What examples of figurative language can be noted in the song "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars?

Bruno Mars' popular "Just the Way You Are" includes several examples of figurative language. Here are two to get you started.

In the first verse, Mars says:

Oh, her eyes, her eyesMake the stars look like they're not shinin'

This is an example of hyperbole, or over-exaggerating an idea to get a point across. Mars' lover's eyes are not actually brighter than the stars, but Mars claims they are to emphasize how beautiful...

Bruno Mars' popular "Just the Way You Are" includes several examples of figurative language. Here are two to get you started.

In the first verse, Mars says:

Oh, her eyes, her eyes
Make the stars look like they're not shinin'

This is an example of hyperbole, or over-exaggerating an idea to get a point across. Mars' lover's eyes are not actually brighter than the stars, but Mars claims they are to emphasize how beautiful they are. He is trying to say that the word "beautiful" is inadequate to describe their level of beauty.

In the chorus, Mars employs personification by ascribing human characteristics to an inanimate object.

And when you smile (smile, smile...)
The whole world stops and stares for a while

Mars claims that when his lover smiles the world "stops and stares." The earth cannot stop and stare; this is something a person would do. This could also be considered an example of hyperbole. The world does not actually stop when she smiles, but her smile is so captivating that Mars feels as though the world around him has frozen.

What does Reverend Hale think about John Proctor?

When Reverend Hale first meets John Proctor, he is suspicious of John because he, too, is caught up in the fervor of the accusations circulating throughout Salem.  Although Hale is the area’s authority on everything “devilish”, he is also intelligent enough to understand human motivation.  As he gets to know John, he realizes that John is a good man with some flaws.  This change in opinion starts when Hale questions John and asks him to...

When Reverend Hale first meets John Proctor, he is suspicious of John because he, too, is caught up in the fervor of the accusations circulating throughout Salem.  Although Hale is the area’s authority on everything “devilish”, he is also intelligent enough to understand human motivation.  As he gets to know John, he realizes that John is a good man with some flaws.  This change in opinion starts when Hale questions John and asks him to recite the 10 Commandments.  Unfortunately, John forgets the one he is guilty of—Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery—during the interview.  Shortly after that, Elizabeth is arrested, and Hale sees John for who he really is, an honest, hard-working man who loves his wife. 

Throughout the rest of the play, Hale advises John encouraging him at the end to save himself by lying to the court about being a witch.  John refuses, and Hale begs for mercy with the judges.  John, however, will not stain his name with a lie and is hanged. Hale is saddened by the tragic end of John Proctor and the others as we see the witch trials come to an end due to Hale and the public’s sentiment against the hangings.

What might happen to a person born without a thymus gland?

The thymus gland is a small organ in the neck which produces thymosin, which stimulates the production of T-cells for the immune system. The thymus is only active until puberty, when it begins to shrink and become replaced by fat. Though the thymus gland isn't active for a whole lifetime, it has a very important job while it is active. If someone were born without a thymus gland, they would not have the capability to...

The thymus gland is a small organ in the neck which produces thymosin, which stimulates the production of T-cells for the immune system. The thymus is only active until puberty, when it begins to shrink and become replaced by fat. Though the thymus gland isn't active for a whole lifetime, it has a very important job while it is active. If someone were born without a thymus gland, they would not have the capability to produce thymosin or T-cells. This would leave someone at much greater risk of infection, as there would be none of these specialized white blood cells helping to defend the body. This is described as an immunodeficiency, and means that someone may be more likely to catch infections and have a harder time fighting off and surviving the infection.

A thymus transplant is possible, granted there is a tissue match between donor and recipient. 

What is sound? How is sound propagated? |

Sound is a mechanical, longitudinal wave that is caused by the vibration of molecules. In order to fully understand this definition, the meaning of “mechanical wave” and “longitudinal wave” need to be understood. Each term is defined below:

Mechanical wave- A mechanical wave is a wave that requires a medium through which to travel, as opposed to electromagnetic waves which do not require mediums. Therefore, mechanical are not able to travel through vacuums.

Longitudinal...

Sound is a mechanical, longitudinal wave that is caused by the vibration of molecules. In order to fully understand this definition, the meaning of “mechanical wave” and “longitudinal wave” need to be understood. Each term is defined below:

Mechanical wave- A mechanical wave is a wave that requires a medium through which to travel, as opposed to electromagnetic waves which do not require mediums. Therefore, mechanical are not able to travel through vacuums.

Longitudinal wave- A longitudinal wave moves in the same direction as the displacement of the medium through which the wave travels. Thus, a longitudinal wave appears to move in a “back and forth” motion, which cases compressions and rarefactions.

Sound propagates through compressible medium through which it travels. As sound propagates, it can be reflected, refracted, or diffracted.

Additionally, the speed of a sound wave is affected by the type of medium through which it travels. Recall that sound waves result from the vibrations of particles. Thus, due to the proximity of the particles, sound waves usually travel the fastest in solids. Likewise, sound travels the slowest through gases because gas particles are spread so far apart from one another. The state of the medium through which a sound travels is not the only factor that affects a sound’s speed. Speed of a sound wave can also be affected by the density, temperature, and elasticity of the medium through which the sound waves travels.

What is the plot of the story The Tale of Despereaux

The Tale of Despereaux is a story about a young mouse who acts more like a human than a mouse. Despereaux is in love with the concepts of bravery and altruism. This leads to him falling in love with the human princess in the castle where he lives. The Mouse Council condemns him to death when they learn that Despereaux touched and talked to a human, which is a crime in their community. As a result Despereaux is thrown into the castle dungeon where villainous rats wait eagerly for mice to eat. Despereaux is saved from being eaten when the human jailer in the dungeon decides to protect him because of the mouse's ability for story telling. At this point in the story, the narrative leaves the character of Despereaux for a time to focus on other characters. 

This story follows two other primary characters besides Despereaux, even though the story is named after him. Roscuro the rat and Miggery Sow both have their own storylines told initially independently of Despereaux's. 

Roscuro, who lives in the pitch black dungeon, was exposed to almost blinding light as a young rat and becomes obsessed with finding more light thereafter. Roscuro eventually finds his way into the upper levels of the castle, which are full of light, and secretly attends a royal banquette. He is spotted, however, by the young princess and the shock causes Roscuro to fall into the queen's soup. The queen dies of fright and rats and soup are outlawed in the kingdom. Roscuro, crushed by the loathing and hate he experienced, slinks back to the dungeon and becomes a creature doomed to be torn between light and dark, perhaps for the rest of his life.

Around this point in the book, the story switches over to following the character of Miggery Sow, a young girl who was sold into servitude by her father. Miggery Sow is unfortunately lacking somewhat in intelligence, according to the story, and she suffers from extremely bad hearing due to the physical abuse she experienced at the hands of the man she was sold to. When one of the kingdom's soldiers realizes that she is a slave (in a kingdom where slavery is forbidden) he takes her to the castle to work for money for the first time in her life. Miggery's greatest wish is to become a princess and to never have to work another day in her life and it is this desire that Roscuro takes advantage of.

Roscuro wants revenge on the princess, who spouted hateful things about him and made him feel like a monster, so he uses Miggery's lack of intelligence and her wish to be a princess as a way to achieve his vengeance. He claims that he can help Miggery kidnap and switch places with the princess and promises that no one will be the wiser, a proposition that Miggery gladly accepts. However, Roscuro's devious plotting is overheard by Despereaux and the mouse decides he must do the heroic thing and save the princess. 

Despereaux's return to the light is all but pleasant as he gets his tail cut off and all his attempts to warn people that the princess is in danger fail. Despereaux does, however, reconcile somewhat with his father, who betrayed him to the Mouse Council. Eventually, though, Despereaux recognizes that he must go and rescue the princess himself, who at this point has already been kidnapped and taken to the dungeon. After receiving a full belly of illegal soup from the kitchen's cook, Despereaux returns to the dungeon and, with the help of a sadistic rat, finds Roscuro, Miggery and the princess. 

By this point, Miggery has begun to realize that Roscuro lied to her and never intended to make her princess or give her a happy ending. Despereaux reaches them and, after Miggery accidentally cuts off Roscuro's tail, threatens the rat with a sewing needle held to his throat. Roscuro begs for death, however, when he smells the soup on Despereaux, the same soup that was being served on the day that he accidentally killed the queen. Roscuro admits that all he wants is some light in his dark life. The princess manages to forgive Roscuro and offers him some of the delicious soup that had been far too absent from their lives. Together the two humans and the mouse and the rat journey out of the dungeon and find some soup. After this all of the characters receive varying degrees of happy endings and the story ends. 

I am including a reference link to the summary page which includes more specifics and greater details.

What is your impression of the Cunninghams after reading Chapter 15, and how is it different from your initial impression in Chapter 2?

Initially, when we are introduced to the Cunningham family in Chapter 2, they are depicted as honorable, hard-working individuals. The fact that they don't accept anything that they cannot pay back displays their integrity. Although they are poor, they find ways to get by and Walter Cunningham Sr. is able to pay his debts via bartering. Walter Cunningham Jr. is a rather harmless character who displays respect for his teacher and classmates, unlike Burris Ewell....

Initially, when we are introduced to the Cunningham family in Chapter 2, they are depicted as honorable, hard-working individuals. The fact that they don't accept anything that they cannot pay back displays their integrity. Although they are poor, they find ways to get by and Walter Cunningham Sr. is able to pay his debts via bartering. Walter Cunningham Jr. is a rather harmless character who displays respect for his teacher and classmates, unlike Burris Ewell. In Chapter 15, the audience is introduced to Walter Cunningham's "bad" side. Walter Cunningham hails from Old Sarum and is the leader of a drunken mob intent on harming Tom Robinson before his case. Atticus confronts Walter outside of Tom's jail cell, and Scout unknowingly diffuses the situation by running into the middle of the group. In Chapter 15, Walter is viewed as a drunk racist who is easily affected by "mob mentality." Walter Cunningham made the poor choice to participate in a criminal act that night but ultimately came to his senses at the last moment. Walter's ability to recognize the precarious situation Atticus was in, depicts him as a thoughtful man with a conscious. One of the main themes throughout the novel is the duality of human nature. The Cunninghams are no different than the majority of Maycomb's citizens who are friendly, but harbor prejudice towards African Americans. Chapter 2 and Chapter 15 display both the positive and negative sides of the Cunninghams.

What was Social Darwinism? |

Social Darwinism was an ideology that emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century. Essentially, it applied the principles of national selection and "survival of the fittest" associated with Charles Darwin's theory of evolution to human society. Social Darwinism had several implications when applied (most would agree inappropriately) to human relations. Let us look at a few of them.

First, business leaders argued that the world of business ought to be governed by the same allegedly natural laws of "survival of the fittest" that seemed to order the natural world. To attempt to regulate the formation of monopolies, for example, was thus to protect weak businesses, which was bad for society as a whole. So Social Darwinism often went hand-in-hand with what is sometimes called a "laissez-faire" approach to business, where governments essentially kept their hands off the economy.

Second, many people argued that those who lived in poverty had found themselves in that situation because they were in some way weaker than other more fortunate people. The large class of laboring poor that could be found in most cities in the late nineteenth century were seen as less "fit". To help these people, whether through charity, minimum wage laws, or even poor relief actions was to encourage weakness. So Social Darwinists tended to take a rather pitiless stance toward the poorer classes.

Third, Social Darwinism always had racial dimensions. Many nonwhite peoples were viewed as inferior to whites, who were allegedly more advanced. This racial strain of Social Darwinistic ideology was used to justify discriminatory immigration quotas, Jim Crow laws, and even imperialism, which saw European nations extend their influence over nonwhite peoples around the world. 

Finally, Social Darwinism gave rise to pseudoscientific (though many viewed them as legitimate at the time) variants such as eugenics. If some people were viewed as having inferior characteristics, be they racial, physical, mental, or otherwise, then, Social Darwinists argued, they ought to be prohibited from "polluting" the "blood" of superior people. This concept encouraged the passage of laws prohibiting interracial relationships, of forced sterilization laws, and, in its most extreme form, the racial extermination programs carried out by the Nazis in Germany.  

Would you have voted for Theodore Roosevelt in the 1912 election?

There were reasons to vote Theodore Roosevelt in the election of 1912. There were also reasons not to vote for him. I’ll explain each side so you can decide what you would have done if you had the choice to make in 1912.

In the election of 1912, Theodore Roosevelt ran as a third-party candidate. Roosevelt had hoped to secure the Republican nomination, but that nomination went to President Taft. Roosevelt believed that Taft had...

There were reasons to vote Theodore Roosevelt in the election of 1912. There were also reasons not to vote for him. I’ll explain each side so you can decide what you would have done if you had the choice to make in 1912.

In the election of 1912, Theodore Roosevelt ran as a third-party candidate. Roosevelt had hoped to secure the Republican nomination, but that nomination went to President Taft. Roosevelt believed that Taft had betrayed the ideas of the Progressive Movement as well as some of Roosevelt’s own ideas. Roosevelt believed President Taft unfairly went after big businesses. Roosevelt believed big businesses could exist as long as there was a balance between regulation of businesses and cooperation with them. When Taft went after the U.S. Steel Company, Roosevelt believed Taft destroyed that balance. Roosevelt was also dismayed that Taft removed some of the leading conservationists from government positions and replaced them with people who were less strong on conservation. When Richard Ballinger, a corporate lawyer, replaced Secretary of the Interior James Garfield, Roosevelt wasn’t happy. He also was unhappy that Gifford Pinchot was removed from his position as head of the United States Forest System. Thus, if you believed that Taft’s actions were weakening the Progressive Movement and its ideals, you would have been inclined to support Roosevelt.

Voting for Theodore Roosevelt carried some risks with it. Since most of the people who would have voted for Roosevelt would likely have voted for Taft if Roosevelt wasn’t running, voting for Roosevelt would split the Republican vote, most likely giving the election to the Democrats and Woodrow Wilson. Additionally, Roosevelt was violating the unwritten tradition of a president only serving two terms. No president had served more than two terms at this point in United States history.

Thus, people had to make a decision that carried some risk. What would you have done?

What are the supernatural elements in the story, "The Canterville Ghost?"

While Oscar Wilde seemingly has created a typical setting and specter for his story, there are irregularities in his ghost story. Oscar Wilde uses his tale to satirize Victorian society and its affectations, as well as British traditions. Wilde also pokes fun at American pragmatism and materialism. 

One distinguishing element of the ghost story present in Wilde's tale is that of the concept of haunting and other supernatural elements. Traditionally, the ghost is usually linked to a place; such is the case with Sir Simon Canterville, who was once the lord and proprietor of Canterville Chase and now haunts it.

As Sir Simon haunts the mansion, he persists in maintaining the blood stain on the carpet despite multiple efforts by the different generations of Cantervilles to remove it. When he discovers the stain, the new proprietor, Mr. Hiram B. Otis, is appalled that such a stain should be allowed on his floor. "It must be removed at once," he declares. The housekeeper tries to explain that this blood stain has been there since the murder of Lady Eleanore in 1575 and is greatly admired by tourists and "others." Further, she informs him that the spot cannot be removed.

"That is all nonsense," cried Washington Otis; "Pinkerton's Champion Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent will clean it up in no time."

In a few moments, the cleaner has, indeed, removed the stain. Later, it is discovered that the ghost restores the stain whenever it has been cleaned.

Another traditional aspect of ghost stories is the frightening appearance of the ghost and his wearing of chains. When the specter shows himself to Mr. Otis in part two, he clearly has a ghostly appearance. 

Right in front of him he [Mr. Otis] saw, in the wan moonlight, an old man of terrible aspect. His eyes were as red burning coals; long grey hair fell over his shoulders in matted coils; his garments, which were of antique cut, were soiled and ragged, and from his wrists and ankles hung heavy manacles and rusty gyves.

Further, in true ghostly fashion, Sir Simon is able to pass through walls. In part two, the ghost passes through a wall when the Otis children awaken after hearing their father talking to the ghost.

[He] hastily adopt[ed] the Fourth Dimension of Space as a means of escape; he vanished through the wainscoting, and the house became quite quiet. (II)

In the end, despite his supernatural powers, the Canterville Ghost fails to frighten the Americans who have moved into his old mansion.

What might be the reasons for Mayella crying in court in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Mayella is of course in a very emotional, difficult situation. She has been called to testify in front of the entire town about a very traumatic event. The fact that Atticus, who is cross-examining her when she begins to cry, is well-educated and articulate, and she is not, would only add to her stress. She makes it clear throughout that she has what might be called an inferiority complex. However, the main reason she...

Mayella is of course in a very emotional, difficult situation. She has been called to testify in front of the entire town about a very traumatic event. The fact that Atticus, who is cross-examining her when she begins to cry, is well-educated and articulate, and she is not, would only add to her stress. She makes it clear throughout that she has what might be called an inferiority complex. However, the main reason she begins crying is because she is almost certainly lying about her alleged rape by Tom Robinson. As Atticus shows, it is very unlikely that events could have happened the way that she says they did. Perhaps Mayella feels remorse for lying, knowing that her lies may well send Tom to the electric chair. Or maybe she is afraid of what her father will do to her (he is known to be abusive) if she admits the truth. Either way, this is almost certainly the source of her tears, as she begins to cry on page 248 when Atticus asks her if she remembers Tom hitting her face. She changes her story a couple of times before reiterating that Tom did, in fact, hit her. At the end of her testimony, under relentless questioning from Atticus, who asks her directly if it was in fact her father that beat her, she bursts into tears after saying again that Tom raped her. 

Define a memo and describe the elements that constitute it.

Short for “memorandum,” a memo is a means of written communication among a closed group of participants in a project of some sort. Usually used in a business context (but also in academic or other contexts) it has a “To” line, in which the names or titles, along with addresses, of the intended members of the group are addressed; a “From” line, which identifies the sender of the communication (name or...

Short for “memorandum,” a memo is a means of written communication among a closed group of participants in a project of some sort. Usually used in a business context (but also in academic or other contexts) it has a “To” line, in which the names or titles, along with addresses, of the intended members of the group are addressed; a “From” line, which identifies the sender of the communication (name or title); a ”Subject” line, which names the project or item for discussion; and a “body,” in which a speech-act is performed (a request, a reminder, an utterance of fact or news, etc. , along with information about a date of a meeting, or some such organizational detail), followed by some sort of social closing (“Thanks in advance,” “I’ll be available to explain,” Don’t forget to…,” etc.). The main function of a memo is to keep members of a production team equally informed of progress on a project.

Discuss foreshadowing in The Great Gatsby.

Chapter 1 ends with a description of Gatsby's green light. The light is a beacon of his hope in love, a symbol for Daisy. It represents his ideal vision of her: his American Dream. Chapter 2 opens with a description of the Valley of Ashes. Fitzgerald places these two images, the American Dream and the wasteland of failed dreams, together in order to suggest that the American Dream is locked together with the notion of...

Chapter 1 ends with a description of Gatsby's green light. The light is a beacon of his hope in love, a symbol for Daisy. It represents his ideal vision of her: his American Dream. Chapter 2 opens with a description of the Valley of Ashes. Fitzgerald places these two images, the American Dream and the wasteland of failed dreams, together in order to suggest that the American Dream is locked together with the notion of failure. The foreshadowing suggests that Gatsby's dream might end in ashes. The green symbolizes life and money. The ashes symbolize death and failure. Colors play a significant role in this novel. Green stands out as the most suggestive color with conflating meanings of life, money, and illusive dreams. 

At the end of Chapter 3, Nick tells Jordan she is a terrible driver. She rationalizes her careless driving by saying that as long as other people are careful, they will get out of her way. Just prior to this exchange, Nick adds that Jordan is completely dishonest. Nick ends the chapter touting his own honesty. Nick places Jordan in the category with the elite, West Egg socialites who are selfishly careless and dishonest. This foreshadows the car accident that will claim Myrtle's life in Chapter 7 and Tom's dishonesty in shifting the blame to Gatsby. Near the end of the final chapter, Nick characterizes Tom and Daisy with the same adjective: careless. 

They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made . . . 

Gatsby had been trying to relive the past. In Chapter 5, when Gatsby and Daisy finally reunite, he is actively reliving the past. Symbolically, he leans against a clock and almost knocks it over. Nick adds, "I think we all believed for a moment that it had smashed in pieces on the floor." Playing with time and trying to relive the past are dangerous and/or futile attempts. It foreshadows a potential for this 'reliving of the past' to end tragically. Gatsby even says, "I'm sorry about the clock." 

What did the United States government do after the Great Depression and why?

The United States federal government underwent a major transformation after the Great Depression. This transformation was led by Franklin D. Roosevelt and was called the New Deal. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932 and immediately went to work for the American people. The New Deal represented an unprecedented level of federal intervention in the economy and lives of Americans. It can be said that it was the introduction of big government in the United States...

The United States federal government underwent a major transformation after the Great Depression. This transformation was led by Franklin D. Roosevelt and was called the New Deal. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932 and immediately went to work for the American people. The New Deal represented an unprecedented level of federal intervention in the economy and lives of Americans. It can be said that it was the introduction of big government in the United States that to a great extent still exists today.

The New Deal was an attempt to use the federal government's spending to stimulate the economy. It provided massive public works projects that employed thousands of jobless Americans. It attempted to fix the problems of the economy by regulating banks, agriculture, and industry in a way that was unprecedented in American history. The New Deal saw the creation of programs that would endure to this day including Social Security and the FDIC.

What the government did after the Great Depression was to try to use its power to make a difference on an economy that created hopelessness and misery since the stock market crash in 1929.

What are the Articles of Confederation?

After the Revolutionary War ended, the United States needed to develop a plan of government. The Articles of Confederation was the first plan of government we had after the Revolutionary War.

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress made the laws. Each state had one vote in Congress. However, because the people were afraid of a strong federal government, the power of Congress was limited. For example, Congress couldn’t levy taxes or control trade.

A three-person...

After the Revolutionary War ended, the United States needed to develop a plan of government. The Articles of Confederation was the first plan of government we had after the Revolutionary War.

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress made the laws. Each state had one vote in Congress. However, because the people were afraid of a strong federal government, the power of Congress was limited. For example, Congress couldn’t levy taxes or control trade.

A three-person executive branch ran the executive branch created under the Articles of Confederation. The people limited the power of the executive branch because they were afraid of one person having too much power.

While the Articles of Confederation was designed to be a weak form government, it did have some successes. The Land Ordinance of 1785 was an excellent way to divide the western land and sell it. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was a good way to establish a process of how territories would become states.

Unfortunately, by creating a weak federal government, many problems developed. There were financial issues. The government had a hard time paying its debts because it couldn’t tax its citizens. Also, because both the state government and the federal government printed money, people weren’t confident in the value of the paper money. Another issue was the lack of a court system. The states had no place to take their disputes. Finally, because the federal government couldn’t make people join the army, there was little the federal government could do when other countries interfered with our trade or created border disputes.

These weaknesses led people to decide to meet in Philadelphia in 1787 to discuss writing a new plan of government. That meeting, known as the Constitutional Convention, led to the development our current plan of government, which is called the Constitution.

The Articles of Confederation was our first plan of government after the Revolutionary War ended.

What are the functions of earth wire, neutral wire and switches?

In domestic electrical connections, we have three different types of wiring: live or hot wire, neutral wire and earth wire. Each electrical circuit is composed of these wires, each of which is color coded. The live or hot wire is black in color, while the neutral is white and the earth wire is typically green in color. For an electrical appliance to work, the circuit must be complete. This simply means that the current should...

In domestic electrical connections, we have three different types of wiring: live or hot wire, neutral wire and earth wire. Each electrical circuit is composed of these wires, each of which is color coded. The live or hot wire is black in color, while the neutral is white and the earth wire is typically green in color. For an electrical appliance to work, the circuit must be complete. This simply means that the current should flow from a source, through the appliance and back to source. The live wire carries the current to the appliance, while the neutral wire carries it back. The earth wire is for our protection, in case the live wire makes a contact with metal casing of an appliance. When this happens, the current will pass to the earth instead of our body, thus saving us.

A switch is used to connect or disconnect (break) a circuit. When a switch is in 'on' position, the current will flow and when it is in "off" position, the current flow ceases.

Hope this helps. 

What does the spider's web image mean in "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"?

In Edwards's "Application" section of the sermon, he gives the following image of the spider: 

if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have to stop a falling...

In Edwards's "Application" section of the sermon, he gives the following image of the spider: 

if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have to stop a falling rock.

Edwards uses this image of the spider's web, an object that even today's reader would understand in its simplicity, to reveal to his audience how insignificant their lives are. Just as we might wipe away a spider's web or swat at it in the woods, so, too, will God in His power be able to swipe all of humanity away in a single stroke. Humanity's "healthy constitution...prudence...best contrivance...righteousness" would act as the spider's web and be unable withstand a rock (humanity) from falling through.

Edwards again uses the image of the spider thus: "The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect, over the fire, abhors you." This image refers not the spider's web but to the spider itself, which many saw as a pest even in Edwards's time. So, too, does God view humanity; we are pests to be exterminated or even tortured in the fires of Hell.

The encounter between Pip and the runaway convict at the beginning of the novel and his promise to him is crucial to the plot of Great...

Pip promises everything the convict demands because he is terrified. This is what the convict demands.

“You bring me, to-morrow morning early, that file and them wittles. You bring the lot to me, at that old Battery over yonder. You do it, and you never dare to say a word or dare to make a sign concerning your having seen such a person as me, or any person sumever, and you shall be let to live. You fail, or you go from my words in any partickler, no matter how small it is, and your heart and your liver shall be tore out, roasted, and ate."                                                                                               Chapter I

In Chapter III Pip brings the convict a generous amount of food including a whole pork pie, along with brandy and a file from Joe's workshop. The convict is eventually caught and taken back to the prison ship. He disappears from Pip's life. Some years later Pip is informed by Mr. Jaggers that he has "great expectations." A benefactor, whose identity is to remain a secret, wants Pip to be trained to become a London gentleman. Pip naturally assumes that the benefactor is Miss Havisham, but he cannot question her or Mr. Jaggers, who becomes his guardian.

Then in the critical and marvelously written Chapter XXXIX, Pip, who is now a cultured gentleman, is amazed and horrified to learn that his real benefactor has been the convict he helped in Chapter III when he was a little boy. The convict, whose name is Abel Magwitch, had been transported to Australia and has come back at the risk of being hanged to see the boy he made into a gentleman.

“Yes, Pip, dear boy, I've made a gentleman on you! It's me wot has done it! I swore that time, sure as ever I earned a guinea, that guinea should go to you. I swore arterwards, sure as ever I spec'lated and got rich, you should get rich. I lived rough, that you should live smooth; I worked hard that you should be above work. What odds, dear boy? Do I tell it fur you to feel a obligation? Not a bit. I tell it, fur you to know as that there hunted dunghill dog wot you kep life in, got his head so high that he could make a gentleman—and, Pip, you're him!”

The message of Dickens' novel is that the fine ladies and gentlemen all owe their superior refinement, their luxuries and their privileges to the ignorant and exploited lower classes represented by Abel Magwitch. Pip realizes that he has become a useless fop incapable of doing anything but act the part of a gentleman. He had always assumed that Miss Havisham was paying for his education and culture in order to make his a suitable husband for Estella. This dream comes crashing down, along with the realization that he is virtually the property of a well-meaning but hopelessly ignorant and uncouth convict who has been a criminal since boyhood and who has returned to England in blatant violation of the law. Pip is now obliged to harbor Magwitch and to have him as a constant companion for the foreseeable future. As Magwitch tells him:

Look at your clothes; better ain't to be got! And your books too,” turning his eyes round the room, “mounting up, on their shelves, by hundreds! And you read 'em; don't you? I see you'd been a reading of 'em when I come in. Ha, ha, ha! You shall read 'em to me, dear boy! And if they're in foreign languages wot I don't understand, I shall be just as proud as if I did.”

So Pip's encounter with the escaped convict on the marshes in the opening chapter is to affect his entire life. He becomes Magwitch's idea of a gentleman, which is like a spoiled and haughty parasite. He cannot even feel that he deserves all the money that Magwitch has spent on his "education" because Magwitch completely misunderstood Pip's motives in helping him as he did. 

“You acted nobly, my boy,” said he. “Noble Pip! And I have never forgot it!”

Pip was not acting out of compassion and generosity. He was only doing what he had been forced to promise because he was frightened out of his wits. Magwitch had a better opinion of the little boy than he deserved, just as he has a better opinion of the gentleman he has created with all his hard work and privations than that gentleman deserves now. Pip is thoroughly ashamed of himself, and Dickens intended at least some of his readers to share that shame. If some people have too much, it can only be because others have too little.

Why does Mr. Dussel cause Peter to become furious in The Diary of Anne Frank?

Peter is angry at Dussel because he says that someone ate his cat Moushi. 

Most of the altercations between Peter and Dussel are about Peter’s cat.  Peter brought the cat into hiding with him, and he loved it very much.  From the minute Dussel first found out about the cat, he was upset.  He claimed he was allergic.

Peter made a fool out of Dussel by pretending he was holding a cat under his...

Peter is angry at Dussel because he says that someone ate his cat Moushi. 

Most of the altercations between Peter and Dussel are about Peter’s cat.  Peter brought the cat into hiding with him, and he loved it very much.  From the minute Dussel first found out about the cat, he was upset.  He claimed he was allergic.

Peter made a fool out of Dussel by pretending he was holding a cat under his coat.  When Dussel acted sick, Peter revealed that he wasn’t even holding a cat.

DUSSEL. [Still wheezing.]  It doesn’t need to be the cat … his clothes are enough … when he comes out of that room… (Act 1, Scene 5)

Mr. Van Daan tells Dussel that they are getting rid of their son’s cat.  He doesn’t like the cat either, feeling that the cat eats their food and Peter spends too much time with it.  When Peter objects that he only feeds the cat scraps, Van Daan says the cat “looks better than any of us.”

The cat does disappear, however.  Peter is distraught, and Dussel has no sympathy.  When the cat has been gone for a week and Miep can't find it, Dussel tells Peter that someone probably ate it.

DUSSEL. Make up your mind, already someone has had a nice big dinner from that cat! (Act 2, Scene 1)

Peter is “inarticulate” and furious at this comment.  He acts as if he wants to hit Dussel, but Mr. Frank praises the dinner to “ease the situation.”  Things just get more tense, however, when Peter says that his father is going to sell his mother’s fur coat.

With this many people trapped in a confined area, conflict is bound to occur.  Mr. Dussel did not get along with either Anne or Peter.  Both disliked his bluster and rudeness.  He was just another adult to tell them what to do in a house where adults outnumbered kids.

What does the phrase "a host of phantom listeners" imply in "The Listeners"?

That line is probably both my favorite and least favorite line from this poem  I love the line because it provides readers with so many possibilities of what exactly it means. I don't like the line because deep down I just want to be told an author's specific meaning.  

The dictionary lists a few different definitions for the word "phantom." One is that a phantom is a ghost. It's an actual spirit of a...

That line is probably both my favorite and least favorite line from this poem  I love the line because it provides readers with so many possibilities of what exactly it means. I don't like the line because deep down I just want to be told an author's specific meaning.  

The dictionary lists a few different definitions for the word "phantom." One is that a phantom is a ghost. It's an actual spirit of a dead person. The other definition is that a phantom is a figment of the imagination.  

In relation to this poem, that means the phantom listeners are likely the ghostly spirits of the house's former inhabitants, but the phantoms could be merely figments of the visitor's imagination. With no explanation as to why the man is there or why the house is empty, readers are left to ponder the possibility of both options. Thinking that the phantom listeners are ghosts definitely makes the poem creepier, while thinking they are merely imaginary projections makes the poem more realistic.

My other frustration with the line comes from the word "host." It could refer to the fact that the listeners are actual hosts. Somebody that has a party at their house is called the host. "A host of phantom listeners" might mean ghosts are hosting the man as a visitor. On the other hand, "a host" might reference a number. "A host" of something means a large number. The line from the poem could mean there are a lot of ghosts in the house. Overall, the line is open to a lot of interpretation. That's why it's easy to get a lot of discussion from my students about this poem.

Based solely on the title, "Flowers for Algernon," would you guess that the book is a comedy, a tragedy, a tragicomedy, or a history?

The title, Flowers for Algernon, makes me feel that the story is most likely a tragedy. Though I have read this book before, when I consider the title alone, it makes me think of occasions when you might give someone flowers. Flowers may be given as gifts as a sign of romantic love, celebration, or as a gesture at funerals. The title mostly makes me think of a funerary offering of flowers in remembrance of...

The title, Flowers for Algernon, makes me feel that the story is most likely a tragedy. Though I have read this book before, when I consider the title alone, it makes me think of occasions when you might give someone flowers. Flowers may be given as gifts as a sign of romantic love, celebration, or as a gesture at funerals. The title mostly makes me think of a funerary offering of flowers in remembrance of someone. 

Alternately, you could guess that the story is a comedy or tragicomedy. Flowers can be a thoughtful gift to cheer someone up. Perhaps the character Algernon has been feeling sad and someone gives him flowers to help him feel better. This is a bit of a stretch, as there are no content clues in the title that Algernon has been feeling sad or requires cheering up.

The speaker in "Song of Myself" observes and participates in five American scenes. For the scenes other than the one about the martyr, describe...

The scenes you refer to are, I assume, the episodes at the end of the section about heroism. Whitman says, “I understand the large hearts of heroes, / The courage of present times and all times.” What he means is that heroism is just another part of the poet's universal co-mingling with all life. It is interesting to note, however, that the people he calls "heroes" are very different. Let's examine them one by one:

1. ...

The scenes you refer to are, I assume, the episodes at the end of the section about heroism. Whitman says, “I understand the large hearts of heroes, / The courage of present times and all times.” What he means is that heroism is just another part of the poet's universal co-mingling with all life. It is interesting to note, however, that the people he calls "heroes" are very different. Let's examine them one by one:

1. 
   The steamship skipper: He is a hero because he will not give up. Whitman evokes this through the use of telling detail: there is the "crowded and rudderless" deck of the derelict wreck he has come across, the chalkboard on which he writes, "be of good cheer, we will not desert you," the look of the people on the wreck, the "lank, loose-gown'd women" and "sharp lipp'd men." He saves the people on the wreck: Whitman says "All this I swallow, it tastes good, I like it well, it becomes mine, / I am the man, I suffer'd, I was there.” 


2. 
   The slave: Whitman describes a beaten slave, wincing "at the bite of the dogs," clutching at "the rails of the fence, my gore dribs, thinn'd with the ooze of my skin, / I fall on the weeds and stones.” The slave is a hero because of his forbearance and downtrodden state: Whitman says "I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become the wounded person,” an expression of the unlimited empathy of the poet.


3. 
   The fireman: Whitman describes a fireman, injured while fighting a fire—“Tumbling walls buried me in their debris”—yet he is saved by his comrades: “I heard the distant click of their picks and shovels, / They have clear'd the beams away, they tenderly lift me forth.” The fireman is a hero because he gave his all for his comrades; after he is saved, it is as if he is in heaven: “White and beautiful are the faces around me, the heads are bared of their fire-caps, / The kneeling crowd fades with the light of the torches.” 


4. 
   The artillerist: The artillerist recalls the siege of his fort: “I take part, I see and hear the whole, / The cries, curses, roar, the plaudits for well-aim'd shots, / The ambulanza slowly passing trailing its red drip,” details that recall the chaos of battle. The artillerist is a hero because of his coolness under battle.

The different characteristics of these heroes—faithfulness, forbearance, sacrifice, and bravery—are both an inspiration to the poet and qualities he already embodies. Each hero can be understood as another face of the poet.

What is the context of the third stanza of "Feast" by Edna St. Vincent Millay?

The context of the third stanza of the poem "Feast" by poet Edna St. Vincent Millay is her talking about life and its anticipations. This is evident even in stanza one and two of this three stanza poem.

Consider that in the first stanza, the narrator in this poem (it may be Millay, and it may not be) talks of indulging in wine/the vine at every opportunity but that the actual experience of imbibing...

The context of the third stanza of the poem "Feast" by poet Edna St. Vincent Millay is her talking about life and its anticipations. This is evident even in stanza one and two of this three stanza poem.

Consider that in the first stanza, the narrator in this poem (it may be Millay, and it may not be) talks of indulging in wine/the vine at every opportunity but that the actual experience of imbibing was not ever as satisfying as the “anticipation” of imbibing.

In addition, looking at the second stanza we see the narrator espousing that eating of every root and plant - earthly edible vegetation -  was something she also indulged in considerably. Again, she states that nothing she ate as pertains to fruit and such was ever as good as the “anticipation” of eating.

So, this all leads to the final stanza (three) where the narrator of the poem states that she wishes all grape/wine and fruit and vegetables (the bean as an example) should be given to those who grow these foods. She desires to be in want – to be thirsty and hungry and enjoy the joys of “anticipation”, which are more satisfying to her than attaining the goal of having a physical experience. Her joy is more spiritual in a sense, in the mind, where her thoughts and attitudes please her more than the physical.

When we anticipate something deemed to be desirous we often cloak the desired thing with great expectations that often it can never deliver. As a result, the thoughts leading up to the act can be more satisfying than the actual act and this is the context of the poem and stanza three – the close of this poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay.

What is the invisible strength in "Rules of the Game"?

Invisible strength, as defined in the beginning of the story, is the ability to win arguments and win respect from people.  This is a broad definition, and it can be applied in many different ways. In light of this, let me offer a few examples. 

First, Waverly admits that this art of invisible strength could be used to win at chess.  She could lure her opponents with feigned weakness and then strike to deal a...

Invisible strength, as defined in the beginning of the story, is the ability to win arguments and win respect from people.  This is a broad definition, and it can be applied in many different ways. In light of this, let me offer a few examples. 

First, Waverly admits that this art of invisible strength could be used to win at chess.  She could lure her opponents with feigned weakness and then strike to deal a mighty blow.  At one point in the story, she make this very point. In a tournament, she states:

The wind blew stronger. "Throw sand from the East to distract him." The knight came forward ready for the sacrifice. The wind hissed, louder and louder. "Blow, blow, blow. He cannot see. He is blind now. Make him lean away from the wind so he is easier to knock down."

Invisible strength is not limited to only games.  It can also be applied to life.  The clearest example of this can be seen in Waverly's relationship with her mother. Through the story, Waverly wants independence.  Her mother allows a certain amount, but she insists that Waverly always go to the market with her.  Her mother, Mrs. Jong, likes to boast about her daughter and her accomplishments.  This point annoys Waverly. So, at one point, Waverly confronts her and runs away.  

When she comes home, she has to face her mother.  She knows that her mother has the position of strength. To put it in terms of the art of invisible strength, Mrs. Jong is winning.  This is precisely why Waverly sees her relationship with her mother as a game of chess.  It is contest of wits or invisible strength.

Her black men advanced across the plane, slowly marching to each successive level as a single unit. My white pieces screamed as they scurried and fell off the board one by one.

The story ends with these moves: "I closed my eyes and pondered my next move."

Explain how inventions like the incandescent light bulb, the telephone, and the telegraph promoted economic growth during the Industrial...

Inventions like the light bulb, the telegraph, and the telephone helped the economy grow during the Industrial Revolution. These inventions made it easier to do business. With the light bulb, it was easier for workers to see what they were doing. This allowed them to make more products and to make them accurately. It also was easier to maintain an office. The light bulb helped the office workers to do their jobs. With more products...

Inventions like the light bulb, the telegraph, and the telephone helped the economy grow during the Industrial Revolution. These inventions made it easier to do business. With the light bulb, it was easier for workers to see what they were doing. This allowed them to make more products and to make them accurately. It also was easier to maintain an office. The light bulb helped the office workers to do their jobs. With more products being made and eventually sold, the economy was able to grow.

The telegraph and the telephone helped improve communications. It was easier for businesses to communicate with each other and with their customers. Owners and managers could make business decisions faster with the telegraph and the telephone. They could make quick adjustments to the workforce based on specific needs. They could also adjust their need for supplies quicker based on the demand for their products. People could order products quicker. This cut down on the time it took for a customer to receive an order after the customer decided what needed to be purchased. Since it was easier to make an order and process it, more products could be produced and sold. This also helped the economy grow.

A ball is allowed to fall a height of 15 m. Calculate the velocity with which it strikes the ground. To what height will the ball re-bounced if it...

Hello!

The speed of a falling ball is `g*t`  downwards, where g is the gravity acceleration. The height of a falling ball is

`H(t)=H_0-g(t^2)/(2),`

where `H_0` is the initial height.

A ball strikes the ground when H(t)=0, so

`t_1=sqrt((2H_0)/g),`

and the speed will be `V_1=t_1g=sqrt(2H_0g) approx 17(m/s).` This is the answer to the first part.

The kinetic energy before the strike is `mV_1^2/2,` at the end of the re-bouncing it will be zero. The change...

Hello!

The speed of a falling ball is `g*t`  downwards, where g is the gravity acceleration. The height of a falling ball is

`H(t)=H_0-g(t^2)/(2),`

where `H_0` is the initial height.

A ball strikes the ground when H(t)=0, so

`t_1=sqrt((2H_0)/g),`

and the speed will be `V_1=t_1g=sqrt(2H_0g) approx 17(m/s).` This is the answer to the first part.

The kinetic energy before the strike is `mV_1^2/2,` at the end of the re-bouncing it will be zero. The change of the potential energy will be `mgH_1` , where `H_1` is the maximum height after the re-bouncing. So

`mgH_1=0.4m(V_1)^2/2,` or

`H_1=0.4(V_1)^2/(2g)=0.4H_0=6(m).`

This is the answer for the second part.

That said, the first part could be solved quickier using energy considerations (potential energy becomes kinetic), and the second - considering the potential energy before the fall :)

Water carrying sediment eventually slows down, causing deposition, which is?

The flowing water (generally rivers and streams) carries significant amount of sediments with it. This sediment is obtained as a result of erosion by rapidly moving water (a typical feature of upper reaches of a river), which is sufficient to keep the sediments suspended in water. Over time, the water loses much of its speed, due to lack of gradient, too much sediment load, etc. When this happens, the sediment mass and friction is enough...

The flowing water (generally rivers and streams) carries significant amount of sediments with it. This sediment is obtained as a result of erosion by rapidly moving water (a typical feature of upper reaches of a river), which is sufficient to keep the sediments suspended in water. Over time, the water loses much of its speed, due to lack of gradient, too much sediment load, etc. When this happens, the sediment mass and friction is enough to overcome the flow and sediment deposition takes place. When the water body is entering a larger water body, this deposition is commonly known as Delta. When the flowing stream suddenly changes slope (mountainous stream flowing on flat plains), sediment deposition forms alluvial fans. 

The deltas are extremely rich in nutrients and are highly productive areas. They cause the river to split into a number of smaller streams, each headed for the ocean.

Hope this helps. 

Why does Charlie refuse to make up stories about people in "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes?

In "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes, Charlie is given a Thematic Apperception Test in which the test proctor shows Charlie pictures and asks him to tell her a story about each one. Charlie sees this as lying, so he doesn't want to do it. He tells the proctor he cannot make up stories about people he has never met. He is also afraid because in the past he has gotten physically punished for lying,...

In "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes, Charlie is given a Thematic Apperception Test in which the test proctor shows Charlie pictures and asks him to tell her a story about each one. Charlie sees this as lying, so he doesn't want to do it. He tells the proctor he cannot make up stories about people he has never met. He is also afraid because in the past he has gotten physically punished for lying, and he does not want that to happen again. Due to his mental disability, he cannot understand the difference between lying and making up stories. After the test, he feels as though he probably failed it just like he thought he failed the Rorshach Test a couple of days before. Charlie thinks the whole thing is "silly."

What is a symbol in The Hoosier School-Master by Edward Eggleston?

In literature, symbols are objects, characters, circumstances, or events which contain a deeper meaning in terms of the plot.

In The Hoosier School-Master, one literary symbol stands out clearly: the inimitable bull-dog, which comes to represent the tenacity Ralph Hartsook must exemplify if he wishes to survive as the new school-master of Flat-Crick. Accordingly, Ralph is warned about his chances of lasting out the winter by the most powerful trustee on the school board, Jack Means.

Jack also owns a bull-dog, Bull, a ferocious creature who presents an intimidating threat to anyone courageous enough to come within distance of its jaws. Throughout the story, the bull-dog is a symbol of tenacity and unwavering determination. Bud Means, Jack's oldest son, is a bully, one of the 'untamed and strapping youths' of Flat Crick. Like a bull-dog, he 'thrashed the last master' and ran him out of town. However, Bud's unflagging persistence in intimidating Ralph is unsuccessful. The new school-master refuses to submit to systematic pressure; he realizes that he has to be even more tenacious than his student if he wants to keep teaching.

Indeed, Ralph refuses to be cowed by Bud's persistent challenges to his authority; yet, instead of resorting to physical violence to hold his own, Ralph tries to appeal to Bud's pride and sense of honor.

"You won't thrash me, though," said Ralph.

"Pshaw! I 'low I could whip you in an inch of your life with my left hand, and never half try," said young Means, with a threatening sneer.

"I know that as well as you do."

"Well, a'n't you afraid of me, then?" and again he looked sidewise at Ralph.

"Not a bit," said Ralph, wondering at his own courage.

"Why a'n't you afraid of me?" he said presently.

"Because you and I are going to be friends."

"And what about t'others?"

"I am not afraid of all the other boys put together."

"You a'n't! The mischief! How's that?"

"Well, I'm not afraid of them because you and I are going to be friends, and you can whip all of them together. You'll do the fighting and I'll do the teaching."

Although Ralph finds his challenges increasing in scope as he immerses himself into the daily routine of teaching, he vows that he will never give up. He will be as tenacious and determined as Bull, the bull-dog, when he takes hold of something.

He thought that what Flat Creek needed was a bulldog. He would be a bulldog, quiet, but invincible. He would take hold in such a way that nothing should make him let go.

Indeed, the whole town soon comes to realize that, even though the fledgling school-master is no fan of 'lickin' and larnin,' (corporal punishment), he possesses 'a heap of thunder and lightning in him.' It is this fiery persistence to succeed that captures Mirandy Means' attention:

Mirandy had nothing but contempt for the new master until he developed the bulldog in his character. Mirandy fell in love with the bulldog.

Interestingly, Mirandy's mother is equally persistent in her machinations to snag the eligible bachelor teacher for her daughter. Like a bulldog, she has her heart set on having Ralph for a son-in-law, and she does everything she can to win him over.

The symbol of the bulldog continues as the story progresses.Three problems soon occupy the attentions of our school master: he must figure out how he can win Hannah's love without inflaming Bud's jealousy, continue to cement his authority in the classroom without resorting to physical violence, and resolve his precarious position in the wake of the robbery without implicating himself. If you refer to Chapter Seven, you will see once again how the symbol of the bulldog comes into play. This symbol of dogged determination is a pervasive element throughout the story.

It is astonishing how much instruction and comfort there is in a bulldog. This slender school-master, who had been all his life repressing the animal and developing the finer nature, now found a need of just what the bulldog had. And so, with the thought of how his friend the dog would fight in a desperate strait, he determined to take hold of his difficulties as Bull took hold of the raccoon. Moral questions he postponed for careful decision. But for the present he set his teeth together in a desperate, bulldog fashion, and he set his feet down slowly, positively, bulldoggedly.

` ` The below figure shows 3 metallic balls. Charge of ball A is Q coulomb and uncharged. What are the charges on balls B and C when S1 & S2 are...

First we must describe the process that occurs in this situation:

Firstly, the electric charge of sphere A will induce by influence, an electric charge on B and C, so both surfaces acquire an electric potential. When the spheres B and C are conected to the ground, through the switches, the potential of its surfaces is made equal to zero.

The field and the potential of the charged sphere, for points on the surface and the...

First we must describe the process that occurs in this situation:

Firstly, the electric charge of sphere A will induce by influence, an electric charge on B and C, so both surfaces acquire an electric potential. When the spheres B and C are conected to the ground, through the switches, the potential of its surfaces is made equal to zero.

The field and the potential of the charged sphere, for points on the surface and the outside, is equal to the field and the potential of an electric charge which is located in the Centre of the sphere. So, the resulting potential due to the electric charges of A and B, at the intersection of the surface of the sphere B with the side of the triangle is as follow:

V = VQ + Vq = 0

VQ, is the potential due to charge Q

Vq, is the potential due to charge q, induced in the sphere B.

The expression of the electric potential of a charge is as follows:

V = q/4πԐ0r

r,  is the distance between the charge and the point.

So we can write the following equation:

Q/4πԐ0(5a - 2a) + q/4πԐ0(2a) = 0

Q/4πԐ0(3a) = -[q/4πԐ0(2a)]

Q/3a  = - q/2a

q = - (2/3)Q

So the sphere B acquires 2/3 of the electric charge of the sphere A, with opposite sign.

The same analysis can be performed for the sphere C and in this case, at the point of intersection between the surface of the sphere and the side of the triangle we have:

V = VQ + Vq = 0

Q/4πԐ0(5a - a) + q/4πԐ0(a) = 0

Q/4πԐ0(4a) = - [q/4πԐ0(a)]

Q/(4a) = - q/a

q = - (1/4)Q

So the sphere C acquires 1/4 of the electric charge of the sphere A, with opposite sign.

What injuries did the Tuck family have in the book Tuck Everlasting?

Jesse falls out of a tree and eats poisoned toadstools, the horse gets shot, Pa gets a snakebite, and Ma cuts herself.

The Tuck family had no idea what they were in for when they drank from the spring.  When the Tucks stopped at the spring, all they thought they were doing was relieving their thirst.

"It looked just the way it does now. A clearing, lots of sunshine, that big tree with all those knobby roots. We stopped and everyone took a drink, even the horse." (Ch. 7)

This would be the most fateful day of their lives though.  Instead of just getting some water, the Tucks got immortality.  They did not realize it at first, however.  It wasn’t until the first accident that they realized that none of them could die.

First, Jesse fell out of a tree.  They were sure that he would break his neck, but no harm came to him.  If that wasn’t odd enough, the incident with the horse was certainly too unusual to discount.

"Not long after," Miles went on, "some hunters come by one day at sunset. The horse was out grazing by some trees and they shot him. Mistook him for a deer, they said. Can you fancy that? But the thing is, they didn't kill him. The bullet went right on through him, and didn't hardly even leave a mark." (Ch. 7)

The fact that the bullet just went through the horse and the horse not only did not die, but was not even injured, is evidence that everyone is immortal.  Soon Jesse ate poisoned toadstools and Pa got a snakebite.  Both should have died, but neither was affected.  Ma cut herself slicing bread, and nothing happened.

That wasn’t the strangest thing, believe it or not.  The greatest evidence of their immortality was looking them in the mirror.

But it was the passage of time that worried them most. They had worked the farm, settled down, made friends. But after ten years, then twenty, they had to face the fact that there was something terribly wrong. None of them was getting any older. (Ch. 7)

So while the cat dies of old age, none of the Tucks even age.  Miles married, but his wife and children aged and he didn’t.  She accused him of selling his soul to the Devil and left him.

Living forever sounds great, but the Tucks find that they are actually very lonely.  Miles loses his family, Jesse never gets to have one, and Ma and Pa have to live far away from others so no one will notice their secret.

What can you say about the story of The Lady or the Tiger?

Many readers find the short story, “The Lady or the Tiger”, maddening because of the unresolved ending.  My students would always react with, “What?!?” We are not used to stories and movies not tied up neatly at the end, and it can be frustrating to us as readers. We want to know whether the Princess signaled her lover to choose the door with the tiger or the door with the beautiful lady!  However, I think...

Many readers find the short story, “The Lady or the Tiger”, maddening because of the unresolved ending.  My students would always react with, “What?!?” We are not used to stories and movies not tied up neatly at the end, and it can be frustrating to us as readers. We want to know whether the Princess signaled her lover to choose the door with the tiger or the door with the beautiful lady!  However, I think you need to analyze why Frank Stockton might have written the story in the first place.  It is a tale of morality that lends itself to discussion on what is right and what is wrong.  The right thing would be for the Princess to signal to her lover the door with the beautiful woman, thus saving his life.  However, the Princess is “semi-barbaric” which suggests she would rather see her lover die than give him to another woman.   The story asks the reader to find context clues and to speculate about the Princess’ motivation and intentions.  As we interact with the text, we analyze character and motive. I think this is what Frank Stockton wanted his readers to do.

So, I think what you can say about the story is that although frustrating, it does lend itself to debate and the search for what is right.  We will never know that the outcome of the story is, so we might as well enjoy it as a vehicle to discover our own morality.

How did historical globalization and imperialism shape today's world?

Modern nations that were once colonies bear the mark of their colonizers. In the Caribbean, former British colonies (Jamaica, Trinidad) are somewhat integrated into the global economy, while former colonies of France (Haiti) and Spain (Dominican Republic) are somewhat isolated and depend largely on economies based on cheap labor and dwindling resources.

All colonies were begun to enrich their colonizers, but in some of them, an infrastructure was built and maintained to enable the colony...

Modern nations that were once colonies bear the mark of their colonizers. In the Caribbean, former British colonies (Jamaica, Trinidad) are somewhat integrated into the global economy, while former colonies of France (Haiti) and Spain (Dominican Republic) are somewhat isolated and depend largely on economies based on cheap labor and dwindling resources.

All colonies were begun to enrich their colonizers, but in some of them, an infrastructure was built and maintained to enable the colony to function on its own when colonization ceased to be profitable. Hong Kong, a British Crown Colony for 99 years, remains an attractive place to do business nearly two decades after the British returned it to mainland China. Democratic Republic of Congo (the former Zaire and Belgian Congo), one of the most brutally exploited colonies in modern times, has little infrastructure and remains one of the most dangerous places on Earth.

In "The Tell-Tale Heart," what ritual had the narrator performed for seven successive nights?

The narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart" lives with an older man, a man he claims to love, a man who "had never wronged [him]."  It is possible that this man is the narrator's father, but we never find out for sure.  The narrator, however, is particularly disturbed by one of the old man's eyes.  "It resembled that of a vulture -- a pale blue eye, with a film over it," and when the old man...

The narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart" lives with an older man, a man he claims to love, a man who "had never wronged [him]."  It is possible that this man is the narrator's father, but we never find out for sure.  The narrator, however, is particularly disturbed by one of the old man's eyes.  "It resembled that of a vulture -- a pale blue eye, with a film over it," and when the old man looks at the narrator, the younger man's "blood ran cold."  Since the narrator describes the eye as having "a film over it," it seems likely that the old man suffers from cataracts in that eye, an ailment associated with old age.  Further, because the narrator compares the eye to a vulture's, and vultures are associated with death, it is possible that the old man's eye serves as a reminder of the narrator's own mortality -- an apparently unwelcome thought.  Thus, he determined to kill the old man in order to never have to see that terrible eye (and so be reminded of his own inevitable death) again.

In order to accomplish this goal, 

every night, about midnight, [the narrator] turned the latch of [the old man's] door and opened it -- oh, so gently! And then, when [he] had made an opening sufficient for [his] head, [he] put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then [he] thrust in [his] head.

The narrator claims that it took a full hour just to insert his head into the room, and he moved very slowly so as not to wake the old man.  Midnight is also often associated with death, because it is the death of day, so it seems particularly appropriate that the narrator would begin at this time each night.  Once his head is in, he opens the lantern "cautiously -- oh, so cautiously [... so] that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye."  However, each night "for seven long nights," the eye was closed and so the narrator could not kill the old man.

On the eighth night, the sound of the lantern clicking as the narrator's finger slips wakes the old man.  After waiting an excruciatingly long time, the narrator opens his lantern, its light falling "full upon the vulture eye" so that he sees the "hideous veil [...] that chilled the very marrow in [his] bones," and he commits the murder.

What are the six major events that occur in Act III of The Crucible?

There are many events that occur in Act 3 of The Crucible. If six major events must be specified, then the most important events are:

1. 
   Giles interrupts the proceedings and is eventually arrested for contempt. Giles is a character who appears predominately in the third act. An elderly man, Giles is cantankerous and loves his wife. He refuses to go along with the witchcraft hysteria and claims men are using the hysteria for their own personal economic gain.


2. 
   Mary announces she was pretending to be afflicted by witchcraft. This is a crucial moment because Mary presents a rift in the girls' narrative about witchcraft. 


3. 
   Proctor is questioned about his religious beliefs. Proctor is continuously examined by the court in this act. While many are put on trial, the audience mostly sees the court through Proctor's experience. 


4. 
   The girls accuse Mary of witchcraft and proceed to be "bewitched" by Mary's spirit. The girls quickly turn on Mary and claim she has possessed them. Mary attempts to stop the girls but eventually joins their hysteria in fear. 


5. 
   Elizabeth admits Proctor committed adultery with Abigail. Elizabeth looks to Proctor for signs but ultimately admits he confessed to this sin.   
   


6. 
   Hale denounces the proceedings. Throughout the act, Hale is increasingly critical of Danforth and the proceedings. By the end of the act, Hale exits the stage and declares he is quitting the court.

Where did Jesse, Miles and Mae Tuck take Winnie in Tuck Everlasting?

The Tucks take Winnie to their house so that they can explain everything to her.

Technically, the Tucks kidnap Winnie.  When Jesse finds her in the woods near her house, she sees him drink from the special spring.  Jesse knows that he can’t let Winnie drink, because she would become immortal just like they are. 

At first, Winnie and Jesse just talk.  She asks him where he is from.

The boy grinned. "No, I don't...

The Tucks take Winnie to their house so that they can explain everything to her.

Technically, the Tucks kidnap Winnie.  When Jesse finds her in the woods near her house, she sees him drink from the special spring.  Jesse knows that he can’t let Winnie drink, because she would become immortal just like they are. 

At first, Winnie and Jesse just talk.  She asks him where he is from.

The boy grinned. "No, I don't live nearby, and no, I don't come here often. Just passing through. And thanks, I'm glad it's all right with you." (Ch. 5)

Winnie is pretty insistent about drinking from the spring, saying she is thirsty.  Jesse does not know what to do, but Mae and Miles arrive.  The Tucks kidnap Winnie, telling her not to be afraid because they would never hurt her.

The Tucks leave the woods, and explain to Winnie how they became immortal from drinking the spring.  It is the strangest story she has ever heard, but she listens to them.  Mae tells Winnie that they have to take her home with them, and Pa (Angus) Tuck will know what to do.

The Tucks live in an out of the way place.  They have to, in order to avoid suspicion.  Living around too many people would lead to questions.

It was amazing, then, to climb a long hill, to see ahead another hill, and beyond that the deep green of a scattered pine forest, and as you climbed, to feel the air ease and soften. (Ch. 9)

The Tuck family house is in a “wide stand of dark pines,” which protects it from onlookers.  The Tucks live in “a plain, homely little house, barn-red” next to a lake.  They have lived there for a while, and tell Winnie that they will have to leave soon.  The Tucks can’t stay in one place for long.

Winnie had been thinking that her life was boring, and she wanted to run away from home.  She certainly got that chance.  The Tucks are anything but boring.  To Winnie, their story sounds like a fairy tale.  They are genuinely nice people, and Winnie is not afraid of them once she gets to know them.

In the book Freak the Mighty, does Max like his bedroom, "the down under"?

Early on in the novel, we learn that Max's bedroom is in the basement of Grim and Gram's house. In fact, Max himself says, "... but do I complain about the crummy panelling, or the rug that smells like low tide? I do not. Because I like it in the down under."

To answer your question, then, it would appear that Max does like the down under, but a better question might be why does...

Early on in the novel, we learn that Max's bedroom is in the basement of Grim and Gram's house. In fact, Max himself says, "... but do I complain about the crummy panelling, or the rug that smells like low tide? I do not. Because I like it in the down under."

To answer your question, then, it would appear that Max does like the down under, but a better question might be why does he like the down under? He's separated from Grim and Gram, it's dark, and it's confining. Why would anyone like that situation? 

We could possibly view the down under as a symbol for Max's sadness and personal obstacles he must overcome. It's a place for Max to retreat to when he gets upset - for example, when Gwen mistook Max's appearance for his dad, she ran home with Freak, and Max snuck under his bed. 

But it's also a place that Max needs to be lured out of, which is where Freak comes in. Through their adventures and friendship, Freak is able to get Max out of the down under. When Freak dies, of course, Max retreats back to the down under; however, we are left with the impression that through the blank journal that Freak gives him, he won't be in the down under for long!

 

In A Wrinkle in Time, how do we know that the children have only been gone for less than a day each time they leave? Give textual evidence.

When you ask a question about when the characters “leave” and return in A Wrinkle in Time, you are speaking of the tesseract.  This is simply a way to travel through space and time.  Because the characters in this novel can manipulate time and space, returning in less than a day is entirely possible.  You are correct in assuming the children have been gone for less than a day.  The evidence of the answer...

When you ask a question about when the characters “leave” and return in A Wrinkle in Time, you are speaking of the tesseract.  This is simply a way to travel through space and time.  Because the characters in this novel can manipulate time and space, returning in less than a day is entirely possible.  You are correct in assuming the children have been gone for less than a day.  The evidence of the answer to your question can be found in comments made by the characters that have remained behind.  For example, when Meg finally saves Charles Wallace, the entire group returns home.  They land in the family vegetable garden in the middle of the broccoli.  Suddenly the twins, who were left behind, are running towards them with Dennys yelling, “Hey, Meg, it’s bedtime.”  This is the biggest piece of textual evidence here.  Dennys is not necessarily glad to see them or crying because of their previous absence.  Instead, Dennys is simply doing what any brother would do on a normal day.  Mrs. Murray is running towards the group as well, but for a different reason.  Meg’s father is with them.  Mr. Murray, of course, has been gone for much more than a day.  He is the one the children were trying to save. 

What does the title "Two Kinds" mean? What are there two kinds of? What do those two kinds have to do with the piano pieces "Pleading Child" and...

The title refers to Jing-Mei’s epiphany about mother-daughter relationships.  Jing-mei remembers two different songs, when in fact they are part of the same song.  The song is a metaphor for childhood, because we are sometimes content and sometimes pleading, and childhood is about balance.

Jing-Mei’s mother wants her to become a prodigy.  She is more interested in accomplishment than fame.  She attempts several television-inspired talents.  None of them take.  The result is just Jing-mei and...

The title refers to Jing-Mei’s epiphany about mother-daughter relationships.  Jing-mei remembers two different songs, when in fact they are part of the same song.  The song is a metaphor for childhood, because we are sometimes content and sometimes pleading, and childhood is about balance.

Jing-Mei’s mother wants her to become a prodigy.  She is more interested in accomplishment than fame.  She attempts several television-inspired talents.  None of them take.  The result is just Jing-mei and her mother’s frustration.

I looked at my reflection, blinking so that I could see more clearly. The girl staring back at me was angry, powerful. She and I were the same. I had new thoughts, willful thoughts - or rather, thoughts filled with lots of won'ts. I won't let her change me, I promised myself. I won't be what I'm not.

They settle on the piano, but that’s a disaster too.  Jing-Mei’s teacher is deaf and not really paying attention.  She does not really learn how to play the piano.  When the recital comes, she embarrasses herself by not really being able to play.

Jing-Mei and her mother have a rocky relationship, and it comes to a head over the whole prodigy thing.  Jing-Mei’s mother wants her to do what she says, and Jing-mei wants to be her own person.

"Only two kinds of daughters," she shouted in Chinese. "Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!"

"Then I wish I weren't your daughter, I wish you weren't my mother," I shouted.

It is from this comment that we get the title of the chapter.  Jing-mei's mother wants her to be obedient, but Jing-mei feels like she is the other kind of daughter.  There is no middle ground, and therefore they have a relationship full of conflict.

When Jing-mei’s mother dies, she goes back to the piano and looks at it.  Seeing the music, she notices the name of the song.  As a child, she did not realize that “Pleading Child” and “Contented Child” were two parts of the same song.  It is a metaphor for childhood.  All children need to negotiate the emotional times in their lives, and there will be ups and downs.

How does the narrator feel when he first sees Fortunato in "The Cask of Amontillado"? What conclusion might the narrator's behavior lead you to...

When the narrator (a man named Montresor) first sees Fortunato at the carnival, he claims that he was so pleased to see Fortunato that he almost could not stop himself from shaking the man's hand, and he greets Fortunato with pleasant words. Throughout the whole story, Montresor is exceedingly polite to Fortunato, but he is also false; not only is he lying about having a cask of Amontillado, he is also falsely reluctant to interrupt...

When the narrator (a man named Montresor) first sees Fortunato at the carnival, he claims that he was so pleased to see Fortunato that he almost could not stop himself from shaking the man's hand, and he greets Fortunato with pleasant words. Throughout the whole story, Montresor is exceedingly polite to Fortunato, but he is also false; not only is he lying about having a cask of Amontillado, he is also falsely reluctant to interrupt Fortunato's partying at the carnival and falsely worried about Fortunato's health down in his vaults.

These actions tell us that Montresor is a very determined man and that he is willing to do whatever it takes to get revenge on Fortunato. He is not afraid to lie to the man who was once his friend, he is not afraid to manipulate the obviously drunk man, and he is not afraid to wall the man into a recess in the depths of his vaults, sentencing him to a slow death. He is also cunning enough to come up with this particular plan. So, because of his actions within the story, we can see that Montresor is a smart and tenacious man, who has no problem murdering a man for insulting him.

How did colonists view the trade laws that England set?

The colonists never really accepted the trade laws that Great Britain established. Going back to the beginning of the colonies when the British passed the Navigation Acts, the colonists found ways to ignore these laws. The trade laws were designed to benefit Great Britain, not the colonies. Thus, the colonists often smuggled molasses into the colonies from places other than Great Britain. This violated the Navigation Acts that required that certain products be bought only...

The colonists never really accepted the trade laws that Great Britain established. Going back to the beginning of the colonies when the British passed the Navigation Acts, the colonists found ways to ignore these laws. The trade laws were designed to benefit Great Britain, not the colonies. Thus, the colonists often smuggled molasses into the colonies from places other than Great Britain. This violated the Navigation Acts that required that certain products be bought only from Great Britain and shipped on British ships.

During the years leading to the Revolutionary War, the colonists also resisted some of the trade laws. The colonists believed the Sugar Act of 1764 was illegal because it allowed for searches without warrants to determine if colonists were smuggling products into the colonies. It also put the burden of proof of innocence on the colonists instead of on the government. Even though the Sugar Act lowered the tax on molasses, the colonists still were opposed to this law. The colonists protested this law, and some colonists agreed to reduce their purchase of luxury goods from Great Britain as well as to begin to make some of their own products instead of buying them from Great Britain. The colonists also protested the Tea Act that gave the British East India Tea Company a monopoly on the trade of tea. This law led to the Boston Tea Party when the colonists dumped a large amount of tea in Boston Harbor.

The British passed many trade laws. The colonists never really supported many of these trade laws.

What is the significance of the title Joe Turner's Come and Gone?

Quite simply, the significance of the title is in the title of a blues song with the same name:  "Joe Turner's Come and Gone."  Even though Joe Turner is not a character in this play, he is important in understanding these African-Americans in their quest for identity after slavery in that Joe Turner was the master who enslaved Herald Loomis.

We are introduced to the song (and the connection to the title of the play)...

Quite simply, the significance of the title is in the title of a blues song with the same name:  "Joe Turner's Come and Gone."  Even though Joe Turner is not a character in this play, he is important in understanding these African-Americans in their quest for identity after slavery in that Joe Turner was the master who enslaved Herald Loomis.

We are introduced to the song (and the connection to the title of the play) "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" in the middle of the play when Bynum and Seth sit playing dominoes.  It is Herald Loomis who comes in and gets angry at the singing of the song.  Bynum pipes up and says that he knows Herald Loomis used to be one of Joe Turner's slaves and should remember the song.  This sparks a reverie by Herald Loomis about his enslavement to Joe Turner for seven long years.  After Loomis is released, Loomis has lost everything he holds dear:  his wife has left and his daughter has, too. 

In conclusion, the reader must understand that this song (and Loomis' experiece) is important both literally and metaphorically.  Loomis' story is important in itself in that Loomis is an important character; however, the story is also a metaphor for the entire slavery experience and the general African-American search for identity after the Civil War ended.  This, of course, continued into the 1900s which is when this piece of literature is set.

If I use 1 lb of gas to burn 1 lb of wood, how much will the ashes weigh?

There are too many unknown variables involved to calculate an answer to this question, but I'll try to help you understand the concept.

First of all, if you're referring to using gasoline to burn wood, both are hydrocarbon fuels that undergo combustion. If you're referring to oxygen gas, it's a necessary reactant for combustion of a hydrocarbon fuel.

When a hydrocarbon burns with oxygen, the products are carbon dioxide and water vapor. Both are colorless...

There are too many unknown variables involved to calculate an answer to this question, but I'll try to help you understand the concept.

First of all, if you're referring to using gasoline to burn wood, both are hydrocarbon fuels that undergo combustion. If you're referring to oxygen gas, it's a necessary reactant for combustion of a hydrocarbon fuel.

When a hydrocarbon burns with oxygen, the products are carbon dioxide and water vapor. Both are colorless gases and therefore pretty much invisible. Ashes are left over due to other substances in the fuel that aren't easily combusted, and due to incomplete combustion of the hydrocarbons if adequate oxygen can't get to all of the molecules. If the fuel combusted completely there would be no ash left.

According to the Law of Conservation of Mass, the total mass of products after burning equals the total mass or reactants that were consumed. This doesn't mean that there will be an amount of ash left over that's equal to the mass of the products. Most of the mass of the products is accounted for by the carbon dioxide and water vapor that we know is produced yet we can't see. Similarly, the mass of oxygen gas that reacts accounts for some of the mass of reactants.

Antoine Lavoisier, a French chemist of the 18th century, showed that mass is conserved in a chemical reaction by trapping and weighing the gases produced.

What are some barriers to communication in the hospital environment? How can they be overcome?

One barrier that is present in a hospital setting is the barrier of status.  There is a hierarchy in a hospital, with physicians at the top and all other staff below. A hospital is not a democracy.  Because of the differences in status, there can be many instances in which someone who is ranked below someone else will not communicate, even if there is good reason to do so.  A nurse who sees an physician's...

One barrier that is present in a hospital setting is the barrier of status.  There is a hierarchy in a hospital, with physicians at the top and all other staff below. A hospital is not a democracy.  Because of the differences in status, there can be many instances in which someone who is ranked below someone else will not communicate, even if there is good reason to do so.  A nurse who sees an physician's error, for example, is going to think twice about whether or not to communicate about this.  Anger might be the result, or even firing. This is dangerous and regrettable, but it is part of the dynamic of hospital communication and communication in many other work settings.  Atul Gawande, in his wonderful book, The Checklist Manifesto, makes this point.  He also points to the example of pilots, who are often not corrected by co-pilots who are less experienced, since they are intimidated by the difference in rank or status.  Gawande's argument is that checklists can help to remove this problem in communication, since a checklist is "neutral" and if everyone goes by the list, errors will be minimized, but even more important, anyone can refer to the list as needing completed without having to be worried about how a lower status affects the communication process where status is unequal. 

Why is the courthouse separated the way it is in To Kill A Mockingbird? What does the structure of the courthouse suggest?

Scout describes the courthouse in chapter 16 as the county heads towards it on the morning of the Tom Robinson trial. She explains a little bit of the building's history by mentioning that the original courthouse burned down in 1856. The concrete pillars were all that remained, so they built a new one around them. She goes on to say that it looks Victorian from the north side, but "Greek revival columns clashed with a big nineteenth-century clock tower housing a rusty unreliable instrument" (162).

The description then shifts inwards as one would take in order to reach the courtroom which is on the second floor. She catalogs all of the tax collectors and county clerks offices one must pass before entering the main floor of the courtroom. Then Scout describes the courtroom's structure as follows:

"There we went up a covered staircase and waited at the door. . . The Colored balcony ran along three walls of the courtroom like a second-story veranda, and from it we could see everything.

"The Jury sat to the left, under long windows. . . Just inside the railing that divided the spectators from the court, the witnesses sat on cowhide-bottomed chairs. Their backs were to us" (164).

The picture that Scout paints for the inside structure of the courtroom is objective in nature, but it points out that African Americans must sit in the balcony and White people sit on the main floor. Clearly, the set up shows discrimination, prejudice, and segregation. It also shows how African Americans treated white people. For example, three people in the balcony gave up their seats for Jem, Scout, and Dill. The African Americans even waited to enter the courtroom until after all of the White people entered the main floor. This gives the reader a glimpse into the South's status quo; that is to say, what they were all expected to do to keep the peace and exist together, they did. On the day of the trial, everyone acted according to the expectations of their society, which was segregation.

Hello, I am writing a essay for Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I am unsure how to reword my universal idea for my essay. Universal...

One aim of a revision here will be to create a statement that is at once broad enough to encompass the entire argument you will pursue in your essay and also specific enough to communicate the essential point that anchors the essay's argument.

Manipulating others for selfish reasons will inevitably lead to negative consequences.  

We will want to tie this idea to the novel directly if we can and begin to present some of the points of evidence that you will use to support the argument. 

Is the focus of your essay on the character of Okonkwo and his tendency to rule his household according to self-interest (so that he will be seen as strong, manly and successful)? If this is the case, you may want to indicate Okonkwo in your thesis statement. 

The notion that Okonkwo's behavior can be described as creating and sustaining a cycle of fear is certainly present in the text. 

"Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper and so did his little children. Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness."

Okonkwo's temperamental behavior, which often manifests as harsh treatment of others, is thus suggested to be a negative aspect of his character and is connected to a cycle akin to the one suggested in your current thesis. 

If your focus will be on the English who use certain specific weaknesses of the Igbo social system (i.e., its most strident and exclusionary practices) to undermine the stronger elements of the social system (i.e., the Igbo sense of social continuity and cultural identity), we will want to build that into the thesis statement as well if we can. 

Working in this direction, your thesis argument would attempt to deal with these ideas explicitly: The self-interest of individuals and social groups that leads to manipulative behavior in Things Fall Apart suggests a negative cycle with inevitable consequences. Okonkwo's treatment of his family parallels the manipulative behavior of the English colonists in the novel and each contributes to a thematic question regarding integrity and moral strength. 

Finally, a note on grammar: Be careful to avoid pronoun disagreement.

Universal Idea: manipulating others leads to consequences especially if one is engulfed by their selfish mindset.

In the current version of your thesis, the term "one" is in disagreement with the possessive pronoun "their." A variety of alternatives have been presented above, but if you were to simply adjust this statement we would want to replace "their" with "a," "his," "her," or "his or her." Other revisions would work equally well, such as adjusting "their selfish mindset" to "selfish interests" or "self-interest."