Regarding Ghandi's philosophy of non-violence, fill in the two blanks and explain your word choices: "The reader will believe me when I say that I...

Ghandi was the leader of the Indian movement for independence from England. His philosophy was one of non-violence. Although it succeeded eventually, it was not always popular among Indians or immediately effective in its time. But history has raised Ghandi to an almost mythological plane, and his eventual success has inspired other movements, such as the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

I think the point that Ghandi wants to make with the quotation you have provided is that non-violence is a choice based on his values and his sense of right and wrong, and also his belief in what will be successful. So for the first blank, I would use the word “necessity.”

Ghandi knows that protesters and revolutionaries have several strategies they can follow. Many successful revolutions throughout history have been violent and bloody. In his desire to avoid this bloodshed, he knew that he had a choice in his methods. It is also possible that, in this age of mass communication, Ghandi knew that his message would be spread quickly and thoroughly. Instead of taking months and years to let the world know what is going on, it can happen via radio and newspaper almost immediately. This makes non-violent means potentially more viable than they would have been previously. Since Ghandi is carefully considering what route to take, I would use the word “choice” in the second blank. That would create the following statement:

Gandhi says this to point out that his belief in non-violence isn't out of necessity, but out of choice.

In the novel Lord of the Flies, how does William Golding depict the idea that a just society requires strict enforcement of rules?

Throughout the novel, William Golding suggests that human beings, void of societal restrictions and regulations, will descend into savagery and succumb to their primitive instincts. The boys are abandoned on an uninhabited island and attempt to create a structured, civil society that will allow them to survive on the island until they are rescued. Unfortunately, Jack usurps power from Ralph and leads the majority of the boys on the island into barbarism by encouraging violence and manipulating their fears. One reason Ralph is unsuccessful as a leader is that he is unable to enforce rules effectively. Jack is quick to disobey the rules about the conch and suffers no consequences for his actions. Jack's followers witness their leader openly defy Ralph and realize that they can also disregard the rules of their "makeshift society." Without punishment or repercussions for their actions, the boys on the island freely engage in violent, immoral behavior, which results in the deaths of Simon and Piggy. The tragic events that transpire on the island are a microcosm of what would happen to civilized society if there were no rules or restrictions. One of Golding's messages is that a just society cannot function efficiently without strict enforcement of rules. Without strict enforcement of rules, individuals will freely engage in barbaric, savage behavior that will lead to utter chaos and anarchy.

In "Salvage the Bones" by Jesmyn Ward, why is the tenth day titled as "In the Endless Eye"?

The eye of the storm is actually the calmest part of a hurricane storm. Most of the heavy and tempestuous winds are deflected from the eye of the hurricane by the Coriolis Effect. The Coriolis Effect basically describes the deflection of air as it moves from high to low pressure in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.

So, the tenth chapter of the book refers to the peace before the storm (or before Hurricane Katrina makes landfall). Since the eye of the storm is the calmest part of the hurricane, this chapter describes the surreal, peaceful moments before the hurricane makes land. In the chapter, some of the houses have been boarded up, and the families have left; only some families, like the Batiste family, are staying put. In the woods, no animals can be seen. There is at once a deadly calm to everything as well as a sense that powerful forces will soon bear down on the family.

The "endless eye" possibly refers to the endless wait (under falsely calm conditions) for the hurricane's arrival. In this chapter, the conflict between Manny and Esch foreshadow the fierceness of the approaching storm. While the family makes preparations for the storm, they are, figuratively, in the "eye of the storm," where everything is supposedly calm. However, the calm center is flanked by the gusty winds and copious raindrops that will soon batter the land as the hurricane hits.

In "A Painful Case," do you prefer to sympathize with Mr. Duffy or Mrs. Sinico?

While I feel incredibly sorry for Mrs. Sinico, it is actually Mr. Duffy who I find to be a more sympathetic figure because he must live with his terrible regret. He eventually realizes that the messiness and chaos of a romantic relationship would actually have made both his and Mrs. Sinico's lives worth living. It likely would have prevented her from turning to alcohol to dull her feelings and eventually taking her own life. Such a relationship, though it would have made Mr. Duffy emotionally vulnerable, the thing he seems to fear the most, would have prevented him from becoming an "outcast from life's feast." In the end, Mrs. Sinico at least tried to reach out to another human being; she tried to foster a connection and was rebuffed. Although this would be painful, I would imagine it is far more painful never to have tried to experience this kind of connection with another human, only to realize one's choices have rendered one completely and totally alone in the world. Mr. Duffy is alone, and he has only himself to blame, and this—to me—makes him even more sympathetic than her.

What quotes from "The Second Coming" suggest that Yeats wants to prevent change?

There aren't really any quotes in "The Second Coming" in which Yeats directly says he wants to prevent change. However, the poem seems to fear coming change in general and so, while it would be difficult to say that Yeats definitely wants to prevent change, one could say that the entirety of the poem is apprehensive of change. 

"The Second Coming" was written during a time of great turmoil. The first World War had just ended, and Yeats' native Ireland was in the midst of a gritty war for independence from Great Britain. As such, it's easy to understand why Yeats' general outlook was gloomy and why the poet chose to write a poem as pessimistic as "The Second Coming." Indeed, the poem's most famous line ("Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold" [3]) seems to predict an apocalyptic downfall and the collapse of society. As such, though one cannot say that Yeats is directly trying to prevent change, one could say that "The Second Coming" is a depiction of a tumultuous time and a representation of a narrative voice that fears for the future that societal changes will bring. 

How does Shakespeare introduce the characters Antonio and Bassanio in the beginning of the first act of the Merchant of Venice, and in what ways...

Antonio and Bassanio are kinsmen and close friends, who engage in revelry with others such as Salerio, Solanio and Gratiano. In the first scene of Act I, Bassanio asks a favor of Antonio and confides in his friend.

Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice opens with Antonio talking with two friends, Salerio and Solanio. He mentions that he is overcome with a certain melancholy for which he can find no source. The other men suggest that he is anxious about his merchant ships that are at sea; furthermore, in an effort to empathize, Solanio tells Antonio that he used to worry constantly when his ships were at sea with cargo. But, Antonio declares that it is not anxiety for his ships that disturbs him. His description of his feelings are those of melancholy; it is as though Antonio has a presentiment.

I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano--
A stage where every man must play a part,
And mine, a sad one. (1.1.76-78)

Gratiano cautions Antonio to not cultivate melancholy in order to gain a reputation for silent wisdom:

Fish not with this melancholy bait
For this fool gudgeon, this opinion. (1.1.101-102) 

Shortly after this, Bassanio enters and jests about Gratiano, declaring that he speaks "an infinite deal of nothing" (1.1.114). Antonio asks Bassanio about his secret lady for whom Bassanio "swore a secret pilgrimage." Bassanio, then, tells Antonio that he is in debt, even as he knows that he owes Antonio money still. But, he has an idea of how he can repay his debts to Antonio, who bids him to speak, 

Then do but say to me what I should do

That in your knowledge may by me be done,

And I am pressed unto it. Therefore speak. (1.1.160-163)

Bassanio then tells his friend about the lovely and wealthy Portia. But, he has learned that she has many men who would like to marry her. So, if Antonio can provide Bassanio with some money, he can compete against these rivals. Antonio tells Bassanio that he will try to get credit and help him.

As it turns out, the only way that Antonio can obtain money is by going to the usurer, Shylock. He borrows three thousand ducats with the condition that if the debt is not repaid, Shylock can extract a pound of flesh from Antonio, who gambles on his ships' successful return so that he can repay the loan. 

Bassanio, who is now fortified against his rivals, goes to Belmont to try to win Portia for his wife. As Bassanio tries to decide which casket to choose so that he can marry Portia, Antonio receives word that his ships have been lost. Learning of Antonio's loss, Shylock, who hates him as a rival money-lender, is eager to collect on his loan. In the meantime, Bassanio receives word of his friend's misfortune; his marriage celebration is halted; and he hurries to help Antonio because his new wife has offered to pay Shylock much more than the original debt. Secretly, Portia and her friend Jessica disguise themselves as the doctor of law, to whom the Duke of Venice has petitioned, and his clerk.

After arriving in the Duke's court, as the doctor of law, Portia reads the contract between Antonio and Shylock and finds it binding. However, there is no provision for Shylock to spill any of Antonio's blood in taking the pound of flesh. Therefore, the payment of a pound of flesh cannot be extracted, and Shylock loses his case.

In the end, Bassanio's tale in Act I about his shooting the second arrow and watching it carefully in order to find the first arrow proves valid as a figurative act, both for his borrowing of money from Antonio and for the rescue of Antonio from losing a pound of flesh. 

Relating to the documentary Crude, what is the general role the epidemiologist would serve in this situation? What task related to environmental...

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a clear definition of the general role of an epidemiologist, i.e., what an epidemiologist does. An epidemiologist uses a scientific, data-driven methodology to find the extent and causes of "health outcomes and diseases in populations." They identify the distribution of outcomes (where and how often people are affected) and the causes and risk factors for health outcomes in a defined population.

CDC: Epidemiology is the method used to find the causes of health outcomes and diseases in populations. In epidemiology, the patient is the community and individuals are viewed collectively. By definition, epidemiology is the study (scientific, systematic, and data-driven) of the distribution (frequency, pattern) and determinants (causes, risk factors) of health-related states and events (not just diseases) in specified populations (neighborhood, school, city, state, country, global). It is also the application of this study to the control of health problems (Source: Principles of Epidemiology, 3rd Edition).

In the Ecuadorean Amazon rain forest situation related to the dumping of crude oil production waste and to oil spills from production, an epidemiologist would use the scientific collection of data in the jungle and along Amazon rivers and streams--such as the Aguarico River and its streams--to identify the origin, causes and risk factors for health outcomes (e.g., cancers, skin rashes, sudden deaths) in the population affected, then suggest courses of action to prevent the continuation and spread of the outcomes.

The epidemiologist's task related to environmental health issues as seen in the film is to use the epidemiological method, defined above, to identify what the population is sick with (e.g., what type of skin rash) and to trace where the exposure came from and, importantly for the Ecuadorian lawsuit, when the exposure occurred. An epidemiologist's investigative analysis would address the defendant's counter-argument that the health issues originated as a result of oil spills occurring after PetroEcuador took over operations. For instance, the epidemiologist would take core samples and water samples--just as the court appointed independent expert did--to identify the contaminants present and when they first came to be present. The epidemiologist would trace connections between contaminants and health issues.

Like investigators at the scene of a crime, disease detectives begin by looking for clues. They systematically gather information, asking questions such as:

    Who is sick?
    What are their symptoms?
    When did they get sick?
    Where could they have been exposed?

Using statistical analysis, epidemiologists study answers to these questions to find out how a particular health problem was introduced. (CDC)