What is strange about the woods and what effect did they have on the cows in Tuck Everlasting?

The wood is otherworldly like it is asking to be left alone.

There is something strange about the woods outside Winnie Foster’s house.  The woods seem to be telling people to leave them alone.  Is there magic there?

But the wood had a sleeping, otherworld appearance that made you want to speak in whispers. This, at least, is what the cows must have thought: "Let it keep its peace; we won't disturb it." (Ch. 1) 

In fact, there is magic in these woods.  The woods hide a special spring, and if a person drinks from this spring he or she turns immortal.  The spring has not been found by many people, presumably. The Fosters, who own the wood, are not even aware of it.  The Tucks drank from it by accident one day, and now they will live forever.

We are told that the cows are the reason no one found the spring, because the cows made their road around the wood instead of going through the wood.  Everyone else followed the cows, so no one ever found the spring.

The people would have noticed the giant ash tree at the center of the wood, and then, in time, they'd have noticed the little spring bubbling up among its roots in spite of the pebbles piled there to conceal it. And that would have been a disaster so immense that this weary old earth, owned or not to its fiery core, would have trembled on its axis like a beetle on a pin. (Ch. 1) 

The Tucks were traveling through the wood when they drank from the spring.  It was not until later when they did not die after accidents that they realized what had happened.  The horse even drank, and it could not be killed.  The cat didn’t drink, and it lived a natural life.

In "The Stolen Bacillus," how does the author bring out the contrast between the Bacteriologist and the Anarchist? Are there any similarities...

In "The Stolen Bacillus," Wells contrasts the characters of the Bacteriologist and the Anarchist through their attitudes towards the bacteria in the laboratory. For the Bacteriologist, for instance, the cholera bacteria are dangerous and bring nothing but death and destruction to society:

Here he would take the husband from the wife, here the child from its mother, here the statesman from his duty, and here the toiler from his trouble. 

In contrast, the Anarchist views the cholera bacteria with wonder and amazement. When he first sees it, for example, his eyes are filled with "morbid pleasure" and there is a "gleam of satisfaction" in his face. 

While their characters seem very different, however, both men are keen to impress and "astonish" those around them. The Bacteriologist does this by pretending that his blue bacteria is, in fact, "bottled cholera" while the Anarchist concocts a plan to steal the cholera from the laboratory so that he can poison the city's water supply and achieve infamy.

Suppose the probability of success of an event is `s` and the probability of failure is `t.` What is `s+ t` ?

Hello!

A sample space is the set of all possible outcomes of experiments. Any event may consist of zero, one or more outcomes.

The first thing we need to know to answer this question is that, by definition, the probability of entire sample space is 1 (or 100%, if you want).

Also we need to know that for any two incompatible events (those that have no common outcomes) A and B, the probability of event "A or B" is the sum of their probabilities, P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B).

Now we can solve the problem. Denote our event as A and its failure (not A) as B. Then it is given that P(A) = s and P(B) = t. Also A and B are incompatible and any outcome is in A or in B (success or failure, no third possibility), so (A or B) is an entire sample space.

Finally, we have

1 = P(entire sample space) = P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) = s + t.

So the answer is  s + t = 1.

Apply this essential question to the novel Fahrenheit 451: What are the dangers involved when a large population is controlled by a smaller group...

One of the significant themes throughout the novel Fahrenheit 451 deals with government censorship. Bradbury illustrates the ways in which an authoritarian government controls the population by censoring individuals who disagree with government policy and using violence as a means of suppressing the masses. Interestingly, Captain Beatty explains to Montag that the majority of the population passively accepts the censorship laws in favor of condensed, superficial entertainment. Although Bradbury does not directly state whether or not a small group of officials is in charge of the dystopian society, it is evident that the government's view of intellectualism is widely accepted. This propagated belief that literature and intellectualism are harmful spread throughout society with the aid of government agencies like the firefighters. The government in the novel sought to eliminate independent thought and expression, which resulted in a violent, dangerous, and oppressed society. By threatening the population with imprisonment or death, the citizens of the dystopian society conformed to government ideology. In Bradbury's dystopian society, the larger population is not able to express their personal opinions and are at the mercy of the totalitarian government. The government in Fahrenheit 451 engages in frequent warfare, and intellectuals live in fear, which leaves the citizens voiceless and oppressed. When a smaller government has the ability to control the majority of the population, individual rights become vulnerable and are often eliminated through threats of violence or imprisonment.

In the book The Help, what are some ways that Minny shows that she cares about Miss Celia?

Even though Minny is often baffled by Miss Celia’s behavior—since the woman is new to society life in Jackson—she does care about her and even feels sorry for her at times, too. As Celia has asked, Minny has tried to teach her how to cook. The lessons are far from successful. Minny has also gone along reluctantly with Celia’s plan to keep the maid’s employment a secret from her husband, Johnny. Even after Johnny and Minny accidentally meet (in Chapter 10), both keep the encounter a secret from Celia, letting her believe that her plan is working. When Minny finds out that Celia has an alcohol problem, she tries to talk her out of drinking (in Chapter 17). As a result, she’s fired—but not really. When Celia has her fourth miscarriage and is deathly ill, Minny takes care of her as best as she can and calls the doctor to come (in Chapter 18). Minny feels badly that Celia keeps calling the ladies of the Jackson Junior League, and that they never return her calls. It’s obvious that Celia needs a friend. Minny serves as one, even though she knows the lines between maid and employer. She tells her plainly that Hilly and Elizabeth do not accept her, and she does as much as she can to warn Celia about attending the Benefit banquet, to no avail (in Chapter 25). This event ends badly for Celia, who wears an outrageous dress and gets drunk, to boot. When she stays in bed to sulk for days afterward (in Chapter 26), it is Minny who pokes her and prods her and gets her out of her funk. And at last, when it’s obvious that Celia will never bear children, Minny is saddened but sympathetic (in Chapter 30). The Footes ask her to stay on with them, and she will. Certainly Celia needs someone to take care of her and to care about her, in addition to Johnny. When she first encountered the woman, Minny was no doubt ready to dislike her immediately, because she was different from the other Jackson ladies Minny had worked for. But this job didn’t turn out the way Minny had expected at all.

Why are computers one of the biggest waste issues facing the world?

I assume that when you say computer waste, you refer to the literal waste of computer and electronics components. 

Computers and other electronics equipment may have a certain lifespan once built; most computers are built to last three to five years, but in the right conditions, computers like those aboard satellites and submarines can last for decades in usable order. At the same time, however, computers can become obsolete. This may happen faster than the computer itself degrades, and can result in computer disposal after a short period of time.

What happens to disposed computer waste depends. Obviously, most is simply thrown into the trash, where the spacious inner compartments are crushed to reduce space. Some get recycled, as is more the trend these days, where silicon, zinc, copper, and precious metals like gold can be extracted, while plastics and steels are reworked. A tiny percentage is actually repaired and reused. Some enthusiasts are using oil baths and similar methods to run archaic computers long after they are considered obsolete.

If you are referring to the waste of computer power, such as computers sitting on, connected to the internet, and running no processes, there are many solutions to this problem. Some people have begun lending their computer's spare power to research institutions, so that with thousands of people's computers running a job in the background, a virtual supercomputer can be used. Other devices, such as smart readers on water mains, are connected to the internet as well, but are unused for almost the entirety of their lives. Some companies intend to sell the spare computational power of their microcomputer grids as supercomputers as well. In general, it could be said that the world has far more computational power than it needs at any given moment.

Can ethnography be defined as ultimately holistic? If so, then what does this permit?

The answer is yes, ethnography can be defined as ultimately holistic; however, to do so, ethnographers (within the field of anthropology) have to make a concerted effort to incorporate holistic methods into their studies.

As of the moment, there are three paradigms to ethnographic inquiries: the holistic, the semiotic, and the behaviorist paradigms.

In the holistic approach, ethnographers don't begin with a hypothesis; basically, they don't let personal biases and preconceptions color their ethnographic studies of any existing cultural system. The holistic method allows those ethnographers who use this approach the flexibility to let the data speak for itself. It also allows the ethnographic researcher to accept the relevance of all contextual data and not just the typical data considered pertinent to the traditional, analytical process. In this light, even historical data is considered applicable to the process. So, the holistic ethnographic paradigm permits researchers the ability to conduct a participant-driven process instead of a researcher-driven (and therefore more biased) process in the study of cultural systems.

The other two paradigms, semiotic and behaviorist, hold significant advantages in the field of ethnography. The structural semiotic approach seems to place great emphasis on how the codes and rules within a cultural system define people within that system. On the other hand, the social semiotic approach investigates how people within cultural systems manipulate the prevailing codes and rules to their own advantage. As for the behaviorist approach, ethnographers who use this paradigm tend to allow for the inclusion of external observers in order to mitigate the possibility of falsifications or unintentional biases on the part of native subjects.

To recap, ethnography can be defined as holistic only if historical and all available contextual data are considered in the final analysis of each cultural system. As to whether the holistic paradigm is better or whether a combination of all three paradigms will make for better ethnography, that may be a discussion for another time. For more, please refer to the links below.

What would be a good research question for the major political difference between the Republican Party and Democratic Party in the upcoming...

This year is certainly a weird one for politics in the United States. The two main candidates are probably the most unpopular candidates ever to face each other in the battle for president. The situation can raise some interesting questions. Right now, aside from the usual differences between Republicans and Democrats, we have a new difference between the candidates. Trump is the true outsider, but he's unpredictable. Clinton is predictable, a tried and true Democrat, but she has a lot baggage. Can voters take a risk with Trump, or will they go with well-known Hillary?

Let's look at one question for each of the candidates.

1. Will Donald Trump's outspoken style attract enough voters to the Republican party to defeat the more predictable Democrat Hillary Clinton? The question addresses the effect of Trump's oratory. He has gained support by using what his supporters consider a “straight shooting” speaking style. Detractors say he the style is reckless and indicative of a man unfit for public office.

2. Will Hillary Clinton be able to overcome her negatives, such as the email controversy and the Benghazi episode that the Republicans simply will not quit talking about?

3. Will a third party candidate, like the Libertarian's Gary Johnson, finally be able to attract a sizable chunk of votes? The Libertarians have never gotten more than about 1% of vote in a presidential election. But with the dissatisfaction voters are feeling over Trump and Clinton, maybe it's time for a third party to show some muscle. Nobody thinks they can win, but if they could pull in even 10% of the vote it might make an impact on future political races.

After reading "Harlem" by Langston Hughes, what do you think happens to a dream deferred?

In this poem, the speaker considers the various possible outcomes of a dream that has been delayed or put off, and he uses a series of similes followed by one, final metaphor.  Because a metaphor is generally thought to be more forceful than a simile (as it claims that something is something else, not that something is only like something else), and because the final line is both italicized (and thus emphasized in another way) as well as stands alone in the poem (when the only other line that stands alone is the initial question), I believe that it is the truest response to the question: a dream deferred will eventually explode, causing great damage to many. 

The speaker considers whether the deferred dream will dry up, fester and ooze, stink, crust over, or sag.  These are inconvenient, perhaps even gross or obnoxious.  However, the final metaphor compares the dream that's been put off to a bomb, something that "explode[s]."  Something that explodes isn't merely inconvenient; it doesn't just affect one person or a few.  A bomb affects many, and it does great damage.  If a dream, such as the dream of racial equality in the United States, is delayed and put off and disregarded for long enough, the speaker seems to imply, the consequence will be disastrous, and not just for the dreamer, but for everyone.

What examples of hyperbole appear in the poem "the mother" by Gwendolyn Brooks?

With its title purposefully written in all lowercase letters to emphasize humility, "the mother" is a poem about a woman who acknowledges the children she would have had if she had decided not to abort them.

In such a dramatic and emotional situation, some hyperbole (or exaggeration for effect) might be expected, but isn't truly necessary: when the speaker simply states the reality of her situation as an impoverished woman with deep regrets, it's dramatic enough on its own.

For example, the second stanza is full of highly poignant statements addressed to the unborn children, like "If I poisoned the beginnings of your breaths." Whether that is hyperbole or not is arguable; "poisoned...your breaths" could be a literal description of the abortion procedure coming from an uneducated speaker who doesn't quite understand all the medical details. Earlier in that same stanza, the speaker also says: "If I stole your births and your names." Is this language figurative and dramatic? Yes. Hyperbolic? Not really. The decision to abort really did negate the births and names of the would-be children.

Here is the only instance of definite hyperbole that does appear in the poem: "Return for a snack of them, with gobbling mother-eye."

Here, "them" means "the children." To say that the speaker could never "snack" on her children with a "gobbling" eye is an exaggerated way of expressing a mother's zealous affection for her children. You know how people sometimes say "You're so cute, I could just eat you up" to little kids? The same idea appears in this poem. It's hyperbolic because it elevates the idea of gazing lovingly at your kids and perhaps hugging and kissing them to the idea of actually consuming them. That's hyperbole.

Again, other dramatic statements in the poem may be argued to be hyperbolic, but the statement above is the only obvious, completely defensible instance of hyperbole.

What are the specific critical issues, needs, and challenges that may be affecting the organization and its culture in the scenario below? What are...

Gaps between management and team members can occur within all businesses and services. The way to narrow the gap is for managers to adopt more effective leadership styles. When managers close the gap between management and team members, managers drive what is called the Service-Profit chain, which is defined as a relationship between management, "employee engagement," "customer engagement/satisfaction," and profit or growth (Lazenby, A., "Managers: Your Key to Bridging the Gap"). While prisons are not typical for-profit businesses, studies show that leadership techniques are key to developing quality prison life, which is the service provided by prisons. Such leadership techniques have a positive impact on employees as well as on inmates, leading to the provision of quality correctional service.

One reason why gaps between management and team members occur is because managers are "often promoted because they are outstanding individual contributors" (Lazenby). Since those who are promoted to management level are used to working independently, they must make major transitions to be able to start focusing on developing the skills of their team members rather than on just the development of their own skills. If the prison team members see the prison warden, John Trever, as "cold, uninvolved, and apathetic" when he is actually a very "pleasant, unassuming gentleman," it is most likely because Mr. Trevor has been unable to successfully transition from working independently to developing the skill set of his team members, which is required of him if he is to demonstrate strong leadership skills. To bridge the gap, managers must help team members see their places as contributing members, engage and inspire team members by helping them see the larger goals of the organization, open doors of communication, and build trust (Lazenby).

Studies show that when management fails to bridge the gap between the highest level of management, such as the prison warden, and team members, such as the prison managers, in a correctional facility, consequences include low morale, increased burnout rates, increased turnover rates, and even increased suicide rates (Pittaro, M., "Improve Your Facility by Changing Your Leadership Style"). In addition, studies also show that when correctional staff suffers from high levels of stress, they tend to take more "punitive attitudes toward inmates," leading to higher "inmate-upon-officer assaults and inmate-upon-inmate assaults" (Pittaro). Naturally, injuries from such assaults increase medical expenses for prisons and increase safety threats. In addition, states like New York report that correctional officer brutality law suits, for even just one officer, can cost the state as much as $673,000 in settlements ("The State That is Taking on the Prison Guards Union"). The way to overcome such problems is by developing strong "transformational leadership practices" to be exhibited by the highest level of management, such as the prison warden, towards the staff, such as managers and all other staff members, and by the staff towards the inmates (Pittaro). Just as management helps staff members see their roles and goals through strong leadership practices, thereby empowering staff members, staff members can equally help inmates see their roles and goals through mentoring and coaching, thereby equally empowering inmates and creating a genuinely rehabilitative atmosphere.

As explained in The Diary of a Young Girl, what was the role of "Kitty," or Anne's diary, during her period of hiding in the annexe?

Anne's diary, Kitty, serves as a voice and sounding board for Anne at a time when she was relegated to silence.

Anne's diary, Kitty, allowed her to have a voice.  In both the act of hiding and in her life, Anne lived a life of silence. Literally and symbolically, she was unable to speak. However, Kitty changes that by giving Anne a place where she could speak her mind.  Anne admits this in her opening entry:  "I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support."  In this way, Kitty is a confidant to Anne.  

Anne believes that Kitty provides an opportunity for her to be heard.  Anne feels that Kitty can validate her experience:

Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me... Oh well, it doesn't matter. I feel like writing, and I have an even greater need to get all kinds of things off my chest.

Anne needs to "get all kinds of things off [her] chest" because she does not have a release.  Kitty's role is to provide this release.  Anne says that she was "prompted to keep a diary in the first place" because she lacks friends. In her role as a friend, Kitty is able to authenticate and validate Anne's voice.

What are the similarities between the three Abrahamic religions?

The three Abrahamic faiths are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. They are related through several fundamental beliefs and a shared history, beginning with the figure of Abraham. These three religious traditions are called "Abrahamic" because they each trace their beginning to Abraham, who founded the Covenant (relationship of respect and obligation) between his people and God. The Abrahamic Covenant, specifically, was God's promise to protect and shepherd Abraham's descendants, and Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all value this Covenant but may have different opinions about what else happened between God and mankind. For example, Christianity holds that Jesus Christ was prophesied as the Messiah and died for the forgiveness of all sins. In Islam, while Jesus Christ is regarded as a prophet, he is not believed to have been the Messiah. 

One of the main things the Abrahamic faiths have in common is that they are monotheistic. That means they believe in just one god, the God, who is creator of all things. 

These three religions also share similar cosmologies and eschatologies. Cosmology deals with how the world and the universe were created, and the Abrahamic traditions agree that God created the world, separating the once united heavens and earth, in six days and took a rest on the seventh. Eschatology has to do with the end of a person's life as well as the "end of time," and all three religions hold that if a person acts in accordance with God's will during their time on Earth, there is peace awaiting them after death. They also believe that there will come a time when God will intervene on Earth and make it into a paradise, banishing people who do not act in accordance with God's will, for some amount of time.

In practice, the three Abrahamic faiths have some traditional rules regarding personal conduct. All three religions engage in periods of fasting throughout the year, observe a weekly holy day, and encourage regular, ritualized prayer. Of course, the extent to which individuals hold to these rules varies widely. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each also have a holy book containing many of the same stories of creation, God's stewardship of mankind, and rules for living.

In what ways did Truman help improve the lives of African-Americans?

President Truman did several things to help African-Americans. He established a committee on civil rights in 1946 that examined how violence impacted African-Americans. This committee issued a report that showed how the country treated African-Americans poorly while claiming to be a democracy that fought against the harsh policies of a communist system that mistreated people. In 1947, he created a national committee to determine ways to get laws passed that would help protect people from discrimination.

In 1948, two executive orders were passed. One ended segregation in the military. Having a segregated military seemed to be contrary to the idea that we were fighting for freedom and for people to be treated properly. The other executive order dealt with civil service. It gave African-Americans fair employment treatment in this area. There was an election for President in 1948. The election may have been a factor in the creation of these executive orders.

In 1951, President Truman signed an executive order that said that any company that wanted to be a supplier of military equipment had to have a policy of treating minorities equally.

Many people don’t think of Harry Truman when they think about civil rights. However, President Truman did many things to help African-Americans in their quest to be treated equally.

What are Eckels's motives in going on the safari into the past?

Eckels's motive to go on a time safari to the past is to hunt and shoot a dinosaur.

From the beginning of the story, Eckels is full of pompous arrogance. He saunters into the safari company and slaps down his big check. He barely listens to the rules about traveling into the past, and he brags about all of the other safaris that he has been on. Once in the past, he playfully aims his gun at all kinds of imagined targets. He even firmly states that he is there to shoot "my dinosaur," even though he is one of several hunters hunting that particular dinosaur. Unfortunately for the present/future, Eckels winds up being a complete coward. He steps on and kills a butterfly. The effects ripple through time, and the entire societal structure of the present/future changes.

How can Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift be related to George I?

The emperor of Lilliput is representative of George I, the king on the throne when Gulliver's Travels was published.  The pro-Whig George I persecuted the High Church Tories.  When Gulliver details the conflict between the two warring parties in Lilliput, the Tramecksans and Slamecksans, those who wear high heels and low heels on their shoes, respectively, Swift is satirizing the conflict between the Tories and Whigs, respectively.  He says that the emperor has determined to "make use of only low Heels" in his administration, and this parallels King George's favor of the Low Church Whig party.  The Whigs were the more liberal party; the Tories more conservative. 

Further, the Lilliputian emperor is highly susceptible to influence and manipulations by his administration's ministers, and this parallels the belief that George I was too easily influenced by those people that he trusted (and, perhaps, that those people were not altogether reliable). 

What is the importance of the contrasts between Octavius Caesar and Antony in Antony and Cleopatra?

Originally, Antony and Octavius Caesar were sharing power, with Lepidus.  When Lepidus was expelled for supposedly being disloyal, that left Antony and Caesar.  Caesar was cunning, farsighted, and manipulative.  Antony was passionate and open to manipulation.  Because of Antony’s personality, Caesar was able to defeat him.

In matters of the flesh, Antony exercised poor judgement.  His portion of the Roman holdings included Egypt, and he fell under Cleopatra’s spell.  This was difficult, because he was already married.  Then, at Caesar’s behest, he married again—to Caesar’s sister.  Both marriages caused trouble for Antony. His first wife (in the course of the play), Fulvia, tried to act against Caesar.  His second wife was Caesar’s sister, so by betraying her he was betraying Caesar.  This was not a good move.

In a conversation between Antony’s man Enobarbus and Caesar’s man Maecenas, Shakespeare addresses the problems Antony’s relationship with Cleopatra is causing.

MECAENAS

Now Antony must leave her utterly.

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Never; he will not:
Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety: other women cloy
The appetites they feed: but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies; for vilest things
Become themselves in her: that the holy priests
Bless her when she is riggish. (Act 2, Scene 2) 

The implication is that Antony is under the spell of a woman, which makes him weak in the eyes of the Romans.  Caesar uses this to discredit Antony, famously reading Antony’s will and telling the people about the Donations, a ceremony in Egypt where Antony bequeathed land to children he had with Cleopatra.  This outraged the Romans.

During the battle between Antony and Caesar, Antony was beaten soundly.  He had few men, and more deserting every day due to his erratic behavior.  Caesar had Agrippa to run his battles.  Antony was outstrategized and outnumbered. 

Antony showed his volatility when he had Caesar’s messenger whipped.  This was an egregious violation of protocol, but it also showed that he was losing control.  He even challenged Caesar to a duel.  Neither got the reaction Antony hoped.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

He calls me boy; and chides, as he had power
To beat me out of Egypt; my messenger
He hath whipp'd with rods; dares me to personal combat,
Caesar to Antony: let the old ruffian know
I have many other ways to die; meantime
Laugh at his challenge. (Act 4, Scene 1)

Maecenas tells Caesar to pay no mind to Antony’s challenge.  They will just use his state of mind against him.  Caesar will never accept it.  He has the advantage, and everyone knows it.

Antony commits suicide because he knows that Caesar has won.  He is ruthless, and Antony is afraid of what will happen if he is captured.  He has to take the only noble act left open to him, and take his own life.  Cleopatra goads him to this, making him think that she has killed herself so that he will do it.  Later, Cleopatra kills herself after talking with Caesar and realizing she cannot seduce him like she did his (adopted) father. 

Did Columbus believe that he had reached Asia up until his death?

Throughout his lifetime, and despite some disagreement from his contemporaries, Christopher Columbus never abandoned the belief that his voyages had reached Asia. He believed that East Asia, the region then called "the Indies," was much closer to Western Europe than it was, and that this region was more easily reached by traveling westward than eastward. Prior to his travels, Columbus read extensively about the Indies, particularly Marco Polo's account of the indigenous people, which were sometimes untrue or exaggerated. When he reached the Canary Islands in 1492 and discovered that the people there were naked and wore gold jewelry in their noses, just as Marco Polo described Asian people, he concluded that he must have reached the Indies, and there is no record of him giving up on this conviction at any point before his death.

Would our legal system work better if our punishments resembled those in the Code of Hammurabi?

I think our legal system likely would not work better if our punishments resembled the Code of Hammurabi, or we would have stuck with that code. The Code of Hammurabi was the basis of many legal systems around the world for centuries, but we changed to modern systems for a reason.

There are some things modern legal codes share with the Code of Hammurabi. One is clearly delineated laws formally spelled out in writing. That was probably the Code of Hammurabi's central innovation; instead of rules being vague social norms people more or less learned by assimilation, Hammurabi's rules were explicit, codified laws that were written down and couldn't be argued with. It established a system of land ownership and taxation not too different from what we use now.

Many aspects of Hammurabi's code are appalling today. For one, the Code explicitly defines people into upper, middle, and lower classes, and explicitly grants more legal rights to the upper class. The Code includes a number of regulations on slavery, meaning slavery was allowed and considered a legitimate institution. It grants extreme power to the king (who wrote it, after all)—essentially the authority to override any rule or property right at will.

The only part I can see anyone really wanting to go back to today is the criminal justice system, specifically its very harsh punishments which are specifically tailored to the crime. It is what we call a lex talionis, a law of retaliation, under which the way things work is that if someone does something to you, you can do it back to them. If someone punches you, you can punch that person back. If someone pokes out your eye, you poke out that person's eye.

This didn't really work for more abstract crimes like fraud; if he defrauds you, can you really defraud him? Instead, the Code prescribed physical punishments for non-physical crimes. Theft and fraud resulted in your hand being cut off (something still done on occasion in Saudi Arabia). Indeed, a great many crimes were assigned the death penalty, ranging from kidnapping and murder to trespassing and selling unlicensed alcohol.

What would happen if we did this today? Revolution. Violent revolution is essentially the only logical result of such a legal system. Historically, that is ultimately what happened, although Hammurabi conquering a whole bunch of neighboring countries clearly contributed to that.

Why? Because almost everyone breaks some laws on occasion—often for fairly low-risk crimes such as parking improperly, speeding, and jaywalking. If the penalty for all crimes was death, then once you've committed a small crime, what's your incentive not to commit a larger one? If you're going to be executed for jaywalking, why not go ahead and aim for treason, since the punishment is no worse? Treason at least offers the potential for an escape: If you overthrow the government, the government can't enforce its rules on you. Since everyone breaks some laws, the revolution will have a huge amount of popular support.

Modern legal systems are lenient on purpose, because they retain their legitimacy by making punishments feel fair even to most of the people being punished. A $50 parking ticket is annoying, but if you did really park illegally you can't really argue with it, and the legitimacy of the fine or the government executing it is not really in question. If parking in a fire lane carried a sentence of hanging instead, everyone who has ever parked in a fire lane would rise up against the government, because we'd have little to lose and no real other way to try to survive.

There's a proverb about this, usually told as a Chinese general:

"General, we are late for the rendezvous with the Emperor!"

"What is the penalty for tardiness before the Emperor, Lieutenant?"

"Death, sir."

"I see. And what is the penalty for revolution, Lieutenant?"

"Also death, sir."

"I see. Revolution it is, then. We march on the palace at dawn."

What type of characters are George Wilson and Mr. Gatz in the novel The Great Gatsby? (Stock, Dynamic..etc)

In The Great Gatsby, George Wilson is a minor character who acts as a foil--a character who has character traits that are the opposite of another character. Mr. Gatz is a flat character, a personage who has only one or two personality traits and does not change throughout the narrative.

George Wilson is a product of the wasteland of the Valley of Ashes, just as Tom Buchanan is a product of the rich world of East Egg and New York City. George is a man that Nick describes as

...a blonde, spiritless man, anemic, and faintly handsome. When he saw us … hope sprang into his light blue eyes” (Ch.2)

and he describes Tom Buchanan in a different manner:

...a sturdy, straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining, arrogant eyes had...dominance over his face....His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor...[has] a touch of paternal contempt in it. (Ch.1)

George loves his wife Myrtle deeply; when she is killed, he is deeply changed emotionally--"deranged by grief." In fact, George grows deeply depressed. Reacting differently, Tom is angry that someone could run Myrtle down in such a cruel manner. But, while George tries to avenge Myrtle's death, Tom easily discards the memory of Myrtle and, instead, helps Daisy escape her culpability for her crime by giving Wilson Gatsby's name so he thinks that Jay Gatsby ran over his wife. Certainly, Tom and Daisy are rightfully called "careless people" by Nick. 

As a foil to Tom Buchanan, George Wilson represents the lower classes trapped in their poverty, while Tom represents the amoral upper class, concerned only with their own pleasure.
______________________________________________________

Mr. Gatz, Jay Gatsby's father, is a flat character, a personage who remains the same throughout the narrative, but he does serve a purpose. He arrives at Gatsby's house in order to bury his son. Mr. Gatz is extremely proud of his son, Jimmy Gatz, as he calls Gatsby. He walks proudly up and down the hallways, impressed with the size and opulence of the house. He pulls out pictures, proudly displaying them, saying,

"He knew he had a big future in front of him. And ever since he made a success he was very generous with me."

Mr. Gatz also displays schedules that Jimmy wrote out years ago as a demonstration of how his son was destined to succeed. Both he and Nick attend Gatsby's funeral. There Nick looks anxiously for other cars, as does Mr. Gatz, whose appearance in the narrative reveals the falseness of Gatsby's life.

In Gulliver's Travels, what are the reasons behind the dispute between the Lilliputians and Blefuscudians?

The reason for the dispute between the Lilliputians and the Blefuscudians begins with the great debate over which side of the egg is the proper one to break.  When the grandfather of the current emperor of Lilliput was a boy, he broke his egg at the larger end, and he cut his finger.  Since then, everyone is supposed to break their eggs at the smaller end, but there have been a great number of rebellions as a result of the new law, and the rulers of Blefuscu have encouraged and fueled these civil skirmishes in Lilliput.  Further, the Blefuscudian emperors have often "accused [the Lilliputians] of making a Schism in Religion [...]."  Many Big Endians have gone into exile rather than begin to change their habit of egg breaking, and they've found refuge in Blefuscu, and the court of that country has given them assistance and encouragement to continue to foment rebellion and discord in Lilliput.  As a result of this conflict, Lilliput has lost dozens of ships and thousands of seamen.

Would you recommend Laurie Halse Anderson's book Speak to anyone? Why?

This is an opinion question, so feel free to state your opinion. Whether you would recommend the book or not isn't as important as explaining why you have that opinion. Additionally, one person might recommend the book because of a specific reason, while a different person might not recommend the book for the very same reason.  

Personally, I would recommend Speak. I would definitely recommend the book to people in high school or older. I would not recommend the book to anyone much younger than that, though, because the book's content focuses on the emotional turmoil Melinda goes through after being raped. I would recommend the book to both males and females. I believe it is important for men to understand and realize many women carry deep emotional scars from being raped. It's not just a physical violation. Despite the book being emotionally dark and depressing, Speak ends by giving the reader feelings of justice being served. There is hope at the end of the novel. Everyone knows what Andy did to Melinda, and the reader gets the sense that Melinda is finally on the emotional mend.  

The tears dissolve the last block of ice in my throat. I feel the frozen stillness melt down through the inside of me, dripping shards of ice that vanish in a puddle of sunlight on the stained floor. Words float up.

The Earth is a 5 billion year old rock in the middle of a middle age solar system with a mid-tier dying star. Our sun/solar system is one of what...

Your question is one of the great questions of life and one philosophers have pondered for centuries.  What is the meaning or purpose of life?  Based on how the question is related there is a very important aspect of the argument that is not properly addressed.  Although the universe is immeasurably large, the scope of influence must be applied to properly analyze human behavior.  The question assumes the scope of human influence includes stars, planets and galaxies outside our own.  That premise is incorrect.  The scope of human influence is relegated to Earth.  Humans have explored outside of Earth, but there is no evidence of intentional influence that has altered the course of anything.  For example, when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon it did not alter, influence or otherwise change the moon or how it interacts with the Earth.  Interaction does not equate to influence.

The scope of influence is limited to Earth and even then the scope is further limited by actual influence versus interaction.  It can be impossible to determine on an individual basis the difference between actual influence and interaction.  If you meet someone on the street and each say hello, that may be an interaction.  However, if that meeting causes the person to not commit suicide then it is influence.  Such connections can be difficult to analyze.  These are connections on the micro level of human connection.

Connections at the macro level include world leaders, inventors and other infamous characters whom have had a measurable impact on society.  George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., Henry Ford and Al Capone have influenced society because of their exploits.  Did any of their actions affect a large portion of the universe? No.  Did it have an impact on their scope of influence? Yes.

The point is simple.  One person cannot influence the universe because the scope of influence is too large.  One person can alter the course of human history.  Does it matter in the universe whether you are a decent person? No.  Does it matter to your family or a stranger? Yes.  The individual scope of influence varies according to the actions you take and the connections you make.  There is a point where nothing you do matters on a universal level.  The flip side is that all those billions upon billions of stars don't have influence over you either.  

Is sneaking around an example of furtive behavior?

Yes, but it's not a very specific example.

Furtive behavior, by definition, is stealthy or secretive; it's done in the hope that no one will notice. Sneaking around is being furtive, but it's not a specific example of furtive behavior.

Here are a few specific examples: you might take a furtive glance at your friend's quiz paper, furtively text someone during class, or take a furtive spoonful of your sibling's dessert.

In any of those cases, you're acting slyly and sneakily because you don't want anyone else to notice what you're doing. You're being furtive.

Often, but not always, furtive behavior involves stealing something. This is why we derived "furtive" from fur, the Latin word for "thief."

Here's one more example. In Alice Walker's story "Everyday Use," the narrator describes some of Dee's friends as "furtive boys in pink shirts hanging about on washday after school." She means that the boys are acting slyly and sneakily and are hoping to avoid notice. Are these boys sneaking around? Probably. Is sneaking around an example of furtive behavior? Yes, but it's a very vague, general example. Again, a specific example would be something like "sneaking into the class before the teacher notices I'm late," "sneaking around with his date so his girlfriend won't know he's cheating on her," or "sneaking into the kitchen to take the last piece of cake from the fridge."

A boy stands on the edge of a cliff of height 60m. He throws a stone vertically upwards so that its distance, h, above the cliff top is given by `h...

The given function is:

`h(t) = 20t-5t^2`

where h(t) represents the height of the stone above the cliff.

Since the cliff is 60m above the sea, when the stone hits the beach, the value of h(t) is -60. Plugging this value, the function becomes:

`-60 = 20t-5t^2`

Take note that to solve quadratic equation, one side should be zero.

`5t^2-20t-60=0`

The three terms have a GCF of 5. Factoring out 5, the equation becomes:

`5(t^2-4t-12) = 0`

Dividing both sides by 5, it simplifies to:

`t^2-4t-12=0`

Then, factor the expression at the left side of the equation.

`(t - 6)(t+ 2) = 0`

Set each factor equal to zero. And isolate the t.

`t-6 = 0`

`t=6`

`t+2=0`

`t=-2`

Since t represents the time, consider only the positive value. (Let's assume that the time t is in seconds.) So the value of t when h(t)=-60 is:

`t = 6`

Therefore, the stone hits the beach 6 seconds after it was thrown.

In "A Bird came down the Walk--" by Emily Dickinson, what does the phrase "too silver for a seam" mean? What do you think is suggested by the color...

This poem is a beautiful example of Dickinson's style, which often employs radically unique syntax and diction to craft images of astounding poetic quality. Unfortunately, because they are so tightly and uniquely crafted, Dickinson's images are often extremely difficult to interpret. The quote you've referenced is no exception to this rule. 

First, let's look at the quote in context:

... [the bird] unrolled his feathers, 

And rowed him softer Home -

Than Oars divide the Ocean,

Too silver for a seam,

Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon, 

Leap, plashless as they swim. (15-20)

Based on the context the quote comes in, it seems like Dickinson is describing the fluid motion of the bird taking flight. Moreover, it seems like the phrase "Too silver for a seam" is meant to be a description for "the Ocean." The ocean that Dickinson has in mind appears to be seamless or smooth, as the absence of a seam is indicated by the phrase's syntax. Based on this assumption, we can assume that the phrase is meant to conjure images of a smooth ocean's surface, while "silver" is probably meant to evoke both a fluid but unbroken liquid form (such as might be found in mercury or "quicksilver," for instance), and to describe the color of the ocean's surface. As such, the phrase is basically comparing the motion of a bird taking flight to an ocean that is smooth and silver, although Dickinson characteristically complicates this interpretation with her unusual diction.  

As with all of Dickinson's poetry, this phrase is hard to interpret, and so my take on it is somewhat unstable and unsure. Taking my interpretation into account, apply it to the poem and see if it works, or whether or not your own opinion requires some more interpretive work.  

What are some examples of media events that have positively and/or negatively influenced the public’s opinion of a government agency?

There are many media events throughout history that have focused on government failings and successes. A particular media-wide angle on such an event can greatly influence the public’s perception of that event.

One place to begin your more in-depth research is at Ruby Ridge. Ruby Ridge is the site of a standoff between the Weaver family at their remote Idaho residence and federal agents from the FBI and US Marshals Service. The standoff began as a final attempt to issue an arrest warrant against Randy Weaver for making and possessing illegal weapons. All prior attempts to have Randy Weaver peacefully surrender failed as he maintained that he would remain at his home and resist arrest. Over the course of the 10-day standoff, Randy’s wife, young son, and a US marshal all lost their lives. The response of federal agents, which resulted in the deaths of two unarmed civilians, has contributed greatly to a belief among a segment of the public that federal law enforcement agencies are aggressive and ruthless in controlling the lives of citizens, particularly as it relates to gun ownership. This distrust can be seen again and again from the siege at Waco to the more recent occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.

Another event covered extensively in the media is the response of FEMA – the Federal Emergency Management Agency – to the devastation in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The common criticism portrayed in media outlets centers on FEMA’s slow response. Michael Brown, the director of FEMA at the time, defends against these accusations by explaining that he had no authority to evacuate New Orleans. “FEMA had no authority to do that under the Constitution, which clearly establishes a system of federalism in which state and local governments are autonomous governmental entities,” he has since written. The blame, in Mr. Brown’s view, falls on the shoulders of the city’s mayor, who delayed evacuations in spite of recommendations from others, including President Bush. This story, and the perception that FEMA carries a large responsibility in the ineffective response to Hurricane Katrina, has amounted to a distrust among many civilians towards governmental management.

Why do plants in water-logged soil have to use anaerobic respiration?

Aerobic respiration is when a cell uses oxygen molecules to generate usable energy for itself. Anaerobic respiration is when a plant is using something besides oxygen molecules to generate usable energy. The reason a plant submerged in water needs anaerobic respiration is because the plant has no oxygen molecules available. 

Plants prefer aerobic respiration, as anaerobic respiration provides much less usable energy than its oxygen powered counterpart, but in a pinch can resort to anaerobic respiration. 

Other creatures can use anaerobic respiration as well. Yeasts, for example, produce alcohol when engaging anaerobic respiration. This is one method used to make alcoholic drinks.

Some other organisms use anaerobic respiration as their primary method of generating usable energy, like archeabacteria. Rather than oxygen, these processes use chemicals like sulfates and nitrates.

What is the central idea (thesis) of Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey?

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey is not really a book with a singular thesis, but a series of meditations about the Great Basin desert and his experiences as a ranger in Arches National Park outside Moab, Utah. Over the course of the book, Abbey reflects extensively on wilderness and displays several consistent attitudes about it, but does so in an exploratory manner rather than by linear argument.

His first major point is that the wilderness is the spiritual home of people in North America. Notably, he believes that if we destroy our wilderness areas or stop visiting and preserving them, we destroy something at the center of our own spirit, saying:

A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.

He believes that wilderness and the flora and fauna inhabiting it have intrinsic worth to the human spirit. 

One of the most well-known and characteristic sections of the book is his description of a trip down Colorado River and his meditations on the Glen Canyon dam, and the vast destruction it wrought on the river ecosystem and the irreplaceable remains of the Anasazi, who created stunning cliff dwellings before Europeans settled the region. He sees the dam as showing the government complicit with the forces of urbanization and corporate greed, stealing a magnificent heritage of natural beauty that should belong to everyone and destroying it to profit a limited number of people, something he considers unambiguously evil. 

In his evocation of the beauty of the high desert, Abbey argues that we ourselves are part of nature, and that to destroy our environment or other species within it, we ultimately destroy ourselves, both in terms of our spirit and eventually our survival, as our ranching and dam building degrades our environment. 

Discuss how the play Oedipus Rex is a direct reflection of Greek culture. Then use specific examples from the play to defend your answer.

The play Oedipus Rex is a reflection of Greek culture because the play asserts the importance of the fate that  the gods decree and the inability of mortals to avoid that fate. Oedipus's fate is to kill his father and marry his mother, and though he tries, he cannot avoid the fate decreed to him. In the end, he realizes that the fate he tried to avoid has come true, and he wishes that he'd been killed instead of living out his fate. He says that if he'd been killed:

"I’d not then be my father’s slayer, nor called the groom of her whence I was born. Abandoned by the gods, child of sacrilege, sharing the source of those I myself sired. Were some evil greater still than evil, his, too, would be Oedipus’ lot" (lines 1383-1388).

In the end, Oedipus recognizes that he has been cast aside by the gods and that the only way to have avoided his fate was to have died before it came true. The inevitability of the gods' decrees and the inability of mortals to avoid the fate decreed by the gods are part of Greek culture.

In addition, Oedipus's downfall is brought about by his hubris, or pride or arrogance. When he summons Tiresias, the seer, at the beginning of the play, he begs Tiresias to tell him who killed Laius, the former king. Tiresias says that Oedipus is guilty of great evil, but Oedipus foolishly disregards what the seer says. When Tiresias says that there is strength in the truth, Oedipus responds, "There is, but not for you. You don’t have this, since you are blind in your ears and mind and eyes" (lines 390-391). Oedipus arrogantly refuses to believe what Tiresias says. However, Tiresias, as a blind seer, knows and sees more than Oedipus does. 

The blind seer was a reflection of Greek culture, which believed that a blind man could know more about fate and the future than a seeing man like Oedipus who is hubristic. Tiresias says to Oedipus, "You, even though you see clearly, do not see the scope of your evil, nor where you live, nor with whom you dwell" (lines 433-435). Tiresias knows that he can see more and know more as a blind man than Oedipus does, as Oedipus is a man with sight who is metaphorically blind to his own failings and to fate. 

What are three strengths and three weaknesses of Gathering Blue?

Each reader will respond differently to Gathering Blue, but many will find a number of satisfying elements in the novel and possibly a few elements that are less satisfying. One strength of the novel is its strong and consistent point of view. The entire story is told from Kira's perspective. This allows readers to feel and understand things as Kira does--with all her confusion and doubt as well as her growing understanding. Another strength of the novel is the world that it builds. It's fascinating to consider what might become of our world after a nuclear holocaust, and the idea of society reverting to a primitive way of life in the shadow of its former glory is intriguing. Lowry creates the world in such a way that readers can imagine it, both in its physical manifestation and in its cultural and relational practices. The gradual unfolding of the controlling nature of the guardians is another strength. Readers are wary of Jamison at first, but then begin to trust him, only to suspect him more and more as Jo's imprisonment, Annabella's death, and the "coincidental" deaths of the three artists' parents are revealed. The surprising revelations at the end--Jamison's prior murderous attack on Christopher and the bondage of the singer--drive home just how dystopian the society is.

Despite these strengths, some readers may be disappointed with some aspects of the novel. Readers may question Kira's decision to stay in the society now that the depths of its depravity have been revealed. The society robbed her of her mother and father, and she knows the guardians have similarly murdered other children's parents and probably Annabella "for their own needs." Kira might intend to stay in order to bring change, but her motivations are never fully clarified in a way that readers can appreciate. Another loose end is the motivation of the antagonists. Readers understand that Jamison is motivated by jealousy and a quest for power, but why the guardians are so intent on preserving the song, the robe, and the other traditions is never fully explored. Presumably the song and robe are necessary for them to maintain power, yet that doesn't seem to explain Jamison's intense interest in the robe and in Kira's role. Finally, although the culture is presented in an interesting way, the fact that the citizens comply so easily with the guardians, especially when the guardians live in the modern Edifice while others live primitive lifestyles, seems implausible. Certainly the citizens may live in fear of being killed off by the guardians, yet there never seems to be the slightest hint of anger or revolution from the dominated masses toward the oligarchy.

To avoid these shortcomings, Lowry may have had to create a longer, more complicated story. Given its genre as a young adult fantasy novel, most readers will allow the story's strengths to outweigh these minor disappointments in characterization and plot.    

You are an employee of an U.S. firm that produces personal computers in Thailand and then exports them to the U.S. and other countries for sale....

Possible Response of U.S. Firm

A U.S. firm responding to a U.S. ad valorem tariff (product value tariff) imposed on a country to where the manufacture of the firm's product is outsourced might be (1) a relocation to a free trade zone (FTZ) or (2) a political appeal through lobbying to have the punitive tariff repealed.

Since the newly imposed U.S. tariff--adding a duty at 100 percent of the value of the computer--is a retaliation for a Thai administrative trade barrier that adopts rules for regulating U.S. imports into Thailand, the U.S. computer firm can escape the consequences of the governmental policy issue by moving manufacturing to Malaysia or Hong Kong (alternative early contenders). Such a relocation is not unprecedented as shown by the (economically and environmentally disasterous) removal of electronics companies from Mexico's maquiladoras, after their boom in the late 1990s, to relocate in Asia to take advantage of lower costs.

Another option is to focus on lobbying in the political arena for the reduction of punitive trade barriers. One strategy would be lobbying to incentivize Thailand's importation of U.S. goods through an appropriate means. Another strategy would be to aim to focus attention in bilateral talks on reducing subsidiaries, regarding such reduction as an economic priority.

Targeted Trade Barriers

Economists generally agree that targeted trade barriers restrict economic growth, causing global demand to decline and threatening global market stability. An example of this occurred in 2009 when Mexico retaliated against U.S. cancellation of a Mexico-U.S. agreement regarding Mexican truck drivers. Examining targeted trade barriers and potential responses tells us that protectionist trade policies and targeted trade barriers carry negative ramifications for the health of the global market.

Was the Louisiana Purchase a moral dilemma for President Jefferson?

The issue of whether to purchase Louisiana from France was something of a moral issue for President Thomas Jefferson. It was a moral issue because it challenged his beliefs about the Constitution. In the end, Jefferson put aside his moral qualms and completed the purchase.

Thomas Jefferson believed in what is called “strict construction” of the Constitution. That is, he believed the United States government could only do things the Constitution specifically said it could do. Jefferson believed this because he believed it was dangerous for the national government to have a lot of power. Because the government was dangerous, it was necessary to limit its powers to those explicitly spelled out in the Constitution. 

This was a problem for Jefferson when he had the opportunity to buy Louisiana from France. Buying this huge mass of land would clearly help the United States greatly, but there was nothing in the Constitution that said the president could buy land from a foreign country. That meant making the purchase would be, in Jefferson’s eyes, unconstitutional. Because of this, Jefferson had a moral dilemma. Did he stick with his beliefs, or did he make this purchase that would clearly benefit his country? 

In the end, Jefferson went ahead and bought Louisiana. He had to confront a moral dilemma when deciding whether to do so, though.

What are some quotes that show that even though the witches and his wife contributed to his downfall greatly, it was Macbeth that is ultimately...

Macbeth was responsible for his own downfall because Banquo ignored the witches, but he latched onto their predictions as absolutely having to come true.  He also wrote to his wife about them.

Macbeth is fully aware that he should not be king. He has no claim on being king.  The most logical successor is Duncan’s son Malcolm.  In an aside, Macbeth comments on his ambition and how he hopes no one else notices it.

DUNCAN

My worthy Cawdor!

MACBETH

[Aside] The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires … (Act 1, Scene 4)

Evidence of Macbeth’s role in his own downfall is his reaction to Lady Macbeth.  First of all, he did tell his wife about the witches.  That was not necessary.  He could have kept it to herself.  Although his wife nagged him about killing the king, the choice was his own.

Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? (Act 2, Scene 1)

Macbeth looked at it from all sides, after all.  He realized that he should not kill the king because he was his kinsman and his host, and because Duncan didn’t deserve it.  He was the one who made the choice to kill the king.

However, you could say that Macbeth’s downfall came mostly from the fact that he continued killing after Duncan, in order to maintain his role as king.  He had Banquo and the Macduff family killed (except Macduff himself).  That was not Lady Macbeth’s fault.  She didn’t know anything about it.

How does the setting of the book affect Sam Gribley's decisions?

In My Side of the Mountain, Sam Gribley has run away from his home in New York City in order to live off the land in the Catskill mountains. This setting is key. It could be considered another major character in the book. Everything Sam does and learns about is based on his close attention and reaction to the forest and all of the plants and animals that live in it. When he needs a place to live, he hollows out a large hemlock tree. When he needs a door for it, he finds a dead deer that a hunter has abandoned. Then he teaches himself how to process the hide to make a deerskin covering for his doorway. His diet is whatever he can find on the mountain, sometimes through trial and error. He trains a falcon he names Frightful in order to help him hunt rabbits and small game. He takes some of the mussels that raccoon Jessie Coon James digs out of the river, before she can eat all of them herself. When winter comes, Sam learns how to keep warm from a fire properly ventilated in his tree-home. He discovers how much work it is to break out of a thick ice coating. The theme here should not be seen as Man versus Nature; but rather, Man connecting, cooperating, and surviving in and with Nature. Imagine how much you would learn and know about your own natural habitat if you had to live with its resources alone, and not with anything you could buy at a store. This is how important the mountain environment is to Sam. It has become his life and his livelihood.

Look at the words in the following three phrases and transcribe all the underlined sounds. How many different pronunciations do you end up with?...

This is an interesting language learning assignment. English is strange in that the same series of letters can represent different phonemes (language sounds). In the case of a), you end up with three different sounds from the same four letters. "Ough" can sound like "uff", "oh", and "ow", respectively.

The phonemes associated with "th" in phrase b) include both a hard and soft sound, with the soft "th" letting through a bit more air between the tongue and top teeth. The words "bother" and "brothers" have the harder consonant blend, and the word "both" has the more aspirated sound.

In phrase c), you again have two different phonemes derived from the letter "o". In the words "to", "do", and the second "to", the phoneme is "oo". In the word "go", the phoneme is "oh".

This can be very hard to figure out without hearing a real person say the words. The Cambridge Dictionary website (as well as many other dictionary websites) has a small red speaker icon next to the definitions of words that will play the correct pronunciation of that word when pressed. I've included the link below.

Is Betrayal by Pinter an example of feminism or psychoanalysis? What sort of concept would you use to stage a production?

The play Betrayal by Harold Pinter is not an example of either psychoanalytic or feminist drama. In terms of genre, Pinter is sometimes loosely associated with a school known as the "Angry Young Men," writers of lower or lower middle class origin who were disillusioned by the elitism of British literature and politics after World War II. Although Pinter is similar to Osborne in being actively engaged in political critique and rebelling against the gentility of Georgian literature, his own work is technically more modernist, tending to a sort of dark absurdism, sometimes called "comedy of menace." His hallmark as a playwright is use of awkward, almost menacing, moments of silence within his dialogue.

There are two basic approaches one could take to staging Betrayal. First, this play is quasi-autobiographical, reflecting his own experiences of adultery. Thus it could be staged realistically, using 1970s settings and costumes, with the very mundanity of its setting contrasting with the awkwardness and menacing silences of the dialogue. Such a production would work well in a theater with a proscenium stage and substantial budget for set, costuming, and props, as this sort of detailed authenticity can be expensive.

Another common way to produce Betrayal is a very stark, minimalist production, with an abstract setting, perhaps just white or black blocks broken up with odd cracks or gaps, in place of realistic furnishings and stark spotlights on the characters. This sort of production works best in innovative spaces rather than traditional proscenium stages, and places a much greater burden on the actors to create the complete audience experience. This form of production can be quite elegant, and very much suited to the spare style of the dialogue and the way the words are surrounded by gaps of silence. It also has the virtue of being easy to create on a low budget.

The speeches of the Chorus and Choragos interrupt the action of the play to describe the battle to the audience. What do these city elders look...

Antigone and Ismene open the play, discussing the recent battle and the death of both of their brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices. Creon declared Eteocles was to be buried with full honors because he stayed loyal to Thebes. But Polyneices’ body was to be left to rot without burial. This would doom him to Hades. After Antigone declares her determination to follow the gods’ law instead of Creon’s by burying Polyneices, the Chorus arrives to explain what happened in the battle.

At the end of the description of the fall of Polyneices, the Chorus declares, “…let us enjoy forgetfulness after the late wars, and visit all the temples of the gods with night-long dance and song...” The Chorus looks forward to riotous celebration of victory. They also wish “may Bacchus be our leader, whose dancing shakes the land of Thebe.” Bacchus was the god of the grape harvest and wine. So their celebration would include a lot of drinking as well.

After such a long period of bloody war, the people of Thebes are ready to have a long celebration of song and drink, going to each temple to thank the gods for their blessings.

How do realists explain the United States being a member of NATO?

A realist would explain the United States had to be a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. After World War II, we were very concerned about the spread of communism. Communism had spread over much of Eastern Europe, and there were concerns it would spread to Western Europe. The United States didn’t want to take on this battle alone.

NATO was created to have a military alliance between the United States and many of the countries of Western Europe. The members of NATO were countries that didn’t have communism. By forming this military alliance, these noncommunist countries could work together, militarily if necessary, to stop the spread of communism. The creation of NATO was part of our policy of containment, which was designed to prevent communism from spreading. The fear of the spread of communism was real, which would prompt a realist to conclude that the United States had to be a part of NATO.

How did the Andes Mountains affect the Incas?

Though some could have considered building a civilization in the midst of the Andes Mountains burdensome and fruitless, the Incas who established their homes there were able to use the difficult terrain to their advantage. 

The Incan Empire was surrounded on either side by coastline deserts or the Amazon Jungle. The Incas built bridges to travel to these areas when needed. Though they never established permanent living arrangements on either side of the Andes, they would leave their home in the mountains to utilize nearby land for the purpose of collecting fruit, catching seafood, and gathering wood.

The Incas also used the Andes Mountains to protect themselves against invaders. If invaded, the Incas would burn bridges on both sides of a gorge, thus trapping the invaders. Those trapped invaders would often either freeze to death or be eaten by animals.

When Goodman Brown goes into the forest, what does he learn? What does he fail to learn?

When Goodman Brown goes into the forest that night, he learns that people that he assumed were model Christians were corruptible by the Devil and sin.  The Devil starts telling Goodman Brown of the people that he was able to corrupt, and the Devil starts with characters that Brown might think could be susceptible to sin.    

"I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem; and it was I that brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village, in King Philip's war. They were my good friends, both; and many a pleasant walk have we had along this path, and returned merrily after midnight. I would fain be friends with you for their sake."

Goodman Brown doesn't deny the old man those claims.  Brown is a bit shocked, but he is more shocked that those people didn't talk about it.  

"If it be as thou sayest," replied Goodman Brown, "I marvel they never spoke of these matters; or, verily, I marvel not, seeing that the least rumor of the sort would have driven them from New England."

Next, the Devil begins showing Goodman Brown that he has been able to corrupt even the most incorruptible people.  Goodman Brown is shown that the minister and Goody Cloyse have had dealings with the Devil.  Goodman Brown is shocked, but he still fiercely hangs on to the fact that his wife, Faith, is still entirely pure.  Unfortunately, Goodman Brown learns that she too has fallen to temptation and sin.  The story ends with Goodman Brown being a broken and suspicious man.  He pulls away from every person in his town, and he even shuns his own wife.  

What Goodman Brown fails to learn and understand is that every person that the Devil shows him probably isn't a full Devil worshiper.  The Devil is showing Goodman Brown people that have fallen victim to his temptation and sin at some point.  Those people still struggle with sin, but that doesn't make them Satan's soldiers.  Goodman Brown fails to understand that every person is equally susceptible to temptation, and not everybody is capable of always resisting.  Brown failed to apply his basic Christian understanding that human beings are fallen and sinful creatures that are in constant need of forgiveness from God and each other. 

What are some specific examples of deception in Othello that are not said by Iago?

There are certainly some instances of deception that are not perpetuated by Iago.

In Act III, Scene 4, Desdemona has lost her handkerchief and wonders aloud about its whereabouts. Emilia says she doesn't know where Desdemona's handkerchief could be. This is an act of deception on Emilia's part; she was the one who picked up Desdemona's handkerchief when Othello let it drop in Act III, Scene 3. After picking up Desdemona's handkerchief, Emilia takes it to Iago, who proceeds to plant it in Cassio's room. Iago's plan was to use Desdemona's handkerchief to frame Cassio.

Later, when Othello meets Desdemona and asks her to lend him her handkerchief, Desdemona tries to deceive him. First, she hands him a different handkerchief than the one for which he asks. When Othello notes she handed him the wrong handkerchief, Desdemona says she doesn't have his special handkerchief on her person. Othello isn't pleased to hear this, and he tells Desdemona the handkerchief is actually imbued with a special kind of magic, so it's important she never loses it.

Othello contends that the handkerchief was a gift from a witch to his mother and was the means by which his mother held the love of his father. So, he warns Desdemona to keep close tabs on the handkerchief. The implication is that, as long as she has that handkerchief, Othello will always love her. Upon hearing this, Desdemona becomes visibly agitated (she knows she misplaced the handkerchief and can't produce it), and this causes Othello to suspect she lost the handkerchief. The couple gets into a heated quarrel.

Desdemona tries to argue that the handkerchief is not lost, a deception on her part. Then, after continued demands from Othello, she tries to draw his attention away by speaking up on Cassio's behalf. This actually makes things worse for her, but poor Desdemona has no way of knowing this. Meanwhile, with each deflection by Desdemona, Othello becomes more and more convinced his wife is hiding an affair with Cassio, and he storms out in frustration. Now, Desdemona deceives Othello because she doesn't want to hurt his feelings. Ironically, her kind heart (which also leads her to speak up on behalf of Cassio) paves the path to her destruction.

Hope this helps!

What is the elegiac tone in "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" by Thomas Gray?

The term elegy has a long history. It originally, in ancient Greece, had two meanings. The first was a sorrowful or mournful poem sung to the accompaniment of aulos (an instrument sounding like a modern oboe). The second meaning referred to the meter in which such songs were often written, elegiac couplets, which consist of a hexameter followed by a pentameter line. One of the best imitations of this form in English is Coleridge's:

In the hexameter rises the fountain's silvery column;

In the pentameter aye falling in melody back.

As the form originated in songs of lament, and funerals are a common occasion for lamentation, the elegy evolved to become closely associated with funerals or laments over someone's death.

"Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" by Thomas Gray is not written in elegiac couplets, but it is set in a graveyard and expresses mourning for death. It may have been written on the death of Gray's friend Richard West in 1742, but is itself a more general lament concerning human mortality.

The poem has a sustained melancholic tone. It begins with the line:

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day

This draws a parallel between the end of day and the end of human life in the graveyard. The elegiac tone is created by a series of terms suggesting absence, fading, sadness, weariness, darkness, and departure in the initial stanzas as well as images of solitude, twilight, and abandonment.

Who is the prime minister of Canada?

The Prime Minister of Canada is Justin Trudeau. Trudeau is the son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who served in this position from 1968 to 1984. Like his father, Justin Trudeau is the leader of the Liberal Party in Canada. He entered office in 2015. Trudeau is only 45 years old, having worked for much of his adult life as an educator. He did not enter politics officially until years after his father's death, when he was elected to office in Montreal. He has embraced a progressive agenda, prioritizing environmental and women's rights issues as well as pledging to implement tax reform in Canada. His election, which was the result of a significant victory for the Liberal Party (Canada has a parliamentary system, in which the Prime Minister is chosen from the majority party in Parliament) over the Conservatives, whose Prime Minister Stephen Harper lost power in the 2015 elections. 

Which stylistic devices are used in The Crucible?

Arthur Miller, the author of the play, writes a sort of narrator for this work -- someone who interjects frequently in Act I -- to introduce characters, give the audience background information, etc.  We can call it authorial intrusion; the dialogue stops and this narrator steps in to tell us something it would be helpful to know, something the character is unlikely to reveal to us themselves: for example, John Proctor thinks he's "a fraud," Abigail Williams has an "endless capacity for dissembling," etc. 

Miller also makes heavy use of irony.  Dramatic irony is created when the audience knows more than a particular character, and it heightens tension and helps to build suspense.  For example, when Proctor, Francis Nurse, and Giles Corey come to the court in Act III to present their evidence against the girls and in favor of their wives (namely, the testimony of Mary Warren), Deputy Governor Danforth refuses to believe them; he says that the state believes "that the voice of Heaven is speaking through the children."  However, we know that Proctor is right: the girls are lying, but Dadnforth doesn't know this.  This is dramatic irony. 

It is also terribly ironic that Danforth refuses to believe Mary Warren, the only girl who is telling the truth, especially when he makes statements like, "We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment."  On the contrary, the entire proceedings are founded on the deception of the girls!  This is an example of situational irony: the people who tell the truth are thought to be liars, and the liars are seen as truthful by the court.  We would expect the reverse -- that the truth will out, as they say -- especially in a court, but it is not so.

Who are some industrialists of the late 1800s?

Historically, this era produced some of America's wealthiest and most powerful industrialists. One of these is John D. Rockefeller, born in Richford, New York, in 1839, who began his working life as an assistant bookkeeper in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1863, Rockefeller invested his savings into an oil refinery and, two years later, he took over the company. By 1870, he had established his own oil refining company, Standard Oil, which grew to control 90% of the country's refineries and pipelines, making him one of the richest and most successful industrialists of his time. (See the first reference link provided).

Another industrialist is Andrew Carnegie who was born in Scotland in 1835 but emigrated with his family to Pittsburgh in 1848. As a young man, Carnegie worked in the telegraph office of the Pennsylvania Railroad but quit after the Civil War because he saw huge potential in the burgeoning steel industry. Through the Keystone Bridge Company, Carnegie made his name by replacing wooden bridges with steel ones. Over his lifetime, Carnegie amassed a personal fortune of $310 billion. (See the second and third reference links provided).

What is the message of the poem "To Autumn" by John Keats?

As always, it's difficult to say what the single most important message of a particular work of literature is, and John Keats' "To Autumn" is no different. However, it is possible to say what one of the major themes/messages is. In general, one can argue that the poem's message focuses on describing the melancholy beauty of the season of autumn and connecting this description to the general beauty of endings and conclusions within the cycles of the natural world.

Throughout the poem, Keats lingers on the beauty of the natural world during autumn. However in the last stanza, he more forcefully connects autumn to the beauty of endings (or death) within the natural world. For instance, Keats says, "Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn / Among the river sallows, borne aloft / Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies" (27-29), and these lines reference the "death" that autumn ushers in in preparation for winter. However, while melancholy, Keats sees this natural "death" as beautiful in its own right, as it follows a productive harvest that symbolizes a fruitful existence. Keats underscores this melancholy positivity by infusing even this last stanza with exceptionally beautiful natural imagery.

How do you keep an audience involved in a performance? Answer using examples of specific acting techniques.

There is an assumption in theatre that the mere presence of actors, together with the attraction of story-telling and the psychological attraction of characters being imitated onstage, are enough to hold the witness’s attention (“witness” is the preferred term, rather than “spectator,” for a single member of an audience). 
However, in the real world of the theatre arts, the actor uses several techniques to gain and hold the witness’s attention and interest, depending on the style of acting the cast and director employ.  For example, the Meisner technique of rehearsal and performance (named after the acting teacher Sanford Meisner) asks the actor to listen intently to the other actor’s on stage, in order to bring immediacy and believability to the conversation, thereby magnifying the effect of real-life activity.

In another style, called histrionics, the actors intentionally exaggerate all their actions and dialogue with the end-result of magnifying the action, so that the witness is enjoying a “larger-than-life” experience.  This style is largely out of date now, ever since Realism as a dramatic style emerged in the early 20th century.  It still can be seen in burlesque, parody, and highly stylized historical recreations, including opera.

In another style, which can be called naturalistic, the actors “forget” their fictive situation, and seek to convince the audience members that they are witnessing an actual event. In the Romantic era, this style called for “a willing suspension of disbelief” from the audience; that is, the audience was tasked with “forgetting” that they were in a theatre, and accepting the “fourth wall” idea of a proscenium stage.

In addition to acting techniques, the director (and the playwright) rely on the rhythms of the performance -- fast, slow, tense, relaxed, etc. -- to hold the audience's interest.

Why do you like the poem "To Autumn" by John Keats? Give your own ideas about the poem.

You are being asked to analyze John Keats poem “To Autumn” in order to decide what you enjoy about reading it. This question requires you to form an opinion based on the form, meaning, sound, or feelings evoked by the poem.

One reason to enjoy the poem is its topic; the season of autumn. For some people the passage of the seasons is one of life’s pleasures, and Keats describes autumn with vivid imagery. In addition, he compares it to spring by describing the differences between the two seasons. He tells the reader to let go of spring and let the sights, smells, and changes in nature advance. And, he explains how summer is coming to an end.

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

 For summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

Yeats uses the poem to focus on the delights and abundance as autumn brings the fruitful harvest to fruition. This poem does not lament the passing of the seasons, instead it explains how this transition is fulfilling.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?

 Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--

Another reason to enjoy the poem are the rhyming schemes and poetic techniques Keats uses in the three stanza piece. The poem “To Autumn” contains a number of different rhyming schemes with both internal and end rhymes. Perhaps this is an attribute which you enjoy about it. The rhyming schemes add interest and fluidity as one reads the poem. The poem contains examples of alliteration, and assonance, which add to the reader’s enjoyment, and provide explicit imagery. An example of alliteration is “winnowing wind,” while the words “reap’d and asleep” in the second stanza provide internal rhyme. At the end of the last stanza, the poet appeals to the reader with more auditory imagery by describing the sounds of autumn.

And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;

Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft

The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft,

And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Each person will find their own reason to enjoy the poem, and you will use text evidence to explain where your gratification comes from. 

What is the subject matter and what are the themes developed in the poem "A Late Walk" by Robert Frost?

The speaker is commenting upon what he sees in the last days of autumn. The use of the adjective "late" in the title might indicate that it is late in the year as autumn approaches winter. The field has been mowed and all that is left of the garden are withered weeds, meaning the harvest has already occurred. This is more than just evidence that it is late autumn; it also suggests death and grief. Thus, "late" also refers to being old or late in life. 

In the third stanza, the speaker watches the last brown leaf fall from a solitary tree. This is a melancholy image which clearly symbolizes death as well as the upcoming winter. In the final stanza, the speaker finds himself where he began, suggesting the cycle of life. He finds the last "faded" aster (flower) and promises to give it to an unspecified person. Perhaps he is taking the flower to someone's grave, but it is just as likely that the speaker is near death himself. In this case, the fading flower represents the speaker's own fading life as he prepares to be reunited with his lost loved one. 

The end of things is a theme in this poem. Autumn signals the end of the year in nature. This is paralleled by the speaker's death and/ or the death of his unspecified "you" in the last line. Note that "you" might still be alive. If this is the case, the speaker endeavors to deliver one last flower before the speaker fades from this life. However a reader might interpret these scenarios, the idea of being reunited brightens an otherwise grim poem. 

What is an article about a modern event that you could connect to an important event in Macbeth?

If I were to relate one modern event to an event in Macbeth, I’d choose to compare Macbeth’s murder of King Duncan to the Charleston Church massacre that occurred in June 2015. I believe you can make very strong parallels between Shakespeare’s fictional murder and Dylann Roof’s nine murders, given that both events strongly relate to the theme of violating hospitality.

Before committing the murder, Macbeth bemoans the fact that he has to kill Duncan when Duncan is a guest in his home.

He’s here in double trust:

First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,

Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,

Who should against his murderer shut the door,

Not bear the knife myself (Act I, Scene 7, lines 12-16).

Macbeth realizes that his murderous actions betray his responsibilities as a host, who should protect his guests against harm from the outside world.

The roles are flipped in the case of the Charleston Church massacre. In this case, Dylann Roof attended a Bible study at the church, and his future victims welcomed him according to all of the rules of hospitality. He, as a guest, betrayed the rules of hospitality just as violently as Macbeth did, by shooting nine members of the congregation in an act classified either as a hate crime or domestic terrorism.