Thursday, February 28, 2013

Why was the Magna Carta drawn up?

The Magna Carta, drafted in 1215, was the solution to a political crisis between King John and those opposed to tax policies and disagreement with the Pope. The medieval feudal system essentially established the king as the creator, distributor, and mediator of laws in the land. Likewise, the laws were unclear and could change often. English barons rose up against King John and recruited allies in France and Scotland who were loyal to the Pope, who...

The Magna Carta, drafted in 1215, was the solution to a political crisis between King John and those opposed to tax policies and disagreement with the Pope. The medieval feudal system essentially established the king as the creator, distributor, and mediator of laws in the land. Likewise, the laws were unclear and could change often. English barons rose up against King John and recruited allies in France and Scotland who were loyal to the Pope, who had excommunicated King James. A civil war broke out and after much fighting, John met with the rebels at Runnymede and there they negotiated and signed the Magna Carta. John later protested that he was coerced into signing the document, which was partly true, as he had to concede some power to stay on the throne.


The document itself enshrined protections and liberties for the Church, towns, and the individual. The document, for example, protected individuals form having their property seized and gave them the right to justice in a court. The document also stated that no one was above the law, not even the king.


So the Magna Carta, in essence, can be understood as the first major step in limiting the power of the feudal system by enshrining in law protections of religion, property, and individual liberty.

List the qualities that Portia feels a husband should have in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.

In Act I, scene ii, Portia and Nerissa discuss the suitors who have come to take their chances to win Portia's hand in marriage. Since Portia cannot choose a husband for herself, for each must try his hand at choosing the correct box after deciphering a riddle, she has Nerissa remind her of the men and she will tell her the qualities that are good from each of them. Unfortunately, Portia cannot find any good qualities in any suitor who is prepared to take his chance with the caskets; thus, we can only learn what Portia believes are good qualities for a husband through deductive reasoning.

First, Nerissa names a Neapolitan prince. From him we learn that all he talks about is his horse and brags how he can shoe it himself. Then there's County Palatine who never smiles and seems depressed all of the time. From Portia's reaction to these two men, we learn that she prefers a man who is happy, smiles, does not brag, and can talk about more than just his horse.


Next, Nerissa names a French lord, a baron from England, and a Scottish lord. Portia says that the Frenchman is worse than the two previous men because he brags about himself and "he would fence with his own shadow" (I.ii.52). Then, the Englishman is fine to look at, but they don't speak the same language, so they can't understand each other. In addition, the Englishman has no fashion sense which embarrasses her. The Scottish lord, then, is nice, but he's always borrowing from the French to pay the English and this does not satisfy her. As a result, from these men we see that Portia needs a man whom she can understand and have conversations with, someone who can dress himself appropriately and fashionably, and he needs to be able to stand his own ground without needing help from anyone else.


Finally, there is a German, the Duke of Saxony's nephew, who is vile when he is sober and vile when he is drunk. She says that he is "little better than a beast" (I.ii.76). Hence, Portia needs someone who isn't a drunk, and again, someone who is polite, understands the need for manners, and can hold an intellectual conversation and is also attractive. Ironically enough, Nerissa mentions Bassanio, who isn't an official suitor, but probably the epitome of what Portia is looking for, as follows:



"a Venetian, a scholar and a soldier, that came hither in company of the marquis of Montferrat. . . He of all the men that ever my foolish eyes looked upon was the best deserving a fair lady" (I.ii.95-96, 98-99).



Portia agrees with Nerissa about Bassanio and remembers him well. This mentioning of Bassanio is a foreshadowing of his eventual arrival as it secures his place in Portia's mind as well as that of the audience. Bassanio is the one who has all of the qualities Portia seeks, but he still must decipher the riddles and choose the correct casket for her hand in marriage.

Who are the characters in Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison?

Milkman, or Macon Dead III -- Milkman is arguably the novel's main character.  Most of the action in the novel surrounds Milkman and his life. His nickname, Milkman, was given to him as a young child when a man of the town saw his mother breastfeeding him well past a socially acceptable age. Milkman develops into a pretty complacent man, not really caring about anyone or anything in life. In Part 2 of the novel, he finds the true heritage of his ancestors and is able to transcend his earlier issues and becomes a better human, eventually learning how to fly. 

 Pilate Dead - Pilate is Milkman's aunt, and could also be considered a main character in the story. Pilate is born without a navel, a trait that isolates her from others and illustrates how very different a person she is comparatively. It is said that she can fly without ever leaving the ground. She is a loving character who treats others with kindness and respect


Macon Dead II and Ruth Dead -These are Milkman's parents who place him in a difficult position from the day of his birth. He was conceived by Ruth tricking Macon, and later Macon attempted to abort the baby. Once Milkman is born, his life is a constant struggle between his parents - who is closer to him, who he will believe concerning the other parent. His parents' relationship is not healthy, and each one distrusts the other. Neither is happy. Macon's love of money has isolated him from other members of the black community, as has Ruth's father's money. They aren't white, but they also don't fit in to the black community. The entire family is lonely on some level. 


Guitar - Guitar is Macon's best friend, whom he meets as a very young boy. Guitar is a part of the black community and on some level resents the fact that Milkman doesn't get more involved in black political affairs. Eventually, Guitar allows his obsession with fairness to turn his personality into evil - he joins The Seven Days and even tries to kill Milkman at the end of the novel. 


Hagar - Pilate's granddaughter and Milkman's cousin/lover. When they first meet, Milkman is obsessed with her. Eventually, they begin a physical relationship that lasts many years, but Milkman ends it abruptly through a note and some money. This action destroys Hagar emotionally, and she begins trying to kill Milkman about once a month. Finally, when Milkman goes away, she loses her mind completely in desperation of his love. She ends up out in the rain and eventually dies of complications from sickness, but mostly it is traces back to Milkman's abandonment of her. 

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Relate the relationship between temperature and kinetic energy.

There is a direct relationship between temperature and kinetic energy. Temperature is the measurement of the average kinetic energy of the particles that make up a substance. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. Thus, an increase in kinetic energy implies that the average speed of the particles of a substance also increases. Likewise, a decrease in kinetic energy implies that the average speed of the particles within a substance also decreases.


Temperature and kinetic...

There is a direct relationship between temperature and kinetic energy. Temperature is the measurement of the average kinetic energy of the particles that make up a substance. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. Thus, an increase in kinetic energy implies that the average speed of the particles of a substance also increases. Likewise, a decrease in kinetic energy implies that the average speed of the particles within a substance also decreases.


Temperature and kinetic energy are related to phase changes.


As particles increase in temperature and move faster, the intermolecular forces between the particles are eventually broken. Thus, the particles are able to move apart from one another. As this occurs, the volume of the substance increases. The increased movement of the particles allows to particles to flow past one another. This eventually results in an indefinite shape of the substance. This is how sublimation, melting, and evaporation occur.


The opposite is also true. As particles decrease in temperature and move slower, intermolecular forces between the particles are able to attract one another. The particles come closer together and the volume decreases. The slowed movement of the particle, coupled with the decreased volume, results in a more definite shape of the substance. This is how deposition, freezing, and condensation occur.

Why did many Americans oppose U.S. participation in World War II?

Having seen what World War I did to Europe and what it did in terms of killing and maiming so many American boys, opposition to involvement in foreign wars had taken deep root in the American public and in many powerful politicians and influential Americans. After the onset of the great depression, many Americans also felt that focusing on solving the economic malaise afflicting so many citizens should take priority over any concern for international...

Having seen what World War I did to Europe and what it did in terms of killing and maiming so many American boys, opposition to involvement in foreign wars had taken deep root in the American public and in many powerful politicians and influential Americans. After the onset of the great depression, many Americans also felt that focusing on solving the economic malaise afflicting so many citizens should take priority over any concern for international affairs and entanglements.


Time and again Congress opposed measures that FDR wanted to take and they also took other steps to try and preclude any entanglements that would push the United States into being involved with the turmoil in Europe at the end of the 1930's. 


Some of the same racial prejudice that existed in Europe and helped Hitler to power also existed in the United States and there were quite a few people who sympathized with the Nazi leader and had no desire to spend American lives and treasure to oppose him.


It took the attack on Pearl Harbor to turn a majority of Americans in favor of the war and even as public opinion shifted, there were certainly still quite a few Americans who remained in opposition to involving ourselves in World War II.

Does diffusion require energy? Explain.

Diffusion is a form of passive transport, which implies that it does not require the use of energy.


Diffusion is defined as the movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. In other words, particles experiencing diffusion move “down their concentration gradient." This movement is the result of the random kinetic motion of the particles within a substance. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. All particles are...

Diffusion is a form of passive transport, which implies that it does not require the use of energy.


Diffusion is defined as the movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. In other words, particles experiencing diffusion move “down their concentration gradient." This movement is the result of the random kinetic motion of the particles within a substance. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. All particles are in constant, random motion. It is this motion that results in the diffusion of particles from an area of high to low concentration until a state of equilibrium has been reached.


On the other hand, energy is required in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) when particles move from areas of low centration to areas of high concentration. This form of transport is known as active transport. When occurring in a cell, active transport utilizes a protein carrier that is embedded within the cell membrane.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

In below passage, who is the audience? Who is the subject? Pay close attention to the phrases “you usually take us for granted and think you know...

This excerpt is from 12 Million Black Voices: A Folk History of the Negro in the United States,a collaboration between Richard Wright and Edwin Rosskam to produce an volume combining Wright's commentary with photographs from the Farm Security Administration archives of historical photographs of African-American people, many of which had been taken by Rosskam and his wife Louise. The volume was published in 1941 as the United States was just beginning to recover from the Great...

This excerpt is from 12 Million Black Voices: A Folk History of the Negro in the United States, a collaboration between Richard Wright and Edwin Rosskam to produce an volume combining Wright's commentary with photographs from the Farm Security Administration archives of historical photographs of African-American people, many of which had been taken by Rosskam and his wife Louise. The volume was published in 1941 as the United States was just beginning to recover from the Great Depression and entering into World War II. At this point, racial segregation still was enshrined in law and many older blacks had still been alive during the Civil War; Wright's own grandparents had been slaves.


The passage is narrated in the first person plural, with the words "we" and "us" used to refer collectively to black people, including Wright himself. The passage addresses the reader in the second person as "you" and seems to presume that most readers of the book are white people. The subject of the book is black people, especially the rural poor.


The passage emphasizes that white people really don't understand the lives of black people, think that when they see blacks walking down the street that they know blacks and share common humanity and history with them, without understanding the particularity of the black experience. Wright is particularly eloquent in the way he gives a sense of how a history of racial oppression has made blacks live a hidden life, beneath the surface of white society. 

What did Sun Yat-sen do that still affects our lives today?

Sun Yat-Sen was the first President of the Republic of China, and he played a role in overthrowing the Qing, the last dynasty of China. He also founded the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, and he is often referred as the "father of modern China," as he put into effect policies and ideas that would mark the end of dynastic China and begin the process of modernizing China.


Educated partly in Honolulu, Hawaii, Sun was drawn...

Sun Yat-Sen was the first President of the Republic of China, and he played a role in overthrowing the Qing, the last dynasty of China. He also founded the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, and he is often referred as the "father of modern China," as he put into effect policies and ideas that would mark the end of dynastic China and begin the process of modernizing China.


Educated partly in Honolulu, Hawaii, Sun was drawn to Christianity and later converted. Living in Hong Kong, he began to recruit followers to overthrow the Qing dynasty. He was in part motivated by his dislike of foreign control of China and Japan's defeat of China in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. He organized followers in Japan and returned to China in 1911, during a large-scale revolt against the Qing, to declare the founding of the Republic of China. He served as provisional President of the Republic, was later overthrown, and then came back as elected President in 1921.


He carried out several policies that affected China. First, he established ties with the Soviet Union to bolster his power and help bring about the reunification of China. In 1924, the Kuomintang established a constitution that followed the lines of the Soviet Union. Second, his "Three Principles of the People" established the importance of nationalism (or reuniting China under Chinese control), democracy (government based on a Western-style government), and a form of socialism (in which people's livelihood was protected by the government and the state owned many means of production). After Sun died in 1925, he as regarded as the "Father of the Republic." He also is regarded as the father of modern China, as he developed a nationalist agenda that involved ridding China of foreign control and reuniting the country. 


What did Mary's husband indicate to her?

I believe that your question is asking about the short story "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl.  The main character's name is Mary, and she gets away with the murder of her husband.  She killed her husband by hitting him in the head with a frozen leg of lamb.  She then cooked the leg of lamb and fed it to the clueless detectives.  


Mary is not a murdering psychopath.  In fact, she is...

I believe that your question is asking about the short story "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl.  The main character's name is Mary, and she gets away with the murder of her husband.  She killed her husband by hitting him in the head with a frozen leg of lamb.  She then cooked the leg of lamb and fed it to the clueless detectives.  


Mary is not a murdering psychopath.  In fact, she is not even remotely unhappy with her husband, Patrick.  She is the quintessential doting wife.  She sits quietly at home waiting for Patrick to come home from work, and then she practically waits on him hand and foot.  



She took his coat and hung it in the closer. Then she walked over and made the drinks, a strongish one for him, a weak one for herself; and soon she was back again in her chair with the sewing, and he in the other, opposite, holding the tall glass with both hands, rocking it so the ice cubes tinkled against the side.


For her, this was always a blissful time of day.



Unfortunately for Mary, Patrick apparently doesn't feel the same way for her anymore.  Soon after arriving home from work, he makes an announcement to Mary.  The reader is never told what the announcement is exactly, but the reader can be quite sure that Patrick told Mary that he is leaving her or wants a divorce.  



“This is going to be a bit of a shock to you, I’m afraid,” he said. “But I’ve thought about it a good deal and I’ve decided the only thing to do is tell you right away. I hope you won’t blame me too much.”


And he told her. It didn’t take long, four or five minutes at most, and she say very still through it all, watching him with a kind of dazed horror as he went further and further away from her with each word.


“So there it is,” he added. “And I know it’s kind of a bad time to be telling you, bet there simply wasn’t any other way. Of course I’ll give you money and see you’re looked after.



A few minutes later Mary struck Patrick dead with the leg of lamb and proceeded to secure her alibi in order to get away with the crime.  

Monday, February 25, 2013

In the story "The Revolt of 'Mother'," what might the qualities of Mrs. Penn's house say about her?

The house that Sarah Penn was living in at the beginning of the story is old and rundown. It is stated early on in the story that Mrs. Penn had been living in that tiny house for forty years even though her husband, Adoniram, had promised shortly after they were married that he would build her a better one. If the house was difficult to live in when they'd just moved in, then clearly it must have become even more cramped and disheveled over time and as more people began to occupy it. 

Mrs. Penn says that the bedrooms are too small, the cheap wallpaper is dirty and peeling, the pantry is tiny, and that some rooms, if not all, have no carpet. This dismal living space represents how patient and submissive Mrs. Penn has been for forty years. Her children grew up and she grew old in a house that even her own husband had declared not fit for them to live in. Her submission to her husband's stubborn refusal to build a better home or to even spend any decent amount of money on making the one they have cozy is literally reflected in the bleak state of their house. 


However, it is also a symbol of how amazingly resilient, loyal, and hard-working she is. Mrs. Penn keeps her rundown home clean, tidy and in the best shape she is able, despite the horrible disrespect her husband shows her every day. She considers her job as a mother and a wife is to take good care of the house and all who live in it. 



"She was a masterly keeper of her box of a house. Her one living-room never seemed to have in it any of the dust which the friction of life with inanimate matter produces."



Even her husband's mistreatment cannot keep her from performing her job impeccably. Later on in the story, she moves her things and her children into the new barn and this house also becomes symbolic of her character.


She describes the new barn as nicer than their old home, which subtly clarifies that her husband, although perhaps unknowingly, treated her and their children as worth less than animals. The barn was built for beasts of burden that serve Adoniram and that is, essentially, what the mother has been doing for forty years. She says that their new home will need partitions and furniture, symbolizing how open and honest she is finally being, but also how she'll need to create new boundaries in their lives and that she'll require better treatment. 


Ultimately, their new home represents the better possibilities in their lives now that Sarah Penn finally got her husband to really listen to her.

Why did Helen feel that exams were the chief bugbears of her college life ?

With both truth and humor, Helen describes the act of test-taking in the last six paragraphs of Chapter 20. She loves to learn new material. But she despises tests. She talks about studying for them, spending time cramming before them, and trying to prepare by stuffing every bit of information into her brain. Then when the test time comes, she’s faced with questions about people (for instance) that she cannot remember ever hearing of. “You...

With both truth and humor, Helen describes the act of test-taking in the last six paragraphs of Chapter 20. She loves to learn new material. But she despises tests. She talks about studying for them, spending time cramming before them, and trying to prepare by stuffing every bit of information into her brain. Then when the test time comes, she’s faced with questions about people (for instance) that she cannot remember ever hearing of. “You are amazed at all the things you know which are not on the examination paper,” she says. She puzzles over the possible answers. And then the call comes that the time is up and the test is over. It’s an exasperating situation. And she’s absolutely right: it can be this way. She feels like many of the rest of us feel when we study and take tests on difficult subject matters. We can relate to her plight. What’s most interesting about this story is that she never references here how much more difficult her particular challenge is. She cannot see the test questions and must use adaptive methods to both “read” the questions and to answer them within the allotted time period. The fact that she succeeds at all is still amazing to us today.

How might the people of the American colonies describe the King of Great Britain?

The words people in the colonies would use to describe Britain’s King would depend on which side of the conflict they supported and how they viewed the various events occurring in the colonies. Those who supported the Patriots would likely call him a tyrant or a brute. They would say that he didn’t listen to the concerns of the people. They would point to some of the tax laws that were passed that, in the...

The words people in the colonies would use to describe Britain’s King would depend on which side of the conflict they supported and how they viewed the various events occurring in the colonies. Those who supported the Patriots would likely call him a tyrant or a brute. They would say that he didn’t listen to the concerns of the people. They would point to some of the tax laws that were passed that, in the some of the colonists’ opinion, violated their rights as British citizens. They would say he didn’t want peace or respect the colonists. They would point to the rejection of the Olive Branch Petition as an example.


Those who were loyalists would describe the King in positive terms. They would say he was doing what the King was supposed to do. These were his colonies, and he could do whatever he wanted to do with the colonies. The King didn’t have to answer to the colonists if he didn’t want to do that. They also would have reverence for him because he was the head of the Anglican Church, which is the Church of England. Some of these people couldn’t imagine criticizing their religious leader even if they didn’t agree with everything he did. Additionally, some of the loyalists would have spoken kindly of the King because they worked for the British government.


Each person’s opinion of the King depended on how they viewed the various issues affecting the colonies. Also, their views were affected by which side they supported as well as their position in the colonies.

What words or phrases evoke emotion in the audience?

Since you don't specify a work, I'll speak generally about how words and phrases evoke emotion in an audience.


First, know that writers are using appeals to pathos when they attempt to evoke emotion from their audiences. So, writers have to consider what their larger message is and who their audience consists of in order to construct their messages effectively -- this is true of fiction and nonfiction.


For example, if I'm writing a novel,...

Since you don't specify a work, I'll speak generally about how words and phrases evoke emotion in an audience.


First, know that writers are using appeals to pathos when they attempt to evoke emotion from their audiences. So, writers have to consider what their larger message is and who their audience consists of in order to construct their messages effectively -- this is true of fiction and nonfiction.


For example, if I'm writing a novel, and I want to heighten my readers' suspicion of a character, I will use adjectives that cast that character in a suspicious light, such as "sly" or "manipulative." I also will manipulate narrative structure, perhaps using narrative breaks to my advantage, cutting scenes and ending chapters at climactic moments to build suspense and curiosity about the character.


Nonfiction works similarly, with writers choosing to use evidence and examples to pull at their audiences' emotions. If I am writing a human interest story about someone seeking refugee status, and I want my readers to feel sympathy and empathy for the person, I will include information that paints them in a positive light, that establishes them as someone my readers can relate to, and that establishes they should be granted refugee status.


As a final example, consider the following two sentences. Pay attention to how the use of contrast words ("but" and "though"), and the arrangement of the information, yields different reactions to readers:


"Your performance on the end-of-year project is solid, but your public speaking skills are poor."


"Your performance on the end-of-year project is solid; your public speaking skills can be improved, though."


Notice the difference? Imagine you're the worker receiving these evaluations - which version will bother you the least?


Your question is broad, so I hope this response is helpful. Essentially, know that words can evoke an array of emotions, and every aspect of the written product, from word choice to narrative structure, contributes to this process.

What is the relationship between Mitch and Morrie in Tuesdays with Morrie?

Mitch and Morrie enjoy several different types of relationships over the course of their acquaintance.  Initially, Morrie was Mitch's college professor.  Although the two were quite close, they grew apart as Mitch moved from the Boston area to Detroit and started a hectic adult life as a sports writer.


Years later, Mitch sees Morrie on an evening news program.  Morrie has permitted cameras to film his late-stage battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Mitch initially...

Mitch and Morrie enjoy several different types of relationships over the course of their acquaintance.  Initially, Morrie was Mitch's college professor.  Although the two were quite close, they grew apart as Mitch moved from the Boston area to Detroit and started a hectic adult life as a sports writer.


Years later, Mitch sees Morrie on an evening news program.  Morrie has permitted cameras to film his late-stage battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Mitch initially reaches back out to Morrie to rekindle a friendship, and perhaps with an eye toward approaching Morrie from a journalistic standpoint.  As they meet on Tuesdays, however, Morrie transforms back into his old teaching role.  In this "class", however, Morrie is not teaching Mitch about a specific content area, but is, rather, imparting life wisdom that he has gained over the years.  It is this wisdom that forms the crux of the book.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

How does Abigail Williams cause hysteria, when she accuses Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft in The Crucible?

One of the most powerful scenes in the play occurs in Act II, scene 1, when the Reverend Hale visit John and Elizabeth Proctor at home. Hale cautions them that Elizabeth's name has been mentioned in court. They are not terribly concerned because John Proctor thinks that everyone will soon become aware of the girls' play-acting and manipulation, as well as the superstitious beliefs that are motivating the proceedings. Hale goes to leave, but John...

One of the most powerful scenes in the play occurs in Act II, scene 1, when the Reverend Hale visit John and Elizabeth Proctor at home. Hale cautions them that Elizabeth's name has been mentioned in court. They are not terribly concerned because John Proctor thinks that everyone will soon become aware of the girls' play-acting and manipulation, as well as the superstitious beliefs that are motivating the proceedings. Hale goes to leave, but John decides to tell him that he knows the girls are not  bewitched; that the Reverend Parris "caught them sporting in the woods" and they became startled and fell ill afterwards.


Soon after Giles Corey arrives, along with Mister Nurse, to tell the Proctors that his own wife has be arrested, as well as Rebecca Nurse (two very pious middle aged women). Corey tells the story of how a man in the village cursed his wife over a bad business transaction (he bought a pig from her and it died when he did not care for it properly, and she said if he did not feed his pigs properly the pigs would not live very long).


Suddenly Mister Cheever arrives, with a warrant for Elizabeth's arrest. The Proctors learn from him that Abigail seemed to fall sick suddenly, and screamed in pain during dinner at the Parris house, and accused Elizabeth of making a poppet and sticking a needle in it. Mary had earlier given Elizabeth a poppet that Abigail had seen her make during the court proceedings. Abigail manipulates the others into thinking she has been cursed and bewitched by Elizabeth, and this escalates the entire situation, enraging John Proctor and motivating him to expose her lies and the sham of the court's proceedings. Abigail knows that her emotional outbursts will excite the other girls and get them to play along in the theatrics; this behavior in turn excites the villagers and creates the atmosphere of hysteria that convinces all of them that witchcraft is afoot.

Why were television reporters interested in what happened to Ponyboy and Johnny in The Outsiders?

The reporters are interested in the two boys who murdered a wealthy boy and then rescued a bunch of kids from a church.


Pony and Johnny’s story would be fascinating to reporters.  First you have the gang war connection, with greasers against Socs.  That alone would not capture much attention except that Johnny killed Bob and Johnny and Pony ran off.


Then the reporters and the police came. They asked too many questions too fast,...

The reporters are interested in the two boys who murdered a wealthy boy and then rescued a bunch of kids from a church.


Pony and Johnny’s story would be fascinating to reporters.  First you have the gang war connection, with greasers against Socs.  That alone would not capture much attention except that Johnny killed Bob and Johnny and Pony ran off.



Then the reporters and the police came. They asked too many questions too fast, and got me mixed up. …  The reporters fired one question right after another at me and got me so confused I didn't know what was coming off. (Ch. 7)



The kids are a good human interest story because when they were hiding out in an abandoned church, the church caught fire.  There happened to be a group of schoolchildren there, and Dally, Johnny, and Pony helped save them.



For once, there weren't any charges against Dally, and I knew he'd be mad because the paper made him out a hero for saving Johnny and didn't say much about his police record, which he was kind of proud of. He'd kill those reporters if he got hold of them. (Ch. 7)



The reporters also wrote up the story of Darry taking care of his two younger brothers, Pony and Soda, after their parents died.  The family is in danger of being torn apart if Darry is determined to be an unfit guardian.  This would result in Pony and Soda being taken to foster homes.


Even though Dally did not like the characterization, he was a hero. However, the story does not have a happy ending.  Johnny died as a result of his injuries, and Dally committed suicide by cop.  Ponboy was determined to make something of himself.  He always got good grades, so he had a chance to get an education and get out of the gang life.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Please suggest for me some research areas in banking. I am an undergraduate in Finance.

I would suggest starting with the W's: who, what, where, when, why, and how?


For "who", you could research who is banking. Are homeowners taking out more or fewer loans? What about students? Who is using microfinance in the developing world? Similarly, you could focus on a particular bank or CEO.


For "what", topics are also easy to think of. What products are banks selling more or less of? What world events or trends affect...

I would suggest starting with the W's: who, what, where, when, why, and how?


For "who", you could research who is banking. Are homeowners taking out more or fewer loans? What about students? Who is using microfinance in the developing world? Similarly, you could focus on a particular bank or CEO.


For "what", topics are also easy to think of. What products are banks selling more or less of? What world events or trends affect banking (e.g. the fall in oil and commodities prices, the Federal Reserve's tightening of monetary policy while the ECB loosens it, or the effects of the sanctions lifted from Iran)?


For "where", just pick a place. Particularly interesting are the banking climates in China, Japan, Europe, the USA, Iran, and the Asia Development Bank.


"When" questions are a little more difficult, but you can still find several. When will the Federal Reserve raise interest rates? What times of the day/week/month/year see the most consumer or commercial banking activity?


"Why" and "how" are often connected. Why are Greece and Britain considering an exit from the Eurozone, and how would that effect banking in Europe? Why is inflation still low in so many places, and how does that affect the demand for loans and savings accounts?


The bottom line is that you should choose a topic that interests you. My suggestions indicate that I focus on international issues and monetary policy. Even if your interests differ, this should give you a means to choose a topic. Consider what you want to write about and start asking yourself these kinds of questions. A topic should emerge quickly.

My teacher asked me to write a theory and discussion about an acid base titration. The procedure is: pipette 10 ml of NaOH solution (0.152 N) and...

Acid-base titration is a chemical method to determine the concentration of either the acid or the base. It is based on the fact that acid and base neutralize each other completely. This reaction measures the amount of acid or base required to fully neutralize the other, in the presence of a color change indicator, and uses it to measure the concentration of the unknown species (acid or base).


In the given case, 10 ml of...

Acid-base titration is a chemical method to determine the concentration of either the acid or the base. It is based on the fact that acid and base neutralize each other completely. This reaction measures the amount of acid or base required to fully neutralize the other, in the presence of a color change indicator, and uses it to measure the concentration of the unknown species (acid or base).


In the given case, 10 ml of sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH) that has a concentration of 0.152 N is titrated with 15.2 ml of HCl, in the presence of methyl red. The indicator will change the solution color from yellow to red when the titration is complete. 


Using the equation: C1V1 = C2V2


where, C1 and C2 are the concentration of acid and base, and V1 and V2 are the volumes of acid and base used, respectively; we can calculate the concentration of the acid as:


15.2 x C1 = 0.152 x 10 


solving the equation, we get the concentration of HCl as 0.1 N.


Thus, the method can be used to determine the concentration of acid or base, given the volumes needed to titrate them and the concentration of the other species. 



Hope this helps.

In Siddhartha, why does Siddhartha feel that the yearning he has for his son is part of a cycle?

In chapter 11 of Hesse's "Siddhartha," the title character is experiencing great longing for the normalcy of common people's lives as he ferries them across the river. He sees men with their sons and wishes for that life for himself, rather than the journey for wisdom which he's chosen instead. This longing is described as a burning wound.


"And one day, when the wound burned violently, Siddhartha ferried acrossthe river, driven by a yearning,...

In chapter 11 of Hesse's "Siddhartha," the title character is experiencing great longing for the normalcy of common people's lives as he ferries them across the river. He sees men with their sons and wishes for that life for himself, rather than the journey for wisdom which he's chosen instead. This longing is described as a burning wound.


"And one day, when the wound burned violently, Siddhartha ferried across
the river, driven by a yearning, got off the boat and was willing to go
to the city and to look for his son."


Instead of doing this, Siddhartha looks down into the river and sees his reflection, recognizing in it the same pain he once saw in his father's face, when he left home.


"Had his father not also suffered the same pain for him, which he now suffered for his son?"


This is what Siddhartha asks himself. He sees the karmic cycle of his life, the pain of this father reflected in himself over his own son. He saw this repeating cycle going on in the world endlessly, in countless people. When he asks Vasudeva about this, Vasudeva is able to guide him to "hear" what the river is saying, and Siddhartha hears the oneness of things, which heals his pain of longing.


"...he heard them all, perceived the whole, the oneness, then the great
song of the thousand voices consisted of a single word, which was Om:
the perfection."

What are 4 characteristics of Walter Mitty in the story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and what is the textual evidence?

Walter Mitty certainly is a daydreamer. He spends most of his time imagining he is somewhere else, doing extraordinary things. From this, we can conclude that he is absentminded. In other words, he is so enchanted by his own thoughts that he ignores the "real" outside world. His wife must shout at him when he drives too fast. He drives in the wrong lane in the parking lot because he is lost in his own...

Walter Mitty certainly is a daydreamer. He spends most of his time imagining he is somewhere else, doing extraordinary things. From this, we can conclude that he is absentminded. In other words, he is so enchanted by his own thoughts that he ignores the "real" outside world. His wife must shout at him when he drives too fast. He drives in the wrong lane in the parking lot because he is lost in his own thoughts. 


In his real life, Walter is incompetent. He might be more competent if he would pay attention but, again, he is always lost in thought. He constantly makes mistakes. Note the parking lot mishap and his failed attempt to remove the chains from his tires. 


Walter feels alienated from modern life and society. There is little to no room for adventure in modern life. Walter has probably been dismayed by the mundane redundancy of his modern life and the lack of excitement in going to the same job day after day. Because of this alienation, Walter creates his own adventures in his mind. 


Walter is an introvert. He is not especially good or comfortable in social situations and/or dealing with other people. He is much more at home in his own mind. Introversion is described as "the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life." Walter's daydreams are much more interesting (to him and the reader) than his external life is. Introverts tend to be more interested in solitary activities and there is nothing more solitary and subjective than thinking and daydreaming. 

Friday, February 22, 2013

I need help finding short stories that are based on the American Dream. I need to find brief descriptions of the stories with the authors' names...

This is a somewhat difficult question to answer since there are virtually thousands of short stories that could be said to contain the theme of the American Dream! However, to help you I will mention a few authors and titles that fit this description.


The American Dream is a somewhat complex theme in that it may be addressed via the exploration of many sub-themes, such as provincialism, social class, colonialism, and gender (for example, the...

This is a somewhat difficult question to answer since there are virtually thousands of short stories that could be said to contain the theme of the American Dream! However, to help you I will mention a few authors and titles that fit this description.


The American Dream is a somewhat complex theme in that it may be addressed via the exploration of many sub-themes, such as provincialism, social class, colonialism, and gender (for example, the role of women in the home is related to the classic picture that illustrates the American Dream). The term was first coined by historian James Truslow Adams in 1931 to describe the expectations and aspirations of Americans at the dawn of a very difficult and turbulent area, the Great Depression. While the concept was meant to be hopeful and aspirational, in more recent years the term has come to be viewed with irony and disdain by many cultural critics.


The economy began to boom again just after the Second World War. In the post-war years (1950s) the rapid expansion of cities into suburbs was considered one way the American Dream could be fulfilled, since the suburbs at the time represented a quiet, cleaner, and healthier life than that found in the cities. Over time, however, suburban life came to be seen as stifling and shallow, and this theme is written about by many authors.


One author who wrote extensively about life in suburban America, whose work could be said to examine the theme of the American Dream at times, is John Updike. His short story "A & P" is found in many anthologies, and is a coming-of-age tale about a young man who works in a grocery store and a fateful day when he decides to change his life. His decision is catalyzed by the arrival of three teenage girls who come to the store and an incident that takes place involving one of them. The story considers the awareness that the young man has of the importance of work, and there are issues of social class and suburban snobbery that occur as well. Updike wrote many other short stories and novels about suburban life, including a best-selling series of four novels about a man named Harry whose nickname, Rabbit, occurs in the title of each one.


Another American author who wrote about the stifling quality of suburban life was John Cheever, whose stories often explored darker themes such as infidelity and alcoholism as well as mid-life crisis, particularly among men.


Author Pamela Zoline is an experimental writer whose short story collection The Heat Death of the Universe contains several stories on this theme as well, and the title story in particular explores the daily life of a woman who believes her suburban existence as a housewife and mother is slowly driving her insane.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

What factors led to the growth of imperialism in the late 1800's and early 1900's

There was a wide range of factors that motivated Europeans to colonize Africa in the late 1800's. The most important purpose of the colonies was an economic one. European countries needed resources to drive the industrial growth that was occurring across the continent. Africa had vast resources that could be acquired to make the European powers wealthier. These resources included gold, diamonds, rubber, petroleum, copper, and iron ore. Africa was also attractive because nations could...

There was a wide range of factors that motivated Europeans to colonize Africa in the late 1800's. The most important purpose of the colonies was an economic one. European countries needed resources to drive the industrial growth that was occurring across the continent. Africa had vast resources that could be acquired to make the European powers wealthier. These resources included gold, diamonds, rubber, petroleum, copper, and iron ore. Africa was also attractive because nations could establish exclusive markets for manufactured goods in the colonies. Success in capitalism depends on resources and markets, and the establishment of colonies provided both.


There was a component of racial superiority that drove the quest for colonial dominance in Africa. Europeans felt that they were a superior group and even suggested that colonizing Africa would be a benefit to its inhabitants. The idea of modernizing and converting them to Christianity was somehow believed to be beneficial to Africans. You only need to consider the history of the Atlantic Slave Trade to understand the racism that existed in Europe during the period.


The acquisition of colonies was also a consequence of fierce national rivalries that existed in Europe at the time. Britain, France, Germany, and other powers on the continent did everything they could to get a leg up on the competition. Acquiring land in Africa could give them a strategic advantage over their rivals that would reveal itself if a military conflict were to occur. Often times colonies were acquired because of their strategic location for trade and military expansion. As the decades after the slave trade went by, nationalism increasingly became a factor in the acquisition of colonies in Africa.

I need help on finding advantages about cowhands. Do you think you can help?

Cowhands were very important to the cattle industry for a period of time. On the ranch, cowhands, or cowboys, were responsible for monitoring the cattle. They had to be sure the cattle moved across the open range so they didn’t overgraze the land. They also had to keep track of the cattle.


Before the long drives began, the cowhands had to brand the cattle. This was necessary so they could identify their cattle in case...

Cowhands were very important to the cattle industry for a period of time. On the ranch, cowhands, or cowboys, were responsible for monitoring the cattle. They had to be sure the cattle moved across the open range so they didn’t overgraze the land. They also had to keep track of the cattle.


Before the long drives began, the cowhands had to brand the cattle. This was necessary so they could identify their cattle in case their cattle wandered from the group. The long drives were necessary because they had to transport the cattle to railroad towns where the cattle would be shipped to market. Since the railroads hadn’t expanded as far as south where the ranches were located, the long drives were necessary. Conducting a long drive was very hard work for the cowhands.


Once the cattle arrived in the railroad towns, called cow towns, they were placed on the trains. Then they would be shipped to the slaughterhouses in the east. After the cattle were gone, the cowhands would have some free time before heading back to the ranch. During these times, the cow towns were very wild places. Abilene, Kansas was an example of a cow town.


Eventually, ranching changed from open-range ranching to closed-ranch ranching. When this happened, the roles of the cowhands changed dramatically. The cowhands functioned more as ranch assistants since they didn’t have to do the same jobs as in the past. For many years, the cowhands were vital to the ranching industry.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Does anyone write a letter in Chapters 5-6 in The Outsiders book?

In Chapter 5, Pony and Johnny find themselves on the run after Johnny kills Bob, a Soc, in the act of defending Pony. Both boys hide out at an abandoned church in Windrixville.


Eventually, another Greaser, Dally Winston, comes by to check on Johnny and Pony. When Pony first sets eyes on Dally, his first questions are about his brothers, Darry and Sodapop, and whether the police are still after them. Dally puts off Pony's...

In Chapter 5, Pony and Johnny find themselves on the run after Johnny kills Bob, a Soc, in the act of defending Pony. Both boys hide out at an abandoned church in Windrixville.


Eventually, another Greaser, Dally Winston, comes by to check on Johnny and Pony. When Pony first sets eyes on Dally, his first questions are about his brothers, Darry and Sodapop, and whether the police are still after them. Dally puts off Pony's questions by suggesting that all of them get some breakfast first. He assures them that it's safe to go out because the police think that the boys are heading to Texas.


However, before they leave, Dally presents a letter to Pony: it's from Pony's brother, Sodapop. Sodapop is pretty worried about Pony and has included half his paycheck with the letter. In the letter, Sodapop admits that he and Darry took it badly when Pony ran off. He confesses that Darry greatly regretted hitting Pony, and both older brothers were pretty concerned when both Johnny and Pony turned up missing after Bob's killing.


Sodapop writes that he and Darry were questioned by the police and that they told the police everything they could. He confesses that he can't believe Johnny could kill anyone. In all, Sodapop says that Darry is beside himself because he doesn't know where Pony is, and Dally won't tell him. Sodapop really wants Pony and Johnny to turn themselves in but understands that they cannot do so; turning themselves in would get Johnny in trouble for killing Bob. Here, we get a glimpse of what the Greasers think of the law: they don't have much faith that the law will deal fairly with a Greaser who comes from the impoverished East side of town.


Sodapop ends the letter by telling Pony that he and Johnny have become famous and that there's even a paragraph about them in the newspaper. After reading the letter, Dally takes Pony and Johnny to a Dairy Queen; there, Pony orders a Pepsi, and both boys gorge themselves with barbecue sandwiches and banana splits. During their conversation, Dally surprises both boys when he confides to them that the Greasers now have a spy working for them: Cherry Valence, the female Soc they met at the drive-in movie theater.

What is a benefit of multicellular organisms having some specialized cells?

Complex organisms often have specialized cells that carry out different functions. Let's think about this in terms of humans.


One advantage is that this allows the organism to grow bigger. In larger organisms, it is difficult to transport nutrients and waste to and from all the cells of the body. Having specializing cells and systems (in this case, our circulatory system) allows for these processes to occur. You would also then need specialized cells to...

Complex organisms often have specialized cells that carry out different functions. Let's think about this in terms of humans.


One advantage is that this allows the organism to grow bigger. In larger organisms, it is difficult to transport nutrients and waste to and from all the cells of the body. Having specializing cells and systems (in this case, our circulatory system) allows for these processes to occur. You would also then need specialized cells to gather these nutrients and excrete waste (digestive system, respiratory system). Together, these systems and specialized cells make the organism more efficient at carrying out biological processes than if all the cells did the same thing. 


You can also think about this like a society with people who specialize in different things. There are people who produce crops and food, others who build houses and other buildings for people to live and work in, governments for regulating the society, etc. These people all contribute and make the whole system more efficient than if everyone had to do everything for themselves.

What were the changes in the U.S. on the home front during WW2?

World War II caused many changes on the home front.  One of the largest changes was that a significant percentage of working age men went overseas to fight.  This led to major changes in the workforce.  Women, who typically were housewives when married, had to go to work to meet workforce demands.  There were additional demands because of increased production of war related materials (from parachutes to tanks).  


Food became rationed, and distribution of...

World War II caused many changes on the home front.  One of the largest changes was that a significant percentage of working age men went overseas to fight.  This led to major changes in the workforce.  Women, who typically were housewives when married, had to go to work to meet workforce demands.  There were additional demands because of increased production of war related materials (from parachutes to tanks).  


Food became rationed, and distribution of food products were regulated by the ration boards.  Gasoline was also regulated, and common items such as rubber, steel, and grease were collected in drives to be used for the war effort.  There was fear that the Japanese or Germans could attack on U.S. soil, so many houses had black out curtains, which they used during black out drills.  Families also were supposed to have certain supplies on hand in the event of an attack.  This was a time of both fear and unity in the United States.  There was fear that the U.S. could lose the fight or that the United States would be attacked.  There was also unity as Americans got behind the war effort.

What is one example of how geography affects culture for the Iroquois?

The Iroquois culture is native to what we now know as Upstate New York, and was made up of six First Nations tribes- the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations. The area along the St. Lawrence River, between the Adirondack Mountains and Niagara Falls, is the homeland of Iroquois culture. 


One of the ways in which geography impacted the Iroquois Nations is through the natural environment it created. Geography presents natural boundaries for...

The Iroquois culture is native to what we now know as Upstate New York, and was made up of six First Nations tribes- the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations. The area along the St. Lawrence River, between the Adirondack Mountains and Niagara Falls, is the homeland of Iroquois culture. 


One of the ways in which geography impacted the Iroquois Nations is through the natural environment it created. Geography presents natural boundaries for where people may live and roam. In this case, the natural boundaries for the Iroquois Nations would have been the St. Lawrence River to the north and west, the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains to the East, and the Poconos mountain range to the south. Because of these natural boundaries, the Iroquois culture was settled in a bowl-shape along the North-West border of New York. The Iroquois culture eventually expanded to absorb or conquer more southern First Nations groups throughout the Ohio Valley and beyond. 


A more secondary way geography impacted the lives of Iroquois people is through the subsistence strategy their surroundings helped shape. Northern New York has lots of mountains, forests, and rivers and long, wet winters. Because of natural weather patterns and the soil quality, Iroquois people grew crops of maize, beans, and squash during warmer months, and relied more on hunting and fishing during colder months. Some foods like beans and maize could be dried and stored for eating long after they were harvested, but squash was not so sturdy. Iroquois people would have hunted deer, pigeon, and fish like pike or catfish.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

What would Snowball have done if he had ousted Napoleon?

This question is counterfactual, but fun to think of nonetheless.  I do not think it would have been possible for Snowball to have ousted Napoleon, as Napoleon had the nine puppies from Bluebell and Jessie that he trained as killers.  Napoleon would have never been happy to take a secondary role on the farm--early on in the book, he even took the cow's milk for himself in the early days of the Revolution.  This shows...

This question is counterfactual, but fun to think of nonetheless.  I do not think it would have been possible for Snowball to have ousted Napoleon, as Napoleon had the nine puppies from Bluebell and Jessie that he trained as killers.  Napoleon would have never been happy to take a secondary role on the farm--early on in the book, he even took the cow's milk for himself in the early days of the Revolution.  This shows that he is opportunistic and selfish.  Snowball would have built the windmill, though he was too much of an ideologue to get the dynamos and cables needed to make it fully functional as an electrical source.  This would have involved trading with other farms and unless the revolution spread and more farms lost their human masters, this would not have happened.  Snowball was a purist in his goals, but without other farms following the lead of Animal Farm, many of his goals would have fallen by the wayside.  Perhaps if the windmill failed, there might have been a counterrevolution among the animals.  

What was everyday life like in 14th century England for the serfs and for the nobility?

Crispin: The Cross of Lead is a 2002 children's novel written by the American writer Edward Irving Wortis under the pseodonym "Avi." The story begins in 1377 A.D. The protagonist is a 13-year-old boy, Crispin, or "Asta's Son." His mother has recently died.


Avi attempts to portray the lives of both peasants and nobles realistically. The first element in the portrait is the the shortness of life before the invention of modern medicine. The plague was an...

Crispin: The Cross of Lead is a 2002 children's novel written by the American writer Edward Irving Wortis under the pseodonym "Avi." The story begins in 1377 A.D. The protagonist is a 13-year-old boy, Crispin, or "Asta's Son." His mother has recently died.


Avi attempts to portray the lives of both peasants and nobles realistically. The first element in the portrait is the the shortness of life before the invention of modern medicine. The plague was an ever-present danger, with major outbreaks in 1348-1349 and 1361-1362, and minor ones thereafter. Other infectious diseases were quite common, and maternal mortality rates high. Infant mortality rates have been estimated as ranging from 25 to 50 percent. This meant that especially for peasants, children and childhood were not the objects of sentimentality as they are now. There were no laws against child labor and no prolonged periods of education for the peasants; children began to work as soon as they were capable of being useful. Peasant children were not sent to schools and even sons of aristocrats had limited education, usually at home or in church-run schools. Very few people had any form of tertiary education.


Estimates of male literacy rates for this period range from 10 to 25 percent for men, but that uses as a measure "signature literacy", ability to sign a name rather than an "X", and so may not represent ability to read and comprehend a text. Literacy was restricted mainly to clergy, gentry, and certain tradesmen and artisans. Avi is being realistic when he makes the Father Quinel able to read the letters on the cross but Crispin himself illiterate. That Crispin's mother could read and write is strikingly unusual as women had far lower literacy rates then men.



Power and wealth were distributed unequally, with nobles such as Lord Furnival having absolute power over the serfs tied to their lands. Illegitimacy was also common and inheritance was normally determined by "primogeniture", with the eldest legitimate son inheriting an estate, but with bastards sometimes staking claims resulting in protracted (often bloody) disputes. 

Monday, February 18, 2013

In Julius Caesar, if you could ask Mark Antony and Decius Brutus a question, what would it be?

I would ask Mark Antony and Decius Brutus if they knew what was in Caesar’s will.

Mark Antony and Decius Brutus were both lieutenants of Julius Caesar.  In fact, you could say that they were the two closest men to Caesar.  Either one could have been named Caesar’s heir, but instead he chose Octavius.  If either man had known, it would give them motive for killing Caesar because they felt unappreciated.


If I were investigating Caesar’s death, the first question I would ask each of these men is whether they knew what was in Caesar’s will.  Although we do not know if Antony was involved in his death, it is possible that he was.  We know that Decius was heavily involved.  He made sure that Caesar made it to the capital so they could kill him.


Although there were many involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar, Decius Brutus was in it up to his neck.  Artemidorus tries to warn Caesar that “Decius Brutus loves thee not” (Act 2, Scene 3).  Decius Brutus was given the very important job of ensuring that Caesar was there.  He did it admirably.  Caesar trusted Decius so much that the man was able to talk him into going to the senate even when he wanted to stay away.  Decius reinterprets Calpurnia’s dream in a convincing way.



This dream is all amiss interpreted;
It was a vision fair and fortunate:
Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bathed,
Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck
Reviving blood, and that great men shall press
For tinctures, stains, relics and cognizance. (Act 2, Scene 2)



Caesar trusted Decius and respected his advice.  He had no reason to suspect that his second in command was leading him into a trap.


Although we know Decius Brutus was involved, there is no evidence that Antony was not.


Antony immediately begins to consolidate power after Caesar’s death.  He makes sure Octavius does not enter the city, and he has Caesar’s will very quickly.  He knows that he can use it to win over the people.



It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men;
And, being men, bearing the will of Caesar,
It will inflame you, it will make you mad:
'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs (Act 3, Scene 2)



Antony makes no mention of Octavius, Caesar’s new heir.  Caesar posthumously adopted Octavius.  Antony was older, and a close relative as well.  He had served Caesar for years.  Why would Caesar choose Octavius over him?  Caesar knew Antony’s personality, and might have doubted his loyalty too.


Why would these two men turn on Caesar?  By all accounts they were faithful, high-ranking military men that Caesar would have trusted with his life.  Shakespeare gives no evidence that Antony betrayed Caesar, but he could have.  He was absent at the crucial moment.  Was he really tricked into leaving by Trebonius?  Perhaps his anger and grief in response to seeing Caesar’s body was not genuine, but an act to make sure no one suspected him of being involved in the conspiracy.


Historically, we do have some evidence that Decius did approach Antony and ask him to join the conspiracy.  What we don’t know is whether he did betray Caesar or not.  Some historians believe that both men knew that they were shortchanged by Caesar’s will.  They would have seen Caesar naming a young upstart like Octavius as a serious affront.

What are some quotes from Chapter 11 that show how Daniel helps Leah with chores?

In Chapter 11, Daniel and Leah move into Simon's old house. Simon had allowed Daniel to stay at his workshop, which was attached to his home, because Simon was too busy traveling with Jesus to maintain his business. Daniel has a difficult time getting Leah to move but successfully convinces her to travel by providing her with a "litter" that drives her to the new house. Leah is hesitant at first to begin helping with...

In Chapter 11, Daniel and Leah move into Simon's old house. Simon had allowed Daniel to stay at his workshop, which was attached to his home, because Simon was too busy traveling with Jesus to maintain his business. Daniel has a difficult time getting Leah to move but successfully convinces her to travel by providing her with a "litter" that drives her to the new house. Leah is hesitant at first to begin helping with chores around the house and Daniel is forced to take on the tasks that were typically left to women. Speare writes,



"Very early in the morning, before the women and girls were likely to be about, he carried the water jars to the well" (Speare 126).



Daniel wakes up early to gather water before the women arrive because he does not want people witnessing him doing a woman's job. Speare also writes,



"This was not a man's job, nor was the sweeping or the cooking or the washing of clothes" (Speare 126).



Daniel understands that these important tasks need to get done, and he has no choice but to complete them himself because there was "no women to wait on them." As the chapter progresses, Leah becomes alive and comfortable in their new home. She even begins to help Daniel garden and takes over the task of pulling weeds.

Give character sketches of characters in Chapter 18.

Chapter Eighteen of The Story of My Life is about Helen's first year at the Cambridge School for Young Ladies.  Helen attended the school to prepare for college.  She met many new people at the school, including two teachers:


Frau Gröte was Helen's German teacher at the school.  Determined to help Helen as much as possible, she "learned the finger alphabet."  Despite this great amount of effort on the part of Frau Gröte, Helen found...

Chapter Eighteen of The Story of My Life is about Helen's first year at the Cambridge School for Young Ladies.  Helen attended the school to prepare for college.  She met many new people at the school, including two teachers:


Frau Gröte was Helen's German teacher at the school.  Determined to help Helen as much as possible, she "learned the finger alphabet."  Despite this great amount of effort on the part of Frau Gröte, Helen found her finger spelling to be "slow and inadequate."  Helen still found her teacher to be kind and she recognized the "the goodness of her heart [as] she laboriously spelled out her instructions... in special lessons."  


Mr. Gilman was the principal of the school.  He was the only other person there to learn how to use the finger alphabet in order to assist Helen.  He also "instructed [her] part of the year in English literature."  He allowed Helen's sister, Mildred, to enter the school.  He also patiently finger spelled all the content on Helen's exams into her palm for many hours.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

What does the couple learn about the necklace?

Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace" is about a Parisian middle class couple in the 19th century who come to grief over losing what they believe to be a very expensive diamond necklace.


Madame Loisel dreams of a different life. She envies the rich and dreams of what it would be like to live the life of a wealthy woman. When her husband brings home an invitation to a fancy ball, she needs, not...

Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace" is about a Parisian middle class couple in the 19th century who come to grief over losing what they believe to be a very expensive diamond necklace.


Madame Loisel dreams of a different life. She envies the rich and dreams of what it would be like to live the life of a wealthy woman. When her husband brings home an invitation to a fancy ball, she needs, not only a new dress, but also a piece of jewelry. She borrows a beautiful necklace from her upper class friend Madame Forestier. For Madame Loisel the necklace is a symbol of the wealthy life she would like to live.


After having the time of her life at the ball, Madame Loisel discovers, upon arriving home, that she has lost the necklace. The couple searches everywhere but have no luck in locating the whereabouts of the necklace. Caught up in the reality of social norms at the time, the Loisels are unable to simply tell Madame Forestier that they have lost the necklace. Instead, they spend 40,000 francs (roughly $10,000) on a replacement necklace which is presented to Madame Forestier. 


In order to pay off the debt they accrue to buy the necklace, the Loisels live in poverty for ten years and, when Madame Loisel sees Madame Forestier one day she looks so different from the privations she has experienced that her friend does not recognize her.


Madame Loisel reveals that she gave Madame Forestier a different necklace because they lost the first one. She explains that buying the replacement threw the couple into debt and poverty. In the ultimate irony that closes the story, Forestier declares that the necklace was really a fake. It was basically worth nothing.


The moral of the story might be summed up simply: all that glitters is not gold. Or, the reader may surmise that the wealthy world Madame Loisel longed to be part of was really quite phony.  

What is the Blue Vein Society in The Wife of His Youth?

In Charles Chesnutt's story "The Wife of His Youth," written in 1898, the issue of race is central to the story. The protagonist, Mr. Ryder, is a light-complexioned African-American man who belongs to a society known informally as the Blue Vein Society. They are called this because people say that only those individuals whose skin is light enough to see their blue veins are allowed into the society. This then suggests that African-Americans who have...

In Charles Chesnutt's story "The Wife of His Youth," written in 1898, the issue of race is central to the story. The protagonist, Mr. Ryder, is a light-complexioned African-American man who belongs to a society known informally as the Blue Vein Society. They are called this because people say that only those individuals whose skin is light enough to see their blue veins are allowed into the society. This then suggests that African-Americans who have darker complexions would not be allowed entry. The ideal the society aspired to was a lighter skinned, more educated, cultured African-American individual, therefore they excluded darker skinned people. In writing about such a society, Chesnutt brings attention to the challenges of African-Americans after the Civil War and the end of slavery--how they fit into society, how they were treated, and the perception of light and dark skinned individuals.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Discuss double consciousness and flight in Wideman's "Hazel."

"Hazel" is a short story from John Edgar Wideman's Damballah. The term "double consciousness" was created by W.E.B. Du Bois to describe the twin dichotomies African-Americans must face on a daily basis. African-Americans are both African and American; Du Bois maintained that the "two unreconciled strivings" posed a grave threat to black self-actualization. At the same time, he welcomed the possibility that the average African-American could "merge his double self into a better and truer self."


In this merging he wishes neither of the older selves to be lost. He would not Africanize America, for America has too much to teach the world and Africa. He would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world. He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of Opportunity closed roughly in his face (from The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois).



In "Hazel," Wideman highlights this double consciousness and the difficulty certain characters experience in reconciling their double selves. For example, Hazel's grandmother is described as resembling a "white lady." Additionally, Hazel's mother, Gaybrella, has long, straight hair, despite her African heritage. In the story, Gaybrella lauds the deceased Grandmother Maggie's beauty to her daughter, Hazel. Hazel's grandmother is presented as an irreproachable and venerable maternal icon; yet, ironically, Hazel cannot relate to this remote figure because Grandmother Maggie is deceased. Thus, Hazel cannot reconcile her "double self" because she has little conception of what this involves.


Later, Gaybrella's lustrous, long hair catches the flames from the stove, and the fire shoots up her back like "wings." Gaybrella runs screaming out of the house "like a roaring, hot wind" and crashes through the railing into "thin air." Here, the flight motif that is so prevalent in African diaspora literature comes into play. The flight motif was said to have been popularized by Toni Morrison, an author who continues to highlight the myth of the flying Africans in her novels.


The myth of the flying Africans refers to the legend of African slaves taking flight to return to Africa rather than to submit themselves to lives of slavery in the Americas. In African-American literature, the flight motive manifests itself in dreams of flight, birds of symbolic tenacity, and images of people flying or falling down stairs, rooftops, or cliffs. In "Hazel," Gaybrella is said to have taken flight after her hair catches on fire. The flight is characterized ambiguously, however. The author implies that Gaybrella has been forced into taking flight against her will and that her possibly suicidal actions were compelled by insidious forces beyond her control.


The early generations of African slaves had believed that suicide was a sin. In time, many came to embrace the idea of "taking flight" as a spiritually cleansing act that erased the intrinsic shame associated with suicide. Thus, the imagery of Hazel falling down a flight of stairs and of Gaybrella taking flight reinforces the spiritual rebirth that characterizes the flight motif. Each fall or flight symbolizes not transcendence but rather, freedom from oppression.


As suggested by Gaybrella, Hazel's resulting disability (from the fall) is a kind of spiritual rebirth. Hazel is blessed because she will never have to suffer the "filth and dirt of this world. The lies of men, their nasty hands." Again, Wideman alludes to the theme of double consciousness; however, this time, it is a dichotomy that results from the inability of the African-American woman to reconcile her place among the domestic and public spheres. Gaybrella concludes that Hazel's inability to walk will keep her "neat and clean and pure." Hazel will never need to reconcile the double consciousness at war within herself because the choice has already been made for her; there is little chance that she will ever marry and set up her own household. For more, please refer to the links and sources below.


Sources:


1)Africa and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History edited by Richard M. Juang.


2) The Toni Morrison Encyclopedia.

When did Italy join the Allies in WWI?

Obviously, Italy was a part of the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary before World War I. So what caused the rift and when did it occur? The Italians refused to go on the offensive with the two other members of their alliance when World War I commenced. They argued that the alliance was meant only as a defensive safeguard and Germany and Austria were waging an offensive campaign. Instead, Italy was secretly negotiating with...

Obviously, Italy was a part of the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary before World War I. So what caused the rift and when did it occur? The Italians refused to go on the offensive with the two other members of their alliance when World War I commenced. They argued that the alliance was meant only as a defensive safeguard and Germany and Austria were waging an offensive campaign. Instead, Italy was secretly negotiating with England and France of the Triple Entente (the Allied Powers.) Italy hoped to acquire territory after the war and more was offered by the Entente. The Italians had strengthened diplomatic relations with England and France well before the start of the war, despite being in the Triple Alliance.


Officially, Italy joined the Triple Entente on April 26, 1915 with the London Pact. On May 3rd, they formally left the Triple Alliance and declared war on Austria on May 23rd. It declared war on the other Central Powers later in the year.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

In what ways does Atticus say the Ewells are different from the Finches in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

In the third chapter of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout recounts for her father the things that happened during her first miserable day of school. She then begs him not to send her any more. When Atticus says it is unlawful for him not to send her to school, Scout brings up Burris Ewell, saying that the "truant lady reckons she's carried out the law when she gets his name on...

In the third chapter of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout recounts for her father the things that happened during her first miserable day of school. She then begs him not to send her any more. When Atticus says it is unlawful for him not to send her to school, Scout brings up Burris Ewell, saying that the "truant lady reckons she's carried out the law when she gets his name on the roll-[sheet]." Atticus then explains to her why society is willing to bend the rules just a bit for people like the Ewells and to explain in what ways the Ewells are different from the Finches.

To begin with, the Ewells have "been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations." Not a single Ewell has ever worked for a living. Instead, they are uneducated alcoholics who live off of relief checks, and they spend most of their checks on alcohol. For this reason, the city even permits Bob Ewell, the family's current patriarch, to "hunt and trap out of season." The city figures they would rather permit Bob Ewell to commit a misdemeanor than allow his children to starve. Atticus further says that the Ewells "live like animals," especially because they refuse to be educated even though the doors to education are open to them at any time.

In contrast to the Ewells, the Finches are very educated and honest white-collar workers. Later, in Chapter 5, Scout even tells Miss Maudie that Atticus has "never drunk a drop in his life," which means he is certainly not an alcoholic; therefore, his children are certainly not in any danger of starving while he spends all of their money on alcohol, unlike the poor Ewell children when Bob Ewell feeds his alcoholism.

How would I write an essay comparing thematic elements from Farenheit 451 and The Catcher in The Rye?

When writing an essay about two novels that seem to have very little in common, the first step must be to find out how they are, in fact, similar. For The Catcher in the Rye and Fahrenheit 451, the best way to determine similarity is to look at the novels' protagonists, Holden Caulfield and Guy Montag. While the easiest way to answer this question is to look at thematic similarities—both characters face serious alienation from society—I would want to look at something in the plot that happens to both Holden and Montag: the fact that they can not go back home. Now, even though it seems like I'm writing about plot, which is a big no-no when in literary analyses, I will be focusing on symbols and themes throughout.

Note about comparison-contrast essays: since your teacher wants five paragraphs, you should follow the topic-by-topic method. Here's an example:

- Paragraph 1 - Intro with arguable thesis statement.
- Body Paragraph 1 - Topic 1 (characters' views of "home")
-- Holden's view of "home"
-- Montag's view of "home"
- Body Paragraph 2 - Topic 2
-- Holden
-- Montag
- Body Paragraph 3 - Topic 3
-- Holden
-- Montag
- Conclusion (Restate argument and tell your audience why they should care)

To start this five paragraph essay, I'd write an introduction that with a three or four sentences summary of how Holden and Montag, because of choices they make, cannot go home.

In my first body paragraph I would start with how Holden and Montag are both concerned about the idea of "home." For example, one of the most well-known symbols in Catcher is the idea of the ducks in the pond. Holden asks several characters a variation of "what happens to the ducks in the pond when it freezes over?" In Fahrenheit, Montag walks into his home and realizes how cold it feels. After his conversation with Clarisse, the narrator describes Montag's home as in "complete darkness" and "the chamber of a tomb-world where no sound from the great city could penetrate." Of course I'd have to make greater connections and tie the seemingly separate ideas together.

After this, I would probably move on to talk about how both of the characters are not welcome at their homes. Then my final body paragraph would focus on, maybe, on how at the end of both novels, both Montag and Holden finish homeless—Holden in a mental hospital and Montag in the wilderness.

There are many other ways you can approach this topic, but you will probably have to focus on character.

What is the point of view of "Lamb to the Slaughter?"

The point of view is strictly that of Mary Maloney. Here is a typical example.


For her, this was always a wonderful time of day. She knew he didn't want to speak much until the first drink was finished, and she was satisfied to sit quietly, enjoying his company after the long hours alone in the house. She loved the warmth that came out of him when they were alone together. She loved the shape of his mouth, and she especially liked the way he didn't complain about being tired.



The narrator tells what Mary thinks, feels, and does. When Patrick is described, it is through Mary's point of view (POV). For example:



When he came back, she noticed that the new drink was a very strong one. She watched him as he began to drink.



The reader is not permitted to enter into Patrick's mind but can only guess what he is thinking and feeling from the way he acts, as observed by his doting wife. We know that Patrick has something important and painful on his mind because Mary sees he has made a very strong highball.


There is an excellent anthology of short stories arranged by points of view as classified by the editors, James Moffett and Kenneth R. McElheny. The full title of the book is Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories (Rev. Ed. August 1995). "Lamb to the Slaughter" is not included in this anthology, but the editors would place it in the category they call ANONYMOUS NARRATION--SINGLE CHARACTER POINT OF VIEW. This is a very common story-telling technique. The story is told in the third person, e.g., "She watched him as he began to drink." The way Roald Dahl handles point of view in this story shows he is an accomplished fiction writer. 


Point of view is very important in story-telling because it is the chief way in which the author gets the reader emotionally involved with one of the characters. In "Lamb to the Slaughter" we sympathize and identify with Mary Maloney, even though she commits a murder, because we are held in her point of view from beginning to end. There is no one else with whom to identify without switching points of view, which can risk losing reader involvement. The other important way in which the author usually gets the reader to identify with one character is by giving that character a problem that must be solved. Mary's problem is that she has killed her husband and has to establish an alibi and dispose of the murder weapon. 


When the investigating police officers are devouring the thoroughly cooked and delicious murder weapon, they converse among themselves; but the author makes it clear that their dialogue is all being heard by Mary and that the reader is still in her point of view. Here is part of the dialogue and the very last line of the story which shows that Mary is listening to the whole conversation:



"Personally, I think the weapon is somewhere near the house."


"It's probably right under our noses. What do you think, Jack?"


And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to laugh.


Describe the pathological (disease) processes involved in achondroplasia.

First of all, achondroplasia is due to a single base change and is passed down as an autosomal dominant trait. Therefore, a person needs to only inherit one allele for the condition to occur. Often this occurs as a new mutationthat occurs spontaneously. The region in the genome where this gene is located has a high rate of mutation. Therefore, two parents with no history of this disease can produce an offspring with achondroplasia...

First of all, achondroplasia is due to a single base change and is passed down as an autosomal dominant trait. Therefore, a person needs to only inherit one allele for the condition to occur. Often this occurs as a new mutation that occurs spontaneously. The region in the genome where this gene is located has a high rate of mutation. Therefore, two parents with no history of this disease can produce an offspring with achondroplasia and in other cases, it can be genetically transmitted from one or both parents who have the condition.


People with this condition has long trunks and short arms and legs which are disproportionate. They are small in stature. 


Many of the infants born with this are stillborn or die very early on. Individuals with achondroplasia have high mortality and low fertility because many individuals will not replace themselves with offspring when they become adults. 


As for the disease phenotype, much of the early cartilage in the infant doesn't harden to form bone due to the mutation they inherited in the FGFR3 gene. Genes direct the production of proteins in the body. A necessary protein needed to produce bone is overactive in a person with this mutation. This in turn interferes with the development of bone and the proper maintenance of the skeleton.


Other conditions associated with this are-- water on the brain, stenosis of spinal cord which can be very painful, difficulty in breathing, delays in motor skills and a large head in relation to the body size. There can be curvature to the spine in some individuals.


For people with this disorder, as conditions related to their spine arise, they can be tended to however, there is really no treatment for this disorder.



Wednesday, February 13, 2013

What are the products of the light reactions of photosynthesis that are required by the dark reactions?

Photosynthesis requires sunlight as a reactant and hence can be considered a light reaction. What you are referring to as 'dark reactions' are cellular respiration reactions and they do take place throughout the life of a plant. So, in reality they are not just dark reactions (since they take place 24 x 7).

Photosynthesis can be chemically represented by the following reaction:


`6CO_2 + 6H_2O + sunlight -> C_6H_12O_6 + 6O_2`


Here, carbon dioxide and water are converted (in the presence of sunlight) to glucose and oxygen. 


Cellular respiration is complementary to photosynthesis and uses the products of photosynthesis (that is, glucose and oxygen) as reactants. Cellular respiration can be represented as:


`C_6H_12O_6 + 6O_2 -> 6CO_2 + 6H_2O + ATP`


Here, glucose and oxygen (both generated from photosynthesis) are used and carbon dioxide and water are generated, along with energy molecules (ATP).


Hope this helps.

What are some quotes that show Jerry's impatience from the story "Through the Tunnel?"

I think the following quote best illustrates Jerry's impatience.  


“I want some swimming goggles,” he panted, defiant and beseeching. She gave him a patient, inquisitive look as she said casually, “Well, of course, darling.” But now, now, now! He must have them this minute, and no other time. He nagged and pestered until she went with him to a shop. As soon as she had bought the goggles, he grabbed them from her hand...

I think the following quote best illustrates Jerry's impatience.  



“I want some swimming goggles,” he panted, defiant and beseeching. She gave him a patient, inquisitive look as she said casually, “Well, of course, darling.” But now, now, now! He must have them this minute, and no other time. He nagged and pestered until she went with him to a shop. As soon as she had bought the goggles, he grabbed them from her hand as if she were going to claim them for herself, and was off, running down the steep path to the bay.



Jerry doesn't ask his mom if she would be willing to buy some goggles.  He doesn't ask if it would be okay.  He doesn't even explain why he needs/wants a pair of goggles.  Jerry simply announces that he wants them.  No "please."  Knowing my wife, my kids wouldn't be getting the goggles, if that's how they asked.  Additionally, the quote has the impatient "now, now, now!" section that is quickly followed by the words "nagged and pestered."  Jerry is incapable of waiting.  Then, after he gets the goggles, he grabs them and takes off running.  Not walking.  


The next quote that I think clearly shows Jerry's impatience is this one:



He did not ask for permission, on the following day, to go to his beach. He went, before his mother could consider the complicated rights and wrongs of the matter.



Jerry is entirely focused on himself.  He isn't willing to ask permission to go.  He's not even willing to wait until his mom wakes up, so that he could perhaps tell her where he is going.  Nope.  Instead he just gets up and goes.  No waiting involved.  

What is the name of the author of "The Adventure of the Speckled Band"?

"The Speckled Band" is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born in 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Charles and Mary Doyle. Sometime in early adulthood he began using his second middle name with his last name as his surname. In 1902 King Edward VII of England knighted Conan Doyle for his service in the Boer Wars; thereafter the author was able to use...

"The Speckled Band" is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born in 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Charles and Mary Doyle. Sometime in early adulthood he began using his second middle name with his last name as his surname. In 1902 King Edward VII of England knighted Conan Doyle for his service in the Boer Wars; thereafter the author was able to use "Sir" as his title. 


Conan Doyle first introduced Sherlock Holmes to the reading public in 1888 in A Study in Scarlet, a book-length work. The Holmes stories are written in first-person point-of-view with Dr. Watson as the narrator. Using a first-person narrator who is not himself the detective allowed Conan Doyle to tell the mysteries without immediately giving away all the clues that the detective knows. Watson's praise of Holmes is a way for Conan Doyle to establish the credibility of the detective using indirect characterization, which is usually more interesting for readers than direct characterization.


Although Conan Doyle's enduring fame rests on his detective stories that feature Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, he aspired to what he considered more serious writing. Trained as a medical doctor, he began writing stories while in college. He considered his historical novels to be more worthy creations, but the reading public loved Sherlock Holmes. When Conan Doyle killed Sherlock Holmes in "The Final Problem," he believed he would be free to write more creative pieces. However, the public was so outraged at the death of their hero that thousands canceled their subscriptions to The Strand, the magazine that carried the stories. Eventually, Conan Doyle gave in to his fans and resurrected the detective. Holmes stories came out over a span of almost forty years, with the last one published in 1927.

Describe the characters of Ivan Vassiliyitch Lomov, Natalia Stepanovna, and Stepan Stepanovitch Tschukobov in A Marriage Proposal.

A Marriage Proposal is a farce that pokes fun of romance and marriage within the upper class as the consideration and pride in property takes precedence over love and marriage with Chekhov's characters. These characters frequently stop listening to each other, often contradict each other, and constantly contradict each other.

  • Ivan Vassiliyitch Lomov 

Tschubukov's neighbor, thirty-five-year-old Lomov decides to formally propose marriage to Natalia Stepanovna, although he has known his neighbor for years. When he formally asks Natalia's father, Stepan Tschubukov, he is hugged by this parent. Nevertheless, he is worried that Natalia will refuse and remains nervous. A hypochondriac, Lomov thinks he is cold, and believes he has a roaring in his ears. Further, he complains of a weak heart, insomnia, strange aches, and other ailments.
When he does speak to Natalia, he does not ask her to marry him; instead, he becomes disputatious soon after bringing up the land between their properties. He and Natalia begin shouting, and Lomov threatens to take the Tschubukovs to court. Complaining of his heart, Lomov collapses. When her father complains about Lomov's audacity to propose marriage, Natalia begs her father to bring him back, so Lomov returns, but begins to argue with Natalia about  their dogs. This prompts more spasms and aches until the father intervenes so that they will marry.


  • Natalia Stepanovna

With her father's saying that "a dealer has come to buy something," Natalia enters the front room to find there Ivan Vassiliyitch Lomov. She greets him affably. However, it is not long before she argues with Lomov about the meadows, not realizing that he has come to propose marriage. Instead, she speaks vehemently of the injustice of his accusations: "Say what you will, I can't bear injustice."
When Lomov tries to smooth over the situation, Natalia argues that he can explain all he wants, but the meadows still belong to her family. And, when the father enters, the argument continues. Natalia is tenacious; she adamantly insists that the meadows are theirs.
After Lomov leaves, Natalia calls him a "good-for-nothing," and her father adds other words such as "Loafer! Scarecrow! Monster!"
However, soon her father reveals to Natalia that Lomov came to offer her a proposal of marriage. She shouts, "Bring him back! Bring him back!" Soon, too, she begins to argue with Lomov about his dogs.


  • Stephan Stepanovitch Tschubukov

Natalia's father, Tschubukov has a little fun with his daughter as he tells her that a dealer has come when Lomov comes to propose. But, when his daughter and Lomov argue, he, too, becomes hysterical, shouting names at Lomov and complaining,



Oh, I know you, you are only waiting to find an excuse to go to the law! You're an intriguer, that what you are! Your whole family were always looking for quarrels. The whole lot!



Then, after his daughter begs him to bring Lomov back, Tschubukov threatens that he will cut his own throat, but he does not. Later, when Lomov collapses, Tschubukov says he should have cut his own throat, after all.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

In The Giver, how do the people receive their assignment?

Assignments are given as the Elevens are about to become Twelves.  These assignments are the responsibility of the Elders, and they are announced by the Chief Elder at the Ceremony of Twelve.  As the Chief Elder notes in her speech, this is the only time that the community celebrates people's differences, rather than their Sameness.


Fortunately for the community, not all differences have been eliminated in people, since it takes different kinds of skills, talents,...

Assignments are given as the Elevens are about to become Twelves.  These assignments are the responsibility of the Elders, and they are announced by the Chief Elder at the Ceremony of Twelve.  As the Chief Elder notes in her speech, this is the only time that the community celebrates people's differences, rather than their Sameness.


Fortunately for the community, not all differences have been eliminated in people, since it takes different kinds of skills, talents, and interests to take care of all the needs in any community.  The Elders spend a year observing the Elevens, to see what their skills,  talents, and interests are. Since all of the Elevens have been engaged in a variety of activities, they can be observed in different kinds of settings.  Some are good at dealing with the elderly. Some are good at dealing with young children. Others might be good builders or show some aptitude in healthcare. Each child is assigned in a way that best uses his or her aptitudes for the good of the community. 


This probably seems like a good system to some readers, but a child who is twelve may have interests and aptitudes as yet unrevealed, and certainly, few twelve-year-olds have settled on one interest to pursue for the rest of life. But there is no thought of satisfying the needs and desires of the individual in this community, only the needs of the community. 

What is the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, and Falling Action of "One Thousand Dollars"?

Exposition A "decidedly amused" Bobby Gillian leaves the offices of Tolman & Sharp where he is given an envelope containing $1...