In Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, why did the different areas of Austronesia develop so differently?

The Austronesian expansion refers to one of the largest population movements of the past 6,000 years, in which people of Taiwan (or, as Diamond states, "stemming ultimately from mainland China") colonized Java and Indonesia.

Diamond suggests that different areas of Austronesia developed differently, stating that the outcomes of the expansion in the New Guinea region were almost opposite to those of the Philippines and Indonesia. In New Guinea, indigenous populations managed to keep "invaders" at bay, while the Philippines and Indonesia saw their indigenous populations wiped out by the new arrivals. 

Diamond chalks this phenomenon up to the differences in cultural circumstances in these areas. New Guinea's indigenous population already had a firm grasp on food production (and were able to successfully accept the introduction of Austronesian pigs, chickens, and dogs), were in possession of polished stone tools, were resistant to tropical diseases, were accomplished seafarers, and had developed trade; Indonesia and the Philippines, on the other hand, were mostly populated by a small group of hunter-gathers who didn't have such honed skills or tools. 

Diamond summarizes this quite effectively near the end of Chapter 17, stating:

In short, the variable outcomes of the Austronesian expansion strikingly illustrate the role of food production in human population movements. Austronesian food-producers migrated into two regions (New Guinea and Indonesia) occupied by resident peoples who were probably related to each other. The residents of Indonesia were still hunter-gatherers, while the residents of New Guinea were already food producers and had developed many of the concomitants of food production (dense populations, disease resistance, more advanced technology, and so on). As a result, while the Austronesian expansion swept away the original Indonesians, it failed to make much headway in the New Guinea region, just as it also failed to make headway against Austroasiatic and Tai-Kadai food producers in tropical Southeast Asia.

In other words, the differences in these indigenous populations' cultural advancements and their ability (or inability) to create a sustainable food source resulted in their respective victory (or defeat) over the colonization efforts of Austronesians. 

Match equations "a" though "d" with vector fields "A" though "D", as shown on the attachment.

In order to match these two-dimensional vector field with their equations, try to predict how the x- and y- components of each field will vary with the values of x and y, and then check which of the graphs shows the field with expected behavior.

For example, for the field a), the x-component is zero everywhere. This means that the field vectors will only have y-component, or be vertical, everywhere. This is case on the graph (D). Notice also that the length of the field vector gets larger as the absolute value of x gets larger, which is consistent with the y-component being equal to the square of x. 

For the field b), the x-component is x - y. This means the x-component is zero whenever x = y, which is on the line with the equation y = x, or bisector of the angle between the positive x- and y-axes. The field vectors on this line should be vertical. This is the case on the graph (C). Another feature that confirms that b) corresponds to (C) is that the y-component of the field vectors is positive and gets larger as x is positive and gets larger. This is consistent with the fact that y-component equals to x.

For the field c), the x-component of the field vectors is expected to be positive when x is positive (and negative when x is negative). However, y-component should be negative when y is positive, and vice versa. This is true for the graph (B).

Finally, for the field d) (which of course has to match (A) because this is the only one left), both x-and y- components of the field vectors are positive in the first quadrant, as expected. In the second quadrant, the y-component is negative but the x-component is still positive, which is again consistent. Notice also that the field vectors at the line y = x are directed at 45 degrees with the horizontal, because the x-and y-components of the field have to be equal there.

To summarize:

a) - (D)

b) - (C)

c) - (B)

d) - (A)

There is not one single best teaching method for everyone in all contexts. Comment.

Most classrooms are heterogeneous, which means that they have a diverse group of students in them.  In a diverse group, people will be coming from different backgrounds and experiences and will not learn the same way.  Most classrooms will have people with different first languages and different competencies with the subject, as well as different levels of maturity and different intelligence levels.  For this reason, you need to differentiate lessons, or create slightly alternate versions for different groups.

It is important to remember that people have other reasons that they might need different approaches to a subject.  Teachers should try to get to know students as best they can.  A teacher who differentiates a lesson should consider how to group students into categories, because you cannot really individualize for everyone.  As much as you would want to, it is not practical. 

One way to make sure that students’ diverse needs are met is to scaffold, which means to front-load the lesson by providing students with background vocabulary and information.  You can also include pictures or video to help the students who have no experience with the subject.  This puts everyone on a more even playing field and makes the lesson easier.

When differentiating a lesson, you want to create options for students or put them in different groups or with different assignments, based on their needs.  These options mean that everyone can learn the content in his or her best way, according to his or her needs.  You decide the categories based on knowledge of students and assessment of the specific skills.  Groups should be fluid, changing as needed based on new assessment data.

How is the stranger's dream ironic in Hawthorne's "The Ambitious Guest"?

The guest's dream is ironic because he states that he does not want to die until he builds his monument. Little does he know that he will soon die, and it is precisely a monument that is built as a result of his visit, although it is a monument to the deaths of the cottagers, while he is unknown. 

It is ironic, too, that the young guest who stops at the lodge naturally feels that he has ample time in order to discover himself, achieve his goals, and acquire the renown he so optimistically anticipates. At first, his guests are skeptical of his ambitions, but soon the father tells his wife that the young man's talk has made him think of things that he would like to do. Then, this ambition becomes contagious as the other family members discuss what they have dreamed of doing. And, yet the mother has a strange premonition:

"We're in a strange way, tonight," said the wife, with tears in her eyes. "They say it's a sign of something, when folks' minds go a-wandering so. Hark to the children!"

In another irony, the guest's arrival prevents the family from paying attention to the weather outside as they speak of their silent ambitions. When they finally hear the sounds of the avalanche, they rush from the cottage to their place of refuge, only to be killed. And the monument that their guest wanted constructed for himself serves instead to recall only the family. 

What are Antonio's thoughts after he guarantees a pound of his own flesh to Shylock if he does not repay his loan?

In Act I, Scene 3 of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Antonio agrees to a preposterous proposal by the sneaky Shylock — that he pledge a pound of his own flesh as a guarantee if he can’t come up with Bassanio’s payment in three months. 

SHYLOCK: “…let the forfeit

Be nominated for an equal pound

Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken

In what part of your body pleaseth me.”

Confident he will have no problem securing the necessary amount, Antonio not only pledges a pound of his own flesh, but also states he will have the sum ready in two months.

After Shylock leaves, we see a note of sarcasm from Antonio:

The Hebrew [Shylock] will turn Christian: he grows kind.

Bassanio replies that he does not like the terms of this agreement, even calling Shylock a “villain”. 

Antonio, unfazed by the intense meaning of his deal with Shylock, consoles Bassanio with these words:

Come on: in this there can be no dismay;

My ships come home a month before the day.

Antonio is completely unruffled by Shylock’s severe demand, confident his ships will be prosperous and bear the money Antonio will need to pay back his loan. Even though his own flesh is on the line, Antonio is far calmer about the arrangement than Bassanio, even being so bold as to crack a joke about Shylock.

What are Kevin's fears in Freak the Mighty?

Kevin ("Freak") doesn't fear anything in Freak the Mighty.  He has a birth defect that leaves him with a leg brace and crutches. Others judge and stare, but he isn't bothered by it in the slightest.  He ignores the comments and looks.  Kevin is confident enough to be who he truly is.  He may be physically small, but he is enormous in smarts.  He loves to read and learns an amazing amount of new and wonderful vocabulary.  He even creates his own dictionary.  Kevin is a genuine boy who is tough, feisty, and quite funny.  "Freak" is willing to share his intelligence with his new friend, Max, and he feels good about doing so.  Together they go on many fun-filled adventures, helping others along the way and enjoying life as different but kindred individuals.  Kevin is very aware of his looming illness and maybe that is why he doesn't have any true fears.  He is hopeful of getting a robotic transplant to extend his life.  But he knows his time is limited and is making the best of every day.  Living each day as if it were his last...as if each day were a gift.

In The Egypt Game, how does Elizabeth respond to the Egypt Game?

Elizabeth is introduced to readers about a third of the way through the book.  April and Melanie are tasked with making her feel welcome.  They agree to the task, but they do not agree to share their Egypt Game with her . . . yet.  April and Melanie decide to do their own vetting process in order to make sure that Elizabeth can be brought in on their secret game.  Elizabeth wins them over, and the bonus is that she looks like Nefertiti too.  

When April and Melanie tell Elizabeth about the Egypt Game, Elizabeth is super positive about the entire thing.  She doesn't scoff at it or anything like that.  She just jumps right in.  Best of all, she immediately begins playing within the rules already established.  She doesn't try to change anything about the Game.  

Elizabeth turned out to be just what the Egypt Game needed to make it perfect. Of course, she didn’t have many ideas; but then, she was younger and hadn’t had a chance to learn much about ancient history. Besides, April and Melanie had almost more ideas than they could use anyway. Elizabeth helped in other ways.

She was just crazy about every part of the Egypt Game, and she was full of admiring comments.

What are five benefits and five shortcomings of oral storytelling and written storytelling?

This is such an interesting question!  Let's see if we can think through five advantages and five disadvantages for these two vital forms of storytelling.

First, when we tell a story, as opposed to offering it in writing, we are able to adjust to our audience in our style, a disadvantage for the written story.  We will tell a story to a young child in a very different manner than we would to an adult. We might make the story shorter, eliminate some racy aspect of it, and choose simpler vocabulary.  This is a distinct advantage over words that are "frozen" on the page, thus conferring a disadvantage upon the written word, since the written word cannot be changed on the spot.

Second, when we tell a story, this allows us a physical intimacy and immediacy that are not gained with a written story.  The act of reading is by its nature a solitary act, while storytelling is a social act.  Even for reading aloud, the reader's eyes must drop down to do the reading, a barrier between the reader and the audience.  Oral storytelling, even if the audience does not speak, creates a kind of dialogue between audience and reader that is personal and here and now. 

Third, oral storytelling is evanescent, while the written story persists in a form that can last for thousands of years and can travel around the world. We are still reading stories from the ancient Romans and Greeks, for example, and routinely read stories from all over the world. In fact, if we ever get to Mars, we can take our written stories with us! The written word has a powerful advantage this way, while the story told disappears.

Fourth, because of the fleeting nature of the spoken word and the enduring nature of the written one, people can make meaning more easily of the written word than the spoken one.  Listening to a story is a very different kind of act from reading a story. I hear a sentence and the words are gone.  Someone next to me laughs, and I miss the words.  I hear something I like, but I cannot focus on it for an extra second because more words are coming.   But I can read at my own pace, slowly or quickly or somewhere in between.  I can read a passage more than once.  I can go back and check on the name of a character.  I can even cheat and see what the ending of the story is.  As I have these freedoms, the story can be far more meaningful to me than a story I have heard. I am able to take the time to make connections with other stories I have read or with events in my own life.  The written story is able to resonate in a way that the story told aloud simply cannot. 

Fifth, a disadvantage to oral storytelling and an advantage to the story told in writing is that the latter has far more utility for someone who seeks to polish writing and reading skills, which everyone should want to do. When we read, we can come to understand far more easily how a story is constructed. When we read, we can learn new words that we can use ourselves.  When we read, we expose ourselves to different styles of writing.  All of these are helpful as we read more to become better readers and we practice writing. We can emulate a style.  We can create a plot line more easily. We come to understand how to show a reader a character or an idea.  Some of this might be glimpsed in passing with a story told orally, but it is far less likely.

For thousands of years, we could only tell stories orally.  However, once we began to write, oral storytelling was by no means abandoned because, as you can see, it continues to have some powerful advantages.  Reading a story has other advantages, which we would never want to give up.  

How do the Cratchits react to their Christmas feast, and what does their celebration show Scrooge in Dickens' A Christmas Carol?

The Cratchit family is grateful for their feast even though it is meager, and Scrooge realizes that you do not need much to be happy as long as you have people you love.

The Cratchit family reminds Scrooge what it means to be deliberately happy.  The Cratchits are happy because they want to be.  The enjoy each other’s company.  They make the most of small luxuries.  They love each other, and because they do not have much they savor what they have.

Scrooge, who is a stingy miser who spends his nights eating alone and usually just has gruel because it is cheap, is astonished when he sees how excited the Cratchits are about their Christmas feast.  They are making much of little.

And now two smaller Cratchits, boy and girl, came tearing in, screaming that outside the baker's they had smelt the goose, and known it for their own; and basking in luxurious thoughts of sage and onion … (Ch. 3)

The Cratchits all enjoy their goose, and their gravy, apple-sauce and potatoes.  The goose was cooked at the baker’s because they didn’t have a way to cook it.  They were too poor.  When they were praising the goose, the fact that it was cheap was one of the things they were most proud of.  The pudding was also a source of admiration for all.

Everybody had something to say about it, but nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family. It would have been flat heresy to do so. Any Cratchit would have blushed to hint at such a thing. (Ch. 3)

The Cratchits would never complain that there wasn’t enough to eat or the dinner was not fine enough. When Scrooge is toasted as the “Founder of the Feast,” Mrs. Cratchit objects at first, calling him “odious.”   Bob tells her to think of the children and she agrees to toast.

The celebration the Cratchits have tells Scrooge that family is more important than money, and you should savor what you do have.  Holidays are about more than spending and presents.  Holidays are about being with the ones you love and enjoying time with them.

Describe what happens from the time Frampton Nuttel enters the Sappleton home with particular attention to why things happen the way they do in...

In "The Open Window," Framton Nuttel brings his frayed nerves and letters of introduction to Mrs. Stappleton's home, but flees in terror the same day.

• Having arrived at the Stappleton home, Framton Nuttel finds himself sitting across from Mrs. Stappleton's niece, endeavoring to say something that is proper and appropriate.


• Secretly, he wonders if this visit and any others will provide him the purported nerve cure he is supposed to be seeking in the countryside.


• Holding his letter of introduction, Framton wonders if Mrs. Stappleton is nice.


• After a considerable silence, the niece asks, "Do you know many of the people round here?"


• Framton explains that he is stranger, but his sister stayed at the rectory for four years and has provided him with letters of introduction.


• Then the girl asks, "Then you know practically nothing about my aunt?" and Framton answers, "Only her name and address."


• So, Vera dives right in on her tall tale: "Her great tragedy happened just three years ago...that would be since your sister's time." (The niece, Vera, begins, secure in her surety that Framton will suspect nothing since he know no one.)


• She begins her tale of how Mr. Stappleton and Mrs. Stappleton's two brothers went out the open window for a "day's shooting." But, tragically, they were "engulfed in a treacherous piece of bog" and never seen again.


• Because their bodies were never recovered, Vera adds, "Poor aunt always thinks that they will come back, and walk in the window as they always did." This is why the window is open now.


• Vera continues and tells how Mrs. Stappleton's brother Ronnie would return as he sings, "Bertie, why do you bound?" She adds that even she has an eerie feeling as though they might really return.


• Framton is completely taken in and unnerved by this tale. So when Mrs. Stappleton enters, he is relieved, thinking all this talk of hunting will end.


• When she is seated, Mrs. Stappleton says, "I hope you don't mind the open window...my husband and brothers will be home directly from shooting." She explains that when they return, she always has them enter through the window rather than traipsing over the carpets.


• Framton is horrified as Mrs. Stappleton rambles on about the scarcity of birds and the prospects of ducks. He tries to divert Mrs. Stappleton away from such talk, but she keeps looking out the window.


• He grows nervous, wishing he had not visited on this tragic anniversary. He tells Mrs. Stappleton that his doctors have prescribed rest and absence of mental excitement, and then he elaborates upon his ailments to which he gets no audience.


• Mrs. Stappleton manages a few sounds, but watches intently out the window for her family. Framton looks in sympathy at the niece, but she is staring in feigned open-mouthed horror out the window.


• The figures of the men and the dog become visible  in the twilight. As they near the house, one of the boys sings, "I said, Bertie, why do you bound?" This is just as Vera has described him.


• Hearing this song that a dead person is supposed to have sung sends Framton racing to grab his things in the hallway as he flees the Stappleton home. He hurries out and down the lane, believing he has seen the dead.


• As he approaches, Mr. Stappleton greets his wife outside the window, "Here we are, my dear." He asks who that was he saw that "bolted out" as they arrived. Mrs. Stappleton tells him, "A most extraordinary man." She says he talked incessantly about his ailments, and without even saying good-bye. "One would think he had seen a ghost." She knows nothing of her niece's fabricated tale, and wonders what is wrong.


• Nonchalantly, the girl who has caused all this confusion, says, "I expect it was the spaniel....he told me he had a horror of dogs." Then she launches into a tall tale about a pack of dogs that supposedly attacked Nuttel, and he had to spend the night in a newly dug grave.
  "Romance at short notice was her specialty."

What are some negative traits of Tom Sawyer in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?

Some of Tom Sawyer's negative traits are his mischievousness, ability to manipulate others, and his selfishness. For example, in the famous whitewashing scene, Tom manipulates the other boys into doing his punishment of white washing the fence for him by making painting the fence seem like a difficult job that not many people can do. Because Tom presents the task in that way, the boys are eager to jump at the chance to show they can paint the fence too, giving Tom "treasures" in exchange for a chance. Tom manipulates his friends for his own benefit. He gets out of his punishment and receives items in return. 

Those treasures Tom uses to exchange for tickets from Sunday School, tickets earned for memorizing Bible verses. Tom's lack of knowledge of the Bible is apparent, when after proudly showing his unearned tickets and receiving his Bible, he declares two of the disciples to be David and Goliath. Tom does not want the Bible so he can go home and read it; he selfishly wants recognition for accomplishments not his own.

The last example of Tom's selfishness is when he, Joe, and Huck run away to Jackson's Island to become pirates. Tom is feeling low and wants to escape. However, he does not care about the repercussions of his leaving. Everyone back in town thinks the boys are dead. Joe's mother and Aunt Polly are distraught. Tom sneaks away from the island to secretly visit Aunt Polly to see if people are devastated over his absence. He wants to know if people are missing him. 

Can you tell me a little bit about Christianity?

Christianity is one of the three Abrahamic faiths and members of this religion follow the teachings of Jesus Christ as described in the New Testament of the Bible. Jesus of Nazareth was a rabbi from the Galilee region of Israel and believed himself to be the son of God. As the narrative has it, Jesus was born to a virgin mother and committed no sins during his life. Because he was the son of God, he was able to live a life free from sin and totally in accordance with God's intention for humankind. In addition to preaching publicly and performing miracles, Jesus issued a new commandment to the people of Israel to be followed in addition to the ten Mosaic commandments. At the time, many people were technically following the ten commandments communicated through Moses but were otherwise unkind or unjust to each other. Before being put to death for claiming himself to be the son of God — and having gained followers who believed this about him, too — Jesus urged his followers to treat one another as they wished to be treated and to love their enemies. 

Christianity has transformed quite a lot in the nearly two-thousand years since it has gained a following. Early on, Christians were considered to be a weird bunch of people because they broke with many Jewish traditions like ritual sacrifice of animals and circumcision of infants. In the year 312 CE, the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and issued official laws demanding tolerance of Christians. His actions helped transition the Roman Empire from a patchwork of Jewish and indigenous folk traditions to a fully Christian territory. Throughout European history, the religion of kings or warlord rulers has generally served as the official religion of the people they rule. Christian kings like Charlemagne and Louis IX helped preserve Christianity in the West even after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Today, hundreds of Christian denominations exist. The largest Christian denomination is Roman Catholicism. There are also Protestant sects, including Baptists, Pentecostals, and Lutherans. The reason for so many variations in Christian practice is that, over time, people have continued to interpret Scripture and the teachings of Jesus Christ and have come to disagree over some meanings and practices within the Church. 

What sort of evidence is there that the earth is or is not flat?

At this point, there is such overwhelming evidence that the earth is round and revolves around the sun that the only way in which it makes sense to discuss flat earth theories is in historical context. 

Before the advent of modern technology and science, or understanding of gravity, many cultures considered the earth to be flat. Much of this was simply intuitive, due to the fact that it appears flat as we walk or ride horses or sail across short distances in sail boats. Although many Mesopotamian and other early cultures considered the world flat, as explorers traveled across larger distances and measured the positions of the sun from different latitudes, they began to realize that the earth was in fact spherical, but sufficiently large that its curvature was not readily observable by the naked eye. By 240 BC, the Greek scientist Eratosthenes had calculated the radius of the earth with a fair degree of accuracy, and increasingly accurate calculations of earth's radius and its distance from the sun became common in antiquity and have continued to be improved upon until the present.

The first circumnavigation of the globe was completed by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1522 by ship. With modern technology, circumnavigation of the earth has become common, as have direct observations of a spherical earth from space. 

How does William Wordsworth link imagination to poetry in his "Preface to Lyrical Ballads"?

Lyrical Ballads was first published in 1798. Co-authors William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge broke a lot of new ground and created a quite revolutionary text. Before what is termed the Romantic Period, poetry was defined by and praised for its stringent format, obvious and convoluted syntax (sentence structure and word order), and lofty topic choice. The Ideal poem adhered to a very set meter, rhyme scheme, and / or line length. Furthermore, the Ideal poem adhered to very specific subject matter that tended to be focused more toward “high” art and society (some good examples of this are Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock” and John Donne’s Meditations). Though imagination is certainly inherent in any creative text, the authors of Lyrical Ballads were of the opinion that such stringent control of a poem limited imagination. And they set out to change this.

Wordsworth and Coleridge believed that poetry should be accessible to all people, that it should be stripped of the convoluted mystery that surrounded it, and that it first and foremost should focus upon the everyday / average person’s experience. When one begins to think of poetry in these terms, it opens up a new and unexplored world.

There are several points in the “Preface” to Lyrical Ballads that highlight precisely how Wordsworth interpreted imagination:

Poetry as the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling”: Wordsworth here describes his notion of poetry as something that is not highly structured or pre-determined by tradition. Rather, he thinks of poetry as something that should flow naturally, spontaneously, from the writer. This is certainly the core of imagination. Without trying to fit in a pre-determined format and without censoring thought and subject matter, the writer is free to use his / her imagination in a way they previously weren’t.

Poetry as “emotion recollected in tranquility”: This description encourages the writer of poetry to 1) rely heavily upon emotion, and 2) take time to revisit the time and place in which that emotion occurred. Such an opinion focuses more upon the writer’s own emotions, upon the writer’s imagination, rather than upon a strict adherence to any particular form or structure. The substance of the poem becomes the content and the feeling it creates rather than the structure and format it follows.

Poetry should be written in the “real language of men”:  Here Wordsworth makes a very bold statement for his time – poems should be accessible to all people. How often have we read a poem and been overwhelmed by the dense and convoluted language? When we encounter a poem like that, does it move us in any way? Are we able to take pleasure in it? Or even understand it? If we aren’t able to do any of those things, how is our imagination piqued? Wordsworth calls on poets to use accessible, everyday language in order to make poetry more relatable to the audience – and when an audience engages with a text, there is a shared imagination between poet and reader that did not previously exit.

The above are only three examples from the “Preface” to Lyrical Ballads which demonstrate the crucial role imagination plays in the entire text. Reading the poems, you will see the ways in which both authors put these tenets into effect. Lyrical Ballads is a seminal text which greatly determined much of literature that came after it by encouraging a movement toward the emotional and imaginative aspects of art and human experience.

What are the life lessons in Bleachers by John Grisham?

One of the lessons in Grisham's Bleachers is that winning doesn't always justify what it takes to win. For example, when Coach Eddie Rake dies at the end of the book, a former player on his football team, Mike Hilliard, delivers one of the eulogies at his funeral. He says:

"The practices were beyond brutal... Our parents were alarmed. My mother told me later she felt like I was off at war. Unfortunately, I've seen war. And I would prefer it over Camp Rake" (page 206).

Coach Rake is merciless when training his team, and he makes them practice even after games are over and their parents and friends are waiting for them. His relentlessness about practicing and concentrating on basics mean that the team wins, but it also results in tragedy when Scotty Reardon, a sophomore, dies of heatstroke during a practice. In addition, Coach Rake hits the protagonist, Neely Crenshaw, during the halftime of an important game. As a result, Neely has not forgiven him in the fourteen years since he has been in his hometown, Messina.

However, another lesson of the book is that each person has both good and bad and that people need to practice forgiveness. After Coach Rake dies, several players deliver eulogies that present another, deeper and more positive side of Coach Rake. Mike Hilliard says, "Eddie Rake allowed us, players and fans, to touch greatness, to be a part of it" (page 209). The Messina players experience something that approaches perfection by playing on the team, and Hilliard says that this experience is unlike anything the players have gone through in their lives because of Coach Rake's work ethic. In addition, Reverend Collis Suggs, who was the first African-American captain of the Messina football team, recalls that Coach Rake was very accepting of African-American players when they first went to the high school through a court-ordered program of desegregation. Suggs says in his eulogy of Coach Rake, "He said he didn't care what color we were. All his players wore green" (page 212). The coach's fair-minded attitude paved the way for other football teams across the state to desegregate.

Finally, Neely says of the coach in his eulogy, "Once you've played for Eddie Rake, you carry him with you forever... And you want to thank him for teaching you that success isn't an accident" (page 222). Even though Neely has long held a grudge against the coach, he forgives him in the end because he respects the coach's emphasis on excellence. By forgiving his coach after many years of feeling bitter, Neely can move on in his life and consider both the positive and negative sides of his former coach. Therefore, Grisham's book teaches the reader that people have to forgive others and understand all the sides of their multifaceted personalities.

`f(x) = ln(x - 3)` Use the derivative to determine whether the function is strictly monotonic on its entire domain and therefore has an...

`f(x)=ln(x-3)`

Take note that a function is strictly monotonic if it is increasing on its entire domain or decreasing on its entire domain.

For our function,

`f(x)=ln(x-3)`

to determine if it is strictly monotonic, let's first figure out its domain.

Take note that in logarithm, its argument should be above zero. So to get its domain, set its argument x-3 greater than zero.

`x-3gt0`

`xgt3`

So the domain of the given function is `(3, oo)` .

Then, let's apply the derivative. It will be strictly monotonic if there is no sign change in the value of f'(x).

The derivative of the function

`f(x) = ln(x-3)`

is

`f'(x) = 1/(x-3)`

Notice that the derivative of the function can never be zero. Because of that, the function f(x) has no critical numbers. This means that there will be no sign change in the value of f'(x). To verify, assign values to x falls within the domain of the function and plug-in them to f'(x).

`x=4`

`f'(x) = 1/(4-3)=1`

`x=10`

`f'(x) = 1/(10-3)=1/7`

`x=23`

`f'(x) =1/(23-3)=1/20`

`x=42`

`f'(x)=1/(42-3)=1/39`

Notice that on the interval `(3,oo)` , the value of f'(x) is always positive. There is no sign change in the value of f'(x). So the function is entirely increasing on its domain.

Therefore, the function `f(x)=ln(x-3)` is strictly monotonic on its entire domain.

What are the setting and atmosphere of Jane Austen's Emma?

Jane Austen's Emma is set in the countryside around London in a small town called Highbury during Regency England. Hartfield, the house where Emma and her father live, is separated from Highbury by "a lawn and shrubberies," but their estate is part of Highbury (page 9). In Highbury, "The Woodhouses were first in consequence there," meaning that they are the most important family in town (page 9). Emma is part of this cloistered world, and she does not often stray far from home. Mr. Knightley lives only a mile away from Highbury, and he comes to see the Woodhouses nearly daily. The atmosphere is one of provincial neighborliness. Everyone knows everyone else, and also knows their business, and an outsider or visitor makes quite a stir. An outsider is often quickly befriended, such as Harriet is by Emma, because the people in Highbury want to find new companions. 

The probability density for an electron that has passed through an experimental apparatus is shown in the figure. If 4100 electrons pass through...

Hello!

First we determine the probability `p` of the event that one electron will land in a specified strip. Then the expected number of such electrons will be `p*N,` where `N` is the total number of electrons.

By the definition of a probability density `P(x),` the probability of being between `a` and `b` is equal to  `int_a^b P(x) dx.` Here `a=-0.1` mm and `b=0.1` mm. Because the given density is an even function,  `p = 2 int_0^0.1 P(x) dx.`

It is simple to write a formula for `P(x)` for `x` between 0 and 3, it is `P(x)=1/3 - x/9` (a straight line). Therefore

`p = 2 int_0^0.1 (1/3 - x/9) dx = 2 (x/3 - x^2/18)|_(x=0)^0.1 = 2*(0.1/3-0.01/18) approx 0.0656.`

And the expected number is about  `4100*0.0328 approx 269.` This number is dimensionless.

Note that this number is the most probable, but the neighboring numbers are also very probable.

What were the fears in Helen's mind when she started writing The Story of My Life?

Helen was nervous about writing a biography because she didn’t want to look back on the events of his childhood too closely.

We often have fond memories of our childhood that may or may not be accurate.  Helen’s fear when writing her autobiography was that she would look too closely at the events of her youth, and things would not be as she remembered them.  Sometimes we remember with rose-colored glasses.

It is with a kind of fear that I begin to write the history of my life. I have, as it were, a superstitious hesitation in lifting the veil that clings about my childhood like a golden mist. (Ch. 1)

This superstition was that the magic of childhood would be lost by examining the memories as an adult. You may realize that things were not perfect, or not as good as they seemed.  Some things may not have happened as you remembered.

Helen also found that she did not have as many early memories as she would like, except for big events, because at the time she was writing her memories of more recent events were stronger than those of early events.

Besides, many of the joys and sorrows of childhood have lost their poignancy; and many incidents of vital importance in my early education have been forgotten in the excitement of great discoveries. (Ch. 1)

Despite all this, Helen Keller still wrote the story of her life.  She believed that people would be interested in hearing about how she overcame the challenges of being blind and deaf.  Her memories of learning how to communicate and cope with her limitations were part of her story, alongside the memories of growing up that everyone has regardless of whether they can see or hear.

What impact did the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act have on people's lives?

The Reservation of Separate Amenities Act was passed in South Africa in 1953. It had a tremendous impact on the people’s lives. This law was a part of the system of segregation that existed in South Africa. It impacted both whites and non-whites because it allowed a legal basis for separating the races.

This law allowed for segregation in public places. Restaurants, bathrooms, theaters, and hotels were some examples where segregation existed. Segregation was also found in the educational system at all levels, including the university level. Since the segregated facilities and institutions weren’t equal in quality, this law basically implied that the races weren’t equal in South Africa.

Segregation, or the apartheid system, was a part of the way of life in South Africa for many years. It wasn’t until 1990 that the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act was repealed. It took until 1994 for the apartheid system to end in South Africa. There was a great deal of worldwide pressure placed on South Africa to end the apartheid system.

What are some quotes from Matt de la Pena’s Mexican WhiteBoy that reveal major character traits?

Specific quotes from Mexican Whiteboy that reveal Danny's character traits explore the difficulties in his life.  

Danny is destabilized with his father's absence. As a result, Danny is forced to stay with his mother. This exacerbates his tension about being biracial.  His emotional stress is conveyed through cutting, a self-harm practice: 

He digs into his wrist some more with his nails. Breaks previously broken skin and pulls away. A smear of blood he wipes away with his other hand, rubs off across his dark jeans. Back home his mom is always on him to stop digging, but that only makes him want to dig more.

Danny's cutting shows the confusion he experiences.  As the novel opens, he is not in a good or safe place.  His self-harm shows this.  The fact that he pierces his skin deeper after his mother tells him not to shows his angst.

Danny struggles to find contentment. However, his visit to Mexico represents a chance to connect with a part of his past.  Connecting with people of similar ethnicity helps him better understand this aspect of his identity.  At the same time, given how his father was Latino, Danny is able to feel closer to someone absent from his life.  Danny's movement towards self-discovery is an important moment:  "I came here because sometimes I feel like a fake Mexican. And I don't want to be a fake. I wanna be real."  Danny's desire to "be real" is an important part of his character development.  It shows how he seeks contentment and emotional balance in his life.

What are four examples of how your observations of the behavior of others are relevant to or demonstrate concepts in social psychology?

Here are four examples of concepts related to social psychology using the behavior of others and yourself:

1. Observations of yourself: How do you define your own self-concept? Do you define yourself as belonging to certain groups or categories? Thinking about the concept of the "categorical self," what categories do you belong to (such as a student, or gender, racial, ethnic, or other categories)? Using the concept of self-esteem, would you rate yourself as having high self-esteem if you are confident and do not care about others' conceptions of you, or do you have low self-esteem and feel that your conception of yourself is based on the appreciation of others?


2. Observations of another person: Perhaps you've observed examples of discrimination or prejudice, which are concepts in social psychology. For example, do some of your teachers or professors speak about girls or women not being interested or capable at math or science? That is an example of stereotyping. You may have experienced other examples related to race, gender, class background, ethnicity, or other variables.


3. Observations of other people: Have you seen examples of stereotype threats? That means that people in a group that has experienced stereotypes are in fear of confirming or validating that stereotype. For example, a girl may be afraid to perform poorly on a math test, making her more anxious and less likely to perform well, because she is afraid of confirming that girls are bad at math.


4. Observations of other people: Perhaps you've observed that people use attribution theory in different ways. They may look at students who don't do well on a test and attribute internal or external reasons for different students. For example, perhaps a boy didn't do well on a math test simply because he didn't receive a fair test (external attribution), while a girl (or a member of another group) didn't do well because she isn't good at math (internal attribution). 

How does Esch describe her love for Manny in Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward? What does it reveal about her character?

In short, Esch describes her love for Manny in a strange way, as "certainty" and "as deep as a tree's roots."  This reveals that Esch's character is both passionate and loyal.  

It is the way that all girls who only know one boy move. Centered as if the love that boy feels for them anchors them deep as a tree's roots, holds them still as the oaks, which don't uproot in hurricane wind. Love as certainty.

These words from Esch are the best evidence in regards to her intense love for Manny.  She uses a particular literary device in her description of this passionate love: the simile.  A simile is a comparison using the words "like" or "as."  In this case, Esch's love is compared to "a tree's roots" running deep within the ground.  This kind of love can't be uprooted, even by "hurricane wind."  The description reveals how strong Esch's love for Manny truly is.  Esch's love is not temporary.  It is certain.

Esch also reveals something about love when she talks about her mother "mashing" words together.  Esch "mashes" words together, too.

‘Belove’ when Manny was curling pleasure from me with his fingers in mid-swim in the pit. 

Note that the words "be" and "love" are combined in this quotation.  This is another bit of evidence of Esch's passionate love for Manny.  The irony is that Manny is always desiring sex, but Esch believes love to be much more than sex.  She often laments that Manny "never kisses her the way she has seen him kiss another girl."  Esch desires this kind of passionate kiss from Manny very much.  Thus, even though Esch has had sex with other men, Manny is the only man who Esch truly loves.

He is not the first boy she has been with, but he is the only one she has truly wanted.

Examine the destruction caused during the war in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Bruno is the our guide to the destructive capacity of the war.

As the focus for the narrative, Bruno interprets the destruction of the war for us, the reader.  He sees the war as an inconvenience because it has caused him to leave his home, his friends, and enter a world unfamiliar to him. Bruno does not see the people in "Out-With" as anything more than the people in "the striped pajamas." Yet, in these impressions, we get a glimpse of the wide level of war's destruction.  For example, when Bruno sees the large number of people boarding the "other" train to Auschwitz, we grasp the depth of the war's extermination. All of "those" people are intended to be killed. What Bruno see, we understand in a very horrific realization.  As Bruno moves us to a very sad threshold of revelation, we become aware that if Bruno sees it, it also exists on a larger level.  

Through his personal interactions with people in "Out-With," Bruno is able to show us further evidence of the war's destruction.  This is seen when Bruno learns that Pavel had a "different life" as a doctor before being imprisoned in the camp. The war destroyed Pavel's former life and replaced it with this one. Bruno sees the Nazi destruction of their prisoners in his perceptions of Shmuel. Bruno sees Shmuel's thin hands and his eyes swollen into his head.  His impressions help us understand the brutality of the Nazis.  We realize that the Nazis starved and humiliated millions like Shmuel.  When Bruno sees the scars on Shmuel after he has been beaten by Kotler, it is another instant of Nazi destruction. In these personal accounts, Bruno affords us a broader perspective about the war.

When Bruno and Shmuel are herded into the gas chamber, the destructive capacity of the war is fully displayed. When both boys are swept with the mass of people into the gas chamber, followed by its darkness, as well as its fear, we grasp the full level of the destruction that millions of Nazi prisoners experienced.  Bruno's final experience has put us in the most painful part of the Holocaust. The gas chamber reminds us of the Nazi's cruel capacity for destruction.  As Bruno perceives this annihilation of millions of people, so do we.  In this way, his personalized understanding enables us to gain a wider view of the war's destruction.

Is Ezra Pound's "In a Station of the Metro" a poem? Why or why not?

How we determine what is a poem is a matter of cultural consensus. While we can determine whether something is a cat or a supernova by using various absolute scientific standards, poetry is not like biology or physics in that it depends on culturally variable types of definition. 

Ezra Pound's poem "In the Station of the Metro" was initially published in 1913 in Poetry, a literary journal. It was intended to exemplify the then-radical "Imagist" literary movement. In his manifestos and other critical works, Pound argued the heart of poetry was the "image," "that which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time." According to this definition, "In the Station of the Metro" is an imagist poem, distilling the experience of the subway, and particularly of people standing and hanging on to straps in the subway, through a single metaphor of damp, dying petals. 

This work fits the definition of poetry in two ways. First, it is widely reprinted and taught as a poem, making it part of our cultural norms of what constitutes an example of poetry. Secondly, it fits one important critical definition of a poem. 

In "Trifles," Mrs. Hale notices that, while most of Mrs. Wright’s sewing is very neat, her most recent stitching is “all over the place.” Why...

Mrs. Hale takes the stitches out of the quilt because their hasty stitching shows Mrs. Wright was preoccupied and possibly indicates her guilt.

To the women, the quilt provides insight into Mrs. Wright’s mind. The men would not notice this, but women would. To the men, all the little domestic indicators are meaningless trifles. The women realize their true meaning. They understand Mrs. Wright was miserable.

When Mrs. Hale sees the quilt Mrs. Wright was working on, she notices the stitching is off.

MRS HALE: (examining another block) Mrs Peters, look at this one. Here, this is the one she was working on, and look at the sewing! All the rest of it has been so nice and even. And look at this! It's all over the place! Why, it looks as if she didn't know what she was about!

Again, the men would not notice this at first. Upon closer examination, however, it would be evidence showing Mrs. Wright’s state of mind. Her husband was dead and her stitches were crazy. Even a man could figure out this meant Mrs. Wright was not entirely well and likely killed her husband.

Mrs. Hale feels sorry for Mrs. Wright. The whole situation is becoming apparent to her, from how Mr. Wright treated his wife to the circumstances of his death. She pulls out the stitches.

MRS PETERS: Oh, what are you doing, Mrs. Hale?

MRS HALE: (mildly) Just pulling out a stitch or two that's not sewed very good. (threading a needle) Bad sewing always made me fidgety.

No one noticed Minnie Wright withdraw from society and stop being her sunny self after she married. The women realize they didn't see the signs and intervene. There is a certain sense of guilt there, but also some womanly camaraderie in their instinct to protect Mrs. Wright by hiding evidence.

What is Maniac Magee's real name?

Maniac Magee's real name is Jeffrey Lionel Magee.

Maniac Magee is introduced to readers as Maniac Magee, but the book quickly mentions that "Maniac" is not his real name. Jeffrey Lionel Magee is his real name, and the book spends the first seven chapters explaining how Jeffrey is eventually given his unique nickname. As Jeffrey runs into the town of Two Mills, he interacts with a bunch of different kids and groups of kids. Jeffrey's interactions defy belief. He intercepts a football and punts it back all while holding a book in one hand. He rescues Arnold Jones from Finsterwald's backyard. He even manages to hit home run after home run off of John McNab. Finally, Jeffrey manages to get a home run by bunting the "frogball" that McNab pitches.

Nobody in Two Mills can quite believe what they are witnessing. Their stories just don't seem to make sense, and they come to the conclusion that the kid must be some kind of "maniac."

Nobody knows who said it first, but somebody must have: "Kid's gotta be a maniac."

And somebody else must have said: "Yeah, reg'lar maniac."

And somebody else: "Yeah."

And that was it. Nobody (except Amanda Beale) had any other name for him, so pretty soon, when they wanted to talk about the new kid, that's what they called him: Maniac.

The legend had a name.

What are the settings in the poem "What Is Red?" by Mary O'Neill?

Setting refers to the time, place, and environment in which events in a piece occur or unfold. As such, it also includes aspects such as a historical period, timing, geographical location, circumstances, and conditions which a piece of writing relates to or covers.

"What is Red?" by Mary O' Neill does not have a particular setting in this sense. The poem explores the different meanings that red has by asking and then answering the question, which is also the title of the poem.

The speaker responds to the question by providing the reader with a series of associations which red has in different contexts. The list refers to the common symbolic meanings linked to the color. It is clear that each meaning is associated with its context. In this sense, then, one could say that there is a setting because the word is contextualized within such event, time, or place.

In the first stanza, the speaker mentions nine contexts: sunset; being courageous in a situation that demands action; getting sunburned; the sheer depth of color one sees when admiring a rose; an injury which leads to bleeding; observing the color of a building block; being at a concert; the sensation one feels when embarrassed; seeing the simple colors of certain objects—specifically ones associated with danger; and an incident wherein one becomes angry, which causes a rush of blood and brings on a headache.

In the second stanza, the speaker once again relates red to seven conditions: as a description of an American native; a symbolic heart signifying love; a circus where one would find a cart with red decorations; a form of make-up; hearing a warning or the expression of anger; a sign that symbolically gives a warning; and a large ball, probably found at the beach. All these descriptions of red are conventional and reasonable.

The speaker moves away from the generally accepted connotations that red has and presents an opinion by stating that

Red is the giant-est
Colour of all.

and

Red is a show-off,
No doubt about it –

The speaker is clearly impressed by the color red and then, by asking a rhetorical question, suggests that one cannot imagine life without it.

How can I justify that the play Merchant of Venice ends in tragedy for Shylock?

Events in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice ultimately become tragic for Shylock the father, Shylock the usurer, and Shylock the Jew.

--Shylock the father

Shylock's tragic losses, which are due mostly to his selfishness, begin with the betrayal of his daughter Jessica. She steals much of the family jewels, runs off with a Christian who is a close friend of his enemy Antonio, and even converts to Christianity because she hates her father's conduct and associates much of his behavior and attitudes to his being a Jew:

Alack, what heinous sin is it in me
To be ashamed to be my father's child?
But though I am a daughter to his blood,
I am not to his manners. O Lorenzo,
If thou keep promise, I shall end this strife,
Become a Christian and thy loving wife. (2.3.16-21)

Further, Jessica squanders the family heirlooms on frivolous things, such as trading her mother's turquoise ring for a monkey, an act which adds "insult to injury" for her father when he is informed of his daughter's betrayal and actions.

--Shylock the usurer

During the time of the setting of the drama, the Catholic Church forbids usury, so none of the Venetian merchants or moneylenders are allowed to practice this form of lending. On the other hand, Shylock's greed for money motivates his usury, and, as a Jew, he can charge interest. Therefore, in his avarice, he loans his mortal enemy money with the diabolical scheme of extracting flesh in payment, a scheme which backfires on him. For, Portia, who is disguised as a doctor of law, points out that the agreement between Antonio and Shylock does not allow for the spilling of blood in the extraction of payment if the loan is not met. Therefore, Shylock cannot collect on the debt, and is later punished for his usury.

--Shylock the Jew

Considered a heathen by the Venetians, Shylock is reviled and when the opportunity presents itself, the Duke punishes him severely, according to the Venetian law:

If Shylock takes a drop of Christian blood from Antonio, then the law of Venice states that the Republic of Venice can confiscate his land and goods because he is a foreign national. According to another Venetian law, if a foreign national such as Shylock seeks the life of a Venetian citizen, whether directly or indirectly, and is found guilty, he then forfeits half of his wealth to his intended victim, with the other half going to the state (4.1.344-359). The personal fate of the guilty national then is up to the ruler.

If Shylock were a Venetian and not a Jew and a foreign national, the tragic results of the trial would not have occurred as they do.

When is Mildred asked if she is happy in Fahrenheit 451?

In Fahrenheit 451, Mildred is never directly asked if she is happy but, at the end of Part One, she declares that she is happy to Montag as he bemoans his unhappiness:

"I am." Mildred's mouth beamed. "And proud of it." 

To put this into context, she has just advised Montag to "take the beetle" and go driving, as a means of making himself happy. According to Mildred, it feels "wonderful" to go out into the countryside and drive fast, sometimes for the entire night. Evidently, this is how she copes with bouts of unhappiness when they occur. 

It is ironic that Mildred would declare her happiness in the novel, considering that she attempted suicide just a little while earlier. The fact that she will not admit it, even to her husband, demonstrates the extent of her self-imposed repression and her need to appear happy on the outside, no matter how she feels inside. 

What are the major aspects of change (political; migration-- both internal and external; wars--civil wars, foreign inventions and invasions and...

Your question covers a large sweep of history. During the time period of the 18th to 21st centuries, there was a large migration of people from Europe and parts of Asia to the New World. Immigrants in the 19th century largely came from southern Europe, including Spain, Greece, and Italy, and from eastern Europe, including Russia and the Slavic countries. Jews also immigrated in large numbers to the New World, facing anti-Semitism in Europe and Russia. They were propelled by wars and violence, including ongoing wars in Europe and civil wars and rebellions in countries such as Italy. Many faced dire poverty, limited opportunities, and persecution. These immigrants went to both North and South America, fueling urbanization and the growth of large multicultural port cities such as New York and Buenos Aires in Argentina. In addition, in the United States, there was internal migration, such as the Great Migration--the movement of African-Americans from the south to the north in the period after Reconstruction to the 1960s. They came north in great numbers during World War I and World War II in search of jobs. Similarly, in Argentina, many people went to the city of Buenos Aires in search of jobs (and this type of urbanization occurred in other cities such as Mexico City). These cities became multicultural in nature, with Spanish, Italian, Syrian, Lebanese, Greek, Jewish, Polish, Russian, Irish, English, and other types of immigrants. In addition, these cities grew in response to industrialization, as the mechanization of agriculture reduced the numbers of people needed on farms. These formerly rural people flocked to cities, swelling their populations. New industries formed in cities such as New York and Buenos Aires to attract people to work there. 

Politically, both the U.S. and countries in South America such as Argentina went through revolutions to become independent from their European colonizers (Great Britain and Spain, respectively). Following independence, they both also went through civil wars (the U.S. in the 1860s over states' rights and slavery) and Argentina after independence in 1810 (over the question of whether to have a centralized government or a federation). The United States went through various periods of militarism, such as fighting the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam, and Argentina became a military dictatorship in the 1960s. This period lasted until 1983, when the military dictatorship was brought down in part because of the country's failed participation in the Falklands War against Great Britain in 1982. The military and political developments of the U.S. and countries such as Argentina diverged in the 20th centuries, as the U.S. became a world power, while Argentina was more isolationist. While the U.S. and countries in Latin America such as Argentina were similar in their 19th century immigration patterns, political origins, industrialization, and urbanization, their development in the 20th and 21st centuries has differed. 

What setbacks does Helen face in the early part of her life?

Helen Keller faced many setbacks.  In the first year and a half of her life, she showed developmental progress and intelligence.  She began to speak at six months old.  She also imitated the actions of the adults around her.  A few months before Helen's second birthday, she became seriously ill.  It was uncertain whether or not her small body would be able to survive the illness.  She did live, but the sickness had taken away her sight and hearing.  This was a setback for a young child who had been eager to communicate with others.

After Miss Sullivan arrived, Helen made rapid progress.  She learned how to communicate and to read.  She then decided that she wished to learn how to speak.  Helen worked very hard, but she was never satisfied with her level of ability in this area.  She saw this as a setback to her overall progress.

Helen dabbled in creative writing.  She came to enjoy this type of writing.  She wrote a whimsical story and was happy to present it to Mr. Anagnos.  Helen was devastated when she found out that she was being accused of plagiarism because of the content in her story.  Her story was very similar to another one.  After the ordeal, Helen became a more hesitant writer.

In Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress," what kind of love or qualities of love is the speaker trying to express in the first section of the poem...

The first section (lines 1-20) of Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" describes an idealized love free from the confines of time or human mortality. The narrator of the poem discusses at length what love might look like if he and his mistress had unlimited amounts of time to develop their affection. The key lines in this first section are "Had we but world enough and time" (1) and "My vegetable love should grow / Vaster than empires and more slow" (11-12), as they illustrate that the narrator yearns for an idealized love in which youth lasts forever and lovers are permitted eons to court one another. 

Marvell later contrasts this idealized love with reality. More specifically, he identifies the fact that youth and life do not last forever, and so he and his mistress are not able to enjoy each other's company forever. Juxtaposed with the reality of finite time, the first section of the poem takes on a rather melancholy tone, as it illustrates the yearning for an impossible love that cannot be realized in the face of human mortality.

What is the force around the sun?

The sun is the heaviest object in the solar system and exerts the strongest gravitational force. Thus, the sun is characterized by a strong gravitational force around it. The sun’s gravitational force is responsible for ensuring that the planets orbit the sun. The motion of the smaller objects in the solar system creates a sideways force that keeps them from falling in the sun. These forces ensure that the planets orbit the sun in paths known as ellipses. Objects with more mass exert stronger gravitational forces on objects with less mass. The concept explains the planet’s motion around the sun and the motion of the moon and other smaller objects around the planets. Sir Isaac Newton is recognized and credited with the discovery and explanation of gravitational forces on objects.

In the book Wonder, when does Amos first show up?

Amos appears for the first time in the chapter "The Halloween Party," told from Summer's point of view. On page 122, Summer speaks about all the couples at Savanna's party, including Ellie and Amos. The character of Amos next appears in the chapter "Back from Winter Break," told from Jack's point of view. Jack describes Amos as "a pretty straight-up kid" (page 168). The fact that even Amos only gives Jack a half nod means that Jack has really become a social outcast because Julian is punishing Jack for his friendship with Auggie. Later, Amos is mentioned as on Julian's side, in the list that Charlotte makes (page 177). Over time, however, Amos is one of the kids who becomes tired of Julian's nastiness. When Julian grabs Jack's backpack and puts pencil sharpener shavings into it, Amos grabs the backpack and hands it to Jack (page 209). Amos grows weary of watching Julian be so cruel, and he realizes that he should treat Auggie well.

How would you describe the young girl in Oscar Wilde's "The Nightingale and the Rose"?

In "The Nightingale and the Rose," the young girl is the daughter of the Professor and the object of the student's affections. Although Wilde does not describe the girl physically, the story teaches us much about her character. She does not appreciate the true meaning of love, as we see in the opening paragraph when she demands the student bring her a red rose. This shows she has a superficial understanding of love based on appearances and objects. This idea is also echoed at the end of the story when she rejects the student because the color of the rose he brings her clashes with her dress.

But the girl frowned. “I am afraid it will not go with my dress,” she answered.

This quote also demonstrates two more of the girl's character traits: her fickleness and materialism. Her decision to choose the Chamberlain's nephew because he sends her jewels shows how quickly she changes her affections. In her mind, the girl judges the monetary value of the jewels to be much higher than that of the rose and this proves the nephew loves her more than the student. When called "ungrateful" by the student, the girl proves just how materialistic she is when she ridicules his appearance. Tragically, the student is too naïve to realize she does not represent true love and he turns his back (presumably forever) on matters of the heart.

What is the meaning of the expression "foot of thy crags" in the poem "Break, Break, Break"?

Tennyson's poem "Break, Break, Break" is the narrator's lament for someone "vanish'd" (line 11). The image is of someone at the shore watching the waves break, feeling lonely and sad. We are given a clue in the beginning that the waves are breaking against a cliff when the narrator refers to "cold gray stones" (line 2), but this is made completely clear when the narrator refers to the "crags" (line 14). A crag is a cliff. The waves are breaking against the bottom of the cliff. When we refer to the bottom of a cliff, we often call it the foot of the cliff. This is used so frequently that most people don't stop to think of this as personification. A cliff has no feet! We use this in other ways, too, for example, the foot of the bed. The expression simply means the bottom of the cliffs.

What are the founder crops in Chapter 5 of Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel?

There are two possible ways to understand this question.  First, it may be asking what the definition of “founder crops” is in Chapter 5 of Guns, Germs, and Steel.  Second, it could be asking which crops are listed as founder crops in that chapter.  I will answer both of these questions.

Chapter 5 is discussing places in the world that did and did not develop agriculture on their own.  In some places, people developed agriculture using plants and animals native to their own area.  In other places, the first crops came from another place where they had first been domesticated.  These first crops are the founder crops because they were the crops on which agriculture was “founded.”  As Diamond says on p. 100,

imported domesticates may be thought of as "founder" crops and animals, because they founded local food production.

So what crops are listed as founder crops in Chapter 5?  These crops can be found in Table 5.1 on p. 100.  There were different founder crops in different places.  The founder crops in Western Europe were poppies and oats.  The founder crops in the Indus Valley were the eggplant and sesame.  Finally, the founder crops in Egypt were the sycamore fig and chufa.

What is the name of Jonathan Ainsley's company in To Be the Best by Barbara Taylor Bradford?

To Be the Best is the third book in Barbara Taylor Bradford's Harte Family Saga, which follows Paula McGill O'Neill, head of the family's empire and granddaughter of Emma Harte (the original heroine of the first book in the series, A Woman Of Substance). 

In the book, Paula meets with Jack Figg, the operator of a large British security and private investigating company to discuss their knowledge of Jonathan Ainsley. Paul states that Jonathan has made his home in Hong Kong after departing England twelve years earlier and that he owns a company called Janus and Janus Holdings. Paula is unsure of the nature of the company, although she suspects it is related to real estate dealings.

With this information in mind, Figg agrees to have Ainsley watched, and Paula demands that Figg have a report to her in five days, claiming that she needed the scoop on Ainsley "five years ago."  

How does the theme of Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for death" compare to that of John Donne's "Death, be not proud"?

In their poems, Dickinson and Donne both express the idea that death is not something to fear or dread.  Their methods of expressing this theme, however, vary greatly.  Even though both personify death, they differ in their characterizations of death.  In Dickinson's poem, death is portrayed as a kindly gentleman who thoughtfully stops for the speaker, who was too busy with her daily affairs to stop for him.  He gently and slowly drives her to her final resting place, which is portrayed as a 

little house that seemed

A swelling of the ground;

The roof was scarcely visible.

The cornice, in the ground.  

Her grave is described as a house, certainly nothing to be afraid of.  But she also knows that this is the home where she will be forever.  The carriage holds Immortality, and the horses' heads "were toward eternity."  This poem, though seemingly a strong statement of faith in the afterlife, is somewhat ambiguous.  "Surmised" is an interesting word choice because it means to guess without sufficient evidence.  Perhaps the speaker only thought the horses were heading toward eternity and since she stepped into her carriage centuries ago has has only experienced a vast void. She does not mention heaven or really even the afterlife--only the slow journey to the end.  So, the reader is left to question whether Death is the kindly gentleman the speaker once thought he was and wonder whether what looks like a home is in actuality a cold, dark tomb where she will remain in limbo.  

Donne's sonnet personifies death as a pompous bully who truly has no power over any mortal.  Although many may fear death, death, like a bully, only blusters about with no true ability to harm.  Donne relies on paradox to prove his point: 

Death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

This paradox is resolved by Donne equating death to sleep, from which we awaken to eternal life.  When all people have died and reawakened, then death can be no more, and therefore we all can transcend death.  Even though Donne uses paradoxes throughout his poem, his message, unlike Dickinson's, lacks ambiguity.  Eternal life is clearly something to be desired; death is not to be feared.  It is instead something, like sleep, from which we derive much pleasure.

 . . our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones and soul's delivery.

In Dickinson's poem the speaker is compliant and perhaps duped.  In Donne's poem, the speaker, in the face of death, is defiant and victorious.  

How does the poem "The White Man's Burden" relate to British imperialism in India?

"The White Man's Burden" is a poem by Rudyard Kipling published in 1899. British imperialism around the world, including India, was already in full swing by then, so we can't say that Kipling caused British imperialism.

But if you read the poem, there's something very jarring about it, at least to a modern cosmopolitan reader: It is unabashedly, even proudly, racist and imperialist. It was written in response to the US invasion of the Philippines, and the story it tells is not of a powerful country conquering and oppressing a weak one, but of a superior, advanced culture trying their very best to civilize and improve an inferior, primitive one, and being constantly thwarted by the primitive savages. It isn't exactly rejoicing in imperialism, but the downsides it talks about are all about how hard it is being the White imperialist, constantly misjudged for his altruistic actions. The desires of the people being conquered are conveniently ignored.

Thus, we can think of "The White Man's Burden" as a kind of apologia for imperialism, and particularly focused at American and British readers. That word is sometimes translated "apology", but "apology" sounds like you're saying sorry for something you agree is bad; an apologia is a defense of why it is not bad, even though so many people seem to think so. We can't really know what Kipling himself believed (perhaps it was intended as satire?), but if the poem is read literally, it is a staunch defense of imperialism as the necessary burden of White men to bring civilization to the primitive masses, whether they want it or not.

This was of course a narrative that the British used heavily, in an attempt to justify their imperialism in India, Africa, and around the world. "It's for their own good" makes the violence and exploitation much easier to swallow than it would have been if they'd admitted it was mainly for the gain of the rich and powerful in Britain. And they had just enough examples of actual improvements in standard of living (accomplished in the most violent way possible, of course) to back up their argument; yes, there was in fact real economic development in India under the British Raj. Defenders of imperialism conveniently ignored of course that there could have been much more development had they engaged in fair and equal trade rather than imperialist exploitation---but there was in fact some development, which gave them some measure of excuse or deniability, and many in Britain clung to these excuses and spread them widely. Kipling's poem is part of that attempt to give an ethical and altruistic veneer to a project that was at its core violent and exploitative.

This soon backfired, however, as "the White Man's Burden" actually became a satirical slogan against imperialism in the US and Britain (and is sometimes still used that way today). It was used as an example of how weak and inhumane the justifications for imperialism truly were.

Why was the police response to the Columbine shooting criticized? Was the IMS used? If so, what amount of success did it have? If not, why not?...

In 1999, when Columbine occurred, school shootings were relatively rare. According to Slate magazine (Cullen 2009), there were 37 school shootings in America between 1974 and 2000. While this may seem like a lot (over one per year), it is a very small number compared to the number of shootings since Columbine. As a result, law enforcement agencies were not well-prepared for such an incident. The law enforcement agencies in Littleton were ultimately criticized for being too slow to respond to Columbine, causing unnecessary loss of life.

There were two major failures in the response to Columbine. The first was that response teams were more trained to handle hostage crises than active shooters. As a result, their standard operating procedure was to surround the building, create perimeters, and then take steps to free the hostages inside. Less-trained forces, such as city police, were also typically instructed to wait for better-equipped, more highly-resourced, and highly-trained agencies to come on the scene rather than acting independently. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold did not hold hostages; rather, they gunned down people inside the building. As a result, typical hostage-management techniques failed, and far too much time was taken up by using these traditional methods. 

The second major failure at Columbine was the lack of a systematic, well-run incident management system (IMS). While Mell and Sztajnkrycer (2004) noted there was an Incident Command System (ICS) in place and praised the successes of said system, they also noted several flaws. First, there had been few interagency training opportunities, which meant most of the individual responders had not been trained to work with other agencies. This led to issues; for example, one team not understanding another team's language, or confusion as to who had higher authority. Technology also became a problem, as the different agencies had different methods of communicating and used different radio frequencies. Finally, the lack of smooth interagency communication led to many mistakes, including an overrun of surplus volunteers that created many logistical and media challenges.

Unfortunately, there have been many school shootings since Columbine, and law enforcement has much more training now. If a shooting were to happen today, two important steps would be

1) Whoever is first on the scene takes control of the situation, including assessing if there is an active shooter.

2) If there is an active shooter, officers now follow the "active shooter protocol," in which teams of four officers enter the building as soon as possible in a wedge formation. The primary goal of these officers is to take down the shooter as quickly as possible. 

Additional improvements in technology and joint/ interagency training have also allowed law enforcement and emergency response to make great gains in containing shooting situations. A well-run, well-trained Incident Command System/ Incident Management System, with a clear chain of command, is critical in these situations.

Do you think that the poet is clever in taking the other road? Why?

Cleverness can be defined as innovation, which means doing something people have not done before you.  In that case, the poet has done something clever when he took a road no one else had, or that few people had.  It may not be that no one has taken the road, but just that fewer people have.

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same … 

To extend the metaphor, because this is what the poem is really about, it is brave to take risks, and can also be interpreted as clever.  It depends on what you do once you take the road.  Just the act of taking the road is not much. It is an initial choice to do something different.  It is what you do that is different that matters. 

We can interpret the speaker’s words in the last stanza of the poem to mean that when he took this less-traveled road and did something different from everyone else, he was happy with his choice. 

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference. 

Of course “all the difference” is open to interpretation.  I guess if you are a pessimist you could say that it could be a bad difference instead of a good difference.  However, given the context of the poem it seems like the speaker took a different road and is happy with his choice, so it was a good difference for him.  Whatever decision he made and innovation he decided on, it worked out and he had a successful and happy life after all of it.

How does the family obligation to get married affect the Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice? What effect does this have on them as characters,...

Jane Bennet feels the pressure most strongly.  As the eldest daughter, and -- as her mother tells her often -- the most beautiful, her chances of making a good match are probably the best.  When Mr. Bingley finally proposes to her, she tells Elizabeth that she must go "'instantly'" to her mother, and she is most happy about the fact that "'what [she] has to relate [to Mrs. Bennet] will give such pleasure to all [her] dear family.'"  She knows that her mother will be thrilled about her engagement and that her marriage to Bingley will mean that her mother and sisters always have somewhere to go after Mr. Bennet's death.  Jane is so elated that she wonders "'how [she] shall [...] bear so much happiness."  Her relief and elation over the fact that she will marry well indicates the extent to which she's internalized and been affected by the pressure put on the girls to find rich husbands. 

As far as the other sisters, Kitty and Lydia have "minds [that] were more vacant than their sisters'," and the pressure for at least one of the Bennet girls to marry well really doesn't seem to have any effect on them.  They are more interested in flirting and balls than serious engagements and would be happier with the attentions of a handsome officer than the affections of an unattractive gentleman.  The fact that Lydia willfully elopes with George Wickham, a poor soldier, proves this.  Nor is Mary particularly affected by a sense of family obligation in marriage.  In fact, Mary seems to have no interest in men or marriage whatsoever, and because she is plain, there is little expectation that she will be the one to save the family. 

Elizabeth is also relatively unaffected by the pressure on the girls to marry well.  She cannot bring herself to value wealth over love and respect, as is clear from her initial rejection of Mr. Darcy's marriage proposals, proposals which she can only accept in the end, after she has developed both love and respect for the gentleman.  Her rejection of Mr. Collins's proposal, despite the fact that he will inherit Longbourn when Mr. Bennet dies is further proof of this.  Elizabeth even tells him, "'To fortune, I am perfectly indifferent [...].'"  Her mother obviously puts a great deal of pressure on her to accept this proposal, refusing to speak to Elizabeth ever again if she persists in rejecting Mr. Collins, but it does no good. 

Thus, Jane is really the only daughter who feels the pressure keenly.  She certainly doesn't marry Bingley because he's rich and can help her family, but her relief that she has fallen in love with a rich man is apparent.  Though Charlotte Lucas advises Jane (via Elizabeth), early on, to be more forward with her affections in order to secure Bingley's, pressure to marry well never does compel Jane to act in a manner that her conscience couldn't support.  Therefore, she does feel the pressure most deeply, but she has too much integrity to allow it to dictate her actions.

What are the similarities between academic and nonacademic texts?

It is much easier to say what academic and nonacademic texts do not have in common rather than their similarities, but I can say the following:

Both academic and nonacademic texts may be written with the goal to persuade, to entertain, or to inform. They differ in their approach to these goals, though, with academic texts relying far more on research and factual, verifiable material for their content. Nonacademic texts may also include research or verifiable material, but are less likely to include references to any source material, and may be published in a rather informal setting.

Academic and nonacademic texts are also typically written for a particular audience. While nonacademic texts are intended more for mass, public consumption than scholarly or academic texts, they may be targeted towards special interests or occupations in society. 

When it comes to format, both academic and nonacademic texts may be found in print, periodical, and digital forms. 

The culture of the Plains Indians was changed by _____?

The best answer to this question would have to be "the horse."  Introduced by Spaniards in the sixteenth century, the horse revolutionized Plains life.  Before the horse, Native Americans used dogs to drag their belongings.  The horse allowed greater mobility, thus allowing Plains tribes to follow the buffalo.  Horses were also considered symbols of wealth, especially among tribes such as the Lakota and Cheyenne.  It would not be uncommon for a chief to boast herds of over one hundred horses.  Horses were also the targets of raids.  Native Americans also used the horse in warfare as well.  The horse allowed tribes such as the Blackfoot and Crow to rule large swaths of territory.  Learning to ride a horse was a rite of passage in all young natives' lives, especially among boys who were needed as warriors and hunters for a tribe.  

What literacy device is the author using to convey the following point of view? "In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the...

The above quote is from the first chapter of A Tale of Two Cities, and it is what we call an allusion.

An allusion is a literary device which references ideas or people with political, religious, social, or literary significance. In the above, the quote is an allusion to Christ's two miracles of the loaves and fishes in the New Testament. The first miracle involved Christ feeding five thousand people by multiplying five loaves of bread and two fishes. The second miracle involved Christ multiplying seven loaves and a few fishes to feed four thousand who had gathered to hear him.

In the above quote, the French and English aristocracy were the "lords of the State preserves." They were the ones responsible for the general welfare of the people; yet, the irony is that they lived their lives oblivious to the true nature of the average citizen's struggles. While they presided over plenty, a majority of the populace in both countries lived subsistence lives. Basically, the aristocratic classes enjoyed lavish lifestyles and concluded that "things in general were settled for ever."

Additionally, many aristocrats had access to game preserves that average French and English citizens were forbidden to enter. In these preserves, the wealthy and the powerful indulged their love for game sport. The meat was not used to feed the hungry masses (hence the irony of the allusion to Christ's miracles), but to tease the palates of those who were already accustomed to good food on a daily basis. It was said that the English and French monarchy "trod with stir enough, and carried their divine rights with a high hand." In other words, the aristocrats acted like gods but failed to fulfill their responsibilities to their people.