In the book Of Mice and Men, how is Curley's wife's nature most clearly revealed? What is one adjective used to describe this nature?

Curley’s wife is lonely.

There are many lonely characters in this story, but Curley’s wife is one of the saddest cases.  She wanders around looking for her husband, unable to make any friends on the ranch.  Steinbeck does not even give her a name, to accentuate her loneliness. 

Curley would not allow his wife to be friendly with any of the men on the ranch, because he is extremely jealous.  By the same token, the...

Curley’s wife is lonely.

There are many lonely characters in this story, but Curley’s wife is one of the saddest cases.  She wanders around looking for her husband, unable to make any friends on the ranch.  Steinbeck does not even give her a name, to accentuate her loneliness. 

Curley would not allow his wife to be friendly with any of the men on the ranch, because he is extremely jealous.  By the same token, the men on the ranch do not want to have anything to do with her because they are worried about how Curley would take it.

Slim said, "Well, you been askin' me too often. I'm gettin' God damn sick of it. If you can't look after your own God damn wife, what you expect me to do about it? You lay offa me." (Ch. 3)

Because she is still quite young, Curley’s wife desperately wants company.  She even tries to talk to Lennie, who is clearly slow, because she wants to talk to someone.  She tells Lennie about how a man told her she could be in movies.

"'Nother time I met a guy, an' he was in pitchers. Went out to the Riverside Dance Palace with him. He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. Soon's he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it." (Ch. 5)

This sad scene tells us that Curley’s wife had dreams.  She wanted to make more of her life.  Unfortunately, she was condemned to a life of isolation and loneliness when she married Curley.  She became just a tramp that everyone was afraid to come into contact with.

Why did Numa forbid all graven images of deity and create a Roman "Sabbath" day?

According to Plutarch, Numa did not allow for graven images because he subscribed to the Pythagorean belief in the omnipotence of deity. According to Pythagoras, such a deity can only be comprehended and worshiped through the intellect. Because of the supreme characteristic of this being, he reasoned that it would be impious to fashion God in the image of man or beasts.

...they made no statues in bodily form for them, convinced that it...

According to Plutarch, Numa did not allow for graven images because he subscribed to the Pythagorean belief in the omnipotence of deity. According to Pythagoras, such a deity can only be comprehended and worshiped through the intellect. Because of the supreme characteristic of this being, he reasoned that it would be impious to fashion God in the image of man or beasts.

...they made no statues in bodily form for them, convinced that it was impious to liken higher things to lower, and that it was impossible to apprehend Deity except by the intellect. Their sacrifices, too, were altogether appropriate to the Pythagorean worship; for most of them involved no bloodshed, but were made with flour, drink-offerings, and the least costly gifts.

Numa also instituted a Roman Sabbath or 'holiday' because he supported the Pythagorean practice of separating divine worship from the performance of temporal duties. Numa believed that, in order to fully appreciate the importance of religious ceremonies, the people had to carve out time apart from their daily activities.

At all public and solemn processions of the priests, heralds were sent on before through the city, bidding the people make holiday, and putting a stop to all labour. For, just as it is said that the Pythagoreans do not allow men to worship and pray to their gods cursorily and by the way, but would have them go from their homes directly to this office, with their minds prepared for it, so Numa thought that his citizens ought neither to hear nor see any divine service while they were occupied with other matters and therefore unable to pay attention.

What is the meaning of the quote “Best way to clear the air is to have it all out in the open," and describe the situation Atticus was in when...

In Chapter 30, Atticus is having a conversation with Sheriff Tate following Bob Ewell's attack on Jem and Scout. Atticus begins to contemplate how he will defend his son, Jem, for killing Bob Ewell. Sheriff Tate questions Atticus to see if he thinks Jem was responsible for murdering Bob Ewell. Atticus tells Tate that he believes Jem wrestled Bob off of Scout and picked up Bob's knife and stabbed him. Atticus uses Scout's recollection of...

In Chapter 30, Atticus is having a conversation with Sheriff Tate following Bob Ewell's attack on Jem and Scout. Atticus begins to contemplate how he will defend his son, Jem, for killing Bob Ewell. Sheriff Tate questions Atticus to see if he thinks Jem was responsible for murdering Bob Ewell. Atticus tells Tate that he believes Jem wrestled Bob off of Scout and picked up Bob's knife and stabbed him. Atticus uses Scout's recollection of events as the basis for his belief that Jem murdered Bob Ewell. Heck Tate maintains that Jem did not stab Bob Ewell. Atticus disagrees and says that he doesn't want Jem growing up in a community that makes comments like, "his daddy paid a mint to get him out of that." (Lee 366) Atticus says, "The best way to clear the air is to have it all out in the open." (Lee 366) Atticus has integrity and firmly believes that his son murdered Bob Ewell, and refuses to cover up any information that might unfairly help his son in the county court. Later on in the chapter, Heck Tate indirectly informs Atticus that Boo Radley stabbed Bob Ewell, but he's going to tell the community that Bob Ewell fell on his own knife. 

1.Why did the Traveller want to see the Listeners in the poem "The Listeners"? 2.What does the poet mean by 'the silence surged softly backward...

1. The Traveller wanted to see the Listeners in the poem “The Listeners” because he had promised that he would return to visit people who were supposed to be at this house. Therefore, the Traveller is a man of his word as he is doing what he assured others he would do. He says:

‘Tell them I came, and no one answered,  

   That I kept my word,’ he said.

It is not...

1. The Traveller wanted to see the Listeners in the poem “The Listeners” because he had promised that he would return to visit people who were supposed to be at this house. Therefore, the Traveller is a man of his word as he is doing what he assured others he would do. He says:

‘Tell them I came, and no one answered,  

   That I kept my word,’ he said.

It is not clear why he made this promise. In addition, it is not clear exactly to whom he made this promise. The important point, though, is that the promise was made and that he fulfilled his promise.

2. Employing the line “the silence surged softly backward” the poet (Walter de la Mare) means that silence is returning to this house where the phantom “Listeners” reside. These are spirits or apparitions that inhabit this abode. They are used to silence being a major part of the environment wherein they dwell. Noise, commotion, and a bevy of sounds, discordant and/or harmonious are not what they are typically used to. As a result, when the Traveller leaves, silence moves backward from the Traveller and back into the house. Silence is leaving the noisy station of the Traveller and receding to whence it came – the interior of this place where all is quiet.

The poet is comparing the silence here to the gentle and relatively soft surf of a quiet lake or other body of water that has delicately rolling waves that ebb and flow with a rhythmic and discreet monotony.

a.) The features that make the Traveller stand out in the poem "The Listeners " are his quality of character in that he honored his promise to others; his persistence in wanting to meet the people he made his promise to; and the fact that he is lonely. It stands out that he is stated as being lonely but that he is reaching out to others in his loneliness. Also, what stands out is that the Traveller is perceptive and a feeling individual. He could feel the Listeners’ strangeness and stillness.

b.) The features that make the Listeners stand out in the poem "The Listeners " are the fact that they do not respond at all to the Traveller. This makes them enigmatic phantoms that inhabit another plane of existence. Another feature that stands out is, as stated above, that the Listeners have a strangeness to them. This makes the reader want to know more about them and what they are up to. Furthermore, the fact that the Listeners hear all that is going on outside but do not seek to investigate further or meet the Traveller make the reader wonder if they are respectful and friends of humankind, or violent and immoral phantoms that desire harm to humankind. This feature of these spirits lends a tension and foreboding to this poem.

What quotes show that Mrs. Putnam envies Rebecca Nurse in The Crucible?

Mrs. Putnam’s jealousy of Rebecca Nurse stems from the fact that Mrs. Putnam has had many children die in childbirth, while Rebecca Nurse has had no problem bearing children. Ultimately, this leads to the accusation of Rebecca Nurse for witchcraft, for which she is sentenced and hanged. This conflict is laid out from the beginning, when Mrs. Putnam admits that she had sent her daughter, Betty, to Tituba to find out who killed her seven...

Mrs. Putnam’s jealousy of Rebecca Nurse stems from the fact that Mrs. Putnam has had many children die in childbirth, while Rebecca Nurse has had no problem bearing children. Ultimately, this leads to the accusation of Rebecca Nurse for witchcraft, for which she is sentenced and hanged. This conflict is laid out from the beginning, when Mrs. Putnam admits that she had sent her daughter, Betty, to Tituba to find out who killed her seven children, who all died in childbirth. Rebecca Nurse, on the other hand, reveals that she has “eleven children” and is “twenty-six times a grandma.” Mrs. Putnam cannot accept that God would be so kind to one person and cruel to another, so she blames her own children’s deaths on witchcraft rather than believing the more rational explanation that they died from natural causes. At first, she places the blame on Goody Osburne, who was midwife to three of those children. Later, though, because of her jealousy, Mrs. Putnam accuses Rebecca Nurse of witchcraft. Frances Nurse reveals this in Act II, when he says that Rebecca Nurse was charged “for the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnam’s babies.” Though Rebecca Nurse is one of the most respected women in Salem, Mrs. Putnam needs someone to blame, and because Rebecca Nurse has been so fruitful in bearing children, she is an easy target.

What are the woods called where Katniss Everdeen Hunts in The Hunger Games?

In The Hunger Games, the woods have no official name but "the Woods." The Woods is the area where Katniss and Gale go and hunt. The Woods is outside of District 12, and Katniss and Gale have to climb under a fence that should be electrified. That is where Katniss uses her bow to hunt animals. After hunting, the animals are taken to the black market, The Hob, to be sold to others in...

In The Hunger Games, the woods have no official name but "the Woods." The Woods is the area where Katniss and Gale go and hunt. The Woods is outside of District 12, and Katniss and Gale have to climb under a fence that should be electrified. That is where Katniss uses her bow to hunt animals. After hunting, the animals are taken to the black market, The Hob, to be sold to others in the city. In Catching Fire, Katniss goes out to hunt in The Woods only to come back to find the fence electrified. She has to find a way to get over the fence to get back into District 12. We learn that at the end of Catching Fire, Gale saves almost one thousand people from District 12 by taking them to safety in the Woods. 

In A Separate Peace by John Knowles, what is Finny trying to say in the passage where he tells Gene he is his "best pal"?

In 1942, Gene and Phineas are good friends attending summer school at a private school called Devon. Gene excels academically and Phineas is the athlete. It is curious that these two would become close, but they are also roommates which encourages them to bond. Due to Finny's social and athletic prowess, though, Gene becomes competitive, jealous, and resentful. Phineas, on the other hand, has no clue that Gene feels this way. In fact, Finny thinks...

In 1942, Gene and Phineas are good friends attending summer school at a private school called Devon. Gene excels academically and Phineas is the athlete. It is curious that these two would become close, but they are also roommates which encourages them to bond. Due to Finny's social and athletic prowess, though, Gene becomes competitive, jealous, and resentful. Phineas, on the other hand, has no clue that Gene feels this way. In fact, Finny thinks the two of them are the best friends in the world and he seems to force Gene to do whatever he feels like doing. For example, Finny wanted to go to the beach for the day, but he didn't want to go alone, so he drags Gene along. Finny expresses his feelings as follows:

"I know I kind of dragged you away at the point of a gun, but after all you can't come to the shore with just anybody and you can't come by yourself, and at this teen-age period in life the proper person is your best pal. . . which you are" (48).

In the above passage, Phineas is apologizing for making Gene break the school rules by leaving campus. Not only did they go to the beach, but they went to a bar, used fake IDs and drank alcohol. They slept that night on the beach, too. They both could have been kicked out of school had they been caught. It's interesting, though, that Gene isn't concerned so much about the rules that he breaks with Finny as he is with the fact that he's declared a "best pal." Gene explains as follows:

"It was a courageous thing to say. Exposing a sincere emotion nakedly like that at the Devon School was the next thing to suicide. I should have told him then that he was my best friend also. . . But something held me back" (48).

Sadly, Gene doesn't take Finny's friendship to heart as he should have because of his own personal flaws. Finny was just trying to tell Gene that he was grateful to have a close friend who could accompany him to the beach. Finny feels comfortable with Gene enough to be himself around him and that's a gift; but again, Gene doesn't really catch onto that gift until later because he was insecure within himself.

How does oxygen affect rocks?

Rocks contain minerals and because they are exposed to the environment, they are subjected to a process called chemical weathering. In this process, the minerals chemically react with water, carbon dioxide or oxygen which causes the rock to change in appearance in terms of its color or even its size. For example, when iron in a rock reacts with oxygen,it forms iron oxide. This compound has the reddish rusty appearance that is seen...

Rocks contain minerals and because they are exposed to the environment, they are subjected to a process called chemical weathering. In this process, the minerals chemically react with water, carbon dioxide or oxygen which causes the rock to change in appearance in terms of its color or even its size. For example, when iron in a rock reacts with oxygen, it forms iron oxide. This compound has the reddish rusty appearance that is seen in many rocks. The mineral iron chemically combines with oxygen in a process known as oxidation. Rocks will look different from each other physically depending on the degree to which chemical weathering has taken place.

Oxygen is an electronegative atom and it can form chemical bonds with many other elements in nature, forming compounds known as oxides. Another example of an oxide is silica dioxide which is the element silicon reacting with oxygen. This compound can be found in sand grains and is a component of the earth's crust in the type of rock called granite. Many minerals in rocks are found as oxides rather than as a free metal.

Weathering is an important process because it causes rocks to break down over time. This is an important step in the soil-building process. Parent material, such as bedrock, slowly weathers and breaks down into smaller and smaller particles which contributes to the slow formation of soil once humus is combined with it and organisms add organic materials to the developing soil.

What happens to scarlet ibis in the bleeding tree?

Doodle spots the ibis first and when Brother goes out to investigate, he notes that the bird is perched "precariously" (unbalanced) and that its wings were hanging loosely. The ibis is on the highest branch. As a feather drifts down from the bird, Mama notes that it looks scared and Daddy adds that it might be sick. Then the ibis begins to flutter, moving its wings awkwardly until it plummets to the ground, landing with...

Doodle spots the ibis first and when Brother goes out to investigate, he notes that the bird is perched "precariously" (unbalanced) and that its wings were hanging loosely. The ibis is on the highest branch. As a feather drifts down from the bird, Mama notes that it looks scared and Daddy adds that it might be sick. Then the ibis begins to flutter, moving its wings awkwardly until it plummets to the ground, landing with a loud thud. The ibis makes one more desperate motion and then dies on the ground: 

Its long, graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then straightened out, and the bird was still. A white veil came over the eyes and the long white beak unhinged. Its legs were crossed and its clawlike feet were delicately curved at rest. 

Using the bird book as a reference, Daddy determines that it is an ibis and that a storm must have blown the ibis off course. Following the ordeal with the storm and faced with this new, foreign environment, the ibis is too weak to fly and the fall finally is too much.

The ibis is a parallel character to Doodle. Both Doodle and the ibis do not quite fit in their respective environments. They struggle and suffer. Both will endure hardships and a storm. The color "red" (scarlet) of the ibis and the "bleeding" tree are symbolic and foreshadowing elements of what will become of Doodle. 

What is a theme present in "I Felt a Funeral in my Brain" by Emily Dickinson?

Your question implies that a literary work can have more than one theme, and that is correct. Any theme that is consistent with the true meaning of the text, that is, can be supported by evidence from the text without any contradiction from the text, is a good theme. The best theme is the one that resonates most with you--with the experiences, worldview, and emotions you bring with you to the piece. 

Emily Dickinson's poem...

Your question implies that a literary work can have more than one theme, and that is correct. Any theme that is consistent with the true meaning of the text, that is, can be supported by evidence from the text without any contradiction from the text, is a good theme. The best theme is the one that resonates most with you--with the experiences, worldview, and emotions you bring with you to the piece. 

Emily Dickinson's poem "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain" can be read in several different ways. One way is to read it as the feeling of going insane, or losing one's mind to mental illness. Another is to read it as falling into depression. One could also take the poem to be reflecting on plunging into grief. I think your favorite is likely to be whichever of these experiences comes closest to something you have been through yourself or witnessed in someone else.

I will speak to the issue of grief, since I have lost someone very dear to me. The thoughts of grief do seem like mourners, trudging in slow motion around inside one's brain. Even when the thoughts settle down and aren't so active--when they are all seated, there is still an underlying drumbeat of sorrow that keeps pulsing through, and it can feel like your mind has gone numb. You aren't necessarily crying a lot anymore, but there is a frozen, leaden feeling inside your head. 

The stanza that speaks of hearing "them lift a Box / And creak across my Soul" could be actual memories of the funeral and casket. If there is any guilt or regret associated with the person's death, it can seem like those thoughts will consume you: "As all the Heavens were a Bell, / And Being, but an Ear." If a person allows that guilt and regret to take over, I can imagine the last stanza would happen--one might feel "a Plank in Reason broke" and one might "finish knowing" by actually falling into a deep depression. Thankfully, I was able to find healing from my grief, but I can see how this poem could describe some who literally have never been able to lead normal lives again after suffering a heartbreaking loss.

How do you find displacement?

There are two types of displacement you could be referring to in science. One is a measure of how far away an object ends up from where it started out. You will use this in physics problems when you are calculating velocity. Velocity is the displacement from its origin of an object, divided by the time; it is therefore a vector quantity, because the direction matters. This is different from speed, which is distance traveled...

There are two types of displacement you could be referring to in science. One is a measure of how far away an object ends up from where it started out. You will use this in physics problems when you are calculating velocity. Velocity is the displacement from its origin of an object, divided by the time; it is therefore a vector quantity, because the direction matters. This is different from speed, which is distance traveled divided by time. You can see the difference by picturing yourself running around a 400 meter track and back to the start. You will have a speed of 400m divided by however many seconds you ran; if 400 seconds, then 400m/400s for a speed of 1m/s. Your velocity, however, is zero because your displacement is zero--you ended up at your starting point. 

The other use of "displacement" in science refers to measuring the volume of an object by seeing how much liquid it displaces when it is submerged. For example, if you fill a large graduated cylinder to a volume of 600 ml, and found that after you submerged your object the total volume went up to 750 ml, you would know your object's volume was 150 ml. This is a useful way to find the volume of an oddly shaped object.

Why did Iggy stop harassing Kevin and Max?

I'm going to guess that your question is referencing Chapter 11, in which Kevin and Max attempt to return Loretta Lee's stolen purse.  In this chapter, Max quickly gets a bad feeling about the place they've come to and the people they are about to meet, but once Loretta opens the door, he has a difficult time making an escape.  Kevin says several times that he has to return home, but his comments are ignored....

I'm going to guess that your question is referencing Chapter 11, in which Kevin and Max attempt to return Loretta Lee's stolen purse.  In this chapter, Max quickly gets a bad feeling about the place they've come to and the people they are about to meet, but once Loretta opens the door, he has a difficult time making an escape.  Kevin says several times that he has to return home, but his comments are ignored. When Iggy sees the unlikely duo of Freak and Max, he seizes the opportunity to make fun of others who are weaker than himself. In fact, 

. . . he gives Loretta this secret look, like he's going to have some fun here.

He proceeds to question the boys, to make threatening remarks to them, even suggesting that they might have stolen money from Loretta's purse.  However, his whole attitude changes when Loretta suddenly remembers why Max looks so familiar to her.  As soon as Iggy realizes that Max must be the son of "Killer Kane," he stops the harassment.  He explains:

''What if Killer Kane hears I was messing with his kid? No thank you."

Knowing who Max's father is is enough to stop Iggy's torment of the boys, and they soon are able to make their way out of the apartment unharmed.

What type of personailtiy does the house have in the story "There Will Come Soft Rains"?

That's an interesting question, because the story doesn't actually have any human characters in it. The reader gets to read about a house, which is something that isn't often compared to a personality. However, the story uses anthropomorphism to give the house a wide ranging personality.  

First and foremost, I have always gotten the feeling that the house is quite nurturing. The house takes care of the cleaning, it tries to wake the family...

That's an interesting question, because the story doesn't actually have any human characters in it. The reader gets to read about a house, which is something that isn't often compared to a personality. However, the story uses anthropomorphism to give the house a wide ranging personality.  

First and foremost, I have always gotten the feeling that the house is quite nurturing. The house takes care of the cleaning, it tries to wake the family up in the morning, it cooks them breakfast, and even clears the table without complaint (despite the fact that nobody ate the meal). The house sees to the needs of each individual person with equal amounts of detail.  Even the head of the household is not ignored in favor of the children, because his card table is automatically set up for the bridge game. 

I can't fully say that the house is full of soft, nurturing qualities though.  There is a moment when the house seems to get annoyed and angry.  This occurs when the dog tracks in mud.  

The dog, once huge and fleshy, but now gone to bone and covered with sores, moved in and through the house, tracking mud. Behind it whirred angry mice, angry at having to pick up mud, angry at inconvenience.

If the house were a person, there are a few other words that I would use to describe it and its personality.  Dependable and efficient are both words that I think aptly describe the house's personality.  There just isn't a moment that the home isn't taking care of something or anticipating a future need of the now dead owners.  For example, the house takes less than 15 minutes to collect the dead dog and have it incinerated.  That's dependable and efficient.

Two o'clock, sang a voice.

Delicately sensing decay at last, the regiments of mice hummed out as softly as blown gray leaves in an electrical wind.

Two-fifteen.

The dog was gone.

In the cellar, the incinerator glowed suddenly and a whirl of sparks leaped up the chimney.

How was society structured under France's ancien régime?

Under the ancien regime (society before the French Revolution in 1789) French society was divided into what were called estates, or social orders. These were upheld both by tradition and law. There were three estates, which were structured as follows.

The First Estate encompassed the Catholic clergy. This included senior Church positions (bishops, abbots, etc.) and technically the poor parish priests who ministered to peasants in the French countryside. Higher Church officials, many of whom...

Under the ancien regime (society before the French Revolution in 1789) French society was divided into what were called estates, or social orders. These were upheld both by tradition and law. There were three estates, which were structured as follows.

The First Estate encompassed the Catholic clergy. This included senior Church positions (bishops, abbots, etc.) and technically the poor parish priests who ministered to peasants in the French countryside. Higher Church officials, many of whom were also secular nobility, enjoyed considerable privileges. They were exempt from taxation and collected revenue from tithes and other fees. 

The Second Estate included the hereditary aristocracy. There were two types of nobility: those who descended from old nobility (nobility of the sword, or noblesse d'épée) and newer nobility (nobility of the robe, or noblesse de robe). The latter were mostly bureaucrats and officeholders who had purchased their positions from the king. The Second Estate was largely immune from taxation, including the taille, or head tax.

The Third Estate, in short, included everyone else in French society. The vast majority of the third estate were peasants, but this order also included urban workers (known as sans-culottes). But the Third Estate also included the bourgeoisie, a comfortable class of merchants, lawyers, and business owners whose wealth was growing throughout the eighteenth century. While many purchased their way into the nobility, as mentioned above, many others greatly resented the system of taxation that protected the nobility and especially the clergy. 

In the book Night by Elie Weisel, why did the citizens resisit the truth, even when it was in front of them?

The Jews of Sighet were well aware of some of the atrocities being committed by the Nazis against their community in different regions. However, this awareness was dulled down by their false sense of security and blind optimism. In addition, news from their radios filled them with hope that the opposing army will rescue them.

And so we, the Jews of Sighet, waited for better days that surely were soon to come.

"The Red Army...

The Jews of Sighet were well aware of some of the atrocities being committed by the Nazis against their community in different regions. However, this awareness was dulled down by their false sense of security and blind optimism. In addition, news from their radios filled them with hope that the opposing army will rescue them.

And so we, the Jews of Sighet, waited for better days that surely were soon to come.

"The Red Army is advancing with giant strides…Hitler will not be able to harm us, even if he wants to…"

The Jews were comfortable in Sighet, and they were not willing to relinquish what they had worked hard for over the years, to start over again in a foreign land. The option to relocate to Palestine was not really an option for most of them.

"I am too old, my son," he answered. "Too old to start a new life. Too old to start from scratch in some distant land…"

They cited geographical and strategic reasons that would prevent the Nazis from reaching Sighet. When the Gestapo arrived in Sighet, the people remained optimistic that they would only be exposed to lighter effects of war such as labor camps. They did not realize that this was not an ordinary war, and Hitler was bent on carrying out the “final solution” regardless of the negative sentiments. For the Jews of Sighet, the war would pass, and they would go back to living their lives, but this was not to be.

Yes, we even doubted his resolve to exterminate us.

Annihilate an entire people? Wipe out a population dispersed throughout so many nations? So many millions of people! By what means? In the middle of the twentieth century!

Can you please give me information about three germ layers and a list of organs formed by them?

In the development of a fetus, the original fertilized egg cell divides; each of those cells divide until the embryo reaches a stage where it is a hollow ball of cells--the blastula. An indentation forms in one end; pushing your thumbs into a balloon helps visualize this process, called gastrulation. At this point the cells of the embryo begin to differentiate (specialize).

If we keep the balloon analogy, the cells that are still on the...

In the development of a fetus, the original fertilized egg cell divides; each of those cells divide until the embryo reaches a stage where it is a hollow ball of cells--the blastula. An indentation forms in one end; pushing your thumbs into a balloon helps visualize this process, called gastrulation. At this point the cells of the embryo begin to differentiate (specialize).

If we keep the balloon analogy, the cells that are still on the outside are what is called the exoderm. It becomes the skin, parts of the nervous system including the brain, the cornea of the eye, and mammary glands.

The indentation around your thumbs, which eventually extends to create a tube all the way through, is referred to as the endoderm. It becomes the lining of the digestive tract, and organs including the stomach, liver, pancreas, and intestines as well as parts of the respiratory system such as the lungs. It also forms part of the urinary system and the thyroid gland.

The layer in between the exoderm and endoderm is the mesoderm. It becomes the circulatory system (including the heart), the muscles, the bones, the lymphatic system, and parts of the reproductive system.

The information I've given you applies to mammals, including humans (as well as other types of animals). See the second link below for information about other types of development.

When Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth about his plans, he replies "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, / Till thou applaud the deed." What...

Macbeth makes this statement to his wife after he has hired men to murder Banquo and his son, Fleance. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that his mind is "full of scorpions" because Banquo and his son are still alive and a threat to him. He mentions too that Banquo and Fleance are vulnerable to murder and that soon "a deed of dreadful note" will occur. Lady Macbeth asks him what he plans to do. It is here that he says "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck/Till thou applaud the deed." What he means is, it's better that you don't  know what is going to happen, my dear, until after it has happened--and then, he says, you can celebrate.

Macbeth might as well have told her his plans, as it must be obvious to her that he is, one way or another, going to commit more murder. He tells her not to look startled, for evil deeds lead to more evil deeds. But by not informing her exactly how the murders are going to happen, he leaves with deniability. He also tries to protect her from his own guilt, because he knows Banquo and Fleance will be killed before she can do anything about it. At the same time, he has tipped her off so that she will know who is responsible for the deaths. The irony, of course, is, that Fleance's murder will be botched, so there won't be much to applaud. At this point, as this speech to his wife indicates, Macbeth has perhaps gotten overconfident. 

From Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, where is racism addressed through the characters of Atticus Finch, Bob Ewell, and Tom Robinson?

After the Tom Robinson trial, Atticus and Jem are discussing the laws surrounding rape. Jem wonders why a verdict of death was appropriate for the crime. Atticus explains the racism surrounding the trial was wrong, not the law. Atticus explicitly says the following:

"Tom Robinson's a colored man, Jem. No jury in this part of the world's going to say, 'We think you're guilty, but not very,' on a charge like that. It was either a straight acquittal or nothing" (219).

In the above passage, Atticus recognizes the prejudice that plagues the South and that there was no partial sentencing for Tom Robinson simply because he was black. Atticus also says later that capital punishment is an appropriate sentencing for rape as long as there are a couple of witnesses and proof that the crime was committed; but for Tom, that didn't happen and they still sentenced him to death.

Another example of racism is shown through the character Bob Ewell. Just the fact that Bob knew he could press charges on a black man and win the case because he is white proves he is racist. He even expected all of the white people in the community to support his side of the case even though he is the trashiest person in the county. When Atticus takes Tom's side seriously, and then makes Bob Ewell look like the liar he is, Bob seeks revenge. Bob also represents racist people like himself when he spits in Atticus's face and says the following:"Too proud to fight, you nigger-lovin' bastard" (217). Only racist people would say such insulting things like Bob Ewell does.

Finally, Tom Robinson is the victim of racism, but he is brave enough to take the witness stand and speak out against it by way of testimony. During cross examination with Mr. Gilmer, Tom is asked if Mr. Ewell ran him off of his property. Tom says Ewell didn't run him off because he got out of there as quickly as possible. Mr. Gilmer asks if Tom had a clear conscience, then why run away? Tom exposes the racism that blacks in the South face by saying, "Like I says before, it weren't safe for any nigger to be in a--fix like that" (198). Tom knows that when it comes down to a situation between different races in the South, white always wins, so he ran. Tom runs again, too, when he is sent to prison. He runs for the fence and gets shot because, as Atticus surmises, he must have tried the justice system and finally decided to take his fate into his own hands. 

In the story "Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing what two lessons did Jerry learn?

I think Jerry learned more than only two lessons in the story.  

One lesson that he learned was the importance of training.  I think he always knew the importance of training, which is why he worked so hard to build up his lung capacity and ability to hold his breath for long periods of time.  

That day and the next, Jerry exercised his lungs as if everything, the whole of his life, all that he could become, depended upon it.

His training paid off and Jerry was able to hold his breath for the necessary two to three minutes

“Mummy,” he said, “I can stay under water for two minutes, three minutes, at least… It came bursting out of him.

Related to the lesson learned about training is what the training is symbolic of.  The second lesson that Jerry learned is the importance and power of his own determination.  He goes about his goal with a single minded focus.  He achieves success, and Jerry no longer feels a deep need to prove himself to the other boys.  

It was no longer of the least importance to go to the bay.

Why would it no longer be important to be with those other boys?  After all, he screamed at the top of his lungs for them to simply notice him earlier.  

And now, in a panic of failure, he yelled up, in English, “Look at me! Look!” and he began splashing and kicking in the water like a foolish dog.

It's no longer important because the lesson that Jerry learned is that what others think is unimportant.  He met and achieved his own goal.  He proved it to himself and that is much more important to him than anything else. 

I believe that Jerry learned one more lesson.  I believe that Jerry learned that independence from his mother doesn't mean that she must be absent from his life.  From the beginning of the story, Jerry desperately wants to assert his independence from his mother.  He does this by spending as little time with her as possible.  When she forces Jerry to stay put, it chafes and grates on him.  He doesn't take it well.  

Again his nose bled at night, and his mother insisted on his coming with her the next day. It was a torment to him to waste a day of his careful training, but he stayed with her on that other beach, which now seemed a place for small children, a place where his mother might lie safe in the sun. It was not his beach.

But by the end of the story, Jerry has stepped across a threshold to manhood, and he no longer sees his mother as an enemy combatant.  

I don’t think you ought to swim any more today.” She was ready for a battle of wills, but he gave in at once.

Previously, Jerry would have fought his mom on that comment.  But since learning those other things about himself, Jerry doesn't feel the need to establish his independence by distancing himself from his mother. 

What political evidence supports the argument that the US should not have entered WWI?

America should not have entered WWI for many reasons.  Germany had a right to blockade Britain as Britain had mined the North Sea.  Furthermore, Britain flew the flags of neutral vessels to avoid attack, which broke laws of maritime warfare at the time.  For America to claim neutrality when it sold arms and made loans to Allied nations was questionable at best.  

America also claimed to be influenced by German atrocities at the Western...

America should not have entered WWI for many reasons.  Germany had a right to blockade Britain as Britain had mined the North Sea.  Furthermore, Britain flew the flags of neutral vessels to avoid attack, which broke laws of maritime warfare at the time.  For America to claim neutrality when it sold arms and made loans to Allied nations was questionable at best.  

America also claimed to be influenced by German atrocities at the Western Front, especially against Belgium.  These atrocities were largely overblown by the British and French media, and even American servicemen and news correspondents who went to the Front said that they did not see any war crimes committed against the Belgians.  Early in the war, Britain cut the German transatlantic ocean cable, ensuring only the Allied side of events went through.  

Also, look at Wilson's rationale for going to war--"a war to make the world safe for democracy."  America backed two imperial powers in Britain and France who had long treated their colonies in Africa and Asia poorly, and we lent aid to the autocrat czar Nicholas II.  This was not a war of good vs. evil--it was a European squabble that threatened to destabilize the balance of power in Europe.  

How does Ralph represent common sense?

Ralph is the one who insists upon keeping the fire going. He knows this is their best chance to be spotted and potentially rescued. Ralph also is the one who keeps reminding the other boys the importance of building the shelters. Only Piggy and Simon fully support him in these two necessities. 

Ralph stands in contrast to Jack who is more interested in hunting. There is the logical (common sense) fact that having meat is...

Ralph is the one who insists upon keeping the fire going. He knows this is their best chance to be spotted and potentially rescued. Ralph also is the one who keeps reminding the other boys the importance of building the shelters. Only Piggy and Simon fully support him in these two necessities. 

Ralph stands in contrast to Jack who is more interested in hunting. There is the logical (common sense) fact that having meat is a necessity (even though the boys have plenty of fruit). But Jack's interest in hunting stems from a primal desire for violence. Thus, Jack regresses and becomes more savage. In contrast, Ralph sticks with his common sense and his sense of responsibility. Piggy also represents and illustrates common sense and reason. Simon is wise. Piggy is logical. Ralph is responsible. They are the civilized leaders of the island, with Ralph being the alpha leader of this group. 

In Chapter 4, Jack and his group are out hunting. They neglect the fire and it goes out. Unfortunately, a ship passes while the fire is out. With no fire, there is no smoke. With no smoke, there is no signal to attract the attention of a passing ship. Here, we see the dichotomy between Ralph and Jack. Jack thinks they needed to go hunting. Ralph is furious that they let the fire go out. Clearly, Ralph shows basic common sense in confronting Jack. Ralph repeats "You let the fire go out." He repeats, "There was a ship." He is being simple and direct as a way to best communicate his frustration. 

How can I compare how Lady Macbeth and Abigail Williams are portrayed with historical background?

Lady Macbeth and Abigail Williams both shattered the stereotypical conventions of a woman’s behavior in their respective times in order to achieve selfish, evil goals.

Though they lived in different time periods, the social expectations for both women would have been remarkably similar: to be subservient to the men in their households and in the town, to take good care of a home, to be modest, quiet, chaste, loving, meek, and selfless. In Abigail Williams’...

Lady Macbeth and Abigail Williams both shattered the stereotypical conventions of a woman’s behavior in their respective times in order to achieve selfish, evil goals.

Though they lived in different time periods, the social expectations for both women would have been remarkably similar: to be subservient to the men in their households and in the town, to take good care of a home, to be modest, quiet, chaste, loving, meek, and selfless. In Abigail Williams’ society, male religious leaders held the most power; for Lady Macbeth, it was male military leaders.

Both women were ambitious manipulators. Lady Macbeth mixed taunting with sexual allure to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan, though she appeared to welcome the king and his retinue graciously, honored to be their hostess.  Abigail Williams seduced John Proctor, but then convinced an entire town she was holy and God-fearing, having only the general good of the community at heart.

Both women also see the chain of events they started spiral out of their control and escape the situation. Lady Macbeth commits suicide in the depths of remorse; Abigail never repents, but she does run away.

Lady Macbeth and Abigail Williams appear on the surface to be the kind of women their societies would have approved, but underneath they were the complete opposite.

What is interesting about the physical contrast of Mrs. Jones and Roger in the story "Thank you Ma'am"?

It is interesting that Mrs. Jones is physically larger and stronger than Roger because she "turns the tables" on Roger and because she is also figuratively a bigger person, being morally stronger.

"Thank you, M'am" by Langston Hughes is a delightful story because of the edifying ending, but also because of its humor. For, the reader can just picture little Roger tipping over as he tries to hang on to Mrs. Jones's purse. And, then...

It is interesting that Mrs. Jones is physically larger and stronger than Roger because she "turns the tables" on Roger and because she is also figuratively a bigger person, being morally stronger.

"Thank you, M'am" by Langston Hughes is a delightful story because of the edifying ending, but also because of its humor. For, the reader can just picture little Roger tipping over as he tries to hang on to Mrs. Jones's purse. And, then Mrs. Jones literally attacks him:

...the large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter. Then she reached down, picked the boy up by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.

Roger certainly has to be humiliated by being so helpless at the hands of a woman he must have believed an easy target just moments before. So, Mrs. Jones gets "the upper hand" on Roger both physically and psychologically. But, after winning the physical struggle with Roger, she proves to be a very compassionate and charitable person. Exhibiting motherly traits, Mrs. Jones asks Roger, "Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?” When Roger responds in the negative, she replies, "Then it will get washed this evening" and takes him to her rented room where he can wash his face while she prepares a meal for them to share.

Roger is so moved by her goodness that he comes to desire her trust in him; moreover, when she gives him her hard-earned ten dollars so that he can buy the shoes he desires, he is so touched by her charity and love that all he can say is "Thank you."

Better Days Ahead, a charitable organization, has a standing agreement with First National Bank. The agreement allows Better Days Ahead to...

Let's move systematically through these numbered questions!

1. Several different accounts will be affected as a result of Jacob Henson's actions:

Accounts that would experience a credit include:

- liabilities (from the overdraft)

- expenses

- assets

Accounts that would experience a debit include:

- revenue

- equity

2. A negative bank balance would be listed in the Trial Balance as an overdraft. This Trial Balance lists all of the accounts and their balances that...

Let's move systematically through these numbered questions!

1. Several different accounts will be affected as a result of Jacob Henson's actions:

Accounts that would experience a credit include:

- liabilities (from the overdraft)

- expenses

- assets

Accounts that would experience a debit include:

- revenue

- equity

2. A negative bank balance would be listed in the Trial Balance as an overdraft. This Trial Balance lists all of the accounts and their balances that appear in the lifetime financial records of "Better Days Ahead." This report separates out credit and debit into different columns. Thus, if we are being specific, the overdraft would be marked down in the debit column of the Trial Balance.

3. Let's for the sake of the argument define ethics as the principles guiding "right action" around the business' conduct. Technically speaking, First National Bank has agreed to allow Better Days Ahead to overdraw its cash balance when funds are running low. The question itself doesn't inform us whether or not funds are actually running low when Henson overdraws. You might argue that it wouldn't make sense to expand if the stability of financial operations are already at stake; you could also argue that the expansion is being done in order to revitalize these low numbers. Let's go with the latter option: Henson technically isn't doing anything "unethical" in that the agreement does stand with the bank. However, is this necessarily a wise decision? Not really. The money spent on fundraising might have proven beneficial in bringing in donations, but from the sound of the situation (specifically, his maintained negative balance), it doesn't appear to have worked. The vague information about the office equipment also does not inspire a lot of confidence in me: was this new equipment truly necessary? Or was it simply upgrading already functional equipment? We don't have that information.

4. For the above reason, no, I do not approve of Henson's management of funds. It does not bode well for the company that he was unable to correct the negative balance. 

What is the solution and conclusion in the book "Fahrenheit 451" ?

At the end of the novel, Fahrenheit 451, Montag has joined the group of book hobos where each member of the group has memorized an important work of literature or history.  Montag has memorized two parts of the Bible, Ecclesiastes and Revelations.  There is no real solution to the story because we don’t know what happens to society and Montag after he witnesses the nuclear bombing of the town where he lived and was...

At the end of the novel, Fahrenheit 451, Montag has joined the group of book hobos where each member of the group has memorized an important work of literature or history.  Montag has memorized two parts of the Bible, Ecclesiastes and Revelations.  There is no real solution to the story because we don’t know what happens to society and Montag after he witnesses the nuclear bombing of the town where he lived and was a fireman.  Bradbury doesn’t give us any hints or clues as to what is to happen to the small group of men other than perhaps a little bit of hope that once the oppressive government is destroyed, knowledge will be born again through the memorization of the books.  By Montag memorizing Ecclesiastes, Bradbury suggests that there is a “time for everything” and the rebuilding of the society will come.

Here is the excerpt Montag memorizes suggesting that a new world is yet to come for the oppressed citizens of Fahrenheit 451.

Ecclesiastes

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

What are the figures of speech in "All Summer in a Day"?

Ray Bradbury is a master of using figures of speech to make his writing more descriptive.  His use of metaphors, personification, similes, etc. enhances the reader’s experiences with his stories because they become so visual; and therefore, they are able to be imagined. 

Here are some examples from the story, “All Summer in a Day”.

Simile—“The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at...

Ray Bradbury is a master of using figures of speech to make his writing more descriptive.  His use of metaphors, personification, similes, etc. enhances the reader’s experiences with his stories because they become so visual; and therefore, they are able to be imagined. 

Here are some examples from the story, “All Summer in a Day”.

Simile—“The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun.”  Here, Bradbury is comparing the children to roses and weeds or good children and bad children.

Metaphor—“ . . . the endless shaking down of clear bead necklaces upon the roof.”  Bradbury compares the continuous raindrops to clear beads on a necklace.

Metaphor--She was an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at all her voice would be a ghost.  Bradbury is describing Margot, the main character, by relating her to a dusty album and a ghost.

Simile--"It’s like a penny," she said once, eyes closed. "No, it's not!" the children cried. "It's like a fire," she said, "in the stove."  These are Margot’s comparisons of the sun to a penny and a fire in a stove.

“They stopped running and stood in the great jungle that covered Venus, that grew and never stopped growing, tumultuously, even as you watched it. It was a nest of octopuses, clustering up great arms of flesh-like weed, wavering, flowering in this brief spring. It was the color of rubber and ash, this jungle, from the many years without sun. It was the color of stones and white cheeses and ink, and it was the color of the moon.”  This excerpt is full of figures of speech including personification when Bradbury compares the jungle to a nest of octopuses.

In chapter one titled "Our Society" of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel Cranford, is Captain Brown a flat or round character?

In "Our Society", chapter one of the novel Cranford, Captain Brown is a round character. Round characters are presented to the reader like real people, in comparison to flat characters who only show the reader their superficial, one-dimensional surface.

In this chapter the reader learns that "the ladies of Cranford are quite sufficient" and prefer to live without men. They believe that "'a man...is so in the way in the house!'” (2). In comes Captain Brown, "a half-pay captain" who "had obtained some situation on a neighbouring railroad" and moves to Cranford. He instantly challenges the "Amazonian" women's rules of society, annoying the narrator and Miss Jenkyns, the town's matriarch.

First, we learn that in a society where the women believe it tacky to speak of money, Captain Brown boasts that he is poor, and we are given specific details about his personality and speech:

I never shall forget the dismay felt when a certain Captain Brown came to live at Cranford, and openly spoke about his being poor—not in a whisper to an intimate friend, the doors and windows being previously closed, but in the public street! in a loud military voice! (6).

Next, we are told that Brown “spoke in a voice too large for the room, and joked” often (7). He is also “friendly, though the Cranford ladies had been cool” to him, and is sarcastic and honest, all traits that the narrator thinks are those of “a man who was not ashamed to be poor.”  The narrator is extremely surprised that Captain Brown, as annoying as he is to her, has earned an “extraordinary place as authority among the Cranford ladies.”  However, despite his popularity, the reader is told that he is not changed by it, but remains unpretentious and friendly.

Finally, more details that develop Brown into a round character are the fact that he has two daughters, Miss Brown and Miss Jessie, and we are given specific details about his children. The reader is even told that Brown “had taken a small house on the outskirts of the town”(8). Through the use of imagery, the reader can imagine what Brown looks like: he is described as being around sixty years old but having “a wiry, well-trained, elastic figure, a stiff military throw-back of his head, and a springing step, which made him appear much younger than he was" (9).

The abundance of imagery and specific details about Captain Brown's personality, appearance, living/professional situations, and family makes him an obvious round character that grows on the reader, just as he did the women of Cranford.

What question is repeatedly asked in the poem "The Tyger"?

The serial questions that make up the text of William Blake's "The Tyger" are all variations on a single question, namely, "Who designed and created the Tyger?" The first question asks, "What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?" To paraphrase, this means, "What kind of God could make a creature so frightening?" 

The second stanza could be paraphrased as "How far did the Creator have to go to obtain the dreadful fire...

The serial questions that make up the text of William Blake's "The Tyger" are all variations on a single question, namely, "Who designed and created the Tyger?" The first question asks, "What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?" To paraphrase, this means, "What kind of God could make a creature so frightening?" 

The second stanza could be paraphrased as "How far did the Creator have to go to obtain the dreadful fire of the Tyger's eyes, and how did he dare grasp it in his hands?"

The third stanza asks what shoulder, hand, or feet could use its creative skill to mold such a fearsome beast.

The fourth stanza uses imagery of a blacksmith shop to ask what tools could have been used to fashion the deadly animal.

The fifth stanza wonders whether, when creation was complete, the God who was responsible for creating this monster smiled, or whether he mourned along with the stars at the ravenous beast. It then asks, "Did he who made the Lamb make thee?" The contrast is astounding because the Tyger is the polar opposite of the gentle, harmless lamb.

Finally the last stanza reiterates word for word the question posed in the first stanza. All the questions in the poem are ways of asking what kind of God could make such a deadly and frightening animal. 

What time period is the setting for the novel Buried Onions?

The first copyright listed for Gary Soto's novel Buried Onionsis 1996 and that is precisely the year in which the protagonist Eddie goes through his travails in the barrio of southeast Fresno. Soto reveals the exact year in chapter six when Eddie is in the Navy recruiting office. Eddie is wearing a Fresno State t-shirt with a picture of a bulldog, the university's athletic mascot. The recruiter comments on the the shirt, and tells...

The first copyright listed for Gary Soto's novel Buried Onions is 1996 and that is precisely the year in which the protagonist Eddie goes through his travails in the barrio of southeast Fresno. Soto reveals the exact year in chapter six when Eddie is in the Navy recruiting office. Eddie is wearing a Fresno State t-shirt with a picture of a bulldog, the university's athletic mascot. The recruiter comments on the the shirt, and tells Eddie that Jerry Tarkanian, the basketball team's second year coach, would turn them around. Tarkanian coached at Fresno State from 1995-2002 and they were indeed successful during his tenure. Tarkanian, a quite unique individual, is more famous for his time at the University of Nevada Las Vegas where he won an NCAA championship with the Runnin' Rebels in 1990. In the office there is also a picture of the president smiling from the wall, but Soto never indicates which president. Because it's 1996 the man would have been Bill Clinton. Throughout his novel Soto is quite accurate in his portrayal of Fresno in the 1990's, setting scenes at Fresno City College, Holmes Playground on First Street and Cuca's Restaurant which is still in business on F Street.  

"Is the current level of federal government spending good economic policy?”

There is no way to answer this question objectively.  Different people will have different answers. Moreover, there is no way to prove that the current level of government spending is good or bad economic policy. Here are two important factors to think about when trying to decide whether our current levels of spending are good.

First, we have to think about whether our current levels of spending are too high. The US government, of course,...

There is no way to answer this question objectively.  Different people will have different answers. Moreover, there is no way to prove that the current level of government spending is good or bad economic policy. Here are two important factors to think about when trying to decide whether our current levels of spending are good.

First, we have to think about whether our current levels of spending are too high. The US government, of course, runs a rather high deficit every year.  As of right now, our deficit is about 2.5% of GDP.  These deficits have accumulated to create a rather large debt on which the US must pay interest.  Some people would argue that these deficits and this debt are bad for the US because they create a “crowding out” effect.  That is, the government borrows so much money that there is not enough for people and businesses to borrow, making it harder for our economy to grow. If you believe this, you might conclude that our government spending is too high.

The second issue is whether our money is being spent wisely. It is not necessarily bad to have deficit spending or debt.  However, it is important that the government spend on things that will be useful in the long run.  People typically say, for instance, that government spending on roads and bridges and such is good because it creates infrastructure that allows our economy to grow. This makes such spending a good investment. On the other hand, if the government is spending on things that will not help our economy grow in the future, we could argue that our government is spending on the wrong things. If the government is spending on the wrong things, we can conclude that current levels of government spending are not good economic policy.

Explain what happens to Curley's wife in the barn?

Lennie is in the barn, holding his dead puppy. Like the mouse he had at the beginning of the novel, the puppy had been killed by Lennie’s petting it and smacking it when it tried to bite him. He tries to hide it in the straw, but he takes it out again, asking it why it had done that, basically blaming the puppy for being killed. Curley’s wife comes in and finds Lennie with the...

Lennie is in the barn, holding his dead puppy. Like the mouse he had at the beginning of the novel, the puppy had been killed by Lennie’s petting it and smacking it when it tried to bite him. He tries to hide it in the straw, but he takes it out again, asking it why it had done that, basically blaming the puppy for being killed. Curley’s wife comes in and finds Lennie with the puppy. Learning that Lennie liked to pet soft things, she told him that she knows how he feels, because she likes to feel her hair when it is clean. She has Lennie feel her hair to see, but Lennie strokes to hard. She becomes frighten and tells him to stop, but Lennie, whenever he is confronted like this, panics, and grabs hold and won’t let go. She tries to escape, and Lennie tries to stop her. Holding her roughly, Lennie breaks her neck, killing her instantly. He does not know what to do when Candy comes in and finds them. He retrieves George, who tells Lennie to run away to the spot they had agreed on should Lennie cause any trouble. George makes a plan with Candy that will prevent people from thinking that he was in on this with Lennie. The others come in, including Curley, and take off in search of Lennie in order to lynch him.

Other than Ralph, who are two other characters that lose their innocence in the novel Lord of the Flies, and what are some examples to prove it?

Aside from Ralph, the characters of Maurice and Roger also lose their innocence throughout the novel Lord of the Flies. At the beginning of the novel Maurice is portrayed as a funny, helpful boy. In Chapter 2, Maurice helps the boys gather driftwood for the fire, and in Chapter 5 he makes the boys laugh to cheer them up towards the end of a depressing meeting. Roger is also viewed as a helpful, positive character...

Aside from Ralph, the characters of Maurice and Roger also lose their innocence throughout the novel Lord of the Flies. At the beginning of the novel Maurice is portrayed as a funny, helpful boy. In Chapter 2, Maurice helps the boys gather driftwood for the fire, and in Chapter 5 he makes the boys laugh to cheer them up towards the end of a depressing meeting. Roger is also viewed as a helpful, positive character at the beginning of the novel. In Chapter 1, Roger is the first to suggest that the boys choose their leader via a vote, and in Chapter 2 he also partakes in gathering driftwood for the signal fire. The boys' behavior is innocent because they are acting civilly and have not yet partaken in savage acts.

There are several critical moments throughout the novel that depict Maurice and Roger's decent into savagery and loss of innocence. In Chapter 4, Maurice and Roger are walking past the littluns building sandcastles on the beach, when Roger begins destroying the sandcastles. Maurice follows along and begins kicking down the sandcastles. Maurice "felt the unease at his wrongdoing" because in his old life he would have been chastised for ruining the boys' sandcastles. (Golding 60) Later on in Chapter 4, Roger begins to throw stones at Henry, but purposely misses. Roger purposely missing is significant because it depicts the remnants of civility still left in his memory, and his remaining innocence, which is waning.  

After joining Jack's savage group of hunters, Maurice becomes so involved that he suggest the boys use a drum for ceremoniously slaughtering pigs. In Chapter 10, Maurice has completely descended into barbarism, and he accompanies Jack and Roger to steal Piggy's glasses. Roger turns into a sadist by the end of the novel, and there are several scenes that portray his brutal behavior. In Chapter 8, Roger viciously stabs the pig up its rear and laughs about it, and in Chapter 11 Roger rolls a boulder, killing Piggy. Maurice and Roger's participation in savage acts and support for Jack's tyrannical leadership prove they have completely lost their innocence.

Hello, I'm having trouble understanding exactly the meaning of a thesis in this story "shooting an elephant."

I am assuming from the question that you want to come up with a thesis for Orwell's essay. You can do so by isolating one theme, such as the narrator's conflict between being true to himself and doing his job as colonial policeman in Burma. Burma at this time was a British colony and the Burmese people lived under the thumb of the English who had to constantly demonstrate they were in charge. One thesis statement might be: In a world where appearances are more important than reality, people and animals suffer. 

An elephant has gone on a temporary rampage and killed a Burmese man. As the local policeman, the narrator, who is an Englishman, is expected to kill the elephant. He goes to do so with the villagers following behind him. By this time, the elephant has calmed down and is not threatening anyone. The narrator really does not want to kill the animal. It is pointless. But he knows the villagers expect it and will consider him cowardly and weak if he walks away. To keep up appearances, to show the Burmese that the British are courageous and in control, he shoots the beast. It is not easy to kill an elephant, so the animal dies slowly and painfully. The narrator feels terrible about what he has done to keep up appearances. ""I often wondered," he says at the end, "whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool." 

Orwell leaves the reader wondering what the narrator should have done. In a better world, the narrator could have followed his own heart and spared the elephant. But Orwell makes the point that in a world where the British must at all costs keep up appearances, individuals end up violating their consciences. Nobody wins. Ultimately, he is saying that we need to build social systems that give people the freedom to act humanely. 

In Ender's Game, in what categories is Ender's army ranked first after their first battle?

Ender’s Gameis the first book in Orson Scott Card’s Ender Wiggins series. The story follows Ender, a pre-teen boy who has been tapped as a future commander for Earth’s space army fighting against alien invaders. Early in the book he is sent to a space training academy where he and other children are trained to fight in “battles” – physical tactical games that take place in zero-gravity. Right before the battle your question references,...

Ender’s Game is the first book in Orson Scott Card’s Ender Wiggins series. The story follows Ender, a pre-teen boy who has been tapped as a future commander for Earth’s space army fighting against alien invaders. Early in the book he is sent to a space training academy where he and other children are trained to fight in “battles” – physical tactical games that take place in zero-gravity. Right before the battle your question references, Ender has been promoted to Commander of a newly formed Dragon Army, with untrained members who have little to no skill in the battle room.

The teams that win battles are ranked on a board in the lunchroom, but Orson Scott Card doesn’t make a note of the team’s ranking, but rather of Ender’s. During Dragon team’s first battle with Rabbit Army (a much better army), Ender uses his tactical skills and unconventional tactics to win the battle, surpassing expectations. At the end of battle, Ender has the best Commander Ranking in the school. He has a perfect win-loss record and he/the team is ranked first in average soldiers-disabled, average enemy-disabled, and average time-elapsed-before-victory. There may be other categories, but those are the ones Orson Scott Card mentions by name.

For more information or other questions on the book, check out the study guide, linked below.

What are two important characteristics the United States adopted from Ancient Greece?

The most notable characteristic the United States has adopted from Ancient Greece is the idea of a democracy. Democracy, or the Ancient Greek demokratia, literally means "people's power," and refers to a system of government where the people are in charge of the decisions. There is some ambiguity to the actual meaning of democracy- who really has the power? Who is part of the "people?" Everyone, or only the wealthy elite? It is difficult to say who actually had voting or decision making power in Ancient Greece as there is no regular census data, and most of the contemporary first-person accounts of Ancient Greek politics are from the perspective of a wealthy, educated, elite person.

In the United States we experience some degree of ambiguity in our practice of democracy, too. While every American citizen has the right to vote, many do not, and their voices go unheard in the decision-making process. There are also criticisms of the democratic republic system, whereby populations elect a representative to vote or act on their behalf in the government. People may be unhappy with their chosen representative if their ideals differ from the elected official's, and there are criticisms of how easily some politicians may be swain by bribery.

Another aspect of culture the United States has acquired from Ancient Greece is architectural style. Many government or public buildings and monuments are built in a style called Neoclassical architecture, meaning it incorporates new symbolism and motifs but is heavily based on Classical (Ancient Greek) architecture. If you look at Ancient Greek structures, you will likely see lots of columns, domes, and decorative carvings. These, too, are evident in the architectural styles popular in the United States during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

The fact that Neoclassical architecture is employed in the style of many public buildings like courthouses, banks, and government offices serves as a visual reminder to where much of the United States' sociopolitical ideology comes from.

Does Abraham Lincoln deserve credit as "the Great Emancipator"? Why or why not?

Lincoln deserves the title "the Great Emancipator" to some degree. He always disliked the institution of slavery and felt that it undermined American democracy. He was not, however, convinced of the ability of African-American people to participate in an integrated society, and he considered the idea of founding a colony for former slaves in Central America. At first, he was not in favor of abolitionism but only wanted to end slavery where it already existed,...

Lincoln deserves the title "the Great Emancipator" to some degree. He always disliked the institution of slavery and felt that it undermined American democracy. He was not, however, convinced of the ability of African-American people to participate in an integrated society, and he considered the idea of founding a colony for former slaves in Central America. At first, he was not in favor of abolitionism but only wanted to end slavery where it already existed, believing it would eventually die out—a position referred to as "Free Soil."

When Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, it was a politically expedient move. He had to pacify the Radical Republicans in Congress who were eager to emancipate the slaves, but he also had to mollify the border states who were ready to secede. In addition, the New York City Draft Riots of 1863 (which took place after the Emancipation Proclamation was passed) proved that many Northerners, including Irish workingmen, were worried that the emancipation of the slaves would hurt them economically. Lincoln was a political realist and knew that he could only pass a measure that was largely symbolic in nature, as the Emancipation Proclamation only freed the slaves in the south (and they were not actually freed until the 13th Amendment was passed after the Civil War). 

In reality, the true emancipators were the members of the abolitionist movement, black and white, who worked to end slavery. For example, the African-American abolitionist, writer, and orator Frederick Douglass was tireless in pushing Lincoln to move towards emancipation. The leaders of abolitionism were the true figures of emancipation, though Lincoln eventually came to agree with their viewpoints and helped them pursue emancipation on a national scale.

How are the two poems "Because I could mot stop for death" and "I heard a fly buzz - when I died" similar?

Emily Dickinson wrote many poems about death. Two of the most unusual of them are "Because I could not stop for Death" (479) and "I heard a Fly buzz - when I died" (591). Both of these poems relate the death of the speaker in the first person, meaning that the speaker is describing her own death after she has already died. In this each poem violates the adage, "Dead men tell no tales." One of the most mysterious things about death is that no one has lived through it to tell us about it. This accounts for, in our day, public fascination with near death experience accounts like Heaven Is for Real and others.

Both poems personify death, giving it human characteristics. In the former, Death is driving a carriage that brings the speaker to the graveyard. In the latter, death is described as "the King" in line 7. Both poems reveal a resignation toward death; the speaker knew she had to go. In Poem 479, she states, "I had put away / My labor and my leisure too, / For His Civility." Poem 591 mentions the speaker having made her last will and testament. Both poems have a calm, quiet tone. "We slowly drove - He knew no haste" describes the mood in the first poem, and the second refers to "the Stillness in the Room."

Both poems use understatement to great effect. The first describes Immortality, an overwhelming concept, as something that is able to ride as an extra passenger in the carriage. The second focuses on the sound of a fly buzzing--something very mundane and insignificant when compared to the immensity of death.

Both poems use the "fourteener" structure that Dickinson favored: Each stanza consists of fourteen iambic feet arranged in alternating lines of four and three. Of course, both poems also display Dickinson's unique capitalization and punctuation quirks, especially the dash.

Both poems demonstrate Dickinson's unparalleled poetic genius in that they capture a perspective on death that challenges the reader to consider the topic in new and surprising ways.

What effect does the protagonist in "To Build a Fire" have on others?

I think the point of the story is that the man's death in the wilderness is pointless—no one is affected, in any significant way. Of course, there are not many characters in the story—other than the man, there is the dog, who is smarter about the cold than the man, and the old timer, whose advice the man ignores, and "the boys" at the camp he is walking to. To me, nature, or the stupendous...

I think the point of the story is that the man's death in the wilderness is pointless—no one is affected, in any significant way. Of course, there are not many characters in the story—other than the man, there is the dog, who is smarter about the cold than the man, and the old timer, whose advice the man ignores, and "the boys" at the camp he is walking to. To me, nature, or the stupendous cold, also is a kind of character, an implacable foe which the man cannot resist. London writes that the the problem with the man was that "he could not imagine," that he was "quick with the things of life...but not their meanings." The man cannot grasp the significance of the cold, beyond the fact that it is cold, nor can he understand his fate until it is too late. As he freezes in the snow, he imagines being with the boys, on the trail, and coming across his frozen body. But the story gives no indication that he thinks "the boys" would be moved by his death. The character most affected is the dog, who, realizing that the man is dead, runs back to the camp, to the "other fire providers."

What does Candy say to them when Lennie and George first arrive at the ranch in Of Mice and Men?

George and Lennie are the two main characters of Steinbeck's novel. They are traveling through depression era California as migrant farm workers. Lennie is mentally challenged and George has been with him ever since Lennie's Aunt Clara died. When they come to the ranch to work, the first character they meet is the old swamper Candy. He's called a swamper because he's basically like a janitor. He "swamps" out the bunkhouse and takes care of...

George and Lennie are the two main characters of Steinbeck's novel. They are traveling through depression era California as migrant farm workers. Lennie is mentally challenged and George has been with him ever since Lennie's Aunt Clara died. When they come to the ranch to work, the first character they meet is the old swamper Candy. He's called a swamper because he's basically like a janitor. He "swamps" out the bunkhouse and takes care of small maintenance jobs on the ranch. When we first meet him he is with a very old dog.

In chapter two George, Lennie and Candy meet in the bunkhouse, and the first conversation between George and Candy is about the bedding. George thinks it might have some parasites because he finds a can of bug repellent on the shelf near his bunk. Candy assures him that it was just that the worker before was quite clean and used the powder just in case:

“Tell you what,” said the old swamper. “This here blacksmith—name of Whitey—was the kind of guy that would put that stuff around even if there wasn’t no bugs—just to make sure, see?"

Candy also tells the men about the various characters on the ranch, including the boss, Crooks, Curley, Curley's wife and Slim. He tells George that the boss was mad the men didn't arrive earlier, but he likes the boss and says,

“Well, he’s a pretty nice fella. Gets pretty mad sometimes, but he’s pretty nice. Tell ya what—know what he done Christmas? Brang a gallon of whisky right in here and says, ‘Drink hearty, boys. Christmas comes but once a year.’” 

Candy describes the stable buck Crooks, a crippled black man who cares for the horses and mules. Candy also likes Crooks and says,

“Yeah. Nice fella too. Got a crooked back where a horse kicked him. The boss gives him hell when he’s mad. But the stable buck don’t give a damn about that. He reads a lot. Got books in his room.”

Candy talks the most about Curley and his wife. Curley is the boss's son and is described as "pugnacious," meaning he's always ready to fight. He was a "Golden Gloves" boxer when he was younger. Candy tells George that Curley often likes to pick fights with bigger men. He explains,

“Never did seem right to me. S’pose Curley jumps a big guy an’ licks him. Ever’body says what a game guy Curley is. And s’pose he does the same thing and gets licked. Then ever’body says the big guy oughtta pick somebody his own size, and maybe they gang up on the big guy. Never did seem right to me. Seems like Curley ain’t givin’ nobody a chance.” 

Curley is often looking for his wife and the two never seem to be at the same place at the same time. Because of this Curley is quite nervous and he ends up fighting Lennie in chapter three.

The source of problems for Curley and later George and Lennie is Curley's wife. Candy describes her as a tramp and a tart. Candy explains that she is often flirting with the other men especially Slim, the jerkline skinner (meaning he drives the mule team). Candy says, 

“I seen her give Slim the eye. Slim’s a jerkline skinner. Hell of a nice fella. Slim don’t need to wear no high-heeled boots on a grain team. I seen her give Slim the eye. Curley never seen it. An’ I seen her give Carlson the eye.”

And a few lines later he says, “Well, you look her over, mister. You see if she ain’t a tart.”

Candy is the most sympathetic character in the book. The ending is not only sad because George has to kill Lennie, but also because the dream of the farm is lost and Candy is stuck in his life at the ranch. 

What are the important themes in Of Mice and Men?

In my opinion there are three major themes in Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men, including the importance of friendship, the pain of loneliness, and the idea of the American Dream.

The theme of friendship is exemplified by the relationship between George and Lennie. They travel together throughout California as migrant farm workers. They've been companions ever since Lennie's Aunt Clara died. George is somewhat of a caretaker for Lennie, who is mentally challenged....

In my opinion there are three major themes in Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men, including the importance of friendship, the pain of loneliness, and the idea of the American Dream.

The theme of friendship is exemplified by the relationship between George and Lennie. They travel together throughout California as migrant farm workers. They've been companions ever since Lennie's Aunt Clara died. George is somewhat of a caretaker for Lennie, who is mentally challenged. The reader may also assume that, even though Lennie is often a problem, George cares for him very much. In chapter one, George describes the friendship between the two men:

“With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.” 

George ultimately shows his true friendship to Lennie by killing him in a merciful act at the end of the novel. 

The pain of loneliness pervades the novel. The reader may focus on Curley's wife and Crooks as the two loneliest characters. Curley's wife seeks companionship throughout the novel and, unfortunately, is perceived as a tramp or a tart because she often tries to talk to the men on the ranch. Her husband, Curley, is both belligerent and insensitive. The two are never pictured together in any scene until the end when the girl is dead. She talks about her loneliness in chapter five when speaking to Crooks, Candy, and Lennie. She says,

“—Sat’iday night. Ever’body out doin’ som’pin’. Ever’body! An’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs—a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep—an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else.” 

In the end, Curley's wife's loneliness and search for companionship causes her death, as she is accidentally killed by Lennie.

Because he is black, Crooks is segregated from the rest of the men and tells Lennie it is hard to live alone in his room in the barn. He wishes he had someone to talk to. Crooks says,

“A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya,” he cried, “I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.” 

The American Dream is also relevant in the story. Americans have always strived for freedom, and having one's own house or piece of land is an extension of that. For George and Lennie, the dream of a "little piece of land" is something they always talk about. In chapter three, George describes the dream in some detail:

“Sure, we’d have a little house an’ a room to ourself. Little fat iron stove, an’ in the winter we’d keep a fire goin’ in it. It ain’t enough land so we’d have to work too hard. Maybe six, seven hours a day. We wouldn’t have to buck no barley eleven hours a day. An’ when we put in a crop, why, we’d be there to take the crop up. We’d know what come of our planting.” 

Having overheard George's plans, Candy offers to contribute money and become a part of the dream. For a time, with the money contributed by Candy, the three men have the dream almost within their grasp. When Lennie kills Curley's wife, George realizes the dream is dead.

In Harper Lee's To kill a Mockingbird, how does Dill rescue Jem from Atticus finding out the truth about what happened to Jem's pants?

In Chapter 6 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, on Dill's last night in Maycomb for the summer, Jem and Dill decide to sneak on to the Radleys' property to try and get a glimpse of Arthur (Boo) Radley through a window, and they drag a reluctant Scout with them. When shots are fired, the three children flee for their lives. During the escape, Jem gets his pants caughtin the barbed wire...

In Chapter 6 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, on Dill's last night in Maycomb for the summer, Jem and Dill decide to sneak on to the Radleys' property to try and get a glimpse of Arthur (Boo) Radley through a window, and they drag a reluctant Scout with them. When shots are fired, the three children flee for their lives. During the escape, Jem gets his pants caught in the barbed wire fence and must abandon them to escape. However, once they escape and reach the front yard, they see Atticus and their neighbors gathered in front of the Radleys' gate. Jem knows they must talk to them or look guilty, which means Jem must show up in front of neighbors without his pants on, and Dill must find a way to cover for him.

When Jem and the other two children approach their gathering of neighbors to ask what happen, Miss Stephanie is the first to notice Jem is not wearing any pants. When Atticus asks, "Where're your pants, son?," Dill, always a quick and imaginative thinker, is the first to be able to invent an excuse to help Jem save face:

Ah--I won 'em from him ... We were playin' strip poker up yonder by the fishpool. (Ch. 6)

Though Atticus believes the story, the negative side to the event is that the story infuriates Dill's aunt, Miss Rachel. Regardless, Atticus is able to pacify Miss Rachel by ensuring it wasn't a serious issue, just a phase all children go through, which prevents Dill from getting into trouble.

To what extent is Willy the anti-hero?

I wouldn't call Willy an anti-hero. While there is some ambiguity around the term, an antihero is generally a character who undergoes the classic hero's journey without having all of the typical moral qualities of a conventional hero. This is a term that is more applicable to epic than to tragedy. In tragedy it is much more normal for the hero of the story to be flawed. Being flawed in a tragedy does not make...

I wouldn't call Willy an anti-hero. While there is some ambiguity around the term, an antihero is generally a character who undergoes the classic hero's journey without having all of the typical moral qualities of a conventional hero. This is a term that is more applicable to epic than to tragedy. In tragedy it is much more normal for the hero of the story to be flawed. Being flawed in a tragedy does not make the protagonist an antihero. Given this, though I do agree that Willy is the primary subject of the play, I would call him a tragic hero rather than an antihero. 

He follows more in the tradition of Greek tragedy. In this genre of drama a largely good-natured person suffers due to a crucial flaw. Willy is certainly more flawed than the typical greek hero, but I would argue he is essentially still good at the core. Despite his cruel behavior, cheating, and obsession with success, he is in many ways a victim of a vapid society, a poor upbringing, and a misconception of the drivers of true happiness. Deep down he still loves his sons and wants them to do well in life. His is blinded by vanity and insecurity.

An antihero is an extraordinary person who accomplishes extraordinary things despite less than perfect moral qualities. Willy is in many ways the opposite of this. He is an ordinary man who accomplishes very little, despite a core desire to be good. He falls short because of his flaws and his failures.

A potassium foil is placed at a distance 0.5 m from the light source whose output power is 0.1 Watt. How long would it take for foil to saturate...

If the output power of the light source is P = 0.1 Watt, the intensity of the light at the location of the potassium foil (d = 0.5 meters away) will be

`I = P/(4pid^2) = 0.1/(4pi(0.5)^2) = 0.032 W/m^2`

This means the power (or the rate of energy) at which the circular area of foil with the given radius `r = 1.3*10^(-10)` m will absorb the light will be

`P_a = I*(pir^2) = 0.032 *...

If the output power of the light source is P = 0.1 Watt, the intensity of the light at the location of the potassium foil (d = 0.5 meters away) will be

`I = P/(4pid^2) = 0.1/(4pi(0.5)^2) = 0.032 W/m^2`

This means the power (or the rate of energy) at which the circular area of foil with the given radius `r = 1.3*10^(-10)` m will absorb the light will be

`P_a = I*(pir^2) = 0.032 * pi(1.3*10^(-10))^2 = 1.69*10^(-21)` W. (We can neglect the fact that the points on this piece of foil are possibly at different distances from the light source because the radius is so much smaller than the distance from the light source.)

So the energy rate at which the given area absorbs the light is

`1.69 * 10^(-21) W` . Assuming the rate is uniform, the energy absorbed during time t will be

`E = P_a*t ` . The energy required to eject and electron is

`E = 1.8 eV = 1.8 * 1.6*10^(-19) = 2.88*10^(-19) J` .

Thus, the time it will take to absorb this energy is

`t = E/(P_a) = (2.88*10^(-19))/(1.69*10^(-21)) = 170.4 s`

It would take the foil 170.4 seconds to saturate enough energy to absorb an electron.

A soap film is viewed in white light. If the film is much thinner than the wavelength of blue light, what is the appearance of the film?

The effect involved in here is called thin film interference. It occurs when light reflected from the upper boundary (or first surface) of a material interferes with the light reflected from the lower boundary (or second surface). This interference can be destructive (when the phase difference is equal to `pi` ) or constructive (no phase difference).

We need to use a fact to understand what we will see in our case. For a soap film (or water), when light hits the first surface (from air to "water"), the reflected light has a phase change of `pi`Some of the light rays get transmitted (with no phase change) and reflected on the second surface (with no phase change as well). At the end, the first reflected light ray has a phase change of `pi` while the second reflected light ray has no phase change (when compared to the original incident light ray).

Now, when we assume that the thickness of our film is much smaller than the wavelength of the blue light, we see that the difference in the path lengths (difference in path lengths give rise to phase differences too) of the two reflected light rays is negligible, thus, no new phase change is created and the reflected rays have a phase difference of `pi` ( because `pi` - 0 = `pi` ). So for the blue light, all interference is destructive for the reflection. And since the blue light is the one with the smallest wavelength that we can see, all the other colors get destructive interference as well (for the same reason). Thus, the soap film becomes black (reflectionless would be a better term because we can still see through the soap film), because no light is being reflected from it!

If we increase the thickness of our soap film to around one-quarter of the wavelength of the blue light, only red and green light will be reflected, and the soap film will appear yellow.

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