What is a description of a trigger incident?

The trigger incident is another expression for the inciting incident, or the action that begins, or "triggers," the main conflict of the narrative.

In the study of plot, especially that of short stories, there are several parts. One of these parts of the plot is the inciting incident, or as it is sometimes called, the trigger incident. This incident marks the beginning of internal or external conflict(s).

For instance, in one of O. Henry's short stories, "One Thousand Dollars," the main character Bobby Gillian, who has always been a spendthrift with the generous allowance he receives from his uncle while he is alive, finds after his uncle's death that he has inherited the sum of simply one thousand dollars. Lawyer Tolman informs Gillian that he has inherited this sum of money and further instructs Gillian,

"You are required to render to us an account of the manner of expenditure of the $1,000.00 as soon as you have disposed of it."

The receiving of this inheritance from his uncle for which he must account is the trigger incident in O. Henry's story because it sets in motion the conflicts that Gillian has about how to spend it.

Once he leaves the law offices, Gillian talks with Old Bryson at the men's club, and he asks Bryson advice that Bryson gives with his usual droll nature. But, his advice is insincere...So Gillian tries again, and he finds another dead end, and the plot develops further until he spends the one thousand dollars.

Which forms of communication do you feel are best to communicate environmental health risks? Which of these do you think are more useful to...

No one form of communication works equally well for all types of information and all potential audiences. A well-educated senior citizen living in a suburban retirement community, a middle class urban professional, and an inner-city teenager are unlikely to respond equally well to the same forms of communication.

Your starting point should be having a clear, easy-to-navigate website that is accessible through PCs, tablets, and smartphones with appropriate formatting for each mode of access. Ideally, the site should be available in Spanish and English and include contact information so that users who are confused can ask for additional information or clarification.

For communicating complex information to well-educated adults who are over 50, traditional newspapers and evening news shows will have a relatively broad reach, but a younger audience is more likely to get information from social media, and might be best reached via Twitter, Facebook, or other similar modes. 

For young people still in school, classroom visits and presentations would be most effective, as would forms of community outreach. In rural areas, community centers or churches are gathering centers that might reach people who lack computer access. 

How does the prohibition of books affect the majority of Montag's fellow citizens?

For the majority of Montag's fellow citizens, the prohibition of books appears to make them happy and contented. This is shown through many of the minor characters in the novel, like Mrs Bowles, who has become so desensitised as a result of censorship that she would rather watch the parlour walls than spend time with her children:

"They'd just as soon kick as kiss me. Thank God, I can kick back!"

Similarly, Mrs Phelps, lets her husband "do all the worrying" so that she can enjoy her life and focus on entertainment and the pursuit of happiness.

In addition, Mildred beams that she is "happy" as she spends her day in front of the parlour walls, talking with her "family" but, in truth, she is as miserable as Montag. We see this through her suicide attempt early in Part One of the novel. Even Mrs Phelps' happiness is contested: when Montag reads the poem, "Dover Beach," for instance, she sobs "uncontrollably" as she absorbs its message.

By portraying the majority in this way, Bradbury implies that while they appear happy and contented on the outside, censorship has made them miserable deep down.

How would I graph 5x+3y=-15? How would I graph 8x+2y=-4? Is the x=8/-3 the x-intercept for the equation -3x+4y=8?

One method to graph is to find the x and y intercept of the equation. Then use the intercepts to graph the line.

Example 1:  `5x+3y=-15`

To find the x-intercept of the linear equation let y=0 and solve for the x value.

`5x+3y=-15`

`5x+3(0)=-15`

`5x=-15`

x=-3

Therefore one point on the line is the coordinate (-3, 0).

To find the y=intercept of the linear equation let x=0 and solve for the y value.

`5x+3y=-15`

`5(0)+3y=-15`

`3y=-15`

`y=-5`

Therefore a second point on the line is the coordinate (0, -5).

Plot the points (-3, 0) and (0, -5) and draw a line through the two points.

The same method can be used for the second example.

Example 2: `8x+2y=-4`

To find the x-intercept of the linear equation let y=0 and solve for the x value.

`8x+2y=-4`

`8x+2(0)=-4`

`8x=-4`

`x=-1/2`

Therefore one point on the line is the coordinate (-1/2, 0).

To find the y=intercept of the linear equation let x=0 and solve for the y value.

`8x+2y=-4`

`8(0)+2y=-4`

`2y=-4`

`y=-2`

Therefore a second point on the line is the coordinate (0, -2). Plot the points (-1/2, 0) and (0, -2) and draw a line through the two points.

Example 3: `-3x+4y=8`

To find the x-intercept of the linear equation let y=0 and solve for the x value.

`-3x+4y=8 `

`-3x+4(0)=8`

`-3x=8`

`x=-8/3`

Therefore one point on the line is the coordinate (-8/3, 0). To find the y=intercept of the linear equation let x=0 and solve for the y value.

`-3x+4y=8`

`-3(0)+4y=8`

`4y=8`

`y=2`

Therefore a second point on the line is the coordinate (0, 2). Plot the points (-8/3, 0) and (0, 2) and draw a line through the two points.

In Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, how does Gulliver understand that the Lilliputians are excellent mathematicians?

Gulliver decides that the Lilliputians are good mathematicians because of their ability to accurately calculate his size, clothing needs, and food requirements.  

I would tend to agree with Gulliver because the Lilliputians used only a single instrument and measurement to calculate Gulliver's overall size and calorie intake needs.  The tool that they used was a quadrant, which historically has been used to measure altitude angles of stars.  The mathematicians took a quadrant reading of Gulliver's height, and they compared that to their own height.  The mathematicians determined that the difference was a twelve to one ratio.  From that ratio, they determined that Gulliver's overall body size was 1,724 Lilliputian bodies; therefore, Gulliver needed enough food to feed that many Lilliputian people.  

Some time after, asking a friend at court how they came to fix on that determinate number, he told me that his majesty's mathematicians, having taken the height of my body by the help of a quadrant, and finding it to exceed theirs in the proportion of twelve to one, they concluded from the similarity of their bodies, that mine must contain at least 1724 of theirs, and consequently would require as much food as was necessary to support that number of Lilliputians.

Gulliver is equally amazed at their ability to make him proper clothes by taking rudimentary measurements and calculating everything based on ratios.  

Then they measured my right thumb, and desired no more; for by a mathematical computation, that twice round the thumb is once round the wrist, and so on to the neck and the waist, and by the help of my old shirt, which I displayed on the ground before them for a pattern, they fitted me exactly.

Discuss the barriers in your life that prevent you from listening fully to what is being said. 1. What kinds of things frustrate you when you feel...

In today's world, technology often feels like an extension of the physical body; for example, leaving a cell phone at home (an external brain of sorts and extra communicator) can leave one feeling bereft and unable to function efficiently during the day. While the use of technology has undoubtedly imported many benefits and conveniences into our lives, it also threatens our ability to engage and connect with other people in a completely focused way. It is no wonder that  many states have banned cell-phone use for drivers, who are prone to diminished awareness of other drivers and their surroundings when using their device. I, too, have become accustomed to thinking and functioning as a multi-tasker, such as walking into a store a paying for groceries while listening to my iPod, which reduces my capacity to focus on people I interact with. Technology gives me permission to shut down the part of me that interfaces well with others and, by association, that listens well when people are conveying something heartfelt or important. Too often, I find my mind has become habituated to wandering, with the result that only a fraction of my awareness is on the person I'm having the conversation with.

There are also mental constructs and emotional barriers that limit my ability to listen fully; for example, if I have a visceral, emotional reaction -- usually a negative one -- to something another person says, I might dissociate, or become argumentative, or try to end the conversation abruptly. All of these response indicate that I am not listening well. 

It is always easy to perceive when someone isn't giving me their undivided attention when I'm talking. There are usually physical signs, like roving eyes, fidgeting or compulsively checking technology. Yet, there is also something  imperceptible -- an intuitive sense that someone is mentally distracted or isn't really interested in what I'm saying -- that is hard to describe in words. Even more aggravating is the unskilled listener who doesn't even try to disguise the fact he isn't paying attention by constantly interrupting or talking over the other person; this is not only disrespectful, but also arrogant.

The main aspect I could improve on to become a better listener is to learn how to give my undivided attention to someone without becoming distracted by a litany of mental judgments, opinions and thought patterns that unnecessarily pulls focus back into myself. I need to remind myself that it is important to give others the same respect and attention I would want if I were sharing something meaningful. 

Why does resistance increase when resistors are connected in series and decrease when connected in parallel?

Hello!

Let us speak about two resistors of the resistances Q and S. For three or more resistors the cause is the same.

By the definition, resistance of an electrical circuit is the voltage applied divided by the resulting current. It remains the same for different voltages (the current changes accordingly). In other words, the voltage drop on a resistor is IR, where I is the current and R is the resistance.

For two resistors connected in series, the same current I flows through one resistor and then through the second. The drop of voltage occurs twice: IQ and then IS. The resulting resistance is (IQ+IS)/I=Q+S which is greater than both Q and S.

For two resistors connected in parallel, the current divides on two parts, `I_1` and `I_2` , `I_1+I_2=I` . The endpoints of the resistors are connected, therefore the voltage drop must be the same, `I_1Q=I_2S.` It is simple to solve this linear system and obtain `I_2S=I S/(1+S/Q),` so the total resistance is `S/(1+S/Q)=1/(1/S+1/Q)` , which is smaller than both S and Q.

Less formally, series connection requires to push current through both barriers. Parallel connection allows current to pass with smaller parts through one resistor each part.

What do you think of teenagers (or their parents) who spend inordinate amounts of money for designer bags, jeans, sneakers or coats?

The word “inordinate” already means something like “excessive.”  When we say that people are spending an “excessive” amount of money on something, we are already saying that we disapprove.  We make a value judgement simply by saying the word “inordinate.”  Of course we would disapprove of people who spend “too much” on these things, but what about people who spend “a lot” of money?  When you phrase it that way, it’s a much different question.

I have very little problem with people who spend a lot of money on these things, as long as they can afford it.  There are two main reasons why I feel this way.

First, when people spend money, they help our economy.  When people buy these goods, they support the people who were paid to make the goods.  They also support the people who work in the stores that sell the goods.  If people stopped buying these things, those people could be harmed.

Second, and more importantly, who gets to decide which things people should spend their money on?  Is it morally bad to spend on a pair of jeans but fine to spend on an iPhone?  What about buying a cable TV subscription or going to a movie?  Are those things okay?  Then think about food.  Should we say that it is only okay to buy, for example, hamburger and chicken because those are relatively cheap? 

It is very problematic, in my mind, to say that people should not spend their money on certain items.  The fact that they value something more than we do does not mean that the thing that they value is bad while the thing that I value is good.

Of course, if you spend your money on something that you do not need and neglect to buy things that you really do need, I would have a problem with you.  For example, if you buy designer jeans but don’t buy diapers for your baby, I would disapprove.  However, I think it is not right to criticize people for spending their money simply because we would have used the money differently if it were ours.  Therefore, I am fine with people who spend a lot of money on designer jeans or bags, just as I am fine with people who spend their money on an expensive vacation in Hawaii or on a really nice car.

What is the point of view in the short story "A Problem" by Anton Chekhov?

The point of view in Chekhov's story "A Problem" is that of the young college student Sasha Uskov, although Chekhov does not make this fact conspicuous. Sasha is sitting "in the hall by the door leading to the study," where his relatives are very heatedly discussing a problem the young man has created by cashing a "false promissory note" at a bank. This sort of thing could not be done in modern America, but evidently it was common in Russia at the time. Sasha had created a promissory note and forged another name to it. It other words it looked as if the other person owed Sasha that sume of money. Then he had cashed the note at a bank at a discount. He had intended to redeem the note before it became due, but when the due-date arrived he didn't have the money he had expected. The family is in an uproar because this is a criminal offense. They either have to pay to redeem the delinquent note or let the young man go on trial. The reason we know that this story is being told from Sasha's point of view is that Sasha can hear everything through the door.

Sasha Uskov sat at the door and listened. He felt neither terror, shame, nor depression, but only weariness and inward emptiness. It seemed to him that it made absolutely no difference to him whether they forgave him or not; he had come here to hear his sentence and to explain himself simply because kind-hearted Ivan Markovitch had begged him to do so. He was not afraid of the future. It made no difference to him where he was: here in the hall, in prison, or in Siberia.

Chekhov not only shows that Sasha can hear everything that is going on in the study, but he also describes the young man's thoughts and feelings. Then eventually Sasha is called into the study to be cross-examined and upbraided by the family.

Sasha went into the study. The official of the Treasury was sitting down; the Colonel was standing before the table with one hand in his pocket and one knee on a chair. It was smoky and stifling in the study. Sasha did not look at the official or the Colonel; he felt suddenly ashamed and uncomfortable.

So then Sasha can not only hear the people in the study but can see them and talk to them. It is unmistakably in his point of view. After Sasha leaves the study again, he has interactions with various family members, including especially his uncle Ivan Markovitch, and he overhears other family members, including his own mother.

unseen in the study at that moment...the unhappy, saintly woman was weeping, grieving, and begging for her boy.

Everything that occurs in the story can be assumed to be seen, heard, or felt by the principal character Sasha Uskov, who ironically does not display much of an emotional reaction to the nearly hysterical behavior of his gathering of close relatives. Although Sasha has created "a problem" for the entire family, he does not seem to regard it as his problem at all. 

What were some of the reasons for Helen Keller's embittered childhood in The Story of My Life, and how were they overcome?

After Keller falls ill as a child, she is no longer able to see or hear. She describes this process as "very unreal, like a nightmare." It is frightening for her, as a baby, to lose her sight and hearing and to be surrounded by silence and darkness.

As a result, she becomes different from other people, and she reacts with frustration. She writes:

"I do not remember when I first realized that I was different from other people; but I knew it before my teacher came to me. I had noticed that my mother and my friends did not use signs as I did when they wanted anything done, but talked with their mouths. Sometimes I stood between two persons who were conversing and touched their lips. I could not understand, and was vexed. I moved my lips and gesticulated frantically without result."

She attempts to use signs to communicate with others, but they do not know how to use them and instead try to continue to use speech. As a result, Keller becomes understandably agitated because she so badly wants to express herself. She also is subject to danger, as she nearly sets herself on fire when trying to dry her apron. At this point, Keller has no tools or skills to express herself or communicate with others. She often has tantrums out of a sense of frustration. 

She begins to overcome these problems once her teacher, Anne Sullivan, arrives shortly before Keller turns seven. She writes, "I was like that ship before my education began, only I was without compass or sounding-line, and had no way of knowing how near the harbour was." Sullivan is Keller's harbor. Sullivan teaches Keller sign language, and Keller writes that "somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me." Keller begins to feel calmer, as she can communicate with others. In addition, Sullivan teaches Keller how to read and about science and math. She also introduces Keller to other blind children at Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, thereby helping Keller to overcome the isolation she felt always being around people who are different from her. 

Who were the silver poets?

The term "silver poets" is used for a group of sixteenth-century English poets known for their excellence in writing short, elegant lyrical poems. The term is intended as a parallel to the term "silver age," which referred to post-Augustan Latin poets. The term suggests elegance and technical skill rather than profundity. They were mainly members of the gentry or aristocracy and prominent at court rather than professional writers and their works were initially circulated in manuscript rather than published.

The silver poets of the sixteenth century were: 

• Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503 – 1542) 


• Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, (1516/1517 - 1547)


• Sir Walter Raleigh (ca.  1554 – 1618)


• Sir Philip Sidney  (1554 – 1586)


• Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke (née Sidney; 1561 – 1621), sister of Philip Sidney; sometimes referred to as Mary Sidney


• Michael Drayton (1563 – 1631)


• Sir John Davies (1569 – 1626) 

What is the difference between value and price?

There is a major distinction in business between the terms value and price.  

Let's start with the term price.  The price of an object or service is what you spend to purchase the product or service.  For instance, if I purchase a television set, the price might be $500.  If I purchase a service, such as a haircut, the price might be $20.  A simple definition of price is the amount one pays to acquire the product or service.  Price is numerical.  For instance $1, $10, $100 are all numbers.

Conversely, value is the utility of the good or service to the consumer.  In other words, value is a person's opinion about the amount of worth the product or service has to you.  For instance, a business CEO who is about to go into a job interview might highly value an Italian suit because his appearance may impact the reactions of the interview committee.  The price of the Italian suit is high, but the value derived may be greater than the price.  On the other hand, a teacher may not find the same value in an Italian suit because the price is higher than the benefits derived from the suit.  A teacher does not have to dress in an Italian suit to teach children in a classroom.  Value cannot be calculated in numbers and varies from person to person.  

Let's take a classic Adam Smith example of price and value and consider the differences between diamonds and water.  We most certainly need water to survive, but we do not necessarily need diamonds to survive.  Yet, we are willing to pay a much higher price for a diamond than a bottle of water.  Why?  Well that comes down to the ease of acquiring such a product.  Water is abundantly available on Earth.  Diamonds require an intense amount of labor to extract from the Earth, and they are not readily available like water.

What are primary and secondary sources? What are their uses?

Primary and secondary are terms used to designate the sources we use to qualify their value to us.  Primary sources are accounts that are what we call firsthand accounts, while secondary sources are more removed from whatever is being recounted.  I will provide some examples, and then we can look at why it is important that we make this particular distinction.

Let us suppose you are writing a report for school on the Civil War era.  Some primary sources you might use are letters from soldiers discussing the battles they are in, the kind of food they are fed, or the fact that they have no boots to fight in.  Or you might use lists that a plantation owner made, lists of slaves owned or of slaves sold.  These are examples of primary sources, writing down facts, thoughts, and feelings firsthand. We have a "voice" for the source, generally one that is recounting events fairly contemporaneously with the writing.  On the other hand, you might consult a few books by historians who have written about the era, or you might consult an encyclopedia.  In either case, these are secondary sources, events and ideas filtered through someone else. The historian who writes that the Civil War was a horror was not there, while the soldier and plantation owner were.

When you are learning about a subject and writing about it, it is always better to rely on primary sources when possible.  Many collections of sources such as soldiers' letters and slave lists are available, sometimes in private collections, but sometimes scanned and in repositories on-line.  There is nothing inherently wrong with secondary sources, but they are not contemporaneous and unfiltered information and ideas. When we rely only on secondary sources, we are relying upon a source who has selected what he or she wishes and who has placed his or her own spin upon the materials.

What is the distance from the Earth to the Sun?

Q: What is the distance from Earth to the sun?

A: The distance from the Earth to the sun varies slightly as Earth orbit around it. However, the average distance is extremely far. On average throughout its approximately 365-day orbit, Earth is about 149,600,000 kilometers or 92,900,000 miles from the sun. That is to say, it is almost 150 MILLION kilometers or 93 MILLION miles. 

This distance is so vast, light from the sun takes minutes to reach Earth. Even at light speed--which is almost 300,000 km per second or 186,000 miles per second--it takes about 8 minutes 20 seconds for light from the sun to reach Earth. 

The first accurate scientific estimates of the distance from Earth to the sun were made by the astronomer Cassini in the late 1600s using a technique called parallax. This technique uses measurements taken from objects from different angles to estimate their actual distance. 

Although the sun appears relatively small in the sky, its actual diameter is about 864,000 miles, around 109 times the size of Earth (see https://www.nasa.gov/sun). This may help give some idea of just how far away the sun actually is. 

Who is Nestor?

Nestor is not actually a character in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. Instead, he is one of the leaders of the Greeks in the Trojan War and figures prominently in Homer's Iliad. Because of the importance of classical culture in anglophone literature, most people writing in English assume their readers will be familiar with the Homeric epics, and thus allusions to figures such as Nestor are common.

Nestor was the King of Pylos. His distinguishing characteristics in the Iliad are his age and his wisdom. Unlike many of the other heroes, he is not described as being at the peak of his fighting prowess, but because of his age, brings considerable patience, experience, and expertise to the Greek army and offers sage counsel to Agamemnon and the other leaders. He is renowned for his wisdom. Unlike Odysseus, who is clever and unscrupulous, Nestor is wise in a way that includes good moral judgment.

What does "trodden black" suggest in Frost's "The Road Not Taken"?

The speaker is walking in what he describes as "a yellow wood." This means it is fall and the leaves on the deciduous trees have all turned yellow. The leaves on both roads are still partly yellow but partly brown from being trodden on by walkers. Since it is still morning, the leaves have yet to turn completely black from the dirt left by passing feet.

The two diverging roads and the trees all adorned with yellow leaves are part of a metaphor. The speaker is evidently trying to make an important decision about where he will go in life. The fact that the yellow leaves have not yet turned black suggests the speaker still has time to make his important decision. Still, time is of the essence.

How does Machiavelli show humanist values and teachings through his works The Prince and Discourses?

In The Prince and Discourses on Livy, Machiavelli exhibits the characteristics of humanism in many ways. First, both works are full of allusions to classical politics, especially to the Roman Republic. Livy himself was an ancient Roman historian, writing shortly after the fall of the Republic, and Machiavelli attempts to use his telling of Roman history to discuss the ways in which a republic could be sustained among modern people. The frequent allusion to classical works is also found in The Prince (a very different book than Discourses.) He refers to Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and many other examples from ancient Greece and Roman history to frame his argument. The argument of the Prince itself is an example of humanistic thinking. In the Prince, he famously advocates that a prince's behavior as a leader should not be governed by abstract, usually religious notions of right and wrong but rather by a hard-headed appraisal of how the world actually works, and what is most likely to achieve the best results. This view is characteristic of humanism. So in terms of content, argument, and methodology, the works of Machiavelli were steeped in humanistic principles. At the same time, Machiavelli's thinking was modern--he was no more bound by classical philosophy than he was by Christian thinking.

Why is the king relieved when he finds out that Psyche is the "Accursed"?

The King of Glome is relieved to discover that Psyche is the "Accursed," because he will not then have to die as a sacrifice to placate the Shadowbrute, the so-called god of the Mountain.

In Chapter Five, we learn that Glome has been plagued with famine, drought, and sickness. Other kings, sensing the weakness of the king of Glome, capitalize on Glome's suffering to threaten wars and rebellions. Meanwhile, the priest of Ungit tells the king that a sacrifice must be made to appease the Brute before it is too late. He maintains that the sacrifice must be "perfect" to be accepted as the Great Offering. As a warning, the priest cautions that the king must not shirk his duty, or the people of Glome will burn him alive in his palace.

By now, the king of Glome is beginning to fear that he is to be the Great Offering for the Shadowbrute. Trying to buy time, the king claims never to have heard of the Brute in his time; he tells the priest of Ungit that the Shadowbrute is a tale of his grandmother's. The priest is not to be deterred, however.

He relates that the people have already cast "holy lots" to discover the identity of the "Accursed." In the end, it has been determined that the "Accursed" resides in the king's house. Upon hearing this, the king is stricken with terror (he thinks that the priest is about to announce that he, the king, is to be the sacrifice). So, he calls on his palace guards to kill the temple guards that are gathered at the vicinity of his palace. However, his guards refuse to fight for him. The priest accuses the king of foolishness, telling him that the population is armed and ready to do violence if the king does not capitulate to their will.

Felling cornered, the king pulls out his dagger and threatens to kill the priest. However, the priest manages to repel the king by promising that he will haunt him even after his death. Defeated, the king demands to know who the "Accursed" really is. The priest eventually answers that it is the Princess Istra (or Psyche), the king's third daughter.

Upon hearing this, the king is visibly relieved that he is not to be sacrificed for the good of Glome. He then pretends to be sad that Psyche is to be the sacrifice. Meanwhile, Orual, distressed that her sister is to be the Great Offering and horrified that her father does not mean to save Psyche, tries to beg for Psyche's life. For his part, the king violently flings Orual away, as she falls at his feet in supplication. Distressed beyond endurance at the turn of events, Orual faints; she is revived in the next chapter.

What is Weberian rationalization, and how does it relate to Weber's view on the spirit of capitalism?

Rationalization refers to the development of rationality and calculation, rather than morals or emotions, as the main motivating factors in a society. According to Weber, the development of modern capitalism and its ideal work ethic represented the rationalization of western society.

Weber's writings on the "spirit of capitalism" describe the relationship between the Protestant style of work ethic and the development of modern capitalism. According to Weber, features of modern capitalist ideology that originated in Protestantism are understanding the pursuit of profit as inherently virtuous, and viewing profit as an end in itself. Protestant ideology suggests that humans have "callings," which provides a spiritual element to worldly activities and emphasizes the moral significance of work. Additionally, the Calvinist belief in predestination suggested that worldly success must be a sign that one has been chosen to be 'saved" by God. While Weber does not suggest that all of capitalism was based on the Protestant work ethic, he does point to ideological similarities between the two to trace the development of contemporary capitalist ideology in the rationalization of western society.

In World War I and World War II what were ways that both sides used propaganda?

Both sides used propaganda in WWI and WWII in order to demonstrate that their side was in the right in the war, or that their side would come out victorious.  Propaganda is information used to promote a certain political or point of view.  Britain and France won the propaganda war in WWI in that the Royal Navy cut Germany's transoceanic cable, thus ensuring mainly Allied-favorable news reached America.  When Germany invaded Belgium and started to attack partisans, which was in their right to do, Britain and France issued out posters and films showing the German as a barbaric Hun who was intent on wiping out civilization.  When America entered the war, it quickly followed suit by creating films and posters showing the German as either a barbaric savage or an inept fighter.  Also, women appeared prominently in these films and posters in an attempt to appeal to masculinity in order to get more soldiers to "protect the women."

Germany was better equipped in propaganda in WWII.  German posters showed the Allies as decadent, and the Germans even made a movie that showed the sinking of the Titanic as being an example of British greed.  Germany also had lots of anti-Semitic and anti-Slavic posters in order to brainwash the German people into thinking these two groups were genetically inferior to Germans.  Allied propaganda showed the Japanese, Germans, and Italians as bent on destroying civilization and ushering in a new dark age.  Frank Capra's Why We Fight series comes to mind as a great example of the history that was still being written as the war was fought.  Some propaganda on the Allied side, especially American anti-Japanese propaganda, appeals to racism in this country.  Propaganda was also used to unite civilians into working longer hours in war industries and rationing food and material for the armies at the front.  Even cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse encouraged both soldiers and civilians alike to buy war bonds in order to defend the world from the Axis powers.  Mass media in the 1940's was more readily available than it was during the 1910's, and both sides harnessed it more with the use of posters, cartoons, and movies.  

How can Pokemon Go bring communities together?

If you take a moment to head to your local park, you will probably spot clumps of people stooped over their phones. This is due to the latest app craze—Pokemon Go—and the vast number of people it has affected. 

Pokemon was originally created as a franchise in 1995, and was popularly sold as a game on the original Game Boy handheld system. That means that the original players of the game are about 21 years older now than they were when the games first became popular. If we assume that the majority of original Pokemon players were between the ages of 10 and 20, we can conclude that those original players are now in their 30s and 40s. Those long-time Pokemon fans make up a large portion of current Pokemon Go players. This means that the game has appeal for people in the middle stages of their life—rather than solely appealing to younger generations, as many video games aim to do.

However, the appeal does not stop there. We also have to take into account people who became fond of the franchise after the original games were released (since many versions have been periodically created). There are also young children who play the game on their parents' phones—children who never encountered the franchise prior to the Pokemon Go app.

These demographics mean that Pokemon Go has strong appeal to a wide range of people between the ages of childhood to adulthood, and possibly even beyond that.

People of all races, genders, orientations, and personalities play the game. Some people have waited years for the game, and some people only discovered the game when it was released a few weeks ago. The main point here is that there isn't a single "type" of person that Pokemon Go targets. Anyone can enjoy the game.

Now if we look back at the local park scenario, we can see a beautiful thing happening: people of all ages, races, and types stand together to talk about the thing they have in common: an app. Pokemon Go players have achieved a stunning sense of community simply by all participating in a game that they individually enjoy. They tell each other about interesting Pokemon finds, and they go to find the Pokemon that are indicated to be nearby on the app's map. These players share phone chargers, snacks, and smiles. Young children yell that they found a starfish, and the older generations laugh because they know that the Pokemon's real name is Staryu.

Many citizens who experience social disorders or other illnesses also find refuge in their ability to share the game with others. The game gives people a reason to communicate and be friendly without borders. The magic of the game lies not in the ability to catch Pokemon in the real world but rather in the ability to unite all of the players from various backgrounds under one common title: Pokemon Trainers.

What's the plot of The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan?

The Kitchen God's Wife tells the story of a Chinese-American family, alternating point of view between American-born Pearl and her immigrant mother, Winnie. The story starts with Pearl, her husband Phil, and her two young daughters, Tessa and Cleo, traveling to her hometown of San Francisco to attend her cousin Bao-Bao's engagement party. Once she arrives, her Auntie Helen uses her benign brain tumor to manipulate her and her mother into expressing their secrets to one another. She demands that Pearl tell her mother about her multiple sclerosis, and that Winnie tell her daughter the details of her life history, using lies about her imminent death to motivate them.

This is where the novel switches to Winnie's perspective, and begins describing Winnie's life story. She was born in China, abandoned by her mother as a child, and raised by unloving uncles. Her family forced her into an arranged marriage with a physically and emotionally abusive man named Wen Fu, and she had several children who died in infancy during the years of her marriage. Winnie managed to escape her marriage by fleeing China with Helen, and ended up marrying a man named Jimmy Louie. Pearl grew up believing Jimmy was her father, but Winnie reveals to her that she was actually conceived when Wen Fu raped her. After Winnie explains this history to Pearl, Pearl reveals her struggle with MS. The novel ends with Bao-Bao's wedding, and Helen, Pearl, and Winnie planning on visiting China together.

Why did Henry VIII change his religion?

Until the 16th century, England was officially Roman Catholic and considered the Pope to be their religious leader. When Henry VIII, who lived from 1491 to 1547, decided he wanted to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon, he had to ask for permission from the Pope. The Roman Catholic Church holds that marriage is for life, and only in exceptional circumstances may an annulment be granted. Because Henry wanted a divorce because Catherine was not giving birth to boys, the Pope turned down Henry's request. In 1534, Henry decided he was now the religious leader of England. With the Act of Supremacy, he established the Protestant Church of England. Though this formation was really motivated by his desire for a divorce, Henry was likely also inspired by the Protestant Reformation sweeping across mainland Europe. 

In 1517, Martin Luther produced his Ninety-Five Theses, a criticism of the decadence and wrongdoings of the Roman Catholic Church. This inspired the Reformation throughout Europe, and Henry's Act of Supremacy officially brought the Protestant Reformation to England. From that point on, the culture of religion and Christianity in England was forever changed. Religious power no longer lay with some absent power; instead, it was vested in the hands of the ruling monarch. 

In A Fierce Discontent by Michael McGerr, what were three specific causes and efforts that demonstrated how mutualism was used to achieve one of...

One example that McGerr points to in A Fierce Discontent is the labor movement, which was generally supported by Progressive leaders. From the relatively conservative American Federation of Labor (AFL) to the radical socialist Industrial Workers of the World (known as the IWW or the "Wobblies") labor leaders encouraged workers to unite in recognition of their mutual interests. In this way they attempted to get better working conditions, higher pay, and enhanced government regulation. McGerr observes that the increasing radicalism of labor alienated both the courts, which he describes as a "longtime enemy of organized, assertive wage earners," and more moderate Progressive reformers, who hoped to ameliorate class conflict (143). 

McGerr contrasts the spirit of mutualism with the idea of individualism, which he characterizes as the opposite of Progressive ideals. Prohibition, perhaps the most glaring example of attempts to "reshape adult behavior," depended in many ways on mutualism. First, it was the result of an organized movement, one which prominently featured women. Second, the idea that drink and other vices represented the "celebration of selfishness" was central to Prohibition (85). Alcohol abuse was portrayed by many reformers as the most obvious manifestation of this destructive individualism. 

Even Protestant ministers, who had long emphasized the individual relationship between God and man, turned to a more mutualistic approach, one which emphasized communities of believers (and, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, led to an emphasis on the effects of one's behavior on the community.) They blamed individualism, and especially placing material wealth above spiritual gains, for class conflict, and they sought to spread their message through reform-minded societies like the YMCA and others. Many promoted a new sense of activism that they called the "Social Gospel" that aimed at moral uplift and promoting cooperation, rather than antagonism, between the social classes.

In Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, what are Gulliver's feelings when he opens his eyes in Lilliput?

When Gulliver first opens his eyes in Lilliput, he does not really remark on his feelings.  He notes that he is bound by a great many ligatures to the ground, and he cannot get up.  He hears confused noises around him and feels something small advancing up his person.  When he finally sees that it is a humanoid creature, though no more than six inches tall, he "was in the utmost Astonishment."  It is no wonder that he would be surprised: he awakens to find himself tied down, even his hair is bound, and then he feels not just one but forty more such tiny creatures striding up his body.  When one of these creatures begins to speak to Gulliver in a language that he cannot understand, he describes himself as feeling a "great Uneasiness."  This almost seems like an understatement given the situation.  Of course he would be terribly uncomfortable in such a state.  Gulliver also feels "excessive pain" when he attempts to move his head to either side.  It is a rude awakening, to say the least.

We know that the causes of the Great Depression ultimately led to a stock market crash on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday. However,...

While the stock market crash of 1929 is often identified as a cause of the Great Depression, the stock market crash was in actuality a symptom of the weaknesses in the economy that led to the Great Depression, rather than a cause. Historian Alan Brinkley in his textbook The Unfinished Nation has identified several other causes of the Great Depression:

1. One cause was lack of diversification in manufacturing. While automobiles and construction were strong in the 1920s, these industries were beginning to wane by the time of the stock market crash in 1929. New industries were beginning to pick up but had not done so by the time of the stock market crash. 


2. Another cause was problems with credit. Farmers, who were in debt, were often unable to pay off their loans, while bankers made risky loans and investments in the stock market. People often bought stocks on margin, meaning they put down about 10% of the value of the stock, thinking it would go up. When it went down, they were asked to pay money but could not do so.


3. A third cause was consumers' weak purchasing power. This is perhaps the most important cause, as it created weak demand. While manufacturing rose a great deal in the 1920s, the profit did not flow to consumers. Therefore, they did not have money to buy what was produced, leading to a weak economy. This type of income inequality has occurred in the last decade as well, as the people at the top of the economic ladder are taking in a greater and greater percentage of the profits.

The Great Recession of 2008 was in some ways similar to the Great Depression, as the recession was caused in part by limited regulation of financial institutions and speculation (in the housing market rather than in stocks, as was the case in the Great Depression). However, there were safeguards in place that made the recession less catastrophic than the Great Depression. For example, while the Great Depression resulted in unemployment rates of 25%, the unemployment rates in the Great Recession were approximately 8.5%. 

What kind of a letter did the kidnappers write to Ebeneezer Dorset? What were its contents?

Sam and Bill concoct a surprisingly credible and grammatically correct ransom letter. Ordinarily this would be effective, because it would show the father than he was dealing with intelligent men and not with a couple of ignorant hoodlums. The entire text of the letter Sam and Bill sent to Ebeneezer Dorset is shown below.

Ebenezer Dorset, Esq.:

We have your boy concealed in a place far from Summit. It is useless for you or the most skilful detectives to attempt to find him. Absolutely, the only terms on which you can have him restored to you are these: We demand fifteen hundred dollars in large bills for his return; the money to be left at midnight to-night at the same spot and in the same box as your reply--as hereinafter described. If you agree to these terms, send your answer in writing by a solitary messenger to-night at half-past eight o'clock. After crossing Owl Creek, on the road to Poplar Cove, there are three large trees about a hundred yards apart, close to the fence of the wheat field on the right-hand side. At the bottom of the fence-post, opposite the third tree, will be found a small pasteboard box.

The messenger will place the answer in this box and return immediately to Summit.

If you attempt any treachery or fail to comply with our demand as stated, you will never see your boy again.

If you pay the money as demanded, he will be returned to you safe and well within three hours. These terms are final, and if you do not accede to them no further communication will be attempted.

TWO DESPERATE MEN.

Bill had talked Sam out of asking for two thousand dollars because Bill was having such a hard time controlling the boy who called himself Red Chief that he was already desperate to get rid of him. The ransom letter demanded a reply at eight-thirty that night but gave Ebeneezer Dorset until midnight of that same night to pay the actual money. Sam's intention was to be hiding up in the tree above the spot where Dorset's messenger was supposed to leave the reply; but he gave him some extra hours in which to raise the fifteen-hundred-dollars in cash. Sam wanted to know exactly when the reply would arrive. He did not want to be seen crossing any open space in case Dorset should go to the law authorities and they should have a stakeout waiting. As it turned out, there was to be no ransom money. Dorset sent them a reply at exactly eight-thirty in which he stated that instead of paying them $1500, he would take his son off their hands if they paid him $250.

The story is based on heavy situational irony. The two kidnappers did not foresee what a problem they would have with their hostage. Neither did they foresee how indifferent a father might be to getting his son back. O. Henry may have given the father the first name of Ebeneezer as an allusion to Charles Dickens' miserly and hard-bargaining character Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. 

In The Merchant of Venice, what does "if I catch him once upon the hip" mean?

Shylock says this of Antonio in Act 1, Scene 3.  Here are lines 38 - 43:

I hate him for he is a Christian;

But more, for that in low simplicity

He lends out money gratis and brings down

The rate of usance here with us in Venice.

If I can catch him once upon the hip,

I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.

"Catch him upon the hip" is a figure of speech from wrestling. Apparently it means to gain an advantage over him, as if to throw him to the ground. So far, Shylock has been unable to gain any kind of hold on Antonio to do him harm, but now he sees his chance.

Shylock does not just hate Antonio on principle for being a Christian.  He has a personal hatred for him.  He feels as if he and Antonio have been wrestling each other for control of the money market in Venice.  Antonio is willing to lend money at no interest, and this makes it harder for Shylock to charge interest and make a living.  Apparently, this has been going on for some time.  In another place, Antonio tells us that Shylock hates him because Antonio has sometimes come to the rescue of people who owed large sums to Shylock.