In The Secret Life of Bees, how and why does Lily change from the beginning of the story to the end?

Lily, the main character in The Secret Life of Bees (Kidd), begins the book as a disengaged, troubled, sheltered, and insecure teen. Her quest to solve the mystery of her mother's life takes her on a journey that is inward and outward, so that as the book ends, she has transformed to a person who is happier, wiser, more confident, and more empathetic.

Lily lives in the country, near a small Southern town, and the book begins in 1964 as the Civil Rights Act is about to become signed. Her mother died when Lily was four, and there is some mystery surrounding her death.  Lily's father, T. Ray, while not exactly an evil villain, is not the father of the year, either.  He lacks a mother's touch and sympathy and punishes Lily quite cruelly, by making her kneel on grits for hours. (If you have never done this, I do not advise it. It's like kneeling on crushed glass.)  The only "mother" in Lily's life is Rosaleen, an African-American, who is a kind of housekeeper/nanny who has no children but does love Lily and try to protect her.  Lily's worldview is constructed from her surroundings, and so she holds a low opinion of African-Americans, aspires only to work in a beauty shop, and is crippled by what she does not know about her mother and her mother's death. 

When Lily and Rosaleen run away to Tiburon, South Carolina, Lily is following the only clue she has about her mother, a wooden plaque that has pasted upon it a picture of an African-American Mary or Madonna and the name of this town on its back. Lily and Rosaleen are lucky enough to make their way to the Boatwright sisters, August, June, and May, who keep bees and make their living selling honey.  They meet a whole cast of characters through the Boatwright sisters, including the Daughters of Mary and Zach, a young African-American who works for the sisters and wants to be an attorney.  It is here that Lily solves the mystery of her mother and her mother's death, learning that her mother had run away from T. Ray and that Lily herself, accidentally, was responsible for her mother's death. This journey's end is a transformational one for Lily in many ways. 

As she lives with the Boatwright sisters and slowly falls in love with Zach, she looks within herself and examines her prejudices about African-Americans, coming to understand that they are people like any others, with the same feelings and thoughts as white people.  This alone would be an extraordinary transformation in that time and place, but Lily also grows as a person as she confronts her own role in her mother's death and learns that marriage and love are more complicated than she had understood. 

She learns that her mother was trying to leave, that her father was trying to stop her mother, and that somehow, in the midst of that fray, Lily accidentally shot her mother and she died.  She learns that the Boatwright sisters had taken her mother in and tried to help her heal from what seems to have been severe depression, as well as an unhappy marriage. This allows her to have some insight into her parents, which is a sure sign of maturity.  She is learning not to judge so much and to understand that relationships are complex, not easily reducible to good or bad.  In effect, she is working on forgiving herself and forgiving her parents for being what parents inevitably are, imperfect.  At the same time, Lily is also becoming a more fully engaged person.

Lily is offered a new form of spirituality and meaningful work at the Boatwright house.  She learns how to care for the bees and very gradually becomes absorbed into the spirituality of the household through the Black Mary, a figurehead from a ship that symbolizes freedom for the Daughters of Mary, and in a way, freedom for Lily, too, since she is breaking the chains of her unhappy past. She comes to understand that she can be a writer, something that one teacher had suggested, but that she had thought an impossibility until she meets Zach, who encourages her to go for it and leads by example with his own plans to become an attorney. 

The forces that send Lily on the run expose her to a new world, one that helps her grow as a person in so many ways. She learns about love. She learns about prejudice. She learns about empathy. She learns that families are not perfect and that they can be created by bonds other than blood.  She gains spiritually and intellectually.  And at the end of the book, she is well on her way to being a happier, wiser, more fully engaged human being. 

Do you believe Brutus is responsible for his own downfall in Julius Caesar?

Indirectly, yes, I do believe that Brutus is responsible for his own downfall in Julius Caesar. While it's Mark Antony who incites the Roman mob to turn against the conspirators, thus starting the civil war that results in Brutus' death, Brutus sets the stage for this catastrophe to happen.

Since he's a noble, honorable man who acts out of a selfless interest to protect others (specifically the Roman populace), Brutus rather naively expects other people to do the same. However, Rome is a cutthroat political stage, and Brutus should have expected his political companions to exploit his own nobility. By allowing Antony to speak at Caesar's funeral, Brutus unwittingly gives Antony the chance to manipulate the masses of Rome against the conspirators. By doing so, Antony gains a lot of power for himself, but he also ensures that Brutus and his companions are doomed. As such, though it's Antony who actually commits the acts that lead to Brutus' downfall, Brutus naively sets the stage for this to happen, and so he indirectly brings about his own demise. More than anything else, it's this detail that makes Brutus a tragic hero. 

In In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar, what are three adjectives to describe the main character, Suleiman?

The three adjectives that describe Suleiman at this time of his life are trapped, intelligently perceptive (with an adverb modifying the adjective) and confused. A successful narrative exposition establishes the most essential character traits of the protagonist. In In the Country of Men, what we learn about Suleiman reveals his most essential characteristics, which lead to relevant adjectives describing him as we find him during his story. Suleiman opens with his interaction with his mother; he moves to his inner interactions with himself, then shares his surprise as he inexplicably sees his father, "right there, close enough that ... [he] could touch him," in town at the square graced by the statue of Roman Emperor Septimius Severus. Intelligently perceptive, Suleiman feels trapped and confused by the complicated and overwhelming circumstances surrounding him in a veil of silence.

1. Trapped [adj]: Suleiman is surrounded by silent, deceit, and power struggles, and he is feeling a sense of responsibility for the power struggle engulfing his mother in "a world full of men and the greed of men."

2. Intelligently perceptive [adv+adj]: Suleiman is aware of the psychological battles within his mother, who acted "embarrassed and shy, as if she had walked out naked," and aware (beginning from the first morning of his story) of the fabrication within his father's life, who, supposedly away on business, walked from the square into "a building with green shutters ... the color of the revolution."

3. Confused [adj]: Suleiman felt far from governing an understanding of his place in the world; he felt far from conquering the forces that kept him from his father and his father from him--symbolized by two "dark lenses [that] curved ... over his [father's] eyes"--and that kept him angered toward his mother, "not caring if [he] lost her or became lost from her," as when he went to stand ironically under the statue of Septimius Severus, who began by governing Gaul and ended as the all-conquering Emperor of the Roman Empire (Ancient History Encyclopedia).

What are twelve major events in chronological order in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee?

1. Scout, Jem, and Dill try to make Boo Radley come out.


2. Atticus is appointed the defense attorney for Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape by Mayella Ewell, a white woman.  His defending Robinson is unpopular with Maycomb’s white population.


3. Scout gets into fights with schoolmates and her cousin Francis defending her father, even though she doesn’t really understand what the fuss is about.


4. Boo Radley leaves presents for Scout and Jem, showing that he is not a monster and is really just a shy recluse who wants friends.


5. There is a fire at Miss Maudie’s house. Boo Radley puts a blanket on Scout’s shoulders.


6. Scout’s Aunt Alexandra comes to stay with them to support her brother.


7. The Trial starts.  Atticus demonstrates that no one called for a doctor for Mayella, that her injuries were most likely caused be her father, and that Tom Robinson’s crippled shoulder makes it almost impossible for him to have committed the crime he was accused of.


8. The trial demonstrates how ugly racism is in Maycomb.  Dill has to leave during the proceedings, unable to stomach the prosecutor Mr. Gilmer’s treatment of Tom Robinson.

“Well, Mr. Finch didn’t act that way to Mayella and old man Ewell when he crossexamined them. The way that man called him ‘boy’ all the time an‘ sneered at him, an’ looked around at the jury every time he answered—” (Ch. 19)

9. Tom Robinson is convicted, but Atticus considers the jury's deliberation a minor moral victory.

... Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. (Ch. 22)

10. Tom Robinson is shot trying to escape prison.

11. Bob Ewell threatens Atticus, spitting in his face.  Atticus dismisses the threat.

12. Boo Radley stops Bob Ewell from hurting Scout and Jem, killing Ewell.  Jem only has a broken arm and Scout is relatively unharmed.

What was Jim's most prized possession in "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?

In O. Henry's short story "The Gifts of the Magi," James "Jim" Dillingham Young's most prized possession is the gold watch that belonged to both his father and his grandfather and has been passed down from one generation to the next. This watch is so fantastic that O. Henry claims,

Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasure piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.

Unfortunately, the Dillingham Youngs are not a wealthy couple. With Christmas approaching, Jim decides to make a huge sacrifice: he pawns off his watch in order to get money to purchase a lovely set of tortoiseshell combs for his wife, Della, whose beautiful hair is her most prized possession.

When Jim arrives home that night, he discovers Della cut off and sold her hair in order to purchase a chain for his watch. The pair is stunned by the sacrifices they each made that also ultimately render both gifts useless. Despite this, they are incredibly moved by their love for one another, and this willingness to give from the heart with no concern for one's own happiness serves as the lesson of "The Gift of the Magi." 

What are some major battles in Beowulf?

As is typical of heroic epic, the main theme of Beowulf is that of a hero proving his virtue and his valor by defeating enemies in battle. The first battles in Beowulf's life were actually with the sea monsters he encountered during a swimming contest with his childhood friend Breca.

Next, the monster Grendel attacks the mead hall Heorot routinely over a period of twelve years. Beowulf comes to the aid of King Hrothgar and has an epic fight against Grendel in which he manages to rip off Grendel's arm, a wound that proves fatal. 

Grendel's mother, angered and grief stricken by the death of her son, then attacks the mead hall. Beowulf manages to follow her back to her lair and kill her.

The final battle of the poem is the one against a dragon. Beowulf kills the dragon but takes a mortal wound and dies in the process. 

What circumstances led to Jamestown succeeding as the first permanent English Colony?

Jamestown was successful largely because of the introduction of tobacco as a cash crop. While strong leadership played a role in the colony's short-term survival in the years following its foundation, it was its ability to make money for its founders in London, the Virginia Company, that ensured its long-term survival. Following the introduction of tobacco from colonies in the Caribbean by John Rolfe, Jamestown began to flourish economically as demand for tobacco continued to rise in Europe. Virginia planters began to aggressively acquire larger tracts of land and to import indentured servants (and eventually enslaved people) into the colony to work on them. The introduction of tobacco as a cash crop not only led to the long-term economic success of the colony, but also shaped its social structure. Over time, the politics of the colony were dominated by wealthy planters who developed as a tightly-knit elite class. 

What are some examples of the theme of freedom (both literal and figurative) in The Secret Life of Bees?

Freedom is a theme that winds throughout Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees. While some characters face a literal and physical imprisonment, others deal with a more figurative lack of freedom that stems from familial issues.

Both Rosaleen and Zach faced actual imprisonments; notably, since the novel is set in the Civil Rights era, both characters are also African American. Rosaleen, while only confined for a short period of time thanks to Lily's hospital jail-break, was also severely beaten. Zach on the other hand was physically unharmed but confined for a greater amount of time. The respective imprisonments each left significant and lasting impacts on the two characters. Rosaleen did not become afraid of registering to vote, the very act that led to her imprisonment in the first place, and persevered to proudly register towards the end of the novel. Zach also only grew stronger in his desire to become a lawyer; while the spark of injustice did create new darker, angry undertones to his personality, he did not lose his compassion and zeal.

Contrastingly, Lily faced a more figurative imprisonment both in her family life with T-Ray and the confines of her own mind with conflicting thoughts about her mother. The first kind imprisonment with T-Ray, while inarguably abusive and harmful, cannot fully be likened to Rosaleen's and Zach's lack of freedom because she was not actually locked away anywhere; she still went to school, worked, read, had hobbies, was regularly fed, etc. Even after her initial running away, she was still haunted by, and therefore confined by, the thought of T-Ray finding her. She was only "released" from his hold at the conclusion of the novel when he left her in peace with the Boatwrights. Lily's second lack of freedom existed in her own mind. At times she was consumed with a mixture of loathing, love, misunderstanding, and every emotion in between regarding her mother's abandonment of her. Through the healing of time and gentle support from those around her, Lily eventually overcame her emotional and immature reactions to fulfill the "coming of age" theme of the novel. She accepted what she could not change and understood that her mother loved her and would never have caused her intentional harm.

In Golding's Lord of the Flies, what does Ralph want the boys to do after exploring the Castle Rock?

After Samneric report having seen the Beast, Ralph's control over the group continues to erode, furthering the downward spiral that began when the hunters allowed the fire to go out. Ralph insists that they need to relight the fire, and reminds them that their primary concern should be rescue, no matter the danger. However, they also need to deal with the Beast. They decide to scout the only part of the island that Jack hasn't been to - Castle Rock - and see if the Beast is there. If not, it must be on the mountain, and they need to go there anyway to relight the fire.

The hike to Castle Rock is stressful, but once Ralph and Jack scout it and determine there is no Beast, the remaining boys begin to distract and entertain themselves by pushing a large rock off the cliff into the water, foreshadowing the future use of that strategy to "defend" themselves. Ralph attempts to direct everyone to the mountain, but is met with whining; it's midday and sunny, and the boys have forgotten their fears. They would rather stay at Castle Rock, play games, roll more rocks, and otherwise put off the responsibilities that Ralph is demanding of them. His leadership struggles continue through Chapter 7, and though he manages to get everyone to the mountain, his common sense gets the better of him when they try to scale it at dusk; ironically, Jack later brands him a coward for his refusal. 

While the report "Coal Ash: A 130 Million Tons of Waste" (reported by Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes on CBS) highlights an environmental issue with...

This "60 Minutes" report, aired on October 1, 2009, reports on the waste products of burning coal to create electricity. Much of this waste is coal ash, which contains mercury, arsenic, lead, and other toxins, and is dumped into wet ponds. As a result, this waste can pose environmental hazards of great magnitude. 

This situation relates to psychology because it is an example of a concept called "diffusion of responsibility." In this situation, people are less likely to take responsibility for their actions because they are members of a large group, so the responsibility for their actions seems unclear. For example, the American power industry is very large, so it's unclear who exactly should take responsibility for spreading environmental waste. Each company breaks up the responsibilities for creating and spreading the waste among many people, so it seems unclear who has the ultimate responsibility. However, this is no excuse for these companies to create situations that pose major health risks for people in the community in which the waste is deposited. In addition, the power industry is invested in reporting and communicating as little about accidents and problems that relate to their practices to the general public as possible.

This issue can also be looked at through the lens of business ethics. Many corporations have started to use a model called the "Triple Bottom Line," or TBL. In this model, corporations have responsibility not only for economic results but also for ensuring environmental sustainability and social sustainability. This means that they must evaluate their actions to see if they not only result in profits but also in long-term protections for the environment and for people in their community. The actions of the power industry clearly do not achieve the "Triple Bottom Line." 

What is an analogy reference for rRNA, and the four nitrogen bases that would be common in a cookbook?

rRNA is an acronym for "ribosomal RNA," or the RNA that the ribosomes are partially composed of (in addition to some proteins). Ribosomes are the cell structures directly responsible for synthesizing proteins by aligning amino acids with the mRNA instructions "fed" to them, typically by the nucleus. In terms of something that could be analogous in a cookbook (or, by extension, a kitchen) we could say that the oven, or the person doing the cooking, is the best analogy, because they're the things that assemble the ingredients according to the recipe and produce the final product.

The four nucleotide bases (actually five, if we're counting both RNA uracil and thymine in DNA) are a little more difficult to describe in terms of a cookbook, because they aren't actually part of the final product; they're a part of the recipe itself. Just as the cookbook is made of words and pages, the protein recipe is made of RNA, which is made of those nucleotide bases. So, properly speaking, the bases are most similar to the words and letters found in the cookbook, rather than any of its physical products. 

What binds Antonio and Bassanio's friendship in The Merchant of Venice?

In Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Antonio and Bassanio seem to have opposite personalities: Bassanio appears to suffer from a dire lack of finances, while Antonio is a successful merchant. Be that as it may, the two men are close friends, and their friendship is bound by a mutual concern for each other's well-being. 

Consider, for instance, that Antonio readily and selflessly helps Bassanio secure funds so he can court Portia. Likewise, once he catches wind of Antonio's financial difficulties, Bassanio immediately departs Belmont and sets out for Venice, despite his upcoming wedding to plan/ attend. In short, it seems both characters are ready to help each other at the drop of a hat, and will do whatever they must to ensure the other is supported. As such, it's apparent Bassanio and Antonio's friendship is bound by a strong mutual concern for each other's well-being, and this quality enables two seemingly opposite men to enjoy such a vibrant friendship. 

What are the uses of a crucible, safety glasses, spatula, tripod and balances?

Crucible: This is typically a ceramic or metal cup, varying in size and volume but usually closer to something like a shotglass than a coffee mug. Crucibles are intended for reactions that involve applying heat, often via a gas burner. The metal or ceramic nature of the crucible makes it a good insulator and capable of withstanding the temperatures it's being subjected to without breaking. It is a common choice for experiments that involve metals.

Safety glasses: This is pretty straightforward; they protect your eyes. Many if not all experiments involve tools or procedures that could damage or destroy your eyes if they came in contact with them. 

Spatula: These are sort of an all-purpose tool in chemistry; I use them for scooping, moving, mixing and inspecting compounds, as well as cleaning. Since they're sterile and non-reactive they tend to be a good choice for this, and aren't as fragile as a glass rod. 

Tripod: Often used in concert with things like a crucible, and intended as a stand to support them over another object, like the aforementioned burner. They're a little more stable and capable of reliably supporting more weight than a ring clamp.

Balances: Most balances are digital now, which is sensible because it's a bit of a waste of time to be using scale balances these days. Balances are just meant to evaluate the mass of whatever you put on them. 

How does Saki make the ending so powerful in "Sredni Vashtar"?

The ending of Saki's "Sredni Vashtar" is powerful because it has elements of the mysterious and the preternatural that converge with the realism of the story.

Saki's narrative is rife with intense feelings, though many of which are masked. Mrs. de Ropp is the "uninspired" guardian of ten-year-old Conradin,  a sickly, but imaginative boy who "hates this cousin with a desperate sincerity" and is in "perpetual antagonism" with her. She feels it is her duty to thwart the boy "for his good," and it is a duty that she does not find "unpleasurable." With such tension between this stringent adult and imaginative boy, there is generated a tension which becomes almost palpable.

In order to subvert his cousin and to have something on which to pour his affection Conradin keeps a little Houdan hen in a half-hidden, unused tool shed to which his guardian gives no attention. Farther back in the gloom of this old shed is later hidden a "polecat-ferret," surreptitiously brought in for Conradin by a butcher-boy. To this ferret Conradin gives the exotic name, Sredni Vashtar

...for he was a god who laid 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.

Every Thursday Conradin holds a "mystic and elaborate" ceremony before the hutch of Sredni Vashtar, "the great ferret." He celebrates some ailment of the woman such as a severe toothache, and offers the ferret some stolen nutmeg in homage. 

After some time and to Conradin's dismay, his guardian discovers his visits to the Houdan hen, and she has the unfortunate bird taken away. In protest, Conradin sets his face stoically and declines without emotion to eat his toast at tea time. 

"I thought you liked toast," she exclaimed, with an injured air, observing that he did not touch it. "Sometimes," said Conradin.

Later, when he has the opportunity, Conradin visits the tool-shed:

...in the evening there was an innovation in the worship of the hutch-god. Conradin had been wont to chant his praises; tonight he asked a boon.

In supplication to Sredni Vashtar, Conradin requests that the "polecat" avenge the loss of the hen. But, he only says, "Do one thing for me, Sredni Vashtar." The boy leaves it up to his revered god to act according to its nature. With a sob for his lost pet, Conradin returns to the house. Every night Conradin repeats to his god, "Do one thing for me."

Finally, Mrs. de Ropp notices that Conradin still goes to the old shed. Angrily, she asks the boy what he yet has in there. After she discovers the hutch, she tells Conradin that she suspects that he has guinea pigs; these, she declares, will be cleared out the next day. In despair, Conradin feels certain that the woman will go in the shed the next day and come out in triumph. His ferret, a god no longer, will then be carried out by the gardener. In despair Conradin chants loudly and fervently "the hymn of his threatened idol":

Sredni Vashtar went forth, His thoughts were red thoughts and his teeth were white. His enemies called for peace, but he brought them death. Sredni Vashtar the Beautiful.

The boy's intense belief in his god, his powerful feelings of hatred, and the innate nature of the polecat converge as does happen in life. Of course, realistically, the intrinsic nature of the ferret probably causes the demise of Mrs. de Ropp, but there is a possibility of the power of the human will as a factor. What also takes the ending further than reality is the cool and preternatural indifference displayed by Conradin when he discovers that Sredni Vashtar has, indeed, avenged him.

Is Bottom a fool in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream?

One could certainly say that Bottom is a fool in A Midsummer Night's Dream, especially since he seems relatively oblivious to the reality of his situation throughout the play. For example, Bottom is too oblivious and dim-witted to understand that, when Titania and her fairies lavish him with attention, the joke's really on him. Puck purposefully bewitches Bottom and Titania in order to play a prank on the fairy queen (and provide some hilarious entertainment for himself in the process). Bottom, however, considers the fairy queen's attentions to be genuine, and so he is foolishly unaware that both the audience in the play (Puck) and the audience watching the play are laughing at him the whole time.

However, it would probably be unfair to say that Bottom is only a fool and nothing else. For instance, he's also an energetic and excitable fellow who's passionate about the rude mechanicals' play. While his acting isn't very good, and while his excitement about such a rudimentary performance certainly makes him seem foolish in many ways, his genuine enthusiasm for his part should make us occasionally regard him with a little more charity.

In Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston, what is the most humiliating thing in the camps for the Japanese people...

In Farewell to Manzanar, the conditions that the Japanese had to experience in the camps were humiliating.

Forced relocation was very humiliating. Once Japanese-Americans were relocated, their humiliation at places like Manzanar continued. Basic services were not even basic. Food was improperly prepared. This contributed to spells of diarrhea which became known as "Manzanar runs.”  To have to endure improperly prepared and spoiled food is an indignity.  It is humiliating for both child and adult alike. In intense detail, Farewell to Manzanar depicts this reality.

The presence of diarrhea highlights another aspect of humiliation that Japanese people had to experience. Using the bathroom at Manzanar was humiliating.  Toilets were backed up.  Jeanne and her mother had to use a bathroom where the floor was covered with human waste.  They had to walk a considerable distance to find a bathroom that did work.  The use of a bathroom is one of the most basic experiences.  Human beings should be able to have a functional bathroom that reflects their dignity. Standing in human waste is humiliating.  It is the type of moment where people have to wonder at what point their lives turned into such a sad and pathetic condition. When the Japanese who were forced to stay at internment camps cannot even experience a working toilet, it is a reminder of the humiliation that many endured in American internment camps.

In A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, can we consider Nora as representative of women?

Nora's predicament can be seen as representative of a situation that many women have had to experience and, perhaps, still endure.

There is a great deal in Nora's situation that can apply to many women.  For example, Torvald patronizes Nora.  He refers to her in terms such as “singing lark,”  “little squirrel,” and “little spendthrift.”  These expressions do not validate her voice.  For example, Torvald never probes into why she might be a "spendthrift." His characterizations of Nora are reductive.  They take away her intricacy as a human being by placing her in a context familiar to him. The patronizing way that Torvald perceives Nora is representative of what many women have experienced.  

The way Torvald refers to Nora places her in a situation he controls. This denial of voice is something that women have had to experience in marriage. Torvald controls Nora's identity as a wife.  In this way, marriage is shown to be a repressive institution.  Many women can relate to this condition.  The rise of feminism and the emergence of gender-based identity politics reflected a desire to change the branding of women at male discretion. The presence of feminism today reflects how many women around the world continue to experience this reality.

Nora's breaking away from Torvald is also an experience representative of women.  Many women have broken free from a situation where they were controlled or where they felt their voice was not validated. When Torvald rejects Nora, saying that she can stay for appearance, she finally gets him.  She leaves him because she knows she deserves better. Torvald is shocked that he is no longer able to control her. This experience of breaking free, asserting one's own voice, and finding a new identity are all representative of what women have done and what women continue to do today.

I think that there is always a danger in saying that a particular character represents an entire group of people.  Nora is representative of what many women have experienced.  While it is important to underscore that she does not represent every single woman, there are aspects of her experience to which many women can relate.

How many children visit the factory?

In Roald Dahl's work of fiction, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, reclusive genius Willy Wonka has kept his business very secretive for many years. In order to stave off spies who might try to steal his recipes, Mr. Wonka shut off his factory from the outside world. One day, Mr. Wonka announces that he has placed golden tickets inside five candy bars, and whoever finds one has the privilege to visit inside the factory. The whole world is in uproar trying to get their hands on one of these tickets and the opportunity to see the inside of such a famous and mysterious candy factory.

As there are only five tickets, only five children are allowed into the Wonka Factory. The children who have found tickets are allowed to bring along a parent or guardian, which makes the total number of visitors ten. The children who find tickets (or have tickets found for them) are Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Veruca Salt, Mike Teavee, and Charlie Bucket. 

What might have happened in England and her North American colonies had the Glorious Revolution not taken place?

The Glorious Revolution of 1688 took place when the British Parliament invited the Protestant William of Orange and his wife, Mary, to take over Britain and depose the Catholic king, James II. In return, William and Mary agreed to give up some of the king's prerogatives or rights in favor of more power for the Parliament. This ended the period of instability in the monarchy and resulted in increased freedom for the American colonies. While the British monarchs strengthened their control over Ireland, they basically allowed the American colonies a greater degree of freedom that has been termed "salutary neglect." As a result, the colonies were accustomed to this freedom and reacted negatively when increased debt after the French and Indian War of 1754-1763 caused the British king, George III, to try to tighten his grip on the colonies and control their trade.

If the Glorious Revolution had not occurred, England might have continued to wrestle with religious strife related to the monarchy (as the Glorious Revolution resulted in a decree that the English monarch could not be Catholic). The Parliament might not have become as powerful as it did in Britain. In addition, if the Glorious Revolution had not occurred, the colonies may not have started the American Revolution, as they would not have been used to such a great degree of political and economic freedom. 

`y = ln(ln(x^2))` Find the derivative of the function.

`y=ln(ln(x^2))`

To take the derivative of this, use the formula:

`(lnu)'=1/u*u'`

Applying the formula, the derivative of the function will be:

`y'=1/(ln (x^2)) * (ln (x^2))'`

`y'=1/(ln(x^2)) * 1/ x^2 * (x^2)'`

To take the derivative of the innermost function, apply the formula  `(x^n)' = n*x^(n-1)` .

`y' = 1/(ln (x^2)) *1/x^2 * 2x`

`y'=2/(xln(x^2))`

Therefore, the derivative of the given function is `y' = 2/(xln(x^2))` .

What do you think Wordsworth meant by "the burden of the mystery" in line 39 of "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey"?

Long after he saw the wonders of nature along the river Wye, Wordsworth credits his memory of "these forms of beauty" (line 24) with "tranquil restoration" (line 31). In other words, just thinking about these sights can restore his peace of mind. He also credits these memories with "another gift," (line 37), which is the mood

In which the burthen of the mystery,

In which the heavy and the weary weight

Of all this unintelligible world

Is lighten'd (lines 39-42).

In other words, when Wordsworth recalls the peacefulness of these scenes from nature, which he saw five years before, the mystery of our existence and the burden this mystery places on us become lighter. He no longer struggles with the questions that plague him about life and its meaning; instead, he is able to be at peace. "The burthen of the mystery" is Wordsworth's poetic way of referring to everything people question about life. They are burdens because our purpose and meaning pose unanswerable questions.

Why is the Declaration of Independence still applicable today?

The Declaration of Independence is still applicable today in that it states who should be in charge of the American government—the American people. It says the government derives its power "from the consent of the governed." It also states the government is necessary to provide for the people's "inalienable rights," which according to Jefferson are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The rhetoric in the Declaration of Independence has been used by American politicians as well as leaders in other countries who wish to create their own forms of self-government.  

The Declaration of Independence is also important in that it gives a list of wrongs committed by Britain against the American colonies. Without this list, the American colonists are only tax-dodgers. This list shows the colonists have legitimate complaints.  

Finally, the Declaration of Independence gives the American people a right to revolution.  A passage states "the people have the right to alter or to abolish that government, and to establish a new government," which means that if the government infringes on life, liberty, and/ or the pursuit of happiness, people have an inalienable right to change the government or establish a new one. The next passage begins with the word "prudence," however, meaning the people should take this responsibility seriously and not flippantly alter the government on a whim.  

Why does Pope state that the proper study of mankind is man?

As well as being an important poem expressing Pope's own moral beliefs, Pope's "Essay on Man" is in many ways a reaction to Milton's "Paradise Lost." Pope begins Epistle II with the couplet:

Know then thyself, presume not God to scan;

The proper study of mankind is man.

This couplet asserts several anti-Miltonic ideas. First, it is a direct response to Milton's claim that "Paradise Lost" serves to "justify the ways of God to man." Pope is arguing that God is perfectly capable of doing his own job and that it is arrogant of a human poet to presume to fully comprehend God and to, in essence, usurp God's position by rewriting the Bible in verse. Instead, Pope suggests that the business of the human writer to to deal with human matters. The phrase "Know then thyself" suggests Socrates as a model of the scope of human inquiry. 

Next, Pope is opposing his own Enlightenment rationality and toleration to what he sees as Milton's narrow, dogmatic Puritanism. In the wake of a period of great religious wars and upheavals that had caused untold suffering in Britain and Europe, Pope's "Essay on Man" is a model of an Augustan tolerance which tries to find universal human moral values rather than narrow points of theological difference. 

How is the tone determined from a text?

The previous post has some great tips! I just wanted to add a strategy that works well for my students. To find tone, it is helpful to use an acronym called DIDLS (I did not come up with this myself; as far as I know, it is a well-known and widely used strategy and I’m not sure who originally created it). DIDLS stands for Diction, Imagery, Details, Language, and Syntax. When reading a work for tone, it is helpful to go through each of these steps.

Diction: How does the word choice show the author’s tone? Are the words particularly dark, uplifting, concrete/abstract, etc? The type of word choice an author uses can help to determine how he/she feels about a subject.

Imagery: Imagery refers to word that relate to the senses. If, for example, the author uses a lot of bright, colorful imagery, that might indicate a more positive tone, whereas dark imagery might indicate a negative tone. Similarly, pleasant sound or smell imagery leads us to a positive tone, while unpleasant sound or smell imagery would lead to a more negative tone.

Details: When finding tone, ask yourself what kind of details the author includes. If the details are more scientific or straightforward, the tone is probably neutral or objective. If the details are geared more toward memories of the author’s life, the tone might be more personal and/or nostalgic.

Language: What kind of figurative language does the author use? Finding metaphors, similes, etc. can lead you to the tone. A metaphor about a woman’s beauty, for example, might show the author’s admiration for her.

Syntax: Syntax refers to the sentence structure and word order. Most conventional sentences go in order of subject-verb-object, but authors can play around with this convention to change the tone of their work. If they put a verb first, for instance, that will place more emphasis on the action rather than the subject. Additionally, placement of clauses and phrases can affect the tone.

It is also important to know what you are looking for when finding tone. In most cases, when a teacher asks you to find an author’s tone, he/she is asking you to find the author’s attitude toward the subject of the piece. So if you are analyzing Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” for example, you might say that her tone toward death is welcoming or appreciative, depending on your reading of the poem. That is something people tend to get confused about. Tone is not about how the poem makes you feel; rather, it is how the author uses words to express his/her feelings about a particular subject.

Where can I get more information about the idea that gender roles for our particular sex are imprinted during our early childhood years? (Not just...

There's actually considerable debate and ongoing research on exactly when and how gender roles are acquired, and how much they can change over the lifespan. I've linked Gender Roles: A Sociological Perspective, which is a standard text in the sociology of gender and seems like it might be a good place to start.

There are a number of different theories of gender role acquisition, which vary in how much they ascribe gender development to social environment versus genetics. We do have experimental evidence that some concept of gender roles is formed very early, well before speech, which suggests some genetic component. But clearly some gender roles vary substantially between cultures, so there must be a component due to social environment as well. The idea that gender roles are imprinted at a very young age and henceforth are very difficult to change---akin to how language is imprinted---could account for both phenomena, but is by no means universally accepted.

As for the pride/shame issue, be careful: almost any violation of social norms is going to trigger feelings of shame, regardless of how those social norms were learned. I know that the proper placement of salad forks is absolutely a learned behavior, usually acquired in adulthood; but I'd still feel ashamed if I did it wrong when arranging an important business dinner. What's important is not how I learned the norm, but how I perceive others will react if I violate it.

What conflicts did Willy Loman face with society in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller?

One of the major conflicts that Willy Loman faces in Death of a Salesman is his conflict with society, which arguably springs from his own conflict with himself. As his issues with himself develop, so too do his conflicts with society as a whole. For example, he feels bitter about the fact that as he ages, he has more difficulty making sales that would have once been easy for him as a younger man. This results in a lot of anger and philosophical questioning of the meaning of this betrayal and judgment by a society that once celebrated him. He believes that there is some sort of "trick" or key to success for selling, and he is on a constant search to find it, but to no avail.

Willy's main issue is actually that he believes people are judging him on his clothes, his weight, and his looks, when really they are just looking for a knowledgeable salesman, or no salesman at all, as times are changing and there is little need. While he is blaming his lack of success on his physical traits, he is coming across as delusional and strange to others; he has a hard time seeing this for himself, however.

Willy wants to stay in New York to sell, because he thinks that he will do well there, but his boss has other ideas. This causes Willy to believe that he is being sold out and "thrown away" by a company that he has worked for for 34 years. He believed that he was living the American dream, and now he believes that he is being treated carelessly, with no more regard than an orange peel that is being thrown away. On page 82, he exclaims "a man is not a piece of fruit!" 

In this case, he is referring to the way in which society "eats" the best part of the man, which would be his youth and his good years of work and service, and then tosses the rest out when there is no longer a use for him. This, essentially, is what happens to him in the play.  A man's worth in society is measured by two things: his skills and his ability to generate income. Well, at the end of the play, it turns out Willy has achieved neither of these things and so has been unsuccessful in life. At his funeral, the only people who attend are his family, Charley, and Bernard. 

In Of Mice and Men, Chapter 4, how does Steinbeck present Lennie? Starting from "His voice grew soft and persuasive" and ending with "I know...

As far as George is concerned, Lennie is loyal, faithful, trusting, and protective. It has never occurred to him that he might not have George to rely upon--or that it could happen so easily and unexpectedly. Crooks is much more intelligent than Lennie. Crooks is taking a rare opportunity to pass on some of his physical and mental suffering to another person. It is a sadistic streak in his nature which rarely surfaces--but all of Steinbeck's characters, being human, are mixtures of good and bad. The big difference between Crooks and Lennie in this little episode is that Crooks is fully capable of abstract thinking and Lennie can only see in concrete images. Crooks obviously spends a lot of time alone and must indulge in a great deal of abstract thinking. What he suggests about George not coming back, however, is concrete and factual in Lennie's mind. Lennie somehow gets the idea that Crooks is actually making it happen. This puts Lennie is a situation where he is all alone in the world. He wouldn't have the slightest idea what to do. He has already had a taste of being alone when George berated him in Chapter One and indicated that he would prefer to be free of the burden of looking after Lennie constantly.

Lennie knelt and looked over the fire at the angry George. And Lennie's face was drawn with terror.          - Chapter One

When Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife in the barn, it is because of his fear that George will abandon him for getting involved with that girl when George has specifically told him to stay away from her. Lennie is totally dependent on George. He sees Crooks as a threat to George and thereby a threat to himself. Crooks realizes he has gone to far and starts trying to backtrack. But he finds it hard to undo the spell he has created. He knows he is in serious danger of getting killed just for "supposing."

Was giving Jack power in Golding's Lord of the Flies a mistake?

Giving Jack power was a mistake because it divided the boys from the beginning instead of uniting them, and did not give Jack any incentive to follow Ralph.

Ralph was elected leader because he was the one who blew the conch.  He found the special shell and blew it, and blowing it was what brought all of the boys together.  This and the fact that he was tall and dignified-looking was the reason that the boys voted him as their leader.

Jack started to protest but the clamor changed from the general wish for a chief to an election by acclaim of Ralph himself. None of the boys could have found good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy while the most obvious leader was Jack. (Ch. 1) 

Jack is given the responsibility of leader of the hunters.  This means that there is division in the group from the beginning.  It also means that Jack has power.  He takes responsibility for leading the initial exploration of the island, knife in hand, because he feels like that falls under the responsibility of the hunters’ leader. 

A person like Jack should never have power.  Jack wants power in order to have power.  When the boys are creating their society, he is more interested in the fact that they get to punish people who break rules than the need for having rules in the first place.  Later, he ties a boy to a tree and has him beaten for apparently no reason.  Jack is a bully who likes power and violence for its own sake.

Like power being the more interesting part of leadership, Jack is more interested in the violence of hunting than the meat. The first time he sees a pig, he can't even stab it because he is so focused on the enormity of killing it.  Under Jack's leadership, pig hunting becomes more about war paint and a pig dance than the meat.

Then Maurice pretended to be the pig and ran squealing into the center, and the hunters, circling still, pretended to beat him. As they danced, they sang.
“Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in.” (Ch. 4)

After the schism, most of the older boys side with Jack at first because he has the hunters, and the pig dances.  Jack's brutal leadership makes it impossible for any compromise.  His civilization is all about him. It's not about order.  It's a commitment to savagery.

Do you agree with the many historians who consider Persia and China to be two of the greatest empires of the ancient world?

I would agree with that view. There were many great empires in the ancient world, and each had their own unique contributions to their regional development and history. We know a lot about the Persians because the Greeks wrote so much about them, and Alexander the Great had many notable interactions with them. This does, however, mean we are left with a largely ethnocentric view of the ancient Persians, whom the Greeks loved to call “barbarians.” China, on the other hand, has an impressive ancient historical record that is often overshadowed because the Far East is often given inadequate attention in Western mainstream education and popular history. Although Persia and China may not be as “famous” as the more popular examples like the Delian League and Roman Empire, they were both massively influential on global history and civilization.

Cyrus the Great established the first Persian Empire, which is also known as the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus had amazing military prowess, but what made his conquests especially successful was his compassion and ability to demonstrate empathy for the people he conquered. Sicker writes that Cyrus

went out of his way to show particular sensitivity to the religious traditions and practices of the peoples who had become subject to his rule. Rather than characterize his victory as a defeat of the enemy, he portrayed himself as the successor of the national rulers he had displaced, making appropriate gestures of affiliation to their gods. He made it appear that all that had happened was a change of dynasty, with social and economic life being restored to its traditional patterns (Sicker 78-79).

More importantly, the people were able to observe before their very eyes that Cyrus was not just full of empty promises.

The Achaemenid Empire would eventually become the largest empire in ancient history, but would not have accomplished that without the administrative expertise of Darius the Great. Darius created a much-needed centralized government and built an impressive transportation and communication infrastructure, which included an innovative postal system and the implementation of Aramaic as the official language throughout the Empire. Essentially, Cyrus’s unprecedented benevolent leadership and policymaking during his conquests laid the groundwork for Darius to organize and implement an impressively effective system of administration and network throughout Persia’s massive territory.

Persian culture flourished under the Achaemenid Empire. The Persians had a knack for intellectualism and were especially skilled in science and mathematics. They were known for their beautiful libraries, botanical gardens, and sophisticated medical practices. In addition to traditional Babylonian pagan traditions, the Persians also practiced Zoroastrianism—the world’s first monotheistic religion. Their political and cultural influence spread throughout Western Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Indus Valley.

There were other substantial advancements happening farther east. One of the greatest dynasties of ancient Imperial China was the Qin. The Qin government—specifically under the leadership of its first emperor, Qin Shihuang—was both administratively and militarily skilled, which allowed them to conquer Warring States and replace the outdated feudal governments with one centralized state. According to Wright, this success had a lot to do with the Qin's geographic advantages, which “made it easy to defend but very difficult to capture” (Wright 45). In addition, Imperial China’s economy thrived under the Qin. They developed a written language that included means of measurement and currency, allowing them to create a network of roadways and an amazingly productive trade system throughout the empire.

The Qin’s concept of a centralized government also led to the creation of a unified legal code, which gave the emperor supreme power. This Legalist ideology, though very effective at the time, would eventually lead to the demise of the Qin dynasty. Wright notes, “The Qin was undone and overthrown because of the very Legalist ideology that had helped establish it in the first place. In retrospect, it seems that the main contribution of Legalism and the Qin state that applied it was the unification of China and the creation of a structural model for future dynastic governments” (Wright 50). In addition, Qin Shihuang was extremely brutal and despotic (an interesting opposite to Cyrus the Great), which did not necessarily bode well for the dynasty’s survival. Nonetheless, the contributions of the Qin had a significant and lasting impact on Imperial China.

Persia and China, therefore, share many attributes that made their ancient empires successful, most notably their creation of centralized governments and wide expansion of trade routes.

Works cited:

Sicker, M., The pre-Islamic Middle East (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000) 71-108. 

Wright, D., The History of China (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001): 45-98.

I need to add 500 words to my paper contrasting the poems "America" and "New Colossus" , but can't think of what else to say. Any ideas would be...

I need to add 500 words to my paper contrasting the poems "America" and "New Colossus" , but can't think of what else to say. Any ideas would be appreciated. 

I have pasted a very rough draft of my paper below: 

In the poems, “America” and “New Colossus,“  experience immigrants in the United States, they differ strongly on the attitude, with Lazarus stating that the United States offered hope and an opportunity to the poor and troubled of other nations, but McKay sees America itself as staying cruel.

            When it comes to the authors of the two poems, they both have a different take on the United States and how they interpret it. Emma Lazarus has a German and Jewish background, whose family had prospered in New York for many generations, while Claude McKay has a Jamaican/American background who arrived in America when he was just a teenager. Lazarus perspective of the United States was, it was a place for Jews to have freedom, and where she was able to learn about her Jewish heritage, McKay’s experience was finding out how much racism and cruelty there was in the United States. “McKay arrived in South Carolina, and he was not prepared to discover a racial segregation system that “effectively denied blacks any social or civil intercourse with the white majority except as menials or supplicants. “McKay turned to writing as a way to protest against the government by creating the poem “America” (Tagirova-Daley.) Emma Lazarus wrote the poem, “The New Colossus,” but was never able to see the statue of liberty built. Emma’s poem is about her beliefs on the immigrants being welcomed by a symbol to show change. Even though Emma and Claude wrote poems symbolizing the statue of liberty, they both have a different meaning on why they had written the poems.

            When it comes to Claude McKay’s poem to understand “America,” it provides life to nonliving objects by stating “Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,” (1) showing that “she” is America. McKay uses plenty of similes to describe America as a “cultured hell” and “her vigor flows like tides into my blood giving me strength erect against her hate” (5-6) and even “her bigness sweeps my being like a flood” (7). McKay tries to keep his poem interesting and showing his thoughts on what he saw America as being cruel. The imagery that McKay shows in his poem is absorbing as he says in one of the lines “sinks into my throat her tigers tooth, stealing my breath of life, I will confess I love this cultured hell that tests my youth” (2-4), McKay explains in these lines on how America is destroying him.  Even though McKay explains in his poem that America has both energy and power, but it is also filled with racism and just hate for African Americans. At the end of the poem McKay predicts that America will never change, as the statue will sink into the sand and decay.

            When it comes to the comparisons and explanations in Lazarus poem on how to understand it, even though we know both poems are talking about the United States and Statue of Liberty, they both have a completely different way of explaining the Statue of liberty. In Lazarus poem, she describes how Americas statue will be of “A mighty woman with a torch / whose flame is the imprisoned lightning,” by stating this she believes America is going to be welcoming, whereas the Colossus was used to frighten those who reached Greece. The Colossus is a bronze statue that Lazarus explains “Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, / With conquering limbs astride from land to land.” Lazarus does not come and say “Statue of Liberty “in her poem, but instead references it to “Mother of Exiles.” By calling the “Statue of Liberty “the “Mother of Exiles, “Lazarus believes that she will welcome immigrants and be a mother to them by giving them freedom in America. The most interesting lines are the ones at the end “Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. / Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. / I lift my lamp beside the golden door” (10-14). In these lines Lazarus explains that the Statue of Liberty is a representation of freedom, regardless of how tired you are, poor, or homeless, the Statue of Liberty welcomes you.

  When it comes to interpreting McKay and Lazarus perspective of the United Statues is different, both interpret about the promise America has, but Lazarus poem is more realistic of Americas' promise, while McKay poem interprets what America can offer.  Lazarus poem using lady liberty to stand for Americas' freedom, while in the poem “The New Colossus, “lady liberty stands for conquest. Lazarus uses the lines: “From her beacon hand / Glows world wide welcome; her mild eye command / The air bridged harbor that twin cities frame” (6-8). To show how Liberty is not just a statue but also a message of welcome at the harbor between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Lazarus really indicates that Liberty is a symbol of American Freedom, that welcomes the world with open hands.

In McKay’s poem, he as well interprets America has a woman, but unlike Lazarus poem, he shows that Liberty is a cruel person who “feeds me bread of bitterness” (1). McKay’s shows that America is loved, despite the “hell that tests my youth” (4). McKay does show some similes that praises lady Liberty’s appearance, such as “her vigor flows like tides into my blood “(5), and “her bigness sweeps my being like a flood” (7). McKay compares Americas being outstanding to just a marble statue which is stuck in the sands of time. While he shows how great America is, he ends his poem trying to figure out what Americas' future will hold, while Lazarus poem presents that America has a bright future.

In conclusion, even though both poems have a few comparisons and are different in many ways with attitude, meaning, tone, and even what their perspectives of United States was, understanding the poems shows how greatly the United States has changed in some ways. Today we still have racism throughout the United States and even immigrants coming to live here, the Statue of Liberty has many different meanings, with many different background stories.

What are some adjectives that describe Anton in Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene?

In the book, Anton is handsome, charming, courageous, kind, and humble.

He treats Patty with great kindness and old-world courtesy. When Patty presents a shirt to her father as a Father's Day gift, her father is barely civil in his response. Hurt by his indifference, Patty gives the shirt to Anton. For his part, Anton responds with affection and appreciation; his grateful response overwhelms Patty with emotion.

When Patty's father beats her for playing with Freddy Dowd, a poor white boy, Anton tries to save his friend. For her part, Patty screams at Anton to go away when she sees that he's about to reveal himself. Anton's courageous behavior is demonstrated in his willingness to assume a huge risk on Patty's behalf.

Despite his courageous behavior, however, Anton doesn't gloat. He feels that he's been a coward for too long, and he's glad that he's finally acting with courage:

"After almost two years of being as inconspicuous a coward as possible I had no idea that I would voluntarily risk my life for anyone...But I'm glad I could. I'm glad I still could."

Anton's humility disarms Patty, and she finds herself falling in love with the German soldier. Before he leaves, Anton bequeaths Patty his most prized possession: his great-grandfather's university ring. Anton's great-grandfather was once the president of the University of Gottingen, and Anton gives Patty the ring because he wants her to know her own value.

"Am I still your teacher?...Then, I want you to learn this, our last, lesson. Even if you forget everything else, I want you to always remember that you are a person of value, and you have a friend who loved you enough to give you his most valued possession."

Why does the earth look mostly blue when seen from space?

The easy response would be that the earth looks blue from space because it is more than two-thirds water. By this reasoning, because water is blue, the earth looks blue. This would be an over-simplification of a complex question that isn't exactly true. Have you ever dipped a clear cup in the ocean and looked at the water? It's not blue.

Because the ocean is made up of water molecules, these molecules absorb wavelengths of light from the sky. The wavelengths that are most easily absorbed are those that are ultraviolet and infrared. This means the deeper you go in the ocean, the less warming from the sun there will be and the more bluish hue you will see as the red light wavelength is absorbed elsewhere.

In addition to the appearance of blue water on earth, the sky also is blue. The reason why the sky appears blue is because the earth's atmosphere is able to more efficiently spread blue light rather than red, thanks to the fact that blue light boasts a shorter wavelength.

Who begins to pay Kit weekly visits in Chapter Seven of The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare?

In Chapter Seven of Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond, William Ashby visits Kit at her Uncle Matthew and Aunt Rachel's home. Kit finds this encounter utterly boring, as William seems happy to just sit in silence as Kit awkwardly tries to make conversation. William only begins to show some spirit when he gets into a debate with Uncle Matthew over surrendering the charter. 

The night ends on a sour note, with Uncle Matthew storming off in a huff. Kit is certain that William won't be back to visit her, but Judith, Mercy, and Aunt Rachel dismiss that notion by telling her that William has decided to start constructing his home, a sign that he has decided to seek Kit's hand in marriage. This horrifies Kit, who longs for someone that she can talk to.

As Kit's family predicted, William begins to visit Kit every Saturday, and she gradually begins to look forward to these visits, as they break the monotony of her otherwise laborious work week. 

What are some quotes throughout the novel that depict prejudice against Tom Robinson?

In Chapter 12, Scout attends Sunday service at First Purchase African M.E. Scout watches as Reverend Sykes takes up a collection for Helen Robinson and she asks Calpurnia why the congregation is giving money to Tom's wife. Calpurnia says that Helen has three children and can't take them to work. Reverend Sykes then tells Scout that Helen's having a hard time finding work. When Scout asks Cal why folks won't hire Helen, Cal says,

"It's because of what folks say Tom done...Folks aren't anxious to---to have anything to do with any of his family" (Lee 75).

The community of Maycomb's prejudiced feelings toward Tom negatively affects his family. They feel that Tom Robinson is guilty before he even goes to court and refuse to associate with anyone related to him.

Following Tom's death, Scout describes the Maycomb community's reaction to his attempted escape. She says,

"To Maycomb, Tom's death was Typical. Typical of a nigger to cut and run. Typical of a nigger's mentality to have no plan, no thought for the future, just run blind the first chance he saw...Easy come, easy go. Just shows you, that Robinson boy was legally married, they say he kept himself clean, went to church and all that, but when it comes down to the line the veneer's mighty thin. Nigger always comes out in 'em" (Lee 147).

The community's comments about Tom Robinson reveal their prejudice towards him. Although Tom was respected throughout the African American community, the white citizens of Maycomb still viewed him with contempt because he was black. They saw Tom Robinson as a "nigger" like the rest of the African Americans in Macomb and refused to believe that he was a sensible person.

What problem did Mowgli have and how did he solve it?

Mowgli, the main character in The Jungle Book, faces many dangerous problems through Rudyard Kipling’s legendary tale. From facing down Shere Khan’s threats, to escaping the Bander-Log tribe of monkeys, to being ostracized from a human village, Mowgli’s conflicts mainly seem to sprout from the main problem that he does not know where he fits in the world. He is clearly not an animal, but he does not feel like a human either. As he searches for who he really is and where he truly belongs, Mowgli learns lessons about what it means to be a kind, intelligent human and a caring friend. As he vacillates between the jungle and human society, Mowgli finally sees the solution to his inner turmoil: a young woman walking down a path in the jungle. By the end of the story, Mowgli understands that he will only be able to start a family in the human world. As he grows into a man, Mowgli accepts that his true home is with the humans, and he leaves his jungle past behind.

When and where was Romeo and Juliet originally set?

William Shakespeare identifies the setting of Romeo and Juliet in his opening words as the Chorus says, "In fair Velona where we lay our scene."  Romeo and Juliet takes place in Verona, a city in Italy, in the 1300s (although the play itself is believed to have been written around 1592). 

The play consists of both interior and exterior settings during both daytime and nighttime.  One of most significant interior settings from the first act is the ballroom where Romeo and Juliet first see each other.  It is significant that Romeo (who, with his friends, is often seen outdoors) has come to the ball without a proper invitation, on the urging of his friends who hope the beautiful women there will help him to overcome his love for Rosaline. 

Another significant interior setting is Friar Lawrence's cell, where the two lovers meet through the efforts of both the Friar and the Nurse.  There they finalize their plans to marry and to create the ruse of Juliet's feigned death.  It is significant that this is one of the only places Juliet, a sheltered young woman (not yet 14), can venture outside of her home. 

Juliet's bedroom, where the marriage is consummated in secret, is another significant interior setting as is the mausoleum where Juliet (having taken a potion to appear dead) is entombed until Romeo finds her and kills himself (leading, of course, to Juliet's real death). 

The outdoor settings are equally significant.  It is in the outdoor square that Tybalt kills Mercutio and Romeo then kills Tybalt, leading to Romeo's banishment and hastening the plot of marriage and feigned death.  We revisit the same outdoor square when all is revealed as the play ends and the two mourning families finally make peace. 

In Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, what does "work hard enough and assert themselves and use their minds and imagination to...

This quote comes at the end of Section I of the fifth chapter in Outliers, titled “The Three Lessons of Joe Flom.” The whole paragraph reads:

The most important contribution of the miracle of the garment industry, though, was what happened to the children growing up in those homes where meaningful work was practiced. Imagine what it must have been like to watch the meteoric rise of Regina and Louis Borgenicht through the eyes of one of their offspring. They learned the same lesson that little Alex Williams would learn nearly a century later – a lesson crucial to those who wanted to tackle the upper reaches of a profession like law or medicine: if you work hard enough and assert yourself, and use your mind and imagination, you can shape the world to your desires.

Gladwell’s topic in this chapter is the garment industry of New York City, and its close ties with the Jewish immigrants who ran it. He maintains that the reason why so many children of garment workers later became lawyers, was because they had the Jewish experience; they came of age in the 1930s and 1940s; and they saw through the actions of their parents and ancestors the benefits of meaningful work. One of the key stories here centers on the Borgenichts, who started making and selling aprons in New York in the 1890s, and who branched out into other related clothing deals. Their diligence showed that the three qualities of “autonomy, complexity, and a connection between effort and reward” were vital not only to enjoying the work, but also to becoming successful. “Work that fulfills those three criteria is meaningful,” Gladwell says. This is important. And people like the Borgenichts passed – and continue to pass -- this work ethic on to their children. It translates into the kind of dedication needed to study law. This reality becomes a perpetual pattern of success.

What does the term "love" signify in the line "Ah, love, let us be true" from "Dover Beach"?

The term "love" merely seems to be addressed to the woman, presumably his wife, with whom he is sharing a room with a view of the English Channel and Dover Beach at night. The entire poem is addressed to this woman he loves. She must be someone who knows him well, and someone to whom he feels free to share his innermost thoughts. It might be speculated that they are on their honeymoon. Since he asked her at the start of the poem to come to the window, we can assume that she is standing beside her and gazing out the window with him when he calls her "love" and speaks the most moving lines, suggesting that the whole world is descending into chaos and they have only each other to cling to in the void.

The technique in Matthew Arnold's poem might be compared with that of William Wordsworth's "Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey: On Revisiting the Banks of the Rye During a Tour, July 13, 1798," which are putatively addressed to Wordsworth's sister Dorothy, as revealed in the following: 

"For thou art with me, here, upon the banks
Of this fair river; thou, my dearest Friend,
My dear, dear Friend, and in thy voice I catch
The language of my former heart, and read
My former pleasures in the shooting lights
Of thy wild eyes. Oh! yet a little while
May I behold in thee what I was once,
My dear, dear Sister!

What is the significance of George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man being written in three acts instead of the usual five?

The division of plays into “acts” has three functions: the social need for pauses in the entertainment experience, both physical and psychological; the theatrical necessities of costume change, set change, actor breaks, and the like; and, most importantly, the division of the “narrative” into parts whose relationship is part of the artistic experience.  It is not quite accurate to say that plays are “usually” divided into five acts; history has shown that the stage has favored three acts ever since the 19th century, and ever since the 20th century the two-act play is more common.  The important difference is what the playwright was trying to do: the five-act play is a full historical account, as in Shakespeare’s English histories.  The three-act play subtly follows the Socratic method of argument, with a thesis (Act I), an anti-thesis (Act II) and a conclusion (Act III).  Arms and the Man follows this pattern.  In modern times, starting with Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, playwrights have found the 2-act play structure best, to illustrate the dualities presented by Existentialism and other dualistic views of the world.  The whole argument is complicated and requires study in both philosophy and dramaturgy.

Would organisms who are unable to adapt to recurring environmental changes be more likely to reproduce more, reproduce less, or have difficulty...

Organisms who are unable to adapt to recurring or persistent change in the environment would most likely have difficulty surviving as individuals as well as on the species level. That being said, every species and environment is difficult, so survival strategies may differ.

Organisms who cannot adapt to recurring or persistent environmental change are likely to experience a high degree of physical stress due to lack of food and water, problems with thermal regulation, or access to shelter. Such stress may induce an increase or decrease in attempts to procreate depending on that organism's typical behaviors, but females who are under high stress are not likely to produce viable offspring. Since the problem is with adaptation, any viable offspring are even less likely than their parents to successfully reproduce in the wake of recurring or persistent change. 

Let's consider a very real problem threatening many organisms today: global climate change. We are in a period of global warming caused by human activity that is resulting in an increase in global temperatures that is far more rapid than anything ever experienced before. Evolution naturally occurs over many thousands and millions of years of gradual change in response to environmental pressures. A very slow change in temperature--say, one degree warmer or cooler every thousand years--would give species plenty of time to adapt to this change. The rate at which global warming is currently occurring is too fast for a significant number of organisms to keep up, and those which can't adapt are likely to go extinct. Species like the Golden Toad (Bufo periglenes) have already gone extinct because they cannot adapt rapidly enough to survive in a warmer climate. Many more species are endangered or threatened by the prospect of global warming, either directly due to temperature, or indirectly through loss of habitat and food sources.

What are the differences between Portia and Jessica as revealed in the play "The Merchant of Venice"?

The differences are subtle and come mostly from the different situations the two women find themselves in.

Portia and Jessica have much in common.  Both are beautiful, intelligent, and funny.  Both are bold and can be blunt (e.g. Jessica says, "Our house is hell," Act 2 Scene 3; Portia says, "There is not one among [my suitors] but I dote on his very absence," Act 1 Scene 2).  Both disguise themselves: Jessica as a page boy so that she can run away with Lorenzo, Portia as a lawyer so that she can save Antonio's life.  

The biggest difference between the two is that Portia saves the day by playing the part of "Balthasar," a "Doctor of Laws," so that through her brilliant and humane arguing in court, she saves Antonio from having to give a pound of flesh to Shylock, Jessica's father.  From this we can see that Portia is very well-educated, wise, and generous of spirit.  She is also very self-confident, willing to pull off this dangerous undertaking without even telling Bassanio what she is up to. 

Now, Jessica is not stupid, but we get no hint from the play that she is as well-versed in the law as Portia.  She is wise and kind, but her bold move (running away with Lorenzo) is done mostly for her own sake, not to save someone else.  She is brave, but not as bold as Portia.  She runs away with Lorenzo at night, and even then she does not want to hold a torch for fear she be seen in her pageboy's costume (Act 2, Scene 6).  

Jessica is a plucky woman trying to escape a bad home life.  We can infer that her life with Shylock did not offer as high a standard of living, nor quite as good an education, as Portia received.  She also has a graceless tyrant for a father, whereas Portia's father (now deceased) was apparently very wise.

Jessica is using her virtues to rise above the situation she was born into.  Portia, an aristocrat, was born with many privileges that allowed her to develop her natural gifts.  Now she is using her advantages to help others.  

How would the revolution in George Orwell's Animal Farm have been different if all the animals were able to read?

Perhaps the animals would have been a little more critical—and therefore willing to resist—many of the pigs' abuses. The pigs' literacy enables them to read Jones's books, some of which give them ideas about how to run the farm and propel them to leadership positions. Their command of language enables them to justify their actions through changing the original commandments on the wall of the barn. It should be noted, though, that the power of the pigs' propaganda confuses even some of the literate animals. When Squealer alters and distorts historical events, the animals struggle to recall whether what he is saying is true, and they eventually, with great confusion, accept what he says. When Muriel reads the newly altered Fourth Commandment, for instance, Clover vaguely thinks it used to read something else, but concludes, "as it was there on the wall," it must have said something about sheets. 

what is the sum of all natural numbers between 200 and 500 which are divisible by 7?

We are asked to find the sum of all natural numbers between 200 and 500 that are divisible by 7:

Note that the list of such numbers forms an arithmetic sequence; the first term is 203, the last term is 497, and the common difference is 7.

The sum of a finite arithmetic series can be found using the formula `S_(n)=(n(a_1+a_n))/2 ` where n is the number of terms, a1 is the first term of the series and an is the nth term of the series.

We know the first and last term, so we need the number of terms. Since the first term is 203 with a common difference of 7, we have ` 497=203+(n-1)7 `  so we find that the number of terms is n=43.

So the sum is `S=(43(203+497))/2=15050 `

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An alternative is to use summation notation and the associated properties:

`sum_(i=29)^(71)7i=7sum_(i=29)^(71)i=7[((71)(72))/2- ((28)(29))/2]=15050 `

How would you analyze the following quote from Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451? Are any literary devices used?"So now do you see why books are hated...

This quote is about the way in which Montag's dystopian society fears books because books reveal the warts and problems present in the world. The theme is the society's fear of imperfection, which is present in nature. Books show the small problems even in objects that seem perfect at first. Using a metaphor, Bradbury compares these small problems to "pores in the face of life." Instead, people in Montag's society want faces that are smooth and without blemishes. To avoid these blemishes, Montag's society is moving as far away from nature as possible. The metaphor "flowers living on flowers" is a reference to this idea--that even nature itself in Montag's world is trying to distance itself from nature. However, everything goes back to nature, even fireworks, but Montag's society is somehow trying to live without a connection to nature, as nature is imperfect. 

What are some quotes in Romeo and Juliet that describe the lovers' isolation from one another? I also need a quote which describes them having...

As Romeo is sneaking out of Juliet's bedroom on the morning after their wedding, Juliet has a sort of premonition that they will not see each other again for a long time.  She asks Romeo if he thinks they will ever meet again, and he responds, "I doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve / For sweet discourses in our times to come" (3.5.52-53).  These lines prove that he feels confident that the two will be together and that all their problems so far will actually serve as the basis for stories they will tell each other when they get old.

In this same interaction, however, Juliet says that she thinks "[she] sees [him], now [he is] so low, / As one dead in the bottom of a tomb" (3.5.55-56).  She sees them, in her mind's eye, as somehow forever isolated from one another, despite Romeo's confidence.  She sees him now as though he is dead, and they are separated by death (which is, of course, what will happen). 

Then, when Juliet goes to the Friar's cell in a panic about her betrothal to Count Paris, she refuses to marry Paris.  In fact, she is willing to die, isolated -- it seems -- from Romeo forever: "Be not so long to speak.  I long to die / If what thou speak'st speak not of remedy" (4.1.67-68).  She cannot abide the idea of being separated irrevocably from Romeo.  In fact, at the end of the previous act, she'd said, "If all else fail, myself have power to die" (3.5.255).  Juliet's isolation from Romeo and the events that befall her after he's exiled to Mantua make her rather wish for death than a life in which this isolation is continued.

In your opinion, what makes American Society? How would you describe American Society?

Consider the Latin phrase on the seal of the United States:  E Pluribus Unum.  It means "out of many, one."  American society is just that--this country is a mixture of races, creeds, and nationalities.  America is unique in world history in that all of these people have the same set of laws and opportunity is not limited to those of a particular ethnicity.  You can also say that one of the themes in American history has been Americans trying to make the motto on the great seal more of a reality to the people.  This country has dealt with slavery, segregation, internment camps, Indian reservations, and marriage issues.  American society is hard to summarize briefly, but I think your paper would be best if you looked at America's attempts to make the society fair for all of its citizens.  

What is the conflict the speaker faces in "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost? How would you describe the poem's setting?

In “The Road Not Taken,” the speaker stands at a junction of two paths, and he must choose to follow only one of them. From the “yellow wood” in the first stanza and the fallen leaves covering both paths in the third, we can tell this poem is set in autumn in a colorful, northern-forested landscape. From where he stands, the speaker scrutinizes both routes but cannot see far along either one of them. He claims more people have traveled along the first one, although both routes appear to be worn about the same amount. In the end, the speaker decides to take the second path, “the one less traveled by.” We can debate whether he is comfortable with this decision later in life, as he recalls and retells this story. We can also debate whether the path he chose is the same one he refers to in the title; depending upon your interpretation, it could apply to either one.

What laws have we recently tried to pass that infringe on the second of FDR’s "Four Freedoms"?

The second of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Four Freedoms is the freedom of worship.  This freedom is, of course, codified in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, in which establishing a state religion is forbidden and the state may not impede people's rights to freely exercise their respective religions.  The only law that comes to mind is one that has been under discussion during this presidential campaign, which could be said to have been referenced in the comments of one candidate who seeks to keep all Muslims out of the United States. There is a Supreme Court decision that you might be thinking of, that some people will argue interferes with the freedom of religion, but I disagree with their position on this. You will have to decide for yourself what you think. 

If we place a religious restriction on immigration, we are clearly interfering with Roosevelt's second freedom.  If we are going to be a nation that allows immigrants at all, the government cannot pick and choose which religions to allow in. People who are here lawfully have constitutional rights, too.  And it is a slippery slope once we prohibit people of one particular religion from emigrating here. From there, it would be quite easy to make Muslim worship completely illegal, along with Hinduism, Judaism, and whatever other minority religion we choose to eliminate.  We might say this can't happen today, but it happened in the Spanish Inquisition, it is happening now with ISIS, and it has happened in plenty of other times and places, too.  Once we choose one religion to stigmatize, it is easy to keep going down that path.

In Obergefell v. Hodges, (2015) the Supreme Court held that gay people have the right to marry one another, with the same protections and privileges afforded by law to heterosexual couples. The argument is that anyone who believes, as a matter of religion, that the LGBT community is an "abomination unto God" is being denied the right to practice his or her religion by signing a gay marriage license or by doing the photography or flowers for a gay wedding. The decision is also disingenuously held to stand for the proposition that clergy must perform gay marriage ceremonies.

There are a few separate threads to these arguments that must be untangled. First, signing a marriage license is an act of a public official who has no freedom whatsoever to exercise religious judgement on the job. Second, if an establishment is open to the public, if we allow it to discriminate on the basis of sexual preference, there is nothing to stop it from discriminating on the basis of race.  Both are immutable characteristics.  This is another slippery slope that is antithetical to American values.  Most of us have done business with people we do not approve of in one way or another from time to time. This does not mean that we sanction them in any way whatsoever.  A public entity needs to be open to the public, not just to those whom we approve of.  This in no way detracts from someone's exercise of religion. Third, any law that would force any member of the clergy to perform any wedding at all would be a violation of the First Amendment.  Religious institutions have the absolute freedom to delineate whom they will admit, whom they will marry, and whom they will serve. No minster, priest, rabbi, or imam can be forced to officiate in any marriage ceremony in the United States.

I am not sure if the Supreme Court decision is the "law" being contemplated in your question or if perhaps the proposals of one presidential candidate are what you have in mind. Certainly, the response of Congress has been largely negative regarding this suggestion.  While there may be those who believe that the court decision interferes with their second freedom, the fact is that a converse decision would have interfered with the religious rights of many gay people, who would have had to forego the sanctity of marriage. If someone believes there is something religiously wrong with being gay, that person can be assured that no decision or statute will ever force that person to engage in any gay behavior.  

Do you think it is right for some one to take the law into his/her own hands because some one has harmed this person? (This question is in...

Wars and matters of national interest notwithstanding, it is morally wrong for a person or persons to seek revenge against others, especially when it involves taking human life. 

Madame Defarge knits the names of the enemies of the revolution, but it is because of her personal vendetta that she knits into her handiwork the name Evremonde. The Marquises Evremonde are both dead; they are the guilty ones. Charles Darnay, né Evremonde, has left France and never injured anyone. Furthermore, she has also recorded Dr. Manette in her list because he has pleaded for the life of Charles Evremonde (Darnay), the husband of his beloved daughter. 

When Monsieur DeFarge is troubled that Dr. Manette is on the list, he says to his wife,

"Extermination is a good doctrine, my wife...in general, I say nothing against it. But this Doctor has suffered much; you have seen him to-day; you have observed his face when the paper was read."

Angered and with contempt, Madame Defarge counters,

"Yes, I have observed his face! I have observed his face to be not the face of a true friend of the Republic." (Bk.3, Ch.12)

Madame Defarge would have Dr. Manette exterminated because he has allowed his daughter Lucie to marry Charles Darney, who is actually an Evremonde, the sworn enemies of Madame Defarge because the Evremonde twins raped her older sister and killed her sister, her sister's unborn child, her brother, and her father.