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.