasing the American Dream, and both were somewhat out of touch with reality in their inability to realize that the American Dream is really a fiction.  Gatsby felt certain that he could repeat the past, if only he could acquire the money to keep Daisy in the life to which she's accustomed.  He doesn't realize that being a bootlegger will tarnish both him and his fortune in her eyes, and that a criminal could never please her or achieve the American Dream.  Wilson, likewise, thinks that if he can just get a hold of Tom Buchanan's car, he can turn it for profit, enough to improve his situation and, eventually, to pave the way for him and his wife, Myrtle, to leave the valley of ashes.  Hard and honest work does not help him to achieve the American Dream, either.  The only way to get rich, then, is to engage in illegal activity (which shuts one out from the dream), and if one engages in actual, legitimate hard work, one can never earn enough to achieve the dream.  There is, simply, no path to it.  Gatsby doesn't understand that he can't reach the dream, and neither does Wilson, but they both continue to believe they can for the majority of the novel.  It is not until they are affected in a significant way by others' selfishness that they become disillusioned, and even Gatsby never really does.  After Daisy kills Myrtle and allows Gatsby to take the blame for it, when Wilson realizes that his wife's been cheating on him with Tom, Wilson finally realizes the hopelessness of his endeavors and takes his own life.  If Gatsby realizes anything, it's that Daisy is not going to call, that she has slipped from his fingers again.

In Chapter 1 of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, some readers find it counterproductive to the author Schlosser's argument...

Schlosser provides a somewhat sympathetic portrait of Carl Karcher to highlight the origins of the fast food industry.

Schlosser chooses Karcher to open his work because it demonstrates how the industry began with good intentions. Karcher was a self-made man. He struggled with poverty, worked very hard to achieve his dream, and saw an opportunity in California's changing dynamics to do so. Highlighting Karcher's rise demonstrates how those who started the fast food industry were instrumental in the preparation of its product. For example, Karcher opened the first Carl's Jr. in 1956. Karcher was not only the proprietor of the Carl's Jr. chain of restaurants. He was also a worker. Schlosser details how Karcher would work after hours to perfect his "secret sauce." Karcher was knowledgeable about every aspect of the operation because it was his dream. Schlosser's analysis shows how Karcher studied the patterns of his rivals and sought to integrate similar approaches in his food products. Karcher made decisions that enhanced the financial health and food quality in his restaurants.

Karcher's intimacy with his food products stands in vast contrast to the practices in today's industry. As his work progresses, Schlosser shows how financial gain motivates decisions. Poor food quality and its unsanitary preparation as well as kitchens abounding with rodents and insects are realities of the modern fast food industry. Given how close he was to his food products, Karcher would repudiate such conditions. Schlosser's sympathetic view of Karcher allows us to see how the origins of the industry are vastly different than what it is today. As a result of Schlosser's viewpoint, it is clear that inventors of the industry like Karcher would not stand by what it has become.

What electron carriers function in the citric acid cycle?

Glucose is the fuel needed by cells for energy. During cellular respiration, several steps occur culminating in the production of 32 ATP from a molecule of glucose. At first, glucose undergoes the process of glycolysis and two molecules of pyruvate are produced. 

The citric acid cycle is also called the Krebs cycle. In this part of cellular respiration, pyruvate is oxidized to form carbon dioxide. The cycle culminates in the formation of 2 ATP, 6 NADH and 2 FADH2 for two turns of the cycle.

There are 8 steps in the citric acid cycle. Following this cycle, the electron transport chain occurs which powers the synthesis of ATP.  NADH and FADH2 are the electron carriers which contain most of the energy extracted from the original energy source which was the glucose. This energy was obtained during the processes of glycolysis and the citric acid cycle.

The electron transport chain in the inner membrane of the mitochondrion is where electrons pass through various proteins eventually to oxygen in small manageable steps. The end product of this stage is the production of ATP.

To summarize, most of the energy in a cell flows from glucose to NADH, to the electron transport chain to a proton-motive force to ATP. The electron carriers are NADH and FADH2.

How do you find the provision of depreciation?

Provision of depreciation is an accounting method that is used in most countries to deal with the fact that most forms of physical capital (e.g. machines, computers, robots) decline in value over time. It allows businesses to include depreciation as an "expense" that businesses incur, which affects how their profits are reported and taxed.

Without provision of depreciation, balance sheets would overestimate the value of a company, because they would essentially be assuming that everything the company owns is worth as much as it was when they bought it. They would also make even a good investment look like a bad idea, as the profits of the company would fall every time you buy a new asset.

On an accounting statement, provision of depreciation is generally recorded in two ways:

Depreciation Expense, where the loss in value of an asset that occurred during this accounting period is simply recorded as an expense, as if it were literally money that had to be paid out this accounting period.

But we also want to keep track of the current value of the asset, which brings us to the other part, Accumulated Depreciation. The accumulated depreciation is the total lost value of the asset over the whole time it has been owned.

So for example if you buy a $10,000 asset and depreciate it linearly over 5 years, you record a depreciation expense of $2000 each year, but the accumulated depreciation is $2000, then $4000, then $6000, then $8,000, and finally $10,000, at which point you stop adding depreciation expense.

Who does Benjamin Franklin hope to help by writing his autobiography?

At the beginning of his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin addresses his son, William, who was then the Governor of New Jersey. Franklin tells him that just as he, Benjamin, was interested in learning more about his ancestors in England, he imagines that his son might be interested in learning more about his father's life. Franklin also hopes to help his "posterity," or descendants, by telling them about his rise from his humble and obscure origins to his achievement of success and renown. He thinks that by reading his book, his descendants can imitate some of what has made him happy and successful. Franklin's book, which remained unfinished at the time of his death in 1790, was written over the course of several years (starting in 1771), though he stated at the beginning of his book that he hoped to write down some anecdotes over the course of a week.

What does Tom want in The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain?

Tom wants excitement and adventure.  In Tom's opinion, life should never be boring.  He doesn’t want adults to tell him what to do.  He doesn’t want to spend his days doing chores or sitting in church or school.  Tom prefers to use his imagination to make ordinary life more interesting. 

A good example of Tom finding something of interest in anything is the incident in church.  Tom got distracted watching a bug and a dog.  Tom found church boring.  He got so interested in the little drama of the dog and the bug that church that day was bearable! 

Tom also had a big imagination.  He decided that he was going to have a pirate band.  His knowledge of pirate bands was based on his big ideas and some things he read in books.  He took ordinary events and pretended that they were pirate-related adventures.  

"What does pirates have to do?"

Tom said:

"Oh, they have just a bully time—take ships and burn them, and get the money and bury it in awful places in their island where there's ghosts and things to watch it, and kill everybody in the ships—make 'em walk a plank." (Ch. 13) 

Tom also is a sensitive boy.  He falls in love with Becky, and pines for her.  He thinks about her all of the time. 

Tom found himself writing "BECKY" in the sand with his big toe; he scratched it out, and was angry with himself for his weakness. But he wrote it again, nevertheless; he could not help it. He erased it once more and then took himself out of temptation by driving the other boys together and joining them. (Ch. 16)

He even asks her to marry him, telling her he is going to join the circus and be a clown.  He thinks this is an excellent plan for the future because being a clown is a very lucrative profession.  That will become less important after Tom finds the treasure in the cave.

What are some universal lessons in Guns, Germs, and Steel?

The key issue of Guns, Germs, and Steel is Yali's question concerning why the Europeans have so much more in the way of "cargo" or material goods than the natives of Papua New Guinea. In the book, Diamond insists on one important lesson, than inequality in technological development of material wealth is due primarily to geographical or environmental factors. He repeatedly emphasizes that people from all societies are equally intelligent, equally hard-working, and equally creative. 

Rather than talking about "primitive" societies as though they were somehow unsophisticated, instead Diamond shows how they succeed in adapting to their environments and building complex cultures. He argues that the main cause of global inequality has to do with factors such as the availability of domesticable plants and animals in different areas and the existence of east-west trade routes that allow innovation in agriculture to spread. 

What can we learn about the relationship between the boy and the guardian in "Sredni Vashtar" by Saki?

In the story, we learn that the relationship between Conradin and his guardian, Mrs. De Ropp, is fraught with tension and mutual dislike.

Conradin thinks of Mrs. De Ropp as a nemesis of sorts; for her part, Mrs. De Ropp views Conradin as an emcumbrance in her life. The conflict between Conradin and his guardian stems from the fact that both harbor different viewpoints about life, religion, and social obligations.

While Conradin pines for adventure and action, Mrs. De Ropp is prepared to thwart her young cousin's every inclination. In the story, Conradin adopts a polecat-ferret who he names Sredni Vashtar. He keeps the ferret stashed in an unused tool-shed, where he creates an imaginary world he revels in. In this world, Sredni Vashtar is a god who lays "some special stress on the fierce impatient side of things, as opposed to the Woman's religion, which, as far as Conradin could observe, went to great lengths in the contrary direction."

Conradin creates unique, pagan-themed ceremonies to worship his adored god; red flowers and scarlet berries are offered before Sredni Vashtar's altar in deference to this preferred deity. Conradin's actions are the only way the young boy can rebel against the restrictions placed upon him by his guardian. In portraying Conradin's lonely pagan world as a balm against an existence bereft of affection and love, Saki is satirizing the hypocrisies of the upper-classes during the Edwardian era. In Conradin's life, respectability and religion are a facade that obscures the true apathy and animosity between him and Mrs. De Ropp. Indeed, from Saki's prose, we learn that Conradin and his guardian are often engaged in a constant battle of the wills.

Where does the red pony come from? How did Carl get him? What else comes with the gift of the pony?

In the book, Jody finds a new, red pony waiting for him in the barn one morning. However, even before he manages to get used to the idea of a pony in his life, his no-nonsense father, Carl, gives him an ultimatum. Carl orders Jody to carefully care for the pony, or he will sell it.

Later, Jody finds out how the pony was acquired. According to Billy, Carl had bought the pony at a sheriff's auction. A traveling circus had amassed too many debts and had gone out of business in Salinas, so the sheriff had taken it upon himself to sell what remained of the circus' properties at the auction.

Obviously pleased with the horse, Jody then asked if there was a saddle. Billy then takes Jody to the saddle-room; this is where he takes down a saddle of red leather for Jody. So, along with the pony, Jody receives a shining, red leather saddle to use when he rides.

What are a few moments of suspense in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None?

In true Agatha Christie fashion, an air of mystery and suspense pervades And Then There Were None. One suspenseful event in the beginning of the novel occurs when the recording is played. After dinner at the isolated, luxurious mansion, a voice accuses each character in turn of murdering someone and not being punished for it.

After the first two deaths, the remaining characters realize that the set of ten little Indian figurines is missing the first two figures. Not only that, the first two figures died in similar fashion to their deceased housemates: choking (from poison) and oversleeping (overdosing on sleeping pills). This increases the suspense because each character faces the chilling idea that he or she is trapped on an island with a murderer who has carefully planned their death. As each character is eliminated, the tension mounts among those who remain.

The suspenseful climax of the book occurs when the (supposedly) last two characters left alive each believe the other is the killer. Vera grabs Lombard’s gun and kills him, then in turn kills herself with a noose that has been left waiting for her.

How can the statement "A diseased mind is even more harmful that the disease itself" be justified with reference to O. Henry's "The Last Leaf"?

The idea that a "diseased mind" can be more dangerous than the actual disease is exemplified in Johnsy's defeatist attitude that the doctor knows will prevent her from recovering from pneumonia.

In the exposition of "The Last Leaf," Johnsy, Sue's friend, has succumbed to pneumonia because she is from California and not acclimated to New York winters. After the busy doctor makes his house call and examines Johnsy, he tells Sue the young woman has

one chance in—let us say, ten. . . And that chance is for her to want to live. . . Your little lady has made up her mind that she's not going to get well.

The doctor then asks Sue if Johnsy has a significant other she loves, but Sue replies, "there is nothing of the kind." The doctor says that when people start to think of dying, he subtracts "50 per cent." He promises to do all he can with medicine, and departs. Sue goes into the room where Johnsy lies and tries to finish her sketching. Then, she hears Johnsy counting. Johnsy tells Sue that she has been counting the ivy leaves on the brick wall outside her window as they fall, and there are only five left. "When the last one goes, I must go, too."

Sue tries to cajole Johnsy out of such thoughts, but Johnsy insists that she must die when the last leaf falls from the vine. So, Sue tells her friend to try to sleep while she goes downstairs to get Mr. Behrman to model for her.

Once there, Sue informs Mr. Behrman of Johnsy's condition and her determination to die when the last leaf falls from the vine. The little curmudgeon becomes irate when he hears what he calls "foolishness," asking Sue,

Vy do you allow dot silly pusiness to come in der brain of her? Ach, dot poor leetle Miss Yonsy.

Sue explains that Johnsy is weak and the fever leaves her mind weak and "full of strange fancies." Despite his grumbling, Mr. Behrman accompanies Sue upstairs. There they see Johnsy sleeping and observe the ivy vine with fear because more leaves have fallen from it.

The next day, Johnsy asks Sue to roll up the shade. Fearfully, Sue obeys; against the brick wall, there is yet one leaf on the vine. Sue begs Johnsy to think of her and live, but Johnsy is "merciless." The next day, however, the ivy leaf somehow has seemed to remain on the vine.

"I've been a bad girl, Sudie," concludes Johnsy, "Something has made that last leaf stay there to show me how wicked I was. It is a sin to want to die. You may bring me a little broth now and some port in it, and. . . I will sit up and watch you cook."

After Sue summons the doctor again, he gives Johnsy "even chances" to become well. He also sadly informs Sue that Mr. Behrman has died of pneumonia after being discovered by the janitor in a state of dampness. Later, Sue learns Behrman went out after posing for her and painted a leaf on the bricks so Johnsy would think it survived the storm and she should get well. Behrman's "masterpiece" gave Johnsy the will to live so that her mind could then triumph over her body's illness.

What connections or similarities are there between the EU and the United Nations?

A significant connection between the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) is their common emphases on rights. Both uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1976), which details a statement of rights including economic rights, equal human rights, the right of self-determination and the right to freedom. Consequently both the EU and the UN maintain, for example, the right to a decent standard of living, to employment and to the right to hold and protect property. The EU has more intense involvement in developing and enforcing these rights, but the UN has an intense participation in developing these rights on the world stage as illustrated by the Millennium Development Goals, which have great significance to developing countries where such rights have historically been to varying degrees rejected.

A foundational similarity between the EU and the UN is that they are organizations through which sovereign powers meet to increase economic development, safety and security, and individual well-being. It may be said that a significant focus of the EU member states (28) is on economic development and human rights while a significant focus of the UN member states (193) is on peace keeping, international security and international humanitarian issues. The significant similarities between the two is stated by the United Nations Regional Information Centre, highlighting their shared connection founded in preserving rights, security and humanitarianism:

The United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) share the same fundamental values and goals, namely the maintenance of international peace and security, the development of friendly relations on the basis of a due regard for the principles of equal rights and the self-determination of peoples, the promotion of international cooperation in the solution of economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems, and the promotion and consolidation of the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all people.

Why is carbon so important to biochemistry?

Carbon is essential to biochemistry because it is found in every type of macromolecule that makes up living organisms: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Macromolecules are the building blocks for an organism, and carbon is the foundation atom of each of those macromolecules.

A few properties of carbon make it the perfect foundation in each of the macromolecules. Carbon has four valence electrons, allowing it to form stable covalent bonds with many different types of atoms. In the macromolecules, you will find carbon frequently bonding with oxygen and hydrogen. Carbon can also bond with other carbon atoms to form different structures, such as long chains, branched chains, or rings. In living organisms, a molecule must have the correct structure, or shape, in order to function correctly. Carbon's ability to form these different structures also makes it ideal for use in macromolecules. 

What are ideas for a short story, which revolves around the symbols/ ideas in To Kill a Mockingbird?

An idea would be to choose a minor or secondary character from the story to write about. This could be Dill, Mayella Ewell, Miss Maudie, or another character. From there, you could write a story from this character's point of view. It could take place in the same time frame but be told from a different perspective. If you prefer, it could also take place before or after the years described in To Kill a Mockingbird.

One of the most famous ideas in the novel is walking in another person's shoes. Atticus sometimes challenges his children to walk or stand in someone else's shoes to understand that person's perspective. For example, when Bob Ewell threatens Atticus and spits on him, Jem and Scout want their father to fight back. Instead, Atticus tells them to consider Bob Ewell as a person:

See if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with (Chapter 23).

By writing from the perspective of another character, you would be doing exactly what Atticus recommended. You would be "standing in their shoes" as you wrote from their point of view.

Justice is another important idea in the novel. Atticus fights hard to defend Tom Robinson. He thinks Tom is innocent, and he works hard to give him a chance at justice. You could write a courtroom scene also based on a lawyer defending an innocent man falsely accused.

The main symbol in the novel is the mockingbird. The mockingbird is a symbol of innocence. For example, Boo is compared to a mockingbird. You could also write a short story about innocence with a mockingbird to symbolize it.  

Good luck!

What are some gender issues that are addressed throughout the play The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka?

Wole Soyinka examines several gender issues throughout the play The Lion and the Jewel. One of the most significant gender issues in the play concerns the role of women in society. Soyinka depicts how women are treated as property in Yoruba culture through the payment of the bride-price. Men are free to buy as many wives as they can afford and women occupy a lower social status than men. Throughout the play, women are valued for their outward appearance and sensuality. Sidi becomes relevant only after her beauty is displayed in a foreign magazine, and Sadiku reminisces about her days as a young woman, when she was the Bale's favorite. Women are also portrayed as the less intelligent gender, which is evident in the way that both Sidi and Sadiku fall for Baroka's trick.

Soyinka also explores the idea of masculinity throughout his play. Baroka's assumed impotence makes him subject to ridicule throughout the village, and he loses his prestige. Also, Lakunle is viewed as less than a man because he is not physically imposing, athletic, or violent. In Yoruba culture, men are physically strong and valued for their ability to produce offspring.

Why does Calpurnia act and speak differently when she is around her friends?

In Chapter 12, Calpurnia takes the children to First Purchase African M.E. for Sunday service. Throughout the service, Jem and Scout notice that Calpurnia is speaking differently than she does at home. After Cal explains that she taught Zeebo to read using Blackstone's Commentaries, Jem asks her why she talks informally like the rest of the colored folks at the church when she obviously knows correct English. Scout immediately becomes aware of Calpurnia's "modest double life" and asks her the same question. Calpurnia responds by saying, "Well, in the first place I'm black---" (Lee 77). She proceeds to tell the children that it would be out of place for her to speak like white folks around black people. Cal says that if she spoke properly around her community members, they would think she was "puttin' on airs to beat Moses." When Scout mentions that Cal knows better than to talk incorrectly, Cal says that it's not necessary to tell all you know, and that it's not ladylike because people don't like being around somebody who knows more than they do. Cal chooses to speak informally to fit in with her community members and not come off as being pretentious. 

Why do people enjoy films and books where people are hurt or their character is destroyed?

This might sound like people are quite horrible, for enjoying the misery of others, but this is a human trait.  I am not sure that "enjoy," though, is always the correct word.  We are deeply interested in the misery of others, and sometimes this is actual enjoyment. 

First, I would say that it is consoling to us to know that others suffer, as we suffer in life from time to time. Even in fiction, there is a kind of "misery loves company" dynamic. 

Second, watching or reading about the suffering of others is a kind of emotional release for people.  I have a friend who watches Steel Magnolias over and over again and says, "I love that movie so much. It makes me cry no matter how many times I've watched it." 

Third, watching or reading about others in misery can be a learning experience, teaching us something about ourselves or something about others.  I have gained insights into myself and other people through reading and movies. 

Fourth, when the people who suffer in books and movies are deserving of their fates, it makes us feel like the world is a fair and orderly place.  Often it seems to us that the bad are rewarded and the good are punished.  A movie or book that rewards the good and punishes the bad is quite satisfying to watch. 

Fifth, there is a dynamic called schadenfreude.  This is experiencing satisfaction over someone else's misery.  If you have ever had a really bad argument with someone, and then that someone tripped and fell, there is a little childish part of us that says "Serves you right!" and takes pleasure in the pain.   I have also observed this dynamic when someone married his "mistress" and the marriage did not go well.  There were those who took pleasure in that result. This dynamic can also be the result of the thought that if something bad happens to someone else, it has not happened to you.  This is magical thinking.  If lightning strikes someone else, it can certainly strike you, too, but nevertheless this can be our response.

Some of this makes it sound as though human beings are not very nice, but the fact is that we have a side to us that does enjoy watching suffering.  The reasons are not necessarily evil, though.

In Chapter 16 of the book Guns, Germs, and Steel, how, according to Jared Diamond, did the Chinese develop and maintain Sinification?

Diamond portrays the relative cultural homogenization in China as almost without parallel around the world. "Sinification," he says, "involved the drastic homogenization of a huge region in an ancient melting pot," and indeed this process "offers the key to the history of all of East Asia" (324). It took place, for one thing, because China has some geographic characteristics that encouraged cultural unity. Long rivers that ran from east to west, like the Yangtze and Yellow, meant that similar crops were grown along the coast and far inland. Nor is it divided by a major desert. So when northern Chinese peoples developed what might be called advanced civilization, they spread their culture southward--it was their form of writing, for example, that caught on throughout China, because it had no competitors. Indeed, Chinese culture was heavily influential in the Korean Peninsula and Japan as well as Southeast Asia, in addition to what is today the nation-state of China. As Diamond puts it:

Within East Asia, China's head start in food production, technology, writing, and state formation had the consequence that Chinese innovations also contributed heavily to developments in neighboring regions. (332)

Within China itself, the ruling elites were deliberate in their promotion of Chinese culture and writing, taking sometimes brutal measures to stamp out what they regarded as the primitive culture of people in South China. Because of all these factors, Diamond tells us, the "Sinification" of East Asia was really complete by 100 B.C.E.

What are Aristotle's appeals?

There are many ways to appeal to an audience when giving an argument or a persuasive speech. Aristotle outlined three of these appeals, which he called logos, ethos, and pathos. The best arguments combine elements of all three, but many strongly hew to one in particular.

1) Logos: Logos comes from the Greek for "knowledge." The logos appeal refers to the argument itself: the facts, the logic, the reasoning. Giving an argument based in logos may include a lot of hard data and scientific evidence. It may also include empirical evidence and real-life examples—provided they're based more in fact than emotion. A written argument may include many citations. In theory, a well-written argument with a logos appeal will make the audience come away thinking, "that person really knows his/ her stuff."

2) Ethos: Ethos comes from the root that gives us "ethics." The ethos appeal refers to an appeal using one's own character or ethics to convince the audience; in other words, how they build credibility and trustworthiness on a personal basis. An argument with an appeal to ethos may include a lot of information about the writer/ speaker's credentials and background, or it may include specific personal examples where the author/ speaker demonstrated strong morals. A well-done appeal to ethos will make people think, "That person is someone I believe in."

3) Pathos: Pathos refers to emotion. An argument based in pathos is considered the weakest type of argument from a rational standpoint, but often has a strong impact on its listeners. There have been many appeals to emotion in recent political speeches. An argument based in pathos focuses primarily on tone and language and includes many examples that evoke strong feelings (anger, joy, triumph, grief, etc.). Figurative language and vivid descriptions are common. A well-done appeal to pathos will make people walk away thinking, "I feel [emotion] about [issue]."

Shakespeare's Hamlet deals a lot with plotting and scheming. Who sets these plans in motion and to what ends?

Claudius is the plotter and schemer par excellence. He plots and schemes to become king by murdering his brother. Then he manages to marry his brother's widow and to get elected king, thereby cheating young Hamlet out of his rightful inheritance of the crown. When Hamlet returns from Wittenberg, Claudius keeps him a virtual prisoner at Elsinore because he naturally suspects that his nephew might be thinking of plotting to overthrow him. Hamlet is young, melancholy, solitary, introspective. Claudius misinterprets Hamlet's moodiness as dangerous brooding. The King's fears for his safety motivate him to spy on Hamlet by every possible means. He uses Polonius, Ophelia, Gertrude, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern. and no doubt countless courtiers and members of the household staff to try to find out what Hamlet is thinking and planning. Hamlet decides to pretend to be crazy, mainly in order to keep the King from guessing what he knows and what he is planning. So it is Claudius who sets the plans in motion for the purpose of protecting his life and his position as King. It takes Hamlet a long time to grow up, so to speak, and to gather the resolution to take the action he is obliged to take, which is to kill his villainous uncle. Hamlet's procrastination causes tragedy for many besides himself. By the end of the play all the principals are dead except for Horatio.

What message did the traveler leave in the poem "The Listeners" by Walter de la Mare?

The message that the traveler leaves to "the listeners" of the house is that he came to the house exactly like he said he would.  

The answer to this question can be found within the final third of the poem.  The traveler has arrived at a lone house.  It is nighttime, and the moon bathes the house in light.  It's definitely an eerie setting and circumstance.  It is made even more eerie by the fact that nobody seems to be in the house.  It is empty for some unknown reason.  If it isn't empty, then the occupants are intentionally staying completely silent while the traveler repeatedly knocks on the door.   Eventually, the traveler gives up on waiting for someone to answer the door.  Before he leaves though, he says to nobody in particular the following lines.  

‘Tell them I came, and no one answered,   

   That I kept my word,’ he said. 

What does blood symbolize for Macbeth and his wife in Shakespeare's Macbeth, particularly immediately following Duncan’s murder and late in...

Blood traditionally symbolizes violence.  For the Macbeths, blood also symbolizes guilt resulting from violence.  They kill Duncan in a fit of ambition and then have great regret about doing so.  They often imagine blood that is not there or remember seeing blood, symbolizing their mixed feelings about their deed.

When Macbeth is trying to decide whether or not to go through with the plan to kill the king, he imagines a bloody dagger hanging in the air.  Hallucination is not unusual for the Macbeths.  He hasn’t even committed the act yet, but he already feels conflicted and overrun with guilt about it.

… I see thee still,
And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood,
Which was not so before. There's no such thing:
It is the bloody business which informs
Thus to mine eyes. Now o'er the one halfworld
Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse
The curtain'd sleep … (Act 2, Scene 1)

Blood and the visions of it follow him.  Macbeth imagines the bloody ghost of Banquo at the banquet after sending murderers to kill him and his son.  The sight so disturbs him that they have to send their guests home early with excuses about how it’s no big deal because Macbeth is just having a fit.

Lady Macbeth is not immune to the bloody visions.  She did not kill Duncan, but she was involved in the planning and saw the body. After the murder, she took the bloody daggers from Macbeth, chiding him for not following the plan and leaving them there to complete the frame-up job.  She covers for him when he sees Banquo's ghost, but she does not really know about his murder spree.  

Lady Macbeth completely breaks down mentally, imagining that the blood that was on her hands that night is still there.

LADY MACBETH

Out, damned spot! out, I say!--One: two: why,
then, 'tis time to do't.--Hell is murky!--Fie, my
lord, fie! a soldier, and afeard? What need we
fear who knows it, when none can call our power to
account?--Yet who would have thought the old man
to have had so much blood in him. (Act 5, Scene 1)

She eventually dies, apparently of suicide.  Macbeth is shaken, and her death makes him ponder the frailty and brevity of life.  It does not stop him from going to battle with Malcolm's men, a battle he is destined to lose because he is outnumbered and following contradictory supernatural advice from witches.

The witches told Macbeth that he could not be harmed by a man "of woman born," so he figured he was safe.  The other prophecies seemed mostly crazy, such as the forest coming after him, but he was also told to beware Macduff.

Macbeth loses his confidence when Macduff tells him that he was not born of woman, and therefore sees him as a threat.  That is the end of Macbeth.  He cuts off Macbeth's head, and Malcolm becomes king.

Why did Waverly tell her mother, "I wish you wouldn't do that, telling everybody I'm your daughter"?

Waverly feels like her mother is living through her achievements.

Although she makes a point to explain that a Chinese woman is careful about showing pride, Waverly feels that her mother takes too much credit for Waverly’s accomplishments.  Although her mother doesn’t come out and admit that she admires her daughter, she basks in her glow.

When Waverly’s family first gets a chess set, her mom is not interested in it.  Then Waverly turns out to be very good, and her mother takes notice.  She is proud of her daughter’s success and properly lets everyone know it

A small weekend crowd of Chinese people and tourists would gather as I played and defeated my opponents one by one. My mother would join the crowds during these outdoor exhibition games. She sat proudly on the bench, telling my admirers with proper Chinese humility, "Is luck."

As she won more and more games, Waverly gained enough attention to be on magazine covers.  Her wins were celebrated in local stores.  Waverly’s mother basked in her daughter’s glory, and Waverly just got tired of it.

"Aii-ya. So shame be with mother?" She grasped my hand even tighter as she glared at me.

I looked down. "It's not that, it's just so obvious. It's just so embarrassing."

"Embarrass you be my daughter?" Her voice was cracking with anger. "That's not what I meant. That's not what I said."

After Waverly and her mother have this fight, Waverly runs off.  She doesn’t know what to do.  When Waverly tells her mother to stop showing her off, her mother feels terrible.  She feels like her daughter is ashamed of her. 

Waverly realizes that her words hurt her mother.  She didn't mean to hurt her, but she wants chess to be her thing. Her mother tries to hide her feelings by saying that the family should not talk to Waverly.  Waverly is not sure how things will be for them from then on.

Who is Leontes in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale?

King Leontes of Sicily is the central character in The Winter’s Tale. In the play’s first half, an irrational jealousy possesses the king. He accuses his wife Hermione of having an affair with his best friend, King Polixenes of Bohemia. No one can convince Leontes of their innocence, and he goes so far as to plot the death of his friend and his wife’s newborn child. He forces Hermione to stand trial in court immediately after she gives birth in prison.

Leontes’s seeming madness results in the deaths of several people. His son Mamillius dies, supposedly of grief over being separated from his mother. When Antigonus agrees to abandon Hermione’s child in a remote location, he is eaten by a bear and the men on the ship drown in a storm. Leontes loses his son, his friend (who escapes back to Bohemia), his daughter, and his wife, whom the noblewoman Paulina reports as dead following her collapse.

The second half sees a repentant Leontes. Sixteen years have passed, and Leontes grieves daily, thinking of Hermione and his children:

Whilst I remember
Her and her virtues, I cannot forget
My blemishes in them, and so still think of
The wrong I did myself; which was so much,
That heirless it hath made my kingdom and
Destroy'd the sweet'st companion that e'er man
Bred his hopes out of.

These griefs have made Leontes a kinder person. When his daughter Perdita, who was found and raised by shepherds, escapes to Sicily with Polixenes’s son Florizel, Leontes welcomes them with open arms. He even reconciles with Polixenes. Because of this change in behavior, Paulina reveals, in the guise of a statue, that Hermione is still alive. Just as the play moves from winter to spring and tragedy to comedy, Leontes transforms from an angry and jealous husband into a compassionate father and friend.

Did Governor Horatio Seymour and other Democrats orchestrate the New York City Draft Riot of 1863?

New York City's Governor Horatio Seymour and other Northern Democratic Party leaders certainly did have a hand in provoking the New York City Draft Riot of 1863, the "bloodiest outbreak of civil disorder in American history" ("On This Day," The Learning Network, The New York Times). Governor Seymour was one of the nation's Peace Democrat leaders. Peace Democrats were Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War. Peace Democrats especially represented the working class Irish and German populations of New York City who feared slave emancipation would cost them their jobs. At the beginning of Abraham Lincoln's first term as President, Northern Democrats warned the working class that emancipation would enable freed slaves to move north and take over the labor force ("Copperhead," Encyclopaedia Britannica).

After the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, Northern Democratic leaders of New York City began "distributing pamphlets and organizing public rallies" and declaring public warfare against the "war, emancipation, blacks, Lincoln and Republicans." These protests began months before the anti-draft riot of 1863 ("On This Day"). In addition, Governor Seymour, acting as the leading voice against the draft, publicly warned the "bloody and treasonable and revolutionary doctrine of public necessity can be proclaimed by a mob as well as by a government" ("On This Day"). We can interpret Governor Seymour's words of warning as playing a major role in instigating the New York City riot.

Regardless of protests against the draft, the need for more men in the military was becoming increasingly urgent. Due to substantial losses in the Battle of Gettysburg, fought between July 1st to July 3rd of 1863, New York City had been left with no more than 550 men to defend 8 forts and not one single naval ship to defend its harbor, prompting a draft lottery to begin on July 11th, 1863. By July 13th, hundreds of white working-class men began marching in protest. The outbreak of violence resulted in the draft office being torched, an army squadron being forced to retreat, a police officer being brutally assaulted, telegraph poles being downed, train tracks being uprooted, homes of wealthy Republicans being attacked and looted, the city's arsenal being torched, the homes of African Americans on the west side of the city being torched, black laborers being lynched and torched, and many other bloody casualties ("On This Day").

The riot began at 6 AM on July 13th, and Governor Seymour is reported as having done little to end it. Reports say he tried to "negotiate with rioters," addressing them as "My friends" and promising to repeal the draft ("On This Day"). After Confederate General Robert E. Lee moved his soldiers to Virginia in retreat on July 4th, Lincoln's Secretary of War, Edwin McMasters Stanton, was able to send 5 regiments to New York City to put an end to the riot; troops did not arrive until July 15th. Fighting between soldiers and rioters lasted until the evening of July 16th, and the consequences of the riot were about 115 deaths, including a dozen African Americans, and millions of dollars of damage to the city.

Since Governor Seymour did little to end the riot, especially when it first began, and continued to fuel anti-war and anti-draft sentiments, it can be argued Seymour was a key instigator of the riot.

In addition, historians report Seymour as having written a letter to President Lincoln on June 30th that warned there would be a riot if Lincoln proceeded with the draft. Furthermore, historians report James R. Gilmore as investigating the instigators of the riot after it was crushed and reporting to Lincoln with knowledge learned from General Richard Busteed that the "riot was planned and set afoot by Govr Seymour, Fernando Wood [previous mayor of New York City], and a small coterie of leaders of their stripe" ("Response to Riots," The Lehrman Institute, Mr. Lincoln and New York).

How does Tacitus's statement "The more corrupt the republic, the more numerous the laws" connect to Animal Farm by George Orwell?

The statement, "The more corrupt the government, the more numerous the laws," directly reflects the environment created by the pigs after they usurped control of the farm. 

When the pigs initially rise to power, two dominant pigs rule the animals: Snowball and Napoleon. Once Snowball is driven off the farm by Napoleon, Napoleon becomes corrupted by his absolute authority. To maintain his authority and oppress the other animals, Napoleon must subvert the initial "Seven Commandments" of Animalism. The "Seven Commandments" were 

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.

3. No animal shall wear clothes.

4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.

5. No animal shall drink alcohol.

6. No animal shall kill any other animal.

7. All animals are equal. 

As the pigs become corrupted by their power and their innate intelligence further divides them from the other animals, the pigs assume a more "human" role on the farm. They live in the farmer's former residence, sleep in beds, and consume alcohol. 

To resolve their behaviors with the rules of Animalism and prevent a second revolution, the pigs systematically change and adapt the rules of Animalism to their needs. Commandment number four now reads, "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets." Commandment number six reads, "No animal shall kill any other animal WITHOUT CAUSE." Ultimately, the final commandment reads, "All animals are equal BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS." 

This manipulation of the Commandments illustrates that, as a government becomes more corrupt, the laws are more numerous (and in this case, more convoluted).

A counterargument could be made that Tacitus's statement is in direct opposition to Animal Farm, though. In Chapter 10, the pigs replace the Seven Commandments with a single rule: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." At this point in the novel, the pigs are essentially behaving like people—they walk on two legs and Napoleon uses a whip. The pigs are at their most corrupt, but now only have one rule, which contradicts Tacitus's statement.

In Thomas Friedman's book The World Is Flat, what is it to be flat?

When Thomas Friedman uses the term “flat” in The World is Flat, what he means is something like “fair” or “providing everyone with an equal chance to succeed.”  When he says that the world is flat, or is getting flatter, he does not mean this in a topographical sense.  Instead, what he means is that the world is, economically speaking, becoming fairer.  Our world has started to provide people from many different countries with an equal chance to get ahead economically.

In the United States, at least, we often use the metaphor of a sports field when we talk about economic competition.  This might, for example, be a soccer field.  Imagine playing soccer if one team had to run uphill while the other got to run downhill.  This would not be at all fair to the team that had to run uphill.  It would be a serious disadvantage.  When competition is fair, we say that there is a level playing field.  This field does not provide an advantage to either team.  When Friedman talks about the world being flat, he is saying that the economic playing field has become level.

In the past, businesses in poor countries were, in essence, playing on a field that was not flat.  They had to run uphill while their competitors in the rich world got to run downhill.  In recent times, however, various changes have made the playing field flatter.  He says that things like outsourcing, offshoring, and, most importantly, the boom in communications technology, have created a more level playing field where firms from more countries can actually compete on level terms. This is what he means when he says that the world is flat.

In this book, then, to be flat is to be fair and/or to provide everyone with an equal chance to compete economically.

What is Kit's first impression of the Wood family and the Wood family's first impression of Kit in The Witch of Blackbird Pond?

Kit did not tell the Woods that she was coming to live with them, and she had never even met them before she showed up at their door. The Woods would naturally be surprised to see her. Also, Kit came from Barbados, a colony where she had a much different upbringing from the stuffy Puritanical ways of Wethersfield.

The Woods are shocked from the very first time they see Kit in her fancy clothes, which stand out as a metaphor for how different she is from everyone else there.

"You wore a dress like that to travel in?"

In her eagerness to make a good impression Kit had selected this dress with care, but here in this plain room it seemed over elegant. The three other women were all wearing some nondescript sort of coarse gray stuff. (Ch. 3) 

The Woods are shocked at Kit’s flashy dresses and the fact that she has never worked a day in her life. She reads plays instead of the Bible. She doesn’t understand their customs, and while she tries to respect them, she is also not afraid to show when she disapproves.

The Woods are also not afraid to show they disapprove of her. Kit doesn’t have an appropriate dress for Meeting (church). She doesn’t know how to cook or clean. She is impatient and her cousins see her as somewhat of a threat or a nuisance. She is a threat because there is another woman in the house whom men like William Ashby might court, and she is a nuisance because they have to teach her and do her chores.

First impressions aside, Kit and the Woods eventually find a way to coexist. Kit makes herself more or less useful, and all of the girls pair themselves off with eligible bachelors. Kit realizes that she has to find a way to live in Wethersfield, and they have to live with her.

In response to Macbeth's second set of prophecies in Act IV, what did the witches do?

The Weird Sisters don't really do anything to respond to the prophecies that Macbeth receives from the apparitions that they conjure in Act IV.  In fact, we never see them again on stage after that second set of prophecies. 

In reference to the apparitions, however, the Sisters do conjure them at the behest of their leader, Hecate.  As she said, "And you all know, security / Is mortals' chiefest enemy" (3.5.32-33).  The witches' plan is to make Macbeth feel secure so that he lets down his guard.  Hecate says that feeling safe is actually our biggest enemy because, when we feel safe, we aren't as alert to danger.  Macbeth will be easier to harm if he feels that he is unlikely to be harmed because he won't be on the lookout for danger.  So, the Weird Sisters conjure apparitions that offer enigmatically worded statements designed to make Macbeth feel safe (but that actually can come true in unexpected ways). 

How does the movie Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban relate to the real world today?

There is an atmosphere of fear in the movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban because a prisoner escapes from a supposedly inescapable prison. At the beginning of the movie, we see how the media covers the events in the wizard newspapers and that there are wanted posters everywhere. The posters are a little scary, with the prisoner Sirius Black jumping out at you with a crazed look.

In our world, unfortunately, a state of fear is very common. We see media coverage not of prison escapes, but of terrorist attacks. This is not to say that we have never had frightening and high-profile prison breaks. Like in the movie, there seems to be a dark, depressing cloud of dread upon us at times when we hear about mass shootings and other tragedies. Dementors may not be real, but these incidents frighten us and soak the life and happiness out of us just the same. We cannot seem to escape the media coverage of tragic events.

With our 24-hour media, there is also a lot of misinformation. In Harry Potter, Sirius Black turns out to be innocent. When everyone is in a hurry to scoop the story, the headline is remembered, not the retraction. A lot of people have been the victims of unfairly ruined reputations.

Consider Antonio's behavior and dialogue in Act 1, Scenes 1 and 3 of "The Merchant of Venice". Why does he treat Shylock the way he does? Is it...

Antonio does not mention much about Jews or Shylock in scene 1, so one cannot ascertain his opinion here. However, his prejudice against Shylock is pertinently obvious in scene 3. He clearly does not like Shylock mostly, it appears, for the fact that he deems him materialistic and greedy for money. When Shylock refers to Biblical scripture to justify the fact that he charges interest on money which he lends out, Antonio is quick to criticize and admonish him for daring to use scripture in this context. When Shylock relates the biblical story of Jacob profiting by taking possession of the offspring from Laban's sheep, Antonio tells him:

This was a venture, sir, that Jacob served for;
A thing not in his power to bring to pass,
But sway'd and fashion'd by the hand of heaven.
Was this inserted to make interest good?
Or is your gold and silver ewes and rams?

The implication is, therefore, clear. Antonio believes that one should not deliberately seek to profit from others. It is, however, acceptable if such a boon is provided through an act of nature (i.e. divine intervention). Shylock, on the other hand, seeks to deliberately profit by charging interest. Greater criticism lies in the fact that he deems Shylock to be deceitful, misleading and manipulative for he states:

Mark you this, Bassanio,
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart:
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!

Further evidence of Antonio's antagonism lies in the fact that he does not apologize for the despicable manner in which he had treated Shylock on a variety of occasions. When the Jew tells him about his derisive treatment, Antonio declares:

I am as like to call thee so again,
To spit on thee again, to spurn thee too. 

The question of whether Antonio's hostility is justified depends entirely on the context of one's approach. Christians and Jews have shared a hostility throughout history - since Christians believed that Jesus had been betrayed by the Jews when they refused to accept him as the Messiah and denounced him. Christ was crucified as a consequence. Furthermore, Christ was severely critical of usury and warned against its use during his lifetime. Christians, as followers, obviously adopted his teachings.

In this context then, one could argue that Antonio's disapproval is justified. From a Christian perspective which teaches that one should 'love thy neighbor as thyself,' though, it is difficult to understand Antonio's loathing. Furthermore, the fact that Antonio is prepared to, as he states, 'break a custom' smacks of hypocrisy. 

Shylock, although I neither lend nor borrow
By taking nor by giving of excess,
Yet, to supply the ripe wants of my friend,
I'll break a custom. Is he yet possess'd
How much ye would?

In the final analysis, one has to conclude that the characterizations are the result of a brilliant author's rich imagination and serve a particular purpose - to create a story and create drama to enthrall and entertain a captive audience.  

How right or wrong do you think it is for Jimmy to give his burglary tools to his friend in "A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry?

While the ethics of his action are equivocal, Jimmy Valentine's plan to give the tools to a friend may be the only way that he can bear to part with them. Thus, his act becomes, perhaps, the lesser of two evils.

By giving them to a friend, there is also the possibility of retrieving them from this friend in the event that the engagement of Jimmy/Ralph and Annabel Adams does not result in marriage and a "happily ever after" life. After all, Jimmy's is the type of mind that considers variables and the odds of risks, etc. 

Then, too, there may be enough of the criminal left in Jimmy that he feels the tools are so superior that it seems wasteful or somehow not sensible to just discard them; moreover, he may think that he might need them someday himself. Certainly, that Jimmy Valentine is yet a man who enjoys risks and opportunities for gain is evinced in his swift changing of persona so that he can attract Annabel:

Jimmy Valentine looked into her eyes, forgot what he was, and became another man.

And yet, Jimmy's character is more than superficial because he grows to love Annabel so wholeheartedly that he sacrifices his disguise and risks losing her respect for him in order to save her young relative's life. So, after his heroic actions and character transformation, a transformation that Ben Price recognizes and rewards, Jimmy may change his mind about sending the tools after all.

In the reading "The Dispossessed" by Le Guin, a conversation occurs between Shevek and his friends about how Anarres is the moon of Urras and how...

In "The Dispossessed," the main character Shevek and his friends, including the brilliant fledgling philosopher, Bedap, form a bond through shared opinions and ideas. Bedap and Shevek have a lengthy conversation discussing the relation of Anarres and its moon, Urras. The conversation turns philosophical as Bedap and Shevek discuss how the twin planets are in binary opposition to one another, a relationship which is directly reflected in the dynamic between Annarestians and the society of Urras.

To understand how binary oppositions function within "The Dispossessed," it is necessary to understand the fact that the nation of A lo has come to thrive on the planet Urras, and the fact that Annares is a barely habitable desert moon the nation did not see fit to colonize. The rebels who would eventually become the rulers and inhabitants of Annares were given the desert moon as a vaguely insulting offer of peace. The people of Annares are proud of their communal society because their austere way of life has allowed them to thrive in an even more austere setting.

Binary Opposition

Binary opposition refers to the idea that there are only two options of extremely opposing nature. Here, the decadence and splendor of Urras is in binary opposition to the Spartan and communal way of life on Annares. In this scene, Shevek and his friends, as youths whose enthusiasm has not yet been tainted with the cynicism that pervades their planet, begin to speculate that a world outside the binary constructs they have known exists. No one from Annares has traveled to Urras since the planet was colonized, and from the perspective of someone who lives on Annares, Urras is its moon. This realization is used to draw a parallel between the different worlds and the way they perceive each other. To Annares, Urras is just a dark and distant reflection of the decadent society their ancestors rebelled against and left behind. To Urras, Annares is a distant colony that is simply something to look at from afar, just like a moon.

Throughout the story, the concept of binary opposition is further illustrated. The conversation between Shevek and his friends is one of the first instances in which Annares and Urras, both moons and planets depending on the perspective of the person observing them, are contrasted in a literal sense. As the story progresses, this contrast takes on a metaphoric nature. As Shevek experiences the higher echelons of society on both Annares and Urras, he realizes that while their ideals contrast starkly in many regards, the opposition between them is not quite as binary as either side would like to believe.

Despite the fact that it was built on the principles of communal living and shared labor, Annares is prone to corruption and decadence at its highest levels. Despite its appearances of splendor and elegance, the A loans on Urras are hiding the dire conditions the poorest among them experience. In this way, while both societies are set off against each other on the surface, they are far more similar underneath than they would ever like to admit.

Cultural Hierarchy

The realization of the binary opposition between Urras and Annares, as well as Shevek's eventual disillusionment with the concept, plays a crucial role when it comes to how he views the cultural hierarchy on Annares. When he is accepted into the physics institute, Annares realizes how differently the standards of Annares are applied to its leaders. There is not only binary opposition evident between planets, but between the split worlds created by inequality in the supposedly equal commune of Annares as well. Shevek and his friends begin to realize that the cultural hierarchy is dominated by hypocrisy and this conversation and realization later fuel the hope Shevek develops in the Hainish plan to unite all colonies under a federation of planets.

Who is Lev in Unwind?

Lev is one of the three main characters in Neil Shusterman's book Unwind. 

Lev is an Unwind, but he is distinctly different from all of the other Unwinds in the book.  Lev is different because he is a "tithe."  His parents are having him unwound because Lev is their tenth child.  

Lev reluctantly nods, knowing it's true. He was a "true tithe." With five natural siblings, plus one adopted, and three that arrived "by stork," Lev was exactly one-tenth. His parents had always told him that made him all the more special.

In the Christian religion, believers are asked to give one-tenth of their earnings back to God.  This usually happens by that person or family donating money to the church.  

In Unwind, Lev's parents take the one-tenth rule to an entirely new level.  They are donating their tenth child to be taken back to God because no matter how the government tries to spin it, unwinding is killing a teenager.  

Lev is also a very dynamic character in the book.  I believe that he changes more than any other character in the book.  Lev goes from being a person that totally embraces the idea of unwinding and tithing to being a clapper.  A clapper is the equivalent of a suicide bomber.  He/she has his/her body injected with a special chemical that explodes when hit hard enough.  A clapper typically detonates himself by clapping his hands together.  Lev's plan is to blow up the facility where unwinding takes place.  He doesn't end up doing it though, and by the end of the book Lev has become a symbol of the fight against unwinding.  

"What you did, Lev—it confused people. No one knows whether you're a monster or a hero."  

Strangely, the person who increases the original five years to fifteen is the (a) lawyer, (b) banker, (c) judge

The correct answer is (a) the lawyer

One evening a wealthy banker hosts a party at which a discussion of capital punishment begins. While most of the guests disapprove of capital punishment, the banker disagrees with them:

Capital punishment kills a man at once, but life-long imprisonment kills him slowly.

While others consider the death penalty immoral and unsuitable for Christian countries, the young lawyer contends that both the death sentence and the life sentence are immoral,

...but if I had to choose between the death penalty and imprisonment for life, I would certainly choose the second. To live anyhow is better than not at all.

Excited by the discussion, the banker challenges the lawyer's opinion,

"It's not true! I'll bet you two million you wouldn't stay in solitary confinement for five years."
"If you mean that in earnest....I'll take the bet, but I would stay not five, but fifteen years."

"Done!" the banker shouts and the young lawyer resounds, "Agreed!" However, his rash addition of ten years to his confinement becomes a tremendous burden to his soul.
In the first five years, the lawyer is allowed to have a musical instrument, books, and paper and pen on which to write letters. He can also have wine and tobacco, but the lawyer refuses to drink or smoke because wine excites the senses and smoke spoils the air. He suffers terribly from loneliness the first year, but he plays the piano and reads. During the second year, he does not touch the piano, nor does he read. Instead, he drinks wine and eats and lies on his bed indolently. At times he speaks angrily to himself aloud, or he writes all night, then tears up what he has written. Sometimes he cries.

At the end of these five years, the lawyer could have redeemed his spirit if he were only to have kept the bet to this length. But, in a display of bravado, he has sentenced himself to a decade longer, a decade of the deprivation of human contact that destroys his spirit. For, in his impulsive gesture, he has discounted the need in all men for others since it is only in sharing one's laughter, love, thoughts, and feelings that man finds meaning in life.

What are some examples of personification and Maya Angelou's ideas of the past and future in "On the Pulse of Morning"?

In this poem, Maya Angelou uses the images of rock, river, and tree to describe the United States. She talks about the troubled past of this land, on which mastodons and dinosaurs have left their bones ("dried tokens") and where, more recently, humans have left troubling remains. Though Angelou says we are just a little lower than angels, we have lived in "ignorance" and left "debris." The country was settled by people "desperate for gain" who drove the Native Americans off the land and enslaved others. The history of this country has been full of "wrenching pain." 

Although the past has been troubled and imperfect, a "nightmare" for some, Angelou holds out great hope for the future. She invites all Americans, rich or poor, straight or gay, Muslim, Christian, or Jewish, to join in building a better world, for all are "yearning to respond" to the call of this land. We can all give birth to the American dream again. We can "shape it" and "sculpt it." "Each hour holds new chances," she writes. We should meet each other with hope, look into each other's eyes (by which she means really see each other) and come together with a "good morning" greeting that will symbolize the dawn of a new and better America. (It's useful to note the poem is an occasional poem, written for President Bill Clinton's inauguration, and so reflects the hope he wanted to project.) Her hope for the future is that, although different, Americans can come together in community and solidarity. 

Angelou personifies geographic features of America by giving them human characteristics. A rock "cries out" to us with advice, as a human might. Likewise, a tree speaks to us and a river sings a "beautiful song" and also speaks to us as a human would, saying, "Come, rest here by my side." The horizon leans forward to speak to us—as a person would in conversation—and the day has a "pulse" like a human pulse, as if it is alive, with a beating heart and blood flowing through its veins. 

What is the climax of the book Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne?

The climax of the story occurs at the end of Fogg's journey.  He has waged a bet that he can make it around the entire world in 80 days, and he is so close to making it back to London in time.  Tensions are high in this section because Fogg and his companions have already overcome so many obstacles on their trip.  When they arrive in England, it seems like Fogg has won--he has time to reach his destination in London.  But just when he thinks he's made it, he is arrested upon arrival in London.  This is a misunderstanding, as he is mistaken for a thief.  Eventually the misunderstanding is cleared up, but Fogg is five minutes late to his destination in London.

Who is the protagonist in "The Signal-Man" by Charles Dickens?

The protagonist in Charles Dickens's short story "The Signal-man" is the signal-man because he is the character who comes into conflict with opposing forces and is affected in some way.

Since the train has disturbed nature with the carving of the tunnel as well as by the intrusion of the looming black machine, supernatural forces are released; moreover, these forces are too strong for the signal-man to control. For, they seek what may be retribution. This signal-man is at odds with the spirits of the area; consequently, he sees ghosts warning him of disaster. The narrator describes him in this way:

His pain of mind was most pitiable to see. It was the mental torture of a conscientious man, oppressed beyond endurance by an unintelligible responsibility involving life.

The signal-man tells the narrator about the apparitions that have appeared to him, but to no avail. For, on the day that the narrator has arranged to visit again, he sees instead a group of officials who are conducting an investigation of the death of the signal-man. Evidently, he had been standing on the line, peering down the tunnel when a train bore down upon him. The conductor reports that he shouted, “Below there! Look out! For God’s sake, clear the way!”

Furthermore, the engineer of the train has waved his arm in warning even as he has covered his face to keep from witnessing the train strike the signal-man. The narrator notes the remarkable similarity between the driver's actions and the actions of the phantom as the signalman has earlier related. 

How does Doug change over the course of Gary Schmidt's Okay for Now? What contributes to these changes?

As Gary Schmidt's novel Okay for Now progresses, Doug becomes less of a bully and feels less rejected and isolated from the world. He eventually feels bold enough to take on whatever adventures life presents.

At the beginning of the novel, Doug frequently finds himself behaving just like his oldest brother, Lucas, which is not how he wants to behave. For example, the first time he meets Lil, she is parking her bike in front of the library and starts locking her bike up because, as she says later, she thinks he looks like a "skinny thug." Knowing she is locking up her bike because she doesn't trust him, Doug very spitefully replies to her questions, as we see in the following exchange:

Doug: "Is that because of me?"
Lil: "Should it be?"
Doug: "Not for this piece of junk. . . And if it wasn't a piece of junk and I did want it, a pink chain wouldn't stop me."
Lil: "Is there something you do want?"
Doug: "Not in this town" (Chapter 1).

It's at this point in the exchange that Doug realizes he is "sounding like Lucas when he was being the biggest jerk he could be," which is definitely not how Doug wants to sound.

As the novel progresses, Doug begins taking drawing lessons from Mr. Powell in the library. Doug's newfound appreciation for art helps him develop his sensitive and caring side, which leads to a closer friendship with Lil. Doug's newly developed drawing skills awaken feelings of pride and boldness in him that enable him to better tackle his problems. We see him act with particular boldness when he manages to convince the buyers of Audubon's plates to return them to Audubon's book in the library.

How do age and gender affect breathing rate?

After birth, a child's breathing is usually about 30 to 60 breaths per minute. When they are one year old, breathing tends to slow down to about 24 to 40 breaths per minute. This will remain so until the child is almost three, when the breathing rate will slow down to about 22 to 40 breaths per minute. 

From six to twelve, most kids will have a resting breath rate between 18 and 30 breaths per minute. Most people are in peak fitness when they are teenagers, and as such the lowest breath rate falls between the ages of 13 to 19. These people will breathe between twelve to sixteen times per minute.

As an adult, breath rate begins to increase again. Adults will breathe between 12 and 20 times per minute. At the age of 65, most elderly people will breathe between 12 and 28 times per minute; those 80 and above breathe 10 to 30 times per minute.

Women typically have higher respiration rates than men.

Tort Law: In the following scenario, what framework should I go about using in identifying business/legal issues to identify, explain and provide a...

The key question in this tort case will be who was at fault in the incident, and therefore who must pay for the damage and injuries caused. This is more important in some states than others; in "no-fault" states such as Michigan, insurance is required to provide certain coverage for everyone regardless of a determination of fault, while in "fault" states such as California each person's liability is strongly dependent upon who is considered at fault.

Key concerns for determining fault include negligence, intent, and strict liability.

Strict liability is the simplest; if you are defined by law or contract to have liability, then you have liability, even if you did everything right. This would likely be the case if the driver was carrying some hazardous substances that are strictly regulated, but it is unlikely otherwise.

Intent means that the harm was caused on purpose, making this a form of assault; that doesn't appear to be the case here.

That leaves only negligence. Was the driver or the pedestrian careless? Was either one violating the law at the time, in such a way that contributed to the injury?

This one could actually be argued both ways. The pedestrian was walking against a red light, suggesting that their negligence might make them at fault. (The saying "pedestrians always have the right of way" is not strictly true.) But if the driver was in any way careless about watching for them and failing to yield, the driver or the company that they were working for could still be held liable. The result of this tort would depend on very precise details of the circumstances. But from what was given, it sounds like it is probably not the driver's fault, and thus neither the driver nor the company they work for would be held liable.

What examples show the themes of love and marriage in Emma by Jane Austen?

There are many examples which show the themes of love and marriage in the novel Emma. Emma considers herself to be a skilled matchmaker. She seeks to make those around her happy by finding them a match, and hopes these matches will lead to love and marriage.  

The story begins after Miss Taylor's marriage to Mr. Weston. Miss Taylor had been Emma's governess, and had become her dear friend. Emma considers their marriage bittersweet because she misses her friend. The Westons' marriage is mentioned many times throughout the story.

Emma convinces Harriet Smith that Mr. Elton is an ideal match for her. Harriet is fond of Mr. Robert Martin, a farmer beneath her in social class. Emma dissuades her friend from this, promoting Mr. Elton instead. Harriet slowly comes to think of Mr. Elton as a potential love match. Emma tirelessly tries to bring the two together, only to find out Mr. Elton is interested in her instead.

While Emma is very interested in the affairs of others, she does not plan to marry. In the story, it is made clear:

Marriage, in fact, would not do for her. It would be incompatible with what she owed to her father, and with what she felt for him. Nothing should separate her from her father.

Emma feels she cannot leave her father. Instead, she seeks to bring marital bliss to others rather than herself. In the end, Harriet does marry Mr. Martin. He is the man she truly loves. Emma marries Mr. Knightley, her dear friend.