Thursday, October 31, 2013

If the postmortem report says the cause of death was 'Antemortem' hanging, what is this antemortem?

'Ante' is a Latin word meaning before and 'mortem' refers to demise or death. Thus, antemortem refers to the period before death. When a postmortem report refers to an incident as antemortem, it implies the incident took place before death.


In this case, the incident in question is hanging. It implies that hanging occurred before the individual died. It is standard practice for specialist doctors who undertake autopsies to determine if certain things they discover in the course of their investigation occurred before or after the individual died.


This is important for the process of establishing the cause of death. The specialist doctor undertaking the autopsy must determine with other tests whether this incident was responsible for the individual's death. 

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The average of 7 numbers in a certain list is 12. The average of the 4 smallest numbers in this list is 8, while the average of the 4 greatest...

Denote the numbers as `a_1 lt= a_2 lt= a_3 lt= a_4 lt= a_5 lt= a_6 lt= a_7.`   It is given that:


`(a_1 + a_2 + a_3 + a_4 + a_5 + a_6 + a_7)/7 = 12,`


`(a_1 + a_2 + a_3 + a_4)/4 = 8,`


`(a_4 + a_5 + a_6 + a_7)/4 = 20.`



From these equation we can find the sum of the `3` greatest numbers and the sum of the `3` smallest numbers:


`a_1 + a_2 + a_3 =(a_1 + a_2 + a_3 + a_4 + a_5 + a_6 + a_7)`


`-(a_4 + a_5 + a_6 + a_7) = 12*7 - 20*4 = 4,`


`a_5 + a_6 + a_7 =(a_1 + a_2 + a_3 + a_4 + a_5 + a_6 + a_7)`


`-(a_1 + a_2 + a_3 + a_4) = 12*7 - 8*4 = 52.`


The difference in question is 52 - 4 = 48.



But actually these conditions are contradictory. It is simple to find `a_4,` it is


`(a_4 + a_5 + a_6 + a_7) - (a_5+a_6+a_7) = 80 - 52 = 28.`


But all next numbers, `a_5,` `a_6` and `a_7,` must be at least `28,` therefore its sum is at least `84,` not `52.` So the correct answer is "this is impossible".

Sunday, October 27, 2013

In Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Scout's family background affect the way she sees Boo Radley?

Scout’s father taught her to treat everyone with respect, regardless of who the person was or the person’s family background.  This was unusual for Maycomb, where most people were very judgmental.  Because her father insisted that she treat Boo Radley with respect, Scout was more willing to see him as a person.


“First of all,” he said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-”
“Sir?”
“-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Ch. 3)


Scout’s childhood was all about learning to see things from others’ points of view.  Atticus did not want the Finch children showing off in front of the neighborhood by playacting the Radley story.  To Jem and Scout it was just fun and games.  Scout realized that Boo was just a lonely person through her brother Jem’s perspective on him.


When Scout finally gets to meet Boo at the end of the story, Atticus reminds her to call him Mr. and to be respectful to him.  She does so, walking him home politely.  She feels like she is living out a fantasy.



“Mr. Arthur, honey,” said Atticus, gently correcting me. “Jean Louise, this is Mr. Arthur Radley. I believe he already knows you.”
If Atticus could blandly introduce me to Boo Radley at a time like this, well—that was Atticus. (Ch. 30)



When Scout stands on Boo Radley's porch, she looks back at things from his perspective and realizes that she and her brother have been a part of his life all along.  She has the benefit of her father's unique approach to looking at people.  Without this family background, she would probably just laugh at Boo or ignore him like everyone else in Maycomb has done.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Graphite is a macromolecule; that means it's strength depends on its covalent bond strength. Why does it have weak vander-waal's forces of attraction?

A macromolecule is simply a molecule that contains a number of atoms on par with the thousands. While a chemistry based definition would consider the macromolecule to be only parts held together by covalent bonds, a more chemistry inclined definition would include the weak intermolecular forces as well, meaning that the graphite in bulk is a macromolecule; specifically a macromolecular crystal. What you are seeing is a form of the graphite crystal structure.


It may be easier to imagine things like shale (which are coincidentally also primarily of carbon composition), where in one direction form a solid piece, but in a different plane are revealed to be thin sheets, which can be separated with little force.


As to why there are the intermolecular forces in the first place, you must remember that in the graphite sheet, each atom is bonded in hexagon form. There will be no additional bonding on either side of these sheets, so only van der Waals forces will be acting.

Why is the sea trip rejected by the three friends in "Three Men in a Boat" by Jerome K. Jerome?

In Chapter One, Harris suggests that the three friends embark on a sea trip. J is the first one to disagree. He argues that a sea trip is a great experience if one can take a few months for it; however, if the sea trip will only last a week, it can be a devastatingly joyless experience. J maintains that it usually takes a week to overcome the propensity of getting seasick, and by the time one does, the trip will essentially be over.


J relates the story of his brother-in-law, who made the mistake of going on a short sea trip. By the time he got to Liverpool, his brother-in-law was anxious to sell his return ticket at a discount; he had had enough of the sea and wanted to take the train home. Evidently, the short sea trip had been too taxing for him, and he maintained that one could get more exercise sitting down (presumably being seasick) than "turning somersaults on dry land."


Next, J relates the story of his friend, who went on a week's voyage around the coast. This friend paid full price for a week's worth of food that he never got to eat. The initial fare was unappetizing, and then J's friend got seasick. This left him having to survive on thin captain's biscuits and soda-water for four days. By the time he was well enough to sample the food he had paid for, the voyage was over.


J tells his friends that he worries George will suffer the same fate. For his part, George maintains that J and Harris will likely be the ones to get seasick before he does. He declares that he's never gotten seasick, even during tempestuous sea trips. Then, J offers some strange advice on balancing one's body during sea trips; he argues that it is "an excellent preventive against sea-sickness."



You stand in the centre of the deck, and, as the ship heaves and pitches, you move your body about, so as to keep it always straight.  When the front of the ship rises, you lean forward, till the deck almost touches your nose; and when its back end gets up, you lean backwards.  This is all very well for an hour or two; but you can’t balance yourself for a week.



Upon hearing this terrible advice, George pipes up that they should go up the river instead. He argues that they will have "fresh air, exercise and quiet," and eventually, this is what the three friends decide to do. They reject the sea trip because none of them can agree that a week's voyage will prove enjoyable.

Friday, October 25, 2013

What is a summary of chapters 6, 7, and 8 in Gary Schmidt's Okay for Now?

One of the most important events in chapter 6 of Gary Schmidt's Okay for Now is that Doug is called into Principal Peattie's office and told he needs to make up the wrestling unit he has missed, and he must make it up during his fifth-period lunchtime. Most importantly, Principal Peattie says something to Doug that further develops the feelings of hurt, rejection, and inferiority Doug struggles with all throughout the book. When Doug replies that Coach Reed "must really love me to want to see me twice," Principal Peattie says, "He doesn't," then says something so very hurtful Doug decides not to relay it to his reader (p. 170). The principal's hurtful words remain weighing on his heart throughout the rest of the chapter and book until Principal Peattie finally apologizes, admitting he was wrong. Another major event in chapter 6 is that Doug's older brother, Lucas, returns home from the Vietnam War, having lost his legs.

One important event in chapter 7 is that Doug begins developing a better relationship with Coach Reed as Doug begins helping the coach fill in the "Presidential Physical Fitness charts" (p. 206). Doug further begins bonding with the coach by talking about how silent Lucas is after having returned from the war and about his bad dreams. At first Coach Reed doesn't respond much to Doug's comments about Lucas, but soon enough, the coach asks Doug how his brother is doing; the two of them then enter a conversation about the coach's own dreams from the war.

Multiple important events happen in chapter 8 that, once resolved much later, are a part of the book's overall resolution. The first important event is that Doug arrives home one day to find that his prized baseball, autographed by Babe Ruth, and Joe Pepitone jacket have been taken. Another major event is that his brother Christopher is implicated in a Tools 'n' More Hardware Store robbery. Feeling humiliated by what the town believes to be his brother's behavior, Doug begins skipping classes, which leads him to another run-in with Principal Peattie.

How can you determine how many hairs are on a person's head?

If you're trying to develop a method of estimating how many hairs are on your head, it would be best to take on this task in two parts: background research and sampling. 


Firstly, I suppose you have a reason for asking how many hairs are on your head that is based in something you heard, something you want to know, or something you want to prove wrong. For example, maybe you heard that women have more hair per square centimeter on their heads than men. Or, maybe you heard that we have 60,000 hairs on our heads (on average). 


Step 1: Before you dive into this question, ask yourself what you want to know and why. There may be research out there that either talks about how many hairs are on your head or provides a way for you to get at the question thorough a specific method. After you conduct a literature review, you'll have a better idea as to how you will proceed with the next step.


Step 2: Take a sample and count hairs within that sample. Depending on your literature review, you may have many ways of doing this. For example, you may choose to take a 1cmx1cm square on someone's head and count all the hairs within that square, then generalize that to the rest of their head. But, how will you know you're accurately counting the hairs? How will you know your method works? There may be existing literature that walks you through best practices. You may also learn that different places on peoples' heads have different concentrations of hair follicles, thus, different amounts of hair. You may also determine that other factors such as age, ethnicity, health, gender, or location play a huge role in the number of hairs a person has on their head.


The combination of literature review and sampling should help you develop a method of counting hairs on your head (or someone else's) to answer your research question. Please take a look at the attached article that talks about counting hairs to answer a research question regarding hair loss (linked).


Good luck!

When told in essay writing to write an essay with no less than 450 words, how do I know when it is 450 words or less? This is for taking the WAEC,...

Standardized tests can be so hard! Especially when they are taken on paper rather than computer, estimating your word count can be difficult. The WAEC does require your essay to be a minimum of 450 words, and any words above that number do not influence your score in any way. So how do you figure out how many words you have written without wasting valuable time counting each word?


Generally speaking, one single spaced, hand-written page comes to about 100 words. Since everyone’s handwriting is different, though, you could count the number of words on three or four of your pages during your test prep in order to give yourself an idea of how many words are on your hand-written pages. If you don’t have time to do that (if you are taking the test very soon), you can count the number of words on the first five lines of your essay and divide that number by five (to get the average number of words per line). Then take the average number of words per line and multiply it by the number of lines in your essay.


This second option may still take too long if you are doing it during the examination. I recommend trying to figure out about how many words you write on a page before you go in to take the test, and then using that number to estimate the word count of your essay. If you do write about 100 words per page, then you know you need four and a half or five pages to make the 450-word minimum.


I’ve included a link to the WAEC Online webpage below. Good luck!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

What is an example of a community problem that can be solved through the scientific method?

When problem solving, knowing the scientific method can come in handy. For problems plaguing a community (parking, pool hours, neighborhood fees, recycling bins), community members can apply the scientific method to develop solutions.


The scientific method beings with a question (perhaps stemming from an existing problem). For example, a community member may notice the entire neighborhood has overflowing recycling bins on recycling pick-up day. Since recycling pick-up only happens on Mondays, the community member may ask: Do we need an additional recycling pick-up day to support the amount of recycled material in our community? To investigate this issue, the community member can apply the scientific method.


1) Ask a question: The community member began by asking, "Do we need additional recycling pick-up days to support the amount of recycled material in our community?"

2) Do background research: The community member may start to ask neighbors and other community members what their experiences are with recycling. Do they feel adequately supported by the frequency of recycling pick-ups? The community member may conduct a survey (through mail, over the phone, in person) to get answers to questions about recycling. Finally, the community member may ask leaders from other neighborhoods what their recycling pick-up frequency is.

3) Construct a hypothesis: After investigating the issue, the community member will develop a hypothesis. For example, the community member may say, "This community would be better served by a twice-weekly recycling schedule to accommodate the amount of recycled material."


4) Test hypothesis: The community member may then lobby the neighborhood to include an extra day of recycling; this process is an experiment.


5) Analyze results: The community member will then re-investigate the issue to determine if his or her hypothesis is supported in the experiment (adding another recycling day).


6) Draw conclusion: The community member will conclude that either the hypothesis was supported and the solution was appropriate or the hypothesis was not supported and the solution was not appropriate. In this step, the community member may decide the issue is solved or determine more research and experimentation is needed to solve the problems plaguing the community.

`int root(3)(x)/(root(3)(x) - 1) dx` Find the indefinite integral by u substitution. (let u be the denominator of the integral)

Solving indefinite integral by u-substitution, we follow:


`int f(g(x))*g'(x) = int f(u) *du` where we let `u = g(x)` .


By following the instruction to let "u" be the denominator  of the integral,


 it means we let: u = `root(3)(x) -1`


Find the derivative of "u" which is` du = 1/(3x^(2/3))dx`


 Then `du =1/(3x^(2/3))dx` can be rearrange into `3x^(2/3)du =dx` .


Applying u-substitution using `u =root(3)(x)-1` and `3x^(2/3)du =dx` .


`int root(3)(x)/(root(3)(x)-1) dx = int root(3)(x)/u*3x^(2/3)du`


                    `= int (x^(1/3)*3x^(2/3))/udu`


                   ` =int (3x^(1/3+2/3))/udu`


                  ` =3 int x/udu`


Note: `x^(1/3+2/3) = x^(3/3)`


                           `=x^1 or x`


Algebraic techniques:


From` u = root(3)(x)-1` , we can rearrange it into `root(3)(x)=u+1` .


Raising both sides by a power 3:


`(root(3)(x))^3 =(u+1)^3`


`x = (u+1)*(u+1)*(u+1)`


By FOIL: `(u+1)*(u+1) = u*u +u*1+1*u+1*1`


                                `= u^2+u+u+1`


                                 `= u^2+2u+1`


Then let `(u+1)(u+1) = u^2 +2u +1 in (u+1)(u+1)(u+1)` :


`(u+1)(u+1)(u+1) = (u+1)*(u^2+2u+1)`


Applying distributive property:


`(u+1)(u^2+2u+1) = u *(u^2+2u+1) + 1*(u^2+2u+1)`


                           `= u^3 +2u^2+u +u^2+2u+1`


                           `=u^3+3u^2+3u+1`


 then `x = (u+1)*(u+1)*(u+1)` is the same as 


`x =u^3+3u^2+3u+1`


 Substitute` x=u^3+3u^2+3u+1 in 3 int x/udu` :


`3 int x/udu = 3 int (u^3+3u^2+3u+1 )/u du`


                 ` = 3int (u^3/u+(3u^2)/u+(3u)/u+1/u) du`


                 `=3int (u^2+3u+3+1/u) du`


Evaluating each term in separate integral:


`3 * [ int u^2 *du+ int 3u*du+int 3*du+ int 1/u du]`


where: 


`int u^2 *du = u^3/3`


`int 3u*du =(3u^2)/2`


`int 3*du = 3u`


`int 1/u du= ln|u|`


`3 * [ int u^2 *du+ int 3u*du+int 3*du+ int 1/u du]` becomes:


`3*[u^3/3 +(3u^2)/2 +3u+ln|u|] +C= 3u^3/3 +(9u^2)/2 +9u+3ln|u|+C`


Substitute u = root(3)(x)-1:


`3u^3/3 +(9u^2)/2 +9u+3ln|u| +C = (root(3)(x)-1)^3 +(9(root(3)(x)-1)^2)/2 +9(root(3)(x)-1)+3ln|(root(3)(x)-1)| +C`

You look at a photo on your phone and suddenly the bottom of the yellow image becomes green. Explain what is missing and why it went from yellow to...

The most likely explanation is that your phone has a low enough resolution that individual subpixels are important, and the bottom of the image ended at a green or blue subpixel and therefore didn't have enough red. The red subpixels could also be damaged, but that sort of specific, precise damage is less likely.

Every pixel on an LCD screen is actually three subpixels, one red, one blue, and one green. Each of these is calibrated to stimulate a specific set of vision cells in the human retina called cone cells, which come in three corresponding types, one that primarily senses red, another that primarily senses green, and a third that primarily senses blue. (Colorblind people are usually missing one type of cone cell, most frequently the red-sensing one.) In this way, the image appears to have the color it would have in the real world, at least to our eyes. To the eyes of a species such as bees that have ultraviolet-sensing cells, the colors on a screen would look wrong.

Rendering methods for low-resolution screens actually take advantage of this, by turning on some subpixels and not others to smooth lines and edges. This adds a bit of color even to black-and-white images, but usually that is less of a problem than the hard, jagged edges that would otherwise result. Often, the color is imperceptible anyway.

Yellow is shown on an LCD as a roughly equal combination of red and green, but if a yellow object covers the whole screen, it may hit the edge in such a way that the last green subpixel is triggered but not the corresponding red subpixel. Thus, the very edge of the object may appear green.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Why do the ghosts appear in the main battle scene (Richard vs. Richmond) in Shakespeare's Richard III?

In Shakespeare's Richard III, eleven ghosts appear in both Richard and Richmond's dreams the night before the battle. Each one of the ghosts had been murdered by Richard: Prince Edward, King Henry VI, Clarence, Rivers, Gray, Vaughan, the two princes who Richard murdered, Hastings, Lady Anne, and Buckingham. They appear first in Richard's dream to tell him to "despair and die," and then move to Richmond's dream to encourage him and promise him he will rule England.


The ghosts appear in order to force Richard to examine his own choices, and foreshadow his downfall and Richmond's success. Richard's introspection causes him to realize that he is a murderer and examine what he truly fears and loves; he concludes that he is afraid and cannot love himself. When Richard and Richmond meet and duel the next day, the ghosts' predictions are proven correct as Richard is killed and Richmond is granted the crown. Richmond becomes King Henry VII and ends the war by granting Richard's men amnesty.

Monday, October 21, 2013

One crude method of determining the size of a molecule is to treat the molecule as an infinite square well with an electron trapped inside, and to...

Hello!


The formula seems correct. It can be obtained from the following facts:


`E_n = (n^2 h^2)/(8mL^2)`  and  `lambda = (hc)/(E_2-E_1),`


where `n` is the state number (changes from `2` to `1` in our case),
`h` is the Planck's constant,
`m` is the mass of electron,
`L` is the size of a molecule,
`lambda` is the photon's wavelength.


Therefore `E_2-E_1 =((2^2-1^2) h^2)/(8mL^2) = (3 h^2)/(8mL^2),` and


`L^2 = (3h^2)/(8m(E_2-E_1)) = (3h^2)/(8m(hc)/lambda) = (3h lambda)/(8mc).`


Thus `L = sqrt((3h lambda)/(8mc)).` To find the numerical result, recall the values in standard units:


`h = 6.6*10^(-34),`  `m = 9.1*10^(-31),`  `c = 3*10^8,`  `lambda = 1.94*10^(-6).`


So the result is


`sqrt((3*6.6*1.94)/(8*9.1*3)*(10^(-34)*10^(-6))/(10^(-31)*10^8)) approx sqrt(0.176*10^(-17)) = sqrt(1.76*10^(-18)) approx 1.33*10^(-9).`


This value is in standard units, meters. Because nano means `10^(-9),` this is the same as `1.33 nm.` So your numerical answer is also correct:)

What kind of lessons did Helen Keller learn from nature?

Miss Sullivan taught Helen about nature. Helen learned how the sun and rain helped trees grow. She also learned how animals found food and shelter. Helen described her early lessons with her teacher in her autobiography, writing,



Long before I learned to do a sum in arithmetic or describe the shape of the earth, Miss Sullivan had taught me to find beauty in the fragrant woods, in every blade of grass, and in the curves and dimples of my baby sister's hand (The Story of My Life, Chapter V).



Helen had always enjoyed being out in nature. Before Miss Sullivan arrived, Helen found peace in the garden near her house. She learned to appreciate the flowers, trees, vines, and shrubs using her senses of touch and smell.


One day, Helen had an experience that taught her how nature was not always a thing of joy. She experienced a fierce side of nature. Helen sat alone in the shade of a tree, perched on a branch. Helen felt the air suddenly turn cool, and "a shiver ran through the tree" (Chapter V). Helen clung to the tree as the branches and leaves blew in the wind. She realized that nature's fury was to be feared.

Please explain the use of thee and thou in For Whom the Bell Tolls.

The use of the formal "thee," "thou," and "thy" in Hemingway's novel may serve three purposes. First, Hemingway meant his dialogue to be a direct translation from Spanish, since the novel is set in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. In Spanish, the pronoun you has two forms, the formal usted and the familiar tú. Throughout the novel, Hemingway uses odd translations and, of course, censors the profanity which is common in the dialogue of the Spanish characters (he simply replaces the profanity with words such as "obscenity" and "muck").


Second, Hemingway uses these formalities to suggest the camaraderie of the characters who are fighting for a cause they are willing to die for. Rather than referring to each other as señor, señora or señorita, the characters refer to each other on equal terms as thee and thou. It is similar to the communist term comrade which is also a term of equality. The rebels during the civil war were attempting to bring freedom and equality to Spain, in contrast to their fascist opponents.


Third, the terms may be an allusion to religious symbolism and the Bible. Patrick Cheney, in his article "Hemingway and Christian Epic: The Bible in For Whom the Bell Tolls" argues that the novel is replete with Christian imagery, including the constant use of the biblical "thee" and "thou" (of course, these words were first used in the English translation, the King James Bible). An example of this imagery and symbolism is the description of El Sordo's death and the implication that he is a martyr for the cause of the Spanish Republic. He dies on a hill and in a direct reference to Jesus Christ (who was crucified on Calvary Hill), Robert Jordan says,



If he had known how many men in history have had to use a hill to die on it would not have cheered him any for, in the moment he was passing through, men are not impressed by what has happened to other men in similar circumstance...



Thus, all of the thees and thous give Hemingway's work a biblical effect and may even suggest that Robert Jordan and the Republicans he is fighting with are on the side favored by God. Hemingway, however, would certainly recoil from this link, as he did when critics used biblical references in their analysis of The Old Man and the Sea.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Does Jimmy Valentine or Ben Price show greater courage at the end of "A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry?

Jimmy Valentine shows far greater courage at the end of "A Retrieved Reformation" because he knows he is probably sacrificing everything to save the life of a little girl trapped inside a bank vault. Ben Price is not necessarily sacrificing anything. He is just resolving one of his many cases by letting one criminal go. He may not even have to report his decision to his superiors at the detective agency he works for. He believes that Jimmy Valentine is truly reformed and no longer a threat to banks or society. 


Jimmy, on the other hand, is exposing his true identity as a master safecracker, and in doing so believes he is giving up the girl to whom he is engaged. This is presented as his greatest and hardest loss. He also believes he is giving up his profitable business in the town of Elmore, his identity as Ralph Spencer, and the respect of Annabel's family and that of most of the citizens of Elmore. Instead, he is accepting his fate as a prisoner in a state penitentiary, without any hope of another reformation after he is released. He was previously serving four years for one bank job, so he can expect to be sentenced to four times as long, sixteen years, because Ben Price would be arresting him for four bank jobs. The sentence might even be worse because he has a prison record. His friends on the outside may want to distance themselves from him because of this lengthening record. Jimmy's desolation can be seen in his behavior after he releases the little girl from the vault.



“Hello, Ben!” said Jimmy, still with his strange smile. “You’re here at last, are you? Let’s go. I don’t care, now.

And then Ben Price acted rather strangely. “I guess you’re wrong about this, Mr. Spencer,” he said. “I don’t believe I know you, do I?”



Jimmy's "strange smile" is undoubtedly at the irony of fate. Irony is often like a bad joke. Just when he thought he had given up his life of crime in exchange for a much better life as an honorable citizen, an accident forces him to open his suit-case full of specialized burglar tools to release a little girl whose life is in danger.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Recently, scientist Bill Nye debated on CNN about how we should respond to climate change. What role do you feel the media should play in...

On the level of media coverage of global climate change, I agree with Bill Nye's position that the media should focus on reliable information by scientific experts, serving to educate its audience rather than pander to ignorance and prejudice. While it is important that media coverage be balanced, given limited space and time, that should be a balance among credible accounts with genuine evidence. Balance does not mean treating flat-earthers, creationists, UFO enthusiasts, anti-vaxxers, or conspiracy theories as though they somehow are on the same level as scientific studies. Nye is doing important work in trying to educate the public about climate change and the way it affects our everyday lives.


In terms of individual freedom, a generally accepted ethical standard is what John Stuart Mill termed the "harm principle" in his seminal work On Liberty. We all accept that our freedom to act ends where it impinges on other people's freedom or causes them harm. I have the freedom to own my own car. I do not have the freedom to steal someone else's car or to drive drunk or to text while driving or to run red lights, as those acts would harm others. In the same way, as Nye points out, carbon emissions harm others. Thus, just to use cars as an example, eliminating lead in gasoline, tightening MPG standards, and limiting emissions all are ways of reducing the harm caused by cars to our environment.


Other measures being advocated by Nye and others concerned about global climate change use scientific evidence to follow this principle that we should be free to take any actions that do not harm others, but that we are not free to act in ways that harm others. Pollution, which degrades the air people breathe and the water people drink, and climate change, which destroys people's homes and increases severe weather events, are examples of harm in the same way drunk driving or stealing are.

Is Pi Patel's story honest in Yann Martel's Life of Pi?

There is no way to know if Pi is telling an honest story or not.  In fact, that is the very question that Pi and author Martel leave readers with at the end of the book.  Pi is being interviewed about the sinking of the ship and the following 227 days.  He narrates two stories.  One is with animals and is full of amazing things.  It is practically unbelievable.  The other story contains none of those things, but it is more believable.  Pi boldly asks the interviewer which story he likes better.  Pi points out that the factual details did not change in either story, and the investigators can't prove which version is the true version.  They have to take his word for it. 



"So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can't prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals?"



Because of that single quote, I do not think that Pi is a completely honest story teller.  I believe that he is honest when it comes to telling the cold hard facts.  



"In both stories the ship sinks, my entire family dies, and I suffer."



Beyond that though, I think much of the story is imaginative embellishment on the part of Pi. 

According to the Keynesian model, what will be the effect of the following events on the Aggregate Expenditure curve and income: 1) The fraction...

How is Romeo and Juliet's love presented in Act 2, Scene 2, line 33?

That's a tough question, because line 33 is part of a sentence that extends from earlier lines and into later lines.  Using only line 33 is hard because it is being taken out of the overall context.  Line 33 is the following:



Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him



Too many questions surround that line.  Why are mortals falling?  Who is the "him" in the line?  



Let's look at the entire sentence instead.  




O, speak again, bright angel! For thou art


As glorious to this night, being o'er my head,


As is a wingèd messenger of heaven


Unto the white, upturnèd, wondering eyes


Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him


When he bestrides the lazy-puffing clouds


And sails upon the bosom of the air.





Act 2, Scene 2 is the famous balcony scene, and the above lines take place before Romeo and Juliet start talking to each other.  Romeo is looking up at Juliet, and she doesn't know he is there.  You can decide if that is creepy or not.  



Line 33, and its surrounding sentence, is being spoken by Romeo about Juliet.  He is comparing her and her beauty to an angel of heaven.  He looks upon her with amazement and wonder, which is how he imagines that he would be looking at an actual angel of God sailing through the sky. 



Understanding the line in that context causes me to see their love for each other presented in a specific way.  Their love is being presented as cosmic, godly, angelic, glorious, and/or heavenly.  Line 33 shows that Romeo isn't quite certain that mere mortals are supposed to have these kinds of feelings, yet he is witnessing something (Juliet) that appears to be straight from heaven.   


Friday, October 18, 2013

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? What were its achievements and failures?

The plan of government created by the Articles of Confederation had strengths and weaknesses. It was the weaknesses that eventually led to a movement to replace this plan of government.


The strengths of the Articles of Confederation dealt mainly with getting our country running after the Revolutionary War ended. This period of time was going to be a difficult period no matter what plan of government was created. The Articles of Confederation allowed our people to elect their leaders. It also allowed the leaders to make laws that helped run the country.


Two laws that represent significant achievements of the Articles of Confederation were the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The Land Ordinance of 1785 allowed the government to develop an organized plan to deal with the western lands and to sell those lands. This was one way the government was able to raise money. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 created a plan that became a model for how a territory could become a state. After certain population thresholds were met, the territory could apply for statehood.


There were several weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. One weakness was that the government couldn’t levy taxes. This made it hard for the government to raise money and to pay its debts. The government also couldn’t require people to join the military. This made it difficult for our government to deal with issues we had with other countries or with issues within our own country. For example, when Spain and Great Britain interfered with our trade, there wasn’t much we could do about it. When some of our people rebelled against our government, as with Shays’ Rebellion, the federal government didn’t respond to this threat. The federal government also had financial problems. Since both the state government and the federal government could print money, inflation was a concern. People often lacked confidence in the value of our paper money. Another weakness was there was no federal court system. Thus, there was no place for states to take their disputes in order to resolve them.


As the weaknesses became more obvious, a decision was made to hold a meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 to discuss changing our plan of government. This led to the development of a new plan of government, which is known as the Constitution.

What should I do after I graduate high school if I don't want to go to college?

There are many alternatives to college. First of all, there are many trade schools and programs. You do not have to spend a lot of money for these. You can become an apprentice to a carpenter, for example. Carpenters make quite a bit of money. You can also become a plumber or a mechanic. These are good paying jobs where there are other paths to certification than expensive programs.


The first thing you should do is talk to adults you know. You can consider family members who have careers you are interested in, especially ones that do not require degrees. You would be surprised at which jobs do not require degrees. Many jobs do require on-the-job training, but you can get paid while you work.


If you have a hobby, an interest, or a family business, this is a good place to start. Even if it is not what you want to do with your life, it is a good place to begin. Also, sometimes you can just start applying for jobs. Often you have no idea that you are interested in something until you see it. Some jobs train you and only require a high school diploma.


Most communities have job fairs. They will also provide information on trade schools, community colleges, and other secondary education options. Every community is different and it depends on where your interests lie and how much money is available to you. You can also contact local trade unions about their apprenticeship programs, such as the carpenters’ union, plumbers’ union or electricians’ union.


Community colleges often have more than just Associate of Arts degrees offered. They usually have certificate programs of various kinds available. For example, you could learn computer programming, video game design, project management for construction, or earn some other kind of certification there.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

In what ways, and to what extent, did contact among Native American Indians, Africans, and Europeans challenge the world-views of each group?

Africans and Europeans had already had some contact with one another for centuries, since it is possible to travel between the two continents by land or sea without crossing a whole ocean. In contrast, Native Americans were very isolated from Europe and Africa for thousands of years, as the landbridge that their ancestors traveled across flooded over and remained impassible. Still, many important differences between African and European cultures persisted into the era of European colonial expansion (and to some extent do still persist today).

Once Europeans began to colonize North America, they came into contact with Native Americans for the first time. While both cultures had many commonalities---they spoke language, they wore clothing, they used agriculture, they traded with their neighbors---there were radical differences in worldview between the colonists and the natives.

The colonists came from a society based on a mercantilist monetary economy, where one of the chief goals of entire countries was to extract and amass as much gold as possible. They also were predominantly believers in Christian religion, and sought to spread Christian religion wherever they landed.

The natives, on the other hand, lived primarily in tribal societies or intertribal coalitions (such as the Iroquois Confederacy), and did not use a monetary system or place any special value on precious metals. Native religions were predominantly animist, based on the worship of nature, animals, and human ancestors. While many assume that this worship of nature must have led to better ecological sustainability, it's not clear how much this was actually true; while in some ways Native American societies were ecologically sustainable (their forestry management was excellent), in other ways they were not (they caused a number of major extinctions of large animals).

African societies were in many ways similar to Native American societies in their structure, though they had much more extensive influences from Europe and Asia. Christianity and Islam were already influential in Africa by the 16th century, and African cultures were already somewhat accustomed to the trade of gold and gemstones. While Native Americans were primarily agricultural societies, a significant proportion of Africans were hunter-gatherers. Still, the basic tribal structure was typically quite similar, and the distinction between nomadic farmers and hunter-gatherers is not always very large.

The Christian and mercantilist ideas of Europeans had large, prolonged influences on both African and Native American cultures. Infamously, Europeans introduced new institutions of slavery, applied to both Native Americans and Africans. While both Native American and African cultures had forms of slavery prior to contact with Europeans, it was the application of European markets that expanded slavery into the global institution it became. Previously slaves were largely prisoners of war, traded for diplomatic reasons; after Europeans arrived they were treated as capital assets to be bought and sold on an open market.

Today we can see an almost total transformation of African and Native American worldviews effected by European ideas. Today, the majority of Native Americans and Africans are Christian. While some try to hold onto their ancient tribal structures, most African and Native American societies are now structured according to the European model of civil government and a money-based market. In the US we have become accustomed to Native American-owned casinos and banks---yet this could hardly be further from how Native Americans lived a thousand years ago.

Conversely, Europeans were not as heavily influenced by Native American and African worldviews. Hardly any adopted Native American religions, and they maintained their same basic structure of government and money-based markets, which eventually evolved into modern industrial capitalism. However, they could hardly avoid being influenced altogether.  They learned many agricultural techniques from Native Americans, and restructured their diets to incorporate foods grown in North America such as corn and potatoes. Where Europeans brought the Native Americans alcohol, they received tobacco in return---and in both cases the new drug was thoroughly embraced.

Another potential Native American influence on European ideas relates to the US Constitution. While the U.S. certainly borrowed greatly from European ideas of democracy, some historians argue that it is possible that an additional influence may have come from the Iroquois Confederacy and its federalized system of central authority with certain powers delegated to smaller, local authorities. 

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Scientists have studied learning and memory for many years. Ivan Pavlov is particularly well known for his theories on conditional coding....

The name of the product being advertised in the sample advertisement I watched is Old Spice Men's Body Wash. The advertisement uses magical realism, humor and physical appeal--appeal of person, place and possessions--to present compelling reasons for women, their target audience, to make their men switch to a man's body wash. The ad is driven by the unspoken assumptions that women do the shopping for their men and that the household uses one brand of shower body wash. In the ad, a popular male sports figure, half stripped, stands in front of an open shower holding Old Spice Men's Body Wash.


A description of the advertisement.
The sports figure hunk draws the target woman's attention to the unfavorable comparison between "your man" and "me": "Look at your man, now look at me" so he can condition her on the virtues of Old Spice. Magical realism takes him and viewers to a yacht where he is magically dressed in pastel casual clothes. Another change has diamonds dripping from his hand and yet another has him on a horse on a tropical island. The script has him saying: "Look at your man, now look at me. Look at your man, back at me. Look at your man, back at me. Look down, now back at me. Look down, back at me." The script equates "me" with the sports figure, Old Spice, physical appeal, luxury yachting, entertainment, diamonds, tropical get-aways, "smelling like a man" and "smelling like me." The tag line is that with Old Spice, nothing is impossible.

An explanation of how the ad utilizes conditional coding.
Classical conditioning is defined, as in Oxford Dictionary, as the repeated pairing of two stimuli so that, over time, the response elicited by the second stimuli is transferred to the other so that the response is elicited by that second stimuli alone (as per the classic food and bell). The primary pairing is of the sports figure hunk with Old Spice. There is a negative association of the sports hunk and "your man": "Look at me. Look at your man, back at me. He's not me." There is another pairing of the sports hunk with "nothing is impossible" and another with "smell like a man."

A discussion of whether or not the advertiser is using conditional coding properly.
In this Old Spice Men's Body Wash commercial, it appears that conditioning codes are used correctly. There is a repeated pairing of "your man" with "me": "Look at your man, now look at me. Look at your man, back at me. Look at your man, back at me." The implied and assumed response elicited is positive sexual association following "now look at me." In addition, there are further pairings between "look down" [at where you are] with "Look up, now what do you see?" The implied pairing between "me" and someone using Old Spice is that, with Old Spice, "I" can bring about the impossible just as "me" can.   

Comment on how the advertiser might better use classical conditioning to market to the target audience.
The verbal conditional coding breaks off at the end when the brand slogan is stated, "Smell like a man." The strong conditional coding would have been carried over effectively into the slogan with the addition of another verbal pairing: "Look at me. What am I holding? Old Spice. Smell like a man." Even though visual pairing did continue through the end portion highlighting the slogan, visual pairing and verbal pairing operate through different synaptic pathways. This causes a break in concentration while cognition switches from one task to another, thus weakening the conditional coding effect. 

What are a few examples of loss of innocence in the novel Jane Eyre?

Jane could be said to lose parts of her innocence at multiple points in the novel Jane Eyre. Assuming that Jane starts off as an innocent child, she quickly becomes accustomed to the cruelty of the world, which in turn causes her to lose some of both her naivety and her innocence. 


Even in the first chapter, when Jane is hit by Master John and she hits him back, her innocence is taken from her by her cruel family. They lock her in the red room where Jane becomes terrified. She experiences extreme sadness, "humiliation, self-doubt, forlorn depression" and she believes herself to be wicked because the Reeds have labeled her so (page 15).


Jane next loses innocence when she enters Lowood boarding school and is submitted to cold, hunger and strict lessons. Not only that, but Jane experiences death and loss for the first time, with the death of her friend Helen Burns. 


No longer untouched by the world, and no longer an innocent child, Jane sets out to make her own way. Other instances of her loss of innocence could be argued for - being blindsided by Mr. Rochester about his wife and being disgraced and fleeing Thornfield, for instance. Though Jane loses parts of her innocence as she grows and matures, it is important to remember that Jane undoubtedly remains a pure and moral character throughout the novel. 

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

What approaches can be used in measuring productivity?

The category of this question is quite important; "productivity" means somewhat different things in business versus economics.

Whereas economists might be interested in the overall efficiency of an entire economy, treating "productivity" as a macroeconomic concept (such as "total factor productivity"), businesses are generally concerned with their own productivity as a firm: How efficiently are expensive inputs being used to produce revenue-generating outputs?

A few different approaches can be taken for answering that basic question.

The simplest way is to divide the amount produced by the amount consumed, which can be done for each input separately. We can speak of labor productivity, how many units of goods are produced per worker hour, and capital productivity, how many units of goods are produced per machine hour. You can also assess each of these in financial terms: How many units of good are produced per dollar spent on labor versus capital. We can compare both total productivity and marginal productivity, where total is simply output divided by input, while marginal is the amount of output that would be generated if we added one more unit of input. If we are spending optimally, the marginal productivity of each dollar spent on each input should be the same; if they are not the same, we may be overspending on one input versus another.

Probably the most useful measure of productivity for business purposes is value added, which considers the total revenue generated by selling products in each period, minus the total expenditure paid to produce those same products. Adjustments need to be made to ensure the right things are being compared; if you are depleting inventory from past purchases, you need to either include those purchases or exclude those sales.

You can also calculated value added another way, by adding up all the places that net revenue ends up going: Profit, dividends, retained earnings, depreciation, labor expenditure (sometimes called "labor cost"; this is actually economically erroneous but I've even seen economists make the mistake), interest, and taxes---essentially, all forms of profit plus all expenditures that weren't for inputs other than labor.

When did Walker's mother show her temper?

In her essay "In Search of Our Mother's Gardens," Alice Walker talks about her mother's resilience in the face of racism and poverty. Walker's mother and father were sharecroppers in Georgia. However, despite their lowly circumstances, Walker's mother expected more for her children and insisted that Alice, particularly, get the education that was not accessible to her.


Mrs. Walker loses her temper when their white landlord dares to say that her children need not progress beyond their status as field hands :



And this is how I came to know my mother: she seemed a large, soft, loving-eyed woman who was rarely impatient in our home. Her quick violent temper was on view only a few times a year, when she battled with the white landlord who had the misfortune to suggest to her that her children did not need to go to school.



Walker's mother is very tender and loving, particularly toward her family. Loving them also requires her to defend them against those who seek to circumscribe their lives. "The white landlord" makes this mistake.

If Lance Armstrong were to be sued in a US Court for using illegal performance-enhancing drugs and perjury, should he be sued in a federal court...


If this is a question for a class, I do suggest you seek some clarification of the question.  A situation in which someone would sue Lance Armstrong for the use of illicit drugs seems quite unlikely, and no one can sue another person for perjury.  As you have stated this, these are both crimes.  So, the question would appear to be whether Armstrong could be prosecuted in state or federal court.  And the answer to that is that it depends. If Lance is in a particular state and in the United States and has violated the laws of either or both, they may both have jurisdiction, the state only may have jurisdiction, or the federal government only may have jurisdiction.  Subject matter jurisdiction lies in a criminal court and is almost irrelevant to the inquiry, since people are prosecuted only in criminal court, not in civil court. 


Most criminal law is the domain of the states, but there are federal laws concerning drug use, so if there is a federal law that preempts a state law, jurisdiction would lie in a federal criminal proceeding. For example, many states now allow the use of marijuana, either medically, recreationally, or both. But federal law makes the use of marijuana a crime.  So even a person in a state that allows its use can be tried in federal court in a criminal prosecution. We say that the federal law preempts the state law in a situation like this.  I do not know which performance enhancing drugs Armstrong has taken and which are actually illegal.  For instance, it may or may not be illegal to do an autologous blood transfusion, one performance-enhancing means athletes use, in a particular state or in the United States crimes code. 


Which court system would have jurisdiction regarding perjury is a function of to whom Armstrong perjured himself. If he lied to a state official under oath, that state would have jurisdiction over him for this crime. If he lied to a Congressman or a federal marshal, the federal government would have jurisdiction over him.


You can see how little subject matter jurisdiction matters under circumstances such as these. Different courts are allowed to try different kinds of cases, so that a bankruptcy would need to be filed with the federal bankruptcy court and if I sue another person over a private contract, the federal courts are not likely to have jurisdiction. If I seek an injunction, I must file in a court of equity.  But if a person is being prosecuted for a crime, he or she must, of course, be prosecuted in criminal court. 



Sunday, October 13, 2013

How can I create a Venn diagram of the events in The Iliad by Homer and The Aeneid by Virgil?

Creating a Venn diagram for the events in the Iliad and Aeneid is not difficult! The purpose of the Venn diagram is to create a visual representation of the relationship between a group of things. To create a Venn diagram, you must first draw a large rectangle and label it; in your case the label is "Events in the Iliad and the Aeneid." Next, draw two partially-overlapping circles inside the triangle, and make sure you leave enough room to write inside them. Label one circle Iliad and the other Aeneid. Inside each circle, write the qualities of and events which take place in that epic but not in the other. For instance, the Iliad is credited to Homer; the Aeneid, Virgil. There are some events which take place in both books, such as the Trojan War. Write these events in the portion where the two circles overlap. You now have a visual representation of the chronological similarities and differences in the Iliad and the Aeneid

Saturday, October 12, 2013

In The Sign of the Four, how does Sherlock Holmes make a good literary detective in relation to other detectives? What qualities does he have?

Sherlock Holmes makes a good literary detective in part because he is far from perfect. When The Sign of the Four begins, he is injecting himself with a seven-percent solution of cocaine, and he also administers morphine to himself. He says to Watson, "My mind rebels at stagnation." Holmes has the marks of a type of mental health disorder, such as bipolar disorder, that subjects him to periods of productivity and good moods when he is working and to low moods and depression when he is not working. Other detectives, such as Miss Marple in the Agatha Christie mysteries, do not have these types of faults. 


For the most part, however, the reader sees very little of Holmes's personal life or inner self except his acute powers of reasoning. At the end of The Sign of Four, Watson marries Mary Morstan (the woman who Holmes and Watson have been helping in the case), and the police inspector, Jones, receives the credit for solving the case. Sherlock Holmes says, "For me . . . there still remains the cocaine-bottle." It seems that most of what he cares about is drugs and solving cases, and he is himself a mystery. He makes a good literary detective because the reader wants to know more about Holmes himself, whose inner motivations and inner life are shrouded in mystery.

Friday, October 11, 2013

In the book Jacob Have I Loved, how did the main conflict affect the ending?

In Jacob Have I Loved, the main conflict was the bitterness and jealousy that Louise felt toward her twin sister, Caroline.  Caroline got more attention and praise when they were growing up.  At birth, Caroline was weak and sickly, while Louise was strong.  Caroline was given excellent care and attention as a baby because of this.  In the story, Louise described her feelings about their birth:



I was the elder by a few minutes.  I always treasured the thought of those minutes.  They represented the only time in my life when I was the center of everyone's attention.  From the moment Caroline was born, she snatched it all for herself (Chapter 2).



For many years, Louise held onto bitterness toward her sister.  She was envious of the praise and attention Caroline received.  Caroline was fair and beautiful.  She was a talented singer and often belittled Louise.  When they grew up, Caroline studied music and Louise became a midwife.  One evening, she delivered twins.  One twin was strong, but the other was weak.  She attentively cared for the weaker twin.  Then she remembered the other twin.  She recalled how she had been left alone at birth because she was the strong one.   She called attention to the other twin because she did not want him to be alone.  Though Louise cared for the sickly twin with compassion, she also made sure that the stronger twin was remembered.  She told his grandmother:



"You should hold him... Hold him as much as you can.  Or let his mother hold him."


What are three reasons why it is important for managers to understand the environments in which they operate?

Managers are required to understand the business environment to exploit opportunities, deal with threats, and adapt to current situations. Based on the opportunities (O) and threats (T) aspects of a SWOT analysis, it is understood that these two elements are brought about by external factors. The environment presents both opportunities and threats, and it is up to the manager to make the right decisions based on the situation to ensure the business survives and thrives. For instance, laws passed by governments may present opportunities for growth or threats to the firm. An economic crisis would pose a threat to the establishment by affecting the customers’ ability to buy. In this case, the manager will be required to make the right decisions with regards to pricing, production, promotions and other factors of the product to adapt to the situation.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

When was Flannery O'Connor's short story "Greenleaf" published?

Flannery O'Connor wrote Greenleaf in 1956 but didn't publish it until nine years later, in 1965, as part of her short story collection Everything That Rises Must Converge. As is typical of many of O'Connor's works, Greenleaf espouses a decidedly religious worldview as characters afflicted by obvious vice -- in this case, the proud and selfish Mrs. May -- experience divine retribution through chaos and violence. In Greenleaf, Mrs. Greenleaf prays that God "stab her [Mrs. May] in the heart," which transpires when the bull Mr. Greenleaf is trying to shoot, on Mrs. May's command, instead pierces her heart with its horn. In this epiphanous moment of violence and religious ecstasy, Mrs. May has "the look of a person whose sight has been suddenly restored but who finds the light unbearable." Arguably, the bull symbolizes Christ, offering redemption to a sinner through a moment of agony; for Mrs. May, being stabbed in the heart is a catalyst for enlightenment. 

What was the purpose of the Viking voyages?

The primary purpose of the Viking voyages and exploration was for trade.  Viking society depended heavily on trade.  Viking merchants sought to trade with people in both existing areas and new areas.  They traded a large variety of goods, especially with other merchants in Asia.  Ships sailed by Viking merchants traveled to many places in the world, both east and west.  Vikings had developed seaworthy ships, so they were able to travel farther than other explorers in that time.  This gave them an advantage in both trade and exploration.  


Some historians believe that the Viking explorers were also looking for more land to house some of their expanding population back home.  Evidence of Viking settlements can be found in many places today.  


Some Viking explorers wanted to discover new lands.  The Vikings explored Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland.  These were areas previously unexplored by Europeans.  

Could you provide a brief appreciation of "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" in Shakespeare's "Sonnet 130"?

"Sonnet 130" is a standard Shakespearean sonnet. It contains fourteen total lines, broken into three stanzas of four lines each with a couplet at the end. That is followed by a final couplet. The three quatrains are in an alternating ABAB rhyme scheme, and the final two lines rhyme with each other. That gives the entire sonnet the rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. Each line of the poem contains ten syllables written in the iambic foot. That means each line of the poem contains five iambic feet. That is called iambic pentameter.  


As a final detail, the couplet of a Shakespearean sonnet usually offers a counter/ rebuttal to the previous twelve lines. That is true for this sonnet as well. Shakespeare goes through twelve lines of poetry describing how his lover's physical qualities are not anywhere close to a societal beauty standard. Her cheeks aren't rosy, her breath stinks, and her voice is awful, but the final couplet says that his love for her is as real and strong as love gets.  

How is Scout Finch innocent in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Throughout the novel, Scout portrays her childhood innocence in various ways. She does not recognize the meaning behind specific derogatory and explicit terms that she hears on an everyday basis. Scout is continually asking her father to explain phrases and words such as "nigger-lover" and "rape." Scout also naively believes everything Jem says. She fears her reclusive neighbor, Arthur "Boo" Radley, and refers to him as the "malevolent phantom." She also believes the false rumors that surround Boo. At the beginning of the novel, Scout lacks perspective and the ability to control her emotions. Atticus is continually reminding Scout to keep her composure and exercise tolerance throughout the novel. Scout is also not aware of the overt prejudice and hypocrisy that is prevalent throughout Maycomb's community. She does not understand the level of oppression African Americans face until she witnesses Tom Robinson's trial. As the novel progresses, Scout matures, and various characters, most notably Atticus, impact and aid in her moral development. 

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

How do Gram and Grim show love and care for Maxwell in Philbrick's Freak the Mighty?

Grim and Gram have had their grandson Max with them ever since their daughter was killed by her husband about ten years earlier. During this time, they have provided him with a room of his own, food, shelter, and love. First, Grim and Gram have always shown an interest in Max's education, which is one way to demonstrate that they care. For example, they actively participate in parent/teacher meetings and work with his teachers to help Max in his resource classes.


Another way that Grim and Gram show how much they love and care for Max is in Chapter 8. After Max is brought home from the Fourth of July celebration by the cops, he looks and smells like a mess because he ran into the pond with Kevin to escape bullies. Grim and Gram don't get mad at him. In fact, they give him ice cream and coffee to commemorate the occasion. Max responds by thinking the following:



"By the time I polish off the ice cream, Grim is handing me coffee in a china cup, from the set they never use" (42).



These gestures make Max feel loved and cared for because his grandparents are making a fuss over him. If they didn't care about him, they would just tell him to take a shower and go to bed. Not only that, but Grim and Gram discuss the bully situation with Max and spin it in a positive way to make Max feel better about everything. They never belittle him or make him feel stupid, even though he may feel that way on his own. 


Then, in Chapter 14, Max hears Grim and Gram arguing about whether Grim should protect the family from Killer Kane with a gun. Gram doesn't want her husband to use a gun; however, Grim shows his love for Max by saying the following:



"He fooled 'em . . . Just like he fooled Annie. Just like he fooled us once upon a time. Never again, though. That man tries to set foot in this house I aim to shoot him" (90).



Clearly, Grim and Gram love their grandson Max because they are willing to do whatever it takes to protect him from bullies and Killer Kane. Once Max is kidnapped, they never give up searching for him, either. Then, after Kevin dies, Grim and Gram are there for Max as he grieves and goes back to school. Max is lucky to have such great grandparents to look after him.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Is it important that Jonas sees the apple change in The Giver?

It is important that Jonas sees the apple change because it is his first indication that he is different and his community is not what it seems.


When Jonas is growing up, he believes what everyone in his community believes. He thinks the community is perfect, all citizens are happy, and Sameness ensures no one is ever uncomfortable. The strict rules and conformity are necessary to maintain the community’s structure and happiness. When Jonas sees the apple change, he realizes nothing is what it seems.


The apple changing is the first sign Jonas is different from others and that the community is hiding a secret. Jonas is the only one who notices anything unusual about the apple.  He sees it change when he is tossing it to his friend Asher.



But suddenly Jonas had noticed, following the path of the apple through the air with his eyes, that the piece of fruit had—well, this was the part that he couldn't adequately understand—the apple had changed. Just for an instant (Chapter 3).



Jonas asks Asher about it, but he notices nothing unusual about the apple. Jonas tries to bring the apple home, but he can’t see anything different about it. All that happens is that he is publicly chastised for hoarding food. The Speaker doesn’t mention him by name, but Jonas knows the Speaker is talking about him. That’s how it works in Jonas’s world. You conform, or else.


When Jonas turns Twelve, he finds out what the change was all about. At the Ceremony of Twelve, his number is skipped when he is supposed to be called for his assignment. He and the other audience members are told by the Chief Elder that he has been given an unusual assignment and has been selected Receiver of Memory. It is a job that requires special skills, personality traits, and one unique ability.



Finally, The Receiver must have one more quality, and it is one which I can only name, but not describe. I do not understand it. You members of the community will not understand it, either. Perhaps Jonas will, because the current Receiver has told us that Jonas already has this quality. He calls it the Capacity to See Beyond (Chapter 8).



Jonas realizes he does have this unique ability. He saw the apple change. He sees the faces of people in the crowd change. He learns through his training that this means he is susceptible to the memories. Only a very small percentage of people in his community are, and Jonas is one of them.


When he begins his training, Jonas finds out he is seeing color. No one else in his community does. The apple was red, and he was seeing its redness. When he receives memories, he starts to see all the colors. 


As extraordinary as it is to have a special ability no one else has, akin to a magic trick, the really important thing about Jonas and the apple is that it is the first time Jonas and the reader realize something else is going on behind the community’s perfect surface. The community is much darker than Jonas realized.  


As part of his training, Jonas begins to see the community's dark side and that another way of life is possible. It is the way of life he sees in the memories, a way of life that is not devoid of feelings and ruled by politeness. Jonas begins to doubt his community and is eventually forced to leave it.

What is the significance of the Kikongo word nommo and its attendant concepts of being and naming?

Adah explains that Nelson has taught her the Kikongo word nommo, meaning "word." It is the force that "makes things live as what they are" (page 209). Adah explains that this concept helps her understand herself and her twin sister, Leah. Though they came from the same egg and are identical, they are very different. The idea that a name creates one's existence helps her understand why she and her twin sister are so different. This concept also helps Adah understand why her father, Nathan Price, is a failure as a preacher in the Congo. She writes, "his failures are deficiencies with words" (page 213). He grows frustrated and speaks in what she refers to as "half-baked Kikongo," thereby alienating his audience because he doesn't understand that their names for things affect their conception of them and their reality. For example, in the Kikongo language, the word for "baptism" is very similar to the word for "terrify." Nathan has not concentrated on this difference, so he often gets it wrong. Therefore, the concept of naming is closely allied to the concept of being, and not understanding this concept means that Nathan will not understand the people he is preaching to.

Why should the speaker not have stopped in the woods in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost?

There are two reasons mentioned in the poem why the speaker should not be stopping.  First of all, there is no farmhouse nearby. 



My little horse must think it queer   


To stop without a farmhouse near   


Between the woods and frozen lake   


The darkest evening of the year. 



The speaker mentions that the horse must think it is strange for him to be stopping there while the woods fill up with snow when there is no farmhouse near.  You normally would not stop somewhere unless there is someone to see.  The horse would expect the speaker to go from farmhouse to farmhouse, not stop in the middle of the woods. 


The second reason can be either metaphorical or literal, and it is that he still has miles to go.  The speaker says he still has miles to go before he sleeps. 



The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   


But I have promises to keep,   


And miles to go before I sleep,   


And miles to go before I sleep. 



On a literal level, this means that he is far from home and he should not stop here because he needs to go home.  Stopping here is wasting time, even though it is nice, because he is miles away from home.  He should not stop here in the middle of nowhere.  It could even be dangerous to stop here long while it is snowing. 


On a figurative level, sleep is a metaphor for death.  It is not time to die yet.   The speaker still has a lot yet to do, and therefore it is not time to die yet.  The “miles to go before I sleep” can be interpreted as obligations the speaker has that have to be seen to before death, or just parts of life that the speaker has yet to experience.  In other words, the speaker is not ready to die.

Monday, October 7, 2013

What poetic devices does Johnson Agard use in "The Clown's Wife"?

Besides its imagery, the most obvious poetic devices in this poem are irony and paradox.  While the clown is the "king on the throne" (4) with a silly "red nose" (7) whose job it is to make his audience laugh, the wife assumes that same role when her husband gets home. The poem makes the statement that a person who works so hard at making others happy may have a more difficult time making himself happy. The paradox here is that making the lives of the general population better has a negative effect on the actual life of the individual performer. Perhaps this is true because the performer truly understands that he is only presenting a type of facade rather than reality.


The speaker, the wife, reveals the clown's melancholic personality when she notes that "I do me best to cheer him up, poor soul"(9).  She worries that he buries his emotions inside, the opposite tendencies of a clown.  The poet uses images to reveal the antics of a clown, but humorously uses them to describe not the clown himself, but the wife. In stanza four, she juggles, jokes and performs physical stunts to do, in effect, the same job her husband does during the day. Her understanding of his predicament lends to her characterization as a truly devoted wife.  The husband appreciates his wife's efforts in the last lines, 16 and 17, of the poem:  O life, ah life, what would I do without this clown of a wife?"


The reader understand the images portrayed by a typical street clown, but is more affected by the irony and paradox of the actual life of a clown.  All is not fun and games in real life; even a clown knows that.

Do I need a tourist card to visit the Dominican Republic?

If you are an American citizen, you can visit the Dominican Republic with either a passport and visa or a passport and tourist card. You must have (with your passport) either a visa or a tourist card. If you have a visa, you will not need a tourist card.


According to the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in the United States:




1) Does an American citizen require a Visa to enter the Dominican Republic as a tourist?


No, American citizens do not require a visa to enter the Dominican Republic as tourists. You just need to purchase a tourist card (Fee US$10.00) online... or at your port of entry in the Dominican Republic.



2) Is a visa required for non US citizens to enter the Dominican Republic as a tourist?


Any person who can legally travel or reside in the United States, Canada and the European Union (including Great Britain) does not need a Visa to visit the Dominican Republic for tourist purposes and can enter the Dominican Republic with a Tourist Card and a valid passport.




According to the United States Department of State, under Entry, Exit, and Visa Requirements, "Visitors who do not obtain a Dominican visa must purchase a tourist card at the airport for 10 USD upon entry or online prior to travel." So, you will only need to purchase a tourist card (which allows you to stay up to 30 days) if you have not obtained a visa.


Please refer to the links below, which also includes phone numbers for the United States embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Please give a possible thesis statement that compares/contrasts Romeo and Creon as tragic heroes.

One possible thesis statement is that Romeo and Creon are both tragic heroes because they make flawed decisions that bring about their destruction; however, Romeo's decision is motivated by love, while Creon's is motivated by regard for the law over the family.


A tragic hero is an otherwise virtuous character who makes a choice that causes his or her ruin. Romeo is a loving man who is already married to Juliet when he and Mercutio stumble upon Tybalt, who is from Juliet's family (rivals of Romeo's family). Romeo at first refuses to fight Tybalt, but in the fight that ensues, Tybalt kills Mercutio. Romeo's mistake is to then be so angered by love for his friend Mercutio that he slays Tybalt. As a result, he is banished from Verona, leading to the misunderstandings that cause his and Juliet's deaths.


Creon in Antigone is also a virtuous leader who makes a wrong choice, as he refuses to allow Antigone to bury her brother, Polynices. He thinks that the law of the state, which brands Polynices as a traitor, is more important that Antigone's familial ties to Polynices. After this decision, Antigone feels like she must disobey Creon, and she is put to death, causing death and tragedy in her wake. Creon is a tragic hero like Romeo but is, unlike Romeo, motivated by the law of the state rather than thinking of the bonds of love and the family. 

Friday, October 4, 2013

Why has Eckels come to the Time Safari office? What does he plan to do?

It’s the year 2055. Eckels is a hunter. He’s come to the Time Safari office in order to be taken back to prehistoric times and to kill a dinosaur. He’s paying $10,000 for the opportunity to do so. At least, this is his plan. He joins a hunting party led by two guides, Travis and Lesperance; and they use a time machine to go back to the crucial moment. They’re going to kill a Tyrannosaurus rex that would have been killed by a falling tree anyway. But once faced with the tremendous beast, Eckels becomes terrified. He stumbles back to the time machine, not even realizing that he has stepped off the Path that everyone was warned to stay on. The Time Safari people had done their best to make sure that their actions would not impact the future in any way. Of course, once they return to 2055, they see that this is not the case. Eckels’ misstep has evidently set off a series of changes that now make contemporary life quite different than it was before.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

What is the relationship between taxation and production?

The question asks about the relationship between taxation and production. This should be discussed at two levels. The first level is the analysis of short-run, microeconomic effects. At this level, microeconomic theory shows that increased taxation as the effect of raising prices, with the result of declines in production and amounts demanded. In general, this would lead to the macroeconomic effects of lower employment. The ultimate distribution of effects between producers and consumers will vary by market, and be determined by the relative elasticities of supply and demand for those markets.


The second level is more complicated, namely, the effects based on what the taxes are used for. That is, taxation does not occur for its own sake, but rather to finance governmental activity. Much of that activity is essential for production to occur, especially that activity which supports a legal system which allows commerce to occur efficiently. Few things impede efficient production like anarchy and fear. Additionally, commerce and production benefit from effective physical infrastructure and a well-developed educational system, all things which are frequently supported by governmental action. Quantifying the relationship between these activities, the amounts spent on them, and the benefits to production is difficult, however, and many times the decisions regarding allocation of tax revenues are driven by political motivations as much or more so than economic ones.

What do you think Fudge might do to Peter's new pet in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume?

In the book, Fudge is Peter's toddler brother. He's mischievous and often gets into trouble at home.


In Chapter 10, we discover Fudge has swallowed Peter's pet turtle, Dribble. Frantic with fear and worry, the boys' mother takes Fudge to the hospital. At the hospital, Fudge is given castor oil, milk of magnesia, and prune juice. The idea is to ensure Fudge will pass Peter's turtle out in his stools. In the meantime, Peter worries about Dribble; he's pretty angry Fudge once again managed to make life difficult for him.


In the end, Dribble is passed out in Fudge's stools; however, the turtle is dead, and Peter is upset about the whole affair. There is a silver lining to the whole mishap, however, when Peter gets a surprise from his parents. Because Peter has been a relatively good sport about the loss of his turtle, his parents buy him his own dog. Since Fudge is expected to try to appropriate (seize or take) Peter's new pet for his own, Peter's parents joke they chose a pet for Peter which can't be easily swallowed. That way, Peter won't have to worry about Fudge taking away his new pet.


So, yes, if given the opportunity, Fudge will likely take Peter's new pet for his own. Also, since he's only a baby, he will likely physically treat the dog less carefully. We already see evidence for this when Fudge first spies Peter's new pet. He immediately walks over to the dog and grabs its tail. Fortunately, Peter's father manages to free the dog from Fudge's grasp and tells the toddler in no uncertain terms that the dog belongs to Peter.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

How would you compare and contrast the characters of Roger and Mrs. Jones in the short story "Thank You, M'am"?

Both Mrs. Jones and Roger are denizens of Harlem and, as such, have shared some of the same experiences. However, Mrs. Jones is an adult who has profited from her experiences and is now wiser than the young Roger.


After she resists his attempts to steal her purse and captures him, Mrs. Jones tells Roger to pick up her purse, then asks him, “Now ain’t you ashamed of yourself?" He replies that he is, although it may be out of fear that he answers. Nevertheless, from his next responses to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones it becomes apparent that Roger learns to respect this woman. Then, after she takes him home and feeds him, Roger certainly acquires gratitude for her kindness to him.


Here, then, are some comparisons and contrasts between the two characters:


--Comparisons


  • Both are from the inner city and have not lived a comfortable, stable life.

  • Both have done things that are illegal.


“I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son—neither tell God, if he didn’t already know," Mrs. Jones reveals to Roger.



  • Both have learned respect for others. Mrs. Jones tells Roger, “You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong."
    Only later on does Roger speak very respectfully, and he makes sure that she knows he is not looking at her purse nor is he near it.

  • Both demonstrate concern for the welfare of others. Mrs. Jones takes Roger home; Roger tries to be helpful.

--Contrasts


  • Mrs. Jones is a trustworthy, hard-working, and compassionate woman. However, Roger has no consideration for her when he tries to steal her purse; instead, he merely pursues his selfish desire for a pair of shoes. Whereas Mrs. Jones no longer believes in breaking the law, Roger defies it.

  • Early in the narrative, Mrs. Jones treats Roger kindly, offering to take him home and wash his face [which implies more than is said]. On the other hand, Roger selfishly preys on her, and after he is stopped, he simply wants to get away.

  • Mrs. Jones displays a respect for Roger as a person early on; later, she offers to feed him and directs him to wash his face and clean up before eating while he is in her rooms. Roger's respect is merely given out of fear at first. But, after learning to respect Mrs. Jones, he is concerned about her, offering to run errands:


“Do you need somebody to go to the store,” asked the boy, “maybe to get some milk or something?"

Also, Roger even thanks her as he departs.



  • Roger only learns from his experience with Mrs. Jones to respect people; Mrs. Jones already displays sympathy for others.

  • Where she lives, Mrs. Jones has people with whom she can interact. Alone at home at night, Roger is deprived of parental attention and guidance.

The liquid CHBr3 has a density of 2.89 g dm-³. What volume of this liquid should be measured to contain a total of 4.8×10²⁴ molecules of CHBr3 ?

Hello!


The molar mass of `C H Br_3` (bromoform) is about


`12 + 1 + 3*80 = 253 (g/(mol)).`


Therefore one mole of this substance has a mass of about `253 g.`


One mole of any substance contains `N_A approx 6*10^(23)` molecules (this constant is called Avogadro's constant). Hence the given number of molecules represents  `(4.8*10^(24))/(6*10^(23)) = 8` (moles), and from the above paragraph their mass is about `8*253 = 2024 (g).`


Finally, volume may be computed as mass divided by the density, because `rho = m/V.` In this case it is


`V = (2024 g)/(2.89 g/((cm)^3)) approx 700 (cm)^3.`


This is the same as 0.7 `dm^3.`


Note that the density of `C H Br_3` is incorrectly stated in the question as `2.89 g/((dm)^3).` Actually it is `2.89 g/((cm)^3).` This liquid is much more dense than water (about `1 g/(cm^3)` ).

Why does the speaker desire peace so much in the poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" by Yeats?

There is little explanation of why Yeats is so hungry for peace in his famous poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree." Rather, Yeats spends most of the poem describing the pastoral beauty and idyllic peace of a quiet existence. However, one can guess that Yeats wants peace from the trials of urban existence. 


Written toward the end of the 19th century, "Innisfree" can be seen as a response to a rapidly changing world. Like the Romantics before him, Yeats appears dissatisfied with conventional existence and yearns to return to an idealized, pastoral lifestyle. Additionally, we can guess that the existence Yeats seeks to escape from is something of an urban, industrialized one. Take, for instance, the poem's final lines:



I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; 


While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, 


I hear it in the deep heart’s core. (10-12)



One of the key lines here is the second one, in which Yeats describes "pavements grey." Though brief, this description hints at an urbanized world, and the description of the "grey" pavements suggests a dull, tedious, altogether tiresome existence. In short, we could say that Yeats is describing a classic modern, urban existence, and so it seems plausible to guess that he is seeking peace from this dreary, urbanized world through the idyllic natural beauty of Innisfree. Though Yeats gives us too little context to be absolutely sure about this idea, it seems to be a sound one based on the information he does give us. 

What can be inferred from the story "The Cask of Amontillado" by Poe?

Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado” was published in 1846, less than three years before the author’s death. Set in Venice during the Carnival season -- traditionally a time of license --  it is narrated in first-person by Montresor, a man who believes that his acquaintance, Fortunato, has done him an unforgivable injury. Resolved to exact revenge, he plays on Fortunato’s vanity to lure him into the massive Montresor catacombs, and there walls him up alive.

What has Fortunato done to Montresor? We’re not told, but we have a few clues. As the two men descend into the catacombs, Montresor remarks, “You are happy, as once I was,” and also, "The Montresors . . . were a great and numerous family.” This suggests that at least in Montresor’s mind, Fortunato has ruined his happiness in some way that has to do with the continuation of his family. Toward the end, Fortunato begs to be released, remarking that “the Lady Fortunato” will be expecting him at home. Montresor responds to this with cold mockery. Could it be that Fortunato has married the woman whom Montresor loved? We cannot know for sure. It’s perfectly possibly that Fortunato’s crime exists only in the mind of the unreliable narrator.

What else can we infer? We’re told that Fortunato lives in a palazzo, that he is “a man to be respected and even feared,” that he is a noted wine connoisseur, and that his wife is Lady Fortunato. All this suggests that he is wealthy and powerful with high social status. By contrast, our narrator tells us that he himself appreciates wine and buys “largely whenever [he can],” implying that he does not always have the means to do so.

Beyond that, there is not a great deal of information that the reader needs to infer. Montresor tells us his own perspective of the events quite clearly (though we still need to decide how far to believe him.) It is Fortunato who is in the dark through most of the narrative. Montresor continually offers him hints about his true intentions, as well as putative opportunities to save himself, but Fortunato seems to understand none of these (though the reader does.) For example, take a look at the passage where he asks Montresor about his family coat of arms:

"I forget your arms."

"A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel."

"And the motto?"

"Nemo me impune lacessit.” [“No one injures me with impunity.”]

This may be a true description of the family arms, but it seems more likely to be Montresor’s invention on the spur of the moment, designed to taunt Fortunato indirectly about his companion’s intentions.

A few moments later, Montresor reveals the fact that he is carrying a trowel. Again, Fortunato has no idea what the true significance of this is. But any reader familiar with Poe’s works will immediately understand what is about to happen to the ironically-named Fortunato (“the fortunate one”).

Can you find other examples of dramatic irony in the conversation between the two men? What can you say about Fortunato’s Carnival costume of motley: that is, the traditional dress of a professional fool?

In Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, how is Shmuel on a hero's quest?

In many heroic and epic adventures, real heroes must endure unspeakable suffering before emerging triumphant. Heroes also have noble traits and quests. For example, Odysseus, from Homer's The Odyssey, nobly faces pain, sadness, fatigue, and other mental and physical trials before finally arriving home as a hero. Shmuel, in Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, suffers just like any other hero must, and he has a noble cause as well. The only difference is that his trials exist within the walls of Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. 


First, Shmuel is taken from his home, separated from his mother, and taken to the men's section of Auschwitz. The only good part about his situation is the fact that he is with his father in the camp. Meeting Bruno helps to ease a little suffering because of the company and food he receives from the friendship; but, each day Shmuel must endure prejudice, fear of dying, fatigue, and intense hunger.


Then, if things couldn't get any worse, Shmuel loses his father and finds out that Bruno is moving back to Berlin in Chapter 18. The final chapter in Shmuel's heroic quest is to find his father, and Bruno volunteers to help him. The boys become excited to go on a real quest as mentioned in the following passage:



"Bruno imagined a great adventure ahead and finally an opportunity to see what was really on the other side of the fence before he went back to Berlin -- not to mention getting in a little serious exploration as well -- and Shmuel saw a chance to get someone to help him in the search for his papa. All in all, it seemed like a very sensible plan and a good way to say goodbye" (199).



Unfortunately, the two boys are unmatched for the final adventure. Not only is Shmuel's father probably dead, but the boys unknowingly end up in a line that leads to the gas chambers. The final journey doesn't turn out as the boys had hoped, and they become victims of one of the worst atrocities in history. Overall, though, Shmuel is on a heroic quest because he has the attributes of a hero, and his quests to survive the camp and look for his father are noble. 

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

What kind of struggle for equal rights does Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visualize?

Dr. King envisioned a difficult struggle for equality because its path was through nonviolent civil disobedience.


The struggle that Dr. King envisioned for equal rights was a complex one.  He made this understanding a cornerstone of his speeches, writings, and actions.  Dr. King knew that the Civil Rights Movement would not be successful unless it was seen as more than a political exercise.  He had to broaden its appeal so that white Americans could see inequality as a moral reality that had to be stopped. Embracing nonviolent civil disobedience was the only way he could move the fight for equality from a political to a moral reality.


Events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott demonstrated how Dr. King envisioned the difficult struggle for equality. He encouraged his followers to not take buses in order to protest segregation in the Montgomery public transit system.  African-Americans who depended on buses to get to work had to make other arrangements.  Sometimes, this involved walking long distances.  However, Dr. King stressed that the boycott would emphasize how African-Americans would not passively accept the injustice of segregation.


As a result of such advocacy, Dr. King and his followers experienced much difficulty and resistance from Southern whites. This included harassment and violence.  When Dr. King's house was firebombed, the words he spoke to followers revealed the difficulty of the path towards equality:  



If you have weapons, take them home; if you do not have them, please do not seek to get them. We cannot solve this problem through retaliatory violence. We must meet violence with nonviolence. Remember the words of Jesus: 'He who lives by the sword will perish by the sword.' We must love our white brothers, no matter what they do to us. We must make them know that we love them. Jesus still cries out in words that echo across the centuries: 'Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; pray for them that despitefully use you.' This is what we must live by. We must meet hate with love. Remember, if I am stopped, this movement will not stop, because God is with the movement.



Through his appeals to nonviolent civil disobedience, Dr. King showed how the struggle for equality involved making the Civil Rights Movement an ethical issue instead of a political one. This was a very challenging pivot to make. However, people began to recognize that Dr. King was appealing to moral issues and not merely legislative ones.  The Montgomery Bus Boycott was one of the first moments where Dr. King showed his vision for racial equality.  He knew that its complex path would go through nonviolent civil disobedience, transforming what used to be seen as a political issue into a moral and spiritual call to action.

What is some figurative language that is used in the Langston Hughes poem, "Mother to Son?"

"Mother" compares life to stairs, and contrasts her life (or stairs) against that of a "crystal stair," which, in this poem, becomes a symbol of luxury and ease. The smooth delicacy of crystal is contrasted with the rough textures that she has known in life:



Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.


It's had tacks in it,


And splinters,


And boards torn up,


And places with no carpet on the floor --


Bare.



"Tacks" and "splinters" indicate danger and pain. Torn boards signal dilapidation -- a sign of poverty -- while "places with no carpet" indicate discomfort. Notice the use of anaphora, or repetition, at the beginning of each line" with the continuous use of "and." Her suffering reads as a catalog which suddenly stops with the imagistic use of the word "bare." "Bare" refers literally to the absence of carpeting in this context, but also has connotative meaning: there was absence, perhaps also loneliness.


Nevertheless, she emphasizes the importance of persistence:



But all the time


I'se been a-climbin' on,


And reachin' landin's,


And turnin' corners,


And sometimes goin' in the dark 


Where there ain't been no light.



She signals the shift from negative to positive with the use of "but." The dialect becomes starker here, signifying a lack of education and Southern origins. The poem may also address the migration of blacks from the South to Northern cities where their lives were easier, but still difficult. 


The use of anaphora reappears with the repetition of "and." In this case, the anaphora draws attention to the movement of progress.


The next lines address "Son" in an imperative tone:



So boy, don't you turn back.


Don't you set down on the steps


'Cause you finds its kinder hard.


Don't you fall now --


For I'se still goin', honey,


I'se still climbin', 


And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.



Again, she uses the metaphor of movement up a staircase to encourage her son's rightful direction in life. Setting down on the steps indicates giving up, while falling indicates making a move that misdirects one's progress, forcing one to start all over again.


Her use of the adverb "still" to modify "goin'" and "climbin'" indicates that age has not quelled her desire to have a better life. The second line of the poem is repeated at the end: "And life for me ain't been no crystal stair." Here, the line has a more positive meaning than it has on the first reading: it is less a description of hardship then of persistence and perseverance.

find square roots of -1+2i

We have to find the square root of `-1+2i` i.e. `\sqrt{-1+2i}` We will find the square roots of the complex number of the form x+yi , where ...