All books are divisible into two classes: books of the hour and books of all time. How can I relate this idea to Fahrenheit 451?

Ruskin said, "For all books are divisible into two classes, the books of the hour, and the books of all time." By this, he meant that some books stand the test of time and are classics, while other books are just of that moment.

In Fahrenheit 451, the books that Montag and the other firemen burn are books of all time, as their society has not produced books of the hour in some time. Montag recites to Clarisse, "Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn 'em to ashes." These authors—Millay, Whitman, and Faulkner—wrote books of all time, as their works are classics that have stood the test of time. Later in the book, Montag meets a society of people that have committed books to memory, and these books are also books of all time, including Swift, Dickens, and works by great thinkers such as Einstein, Lincoln, Gandhi, Confucius, and Darwin. This secret society has thought it worthwhile only to memorize books of all time, as these are the classics that future generations should know. Fahrenheit 451 has itself become a book of all time, as it is still read many years after its initial publication in 1953 and discusses ideas that are still relevant.

How does a democratic government work?

To answer this question, I will assume you are asking about how a democratic republic works? In a country like the United States, which has a democratic republic, we elect leaders to make the laws for us. The people vote for whom they want to represent them in government. These people are then expected to carry out the wishes of the majority of the people they represent. In theory, the power lies with the people since they have the ability to choose who will represent them.

If you are asking about a direct democracy, then all of the people who are citizens would be involved in the process of making the laws. This would be very difficult today if a country expected all of its citizens to be involved in the process. Ancient Athens is often used to describe a direct democracy, but even in ancient Athens, there were limits on who could participate. Only male citizens were allowed to participate in ancient Athens. Many who could participate in ancient Athens didn't participate because they had military or work commitments.

A democratic republic or representative democracy is an example of a democracy used in some countries today.

Related to Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, do you believe that if Hester was a man, she would have been treated/punished differently?

It might be said that the entire thesis of Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter has to do with condemnation of the so-called double standard by which men and women were judged in his day. Both Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Pyrnne are equally guilty of adultery, but Hester has to bear the disgrace and punishment all alone. However, it should be pointed out that, although women were not empowered to impose punishment, they are represented as being far more vindictive towards Hester than any of the men. Here are a couple of examples of women's feelings about adultery:

“At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead. Madame Hester would have winced at that, I warrant me."

“This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there no law for it?"

In the long run it is Dimmesdale who is punished more severely than Hester, because he dies as a result of his sin, whereas Hester, the stronger of the two, endures and survives.

In "Harrison Bergeron," what was Vonnegut saying about improving society by making everyone average?

Kurt Vonnegut's story "Harrison Bergeron" explores an interesting premise: What would happen in a society where everyone was truly equal? At face value, it seems consistent with American ideals to create a culture where all people are equal; after all, the Declaration of Independence claims, "All men are created equal." In Vonnegut's story, set in 2081, the U. S. Constitution has been amended 213 times in order to achieve that ideal originally expressed in 1776. At last, "everybody was finally equal."

As the story progresses, readers see what such a society would be like. Since it is impossible to give people innate talents and abilities that they don't already possess, a culture bent on equality has no way to raise its citizens to the level of its most highly gifted members. It can only create equality by limiting the abilities of those with superior mental or physical functioning, bringing them down to the "average" level, which, in practice, would need to be the lowest level. Anyone who was superior in any way to anyone else would have to be "handicapped" so he or she could not take advantage of higher intelligence, greater strength or endurance, or any other unique talent he or she possessed.

Obviously, smoothing out the peaks of performance results in lower achievements in the entire society. As a result, dancers are clumsy and TV announcers have horrible voices and can barely read. Vonnegut conveys the idea that others' superior talents make a society interesting and fulfilling. Those who don't have talents in one area can be amazed by and/ or work toward the feats others are capable of and can put their own talents to use in the areas in which they excel. A society cannot be improved nor can people find fulfillment by dragging down people with superior abilities to an average level. Conversely, only when people are encouraged to pursue the highest levels of which they are capable, and when they can appreciate rather than envy others' successes, can a society thrive and fully benefit its members.

How does that jibe with the Declaration of Independence? Quite well, actually, for the founders' point was that all people "are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights." Government's job is to secure equal rights for all, not to make sure all people are literally equal.

In "Ode to a Nightingale" by Keats, what is the speaker in love with?

In the poem, the speaker claims to be "half in love" with death. He thinks that death will release him from his mental torment. Indeed, he's portrayed death in a soft light in "many a mused rhyme" before, and now he thoroughly believes that he should die while the nightingale sings in ecstasy.

The speaker believes that death will release him from the "weariness, the fever, and the fret" of earthly life. Sometimes, he longs to imbibe enough alcohol to numb him to the pain of living. Being in a state of chemical oblivion would allow him to "leave the world unseen," and the nightingale to "fade away into the forest dim." The speaker is basically discouraged enough about life to hope for death.

He wants to go to a place where young people don't grow old and where men don't "sit and hear each other groan." Alas, the speaker never sees his hopes materialize. When the nightingale eventually flies away, he can't even decide whether the nightingale's music is "a vision, or a waking dream."

According to Chapter 13: "Necessity's Mother" of Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, what are the reasons that promote an invention's...

The answer to this question can be found beginning on p. 247 of Guns, Germs, and Steel.  There, Diamond begins to list four factors that, in his view, help to determine whether a society accepts a given invention.

The first of these factors is, in Diamond’s words, “relative economic advantage compared with existing technology.”  In other words, how much better the invention is than what the people already have.  If an invention is much better than what they have, they will accept it.  If, on the other hand, the invention will not help much, they will not accept it.  This is why, Diamond says, the natives of Mexico did not accept the wheel when it was invented.  As they had no draft animals, it was not much (if any) better than using human porters.

The second of the factors is “social value and prestige.”  To me, this is a fancy way of saying that people’s tastes matter.  He gives the example of Japan’s writing system.  When Japan was introduced to the Roman alphabet, they rejected it for the most part and kept their difficult-to-learn system of kanji because of its prestige.  In other words, the Japanese (he says) just like using kanji and therefore reject Roman letters.

The third factor is “compatibility with vested interests.”  If an invention goes against things that are already dominant, it might get rejected.  Diamond says that we would be able to type much faster on non-QWERTY keyboards.  However, we reject these things because, among other things, those of us who have worked hard to learn to type do not want to have to learn a whole new system.

Diamond’s final factor has to do with how easy it is to see the advantages of the new invention.  To me, this is closely related to the first factor.  If people cannot look at an invention and see how it would help them, they will not adopt it.  If the advantages are obvious, they will adopt it.

Diamond argues that these four factors determine whether a given society will accept any particular invention.

What is the significance of history?

As the novelist George Santayana famously said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." This quote has been altered and repeated in the decades since it was first spoken, but the sentiment remains the same. It is a clear and inarguable statement that strongly emphasizes the importance of having an appreciation for history.

Schools in nations around the world devote scores of classes to the purpose of teaching pupils about many aspects of history. In addition to helping people avoid repeating past mistakes, a study of history also allows for humankind to understand the processes that have led us to where we currently are. History is the building block of the future, and the more we understand about where we came from, the more we will understand about where we can go.

What can be an opening statement for the importance of memory with regard to a debate on The Giver?

A debate speech is not dissimilar to a persuasive essay once the student has defined the topic and provided the position on this topic that he/she will take.

Taking the position that memory is, indeed, important, the introduction can begin with a rhetorical question such as 

• Are our lives not bound in memory as so often we return in our thoughts to pleasurable--even sometimes painful--experiences, joyful hours with family, conversations with friends, enjoyable meals, and places we have been?

Now, let us take the premise that the student is taking the stance that the characters in The Giver, protected from disturbing emotions and experiences by their not having memories of the past, are missing much of what makes one human, as well as enriched from experiences. This student, then, can point to the fact that a person cannot truly know happiness and contentment without having had some troubling moments in his/her life. For, so often joy is in direct proportion to the sorrow one has experienced.

An example of this premise that without hardships, no one can feel pleasurable emotions, either, is the fact that Jonas's father, who purportedly feels tenderly for the infants under his care, has no problem "releasing" babies. In Chapter 19, Jonas witnesses a release. His father has no troubling emotion in killing the baby for whom he has cared, unlike Jonas who, as he watches,

...felt a ripping sensation inside himself, the feeling of terrible pain clawing its way forward to emerge in a cry. 

Likewise, the father does not feel love for the living babies; he merely "enjoys" his work. In addition, since people are limited by permissible vocabulary, too, it is almost impossible for them to express true emotion, even if they should actually feel it, and it is emotion that makes people human. 

In The Giver by Lois Lowry, how would you describe the tone of the instructions Jonas receives in his folder?

I would describe the tone of Jonas's instructions in a few different ways.  

I would describe the tone of the instructions as direct.  The reason is because several of the instructions are imperative statements.  They begin with a verb that directly tells Jonas to do or not to do something.  

Go immediately to your dwelling at the conclusion of Training Hours each day.

I grew up in a military household, and the letter reminds me of the way my father interacted with my brother and I.  He would tell us to do something, and he expected it to be done.  There usually wasn't an explanation.  A direct order had been given; it was expected to be obeyed.  That didn't make my father unloving.  He always had a reason, but he often didn't feel the need to explain it. 

I also feel the tone is direct because the letter is so short.  There is no flowery language in it.  It's a single page document with eight instructions.  It is direct and to the point.  To Jonas, the instructions are confusing because they don't explain why, but the instructions are very clear in what Jonas is to do. 

It's possible to feel that the tone of the instructions is not only direct, but also terse, cold, and impersonal.  There is no opening paragraph that says something like, "Hello Jonas!  I am so excited that you have been chosen to be the Receiver of Memory.  Below are some instructions that I would like you to familiarize yourself with.  See you soon!"  I understand how a reader could think the instructions feel cold and impersonal.  There isn't even a closing section or signature after the eight instructions.  It just ends.  But as Jonas will come to discover, just because the instructions are direct and slightly impersonal doesn't mean the Giver is an unloving individual. 

A particle describes a semi circle of radius 14 cm. What is its distance and displacement?

There is a difference between distance traveled and displacement. Distance means the total length of travel of an object, while displacement is the difference in position between where an object starts and where it finishes.

For the distance a particle travels around a semi circle, you would use the formula for circumference of a circle, and divide that in half to account for the fact that it has traveled half way around. The formula is 2 pi r for the circumference; the distance half way around is pi r, so for your example, the particle travels pi times 14 cm, or approximately 44 cm.

The displacement of your particle would be the diameter of your circle--it ends up in the same place as when you calculated distance, but the change in its position is 28 cm, or 2 times the radius.

What is Shelley's idea of spiritual beauty as expressed in "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty"?

Shelley contends that spiritual beauty gives “grace and truth to life’s unquiet dream" while nourishing intellectual thought. If man retains this beauty in his heart, he can attain immortality. 

Spiritual beauty is a power in man that can replace traditional religious worship with man's potential to attain perfection. Rather than seeking spiritual beauty in traditional religion, Shelley maintains that spiritual beauty is to be found in a power in man's intellectual thought that extends beyond the senses. Thus, it contains ideals toward which people should strive in their efforts to attain this perfection. In stanza 3, for instance, Shelley writes,

Thy [Spirit of Beauty] light alone. . . 
Gives grace and truth to life's unquiet dreams.

In stanza 4, Shelley mentions human beings' responses to this Spirit of Beauty, responses of thought which serve to elevate the intellect:

Love, Hope, and Self-esteem, like clouds depart
   And come, for some uncertain moments lent.
Man were immortal, and omnipotent. 

The abstract, intellectual ideal which is the Spirit of Beauty is attained through man's contemplation of nature and the exercise and development of intellectual thought, all of which enable man to perceive and reach perfection.

What is the message of the poem 'A Doctor's Journal Entry for August 6, 1945' ?

The message of this anti-war poem is that the dropping of the atomic bomb was a horrible act, demonstrative of man's inhumanity to man. There were 118,661 civilian deaths up to 10 August 1946. 

Vikram Seth personalizes the shock and suffering of the Japanese people who are startled one pleasant Monday morning by describing the effects of the bomb through the eyes of a doctor. The momentary delight in the beauty of nature when he awakens is violently shattered as the bomb that strikes is nearly one hundred degrees centigrade when it touches the earth, and it becomes a virtual fireball.

The speaker of the poem has his clothes burned off him instantly:

My drawers and undershirt disappeared. 
A splinter jutted from my mangled thigh. 
My right side bled, my cheek was torn, and I 
Dislodged, detachedly, a piece of glass....

This doctor is so stunned by what has happened that he removes the piece of glass from his face as though it were an injury someone else has experienced. He seems to be in shock as he calls to his wife,

Pale, bloodstained, frightened, Yecko-san emerged,
Holding her elbow. ‘We’ll be fine,’ I urged –
‘Let’s get out quickly.'

Images of blood, a severed head,"Fire sprang up in the dust." Ironically maintaining his cultural politeness, the doctor says to the head, "Excuse me, please excuse me." A soldier hands him a towel to cover his nakedness as they move with others who must hold out their arms so that they do not touch their bodies and "chafe flesh against flesh again. The instant that the bomb was dropped, people became metaphoric "scarecrows," walking phantoms of themselves; "all were wordlessly dumb." 

What are some character traits of Stargirl Caraway?

Stargirl is self-confident. For much of the novel, she simply doesn't care what other people think. She cheers for both teams at sporting events, sings "Happy Birthday" to strangers, is friends with just about anybody and everybody, and is self assured enough to dress the way that she wants.

Stargirl is naturally curious as well. For example, she points out all kinds of random things to Leo that she notices about the world around her. From struggling ants to a man repainting his door, Stargirl is interested in and curious about everything.  

Lastly, I would say that Stargirl loves. She loves people for who they are, and she loves them no matter how mean they are to her. Stargirl perfectly embodies the concept of "turning the other cheek" to people who are bullies. For example, near the end of the novel, Hillari Kimble is furious at Stargirl. Hillari walks up to Stargirl and slaps her. Instead of becoming angry and slapping Hillari back, Stargirl calmly kisses Hillari on the cheek. That's loving your enemy as yourself.

Which of the following options confer the ability to react immunologically on lymphocytes: a) lymph nodes b) plasma cells c) ...

The Thymus gland confers immunological competence on the lymphocytes. Immunological competence refers to the ability to react with an antigen to produce antibodies or become active in other reactions such as delayed hypersensitivity or a cell-mediated immune response.

Immunologically competent lymphocytes are called ‘T-cells’ and they differ from other types of lymphocytes in that they carry special receptors on their cell surface called ‘T cell receptors’.

The ‘T’ abbreviation refers to the thymus gland, the main organ which confers immunological competence on them. The thymus gland in the human is located mainly in the anterior mediastinum where it overlies the pericardium of the heart.

Lymphocytes are produced in the bone marrow; at that point they are not immunologically competent. They then enter the thymus gland where they multiply rapidly, and a proportion of them now become immunologically competent and enter the blood stream.

One day the International Space Station will fall out of orbit. Explain what will happen to all of the gravitational potential energy it is...

The gravitational potential energy of the International Space Station will be converted into other types of energy.  

I would like to point out that the International Space Station also has a lot of kinetic energy too. Orbiting isn't hanging above the surface of Earth really high up. Orbiting is done by moving very fast. Basically, the ISS is traveling forward at 4.76 miles per second. Gravity is pulling it down. The combined forces result in the ISS following a curved, projectile motion path. That curve perfectly matches the curve of Earth. So, the ISS is technically forever falling without ever getting any closer to Earth.  

In order for the ISS to actually begin falling more toward Earth, it will need to slow down. Let's assume that we magically stopped all forward motion of the ISS. Then it basically only has GPE. A lot of GPE. It's 249 miles up and weighs almost 500 tons. The GPE will immediately begin being converted to kinetic energy as the ISS begins to accelerate straight down. As the atmosphere thickens up, there is more friction on the ISS. The friction will begin heating the ISS, so now there is a thermal energy conversion happening. Eventually the ISS will get hot enough to ignite. Light energy has now been created too. Since the ISS is experiencing some atmosphere, there is a medium for sound to travel through. The hot, burning ball that is/was the ISS will be making noise, which is sound energy. That answers another question. Does a burning up space station make a sound if nobody is around to hear it? Yes. Yes it does.

All of the GPE will eventually be completely lost/converted when the remains of the ISS either impact Earth or burn up completely.   

What is the dramatic arc of Chinatown?

The dramatic arc of Chinatown is seen in Jake's discovery of political and personal manipulations.

Initially hired to spy on Hollis Mulwray, Jake is pulled into a complicated political and emotional labyrinth.  He believes he was hired by Mrs. Mulwray.  However, upon realizing that he had been "set up," Jake has to parse through who is legitimate and who possesses an ulterior motive. As an outsider not working with the police department or any other institutional agency, he fights to maintain his professional and financial autonomy.  The film's arc develops as he tries to sort out the complicated relationship between the Mulwrays, Noah Cross, the California water supply, and the desire for wealth and power.  The dramatic arc of the film takes him through corrupt members of the water and police departments, the power of the wealthy, and the disenfranchisement of the poor.

The film's arc develops as Jake gains more insight into this maze. As Jake discovers the elements that govern this world, so do we.  He discovers the conspiracy regarding the public control of water and its wrestling of ownership of land from farmers to wealthy real estate magnates. Jake also discovers the tangled emotional world of Evelyn Mulwray.  He struggles to understand the relationship she has with her husband, her father, and her daughter/sister.  The arc of the film progresses as Jake gains more insight into all of these political and emotional elements.  

It is not surprising that the film's dramatic arc corresponds with Jake's own emotional development.  From being motivated by money to the desire to know the truth, Jake progresses into wanting to do the right thing for Evelyn and Katherine.  Jake's motivation to doing right is met with the futility of good intentions in the form of overwhelming political power and personal manipulation. 

The wave function for an electron that is confined to x `>=` 0 nm See the image below. a) What must be the value of b? I don't know if...

Hello!

`Psi` is the standard symbol for a wave function. Its square is the probability density pd(x). By the definition of probability density, the probability of being between c and d is  `int_c^d pd(x) dx.` In our case for positive c and d it is

`b^2 int_c^d e^(-(2x)/L) dx = b^2*L/2*(e^(-(2c)/L) - e^(-(2d)/L)).`

a) the value of b must be such that the total probability, `int_(-oo)^(+oo) pd(x) dx,` = 1. In our case it is  `int_0^(+oo) b^2 e^(-(2x)/L) dx = b^2*L/2 = 1.`

So yes, `b=sqrt(2/L)` and for L=6.4 it is about  `0.559 ((nm)^(-1/2)).`

And the formula for a probability becomes 

for positive c and d. If c is negative, c must be replaced with zero.

b) use this formula for c=1-0.005 and d=1+0.005.

c) use this formula for c=1.15 and d=1.84.

(there is an error at the picture, must be "for x>=0 nm", not "for x>=nm")

What did President Roosevelt think the nation needed to do to recover from the Great Depression?

There were several things that President Roosevelt believed the nation had to do in order to recover from the effects of the Great Depression. Two things were to provide relief and recovery to the American people. President Roosevelt was able to get many laws passed in his first 100 days in office. These laws provided jobs for the American people. They included the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Civil Works Administration, and the Public Works Administration. They also helped some Americans refinance their mortgages.

Another thing President Roosevelt believed the nation had to do was to take steps to prevent another depression from occurring. The Glass-Steagall Act prevented commercial banks from investing in the stock market. It also created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to insure savings accounts. The Securities Act created the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulated the stock market. Investment companies also had to provide complete and truthful information to investors.

President Roosevelt knew he had to restore the confidence of the nation in our financial system. He closed all of the banks in the country and allowed only the strongest ones to reopen. He also spoke to the American people using the radio as his medium. These radio messages, called Fireside Chats, reassured the American people that things would be fine. For example, he told them what he was doing with the banks. He asked the American people to trust his actions.

There were many things that President Roosevelt believed the nation needed to do in order to recover from the Great Depression.

How does the resistance of a conductor change when the temperature is increased?

One of the factors that affects the resistivity of a metallic conductor is the temperature. As the temperature increases, the ions vibrate with greater amplitude. Because of this, the ions and the electrons are more likely to collide and the electron finds it more difficult to move through the conductor. Since there is an impede  in the electron flow as the temperature increases, the resistivity of metallic conductor increases. This relationship is shown in the formula of temperature dependence of resistivity which is:

`rho = rho_o[1+alpha(T-T_o)]`

where 

`rho`  is the resistivity at some temperature T (in Celsius degrees),

`rho_o`  is the resistivity at some reference temperature T0 (usually taken to be 20°C) and

`alpha`  is a parameter called the temperature coefficient of resistivity.

Moreover, resistivity of a conductor is directly proportional to its resistance as shown in the formula:

`R= rho *l/A`

Isolating the resistivity of the conductor, it becomes:

`rho = R * A/l`

Plugging this to the formula of temperature dependence of resistivity, the equation becomes:

`rho = rho_o[1+alpha(T-T_o)]`

`R*A/l =R_o *A/l[1+alpha (T-T_o)]`

And this simplifies to:

`R=R_o[1+alpha(T-T_o)]`

Notice that the resistance of the conductor is proportional to the temperature change.

Therefore, as the temperature of the conductor increases, its resistance increases.

What character traits best describe Bud's mom?

I would say that Bud's mom is a strong woman.  I do not mean physically strong with big muscles though.  I mean emotionally strong.  We know that she had Bud at a very young age.  Bud was age 6 when she died, and she died at the age of 26.  That means she had Bud when she was 20.  Additionally, Bud's mother raised Bud on her own.  Bud has never known his father.  Bud's mother was able to support herself and her child during the Great Depression.  This tells readers that she is a mentally strong, capable, and dedicated woman.  

She's also blunt, forceful, and to the point.  One of my favorite parts of the book is when she is explaining to Bud why his name is Bud, not Buddy.  She tells Bud that "Buddy" is a dog's name, and that if she wanted people to call him that she would have added the "dy" to the end of his name.  During the entire conversation, Bud can only get in a few syllables at a time because his mother is in charge of the conversation.  It's her opinion, but Bud had better agree with it.  

What quotes in Shakespeare's Macbeth relate to inner journeys?

Perhaps one of the most famous scenes in Shakespeare's Macbeth is Act 5, Scene 1, in which Lady Macbeth's guilty conscience has driven her mad. During this scene, she exclaims "Out, damned spot!" (33), and in this quote we can see that Lady Macbeth is obsessing over the need to get rid of her sin (the "spot" in the quote), but is finding the task difficult. This quote represents an inner journey for Lady Macbeth, as it presents us with a remarkably different personality for the queen. Prior to this moment, Lady Macbeth regarded her crimes with cool indifference and chided her husband for his paranoia and guilt. Now, however, it seems that Lady Macbeth's sins have caught up with her, and it's apparent that it's more difficult to get rid of the past than she originally anticipated. As such, the inner journey here is Lady Macbeth's progression toward an important realization: one is not able to easily rid oneself of past crimes. In marked contrast to her prior calm in the face of evil, Lady Macbeth's inner journey results in a dramatic personal change that ultimately leads to her demise.

In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, how does the Englishman's search for the alchemist compare to Santiago's search for his treasure?

The Englishman first speaks with Santiago when he sees the boy playing with Urim and Thummim, the stones given to him by Melchizedek. They compare notes about the king who gave them to the boy and realize that they are both on journeys to achieve their Personal Legends. It is at this point that the Englishman wonders if meeting the boy might be an omen. Santiago asks who taught him about omens, whereupon the Englishman reveals that omens are part of the language of the world. It is for this purpose that the Englishman is in the desert and traveling with a caravan--he seeks the alchemist who knows this language and could teach it to him. Because of the similar knowledge shared between them, the Englishman asks the boy if he is searching for the alchemist as well. The following exchange occurs:

"'I'm looking for a treasure,' said the boy, and he immediately regretted having said it. But the Englishman appeared not to attach any importance to it. 'In a way, so am I,' he said" (70-71).

Even though the Englishman and the boy are searching for different things, each one is in search for his Personal Legend. Personal Legends are different for each person, so it doesn't matter what they are searching for. What matters is that the Englishman and Santiago both have much of the same knowledge and information to draw from to help them in their search.

What emotions do the images starting in line 19 of "The Guitar" ("Hot southern sands") convey to the reader? What theme or message is Lorca making...

Lorca's poem "The Guitar" is meant to imitate the sounds of a guitar and to use that sound and the image of a guitar to evoke the way in which life does not always fulfill one's hopes and yearnings. The poem presents a series of images that metaphorically represent the ways in which the guitar cries for what it cannot have but desperately wants. 

Lines 19-20 begin a series of images and metaphors about what the guitar cries for. These lines read, "Hot southern sands/ yearning for white camellias." This image is of a desert that yearns for lush flowers. Later lines present other objects yearning for what they cannot have, such as an arrow crying for a target, evening yearning for morning, and a bird that dies on the branch. The bird, a symbol of innocence, meets death instead of enjoying life. Then, Lorca compares a guitar to a heart that is hurt by "five swords," or the five fingers that play it. While the guitar wails for things it cannot have, it must suffer being wounded by five fingers. The emotions conveyed in these lines are suffering that arises from unrequited hopes, and the theme of the poem is that life is filled with this type of mournful longing. 

In Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare, what advice does Antonio give to Leonato?

If you are referring to Antonio's advice to Leonato in Act 5, Scene 1, Antonio advises Leonato to be patient and to make sure that the ones who have offended him suffer too.

Act 5, Scene 1 begins with Antonio telling Leonato to calm down. Basically, Leonato is in a state of extreme grief, and he is traumatized by questions surrounding Hero's chastity. So, Leonato is in no mood to listen to Antonio's advice. He tells Antonio to "cease" his "counsel," essentially stating that the only one who can comfort him will be someone who has gone through the exact same thing he has.

Leonato challenges Antonio to find him a father who can "Measure his woe the length and breadth" of his and "let it answer every strain for strain." He says that, if Antonio can find such a man, he will indeed listen to him and be patient. Since there is no such man, Leonato tells Antonio to cease with his advice. Leonato also asserts that most people think it is their duty to "speak patience / To those that wring under the load of sorrow," but he would rather do without such advice.

Antonio tells Leonato that he's no different from a child, and Leonato begs him to leave him alone. Then, Antonio gives Leonato a piece of advice that he agrees with: He tells Leonato not to suffer alone. Instead, he must make those who have hurt him suffer as well. Upon hearing this, Leonato asserts that Antonio " speak’st reason" and that he will make sure everyone who played a part in dishonoring Hero knows how she has been falsely accused.

Why did Lois Lowry write the book The Giver?

Lois Lowry first had the idea to create the world of The Giver when her father began suffering from memory loss in his old age.  She saw the suffering and emotional pain he went through when she reminded him that his other daughter had passed away many years before.  This gave Lowry the idea to create a fictional world in which there was no pain.  There were also no painful memories in such a world.  

Her father did not have control of his own memory in the later years of his life.  This made Lowry consider what life would be like if people did not have control of their memories.

In The Giver, members of the community do not have memories of pain or grief.  The Giver himself is the only person who holds these memories.  He protects the community by keeping these memories so they do not have to.  When the leaders in the community have a question about solving a problem, the Giver counsels them based on his memories.

How would you describe Atticus Finch as a parent?

Atticus Finch is a single father to his two children, Scout and Jem. He tells Jem to read a newspaper to Ms. Dubose, who is trying to die without being addicted to morphine. Atticus does this because he considers Mrs. Dubose's determination to overcome her addiction to be very courageous, and he wants Jem to see that courage and learn from it. Atticus also takes Scout and Jem to the courtroom with him during Tom's trial, showing he does not shelter his children from the reality of race relations in Maycomb. Additionally, Atticus teaches his children that cruelty for the sake of cruelty is wrong. An example of this would be when Atticus tells Jem that it's a sin to kill a mockingbird because they are innocent. Atticus does kill a rabid dog in the story, though, which shows Jem and Scout that sometimes one has to fight to protect oneself and others from danger. Atticus tells Jem to take care of and watch out for Scout, and Atticus does not make Scout dress up in girly clothes. He also talks to his children like they are adults. By letting his children be themselves and showing them respect, Atticus makes Jem and Scout more responsible and mature.  

What's a recurring question in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women?

A recurring thematic question in Little Women is the way in which Jo will define herself as an adult woman. While growing up, she wants to be a writer, and she doesn't see that work as compatible with traditional marriage. When Laurie proposes to Jo, she declines because she doesn't think she can be married to him while continuing to write. The marriages of her sisters, Meg and Amy, are more traditional, as it's understood that they will not continue to work once they are married. Amy in particular will have the life of a pampered woman after marrying Laurie, who is quite wealthy. At the end of the book, Jo agrees to marry Professor Bhaer, as she knows that he accepts her need to work and takes her writing seriously. After Aunt March dies, Jo turns her aunt's house, Plumfield, into a school that she runs with her husband. In the end, her marriage is one of equals and co-workers. 

How would you compare and contrast Claude McKay's “America” and “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus? How do the poems speak to each other?

Writing a 1,500-2,000 word paper requires creating a strong structure or outline and including metadiscourse to guide your reader through the paper. Your first step is to come up with a central thesis or theme which you state clearly in your introduction and support with textual evidence in your body paragraphs. 

For your thesis, you might start with pointing out that although both poems reflect the experience of immigrants in the United States, they differ strongly in attitude, with Lazarus emphasizing that the United States offers hope and opportunity to the poor and oppressed of other nations while McKay sees America as oppressive. You might approach the assignment by claiming the crucial differences in their attitudes were grounded in differences in the poets' cultural backgrounds, gender, and the time periods in which they lived.

The first body section of your paper might review the biographical backgrounds of the two writers. Emma Lazarus (July 22, 1849 – November 19, 1887) was of German Jewish descent and from a family which had lived and prospered in New York City for several generations. Claude McKay (September 15, 1889 – May 22, 1948) was a Jamaican-American who first arrived in the United States as a teenage student. While for Lazarus, the United States was a place of freedom for Jews, and one where she felt free to explore her Jewish heritage and be active in the Zionist movement, McKay's experience of the United States was one of discovering racism and oppression. 

Next, you might give an overview of the formal qualities of both works. Both are sonnets. Lazarus uses a Petrarchan form to amplify a contrast between the conquering triumphant image of ancient male statues and the warm welcome offered by the Statue of Liberty. She identifies the spirit of the statue as maternal and kind: 

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

For McKay, the spirit of America exemplifies the destructive power of the feminine:

. . . she feeds me bread of bitterness,

And sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth. . .

McKay uses the final couplet to look forward to the destruction of America.

The main sections of the body of your essay should address the ways the poems embody how differences in attitudes to race and gender affect views of the United States. 

How is Jerry's growth and evolving maturity reflected in his relationship with his mother in "Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing?

In the beginning of the narrative of "Through the Tunnel," Jerry stays close to his mother, asking permission to part from her, then returning to her after going to the rocky bay; later, he demands goggles and goes independently to the rocky bay.

• Dependence upon his mother

Because his mother is a widow and Jerry an only child, she is protective of her son; likewise, Jerry feels emotionally tied to her. At the beach, when she feels that he is not with her, she quickly turns around,

"Oh, there you are, Jerry!" ....Contrition sent him running back to her, And yet, as he ran, he looked back over his shoulder at the wild bay; and all morning...he was thinking of it." 

As Jerry's yearning to explore the rocky bay waxes, his mother senses that she may be keeping him too close to her now that he is eleven years old. So, although she is anxious, she gives Jerry permission to go the big beach. Jerry is excited to go, but still turns to find his mother on the beach:

When he was so far out...he floated on the buoyant surface and looked for his mother.

• A burgeoning independence

After his experiences with the boys who swim under the water and rebuff him, Jerry swims back to the other beach and returns to the villa where he and his mother are staying. He waits for her, and as soon as his mother enters, Jerry demands swimming goggles, "pant[ing], defiant, and beseeching." She agrees, but he "nagged and pestered" her until she takes him to a shop. Then, Jerry grabs the goggles and runs off without asking permission.

As quickly as he can, Jerry swims to the big barrier rock. Adjusting his goggles on his face, Jerry dives into the deep water. However, the force of the dive knocks his goggles out of place; so, he fills his lungs and adjusts his goggles in order to see below.

Jerry explores the rock and finds the hole. Then, he practices and practices until he feels dizzy. But, when his nose bleeds that night, his mother cautions him and insists that he accompany her the next day.

It was a torment to him to waste a day of his careful self-training, but he stayed with her...[where it] now seemed a place for small children....It was not his beach.

• Independence from his mother and a new maturity

The next day, Jerry does not ask permission to go to "his beach." Instead, he leaves before his mother has time to consider the "complicated rights and wrongs of the matter." When he arrives at the wild bay, Jerry ponders trying to go through the tunnel, but "[A] curious, most unchildlike persistence, a controlled impatience" leads him to wait.

After his mother tells Jerry that they must return home in four days, Jerry realizes that he must attempt to swim through the tunnel "if it killed him." So, he dives down, controlling himself, but feeling panic along with a sense of victory that he is moving through the tunnel. He knows that he must continue or he will drown. Finally, Jerry reaches the surface, although he feels that he may not be able to swim back to the rock. Yet, he manages, and when he removes his goggles, they are filled with blood.

In a little while, Jerry returns to the shore and makes his way up the path to the villa. He rushes to the bathroom to wash away the blood and the tear stains, but his mother senses that Jerry is too pale under his suntan. "How did you bang your head?" she asks him, while at the same time warning herself not to worry. Jerry only tells her that he can remain under water for three minutes, at least. Moreover, "it was no longer of the least importance to go to the bay" as he has already completed his rite of passage. 

According to your reading in Literary Criticism, Bressler notes that “Marx believed that the history of a people is directly based on the...

Why is Shevek surprised by the Urrasti economic system given its base and his Marxist views (See “Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels,” pages 166-170)?

Shevek's Marxist views heavily influence his perspective of the Urrasti economic system when he first arrives on the twin planet. The lush environment and resources of Urras mean that its economic system is far more diverse than that of Annares. The base of the economy of Urras is competition fueled by demand from the elite consumers.

The economic system of Urras is shocking to Shevek because it is such a stark contrast to Annares' egalitarian system. Competition is frowned upon by Annares' society, with the focus being on shared labor and shared resources. Shevek is alarmed to learn that Urras' citizens do not share but rather compete for the planet's abundant resources, creating what he views as an unnecessary economic burden on themselves.

As Shevek's time on Urras progresses, he becomes even more startled to learn of the vast economic divide between the Urrasti elite and the poorest classes. In Marxism, all must contribute and all must benefit accordingly. On the planet Urras, those who work hardest are often the ones who share least in the planet's bounty, which is a difficult concept for Shevek to accept.

What facets of the Urrasti superstructure reinforce the hegemony of the Urrasti social system (See “Antonio Gramsci, pages 172-173).

The hegemony of the Urrasti social system is not immediately apparent to Shevek, since he is kept as an esteemed guest and sheltered from the harsher realities of the planet. When he sneaks out to observe the poorer factions of Urrasti society, Shevek becomes aware that the ruling class lords over the poor in an often merciless way. The Urrasti superstructure contributes to this inequality in a variety of ways. While Shevek recognizes the Urrasti acceptance of diversity and brilliance as one of the superstructure's greatest strengths, he eventually observes that it is also used to fuel the elitism that runs rampant within the society.

Another way in which the structure of Urrasti reinforces the hegemony of the social system is favoritism. The elite of Urras are all either related or interconnected through interpersonal relationships, meaning that there is very little room for someone from the unofficial lower classes to move up in society. Ironically, although the Urrastis praise Shevek for his ability to rise among the homogeneous ranks of his home planet, the Urrasti elite do not value such diversity among their own populace.

How would you justify the frog's actions in the poem "The Frog and the Nightingale" by Vikram Seth?

Before the nightingale arrives in the bog, the frog is the only voice in "The Frog and the Nightingale" by Vikram Seth. Nothing "Stilled the frog's determination / To display his heart's elation." When the nightingale arrives, the frog is immediately replaced by her beautiful voice. In order to manipulate the nightingale into wearing out her voice (and, sadly, dying), the frog uses flattery. While this strategy may or may not be justified, it is certainly very savvy of the frog to praise the nightingale so she will do what he wants. The nightingale is "greatly flattered and impressed" that the frog praises her, so she allows him to change her song. The nightingale sings longer than she should, as she's impressed "with a breathless, titled crowd." The crowd that gathers to hear her sing is from the nobility, so she keeps singing, flattered by the attention of important people, even when she shouldn't. When the nightingale dies from singing too much, the frog says she was "Far too prone to influence. / Well, poor bird - she should have known / That your song must be your own." Even though the frog's actions were cruel, the nightingale fell prey to being his victim because she was vain. She should have just accepted that her song was short but sweet. 

How can I better understand McCullough's book 1776?

Perhaps the best way to understand David McCullough's book 1776 is to understand its division into three parts and to do some background reading on each of the battles that make up these parts. The book is told as a very compelling narrative, but it can be hard to understand the chronology of the historical events McCullough writes about. 

The first part covers the first battles of the Revolutionary War in New England--Lexington and Concord and the battle around Dorchester Heights--and introduces the reader to the leadership style of George Washington and his officers, such as the Quaker Nathanael Greene. Though the British thought they would quickly be victorious, the citizen-soldiers, as the author calls them, in the Continental Army forced the British to lose a surprising number of troops in the battle of Dorchester Heights.

The second section of the book shifts to the battle over New York and the fateful Battle of Brooklyn, also known as the Battle of Long Island, in which Washington's troops were forced to evacuate over the East River and eventually to New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The book's third section deals with the victory of Washington's troops at Trenton and Princeton, which rallied the Continental Army. If you read some brief background information on these major battles before reading the book, you will understand it better. 

How did the Civil Right Movement in the U.S. inspire activism in Australia?

In the 1950s, Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islands in Australia began to fight for civil rights. At that time, some states had laws that excluded Aborigines from citizenship, and other state laws decreed where they could live, where they could go, and who they could marry. Some Aborigines were not even the legal guardians of their children, and local policemen decided on their wages and paid them. The Aborigines' and Torres Strait Islanders' campaign for civil rights began when the 1956 report in the Western Australian Parliament on the state of the Aboriginal people in the Warburton Ranges was tabled. The press leaked the results of the report, which showed malnutrition, disease, and health problems among the Aborigines. In addition, the Australian desert had been used to test British nuclear weapons. In response to these conditions, activists launched a campaign to force the government to improve conditions for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders.

The campaign included the efforts of the Aborigines Advancement League with the work of figures such as Sir Douglas Nicholls, who would go on to become the first Aboriginal person to hold vice-regal office. Activists in the movement, such as Charles Perkins (who was the first Aboriginal person to graduate from a university in Australia) implemented tactics that he borrowed from the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. He led a Freedom Ride in 1965 though New South Wales to protest the ways Aboriginal people were treated and the discrimination they faced in education, housing, and healthcare. These rides were inspired by the U.S. Freedom Rides in 1961. He also tried to get into a swimming pool that barred Aborigines, a tactic also used by the American Civil Rights Movement. Finally, in 1967, a referendum was held that resulted in changing the Australian constitution, revoking the right of the government to legislate for Aborigines as a group and thereby recognizing them as citizens and giving them voting rights. 

What are the methods for macro environmental analysis?

In business, the macro environment is defined as the uncontrollable external factors that impact the organization’s operations, performance, and strategies. Due to the factor’s uncontrollable nature, the organization is forced to employ strategies that would help it adapt and continue thriving in the changed environment.

Approaches have been developed by organizations and business practitioners to help institutions analyze and make informed decisions with regards to the dynamic business environment.

The OT aspect of a SWOT analysis is one of the methods designed to address the macro environment. It deals with establishing the opportunities and threats presented by the dynamic external business environment.

PESTEL analysis is another method employed in the macro environmental analysis. The analysis framework examines an organization’s external environment to anticipate changes and facilitate the appropriate reaction.

The OT and PESTEL analyses study and examine metrics that include the following: political environment, economic environment, socio-cultural environment, technological environment, legal environment and the natural environment.

In Zindel's The Pigman, what is Lorraine's nightmare about? What incident does the dream foreshadow?

Lorraine has a dream that she is in Mr. Pignati's house.  She is forced to walk into his pig collection room.  Once in the room, she sees the pigs on a black coffin.  Lorraine believes that the dream is a bad omen of sorts.  She's not wrong either.  The dream does foreshadow two heartbreaking events.  

The first event is the death of Mr. Pignati's pig collection.  John decides to have a small party at Mr. Pignati's house while Mr. Pignati is still recovering in the hospital.  Things get out of hand when Norton shows up, and Norton destroys the pig collection.  Lorraine's dream shows the pigs on a coffin, so it basically hints that the pigs will die.  

The dream also foreshadows Mr. Pignati's death.  At the end of the novel, Mr. Pignati suffers another heart attack, and this time it kills him.  The coffin in Lorraine's dream is not only meant for the pigs, but also for Mr. Pignati.  

What venture does Salerio mention? According to Salerio and Solanio, what would be the reason for Antonio's sadness?

In Act One, Scene 1, Salerio and Solanio are having a conversation with their depressed friend, Antonio. Antonio mentions that he doesn't know why he is in such a terrible mood and that he feels tired and confused. Salerio comments that Antonio is worried about his merchant ships that are sailing on the treacherous sea. Salerio mentions that he would also be worried and in a depressed mood if his precious ship Andrew were grounded or sunk after a storm. He then tells Antonio that he cannot fool him because he knows Antonio is worried about his goods. Solanio agrees with Salerio, and they both initially think that Antonio is upset about his ships at sea. When Antonio mentions that he is not upset about his merchandise, Solanio says that Antonio must be in love. However, Antonio dismisses Solanio's assumption that he is in love, and Solanio ponders how peculiar some people are.

Use strain theory to define and explain the following: the theft of a loaf of bread by a hungry person.

Strain theory was developed by Robert K. Merton in the 1950s and has been used in sociology and criminology. The theory states says that structures in society may cause individuals to feel pressure that is at the root of their criminal behaviors. For example, society may make individuals feel that they have to achieve the American Dream, so they may commit crimes such as theft to achieve the appearance of wealth or success. General Strain Theory, developed by Robert Agnew in the 1990s, states that an individual who feels strain may feel stress that motivates them to commit a crime. This theory considers a broad range of stressors rather than just concentrating on the attainment of wealth as earlier theories did. For example, if someone were hungry, this would cause the individual to feel negative stimuli. To remove this negative stimuli, the person would be motivated to steal bread. 

In Maniac Magee, what is the relationship between Maniac and Grayson?

A standard way to answer this question is going to say that the relationship between Maniac and Grayson is a father and son type relationship.  Maniac has run away from home, and he is searching for some kind of family.  Grayson, for a short time, fills that role.  He takes Maniac in and acts as a supporting father should.  At times Grayson is a caretaker, and other times Grayson is a friend to Maniac.  Maniac in turn sees Grayson as an authority figure.  Additionally, Maniac sees Grayson as a source of fatherly wisdom about life in general.  

The relationship does change at one point though to become a teacher and student relationship.  That occurs when Maniac decides to teach Grayson how to read.  I believe that Grayson and Maniac are practically made for each other, which is why it is so sad that Grayson dies.  

How does Oscar Wilde mock Victorian society in "The Nightingale and the Rose?"

In "The Nightingale and the Rose," Wilde mocks several aspects of Victorian society. Firstly, through the character of the girl, Wilde satirises contemporary courtship rituals and conceptions of love. That she will only accept a red rose, for example, demonstrates the shallow and materialistic understanding of love among young people of the Victorian middle class. Similarly, Wilde further mocks the middle class when the girl refuses the red rose, on the grounds that it does not match her dress. 

Secondly, Wilde satirises Victorian society when the Nightingale sings of her pending sacrifice to the student. We see this most clearly in the following lines:

The student could not understand what the Nightingale was saying to him, for he only knew the things that were written down in books.

In this example, Wilde mocks the Victorian definition of knowledge and suggests that true knowledge and understanding comes from the everyday world, not just academic books. Had the student grasped this idea, he would have realised the Nightingale's sacrifice and, in turn, understood the real meaning of love.  

Prove that `2 + sec(x) cosec(x) = (sin x + cos x)^2 / (sin x cos x).`

`2+secxcscx=(sinx+cosx)^2/(sinxcosx)`

To prove, consider the left side of the equation.

`2+secxcscx`

Express the secant and cosecant in terms of cosine and sine, respectively.

`=2+1/cosx*1/sinx`

`=2+1/(sinxcosx)`

To add, express them as two fractions with same denominators.

`=2*(sinxcosx)/(sinxcosx)+1/(sinxcosx)`

`=(2sinxcosx)/(sinxcosx) + 1/(sinxcosx)`

`=(2sinxcosx + 1)/(sinxcosx)`

Apply the Pythagorean identity `sin^2x+cos^2x=1` .

`=(2sinxcosx+sin^2+cos^2x)/(sinxcosx)`

`=(sin^2x+2sinxcosx+cos^2x)/(sinxcosx)`

And, factor the numerator.

`= ((sinx +cosx)(sinx+cosx))/(sinxcosx)`

`=(sinx+cosx)^2/(sinxcosx)`

Notice that this is the same expression that the right side of the equation have. Thus, this proves that the  `2+secxcscx=(sinx+cosx)^2/(sinxcosx)`  is an identity.

Can someone help me have a deeper understanding the oxymoron "sick health" in Romeo and Juliet? How does this show Romeo's feelings about love?

In this speech, Romeo is describing not what he thinks of love in general but, instead, the way unrequited love feels to him. He loves—or believes he loves—Rosaline, but Rosaline does not love him back. Not only this, but she has sworn to remain chaste, and she proclaims she will never be with him. This causes Romeo to feel a little desperate, and he describes the pain of loving someone who does not love him back. This is why he uses so many oxymorons: his language seems to be as conflicted as his emotions. He loves her—a good feeling—but he is also in pain because she does not return his affection—a bad feeling. Using oxymorons like "sick health," Romeo describes the conflict he feels. Unrequited love is like "sick health" because health is a good thing, like loving, but sickness is a bad thing, like one's love not being returned.

Summarize the conversation between Raina and Bluntschli in Act 1.

In Act 1 of Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw, Raina and Bluntschli have an extended conversation. The conversation begins when Bluntschli, a Swiss mercenary who has been fighting for the Serbs, climbs up Raina's drainpipe onto her balcony to escape the Bulgarian soldiers looking for Serbian stragglers after a battle. 

Initially, Bluntschli appears to be in a position of power and Raina a frightened young girl threatened by a professional soldier armed with a pistol, but as the conversation continues, their positions are reversed, and we discover Bluntschli to be practical, tired, hungry, and rather unthreatening. Over the course of the conversation, Raina's doubts about the traditional romantic and literary view of war are confirmed by the sensible views of a professional soldier who is distinctly anti-heroic in character. Bluntschli educates Raina while she protects him.

In this conversation we see that despite their initial apparent differences, the two characters are attracted to each other and compatible, something that sets up their marriage at the end of the play.

In Rules of the Game, Waverly's mother says the "strongest wind cannot be seen." What does she mean by this? How does this idea show up in the story?

Waverly says she learned the art of invisible strength from her mother. The invisible strength of the strongest wind means she does not always say what she is thinking and she acts as a hidden threat. This is one of the ways she is able to become so successful at chess. She watches and learns. No one really expects a little girl in ribbons to be a chess champion.

Waverly was good at chess because she was intelligent enough to learn from what others taught her. Her mother realizes the value of Waverly becoming good at chess and allows her to play with the men in the park. Waverly watches them.

I learned why it is essential in the endgame to have foresight, a mathematical understanding of all possible moves, and patience; all weaknesses and advantages become evident to a strong adversary and are obscured to a tiring opponent. I discovered that for the whole game one must gather invisible strengths and see the endgame before the game begins.

The wind becomes a metaphor for Waverly's inner voice. She listens to her instincts, the wind inside of her, and she becomes more and more successful. She uses these insights to secretly sneak up on her opponents.

"Blow from the South," it murmured. "The wind leaves no trail." I saw a clear path, the traps to avoid. The crowd rustled. "Shhh! Shhh!" said the corners of the room. The wind blew stronger. "Throw sand from the East to distract him." The knight came forward ready for the sacrifice.

The concept of the strongest wind does not just apply to chess. Waverly uses her wind to give herself a voice. In a way, she was following her mother's own advice when she told off her mother. She just did not quite follow it in the way her mother intended. Waverly was just a little too rude. She was independent, but forgot to be strong and silent.

How does Holden feel about his brother D.B.’s having become a screenwriter in The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger?

Holden Caulfield is repulsed by his brother's profession as a screenwriter.

In the opening chapter, Holden explains that his brother D. B. lives in Hollywood, not far from the hospital where he is. Holden relates that D.B. was a "regular writer" when he lived at home, and he wrote a "terrific book of short stories, The Secret Goldfish." But, Holden remarks, "Now that he's out in Hollywood, D. B. [is] being a prostitute." He adds, "If there's one thing I hate, it's the movies."

What Holden probably means is that when he was a freelance writer, D. B. expressed his own ideas and exercised his own creativity, so there was a genuine quality to his writing; however, now, as a screenwriter, D.B. writes what is demanded by other people, such as directors and producers. Thus, he has "prostituted" himself.

When Holden mentions his hatred for movies along with his disgust for his brother's being a screenwriter, these remarks seem to foreshadow his repulsion for phoniness as well as his cynicism that is expressed later in the narrative.